Kindlehands (Tíaɡomankú (tiːɑɡɔmɑnku))

For sol'Aeldvari, the year begins on the first day after the winter solstice with the month of Liathamial (Frost), generally the coldest month of the year. This marks not only the new year, but the onset of the annual celebration/tradition of Kindlehands. Kindlehands began as a practice limited to small homesteads, but quickly grew into a form of social outreach from sol'Aeldvari to nearby non-sol'Aeldvari. It is a way for sun elves to contribute to the health and survival of their nearby ecosystem and their kinvaren neighbors through harsh winters and heavy snows. Individual opinions on Kindlehands differ, but most view it neutrally to positively - as a social obligation, as a solemn duty, as a cultural exchange, as a contribution to greater wilderness and/or society, or as humble charity. Sol'Aeldvari have an innate attunement to elemental Fire magic, meaning that nearly all sun elves are born with the ability to summon and control small amounts of arcane flame, as well as manipulate sources of mundane fire. A healthy, mana-fed sol'Aeldvar is capable of producing enough localized heat to keep themselves warm through any kind of cold season. As a result, sun elf communities have nothing to fear from bitter winters other than the impact to their homes and food stores. The purpose of Kindlehands is to share some of the warmth, and the security it brings, with living things and kinvari who are not Fire-attuned. Sol'Aeldvari spend time keeping the flora from suffering a lethal deep freeze, ensuring major water sources don't ice over completely, and providing warm havens for local wildlife during the worst of the cold snaps. Community witches, educated in and attuned to the living world, ensure that the sun elves don't have too strong an influence on the wilderness around them. They must avoid weakening the flora and fauna's ability to survive the next average winter. In places where sol'Aeldvari live near or alongside other kinvari, Kindlehands takes on a more straightforward meaning. Sun elves may go door-to-door to ensure their neighbors have a fire in the hearth, and if the weather is overpowering a kinvar's clothes or bedding, a sun elf may become an overnight guest to ensure the living creatures within that home are kept warm through the coldest nights. Sol'Aeldvaren communities may send small caravans to check on nearby villages or towns of other kinvari to make sure winter is not claiming limbs or lives, especially when the weather is unexpectedly harsh. Modern participation in Kindlehands has further adapted to the widespread rise of quality of life of kinvaren communities. Where most kinvari no longer need help with their fireplaces, sun elves have taken to giving mundane gifts of blankets or warm clothes, preserved foodstuffs, or simply sharing hot meals with others. While the purpose of Kindlehands is of generosity, not barter, many kinvari accustomed to the tradition will thank their benefactors with offerings of hot tea, mulled cider or wine, and spare mana. The gratitude gift of mana is the one token that sol'Aeldvari will not refuse, as the magic they spend in their efforts can often leave them hungry for more than their usual daily allotment of mana. In some multicultural towns and cities, Kindlehands has been co-opted by non-sun elves as an unofficial celebration of generosity, social outreach, and exuberant gratitude towards all those who come together to form a community. Sol'Aeldvari still usually perform their version of the tradition, but may find themselves the recipient of a bevy of gifts that far outweigh the work they do during the month. This inequality is usually tolerated out of goodwill, though some will refuse the gifts. Consequentially, one of the newest sub-traditions is anonymously and secretly gifting useful things (often food or drink) to sun elves who cannot then refuse or return the items to their sources. Should a sun elf receive too many (per their personal definition of "too many") gifts, they often choose to recirculate the gifts among their community to those who would benefit most from them. (Regifting is not a social faux-pas amongst Aeldvari in general, and especially not if the gifts are anonymous.) As a further side effect, however, many other kinvari will choose to donate an excessive amount of practical goods so that the local sol'Aeldvari will have plenty of goods to share with the kinvari they would normally visit with gifts of their own provision. It can turn into a strange but oft-entertaining circulation of material goods during the coldest parts of the year between various kinvaren neighborhoods. (It should be noted that there is no restriction from non-sun elves voluntarily participating in Kindlehands. Community donations and expressions of generosity, especially during the harder seasons, are common and expected in most multicultural settlements. Why only sol'Aeldvari are left to dispense gifts to those in need, while the rest of their community funnels goods to them, is a social enigma.)