Olore

An olore was a highly successful entertainer who catered to the merchant nobility of what is now Alero, particularly during the reign of the Tanuzhakid Empire and after until the 1956 Besida Revolution. Olore excelled in and contributed to music, dance, theater, and the rich literary and poetic tradition, and were considered an authority on all matters relating to etiquette and fashion. They contributed significantly to the continuation of traditional dance and music forms during their time, as well as poetry and literature. Olere mostly worked as entertainers, providing artistic enjoyment and witty conversation for members of the upper class. Many found patronage at the various courts of the coastal merchant families, but they were also spread throughout the country. Aside from entertainment, their roles often included medical care and needlework.

Olore play an important role in Aleri conceptions of pre-modern culture. Some of Alero’s most popular stories feature olore as heroines or supporting characters. Although the names of many real olore have been forgotten, others are remembered for an specific outstanding attribute, such as skill or wit. Although not directly involved with the sex trade, many olore had sex with clients or those they were hired to entertain incidentally to their work, contributing to the misconception by some foreigners that their primary roles were as prostitutes.

History
An olore could come from various backgrounds, but a common background was that of a slave girl in a brothel: the girl would be taken from the brothel and educated in the arts of being a courtesan. They often worked under the tutelage of another olore, either directly or patroned by a wealthy benefactor. Olore could earn substantial fortunes in their work; however, they were often caught in debt to former associates, and, as they lacked families, were sometimes exposed to ruinous lawsuits. When they retired, olore often educated their own successor, either a daughter or a student. Young olore-in-training were taught various skills, including the ability to differentiate and appreciate high quality music and literature as well as practice it, among other arts.

The patronage of the various courts of the nobility during and after the time of the Tanuzhakid Empire and the artistic atmosphere that followed made arts-related careers a viable prospect. Once they had matured and possessed a sufficient command over dancing and singing, students would became olore, high-class courtesans who served the rich and noble. The olore’s introduction into her profession was marked by a celebration that customarily included the inaugural blackening of her teeth.

Olore would dance, sing, recite poetry, and entertain customers and their guests at feasts, parties, and the like. Their main purpose was to professionally entertain guests, while sex was often incidental, it was not assured contracturally. High-class or the most popular olore could often pick and choose among the best of their high-class patrons.

Career
The career of most olore was fairly long, beginning their training around 15 or 16, becoming a full-fledged olore by 22, and often working well into their late thirties and early forties. It was customary for olore who had become too old to continue their work to own, manage, or work in a tavern.

By the time of the Kingdom of Alero, a three-tiered system developed. The highest was occupied by the osere, who sang and danced at upper class feasts and gatherings of the Merchant Family, famed for their exquisite beauty. However, osere were expected to retire earlier than other classes of olore, and were expected to go into another profession (generally dressmaking or medicine). Next were the obinrin, commonly retained for private entertaining and were generally proficient in all olore-associated skills or arts. Obinrin were also the most common class of olore retained for the training and discipline of new olore. Olore of the lowest tier were called ọkunrin, who often worked under a osere or obinrin as assistants or ladies in waiting.

In the course of their careers, many olore were able to amass considerable wealth. Depending on their level of skill, many olore’s patrons paid part or all of their expenses, including food, clothes, and makeup, while less valued olore were required to pay for these from their own personal funds.

Becoming an olere
Women entered the olore class through various paths. Some were the daughters of olore, who inherited their mother’s status. Others were sold into slavery to the wealthy by families who could not afford to support them. On occasion, women of high status who had been ostracized by their families became olore as a means of making a living.

As olore were members of a skilled profession, the noble families governing the region took an early interest in ensuring correct education. This first emerged with the establishment of training academies for palace olore, which became more codified later on. Instruction focused on music, dance, poetry, and other refined arts.

In the three-tiered system that appeared later, more specialized training schools were established for olore of the first and second tiers. The course of study lasted from three to six years and covered poetry, dance, music, art, and more. The system continued until the beginning of the republic, during which time the academies were shut down under laws classifying them as houses of prostitution.

Daily life
As they were often slaves of the governing noble class, the lives of olore were closely regulated. They were often overseen by personal household officers, who were in charge of maintaining a register of all slaves of the household and ensuring none had fled. Olore of the two lower classes were required to answer most of the requests of patrons and their guests. They were also commonly required to report to local academies for continuing education, usually focused on music and dance. However, the more detailed affairs of the olore were not directly overseen by patrons or masters. Order was kept internally within each household olore retinue, which may have included some tens of olore. When problems arose between a olore and a client, or when charges of criminal conduct were made against an olore, typically the household officers were tasked with the leading role in resolving the situation.

In addition, most olore had oluso (meaning guard), or “olore husbands,” who provided some form of protection and economic support, such as buying them valuable things or granting them social status in return for entertainment. Most oluso were former mercenaries or servants of the household. At times, there would be friction between would-be customers and possessive oluso, although the oluso was not the olore’s legal husband and had no true claim to her or her possessions. The role of the oluso changed over time; at first, many olore had no such patron, but by the end of the Aleri Kingdom, the system was more or less universal.

Politics and diplomacy
As their roles evolved, many olore came to play a number of important political roles, as servants of the main officers of the state and in their own right. They were employed to entertain visiting dignitaries from the territory of other regions of Alero, as well as from abroad, and to accompany them if they travelled through the area. Thanks to their frequenting taverns and guest-houses of their home areas, olore were often among the most knowledgeable on local affairs. For this reason, they were at times a key source of intelligence.

When cities fell, olore were often unstructured to entertain the leadership of the victorious army. Many olore played active roles in aiding the Kingdom of Alero during the Besida Revolution in providing intelligence and information, which later contributed to their being outlawed in retribution.

Regional differences
Olore seem to have been relatively few in number, at the most a few thousand. They were spread throughout Alero at their peak, with hundreds in the larger trading ports along the coast and smaller numbers in the inland towns and villages. They were also found in taverns and inns providing food and shelter to travelers along the country’s arterial roads, providing music and entertainment for wary travelers.

The number and characteristics of olore varied greatly from region to region. For most of the early modern period, the city with the most olore was Reran, with perhaps 1,000. Many of these worked in the courts of the nobility, helping fill the vast number of trained entertainers needed for grand festivals. Beautiful or talented olore were often sought after and in great demand, brought from more rural areas to Reran and other cities. The required training for olore in Reran was regular and very strict, with inanttentive olore trainees being sent home.

There were also large numbers of olore in the major trading centers along Alero’s west coast, notably Tano, and other such cities. The olore of Tano were noted for their high level of skill and beauty. The olore school there was one of the most advanced in the country, continuing in operation until the Besida era. The olore of the north were in particular known for their talent in singing. Other large concentrations existed around military camps, particularly along the northwestern border and in far inland areas. In these areas, olore essentially filled the role of homemakers for the army, and their role was commensurately more focused on domestic tasks than entertainment, although they were expected to maintain some refinement. However, like other tadhmar, sex was still not an essential part of their role.

Olore of other regions also maintained distinctive local identities. The tadhmar of the southeast were particularly adept at fencing. Those of the north were known for their equestrian prowess. In many cases, the noted skills of a region’s olore corresponded with some other claim to fame. The olore of the Tanuhazkid era specialized in Ardemot poetry, in many instances memorizing long stanzas of that unique style of poetry to recite by heart.