Lanirieth

ORNESTO:

Oh but never shall I forget that day the Circus came to town, the painted wagon-wheels a-groaning under the weight, the scarlet pennants wriggling in the wind like eels in the stream. Ah, the Circus! Oh to be a boy again and know the joy of the Circus come round once more!

— Excerpt from the play "The Flight of Aerthas" by Bernardo Ciola

Roving across the lands, their ranges extending hundreds or even thousands of miles, the Lanirieth are probably best known among the inhabitants of Kajiantu as travelling entertainers and craftspeople. Known to set up their brilliantly-colored tents and wagons into makeshift performance and mercantile spaces in any town they come across - indeed, even at bends in the road they happen to stop at night - the Lanirieth are a welcome, if strange, sight in many parts of the world.
For most humans, their only exposure to elves would be a glance of the Lanirieth at a Circus or Fair one summer when they happened to be in town, and as they are most likely to only meet Lanirieth for their rest of their lives, due to the isolationism most other groups of elves display, this would not necessarily be a bad thing. However, the vast majority of elves view the Lanirieth as a lesser race, far below their notice or even their disdain.
One of the more interesting facts of Lanirieth culture is that, as an ethnicity, they do not particularly identify with any one species. Although primarily elvish in species make-up, the vast majority of Lanirieth have mixed heritage of some kind, and there are many half-elves, humans, and even tieflings, aasimar, halflings, gnomes, kobolds, crowfolk and dozens of other races who may identify as culturally and ethnically Lanirieth.
The general reputation of the Lanirieth is as showmen, and that is certainly a well-earned reputation. Most Lanirieth are capable of performing some feat of artistic or acrobatic skill, from playing flute to juggling to contortionist extremes. Performances at their travelling fairs and circuses are extremely popular, and people will travel from far out of town to witness a Lanirieth circus perform.
Additionally, because of their travelling lifestyle, the Lanirieth are considered the de facto postal service of Kajiantu. Sending a letter or parcel with the Lanirieth is among the cheaper alternatives for delivery services in the region, although there is never a guarantee of timely arrival at its destination. But for non-urgent deliveries, it often pays to pay the Lanirieth.

Culture

Common Etiquette rules

Lanirieth are a loud and outgoing people, who have a tendency to talk with their hands and gesture with their whole bodies. It is generally considered normal to interrupt or talk over each other, and they have much smaller personal bubbles than most other ethnicities and cultures in Kajiantu.

Common Dress code

Lanirieth most often prefer long, flowing, shapeless styles of clothing, such as dresses and robes or loose shirts and pants. They often wear decorative surcoats or long vests, which are brilliantly colored and often embroidered with images of animals, people, and geometric shapes. These coats may have significant personal or familial meaning (for example, an embroidery of one's favorite animal or a family crest) or they can be merely beautiful, frivolous fancies. Either way, Lanirieth surcoats are works of art.

Art & Architecture

The Lanirieth generally do not live in one place, although it is possible to find groups that have "settled down" to a permanent dwelling in certain regions. However, the vast majority living in travelling wagons known as hausaffetti - the name means "little painted snail." These wagons are dwelling spaces that function as bedroom, kitchen, and communal space all in one while on the road, each square corner of the wagon packed to maximum space efficiency.
The primary characteristic of the hausaffetti are their side panels, which can be removed to display the interior. These panels originally functioned as a space from which to sell wares, and still performed that function. However, the panels themselves have become part of an artistic tradition - they are often painted with scenes from epic stories of myth and legend, while the general structure of the wagon may be decorated with brilliant patterns, sometimes with gilded designs. The side panels may then be kept by the family or sold as paintings, and many Lanirieth frequently rotate out the side panels of their hausafetti.

Encompassed species

• Elf
• Half-Elf