BY LETTER
Cult of Gold
 Image from Tasp | |
| A vec belonging to the Cult of Gold, with rings and multiple projected icons. This Solarian Culture values gold for its permanence, its beauty, and its intrinsic quantum mechanical characteristics. | |
Light has a special place both in Dominion philosophy and dress. The worshippers of the Lord of Rays often emit light from parts of their body. Any item be it a necklace, a tiara or a whole dress, may have specifically built-in especially luminous nanites that can project patterns of light, a tenuous glow, or nearly blinding halos and "solar" coronas.
Clothing for nearbaseline humans and human-like clades in the Dominion is mainly designed not to cover the body, but to exalt its shape, either by revealing portions of body or by using elongated headgear and cascading tissues. Fabrics and materials tend to be as bright as possible, even to the point of glowing or shining. For instance these Solarians use airy, flowing, usually white, veils as skirts, togae or pallia. Occasionally, they will use a gold-weave cloth adorned with pearls to cut an excellent decorative chiton. Footwear, when worn at all, consists of lightly decorated sandals, occasionally with heels, or even air-cushions depending on social rank. Most people also make abundant use of beautiful crystals or artificial minerals to further augment their golden apparel. Various shades of gold and sun-related motifs integrate themselves into long earrings, pendants, curved bracelets, ankle chains and elaborate headgear- often to the point of absurdity from the perspective of tourists.
Solarians use makeup in the same way and style as in their clothing: gold, white and amber hues, often shining, and often utilizing elaborate patterns and shapes to enhance the features.
White usually represents sacredness and maidenhood, gold greatness and power, amber passion and courage. The motifs often resemble pictograms or hieroglyphs, and many can be programmed to appear or disappear when certain emotional states manifest themselves or fade away.
The nearbaselines of this Solarian society see themselves as godlike in their brilliant beauty: many have engineered their proportions close to the golden mean or to follow extraordinary symmetry. Golden, seemingly metallic colors adorn their skin, sun-like blazing pupils augment their eyes, and long hair comparable to threads of pure light grows from their heads.
The Vecs of this subculture often look like golden statues, similar in appearance to agricultural age Greek sculptures. Splices and rianth adherents take their cues from classical agricultural age gods of the firmament: some have hawk heads, some resemble lions, others possess great feathered wings.
 Image from Bernd Helfert | |
| A nearbaseline member of this popular Solarian culture | |
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Development Notes
Text by Marco Mari
additional comments by Brian McKinley
Initially published on 30 April 2003.
image by Tasp added May 17, 2025
additional comments by Brian McKinley
Initially published on 30 April 2003.
image by Tasp added May 17, 2025
