Enkinites

Vincit Omnia Veritas

Enkinites are a sub-culture in the Sargonian Empire. They maintain a reverence for life, including the lives of the hated Celestial Empire. This respect for the lives of the Sargonian Empire's direst enemy leads to a general distrust from the majority of the Empire. They also respect knowledge above all else, again a trait not common in the general population.
Within the Sargonian Empire, violence and displays of power are seen as the proper way to resolve all conflicts. Enkinites believe that knowledge of an opponent to be the first task to accomplish in a conflict. This tends to lead them to not being the first to strike out in a disagreement. As such they are seen as lesser in the eyes of the typical Sargonian. Those Sargonians with a litle bit of wisdom or experience know that Enkinites might not strike first, but when they strike, it will be a devastating blow.
Enkinites also love to laugh. Mostly at themselves, often to disarm others from seeing them as a threat. But making fun of an enemy is seen as an art-form. Making a witty barb at the expense of an opponent, especially if that opponent is unaware of the liberties taken, can be seen as an Enkinites greatest accomplishment. Displaying another's ignorance is an expression of knowledge.
While most Sargonians look down on Enkinites for their perceived lack of the killer spirit, they are held in high regard for their craftsmanship. Anything that is known to be manufactured by an Enkinite is known to be quality work.
Enkinites are reluctantly respected by the majority of Sargonians for their depth of knowledge, their ready wit, and their talented craftsmanship. Just as they are disliked by the majority of Sargonians for those same reasons. Add to that the Enkinite's desire to find a path towards peace with the Celestial Empire, and the Enkinites often find themselves proscribed to a lesser, distrusted roll in Sargonian society. You can often find Enkinites advising those in power, but you will never find an Enkinite in power.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

While the Enkinites speak the common Sargonian tongue like all other subjects of the empire, they do have an expressive non-verbal language that they use amongst themselves. Entinites can converse with each other on simple topics for great lengths of time without ever speaking. They generally refrain from communicating in this manner while out in the wider population.

Shared customary codes and values

Knowledge, wit, and workmanship are the foundation of Enkinite culture.
"If you don't know a thing, you can not understand a thing."
"If you can laugh at yourself, then you're in on the joke."
"To make is to understand. Never make ignorance."

Common Dress code

If dressing purely for themselves, Enkinites tend towards revealing and complimentary clothing. If they have a favored feature of their body, you will see it highlighted in their clothing choice.
When dressing for any activity, function, or task, they will dress in the most advantageous garb to accomplish the task at hand. They tend to not expose their favorite body part while performing any non-recreational functions.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Enkinites believe in revealing truths. Their thoughts on beauty are no different. They expect to see a person's true self, as such their use of make-up is used to draw attention to a persons unique features, and not to hide or obscure the natural truth of an individual. Their fashion ideals are of a similar design. Enkinite clothing tends to be revealing,to the point of near absence in some cases.

Courtship Ideals

Enkinite courtship involves meaningful conversations over extended periods of time. As with most of their practices, knowledge is the primary factor in courtship. After enough time and conversation, the participants simply know collectively if the union should continue, and act accordingly.

Relationship Ideals

The Enkinite way is to engage others in conversation. They deeply believe that true understanding will wipe away all conflict.

Major organizations

Because of the mistrust shown to them from others, they maintain no public organizations. And never gather in large groups.
There is a group of itinerant wanderers that the Enkinites call Gallas. These travelers spend years going from one community to another, spreading a particular knowledge to all Enkinites, one conversation at a time. Major Enkinite decisions are made through this process of disseminating information, and slowly gathering consensus.