Alaari

The Alaari are a small quarter elf ethnic group that populate central Ummarnu. After the fall of Talawa and the disappearance of the Talawan race from the region, the Alaari started to become a prominent ethnic group in former Talawan lands following the sudden disappearance. Now, they take up all of the former heartland, mostly in the metropolis of Alaar. For almost all of their history, the Alaari people have been known for their ambition.

Apppearance/Physiology
Many scholars debate whether the Alaari still classify as human ethnic group or a whole separate race, but this much is known: to scholars studying corpses of fallen Alaari, they certainly stemmed from humans. However, unlike humans, much of there physiology have adapted to survive arid desert conditions. Most notably, their skin has evolved to deal with desert conditions. One of the characteristic of which is the pale skin commonly observed throughout many of the tribes. Instead of active sweat glands, their bodies have evolved to focus their cooling on the pale skin due to the reflection of the sun’s light so water can be preserved. As a result, they do not sense heat as well as other organisms, yet they do not shed as much water as other creatures, allowing for body heat to be maintained. However, this does not make them lizard like. In fact, they are warm blooded like people and share the exact same figure. Although, something else notable about the skin is how hard it is. It is almost callous-like to defend against the course sand from dust storms penetrating the skin.

Outside of skin tone, most travelers are able to pick out an Alaari from a crowd due to their eye color. Unlike a majority of cultures, the eye and hair color color of an Alaari vary based on their tribe (The Yuqra Tribe shown to the right). There is no specific common tribal color, but some common ones are brown, white, and blue. This does not mean they are restricted to those three. In fact, there are tribes with purple, red, and a variety of alterations. It is a strange concept, but it shows how the tribal system is encoded into their genetics.

In addition to the distinguishable phenotypes, one of the most notable signs of an Alaari are their flower crowns. Each tribe, by tradition, have matching flower crowns. It doesn't have to line up with their phenotypes, but it is worn by each member of the tribe to signify their loyalty to the chief of a tribe.

With being in a shared region with the Talawans, the Alaari had some carryover in the genes. The only notable one is that Alaari on average live up to 200 years old, about the age of a half elf. However the Tuaylaai tribe of Alaari are rumored to be immortal.

Classical Age
Before the rise of the modern Rathnirian Era, the Alaari were fairly disorganized and spread around the current Talawan Desert and The Eye. Due to the scarity of resources in the scorching desert, the Alaari traveled in nomadic tribes of 3-5 to preserve resources and water. The tribes consisted of two parents, and on average 1.5 heirs to the tribes name. The tribal system was frequently matriarchal in nature due to women being seen as sacred for giving life the same way Standstom did. Along with the mother being held sacred, any sort of flower was seen as a gift upon a tribe. With the desert being regarded as a harsh promise land, any sign of life was considered divine intervention. As a result, this led to the flower being hallowed to the Alaari, and each tribe wears it as a symbol of their loyalty to a tribe. It was common for the tribe's flower to match their phenotypes, but that wasn't always the case.

During the classical age, some cross breeding between the local Talawans was observed. Although a minority, they could not compete with Alaari genes. Numerous Alaari babies were produced from a Talawan-Alaari relationship, which gives the Alaari some carry-over in the genetics.

Tribes
Yuqra

 The Tuaylaai 

Life in the Tribe

The Alaari tribe of Tuaylaai was an ancient Alaari Tribe that resiided along the Northern bank of lake Illariqocha. The Tuaylaai people during their time were known for their grand architectural feats and peculiar way of raising their young. The Tuaylaaii young were raised in a collective  style, the children were grouped together in what was called  a "walluar"  and were looked after by 3 or 4 of the female tribe's members. Around the age of 13, Tuaylaai children would often leave the tribe in order to travel Rathnir to gain knowledge and experience in the architectural field. The vast majority of the Tuaylaai children would return to the tribe within a few short years (15-50 years). Upon their return, as adults, most Tuaylaai went directly to work building various grandiose structures (All of which  are now ruins buried deep in the desert's sand.)

Tuaylaai People

The Tuaylaai people are shrouded in mystery, very little is actually known about this exact type of Alaari. Ancient Tuaylaai records that were found in the ruins of the tribe's land have given a small amount of insight into what the tribe's people may have actually been like. The Tuaylaai were known to wear a phayasum wreath upon their heads. Elite Tuaylaai are suspected to have phayasum wreaths inlaid in gold. The Tuaylaai people are thought to have been tall and thin with white hair adorning the top of their heads. It is rumored that the Tuaylaai may be immortal but this is yet to be proven.

The Tuaylaai people are thought to have gone extinct or went into hiding aside from the only known remaining Tuaylaai, Atlas Tuaylaai.

Alai

House Alai is one of the more notable noble houses of the Alaari. Never truly having a home until the dawn of the modern age. Before then, most of house Alai would typically stay small as a family of 3 nomads. Unlike the other tribes though, all decisions were made with a 2/3 majority vote, a strange departure from the chieftain system of other Alaari tribes.

Throughout the lineage of House Alai, most of the ancestors were engineers, cognisant to the world around them and its gifts blessed by Standstom. With the dawn of the modern era and the Unification of the Alaari Tribes, House Alai quickly became a house of politicians and diplomats. Currently, House Alai rules over Talawa and one of the Noble Houses of Huitca. As of late, Gem of House Alai serves as the Crown Royal to the Huitca Federation

Language
The Alaari language was thought to have been lost to the world until the last remaining Tuaylaai arrived in Alaar and began working on translating words from the Alaari language to Traveler's Tongue[TT] (English).

A translator for the Alaari language is available here.

Society
Alaari society is made up of hundreds of different tribal families which dominate most of Alaari Society.

Building
The buildings that you see in Alaar are the combination of several of the Alaari tribes' architectural styles. One of the key elements to Alaar's uniqueness is the vast terraforming projects undertaken by the builders. But there is still much to be done, Alaar is still very early in its production. You will be able to learn more about the Alaari architectural style when the Alaari-Huitcan University is ready to begin classes.

A little insight into how we build. (Please keep in mind the time frames are based off of large scale builds.)

Step 0 (Terraforming): Before construction on any building in Alaar can even start the surrounding area needs to be terraformed at a basic level. (Empty plateaus, little to no detail) (Time frame: 1-6+ hours)

Step 1 (Planning): Outlines of the building(s) are created in various colors of wool. These outlines are generally structural support elements to the build (ex: wooden beams, roof edges, general floorplan), lines for creating pathways and room division inside of buildings. (Time frame: 4-12+ hours)

Step 2 (Flat Design): The outlines of the building(s) are filled in with minimal detail. This step is where the basic look of the building(s) comes from. (1-4 block types: Sandstone, Sand, Birch, Spruce) (Time frame: 30 min - 2 hours)

Step 3 (Initial Detail): The simple builds from Step 2 are gone over in a higher level of detail. This step takes the longest by far as it is mostly tinkering with the placement of detail on the outer and interior of the builds. (10-20+ block types for variation) (Time frame: 8-24+ hours)

Step 4 (Final Terraforming): After the building(s) are detailed to near completion the bare terraforming from before no longer looks adequate. The basic terraforming from before is naturalized and given more block variation. Greenery is also added as well as other customized natural elements to give it a less man-made feel. (Change from sand/sandstone to 10+ block combination based off of a sand like color palete) (Time Frame: 1-6+ hours)

Step 5 (Finalization): With the building(s) detailed, terraforming complete the only thing left to do is add in the decor. This stage is also generally where lighting, furniture and various other decoritive things are placed about. Once everything is done the build is looked over a few more times and is completed. (Time Frame: 1-4+ hours)

Religious Cultures/Alaari Racial Conversion
Alaar's religion Stomryn has many long standing traditions.

Through a process called Ikainq (Through Stomyrn's Fire - Rough Translation) non-Alaari citizens of Alaar can become Alaari via Stomyrn's fire. As non-Alaari walk through Stomyrn's fire, their blood begins to boil and evaporate out of their bodies at an alarming rate. Often causing what may seem like severe seizures, the new found Alaari's muscles, nervous system and bones begin to desintigrate. As they step into the Ikawsu (Stomyrn's life well - Rough Translation), their bodies are refilled with Alaari blood, bones, muscles and nerves. The new Alaari's mind is crammed with information about their "new" ancestral tribe and they become a native speaker of the Alaari language. As their ritual comes to an end the memories of their past life slowly begin to fade away. Overtime the new Alaari will only be able to recall themselves as being an Alaari. While the new Alaari are technically fully Alaari there are some sub-species of the Alaair such as the Yuqra, Alai and Tuaylaai tribes which each have a distinct characteristic outside of the regular Alaari tribes, to be among these tribes you must be born into them.

Stomyrn requires all Alaari people to retain a peaceful atmosphere unless they have been threatened or attacked. To show that they are peaceful the Alaari people remove the helmets of their armor while inside the city of Alaar.