Homebrew Alethi Male Species Details

The Alethi people are generally tan -- darker-skinned than the Veden, but not as dark as the Makabaki -- with dark, typically black hair. They are typically extremely tall, standing on average at least a foot taller than people living further West.  In the late Era of Solitude, the Alethi tan and black hair are considered the general standard of beauty. Multicolored hair is also present within Alethkar and is an indication of mixed heritage. Some see this as a sign of an "impure" bloodline, while others use it as evidence of Alethkar's superiority, hard won through conquest. Among the Heralds, Jezrien and Vedeledev look Alethi.

Like all Vorin nations, Alethi practice a division between the sexes. Women have safehands, covered either by a buttoned-up sleeve, typical of lighteyes, or a glove, typical of darkeyes. They are discouraged from picking up weapons and fighting. By contrast, men are forbidden to read. As such, oftentimes a man and a woman will work together as a team in an important position that overlaps both their areas of responsibility, such as the military, with the woman acting as a scribe while the man issues commands. The militaristic nature of the Alethi further influences this divide, leading to most of Alethi rulers being kings, and women rarely, if ever, becoming highprincesses.

Alethi discourage emotional openness and any show of what could be perceived as a weakness; an engaged couple keeping close in public is considered, while not obscene, at least extremely improper. Men are encouraged to be combative and forceful, and women to be witty and willing to engage in barbed banter. Unwillingness or inability to act in this way can often lead to a person being labeled as inept or stupid.

Caste system
The Alethi culture is divided into two major castes, the lighteyes and darkeyes, separated by, as can be surmised, the color of a person's eyes. The lighteyes form the upper caste, with broader rights and privileges, while the darkeyes are the lower, working caste. Furthermore, each caste is divided into ten ranks, with the lighteyed ranks being called dahns, while the darkeyed ones are the nahns. Some nahns and dahns are hereditary, or stable, while others can only be held by attaining a particular position. The Alethi monarch, for example, is the only person in the country holding the first dahn.

There are many ways for a person to improve their rankings, such as through marriage or military service. A soldier who becomes an officer will almost automatically be raised to a proper dahn or nahn, along with their children. Holding land automatically entitles a lighteyes to at least the sixth dahn, regardless of their previous status, and becoming a Shardbearer entitles at least the fourth dahn.

Alethkar is generally a feudal nation. The Alethi monarch is served by ten highprinces, which have their own lower-dahn subjects, down to the citylords, who rule over individual settlements. Shardbearers stand slightly aside from this system, although many of them are either highprinces themselves, or in direct service to one highprince or another.

Militarism
The Alethi culture is highly militaristic, stemming from their origins as Alethela. A soldier is considered the highest religious Calling, with the fight to reclaim the Tranquiline Halls being believed to be the greatest afterlife one could hope for. The country is almost perpetually at war, if not between the highprinces, then with some external power. Children as young as twelve can and sometimes are recruited by raving armies to feed this endless war machine.

Military service is one of the more reliable paths of social advancement in Alethkar. A soldier can expect to raise in dahn or nahn to match his military rank. Moreover, many darkeyed soldiers go to war hoping to defeat a Shardbearer and gain ownership of a Shardblade, due to a widespread belief -- later proven correct -- that bonding a Blade would change their eyes to light-colored.

Alongside this culture, the Alethi highly honor the Thrill, a form of battle-lust that can sometimes encompass them when in combat. The Thrill is often considered a private thing, not to be shared with others; however, it's also highly desirable, with men often awaiting its arrival when in combat. For many, it's downright addictive.

Religion
Alethkar is one of the five great Vorin Kingdoms, with vast majority of their populace worshipping the Almighty. The worship is mostly carried out by the priests, called the ardents. The ardents, while influential, are not free -- rather, they are slaves to various lighteyes. Unlike most other professions, ardentia is open to both men and women, and to people from all social castes. Ardents are considered genderless from a social standpoint, and as such, many of the Vorin taboos regarding gender and gender roles do not apply to them. They are also the only people permitted to use Soulcasters.

Unlike other varieties of Vorinism, the Alethi are not required to be personally devout, or to perform religious ceremonies. While each citizen is supposed to pick their Calling and Glory -- their goal in life, and the aspect of the Almighty they wish to emulate-- the actual religious part of the religion is handled by the ardents, who perform the requisite rituals and prayers for their masters, so as to reassure them of their righteousness. The Alethi themselves rarely interact with the Almighty, save for an occassional glyphward or prayer.

 

 

Alethi Male Traits

Alethi share a number of traits in common with each other.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength, Dexterity, Constitution and Charisma scores increase by 1.

Age

Alethi have typical human lifespans. They enter adulthood in their late teens and usually live less than a century.

Alignment

Alethi society, with its clear caste system and feudal structure, has a strong lawful bent. The Alethi sense of competition, balanced with an emphasis on perceived honor and personal glory, pushes them toward neutrality.

Size

Alethi are between 6 and 7 feet tall and weigh between 120 and 300 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

The Masculine Arts

You have proficiency in the Athletics skill and the Intimidation skill.

Languages

You can speak Alethi. You cannot read or write outside of a few basic glyphs.