Pilaani (ethnicity)
Pilaani elves are a seafaring race with distinct physical characteristics - deep blue skin and dark, often metallic-tinged hair - as well as cultural distinctions from other varieties of Elf. Their homeland of Pilaan in the southeast of the Southern Continent is a beautiful warm place, with tall palm trees and long, sandy beaches, and a number of sheltering coves as well as the normally placid Bay of Naugor where the capitol is situated. The cultural hierarchy has grown up around millennia of shipbuilding and piracy, but with an easygoing, possibly even lazy tendency, reflective of the easy living afforded by their geography.
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Sapphira, Opalina
Masculine names
Erdo, Frankis, Tobbot, Gordin
Unisex names
Almo, Seren, Jaca, Emerald; Vaness, Oliss, Celess; Mirea, Danae, Sasha, Allit, Buetu, Yammis, Keilo, Cardo, Lantis, Rathin
Family names
Hashard, Blachart, Rashin, Orbens, Larmish, Rathin, Gullgarde, Fanrine
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Pilaani is more of an accent than a language, sounding to the ear very similar to an Australian or Californian Surfer in many cases. Certain sea-related terms round out the vocabulary in just enough of a way as to make it not hard for two Pilaani to carry on a lengthy conversation in what sounds like Imperial common, but which only another Pilaani would be able to understand.
Common Dress code
Pilaani have gorgeous skin and beautiful, elaborate long-line tattoos, and they live in a hot land; as such, they show a lot more skin than most, and shirtlessness isn't uncommon or anything to arouse interest in another Pilaani - males and females go shirtless at the beach, and usually it's only nursing females who wear any kind of bikini or bra to cover their modesty. They do understand the value of not getting a sword jab in the tit, however, and wear body-covering armor like eveyone else, though they don't like to do it.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
A long and interesting life is the key to their entire symbology. They favor elaborate patterns which reveal a single, unbroken line wherever possible, be it a pattern on furniture or their pervasive single-line 'maze' tattoos. Youth, health, and vigor are critical aspects of beauty, and every variation on the color blue and blue-green is connected directly to that for them - the agelessness of the sea and its many colors and aspects.
Gender Ideals
Pilaani do not distinguish strongly between genders in terms of ideal behavior, vocational or educational differences, or even clothing choices; Their society is not only gender-neutral but quite gender fluid, with most of their names being perfectly acceptable for babies of either sex. This is perhaps a reflection once again of the easy living afforded by lush edible vegetation, ready access to fresh water, timber and metals, peace-loving neighboring cultures and oceans of isolation from other would-be plunderer states; there was little need for significant division of labor when living in an Island paradise, and beyond the sexual roles of males in making the babies and females in giving birth to them, the rest has never been sharply delineated between one or the other gender.
Courtship Ideals
Pilaani are great romantics, writing epic poetry, excelling in the musical arts, and able to steal girlfriends or boyfriends with as much ease as stealing coinpurses. As such, they often have an easier time romancing other races, since their own standards are so high. Long but low-commitment courtships are common, and both male and female married polygamy are permitted, practiced, and elaborately taxed. Pilaani are often jaded among their own kind, however, and often have a wandering eye, such that their romantic and sexual histories run in similar long lines and 90 degree turns as their tattoos.
Relationship Ideals
Despite being romantically shallow, Pilaani tend to be extraordinarily loyal to their friends, and surprisingly Lawful rather than Chaotic in their alignments. They are able to be so laid back and not worry because they are actually fairly decisive as a rule, and not given to fretting over choices or consequences, including those that obligate them to help a friend in need or to remain true to a wife or husband (or two or three, as may be the case). While this seems odd to a Basilidean Imperial who may be much more traditionally conservative, it is reflective of the influence of pirate crewing on the culture even when it isn't at sea -- Crews are like family, but families are like crews, and a bad decision is always better than no decision at all.
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