Kyrvi (Kihr-vee)

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder - and gives us time to practice."

- A Kyrvi Proverb

Less a single cohesive unit than several loosely correlated bands, the Kyrvi are a nomadic group in Lialin. With a name that translates to 'road people' in the old tongue, every group of them roams dependent upon group and season. Some will cross the entire continent, never visiting the same region twice. Others will keep to a generalized area, and have a central point they often return to during harsh seasons. While on the road, however, the Kyrvi are performers in high demand.
Whenever Kyrvi travel, they practice their roles or tunes. Whenever they stop at a population center, they perform. Nobles and cities will petition bands to travel their way, to stay for a season or longer, to keep the attraction of their singers, dancers, actors, and more. Authors will try to peddle their tales to the band for future performances to gain fame, while seamstresses and tailors jump at the chance to aid in crafting costumes or set pieces. Others can perform, of course. But no one can match the craft honed for several lifetimes by the Kyrvi.

Organization

The head of any Kyrvi band is known as the 'Navigator.' The Navigator will usually take council from the rest of the group in its entirety, including those children old enough to follow relevant conversation, but occasionally designates a selection of 'Stars' to advise them or fill in while the Navigator is unavailable. This bit of whimsy is common throughout other Kyrvi approaches to life.
Navigators are selected by a full band vote, typically from among the Stars of the previous Navigator upon their death or resignation. There are no rules defining who can become a Navigator, only that they must be accepted by the group as a whole, and favored by a majority. There are some Kyrvi tales of child Navigators, though most Kyrvi will assure you those are more story than history.
To fully join a Kyrvi band, one must have traveled with them for three years, taken part in a Traveler's Rite, and be unanimously accepted by the rest of the band. After this point, the joining member is treated the same as anyone born to the band.
Hopefuls or those in the process of garnering goodwill with a band are called 'wanderers' or 'journeymen' depending on whether they're perceived as a dreamer or a contracted worker. The former implies more of a genuine desire to join the band, while the latter is regarded as a seasonal participant in the band's journey. To be approved as a hanger-on to the band, only the Navigator's approval is needed.

Public Perception

Other stories of the Kyrvi include the stereotype of a particularly gifted member of a band coming to charm a patron, leaving them pining or taking them to the roads after a whirlwind of romance. There are also novels with the plotline of a stranger becoming the Navigator of a Kyrvi band through great talent or skill. The Kyrvi will begrudgingly admit these stories are technically plausible - but the presentation of them is usually highly offensive and rarely based in fact.
The tales that do feature the Kyrvi in a positive light will feature the Dreamer archetype: someone who wishes to become a performer of some kind, and who proves themselves to a Kyrvi band in order to earn a chance to travel with them. Otherwise, the Kyrvi are presented as lovable rogues, if those so caught up in their stories they are less cognizant of the real world around them.

Cuisine

Kyrvi cuisine is typically not suited to large meals. Instead, food is presented as a large variety in small amounts, and tends towards food that can be eaten while traveling. The foods are as variable as the regions they travel through, though the Kyrvi do have a particular knack for finding ways to implement whatever ingredients they find into forms of fried bread.