Vaela

The Vaela are a strange race. They are ghostly pale, with pupil-less eyes that were completely of one color and ears that came to a sharp point. Manes of dark hair frame their faces. They are small of frame and uncanny of appearance. Some say they are able to change their appearances, but are always given away by their eyes. They are met with caution and suspicion, but also with courtesy as the Vaela are performers, pilgrims, and ties to a past long forgotten. For the Vaela are long-lived, with many reaching the age of two-hundred and legends of thousand year old Vaela still persist to this day.

They had a language unlike any other and, to this day, only the closest friends of the Vaela know anything of their language. Tales circulate of their magical abilities. The Vaela were said to by the children of the elder god, the wandering god and patron of vagabonds. They are famed for their wanderlust. The Vaela take up many occupations mostly living in caravans. They are referred to by many as the “Grey Pilgrims” or “The Mummers.”

The Vaela mostly fit into no caste. Some are merchants, some are professional pilgrims for the Ecclesia. But the most well known of the Vaelan traditions is that of the “Mummer’s Dance” held at crossroads at various times of the year. These festivals are where the Vaela reenact ancient stories, alien and archaic to the people who watch them. They wear strange costumes and bizarre masks and perform a ritual play.

The Vaela have a reputation for being kindly but often quiet and reserved. When the Vaela speak, their voices are transfixing and their eyes rivet your own to their with a natural ease. They tend to keep to themselves and they rarely have sexual contact outside of their caravans. Their religions tend to be Eccleisan but the Vaela often have many gods, besides their ancestor, Vael. And their tradition always mixes with their religion, taking on strange Vaelan quirks, including the worship of a number Vaelan heroes of old.

The Vaela wear very little color and tend to wear grey, except on the Mumming days. Then they wear colorful ritual costumes and masks with ancient looks.