Thesselian (/T͟Hesəlēən/)

Thesselian people maintain a very mercantile culture borne from the many port cities and waterways present around their homeland. They are found mostly in Bria and Alleme with coastal pockets in Shasat and Torore. They were driven from their native home of Mechan by the Celovan.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Ilkiodora, Estraka, Beofreli, Arkefe, Malthá, Kouvá

Masculine names

Horatio, Sol, Phaid, Apto, Karo, Theachrosius

Unisex names

Mglin, Nefen, Mekan, Tragoú, Karis, Virýon

Family names

Argris, Thálao, Kokenus, Strazióu, Mglinao, Hofotiá

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

The main language spoken by the Thesselian people is Souroú. The original language originated from the island of Mechan, although few still remain who speak the first tongue. Since their arrival on the continent's coast and subsequent diaspora, the language has been molded and influenced by the languages of the new lands they found themselves in. The most common dialect of Souroú is Northern Souroú, spoken by the Thesselian people of Alleme; it carries sharper sounds from the hard palette. Also found in Alleme is pét-Souroú, a more glottal form of Souroú; this dialect is only found in a pocket of Alleme that the Thesselian people share with the Iphot people. Typically, the further south one finds a Thesselian, the softer and more nasally their Souroú dialect will be.

Common Dress code

The cultural dress of the Thesselian culture is bodily-wrapped robes woven from cotton linen or sheep's wool. The cloth is often dyed bright colors, and it is worn with a sheaf of linen (or silk for those who can afford it) beneath that serves as a type of underdress. The underdress is typically neutral colored. The cloth is accompanied by delicate gold jewelry if the individual can afford it. Less stately accessories include bracelets and rings of woven horsehair and leather. Cosmetics include lip stain and powder (more to prevent sweating than for aesthetic reasons). Sailors and traveling merchants will often apply dark grease at the corner and waterline of their eyes to diminish the sun's glare.

Art & Architecture

The Thesselian people are great boat builders. Hailing first from the island of Mechan and then finding themselves scattered across the coast of Fir'nost, their skill and art was channeled into ship craft. The ships are long and thin but capable of carrying great cargo. Triangular sails give speed to the vessel; the cloth of the sails is often as brightly-colored as the people's robes, and they are handstitched with the crest of the merchant houses they sail under. Each ship presents a figurehead; traditional figureheads were of the Angels, but more modern figureheads are modeled after a severed crown of snakes or a chained and shrouded figure.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Modern beauty standards of the Thesselian people follow a warrior's body: tall and well muscled in both sexes. Well-tanned skin is also appreciated, and the ideal Thesselian face has an aquiline nose and high cheekbones. Red hair is coming into the ideal, leading many Thesselians to dye their own hair or that of a wig with natural dyes such as clay and plant juices.

Courtship Ideals

Courtship usually follows a series of gifts exchanged by the involved parties, often with a great emphasis on family involvement in the process. Those from wealthy families often hold grand, public courtships to show off their wealth and the joining of their houses, and those from poorer families or those with no families will often have short courtships or no courtship altogether, preferring to simply elope.

Encompassed species