Haighlei Empire

The Haighlei Empire is ancient, well established by even the time of the Mage Wars. It is primarily composed of very dark-skinned elves though the occasional foreigner can be picked out of a crowd easily enough, particularly near the port cities.
Often only coming into contact with people via their main port city, Maji'makubwa, the Haighlei have a strong navel presence as it is easier for the six kingdoms to trade and travel via the oceans rather than trekking through the deep jungle.
Haighlei naval vessels have three masts, several sails striped in red and white and augmented by a network of lines and rope-ladders, with the hull painted red and blue, as well as having a raised, house-like structure in the center of the deck, this with windows and one door. It is unclear if the red, white and blue markings are a standard of the Haighlei Empire, or of Empress Sulameth’s individual nation of the Empire.

Culture

The Haighlei are an extremely literal people: they will tell you exactly what they mean to do, not a bit more, and not a bit less, but this is also subject to the modification of how on feels about the person - if one were to ask a Haighlei citizen who is indifferent toward the person to guard their pet, he would guard their pet, but ignore the thief stealing their purse.
They have a rigid class system in place with very limited mobility between ranks.

When a man proposes to a woman in the Haighlei culture, the bride-to-be accepts the proposal of her betrothed only in her own home, or in the case of being a guest, only in her chambers or connected gardens. This is an old custom, dating back to the days when the Haighlei themselves were barbarians, and at times kidnapped on that they wished to wed. In making the groom come to her, unarmed and alone, the bride is therefore prevented from being coerced into acceptance.
Lifebonding is a rare occurrence in the Haighlei Empire (and in the world in general), and is one that bears tremendous significance to the whole of their culture. Those who are Lifebonded are what the Haighlei call loriganalea ('soulbonded') and it is believed that Lifebonded are united within a sacred bond - a marriage made not for lust, power, or convenience, but rather one made by the gods, themselves. The Haighlei holy texts are very clear about this bond, and whosoever helps break it, or fails to aid the bonded pairing, will likewise be cursed.
Additionally, if the one who tried to interfere with a Lifebonded pair is a ruler of a kingdom or Empire, the said curse would all upon the whole of the people of that ruler and all would suffer as the curses of all the gods of the Haighlei (and all of the curses of the gods of foreigners in the case of interference in a foreigner's Lifebonded relationship) spread to every corner of the land. Even in the purest ignorance of such a bond, if the potentially offended party does not forgive the offender's transgression, there would still be the gravest threat of those curses still being visited upon them, for ignorance does not excuse the interference.

Demography and Population

All natural-born citizens of the Haighlei Empire are darkly-complected, with the skin tones darkening noticeably the farther south one travel through the Empire. The hair of the Haighlei is described as flowing moonlight, with only the members of a Noble House able to dye their hair in house colors; the more dye allowed, the higher the rank in the family - the matriarch has completely dyed hair. The Haighlei are strikingly tall with finely-sculpted features.
High-ranking Haighlei officials tend toward clothing that is woven in incredibly detailed geometric patterns, and the Haighlei envoys' garments are noted for being of warm colors – specifically, bright yellows, reds, and oranges. The envoys also differ from the sailors guiding the ship by which they arrive, in that they are wearing robes which fasten high up on the side of the neck, with the opening running down the left side of the front, as opposed to down the middle. The robes of the envoys have high, stiff collars which matched the cylindrical hats they are wearing, and they are noted as wearing heavy, jeweled brooches that rest on their breasts and shoulders, with heavy, matching brooches centered in each hat.

No garment made in the Haighlei Empire sports fewer than at least three separate colors, that those colors tend to be harlequin-bright, and that they favor at least four kinds of fabric – silk, raime, the finest linen imaginable, and a sort of gauze woven from what is described as fluffy plant fiber. They favor fluttering robes, draped gowns, and billowing trousers.
Commoner folk tend to dress in white linen, with colored cloths on their heads and colored sashes around their waists to denote which House they serve. Most folk will carry a large knife and have a solid familiarity with short spears.

Territories

Located on its own separate continent, far to the southern regions, the Haighlei Empire is composed of six kingdoms.
The majority of the continent is overgrown with a dense, hot, and humid jungle. Very little light tends to break through the verdant canopy, resulting in the evolution of the darker skinned development of the elves of this region.

The capital city of Empress Sulameth, Khimbata, is noted as having strange and fascinating architecture. It is described as having an oddly organic feeling, with pronounced wood-grains, a seeming prohibition on any exterior surface of ever remaining unornamented, and with the swirling curves being covered in mosaics and the sculptured reliefs of plants, birds, and animals that are native to the region. It is very akin to the art stylings of their light-elf cousins, but taken to an even greater extreme. There are seldom ever found any straight lines and there are gentle curves in place of corners and the junctions of walls and ceilings. Arches are formed, with the ceiling sloping gently upwards, and the tops of every room have a lamp shaped like a flower or a globe. Right angles are never found in Khimbata, and presumably the rest of the Haighlei Empire.
Private rooms are the only break from the vibrant colors worn by the natives. Usually decorated in pastel colors and include ingenious ways to, at a minimum, simulate coolness in the otherwise humid and hot environs - gauze curtains to reflect any of the dappled light that manages to make it through the overly thick jungle canopy above, huge windows and balcony doors to catch the slightest breeze.
In public areas, their love of color runs riot and their love of the jungle environs is clearly evident. Public rooms in the palace, as an example, sport huge, lush plants placed in specific spots where the vegetation has been trimmed to allow light and are often accompanied by fountains or pools containing fish with gold, black, white, and/or red markings. Main rooms have walls covered by brightly multi-colored mosaics and the passages/hallways between them are cool, dim, and usually of a deep-green wall coloring.

Military

The Haighlei are not by nature a peaceful people, they are in fact quite warlike, and only their law makes them more inclined toward pacific negotiation and problem solving. Traditionally, in the Haighlei culture, every chance to make war is most times eagerly seized upon, as long as the war itself would not be considered illegal by Haighlei customs.
Various customs like formal declarations of intent to war, location, auspicious times, and many other factors are all part of the traditional customs long established and long unchanged. Any break to these customs is met with swift retribution, not only by the offended, but by all other neighboring kingdoms.

Religion

The official religion of the Empire is the worship of Eilistraee, goddess of beauty, song, dance, freedom, moonlight, swordwork, and hunting. She is often referred to as the The Dark Maiden, the Lady of the Dance, or Lady Silverhair, and sometimes The Dark Dancer, among other titles. The Dark Dancer is worshiped through song and dance, under the moon (preferably in wooded places). Worship of her is usually accompanied by a feast.

Tenets of Faith

The Haighlei simultaneously abhor change while also adoring it. In Haighlei culture, change comes only when the goddess wishes it, and then, only when the goddess is so desirous that she comes right out and says it; or, when there occurs the Eclipse Ceremony, which is held at the time of a Solar Eclipse and the veils of the people are lifted during the day. The amount of change allowed to be made to their culture and society is directly proportional to the amount of the sun covered by the eclipse. It is stated that this is how it has been for untold centuries prior; in the holy writings which forbid change in the strictest terms, were changed to include the Eclipse Ceremony at some point because someone realized that cultures can stagnate and the society bearing that culture can rot from within, without some degree of change.

Worship

The worshipers of Eilistraee welcome beings of all races that share the desire of seeing all races living in harmony, without pointless discrimination or wars.
Eilistraean communities are often of nurturing matriarchal nature, meant to empower all—males and females alike—to thrive and characterized by a very loose hierarchy. In fact, the clerics of Eilistraee, commonly known as Sword Dancers, act as an extension of Eilistraee's own motherhood of the elves, and take the role of teachers, protectresses, and diplomats. The priestesses aid their people to learn to live and forge their own path in a hostile world, and to rediscover a sense of belonging and community. They also protect their people from danger, and were instrumental in building a place for the Haighlei to live by establishing friendships and relationships with other races. While their head temple is located in Khimbata, the second largest is located in the major port city of Maji'makubwa. 
The Eilistraeans are also known to offer aid and shelter to those who come asking them (no matter the race), and even to actively travel to other places in order to bring food, cures, arts, and practical help where there is need of it and to those met along the way.
Many followers of Eilistraee, and especially her clerics, strive to learn and promote arts—with a soft spot for music and dance—as well as teaching them and passing along the knowledge of particular pieces, songs, or dances learned during travels or created by them. They also take care of broken musical instruments, or craft new ones. Those who don't know an art, are instead known to support bards by hiring them when they could afford it. This is part of their way to promote joy and merriment in their communities and during their travels.

Priesthood

When a child is born who possesses magical abilities, the child is taken from their parents by the government at the age of seven and the family receives a dower-portion as a compensation for the loss of a child. The child is then taken and raised by the priests and priestesses, being taught absolute obedience to a degree which is unheard-of outside of the Haighlei Empire.
Generally, the females tend to apply themselves better to study and will usually finish their education when they reach sixteen compared to the males who finish at eighteen. At the end of this, they are allowed to reconnect with their families - either as priests or priestesses themselves, or as Scholars. The child is also watched - far more closely than many of them realize - and if the child is flawed in character, if the child is a habitual liar, a thief, or a child who uses their magic without express permission and/or to the harm of others, the child is "removed from the school and magic, completely". Since magic is seen as a special channel within the mind that is open if one can perform magic, the Haighlei have a means of taking an open channel and permanently and forcefully close or block it.

This removal does not mean the killing of the individual, but in many ways, it may be better for the individual if they had been executed: they can no longer touch magic, and then as soon as the removal has been completed, they are returned to their family in disgrace. This means that everyone knows that the person is fatally flawed, and will trust that person with nothing of any consequence. When grown, the disgraced person will never hold any position of authority within their rank. Additionally, if their rank is low, they will be allowed to perform only the most menial of labors, and then only under the strictest supervision. If, however, their rank is high, they will be similarly under constant watch and will serve their family as little more than as an idle ornament, for none would wed them with such a mark of disgrace. These rules are applied to all, and even members of those families of the highest caste (even the royal family) are not exempt from this.

Type

Geopolitical, Empire

Capital

Khimbata

Demonym

Haighleian

Leader

Empress Sulameth

Power Structure

Confederation

Economic System

Traditional

Deities

• Eilistraee

Notable Members

• Empress Sulameth