Viali
The Viali are the citizens of the Kingdom of Ivial, a nation in southeastern Arad. They place high value on honor, honesty and propriety, and they are often stereotyped as being rather melodramatic.
Viali place much importance on propriety, and their speech often portrays this. It is generally considered rude by the Viali to ask a direct question, as doing so would be making a demand of someone else to acquiesce to your wishes. Instead, Viali will talk in a patient, roundabout way, expressing their desire to know something, but never directly asking or demanding an answer. For instance, instead of asking, "Where have you been all week?" one would say, "It has been observed that you have been absent this past week, and I find myself curious as to where you might have journeyed." The other person can then choose to satisfy the first person's curiosity by informing them where they were the past week, or they can simply acknowledge the first's curiosity, and then change the subject, thereby informing the first that they acknowledge their curiosity but do not wish to inform them where they have been.
Viali society is based on a caste system, as is evidenced by their calendar (which is used continent-wide at this point). Six of the seven days of the week are based on the castes:
- Lightsday
- Kingsday
- Queensday
- Lordsday
- Knightsday
- Artisday (Artisan's Day)
- Citisday (Citizen's Day)
Clothing amongst the Viali tends to consisting mainly of whites, grays, silvers, and blues, with the upper classes wearing more elegant clothing to reflect their status, while the lower classes tend to wear plain, utilitarian clothing. A knight in shining silvery or blued-steel armor is the iconic image of the Viali.
The main religion in Ivial is the Church of the Light, and while Ivial is generally considered the home and main Church nation, it was actually brought there ages ago by missionaries from the southern continent. As is the Church's policy, the people respect and honor Serafina the Torchbearer, but do not worship her.
