The Soolera

> *It takes a certain strength to be of the Soolera.*
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> In the heart of the heat, where one can not always be certain of what they see...
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> It takes a certain strength to brave the arid lands that none other dares lay claim. To tame the sands, to not only survive- But to flourish, to create the heaven and haven that cannot be found anywhere else,
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> And then they leave. As quietly as they came.
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> The Soolerans are seen everywhere, yet never truly known. For these Sooleran people come from the most unforgiving of places, yet only the most privileged could seek such secrets... and live to tell the tale.
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> *(Credit to Baron)*
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The Soolera (Sooh-Leh-Rah) are a culturally-linked group of nomads of all races, traveling within caravans across Altera.

## Hierarchy

The Soolera are divided into three loose 'factions', based upon their nomadic lifestyle.

### True Soolera

True Soolera are those who live amongst the roaming caravans that traverse Altera’s huge central continent. They are almost universally dark-skinned with grey eyes, though Adopted Soolera are often included in their ranks.

The True are notable for their nomadic lifestyle; a True Soolera will never settle in one place, but prefers to roam with his family. This is the central ideal of this culture.

### Adopted Soolera

Adopted Soolera are those who are not born into the culture, but decide to join the Soolera of their own free will. Adopted do not have any unifying features besides their wanderlust and charisma. The Soolera do not lightly invite people into their family, so those that do make it are often those who would make exceptional politicians, were it not for the fact that they want to be Soolera.

The Adopted are viewed as True equals in the caravans, given enough time, but at Fadma other caravans are often suspicious of the person unless they bear the distinctive mangrove dye tattoos of the culture.

### Rooted Soolera

Rooted Soolera are those that have settled down in a town permanently. They are often pitied by the True for having given up the true way of life and “becoming as still as the trees”, but are always welcomed back with open arms if they wish to rejoin the True caravans as they pass by, though they can never rejoin the caravan they left.

Rooted Soolera are visually identical to a True Sooleran, but their clothes are often more drab as they cannot obtain the vivid dyes the Soolera trade amongst towns. The Rooted are viewed as lost family by the Soolera, and when one settles down, he is mourned as though he had died.

When a True and Rooted of the same family meet, the True always greet the Rooted politely and formally, but with no great enthusiasm. To be Rooted is almost as bad as being exiled in the minds of the Soolera. It is an incredibly rare event for a Soolera to decide to root.

## Groups

The Soolera consider all members of their culture to be their family. The great caravans that roam across Altera are often but a single family of Soolera, though they may come from all walks of life. A Sooleran will forever be a brother, an uncle, or a father once he joins the family, and it is reflected in how they act. A Soolera human is as much brother to a Soolera elf as he is to a Soolera nakat. Among the caravan, the Soolera are as welcoming as can be, and they extend this hospitality to visitors and customers when they sell their goods. However, every member of a family will become hostile towards a person if they threaten or harm one of their own.

In the caravans, Soolera groups can reach up to 30 people, though they generally hover around 20 in size or less. All members of a caravan are family to each other, and they are taught from a young age that outsiders cannot be trusted and that only other Soolera families can be relied upon. Despite this, they will gladly trade with outsiders, and the rare outsider that proves trustworthy might even get invited into the caravan family.

On a larger scale, the Soolera are divided into multiple families, travelling in multiple caravans. Twice a year, all True Soolera meet in the Great Desert at the site of their ancestors’ first homes to bury their dead, mingle, and celebrate the Equinox in a massive festival they call the Fadma. During Fadma, Soolera will often join with different caravans from the ones they were born in, to experience different parts of the world and meet new love. Teenagers especially look forward to Fadma, as it is where they often meet those they will wed.

On the individual level, the Soolera express no difference between their blood relatives and the other members of their particular caravan, be they adopted or born into the group.

## Domestic Family

At Fadma, Soolerans will often meet the person they will marry. Soolera are monogamous once wed, but it is usual for them to have multiple partners through their lives. Because of the relatively short 6 month wait between Fadma, caravans are often glad to exchange members of each others’ families to see if the one they will marry is there. Soolera will only ever wed on Fadma, at the site of their people’s birth, the desert town of Sool.

Sooleran weddings are brief and formal in nature, though afterwards the new couple will often host enormous parties consisting of both their families. There generally aren’t more than five to twelve weddings in a year.

A Sooleran couple, on their wedding, will swear loyalty to each other and to the god of their choice, usually Bilworth or Sallana. After this brief process, witnessed by both families, they are considered united despite no legal bond being declared. Indeed, a wedding is seen more as an official declaration of love and loyalty than anything, and if a partner dies, the surviving one is free to pursue others after they mourn.

A Sooleran couple can expect to have many children throughout their lifetime, though only one to three will be born by the couple. Others are fostered from other caravans or adopted into the family at a young age, but all share a strong familial bond.

## Caravans

Soolerans spend their entire lives traveling in one caravan or another. Caravans are composed of several carts and wagons, carrying tents and goods; some wagons are particularly spacious and are used as small houses on wheels. These large wagons generally can house only two or three, if they don’t mind being packed like sardines.

While travelling, Soolerans will travel in two groups. There are the wagon-riders, and the vanguard horse riders. The horse riders will travel out during the morning, then return in the later half of the day, navigating by the position of the sun. The riders will move ahead of the caravan, exploring sites where the caravan may stop for the night, or where food may be gathered.

The goods caravans carry vary depending on what part of the continent they are on. In the south, they generally carry silks and rare dyes from the desert. It is from these same bright dyes, along with those they trade for at the borders of the large eastern jungle, that they make their brightly coloured clothing. It is considered a sign of high status for all members of a caravan to be in bright colours. When in the northern part of the continent, they’ll usually carry rare herbs and spices gathered in the north forest plateau. It is these that they’ll trade at coastal cities for even more exotic goods. A Soolera caravan visiting a town often brings great wealth, though the Soolera have something of a reputation for theft and heresy among the rest of Alteran society, who look down on the nomads.

Despite the Soolera desert origin, their caravans are almost exclusively made of the wood of the mangroves of Greymoor. The wood is preferred because of its strength and resistance to rot, making it an excellent material in the multiple climates the nomads traverse throughout the year. In fact, mangrove products are one of the only products the Soolera produce themselves, with every part of every tree felled having some use. The bark of the upper branches, still soft, is boiled to create a dye that the Soolera use in temporary stain tattoos, which they wear with pride during Fadma to identify their caravan, familial relations, and to decorate their bodies in general. The fruit of the mangrove is buoyant, and is often split in half and the contents boiled for food.

## Physical Appearance

The Soolera are generally dark-skinned with grey eyes, though black and brown eyes also show up, depending on the caravan. Soolera are also renowned for the colourful clothes they wear. The long, winding routes the caravans take lead to some excellent trade opportunities, which include access to rare and vibrant dyes they use in their clothing. Skin colouration is, of course, a feature of the founding human population.

Some Soolera caravans have identifying tattoos on their bodies, but it's not a widespread thing, and most only wear temporary skin markings during Fadma.

### Mangrove

One of the core identifying features of *any* Sooleran is the mangrove. To be more clear, because of their heavy reliance on mangroves during the winter (the dryer parts of Greymoor are a nice place in winter due to prevailing warm southern winds caused by the two central mountain ranges funneling hot summer air, and the caravans themselves are constructed mostly of mangrove, *and* mangroves are a food source.), Soolerans will often make jewelry fashioned in the shape of mangrove leaves or made of mangrove wood. Common identifiers include bracelets or pendants embedded with semi-precious stones or stained to match a caravan's prevailing colour scheme (different caravans have access to different markets, and so different dyes and colours prevail). Soolerans generally don't go much for piercings, but among the permanent residents of Sool piercing is fairly common to indicate that they are not Rooted, but pious.

## Diet

The Soolera have one of the most diverse diest of any Alteran culture, living off the land and trading for food in towns they visit. They are largely omnivorous, but their diet mostly consists of vegetables and fruit, as meat is expensive and less easily gathered during caravan journeys. Soolerans do not herd or own domesticated animals besides the occasional dog or cat, which eats whatever scraps the Soolerans may give to it.

Sooleran meals are a simple affair. A single large fire is made at the center of the caravan camp and a meal is cooked using simple cooking instruments. Pots and pans are heavy, and so few exist among a caravan. Meals are generally made on a simple and large scale, in the form of stews and soups, which are then communally consumed. Individuals may spice their food to their particular liking from the caravan stock, though most prefer using mangrove leaves for their saltiness and particular tang. The leaves themselves are too tough to be eaten.

In the morning, Soolerans will eat the leftovers of the meal along with a tea of boiled mangrove leaf. It is salty and bitter, but it is believed to have strengthening properties by the Soolerans, who treasure mangroves.

During the day as they travel, Soolerans will consume food gathered from the surrounding area or from the food stores of the caravan, which are mostly jerky.

When in town, Soolerans may choose to feast on local food rather than staying at their camp. During the times they’re in town, anything goes, food wise.

### Agriculture

Soolerans, being nomadic, don’t farm or tend to crops outside of what was once the shade gardens of Sool, which even then aimed for aesthetic over function. In the garden, a variety of herbs and valuable spices that thriveed in the hot, yet shaded environment, and it was those herbs and spices that Soolerans used on their food during travel to make it more appetizing. As described earlier, Sooleran cuisine widely varies depending on their current location and if they are traveling or not, but it was most always delicious because of the spices of Sool (the spice must flow!), gathered during Fadma and used sparingly until the next equinox.

Soolerans, generally being well-off despite not having permanent homes, are able to buy the food of whatever locale they are visiting. Being expert merchants, they’ll sometimes barter some worthless item for the food for a laugh. It is this behaviour of taking advantage of gullibility that has spawned the reputation that Soolerans aren’t trustworthy. The reputation isn’t entirely undeserved, but making a friend of a Sooleran is making a friend for life, and Soolerans take care of their own.

## Religion

Despite popular opinion, Soolerans are not heretics. They are not particularly devout, but do worship Bilworth and Jax on Fadma. Bilworth, for bringing them customers, and Jax for giving them luck enough to survive.

Soolerans do not generally wear icons of their faith, but respect the principles of the devout, and are cooperative, if somewhat sullen, when given a sermon.

## Fadma

Fadma is the Sooleran celebration of the equinoxes twice a year. While it was celebrated near the home-city Sool, it is now lost to the old lands. As such, this integral celebration has not yet been held since the third Exodus as there is nowhere to do so.

Twice a year, all True Soolera were to meet in the Great Desert at the site of their ancestors’ first homes to bury their dead, mingle, and celebrate the Equinox in a massive festival they call the Fadma. During Fadma, Soolera would often join with different caravans from the ones they were born in, to experience different parts of the world and meet new love. Teenagers especially looked forward to Fadma, as it is where they often meet those that they would wed.

## Sool

Sool is the now-lost city of the Soolera. Once upon a time it was a desert city located in the Northern Kingdoms, lost to the dunes. After the third Exodus, this place of significance will likely never be seen by another living being.

Permanent residents of Sool were generally those too old for the constant travelling lifestyle of the caravans, and those who willingly chose to dwell there and become pious, for Sool was both the cultural and religious home of the Soolera. In Sool a temple sat, and twice per year, on the equinox, a ray of light would shine on a marked area on the altar, marking the beginning of Fadma.

## Lifespan

Human Soolerans live an average of 85 years, assuming they live to adulthood. Infant mortality is common (as it is everywhere) but the constant exercise of being nomadic and the varied diet of the people promise a long and healthy lifespan for a True Sooleran. The Rooted generally don’t live as long due to a more sedentary lifestyle and fixed diet, averaging 67-70 years.

When a Sooleran becomes too old to continue travelling, usually in their late 60s or early 70s, they will not leave with their caravan at the end of Fadma, choosing to spend the rest of their life in Sool tending to the horses and the temple. True Soolerans, of the kind that originate in Sool, are a very hardy people, and can easily survive the desert heat, even in old age.

Adopted Soolerans can be expected to live as long as their race generally allows, given the shifting climates and foods the nomadic lifestyle imposes.

The oldest Sooleran recorded was el-Mazim Wahas, who lived to the age of 103 before keeling over while gardening in the middle of the summer in Sool. However, the myths of the people tell the story of Great Ancestor ja-Rawis Ehar, a man who lived to be two thousand years old, siring each of the First Caravan families that left Sool in ages long past. Rawis eventually sailed away on the greatest voyage any Sooleran has ever taken, and crossed the horizon into the stars, where his constellation now stands watching over the wandering caravans. His eyes are the two brightest stars in the sky, and the constellation of the Ancestor always points southward to Sool, the home of the people.

## Language

*Main article: Marjash*

To the uninitiated, the language of the Soolera, Marjash, is a language filled with hard consonants and tricky vowels. Marjash is not overly difficult to learn, with only three tenses and many words belonging to a group having common roots. For example, the verb “to eat” is expressed as “vamarh”, while the noun “food” is said as “valosh”, both words sharing the root “va”, indicating the words belong to the foods group.

Marjash, the name of the language, literally translates as 'the knowledge of the legendary', due to the root combination of mar- and ja-, with the sh suffix added to define it as a noun.