Tribe of Manaan
Roughly twenty miles southeast of Saltmarsh, nearly two hundred feet below the surface of the Cobalt Sea, is a tribe of Sea Elves known as the Tribe of Manaan. Ruled by a chief, they are nominally part of the larger territory of Queen Ayelgard of Dar Elestri - but, in reality, the queen has little power this far north. Isolationist and somewhat nomadic, the sea elves of Manaan are fish-herders and resourceful craftspeople.
Naming Traditions
Unisex names
The Tribe of Manaan, like most sea elves, name themselves at a young age using a unique "signal whistle" in their native Delatari language. As unique whistle noises, these signal whistles have no direct translation, nor any literal meaning. I.e., there is no Manaan elf named "Smith", as "Smith" derives from the profession of being a smith.
Other names
Given the Manaan people speak a local dialect of Delatari - a language consisting of dolphin-esq clicks, whistles, and whines, somewhat resembaling Orca dialects for the Manaan - their names do not translate well to surface languages. Sea elf languages aren't spoken using vocal chords - though they do still have vocal chords, being elves - but rather a system of specalized, odontocete-like organs in the sinuses and nasal cavity. This means that, when interacting with surface-dwellers above the water, the Manaan people typically adopt a name in Elvish. Given their isolation, these typically are not elvish names, but rather names derivative of maritime terms and qualities. One such example is the sea elf Oceanus, who's sea-elf name is of course a unique signal whistle.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
The Manaan tribe speaks a highly localized dialect of the sea-elf language, Deltari, which - according to legend - was derived from translating a proto-language combining Aquan and Sylvan into Orca vocalizations. As such, Deltari consists largely of pulse calls, whistles, and clicks. That said, sea elves retain their vocal chords and often learn a broken form of elvish and aquan so they can communicate while above the surface or on dry land. The Manaan tribe rarely travels to such dry locations, but the need for food, trade, or raids occasionally leads to such expeditions.
Shared customary codes and values
The Manaan tribe have no concept of private property beyond immediate personal possessions, especially in regard to tools. While most sea elves - and indeed, most underwater races - didn't structure their societies or economies around property rights, the Manaan people are particularly radical in their rejection of property. In most socieites, homes are mostly private - allowing for some degree of private land ownership and use. Being nomadic and lacking material wealth, the Manaan must work communally and respect the commons in order to survive. As such, a culture of sharing and communal ownership is present, and the abuse of shared resources - while not unheard of - is uncommon, due to a combination of group cooperation being essential for survival, as well as the general elven perspective on physical objects being diminished due to their long lifespans.
In addition to a unique view on ownership, among the Manaan promises are sacred. This is less unique, as it is common for sea elves to hold an elf's word in high esteem. Breaking one's word is a form of deception and dishonor, and oftentimes an elf will fulfil the incomplete commitments of a deceased kinsman.
In addition to a unique view on ownership, among the Manaan promises are sacred. This is less unique, as it is common for sea elves to hold an elf's word in high esteem. Breaking one's word is a form of deception and dishonor, and oftentimes an elf will fulfil the incomplete commitments of a deceased kinsman.
Common Dress code
Given they live underwater, clothing is in limited supply. The Manaan tribe wears little beyond what kelp or Mussel Cloth coverings they can make to protect vulnerable regions of the body (such as genitalia) or hold elements in place. In this vein, chest binding is very common among Manaan women, as free floating breasts can be an impediment to swimming.
Beyond this, ropes (fashioned from aquatic flora or produced from shipwrecks) are used to secure personal possessions and tools to the body, as well as secure Airbladders to their person. Overly flowy or billowy clothing, as well as clothes made from "traditional" surface-dweller fabrics that can become saturated, are further avoided due to their drag effects being detrimental to mobility.
In the rare times of war, armor is worn. The Manaan tribe typically outfits warriors in armor made of padded kelp or, occasionally, shark scales. Given shark scales improve mobility, clothing made out of them is highly prized - but it is also dangerous and difficult to make. Given the scarcity and toughness of the material, it is only ever used for the armor of warriors; not for day to day clothes. A few Manaan warriors surrounding the chief are allowed to use alchemically produced Jellyfish Armor, which the tribe received via underwater trade networks from the sea elf capitol, Dar Elestri, many decades ago.
Beyond this, ropes (fashioned from aquatic flora or produced from shipwrecks) are used to secure personal possessions and tools to the body, as well as secure Airbladders to their person. Overly flowy or billowy clothing, as well as clothes made from "traditional" surface-dweller fabrics that can become saturated, are further avoided due to their drag effects being detrimental to mobility.
In the rare times of war, armor is worn. The Manaan tribe typically outfits warriors in armor made of padded kelp or, occasionally, shark scales. Given shark scales improve mobility, clothing made out of them is highly prized - but it is also dangerous and difficult to make. Given the scarcity and toughness of the material, it is only ever used for the armor of warriors; not for day to day clothes. A few Manaan warriors surrounding the chief are allowed to use alchemically produced Jellyfish Armor, which the tribe received via underwater trade networks from the sea elf capitol, Dar Elestri, many decades ago.
Art & Architecture
Sea Elf art is mostly sculpture and song, and the only metal undersea peoples can only work with is gold without the aid of potentially deadly sea mounts and geothermal vents. The Manaan people specialized in song, and have a rich musical tradition that surface dwellers often mistake for whale calls.
Ideals
Gender Ideals
Largely a patrilineal, society, the tribe of Manaan had a male chief elected by the heads of each family, or "household" as they might be called on the surface. Parallel to the chief was the Kahuna, or "Druid", a shaman or medicine man type figure who selected and trained a promising protege from a young age in a vareity of mystical and medicinal arts. Unlike the Chief, the Kahuna could be of any gender, though they were typically male as well.
Major organizations
The Confederacy of Dar Elestri is the larger kingdom under which the tribe is organized, though in reality the Queen has little power over even nearby sea elf tribes - much less the tribe of Manaan, which is many leaugs north of the coral city of Dar Elestri.
Oceanus, a Sea Elf from the Tribe of Manaan captured and clothed by the Smugglers aboard the Sea Ghost
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