Dotharan People
Dotharans are a half-elven ethnicity hailing from the Dotharan coast of the Feloran continent. They are ambitious, industrious people, known for their command of the Tealastrian Trade and embrace of new ideas and technologies.
Due to the emergence of a multi-generational half-elf majority in the Alliance, one can find a combination of the cultures of human settlers from Qua'adar & Indhara of the Galisean continent, and the cultures of the indigenous Elven Felorans. The spirit of cooperation that belies the Alliance Charter fostered a cosmopolitan attitude in the majority of its member citizens. Much of the population is well-educated and literate, as well as civically involved.
Naming Traditions
Unisex names
Reflecting Feloran gender roles and values, half-elven Dotharans adopt names regardless of the gender of the name in Qua'adaran. It is common for half-elves to have the name of one of their parents, with Qua'adaran names dominating.
Some common given names are:
- Akbar
- Bushra
- Elephon
- Fares
- Hamza
- Harun
- Mansure
- Mehmed
- Selçuk
Family names
Dotharan family names are mostly Hadar (human) or Feloran (elven) in origin. Many are based on the ancestral names of those first unions between Hadar and Felorans, consisting of a Hadar patronym or matronym and a Feloran toponym. For example: "kèn Tashfeen" means "child of Tashfeen", while "du Formenya" means "from the Formenya region". It is not unusual for an extended sequence of matronyms and patronyms to trace an individual's heritage back to their first elven and human ancestors.
Other names
It is Dotharan cultural practice to have titles that include one's formal role – this is considered respectful within Dothara but comes off as pompous to outsiders. Combined with the lengthy patronym and matronyms of Dotharans, which incorporate Feloran and Hadar names, it has the side effect of producing particularly long names. When an outsider settles in a Dotharan city, particularly a half-elf from another land, it is common for them to adopt Dotharan naming structures.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Most Dotharans speak at least three languages, reflecting their cosmopolitan nature. 1st generation Dotharans generally speak varying dialects of Feloran and/or Hadar, depending on their upbringing. 2nd and 3rd-generation Dotharans speak a dialect of Feloran that incorporates the Hadar lexicon and syntax. Most urban Dotharans speak trade pidgin, and Dotharans of the 4th generation increasingly favour the common trade pidgin as their primary tongue.
Culture and cultural heritage
A mixture of the Elven Feloran and human Hadar heritages, the Dotharans are a cosmopolitan culture in the midst of finding and establishing it's identities. Broadly, the 2nd & 3rd generations are notably spirited in their pursuit of a Dotharan identity unique to the coastline, with an emphasis on being a safe homeland for half-elves around the world. The 1st and 4th generations have a more distributed belief in what the Alliance is a safe homeland to.
Shared customary codes and values
Dotharan culture values personal liberty, civic engagement, and intelligence. Dotharans are egalitarian, fiercely so at times, at least amongst those whom they deem to be citizens of their city-states. Dotharans can be therefore exclusionary to other ethnicities and even prejudiced towards their ancestral Feloran and Hadar cousins, viewing themselves as having an inherently modern culture compared to "backwater" civilizations.
Average technological level
Of the modern world's civilisations, the Dotharans are among the most technologically advanced. The Dotharan Alliance, the sole Dotharan state, is the most advanced Feloran civilisation. A highly developed civic infrastructure supports widespread access to education, extensive trade links with other Tealastrian civilisations bring ready access to gunpowder, and the Alliance has even achieved a certain level of primitive industrialization. Dotharans have made the only major expansion to Feloran Canals in thousands of years. Most Dotharan settlements have plumbing and are expanded along a modernised version of Feloran Imperial city planning.
Common Etiquette rules
Dotharan etiquette hinges on the Dotharan belief in equity amongst citizens but does not always extend to non-citizens or outsiders. The most common form of address within Dotharan communities is "citizen", followed by the given name of the individual and their toponym. It is considered rude to talk loudly in public, and people are expected to be gracious to strangers, and hospitable to the vulnerable.
Common Dress code
Dotharan clothing is a harmonious blend of Hadar practicality and humbleness with Feloran elegance and creativity. There is no set norm for how much clothing one is supposed to wear, with it varying according to the practical needs of one's profession, and the comfortability of the often humid Dotharan weather.
Art & Architecture
Dotharan artistic expression favours novelty and unique ideas. It is a fast-moving scene, with styles coming and going from across the known world and being merged and fused into new ideas and presentations. There are a collection of motifs present in Dotharan art from Feloran, particularly Formèni, as well as Hadar sources. They filter this heritage through the new ideas brought to them on the Tealastrian trade.
Architecturally, the Dotharans have applied Feloran engineering to the Hadar style of construction, while using the materials available to them from their trade routes across Tealastria and Inner Felora. The result is the Hadar arches and towers on a massive scale, aligning the canals and aqueducts of the cities and ports of the Alliance.
Foods & Cuisine
Dotharan cookery makes wide use of vegetables, olive oil, grains, fish, wine and meat. Their culture's domination of north-south Tealastrian trade affords them access to a wide range of what would be delicacies in more remote cuisines. Sorenian rice is still a staple, as it is able to be grown in the Dotharan sections of the imperial irrigation system, however, other grains are increasingly imported via sea routes. A common Dotharan meal features rice (or couscous) paired with steamed fish or sautéed meat, with a myriad of spices and herbs domestic and foreign.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
When a pregnancy is first discovered, it is announced in a specific order, first to their immediate family, then to peers, and finally to their community. Expectant Dotharan parents are honoured by their community, who will take on some of the everyday workloads for the pregnant parent. Dotharans believe a baby's first taste should be something sweet, so parents often chew a piece of date or citrus and rub the juice along the baby's gums.
Coming of Age Rites
After the 1st birthday, major milestones for Dotharans are their 15th and 60th birthdays. Most Dotharans take apprenticeships or academic studies for 5-10 years of their lives. At the age of 60, a Dotharan undertakes their Törn'kèu ritual, based on the Feloran ritual of the same name. Like their elven ancestors, they declare their preferred form of address (pronouns, the typical length of their name, etc) and "three pillars". Unlike in Feloran culture, where the method of how to go about this is up to the individual, Dotharans are expected to demonstrate their ambitions and skill with a trial determined by a community leader, teacher, or family elder.
Furthermore, waiting past 60 is considered indicative of laziness and/or incompetence, and is looked down upon severly.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Dotharan dead are mostly buried at sea, according to ancient Formeni customs, during the night. It is believed that the moon blesses the dead, and thus full-moon burials are the most sought-after, particularly for Dotharans whose ambition brought them far in life. A shorter-lived Dotharan, particularly one who died before their time, will often be buried according to Hadar custom, in the hopes that their Yīra will return in a new mortal form rather than continue to the higher planes.
Common Myths and Legends
The Sun and Moon spirits model the ideal dyadic dynamic, the perfect balance between two forces, competing and yet mutually improving. They represent the model for all other partnerships within Dotharan culture, business or pleasure. This reflects the original Dotharan partnership between Hadar and Feloran, Human and Elf.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Dotharans value clear skin, especially amongst those living in the city and with access to lotions and balms, as a sign of a well-groomed and hygienic person. Dotharans are particularly interested in the neck and shoulders of more masculine people, and the hips and legs of more feminine people. Golden-yellow eyes are considered a sign of long life, due to their Elven origins, and are as such found to be an attractive quality in either common gender in Dotharan society. Symmetrical features are considered attractive in Dothara as they are viewed as indicators of good physical health.
Gender Ideals
Although neutral expressions of gender exist in Dothara, especially in newly founded or joined polities, Dotharans have a more binary perspective than their Feloran counterparts. That said, gender roles for Dotharan women are more equitable than in Hadar culture, reflecting the dominance of Feloran and Indharan influences. Dotharans of any gender navigate the public world similarly and are capable of holding any occupation. In more traditional minds men are expected to be more interested in leaving home and exploring the world, while women are expected to be more interested in history and exploring the past. Women and men both are expected to be civically engaged, politically literate, ambitious, and worldly. Slightly more women dominate the sciences and other academics, while slightly more men take up fishing, trade, and cartography
Courtship Ideals
Dotharan courtship is complex and nuanced, with several stages that can last for years or even a decade. It is common for a prospective partner to write love poetry and songs, or buy gifts for the target of their affection. This is done to win the affection of the prospective lover as well as their family. Marriage in Dotharan culture is considered to be a union of families – akin to Hadar tradition – as well as personal affairs of the couple in question - akin to Feloran tradition.
Relationship Ideals
A partnership is considered productive and fruitful if it results in the mutual enrichment of the other's lives – one is expected to support the other's business, work, and goals as if they were their own. Many Dotharan shipping companies are owned by magnate couples, who share management of the business. Polyamory is discouraged in Dotharan culture far more than in other Feloran groups. Because of the totality of Dotharan marriage, they favour dyadic relationships over other dynamics.
Major organizations
Dotharans are overwhelmingly concentrated in the Dotharan Alliance, from which they derive their namesake. As the only half-elven dominated state, many culturally foreign half-elves emigrate to the alliance, far more than any Dotharan permanently moves outside the Alliance. Outside of Felora and even the Dotharan Coast, the only notable organised Dotharan group resides in the Feloran quarter in the city of Qua'adar, due to the strong trade links between their Kingdom and the Alliance, which wields some manner of influence in the city's politics.
Dotharan Facial Collage by trekman10
Parent ethnicities
Diverged ethnicities
Encompassed species
Related Organizations
Related Items
Languages spoken
Related Locations
Advice for Adventurers of Dotharan Heritage
The following is meant to be a helpful list of tips and suggestions for those roleplaying a character from the Dotharan Alliance or of Dotharan descent/heritage +2 Charisma, +1 to Dexterity, +1 to Wisdom+2 Charisma, +1 to Dexterity, +1 to IntelligenceRecommended DnD (5e) Traits:
Note: These are rough guidelines, and not strict rules for those wishing to roleplay as Dotharan Felorans.With General Heritage
- +2 to Charisma, +1 to Dexterity, +1 to Wisdom
- Proficiency with Common, Feloran, Dotharan, and Hadar languages
- Proficiency with Performance and Insight
- Firearms Weapons Training. Proficiency in firearms.
With High Elven Heritage
- Proficiency with Common, Feloran, Dotharan, and Hadar languages
- Cantrip Proficiency (Recommended Cantrips): Encode Thoughts, Mage Hand, Mending, Message
With Wood Elven Heritage
- Proficiency with Common, Feloran, Dotharan, and Hadar languages
- Elf Weapon Training: Proficiency with longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.
Dotharan clothing illustration by DALLE
