Desert Elves

Flowers from the Sand

The smell of roasting arcanavidere wafted over the campsite. It's sugar and salt aroma flowed in and out of the many open tents, causing more than a few pointy ears to perk up, milky eyes to dart to the center of the campsite.
"Ey! Dinners ready! Get your asses out here or it'll get cold!" A burly desert elf yelled out into the afternoon air. His flowing, colorful robes swayed when he turned the rotating meat.
A stringy, shaved-headed desert elf walked out of one of the closer tents, squinting as he walked into the scalding sun. "Yeah, like anythings getting cold in this weather. What is this, 6 days without any sort of cloud?"
The burly elf turned, laughing a gutteral, hearty laugh. "7 days. At least you get to stay in your tent all day while I burn in the sun." He kicked the fire, quelling it enough to reach down and tear a leg off of the delicious roast. The pinkish yellow meat steamed, sizzling and popping. With a quick motion, The burly elf tossed the leg to the newcomer, who bit into it ravenously.
"You act like you haven't eaten for weeks." The burly elf chortled.
"Yeah well, your cooking is THAT good. May be my next subject, who knows." The stringy elf sat down next to the fire, putting the piece of meat in his mouth and pulling out a large sketchbook and pencil. He started idly sketching, glancing out over the cliffside.
The burly elf looked down at him, cocked his head, and walked over, sitting down next to the artist. He leaned over, taking a peek at the sketchbook.
"Still working on the vista?" The chef murmured.
"Yeah. I'm not quite capturing it right now, but I will eventually. Just have to keep sketching." The Artist stated, leaning into his sketchbook. He and the chef looked out over the horizon, to the colored and painted landscape of winding crystal turqoise rivers and orange-red dunes, with craggy valleys and buttes sticking out to shape the horizon. Distant prismatic colored birds cried melodic cries as they took off from their nests perched in the craggy cliffs. A few large serpentine fish could be seen jumping out of a large oasis river. A Caliphate city poked its sandy buildings out of the distant dunes, the large colorful swaths of cloth from the bazaar complimenting the orange lanterns being lit in anticipation of nightfall. A hippogriff, lazing about in a tumbleweed nest, rested its head down as the lowering sun gave it shade.
The chef layed his head on The artists shoulder, looking his headrest in the eyes. He smiled, resting his hand on The artists thigh. "You ever going to draw me? You know i'd pose"
The Artist laughed, turning to press his forehead to the chefs. "As if I could ever capture your beauty with such mortal implements Tsvian."
~ The Collected Travelling Journals of Jiramibab, the Wandering Artist

when discussing the various super-ethnicities of Mer, it is often easy (if not slightly misleading), to make sweeping observations on broad cultural tics and habits. Drow are spiritual, Sea Elves are honorable, Orks are industrious, etc. Nowhere, however, does this fall flatter than the Desert Elves. A vast group of diverse Sunfey cultures living in The Scald, the great desert area to the east of Freymoor.
Known mostly as flowy artists and shrewd traders, the Desert Elves live long lives navigating the dunes, crags, and badlands. Loose clothes cover silky red hair. With beautiful architecture and a movement mindset, the one major throughline in Desert Elves is their wanderlust and curiosity. Moving from hobby to hobby, place to place, in an ever-expanding pursuit of new experiences. The habitual trading present in their culture comes less from a place of monetary gain and more from a pursuit of new places and people. Suffice to say, Desert Elves make ravenous scholars and curious explorers.
The Desert Elves are incredibly ethnically diverse due to the harsh terrain separating the various tribes. The Scald's craggy mountains, dune filled deserts, and massive rivers isolate the tribes, meaning groups of individuals separated by only miles can have widely different cultural practices. This is not to say however that Desert Elves lack unity, far from it. Coalitions between tribes, religious and political, are very common. The largest of this being The Caliphate of Al-Baiha, an Idraist country comprised of both Desert Elf and Human tribes.
As of the 9th Era, the various differing microcultures have begun to merge, with major differences slowly being smoothed down. This has mostly been spurred by the formation of the Caliphate, which has absorbed many different cultural practices into its religion and culture.

"Among the Moors." by Montbard, G. (Georges)

The average Desert Elf most likely worships one of three different religions, two of which being relatively organized and one being a non-homogenous collection of folk rituals, being: worship of Segrid (known as Sohlaism), worship of the Summer Court (Fey Folk Worship), or Idraism. Idraism is the most unique of the three, being from the Scald and centered mostly in the Scald and its surrounding areas.
Half-Elves are incredibly common in many communities, due to interbreeding and exploration of other cultures being quite common. As tribes of Desert Elves usually coexisted with Scaldic humans, half-elves are found in both communities with almost equal proportions. This breed of half-elves is known as The Sohliiv,, and are actually somewhat different from other races of half-elves due to specific cultural and elvish mutations they possess.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Jiramba, Aihla, Aaisha, Vaihla, Tsivia, Misaava, Tlishna, Jer'ana

Masculine names

Tsivan, Khishav, Jibaan, Yihlav, Tlishul, Mivaan, Aishal, Aaihleish

Unisex names

Jirambab, Aihlebab, Tlishabab

Family names

El-Shakoor, El-Nibab, El-Evoor, Ilm-Vekar, Ilm-Revab, Ilm-Jivaan, Elim-Shakoor, Elim-Aiva, Elim-Vikar, Elim-Ivaan

Other names

Tsiv-Sahkor, Tsiv-Tsivan, Tsiv-Khishav, Tsvi-Jiramba, Tsvi-Aihlebab, Tsvi-Khishav, Tsviv-Mivaan, Tsviv-Aishal, Tsviv-Yihlav

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

The Desert Elves of the Scald speak a specific dialect of Elvish known as Scaldaah, which is comprised of longer syllables and more open syllable structure. 
Dialects of Scaldaah differ from region to region. Certain words, idioms, or phrases might have major differences tribe to tribe. However, the dialects of Scaldaah can generally be sorted into 3 distinct patterns: 

• Northern Scaldaah: Northern Scaldaah is heavily influenced by the Teutanic language groups due to the Teutano microcultures which inhabit the majority of the Northern Scald. This dialect blends many common Teutanic idioms and phrases with general cultural motifs native to the scald, eg. "rare as the driven snow in an oasis spring."
• Eastern Scaldaah: Dialects in the Eastern Scald tend to involve a more "crunchy" sound as the culture of this region blends with both the Lienarian tribes and the Dwarvish Microculture. As the region is mostly craggy and mountainous, the phrases and idioms of the region mostly involve Dwarvish or Scaldic traditional phrases changed to involve motifs of rocks, wind, and clouds.
• Southern Scaldaah: Scaldaah spoken in the southern Scald is spoken mainly between traders, and thusly has become somewhat of the "common" Scaldaah, and is the official language of the Caliphate of Al-baiha. Many idioms and phrases from this region involve money or travel.

Culture and cultural heritage

Desert Elf culture is theorized to be a direct cultural offshoot of a group of northern colonies belonging to the ancient Sun Elf empire. Evidence to point to this includes an ancient and seemingly ingrained cultural fascination of the sun and the summer court, with these two details being one of the few congruous details between almost every single tribe, both ancient and modern.
Most Scaldic literature attributes their heritage to a band of religious pilgrims from the Sunfey Empire known as The Idraiim, the source of the name of Idraism. These people, led by their leader Aaishan El-Shakoor, escaped slavery by fleeing to the desert under the cover of a divine sandstorm that blinded the emperor and his servants to their presence. This sandstorm is known as the First Miracle and is drawn from as inspiration for many Scaldic idioms, art, architecture, and music.

Common Dress code

Dress in Scaldic society is comprised mainly of flowing, large garments which are tied at major areas such as the waist, wrists, and ankles. The loose fabric, tied to the body, allows the skin moisture to evaporate and the heat to pass quickly. The arrangement of the fabric pieces in traditional dress is designed to cover all essential pieces of the body while keeping enough skin uncovered to allow for quick heat dissipation. This, along with vented pieces of fabric make the thin cloth clothes of Scaldic society some of the best pieces of dress for keeping the heat out.
These clothes are usually made with bright, saturated colors making Scaldic dress look less like clothing and more like a colorful painting. Embroidery with gold or silver thread in the clothing is common, with prayers and inscriptions being the most common decorations.

Casual Clothes

Casual attire usually includes less saturated colors, with more yellows and oranges. The fabric is kept incredibly thin, and venting isn't as inconspicuous as formal clothing. Jewelry is common but kept mainly to simple precious metal chains and amulets. Veils and Hood are worn by both sexes as protection against sand and debris from storms. Pants are also worn by both sexes.
Casual attire for men usually includes open vest, cape-top, poncho, or one-shoulder. The chest is usually exposed. Bottoms are different, as skirts are just as common as pants in men. Bottoms usually follow the tied bottom and waist design, with variations appearing towards the more northern tribes as temperatures drop. Long robes, cardigans, and ponchos as overwear are also incredibly common, usually to protect the rest of the body from the sun.

by Unknown author

Casual Attire for women usually include halter-tops covered by cardigans or ponchos. One traditional type of top is known as the Raveja, a keyhole halter-top with intricate embroidery that is meant to show off makeup designs and to allow for closer communion with the sun in Idraic tradition. Shirts also usually have shoulder-less designs. Skirts are more common than pants, but neither is more encouraged than the other. Skirts that are worn usually follow the less saturated color scheme, and usually are striped horizontally around the bottom hem.

Formal Clothing

Formal clothing is much more intricate, with inconspicuous venting and striped/embroidered designs. Unlike casual clothing, formal attire usually has saturated colors, with hues ranging from blue to purple to red. Fabric is thicker to allow for more intricate designs, and jewelry can be much more intricate. Formal jewelry usually holds precious gems dug from the desert such as turquoise, ruby, and obsidian. Hoods are usually worn in formal junctions, although these hoods are hardly covering and are used more as a hair decoration.
Formal attire for men usually includes long robes, with hanging sleeves and a loose body. These usually include stripes on the sleeves with gold leaf embroidery on the hem of the sleeves and down the outer-arm. If robes aren't worn, then a traditional top known as the Viirqa usually takes its place. The Viirqa is a sleeveless, halter-back top worn with a vest that is striped with gold and the male's house colors.
Formal attire for a woman usually includes either long, sleeveless robes which include prayer inscriptions and elvish down the skirt or bright, colorful pants with gold leaf and a type of top known as a Kitsab, a wraparound cloth which can be wrapped in numerous different styles, usually with one end over a shoulder forming a type of asymmetric cape.

Art & Architecture

Art and Media

Scaldic art usually involves wide, sweeping shapes and vibrant colors, with mosaics, grattage, textured painting, and oil painting being common media used in traditional art. 

Inverse Flower Colors by Jr Korpa

Most art involves either subject of the desert (such as landscape, flowers, and birds), portraiture, abstract art involving the sun, or religious art of saints or religious figures such as En'tr or her angels. Some orthodox artists prefer making art of the former, claiming religious art and portraiture is infringing on the artistic territory of the gods and bastardizing their "vision". 
Music involves similar subjects, although romantic and poetic music is the most popular genre. Instruments usually involve flowing, melodic tones and melodies, using warbling instruments such as the Oud, Sintir, or Nay.

Architecture

Scaldic architecture makes heavy use of horseshoe arches, interlacing designs, massive gathering areas, long, airy hallways, and intricately carved wood and sandstone. Materials in common houses range from adobe to stone bricks with stucco. Most expensive buildings utilize smooth surfaces to allow the carving of intricate designs.

Gate_of_the_fortified_Temple_of_Bel_Palmyra_Syria

Inside of residential buildings, rooms are separated by curtains or beads to help regulate heat in the house, although modern paneled doors are used as the entrance. Modern buildings are increasingly using doors in their inter-room connections, however, with arches and curtains slowly falling by the wayside in favor of sound-resistant doors and modern magitek solutions for temperature control.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

The Scaldic Elves observe many different traditions, as vast and different as their many microcultures. Some of their commonly known and widely practiced customs or traditions include:

• The Matvaah: The ritual of transference between a matriarch and the soon-to-be
• The Romaal Cycle: The process of courtship between the masculine and the feminine

The Matvaah

The ritual starts at the beginning of the day, where the soon to be matriarch is given a set of ritualistic makeup known as Aaihlen. This involves a hired illusionist using a magical process to temporarily bind ink to the skin with extreme precision. These designs, written in Scaldic dialect elvish alongside stylistic pictorials, describe the life of the soon to be matriarch. This is used to tell, in ritualistic form, the ways in which they will bring wisdom and love to the household in absence of the old matriarch.
Once the process is finished, the soon-to-be matriarch will be dressed in traditional Scaldic dress, usually quite flowy and revealing, adorned with gold and the household colors and name in Scaldic elvish. The revealing nature of the costume is not sexual or implicitly "sexy" in nature, with the revealing nature only being so as to show off the soon-to-be matriarchs Aaihlen.
After being dressed, the soon-to-be matriarch is taken to the gathering area of the household and is either put in the center or opposed to the incumbent matriarch. If the matriarch is dead, the soon-to-be is to read off a ritualistic passage that dictates her intention to be a wise and just leader. After, she is to dictate in the language most commonly spoken in the household her specific ideals and goals and then is to lead a prayer which is intended to help ferry the soul of the previous matriarch to her ideal afterlife. If the incumbent is still alive, the soon-to-be is to perform the ritual similarly to if the incumbent was dead, up until the dictation. Here, the incumbent will instead announce her hopes and wishes for the new matriarch, and will then lead a prayer with the soon-to-be in the center with the intention of giving her a divine blessing of good luck into the future.

Common Taboos

Traditional Scaldic culture holds a strict set of values, with values being put in a hierarchy that is highly regarded. Within this society, each of these items is important in their own way. However, the hierarchy means that certain values being disregarded means that higher valued codes are punished more severely. The hierarchy is as follows:

1. Honor of the House. Honoring your household, whether you have a matriarch or not, is paramount in Desert Elven society. This means that domestic abuse, murder of family, thieving, breaking contracts, and insulting either your house or your matriarch are highly taboo, and in some places is capital punishment.
2. Honor of the Self: Taking care of the self is considered an honorable thing in Scaldic culture. It is referred to in Scaldic literature as the "the temple of the mind, the temple of the body, the temple of the soul." This means that acts such as public indecency, rampant intoxication, and self-harm/suicide are taboo and major crimes
3. Honor the Community: Believing in your fellow tribesman is considered polite and proper. This also means that crimes such as murder, rape, slander, libel, thievery, assault, and trespassing are considered violations of this, and are strictly taboo. This also means insulting another matriarch is considered a crime in orthodox communities. 

Historical figures

Aihla Tsvi-Aihlebab Ilm-Vekar: Daughter of the illustrious Vekar house, Aihla worked as a humanitarian and traveling priest during the Classical Era cleaning up the destruction left in the wake of the end of the 5th era. Known both for her work spreading, modernizing and reforming the Idraic religion as well as her famous relationship with famous explorer and poet Komius De Mako. Her work helped give more rights to men in Scaldic culture, as well as crack the isolationist shield of the culture.
Aihla is also known to many in the Scaldic culture as a sort of Folk Saint, and a saint in the Idraic religion. Many modern houses that devote their lives to religion or to humanitarian work have figures or painting of Aihla in their household.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Long ears and full faces in young adults are considered quite attractive amongst Desert Elves, with many seeing full faces as a sign of health and responsibility. Their hair is also very important, with taking care of their red hair becoming so important that barbers are considered near-spiritual. Braids, ties, and hair decorations are also quite common.
Among the older of the Scaldic, thin and sharp faces are more preferred, especially when it comes to women and matriarchs. The sharpness of the face gives off an air of responsibility and obvious signs of aging show to a potential partner that they possess great wisdom.
Although the allowance, if not an encouragement of non-binary genders, means that gender-specific beauty ideals have become less and less common, there are some ancient standards of beauty between genders that still exists to this day. Some examples are as follows:

Male:

• Either full beards or smooth faces, as the "in-between" styles are considered incomplete. Tribes in the southern Scald prefer smooth faces, whereas northern tribes prefer full beards. These beards are kept incredibly clean and are usually braided if longer.
• Round Eyes
• A full head of hair, usually put up in a bun.
• Large noses

Female:

• Smooth faces
• Pointy ears, the less rounded the tip the better
• A full head of red, decorated hair. Usually braided and over the shoulder
• Almond eyes
• High cheeks

Makeup is highly encouraged in both genders. Males usually decorate themselves with impermanent and ornate facial and body designs. Females usually decorate themselves with something more akin to traditional makeup, with fanciful designs incorporated into their lip and eye makeup. Non-Binary persons usually decorate themselves in spiritual designs and can incorporate elements from either gendered designs. This usually allows them to non-verbally announce whatever position on the spectrum they fall, whether more masculine, more feminine, or neither.

Gender Ideals

Gender ideals in Desert Elvish culture are incredibly harsh in some areas. This is not to say that there is a binary, not in the slightest. The idea of a non-binary person is enshrined in their society, with non-binary pronouns and naming conventions dating back several thousand years.
The idea of "masculine" vs "feminine" usually resolves simply down to "who can be a matriarch" and "who cannot be a matriarch", a subjective ideal that varies household to household.
Those in the binary however usually follow a strict set of ideals enshrined in Idraism or Sohlaism, with Idraism taking its conventions from orthodox Sohlaism. Anything not explicitly stated is usually spread between the two genders. This usually results in the following roles and behavior patterns

Male:

• Usually take roles involving hard labor
• Usually take-up infantry and artillerist roles in the military
• Expected to exalt the woman in their family due to the matriarchal nature of their society
• Expected to be honorable and keep their promises.

Female:

• Usually take up artisanal labor
• Usually take up ranger, supportive and leading roles in the military
• Expected to make fair decisions in the household and in life.
• Expected to be commanding and knowledgable

Although these roles are enforced in more orthodox tribes and areas, these roles have been slowly evaporated in more modern areas such as the Caliphate.

Matriarchs and Families

In traditional Scaldic society, families take the form of Matriarchal Houses, households which are comprised of various members of a close or extended family led by the family matriarch, the oldest or most accomplished woman or feminine person in the family. Matriarchs are responsible for all financial and legal decisions in the family and are legally responsible for all children who live in her household. Although legal decisions are usually finalized with the approval of other adults in the household, matriarchs are given the final say culturally.
Matriarchs are usually replaced either at death or upon giving their position up. This isn't to say that the position can't be vied for, as in some houses (especially large noble houses) the position can be the cause of many internal political fighting. The movement of the position is usually started with a cultural ritual, followed by a legal transference of the position. This is done in a ritual known as Matvaah
The position of Matriarch is usually given to the oldest and wisest of the females in the family. Should a non-binary person be more equipped for the position, it is up to the discretion of the current matriarch as to which person they give it to. Males, whether Trans or Cis, are usually disqualified from the running entirely.

Courtship Ideals

In Desert Elven culture, courtship is usually initiated by the man or the "masculine" partner of the relationship. Courtship takes a very formal route, with the man doing his best to impress and exalt the lady, showing her his "true passion" in ways purely romantic. Sexual innuendos, flirtatious remarks and other courtship practices considered Sexually promiscuous are strictly taboo, with conversations on the matter never leaving private areas and the bedroom. Although this isn't to say sex before a relationship is forbidden, its just that conversation on the matter is not encouraged.
Although romantic journeys with couples take widely different paths, courtship usually ends in a longterm relationship, culminating in a very culturally enshrined process, as follows:

1. The man, before alerting his partner of his intentions, must ask the house matriarch for her blessing. This process used to be mandatory in courtship, although denying this request has fallen out of practice, and it is usually considered impolite for the matriarch to decline unless she has a significant reason.
2. The man will then give the woman a bouquet, usually chrysanthemums or Kudu depending on the area of the Scald. Although denying the bouquet is considered impolite, denying advances is not considered impolite.
3. The man, after giving the boquet, will make his intentions clear. He will tell his partner whether their Matriarch gave her blessings. If she did, he will tell her. If she didn't, he is not required to tell his partner, although the partner usually knows that if the man didn't say anything regarding the matriarch, she did not give her blessing.
4. The partner is then expected to give her answer within a half-week, usually on Sunday or Wednesday. Although the matriarch's blessing is not required for the partner to accept the advances, it is highly encouraged and is usually a good sign for the health of the relationship.
5. After acceptance, the partners will go to a local floraeurge who will weave them a set of magical rings out of the original bouquet. This set of rings will reflect the state of their relationship, wilting if unhealthy and flourishing if healthy. This is not indicative of a marriage, rather a promise of a healthy relationship between the two partners. They are expected to both pay for the rings, as it is considered an investment and monetary promise.
6. If rejected, depending on the state of the relationship post-proposal, the man can continue his advances or decline to further the relationship without being considered impolite. If advances are continued, the process must be repeated when the time is right.

Nissa’s Encouragement by Tommy Arnold

Although this process is mostly followed between heterosexual couples, it is encouraged that non-heterosexual couples follow this pattern, with the masculine person in the relationship taking the role of the "man" in the process.
This process has been followed for thousands of years, but recently has been eroding due to cultural bleed in from other societies, as well as the unification of the various cultures. Some view this as an erosion of a polite cultural process of love, and some view this as freedom from an overbearing tradition. It is still followed in most areas, by most Scaldic Elves, but can sometimes include removal of certain parts, such as asking the matriarch for her blessing or getting the bouquet rings.

Relationship Ideals

Relationships in Desert Elvish society are sacred. Although in more orthodox communities the masculine partner is expected to serve the feminine partner, this tradition has fallen by the wayside in less isolationist communities in favor of more honest and loving relationships. Whether it is between a man and a woman or not, the relationship is expected to be fruitful and loving. Although monogamy is encouraged, polygamy is not necessarily discouraged due to the idea that it "expands the household", although rituals for such relationships have never truly been codified in the culture due to the wide variance in the structure of such relationship.
In relationships, should one of the partners wish to travel or experience new things, they are usually to be accompanied by their partner(s). If the partner(s) don't wish to accompany, they are not culturally obligated, but it is considered good practice to keep correspondence half-weekly to weekly. Matriarchs don't usually travel due to their obligation to the household.
Matriarchs are normally known to keep multiple partners. This is not necessarily a romantic endeavor, as many Matriarchs allow their partners to also keep informal lovers and life-partners. The purpose of these harems is mainly to give the matriarch's children and to build their households. It is notable, however, that many Matriarchs DO participate in large romantic and sexual relationships with their harems, with the many partners considering their fellow harem members just as close to them as the matriarch.

Desert Elf (Subrace)

Ability Score Increase +1 Charisma

Size Medium

Speed

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Wanderlust Proficiency A Desert Elf can choose one skill or tool proficiency. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses this chosen proficiency.
Dust Magic You know the Gust cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you learn the Armor of Aihla Ilm-Vekar and can cast this spell once with this trait, and regain the ability to do so after a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you learn the Dust Devil spell and can cast this spell once with this trait, and regain the ability to do so after a long rest. 

Languages. Elvish, Common, Scaldaah, One language of Choice

Desert Elf by Alex Spisak

Also Known As:

• Scaldic Elves
• The People of the Sand

Adjective: Scaldic