Ralads

"They are famous architects and builders, & travel in teams to construct important buildings throughout Deltora."

- Doran The Ralad tribe is one of the seven primary tribes in Deltora. Their gem is the great Ruby and they reside primarily in the Ralad territory.

History
Before the unification of Deltora, the Ralad tribe was unknown to most of the other six tribes, due to their passive, shy nature. The Plains folk looked on the Ralads with disdain, thinking of them as backwards, ignorant people.

Society
Ralads are very in tune with nature and, as a result, do not like building roads through their territory or altering the natural landscape more than is necessary. They are generally quite pacifistic, opting to run and hide rather than engage in direct confrontation, and they do not carry weapons. Ralads instead defend themselves and their territory with clever traps and trickery.

Ralads are some of the more cooperative people in Deltora. They gave Adin the ruby without any trouble and built an entire city for the people of D'Or. Since the unification of the seven tribes, Ralads have been relatively common in other territories, as they are often hired as architects. Ralads are seemingly the only tribe in Deltora that treat Dragons with respect, rather than as dangerous pests. Ralads believe that Dragons are importantly tied to the fate of Deltora and attempt to coexist peacefully with the ruby Dragons.

Though friendly, Ralads can be quite paranoid and value their privacy, and as a result it is unwise to attempt to visit Raladin unless invited. It is implied that Ralads build small traps to defend their home from unwanted visitors, though they may simply be "accidents". Ralads can be found outside of their town relatively often, however, and they may invite good friends to Raladin.

Ralads are great lovers of music, particularly flute music. Playing music and singing are some of the only interesting activities that occur in Raladin, and music became an important way of expressing emotion when the Ralads were cursed by Thaegan. Ralads also practise a unique form of picture-writing. They have an alphabet of symbols in the thousands, and adult Ralads will combine symbols for speed and clarity. The Ralad alphabet became an important form of communication during the Shadow Lord's rule; not only among the mute Ralads, but also among members of the Resistance.

Architecture
Ralads are renowned throughout Deltora for their incredible architectural ability. They have been contracted by all areas of Deltora since the tribes were unified. Ralads were responsible for the construction of the royal palace in Del, the city of D'Or, and have built elaborate decoys of Raladin to hide from the Shadow Lord on at least two occasions. Ralads are quite proud of their architecture and are deeply offended when their original designs are altered; it is one of the few things that can legitimately anger a Ralad.

Ralad architecture varies wildly; they are capable of building glorious, grand palaces, such as the one in Del, or entire cities, such as D'Or. Raladin itself is actually quite simple, with small, circular buildings. Ralad architecture is defined by its sturdiness and cleverness, but is overall quite versatile.



Physical appearance
Ralads are relatively small and frail-looking, but they are remarkably strong for their size. They are easily recognised due to their peculiar blue-grey skin. Their orange-red hair grows in a crest or tuft on the top of their head and they often wear clothing with complicated embroidery. Their eyes are black and button-like.