A small description of how chelti tend to act and speak in different situations in regards to their culture and how they think, this page may sometimes reference the chelti culture page. This is not to say this page describes is how chelti will always react, but simply how they may commonly react to certain situations. Chelti personalities can be as unique as a player or GM wishes, but for a social baseline this page aims to explain some situations as a loose player guide.
When two chelti meet for the first time they will rarely exchange names. This practice is not rude but instilled from their empathetic telepathy and the historical likelihood of death on their planet. This has led to them typically not trying to bond closely with newcomers beyond acquaintances unless circumstances conspire. The death of a comrade can induce major psychological trauma in an individual, especially if the death occurs while the person is close enough for the empathetic connection to be active. In a professional instance they may simply swap clan names and name themselves by their trades.
Example: “My name is Yeshi Accountant.”
While this may seem cold and impersonal, it's believed by them to be a kindness in case the worst were to happen to one of them. Two chel must usually be working together towards an aim before they know each other on an individual name basis.
If two chelti find themselves recognizing a common ancestor, they may sometimes immediately compare family trees to ascertain their blood relation if circumstances allow. This could include small inquiries, all the way up to family scrolls being unfurled and scrutinized depending on occasion. This helps formalize their relation, but rarely indicates any superiority unless one is from a much stronger clan than the other.
Chelti tend to speak very softly towards each other in normal conversation, even when infuriated. Raising ones voice is a sign of lack of control and bringing danger upon everyone around them by the noise they are creating to attract predators. They have very little emotional expression on their faces, instead relying on their unique form of telepathy to communicate gestures and tones. This is often why chelti have some difficulty learning alien languages and vice-versa.
If meeting with the master of the house then refreshments will be served before the master will come to greet their guests; hospitality is a strong virtue. This practice stems from certain antiquated religions whose deities have come in disguise and cursed house who mortified them with their shocking etiquette. Being invited into an estate is usually an honor, and the inability to appease guests is often taken as a sign of weakness. Even the poorest house will share its last loaf of hard Bread to an honored guest.
If meeting informally the guest is usually taken to a quiet area with a small knee-high table and cushions, these areas are sometimes rooms or outside under tarps on platforms or even on the ground if a house has good soil on the estate. It is customary to have a selection of drink in a net under the table that the host can select from. The type of drink offered often indicates the relationship the host has with the guest.
Most forms of alcohol are for friendly encounters, water is for business, and crude forms of hard alcohol to get the meeting over and done with as soon as possible as both parties will soon be too intoxicated to continue. Chanka is available upon request, hosts will rarely smoke in front of a guest until asked.
Meals are generally an informal affair, with diners being served from a selection of food items to choose for themselves. Cooking duty is usually rotated within houses. When dining with guests however chelti tend to put much effort into the meal and make it a formal affair. It's often used as an excuse to cook foreign dishes to attempt to tickle the guests palette, despite best efforts these dishes often don't quite taste the same as the authentic cuisine creating quite a humorous situation for the hosts and guest. Chelti tend to dine at long tables with benches on each side, eating is a time to socialize and catch up and dinner tables are always abuzz within a healthy community.
For chelti the dead are simply now empty vessels. For their own dead they remove the skin, treat it, and then sew it into a revered clan tapestry at a family shrine. Chelti commonly do not show much public grief at the death of a family although psychologically they may be very traumatized, especially at the death of close intimates. As their mild empathic abilities often leaves one feeling almost as if a part of them has died as well.
This is not out of shame or some show of strength, but a public courtesy to prevent emotional overflow onto other, uninvolved, chelti.
As a side note, chelti soldiers are conditioned against this during advanced training. Hence why civilians regard the military with such distance. A professional soldier is a step away from a psychopath for them.
Chelti can have a fair amount of trouble relating to other species, as the lack of empathic connection often gives them the impression of other species lacking feelings or being sub-sentient. It can sometimes take a bit of exposure for a chel to learn that this is false, although some may still treat other species almost as if they were deaf.
Unless required by circumstance chelti often prefer to remain silent, as they are often seen working for other species the need to speak is often rare, when alone whoever they may simply nod or cover one eye in a gesture of respect.
Chelti often have strange accents and may struggle to use emotive words, however most of the ones that work in the major planets at least learn the basics of Trade (Nepleslian) and can be bargained with.
When in the home of another species chelti may often wonder why the owner lives alone, or why only one family group lives there. Even in apartment buildings in major cities entire Houses of chelti immigrants may often inhabit whole floors, this could lead to some problems for property owners trying to extract rent.
Chelti are most likely to start conversation during mealtimes as they're eating. Attempts may be fumbled and awkward as the chel tries to think of topics that would interest an alien, relating to an alien mind is hard.
Chelti often view alien dead even less than their own, and are puzzled by other species death rites. The other aliens don't even treasure the skin. Most chelti could consider burial to be some form of long-term environmental effort, very long term when they observe the gardening done at graveyards. Their own cultural habits can lead to some awkward questions.
Approved by Nashoba on September 5, 2014.
Approval Thread: https://stararmy.com/roleplay-forum/index.php?threads/chelti-behaviour.16149/