Elnemoran
Lavish and decadent are the Elnemorans, both obsessed with truth and deception, they are singular of character. No other people can be found whom hold in higher regard the fine arts of face-paints, high fashion, or the theatrical pursuits.
By turns both sensational actors and infamously deft diplomats, the Elnemorans have accrued power from their seat in Katamarin
at a staggering rate, but a veil of mystery hangs over the source of their success. All that is known of their uncanny path to power is that its origin lies with the secretive Tailory, an institution that governs the Elnemorans behind closed doors.
The Elnemoran culture emerged like so many others, from the ashes of the Old Partrinexian regime, but unlike others who sought to break-away, Elnemorans chose to embrace those things they perceived as lending Partrinex its longevity and its force of will. They wrapped themselves in the trappings of power, and in so doing they managed to delude others and indeed themselves into believing that the old order had never fallen, only taken on a new form.
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Mithiope
Larisa
Saeleck
Melaes
Taena
Raeleck
Meraeon
Masculine names
Levinorus
Aeldsgraim
Katamar
Aerick
Aedan
Saemun
Unisex names
Haeleck
Aeck
Raeden
Saelas
Graem
Maecka
Family names
Valmine (mixed-Teolish/Elenemoran)
Aelend
Braedalvick
Aerlenos
Katram
Moraen
Aeldrick
Karack
Vaelak
Aeld
Other names
Katarn (Proto-Elnemoran, pre-adoption of Neo-Partri influence)
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Neo-Partri
Elnemoran dialect, and language of business and day-to-day affairs.
Teolish-Elnemoran Pidgin, in use in Elnemora's dominions.
Old Partri (Written and read, not spoken.), used for calligraphy, Tailoring manuals, and throughout the empire for signage and official documentation.
Shared customary codes and values
Values:
Beauty
Aesthetics
Pleasure
Social Grace
Adaptability
Nuance
Codes:
Interior beauty will always eclipse exterior beauty, but it is that exterior which draws others to explore the interior.
The strength of one's people lies not in their ability to endure, but rather their capacity to leave a legacy of impressions, things that echo down through time for uncounted generations.
As one strives towards beauty in all things, appearance, actions, and outcomes, so too must one be prepared to find beauty where the uncareful eye might overlook it. Hidden beauties being just as precious if not more so, than those that are plain to see for any who look for them.
If something ugly can be turned towards facilitating beauty, it is our duty to make it so.
Common Etiquette rules
In polite society, one should always begin by acknowledging the beauty of one's interlocutor. This can be omitted, but is considered a formalized insult, because it suggests the greeter cannot find anything worthy of recognition in the person they are speaking to.
When entering a building, it is customary for those already within to make an exaggerated response to one's arrival, though in practice this often gets truncated into a rote turning of the head.
At meals, if an Elnemoran prefers to leave their mask on to dine, it is considered a truly grievous affront to look at them whatsoever, during that period where they are not speaking, and presumably must adjust their mask in order to eat.
When Elnemorans wish to offer a catch-all compliment, they will typically say "You were gifted with a (trait) that the Tailors themselves could only hope to imitate," with the obvious implication being that the individual in question needed no such services to attain their present appearance.
Common Dress code
As the Elnemoran peninsula is a rainy hot climate, it is typical for Elnemorans to dress with layers to keep the wet out. Though there is no actual prejudice towards dressing down, it is generally observed that Elnemorans will remain covered up wherever possible, barring situations where aspects of their appearance become widely known. It can therefore be safely concluded that the less clothing a given Elnemoran wears, the greater their notoriety in their social circles.
As a people who are constantly seeking newer and greater ways to surprise and amuse, there is not much else to say about their dress code. Given that the Elnemorans lack a nudity taboo in practice, but generally prefer to be covered up, it can be safely assumed that nudity in the Elnemoran context involves unusual circumstances, if not outright scandalous ones.
Art & Architecture
The art movements of Elnemora have never fallen away from those concepts and techniques made famous by the Old Partrinexian artists, and are forever in conversation with them. This has led to some interesting quirks. For example in their visual art, Elnemoran painters and drawers never capture perspective in a three-dimensional sense, preferring to depict people in profile, or head-on. This is almost certainly connected to their attachment to symmetry, and can also be seen in sculpture, architectural practices, and fashion. Arches and domes in particular feature quite heavily in Elnemoran buildings, and many of their great architectural buildings were either built by or heavily influenced by Old Partrinex. The Round is a curious example where there's no clear evidence as to who the architect was or its period. It could conceivably have been built ten thousand years ago, and merely have been refurbished in the last hundred, or it might barely be a century old. Scholars have argued over it ceaselessly, and it remains to be seen whether newly discovered documents will end the argument conclusively.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
The Elnemoran ideals around beauty fixate quite heavily on the surface of a person's appearance. They also place strong emphasis on perfection, and what can be made to seem without flaw. This is most visible in the widespread adoption of face-masks by the upper class. Those who abide in the capital are rarely seen without an exquisitely wrought face frozen in a chosen expression that the wearer deems appropriate. Although the most lavish participants in Elnemoran society have been known to wear multiple masks, for most, a single uniform mask that can be worn on all occasions is sufficient.
Underneath the mask, there is that which cannot be easily changed. One's eye colour, one's hair type. One's bone structure. Most would say that these things are immutable. Unchangeable. But whether through mundane means such as cosmetics or the far less mundane assistance that a Tailor can provide, many Elnemorans strive towards the unattainable. And in Elnemora, where one's likeness is so often hidden from the world, it is easier to brush up against than one might think.
The beauty standards of Elnemora, regardless of their method of meeting it, are informed by the following aspects;
Symmetry
Curvaceousness
Multicolours / Prismatic Light
Changeability, though still bounded within symmetry.
Gender Ideals
Elnemorans view the feminine as being the closest to innate beauty by virtue of their tendency to display curvaceousness when they mature. This lies in contrast to masculine people whose maturation fosters hard angles and a kind of roughness that Elnemorans don't view as beautiful. For those who embody a more androgynous aspect, neither pursuing a masculine or a feminine ideal, or those who indeed move through the two interchangeably, the ease with which they defy the perceptions of others and their capacity to master their own appearance down the whims of their moods is given high praise indeed. That fluidity, and that ability to attain the essence of the two forms intermingled? Breath-taking, per the Elnemorans.
Elnemorans observe feminine, masculine, and neither gender.
Women in Elnemora;
-hold office
-engage in commerce, especially as vendors
-do not (openly) become Tailors
-share equal responsibility in the household
Men in Elnemora;
-hold office
-engage in commerce, but tend to be purchasers rather than sellers
-are the only gender that are allowed to become Tailors (the excuse given? They who can never attain the pinnacle of beauty, can appreciate better how to make those that are beautiful more so.)
Neithers in Elnemora;
-Frequently hold office, though the custom dictates that whichever aspect they were officiated within be the one that they embody in their capacity as that official.
-Engage in some of the most commerce, for reasons that should be obvious given the above examples
-Have been known to be exceptionally skilled Tailors, though this is generally only spoken of in rumour, since public-facing Tailors are never seen to be feminine in any regard.
Courtship Ideals
Elnemorans typically encourage romantic love and pursue it with the kind of hedonism that can astonish more reserved cultures, albeit the consummate concern with appearances means that grand gestures are commonplace, and little intimacies are viewed as the height of impropriety. Holding hands is tantamount to running through the street naked, whereas loudly proclaiming your desire to ravish a lover's body is more or less as remarkable as greeting a person you've not seen for a week.
There's also a great deal of whispering involved in Elnemoran courtship, both because masks tend to muffle one's voice, requiring a level of closeness just to be understood, but also because when an Elnemoran whispers it is to be understood that they are telling you a well-kept secret, or a truth that could very well be unflattering. That layer of vulnerability, and that willingness to bare one's true form for another, regardless of that person's judgement means that new lovers tend to be loudest, whilst those who've been involved with one another for years might be inaudible during their conversations to any save themselves.
Relationship Ideals
Elnemorans will marry for reasons other than love, especially when a political marriage would be beneficial to them. That pragmatic view of the institution, as a tool to enable political alliances or to resolve interfamilial conflicts means that paramours and affairs are frequent and negligible to an Elnemoran's perspective.
The indicators of a strong bond between Elnemorans;
-Removal of one's masks in private
-Lowered voice in conversation
-A willingness to take pains to increase your partner's beauty, even where it diminishes your own.
Most Elnemorans want their relationships to be built upon a mutual appreciation of each other's beauty, particularly inner beauty, where such intangible characteristics are only visible after a prolonged period of getting to know one another. That one's friends, family, and lovers are all at least as beautiful as oneself, if not more so, is one of the cornerstones of Elnemoran social life.
Major organizations
The Tailory
The Elnemoran Empire
The Slave-Governate of Teol
Related Organizations
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