Sulvari

Description

The Sulvari are the people that inhabit the Cadena Archipelago, who are comprised mostly of humans. Their sailors can be found all over the world, whether it is as traders or pirates (or as they call them: 'alternative traders'). They are flamboyant, outgoing and have a flair for the theatrical. Their colorful clothing and tanned skin stands out wherever they go and they revel in the looks and attention they draw when abroad.

Culture

They value a quick wit just as much as a quick reflex and they are some of the most literate people in Levantis. They value philosophy, but mostly as a skill to be employed in debate. Within the Cadena Archipelago there is a weekly tradition where local leaders will have an open debate with the citizenry on civil matters. Anyone is free to enter in these debates and those who consistently bring their points across well are usually respected within their communities. Outside of the Archipelago, Sulvari will often try to employ their rhetoric skills to twist agreements or trades in their favor. Intelligence, wit and artistic talent are important in Sulvari society and those who master these things will invariably end up in high positions, regardless of lineage, gender or race.

The Arts

The Sulvari value art especially, and consider the various forms of known artistry as a virtue unto itself. Art is a not a means to an end, but an end goal itself. Any influential person is expected to be an experienced artist as well, or at the very least a patron of great art. Conversely, any great artist is considered to be blessed by the gods and therefore more likely to end up as an influential person for it.

Social Order

The wheel of fortune, the notion that who is up will soon be down, is an important concept in Sulvari culture. To them it is not mere chance, but a constant of the world that is enforced by the Gods. They believe in upwards mobility in a way that many other cultures do not. The meek can overcome the mighty as long as they are bold and take the opportunities presented to them. Sooner or later everyone gets their shot.
This idea can also be seen in their tradition of sailing to distant lands in search of wealth and fortune. Taking bold risks is considered virtuous, "fortune favors the bold" after all. This makes for a people that are adept traders when possible, but also opportunistic pirates when necessary. Gambling is also commonplace in Sulvari settlements and unlike other cultures, they do not look down on this. Instead there is a virtue in playing these games and especially in playing the hand you were dealt with right and winning (by whatever means you can get away with). Gambling addiction is acknowledged as an issue, just as alcohol abuse is, but these are considered outliers.
Sulvari favor light armor and weapons and tend to rely on their dexterity to come out on top. They have no taste for bloodshed and try to avoid casualties when boarding or in other combat situations, but they won't shy away from a fight if it presents them an opportunity for wealth.

Religion

Sulvari put a lot of stock in fate and that the Gods present everyone with their own opportunities to rise (or fall!). However they are not the type to beg for favor of the Gods, rather they believe that invoking their names too much will instead cause them to ignore you for abusing the privilege. They also distrust a 'sure thing', instead many of their myths and legends have characters deliberately seek out challenges or impose disadvantages on themselves to curry favor with the Gods. In their eyes, a one-in-a-million chance is far more of a sure thing, than a 'sure thing'. And they believe that anyone who manages to overcome these slim odds is watched over by the gods, and someone to heed and follow.
They are also much less opposed to some of the more treacherous Gods as they can see virtue in even them. For example an assassination is a cold and planned act, but a murder of passion is spontaneous and far more romanticized in Sulvari culture. Spontaneity is virtuous, and this includes spontaneous violence. Sulvari also value bravery and despise cowardice, which is part of why they are so eager to duel over disagreements. If you are insulted, take off your glove, grab your sword and fight it out in an honorable duel or be forever stained as a coward.

Statistics

Rather than the normal statistics used for Human characters, those of Sulvari descent can use the following subrace (speed, size and languages remains the same):

Sulvari Human.

Ability Score Increase.
Your Charisma or Dexterity ability score increases by 1, and two other ability scores of your choice each increase by 1.
Hardy Sailor.
You gain proficiency in the Survival skill and with Vehicles (water) and Navigator's Tools.
"Honourable" Duelist.
You have proficiency with Rapiers, Daggers, Longswords, and Shortswords.
Dextrous Combatant.
When you make a melee attack against a creature, you don’t provoke opportunity attacks from that creature for the rest of the turn, whether you hit or not. When you use the Dash action, difficult terrain doesn’t cost you extra movement on that turn.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Cecilia, Marisa, Claudia, Amelia, Covalusia, Sophia, etc.

Masculine names

Raphaello, Rigo, Bruno, Xavier, Diego, etc.

Family names

Galvar, de la Gaspari, Lasuva, Rosiello, Daluerte, etc.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Tan skin, colorful clothing, as much jewelry as possible.

Gender Ideals

The Sulvari value equality highly. Men and women have equal opportunities and can both be found in high positions.

Related Organizations

• Republic of Cadena

Related Locations

• Cadena Archipelago

Plays and Theater

The Sulvari absolutely love dramatic theater. They are especially fond of tragedies, where fate conspires against the protagonist to deny them their true love. But they are even more fond of watching said protagonist overcoming these hurdles, as that embraces their strong belief that everyone can end up on top if they play their cards right.
They do not shy away from violent themes in their plays, it is simply a part of life after all. It can even be glorious, a good protagonist would not let an insult go unpunished for example. However the Sulvari do not think dying in battle is glorious like other cultures do. To the Sulvari a good death, is a dramatic one and a solo act.