Solmata

People of the Sun

The kingdom of Lunis is known for its reverence of the moon, but there are those amongst them that give the sun higher relevance. They are known as the Solmata, one of the two major ethnic groups of Lunis. 

Culture

One of the biggest differences between Lunans and Solmata is their behavior towards outsiders. Lunans draw a clear line between themselves and foreigners. Once a Lunan considers someone a foreigner it is generally difficult to shake off that label, even for people that have lived in Lunis their whole life. Solmata aren't as interested in defining the boundaries of their culture and who gets to be Solmata, they consider any who adopt their customs to be Solmata.
Religiously, there are few differences between the Solmata and Lunan. They both believe in the Radiant Lord and Grey Lady, they simply give different amounts of attention to them. There is one key point of contention, the Solmata believe that marriages should take place during the day, while Lunans only hold weddings during the Full Moon Festival. While it hasn't led to direct conflict (on a society wide scale), it has led to many arguments and heated disagreements.
The Solmata believe in the majesty of all that the sun touches, so they are more prone to travel or take jobs that involve traveling, merchant being one of the more common choices. While the Solmata are mostly unrepresented amongst the nobility, the number of successful Solmata merchants gives them a different kind of political influence. Furthermore, most other countries' image of Lunis's culture is heavily influenced by Solmata culture, which is reinforced by the amounts of Solmata at Lunan port towns.
Two example of this are the bagpipes and the fire dance. Bagpipes are a traditional Solmata instrument, the bags often have a design that incorporate bright colors and sun symbols. When most foreigners think of Lunan music, bagpipes come to mind, leading to many travelers being surprised by their scarcity in Tullalune due to its small population of Solmata.
Solmata fire dances make use of two semi-circle fans per dancer. In each village a fire dance is preformed at sunrise and sunset. They are also preformed for major events such as weddings. Additionally, fire dancers often do a private dance before undertaking something difficult or dangerous in their personal life. The most famous movement in Solmata fire dancing is when the two fans are held in front of the dancer to make a complete circle of fire, which represents the sun.

Distribution

Most Solmata can be found in the north eastern section of Lunis. There are even a few Solmata communities that live up in the Hollow Mountains. Due to their proximity with Xilaman, which also has a few settlements in the Hollow Mountains, those communities have adopted some pieces of Xilian culture. Officially, the Lunan border ends at the Hollow Mountains, so these towns are an often irritating complexity when the matter of borders needs to be discussed.

Demographics

Like Lunis itself, the Solmata population consists mainly of humans and orcs. However due to the Solmata's willingness to travel and welcome others into their culture, there is a higher percentage of other races amongst their population when compared to the Lunans.

Distinguishing Dress

There are certain aspects of Solmata dress that can distinguish them from Lunans. The most obvious is the fez, the Solmata fez often features a sun symbol and has a flat top. When possible Solmata also prefer to dress in bright colors.

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A Spreading Tradition

Other groups such as the Corkoa tribe in Esrena have learned the art of fire dancing from Solmata travelers and made their own modifications to it, such as changing what tools are used for the fire.

From the Author

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