Nebusah (Neb-uu-sah)

Known History

Beginnings

Considered one of the first monsterkinds to emerge, the nebusah are a species unusually close to humanity. While claiming to be among the ‘first peoples’ of monsterkind is quite a lofty idea for most historians, few would deny their connection to humanity. Since times immemorial, where humanity first walked Veltrona, the nebusah were soon to join them as loyal friends, family, and lovers. The sentiments of both peoples meshed well, though where humans strove for individuality, the nebusah embodied collectivist ideas. Despite the friction this often engendered between them, both sides grew to value and appreciate the other for their strengths as it compensated for their own weaknesses.   Because of this same closeness, however, their historical and cultural roots are somewhat difficult to distinguish from one another. It was only through the effort of draconic scholars that something resembling a cohesive 'origin of species' was eventually put together by painstakingly delving deep into nebusah oral traditions among their many, many different tribes. Even the name 'nebusah' is somewhat controversial, as it refers to one specific ethnic group in the species that dwells within Sa-kemet. As dragons considered them the original—or at least most 'historically significant'—group, this regard eventually made the name 'stick' across the world. Some other identifiers, if not variants themselves, would be the Wolver of Aerthen and Nerzin and Vuklor of Fauverngarz.   The nebusah (lit. "Golden People”) are natives of Immensio and Sa-kemet who's group-based collectivism made them formidable in the ancient eras. While humanity was the nigh-constant companion of the ancient nebusah, their nearest and most frequent rivals have historically been the muurun. Despite eclipsing the nebusah in physical might, the muurun often struggled to match the group-wide tactics the nebusah employed. With humanity caught in between them, the three species’ early feuding and friendships became highly formative in their history together.   Unfortunately, a plague of some manner broke out within Immensio, spreading throughout each of their populaces. While humanity, the muurun, and most other species weathered it, the ancient nebusah were among those especially devastated by the disease. As their tribes began succumbing, many feared the spread of the plague and soon fled from Immensio. This event eventually caused the divergence of the species, with the prototypical nebusah going to Sa-kemet, and their eventual variants presumably migrating eastward, toward Lophern and further beyond.   There is, however, historical contention among the nebusah themselves of the plague being a pivotal point. Those farther away regions, such as the relatively eastern Wolver, have completely different historical origins and mythological notions. This complete divergence in history and myth between the two peoples suggests either manifesting entirely separately from the Immensio nebusah, or having lost all tangible records of any kind of migration. Ultimately, though historically interesting, the lack of physical evidence and cultural conflicts around the topic make any concept of proof hotly contested.    

Golden Sands, Golden Souls

The sudden migration of the ancient nebusah from Immensio to Sa-kemet changed the power dynamics of the continent. As they either established their own footholds, or assimilated with the local tribes, the sudden increase in people-power posed a threat to the muurun's dominance. These pressures would push the then-disparate muurun populations into more cohesive, unified political powers, largely forming in response to the rising influence of the ancient nebusah. It was, arguably, this inciting time that led to the greater unification and eventual formation of the muurun's Tribes.   As the muurun tribes took shape, the ancient nebusah were swiftly outpaced by their rivals' newfound sense of unity. The nebusah, along with many other peoples, were pushed out of the oases of the vast desert as well as the more lush coastal and mountain foothills of Sa-kemet. As this period of territorial fighting took off, the nebusah focused entirely on certain gains, consolidating their disparate tribes onto what livable areas they managed to secure, eking out lives herding cattle around oases, fishing, or even farming on the foothills of the sporadic mountains. But, it is the nature of Sa-kemet that no land ever remains the same for long; today's oasis becomes tomorrow's sand pit. Where the muurun excel at harnessing this truth, the nebusah bitterly resisted it.   Necessity truly became the mother of all their innovations. With the aide of the inventive mertakan, stubborn humanity, patient petrakin, and others, the nebusah spearheaded the development of increasingly sophisticated land projects. Their first efforts focused on efficiency of agricultural and residential usage and seeking to stretch out, if not revitalize, the unstable oases everyone depended upon. For most, failure resulted from poor leadership, indecision, and general lack of sophisticated methods. Nonetheless, the nebusah persistently did anything they could to plant, mine, or build something that could sustain their growing civilizations against the ever-shifting desert.   In such times, Uhtutu-Sala the Golden would become a historical and motherly figure to the nebusah. A mage and priestess of a religion predating Uatkara, Uhtutu-Sala was a devout researcher of magic and its applications for daily life, particularly where the sun was concerned. Her recognition of sunlight's strange effects on gold would eventually result in a broader theory related to sun-gold, which spurred development of its potential applications in more complex and effective magical arts.   Once the first batches of sun-gold were made, Uhtutu-Sala's continuing research extensively cataloged its potential—at least as much as she could at the time. Toward the end of her life, she began an ambitious project, one which her successors took up readily, and one that would change Sa-kemet forever. Although mages equipped with sun-gold items could harness mana and conduct magic greater than ever before, greater magics demanded greater costs that they simply couldn’t achieve anymore. Thus, through Uhtutu-Sala, and eventually her successors, the first concepts of an object to ‘gather mana for people’ began taking shape. Inspired by the likes of crysium—a rarely occurring substance that naturally gathers mana into itself—these Sun Obelisks would siphon the purest mana from sunlight directly; the perfect—if not primordial—energy that magic could transform into virtually anything.   In a great, endless desert of uncertainty, the ancient nebusah had acquired an unshakeable foundation, defying the odds.    

Like Towers Toward the Heavens

The many, many production issues of these first generation sun obelisks aside, the ancient nebusah had, essentially, acquired a means of limitless energy harvesting. By transforming the pure mana refined by the sun obelisks into water mana, thirst could be quenched, crops grown, and life in all its forms would be sustained by these towering obelisks. Such an achievement spread like wildfire across Sa-kemet, threatening to change the balance of power in a calamitous way. It was such a serious issue that, in many records, terrible storms gathered over the cities that'd built sun obelisks. Divine retribution of a sort, one that starved them of the sunlight and brought famine to those who depended upon the obelisks.   Of Sa-kemet's many goddesses, none more than Poleva reigned supreme in such times. The goddess of water and life, it was by her whim any oasis arose or floundered, and what rivers flowed or dried up. Water, in all its forms, is her holy embodiment, and so any seeking it from the desert must deal with her in one form or another. Poleva saw the obelisks as sacrilege for they circumvented her authority entirely. Many priestesses—of all species, of all faiths both great and small, loyal to her or not—went on pilgrimage to Poleva's temple in northwestern Sa-kemet, seeking to petition the goddess for clemency. Even other goddesses, including ones normally aloof to such affairs, impressed upon Poleva to ease her anger.   This tumultuous time would later be considered the groundwork for the foundation of Uatkara, as it saw many goddesses cooperating in a large, cohesive manner for the first time. The most important outcome would be Poleva herself eventually deciding to sanction the sun obelisks; she declared them holy constructs, but as such, priestesses must oversee them. A very direct goddess, Poleva made it clear it was the duty of such priestesses to regulate the flow of water; in her own words, “Should Sa-kemet’s heart drown, our world will end.”.   Such an omen pertained entirely to Kalarahdar, the Ever-Devouring Serpent, a god of destruction who has been sealed at the inhospitable center of the great desert since time immemorial. Though surrounded by many myths and legends, Poleva herself is adamant about Kalarahdar’s danger, and one of her sacred duties is to ensure he never gets the water he requires. It’s not entirely clear how such an arrangement came about, but few are willing, and less even capable, of contesting her on the matter. Thus, with clear warning yet tacit permission, the nebusah began an earnest and massive upscaling of their sun obelisk technology.   As a result of this sanctioning on the sun obelisks, gold, as it was valued in those days, became more precious than crysium. Sun-gold itself turned into something revered and holy, so the priestesshoods viciously tightened their grip on its production immediately. A difficult prospect in itself, for one either sifted gold from the desert sands, mined it from the veltron in desirable locales, or imported it from afar. The many different factions all feuded with one, each arguing of their own importance, each wanting to be queen of the newfound wealth. As some nascent nations burned to the ground because of these affairs, others instead found answers, and soon flourished. Of these nations, the most important of all would begin to rise, and cast an ever-lasting shadow over Sa-kemet: Atenkhet.    

Queendom of the Goddesses

An ignoble salt-mining village once upon a time, Atenkhet's {City} slow development of sun obelisks transformed its meager existence. With fresh water and salt in abundance, the nearby Shimmering Ocean for fishing/trading opportunities, and increasing amounts of farms/ranches, their foundation for growth became rock solid. While deserving of great detail and scrutiny, suffice to say, Atenkhet overcame many of its early trials and tribulations, establishing itself as a regional powerhouse. As both its population and influence expanded, Sa-kemet began reacting to its increasingly monolithic presence.   Many other city-states began investing in trade relations with Atenkhet, bolstering the vast caravan routes that economically tied them together. From these relations, prosperity ever increased, but for those on the outside, they could only look on with bitterness. The Sa-kemet Tribes, in particular, were the most divided. Some despised the sun obelisks on religious grounds, usually those of very Polevian-traditionalist tendencies like the Poledar. Most, however, feared the new economic and political landscape coming toward them. New waters meant new life and greater population sizes, but for tribal leadership, it also meant irrevocable dependency on that new water. It would grant impermissible power to the city-states that owned it, becoming a leash around the tribes’ own necks. This geopolitical upset saw waves of change and conflict arise, from those who pursued trade to the warlike Korim come to take what they desired.   Ultimately, everyone simply wanted a secure source of water for their livelihoods without a boot on their neck. Yet, with each sun obelisk made, their owners reached capacity that much quicker, and even they were beginning to run into issues with scalability. Improvements of all sorts followed swiftly, such as the usage of silver-based reflective panels to redirect more sunlight into the obelisks. But, despite these gains, the deficits only grew larger. The unstable balance of power continued to oscillate out of control, each generation buffeted by turmoil as domestic as it was foreign.   The nebusah, nonetheless, maintained an unfaltering grip on the situation.   The development of sophisticated government soon became monarchy-based thrones, upon which the stratification by the ruling elite reshaped their cities around them. For better and worse, these authoritarian governments held together the many feuding parts of their burgeoning civilizations. In an unforgiving land like Sa-kemet, strictness and absolute control became easy excuses to which the greater whole of civilization could be preserved. The eventual development of religious castes in the cultural powerhouse Atenkhet, as well as scripture dictating the meaning of one's own livelihoods, would soon spread and become long-lasting problems that’d plague future generations.   Despite everything, Atenkhet once more stunned the continent with the unveiling of their most ambitious mega-project: the Black Pyramid.   A massive pyramidal structure stretching 250 meters high, the bulk of it was constructed with high quality blackstone, a material which readily absorbs sunlight. Within its huge interior, innumerable magical arrays converted the sunlight into the same pure mana, which then transformed into water almost instantly. Although purposed to one specific task, the unbelievable efficiency of the Black Pyramid instantly turned it into the backbone of Atenkhet's entire civilization. Blackstone came into great, incredible value, perhaps even more than sun-gold. With such success, the Black Pyramid soon transformed into an even greater, multi-purpose structure, becoming the seat of government, the house of the pharaoh, and the throne of the goddesses.   For the first time in its history, Atenkhet had more water than it knew what to do with.    

A Cup in the Hand has no Sword

The other city-states of Sa-kemet raced to construct their own pyramids. Although far less grand in size and scope than the fabled Black Pyramid, they were nonetheless quite successful for their own needs. In fact, their ambitions reached such heights that a new mega-project would be proposed: the construction of a vast city-linking aqueduct system for both trade and water. There were many opponents to the project for all sorts of reasons, but the pharaohs of Atenkhet nonetheless put their city to work in its development. They had an ulterior goal, one that would change the nature of war in the desert: an unconditional offering of water-access to the Sa-kemet Tribes.   By doing so, they would not only win over the hearts of such people, but ensure they had little desire or reason to turn against Atenkhet. The tribes' leadership, well-aware of this fact, scorned Atenkhet's water greatly, even going as far as deriding it as blasphemy against the goddesses. Still, drought-stricken people in times of hardship had little choice unless death was their desire, and so many eventually took from Atenkhet's offered waters. Other cities, catching onto the idea, soon made similar offerings themselves, albeit with more terms and conditions. How well they fared does vary, but Atenkhet's unconditional waters reigned supreme.   'Water diplomacy', as it became known, turned into the weapon of choice for cities against the nomadic tribes they'd long been neighbors with. She who ruled the water, after all, ruled over life itself. This state of affairs would eventually mark centuries of political and economic strife in Sa-kemet, with differing times and circumstances dictating prosperity as much as war. The city-states, however, had secured a nigh-unassailable foundation from their sun obelisk technologies, eventually forcing the Sa-kemet Tribes themselves into developing their own versions. But, undeniably so, the fighting for water would fade into history, a footnote soon replaced by the feuding over raw resources like precious metals, geologically-stable land, and safe trading routes.   Amidst this great prosperity, the nebusah would struggle with themselves most of all.   Many of the truths, contrivances, and otherwise that justified their established governments soon fell under great public scrutiny. The transition from necessary survival to luxurious civility began grinding away at the enshrined, absolute powers of the pharaohs who ruled the city-states. Cultural waves of change followed, some peaceful, most not, and a bloody era ensued as the monarchies of Sa-kemet struggled to maintain their traditional grasp on power. Atenkhet itself was no different, suffering city-destroying revolts innumerable times throughout the centuries.   At every turn and corner, the nebusah struggled to enshrine their understanding of group-centric welfare into Sa-kemet’s increasingly diverse societies. Sometimes argued as naturally collectivist in some form, the nebusah were closer to the idea of 'one for all, all for one'; they could only prosper as much as the least among them did. Because these sentiments were so universally applicable, all sorts of political theory and governmental models utilized them, but none were ever fully satisfying to nebusian sentimentality. Perhaps, in a way, the bieneren understood, but as a hive mind species, they largely kept to themselves anyway.   Little by little, though, the nebusah continued pressing onward, even if the greatest enemies they met were often themselves.    

The Great Khanum

Through the centuries, of which something resembling peace had existed, the various city-states and tribes of Sa-kemet reached an equilibrium of sorts. Although tensions remained in some notorious regions, by far and large, Sa-kemet's overall stability was on the verge of being considered a prosperous era. On the far eastern edges of the great desert, however, someone of terrifying renown began her legacy. A muurun warrior, after winning her seat as chieftain of the notorious Korim tribe, her ambitions turned westward, eying all the other muurun tribes and every other civilization of Sa-kemet. She would become known as Tafsalam'a, the Great Khanum, earning fame and infamy as a legendary warlady and conqueror alike.   To the nebusah, Tafsalam'a was, at first, no different than any other Korim warlady. Some of her predecessors had, historically, even won support from the nearest tribes—such as the Umdapol or Nesubu—and amassed particularly large or noteworthy armies. Thus, while the locals of such regions were obviously more concerned by her sudden rise to power, it didn't seem particularly alarming to those further west. The sheer speed to which Tafsalam'a began crossing Sa-kemet's massive distances, however, soon proved otherwise. By such a time in history, many routes between the oases of civilization were well-known and practiced. These same routes, however, were often one's only hope of longevity in Sa-kemet.   Tafsalam'a's strategy focused exclusively upon owning these routes and forcing the cities into submission, effectively controlling travel and trade between the city-states. Those who didn't bend the knee were simply struck down and wiped out entirely. The simplicity of this arrangement belies the incredible shrewdness of her mind, both diplomatically and strategically. Tafsalam'a spared no effort in using whatever means she could to secure even the most unwilling of obedience, so long as it was deemed 'sufficient' to her standards. As Tafsalam’a’s fame, prowess, and armies grew, few and fewer in Sa-kemet held the means of resisting her seemingly inevitable conquest of the continent.   Atenkhet itself became the last major hold out during Tafsalam'a's initial conquest of Sa-kemet. The city-states further westward were simply too far away—some thousands of miles at that—for her to effectively control. Instead, Atenkhet's legendary fame made it a delicious target for Tafsalam'a, who saw conquering the city-state as a way of cementing her name throughout history. Atenkhet's then newest pharaoh, who would be later called Warrior-king, Khaf, rallied the city's defenses against Tafsalam'a's incredible siege. Through many battles and brilliant maneuvers of his own, he seemingly forced the muurun horde into a stalemate to which they couldn't break.   For reasons still not entirely well-known, Tafsalam'a's attention soon diverted eastward, retreating back over won territory before heading toward Immensio itself. The common belief among scholars is that in-fighting had broken out, so she returned to reassert her authority once more. Despite the logic of this, little supporting evidence—even from Tafsalam’a’s greatest rivals of the time—ever emerged. With her change in direction, many battlelines against her horde either fell into an uneasy armistice, or began pushing back to reclaim lost territory. As a whole, though, the Sa-kemet Tribes were formidable foes, and by the time of her departure from Atenkhet, she'd essentially gathered them all underneath her banner. The nebusah, having been thoroughly humbled after numerous city-states fell to the horde, were desperate to rearm themselves in a serious manner.    

The Age of the Not-Quite Imperium

Within decades of the horde's emergence and apparent unrivaled military power, it would just be as quickly smashed apart. The appearance of the then-unknown dragon, Imperious, was heralded by her overwhelming victory against Tafsalam'a. The Great Khanum herself continued to fight against Imperious, an act that many would forgive her in the foolishness of doing so. It's generally believed Imperious slew Tafsalam'a, as well as most of her elite guard and upper leadership, somewhere in eastern Immensio; though evidence of her exact fate is generally non-creditable. With their Great Khanum defeated, and Imperious corralling other dragons into slaying the muurun horde, a bloody time soon fell upon the muurun.   For what tragedies they faced, the nebusah of Sa-kemet were astonished by the horde's rapid retreat and even faster dissolution. Without the Great Khanum to centralize around, the many Sa-kemet Tribes eventually returned to their ancestral ways, lacking a charismatic figurehead to fear or support. Whatever gains they'd acquired, most was lost from their overwhelming defeat in Immensio. The tribes had been bloodied severely and sought isolation or retreat while they recovered. Were it not for the overwhelming threat of Imperious' westward march, the nebusah of Sa-kemet might've seized the opportunity to forever establish dominance over their historical rivals.   Instead, they consolidated their own resources as well, and began making preparations for a war that would, ironically, never happen.   As the years crept by, and Imperious' notorious Imperium began to spread across Veltrona like a cancer, the nebusah of Sa-kemet watched with worrisome eyes; Atenkhet most of all. Entire clans of harpies were commissioned by Atenkhet for regular eastern reconnaissance, providing yearly observations for what ones survived encountering imperial dragons. Yet, by a few decades later, it seemed neither Imperious nor her Imperium were interested in conquering the western realms. Instead, they focused much more on their current area of occupation in Lophern and northern Dorvar, followed by an eastward march into Aerthen, and then Nerzin. Though no one could say for certain, given immortal dragons could be hard to predict sometimes, popular internal politics among the nebusah soon began considering the Imperium 'someone else's problem'.   From a broad perspective, the Imperium never became an issue for most of the people of Sa-kemet. For the nebusah species as a whole, it's only proper to mention that those within the Imperium's territory suffered as much as many others did. This would become another defining diverging point in history between the Sa-kemet nebusah and their eastern kin, as the latter experienced dramatic cultural changes as a result of the centuries of hardship beneath the Imperium. But, not even those in Sa-kemet—on the other side of the world—would escape entirely unscathed. Their great hardship would come shortly thereafter, when the World Gate unexpectedly exploded and ushered in the Great Darkness.    

War in the Dark

Though shaken by the planet-thundering blast of the World Gate explosion, it would be some days before the debris of what was once the heart of Veltrona’s central continent would begin clouding over Sa-kemet. As the skies darkened and the sunlight vanished, the sun obelisks began shutting down and imperiling the great city-states of the desert. Isolated from the affairs of central Veltrona, for the vast majority of people in Sa-kemet, no one had any idea about the World Gate or its demise. Instead, in their eyes, a much more reasonable explanation existed: Kalarahdar, the Ever-Devouring Serpent, had finally broken free from his prison. Just as so many prophecies had ‘predicted’: the skies blackened, the veltron quaked, and evil came to consume all of Sa-kemet in an unending tide.   It would be when the most aloof of Sa-kemet’s goddesses, Akenra, the living embodiment of the sun herself, descended upon the Black Pyramid of Atenkhet, that all but confirmed that the fabled End Times had arrived.   The other goddesses and gods of the lands soon followed, descending upon their most faithful followers with their divine avatars. As they did so, darkness swallowed the world and in its wake, many strange and otherworldly things began inexplicably happening: bizarre and never before seen creatures, entire landscapes shifting or changing without reason, the laws of nature itself contorting and reverting in existential shudders, and so on. From her seat in Atenkhet, Akenra's mighty sunlight joined Poleva's ever-flowing waters, creating the first (and only) miraculous manifestation of liquid light, sun-water, that Sa-kemet would ever see. These mana-enriched sun-waters flowed through the aqueducts and further beyond, illuminating the world and powering the sun obelisks that civilization so depended on.   The worst of their troubles were yet to come, unfortunately.   Kalarahdar, long patient and waiting, took advantage of the chaos of the great darkness, and struck with all his might, shattering the prison that contained him within Sa-kemet's heart. In tides of sand, profaned light, and howling winds, he slithered forth, devouring land and people alike. His fetid children, too, rampaged freely, tearing asunder an already faltering and failing landscape. Faced with the very real prospect of their utter annihilation, the nebusah were quick to petition, plead, or press-gang everyone they could under the banner of common cause. In such times, it wasn't hard securing even the most stubborn tribes as allies, for there would be no safety against Kalarahdar. The great city-states of the desert transformed into massive, sprawling fortresses, becoming the last oases of civilization itself.   Years turned to decades, then centuries.   The nebusah were a people born from the struggle and hardship of the lands, and knew intimately how to work together. Despite all the cultural strife from so many different peoples being forced together, they became the arbiters that maintained fairness and equity. Something even the loose-lipped muurun would, in some form or another, acknowledge despite the constant friction between the two. Leading at the forefront in the unending wars, the nebusah's sense of collective sacrifice pushed them to acts of valor and virtue that became living legend itself. Where others despaired that the world may come to its final, dying gasp, they raged at the thought of anyone suffering such a miserable end.   Thus marked the constant turmoil of such a time in the Great Darkness, for no one knew if tomorrow would ever come.    

Radiant Light

Even the goddesses struggled in Sa-kemet as the decades dragged onward. Kalarahdar, nigh-invincible and difficult to thwart, claimed countless lives in his ceaseless rampage. The goddesses, spearheaded by Poleva, fought him at every turn and pass. The mightiest among their followers often joined their matron goddesses, confronting the myriad children of the Ever-Devouring Serpent and worse abominations of the Great Darkness otherwise. Many were the battles fought; great were the tragedies that followed.   As they all warred desperately to survive, Akenra remained in Atenkhet, nurturing the last embers of dwindling sun-water. Centuries of endless struggle had drained the lifeblood of civilization itself, and even her power slowly—ever so slowly—slipped away. The nebusah, faithful to a fault, did all they could to help, even at the cost of their own lives.   It's historically unclear what exactly happened when the Great Darkness began receding in Sa-kemet. The most popularized, and arguably sensationalized as well, rendition is that through prolonged suffering and perseverance, Akenra herself gathered enough power to finally cast out the darkness drowning the desert. Endless streams of light rained from the Heavens in skewering lances that destroyed Kalarahdar's children and even grievously injured the serpent himself. Upon Akenra's great flood of light through the desert, the other goddesses rode forth in a final, victorious battle that saw the Ever-Devouring Serpent sealed away once again. With him dealt with, the many other problems plaguing the deserts were soon to evaporate as well.   Regardless of the historicity of such events, it became plain that Sa-kemet had been changed greatly, and the nebusah along with it.   With their great cities ruined, devastated, or in odd cases even just missing entirely from Veltrona, the nebusah’s vaunted pride had been thoroughly smashed into the ground. Centuries of cooperative struggles with other nations and peoples had illuminated both their own strengths and weaknesses, forcing them to reconsider many of the truths they once held as certain. As some monarchies disappeared under the fires of revolution, others were galvanized. Atenkhet, most of all, basked in the supreme glory of being Akenra's chosen throne, the site of survival and triumph against the end of days, and their pharaoh as the instrument of her will. It would be such an arrogance-infusing consequence that their later decline into decadent corruption was, historically speaking, seemingly inevitable.   Still, with the dawning sunlight renewing their hope for the future once more, the nebusah were determined to make the most of it.    

The Shifting Sands of Fate

In the aftermath of the Great Darkness, an unusual sentiment settled over the peoples of Sa-kemet. A sense of unity among the disparate factions of the desert, born from their shared struggle and survival against all odds, mollified even the most ancient disputes and aggression they harbored toward one another. Uncertainty, too, shifted beneath their feet as their homelands had transformed into a strange, unknown world once more. For some, the city-states had become home, while others dreamed of revitalizing their ancestral ways once more. In a broader sense, the unknown invigorated them, for they found it a chance to carve out their own name in their tribe's history.   Thus would many leave the islands of civilization once more, journeying out into Sa-kemet to tame it as their foremothers had. The nebusah, though worried over many things, saw their esteemed fellows off with regard. In the end, they weren't strangers anymore, but only time would see how much their friendships endured. These city-state migrants would, eventually, come into contact with the surviving tribes in the changed wildernesses, forging or rebuilding connections with them once more. Some historians regard this period as the 'great awakening' of Sa-kemet, noted for its absence of wars and large-scale conflicts as people 'awoke' from the Great Darkness once more.   For some, the bonds forged from such a time carried with them throughout the generations, creating new traditions.   For others, time and distance made strangers of them once more.   Greed, most of all, stirred the ambitions of the power-hungry and covetous, so war, too, eventually returned.   The nebusah, especially, found some answers to their age old philosophical dilemmas. Though perhaps unsatisfying, the challenges of the Great Darkness became their proving grounds, and thus undeniable in their efficacy. To them, the world of people was itself something precious and important, and so no effort should be spared in its preservation or growth. Others saw such a change as being more magnanimous, and perhaps true to some extent, but not completely. If the world of people prospered, so would the nebusah; were it imperiled, so were they. For the good, safety, and prosperity of everyone, they would build a better world.   How to do so, of course, was argued endlessly, but such became the way of the nebusah.      

Biology

Anatomy and Physiology

The nebusah are sexually dimorphic, bipedal humanoids that have a humanlike head with vertical furry ears, a torso with two arms that end in five-fingered pawhands, a medium-length furry tail emerging out from the base of their spine, and two digitigrade legs with five-toed pawfeet. In general, females are taller and physically stronger than males, possess fluffier fur, larger breasts, and more pronounced hips. Males are shorter, possess less overall body fat, and typically have fur with a smoother and more flowing texture.   Nebusah heads have two tall, vertical and furry ears emerging out of the skull's crown, with the exterior boasting finer, shorter fur than the interior, which typically boasts fluffy ear furnishings. Their human-like faces have two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, and are very expressive. While the nebusah have pronounced canine teeth, the canines are not enlarged to the point of causing changes in their lip or jaw structure (i.e, as with the muurun). The head hair of the nebusah varies between fine and straight textures to kinky, curly, and afro, with hybrid bloodlines demonstrating even greater varieties.   The torso of the nebusah is essentially human-like, though typically lack any sort of body hair. Instead, their arms from the elbow down, as well as from the knees down, are covered in single-coated canine-like fur. Female fur crawls up further on their limbs in diminishing tendrils, extending halfway onto their upper arms and thighs, respectively. In cases of hybridization, this fur may extend further, or even begin growing on the torso itself.   Nebusah pawhands are notably quite dexterous and functional, closer to the human hand in form than the more animal-like paw. This offers them a sort of dexterity which the likes of the muurun or jiuweihu can struggle to match. Their lower legs and feet are, however, superficially similar to the jiuweihu, and were at one point a topic of scholarly curiosity in determining how 'divergent' the species were. Later study revealed them as entirely separate, further mystifying said scholars.   Similarly to them, however, the nebusah tail emerges from just above the buttocks, and usually reaches a length down to their ankles at its furthest. The size, sculpt, and fur of the tail is quite variable on its own, but usually coincides with the nature of their head hair. The nails of their pawhands and pawfeet are usually short and stubby.    

Appearance

Elegant, imposing, queenly; the nebusah are people who embody virtuous ideals of their cultures, even if often co-opted by the likes of nobility. Their self-certain pride and uncompromising stature is evident in every motion they make, and even the meekest among them maintains a certain splendor. It is for this reason a lot of iconography, popular culture, and artistic works concerning the nebusah tend to depict them as larger-than-life, or figures of civilized authority. It is a sharp contrast to their historical rivals/frienemies, the individualistic muurun, whose physical size and prowess, as well as domineering attitude, tends to popularize them as wildly untamed.   The common nebusian skin colors range from warm mid-tone browns, to browns so dark they are nearly black. The pads of the pawhands and feet are usually a few shades lighter in tone than their skin's normal color. Nebusah hair and fur colors usually coincide, though the hair on their heads is notably still hair and not fur, and behaves accordingly.   The common nebusian fur colors are predominantly shades of dark brown-black, sandy blondes, or sooty grays, but as the fur reaches its terminal length (1-3 inches), it gradiates toward honey-yellow and deep golden hues, with the tips of the fur being vividly colorful, giving them an agouti appearance. The head hair itself may either be a similar solid black or a warm, woody brown without any gradient of colour. As with humans, however, generations of interspecies relations have introduced many new color schemes and patterns to the nebusah, changing skin, hair, fur, and eye colors in a multitude of ways.   Nebusah eyes are typically round-to-almond shaped, with darker skin in the waterlines and corners of the eyes. The eyes themselves have white sclera with round pupils, and the irises are range in brown, brown-black, yellow, green, or red hued. They're largely considered very similar to human eyes, though the demeanor of the nebusah imbues a taste of natural fierceness to them.   Nebusah fur is environmentally sensitive to some degree, growing longer in colder months, and shorter in warmer months. As the nebusah themselves are normally arid or desert dwelling, this behavior is rather minimal for them due to seasonal variations being based on precipitation. However, in continents like Aerthen or Fauverngarz, which experiences more traditional seasons and winters, there's a much greater impact. Regardless, nebusah transitioning from cold to warm seasons end up shedding their excess fur, even if minimally, so it requires regular maintenance.   The tail of the nebusah is normally one with a smooth, flat topside but a pronounced fluffy underside, leading some to deride it as a 'fish tail' or 'broom tail'. In some cases, it may even resemble a more cone-like fluffiness, reminiscent of jiuweihu tails in a way. The topside consists of the fur's main color, while the descending underside fur gradiates in color.   While not a biological feature, the nebusah cultures practice wide-spread tattoo work upon themselves, so it is a noteworthy norm. Through applications of Ink Magic, they etch upon their unfurred-skin artistic displays and informational arrangements, creating simple-to-complex displays upon their bodies. The exact shape and function varies from culture-to-culture, but a nebusah without tattoos is usually one who was raised in more multi-species civilizations; or at least, ones without a nebusian majority within them.    

Natural Abilities

Superior Senses — Nebusah senses of smell and hearing are far better than the human equivalent, detecting sounds in much broader frequency ranges with greater overall clarity, and discerning smells in a truly frightening level of detail. It's believed their sense of smell's incredible power is why their species is often conflated with being obsessively clean.   Monstrous Endurance — The nebusah have strong physical capability and great endurance, allowing them to continue exerting or withstand suffering far more than most others. While they may lose out in raw strength to those like the muurun, their persistent and dogged capabilities make them truly terrifying.    

Diet

While omnivorous, the nebusah generally prefer meat or proteins of some manner. Particularly those processed into hardy or chewy forms, such as jerky, dried roasted insects, or roasted nuts, are staples in all their cultures. Some even take to chewing on bones directly and eating the marrow inside, though including bones into soups or sauces are generally seen as more ideal uses. In this respect, the nebusah treat fruits as delicacies or desserts, and vegetables as complimentary pieces to the main meat dish. Red meat and fatty fish are usually highly regarded, though they’ll develop an appetite for whatever large animals there are.   Grains are usually not preferred, though human baking has crossed over heavily into nebusian cultures. Bread, particularly hard or flat types, became quite desirable, and so grew into a staple of their own. In fact, thin, flexible flat breads usually came to take a front-row seat, seen as the ideal vehicle for all-in-one meals, serving as wraps for all sorts of ingredients. Fried foods would, surprisingly, carve out a large niche of their own, embodying the meaty greasiness and crunch the nebusah favored. Many cultures ultimately developed reservations about fried foods, viewing them as the source of one or another health epidemics. It's considered quite tempting to offer such things to the nebusah, and many will sneak out from the watchful eyes of their peers to secure a taste out of a desire to indulge without being socially shamed for doing so.   Nebusian cuisine favours crisp, hearty vegetables, such as brassicas, corn, potatoes and other tubers, gourds and squash, etc. Leafy or soft greens are usually considered supplementary items added to soups, ground up, or added in for the sake of other species. The nebusah themselves have no particular dietary worries, though some fairly 'exotic' concoctions, like chocolate, give them massive indigestion problems.   Alcohol, similar to fried foods, is something the nebusah love but carry an even more adversarial relationship with. Given the many problems that come from someone drinking too much and too often, they usually scorn and punish such behavior, with some nebusian religions prohibiting its consumption entirely. It is a sentiment that usually causes friction with the muurun and karsoru, who are much less concerned about moderation comparatively. However, in times of celebration, such restrictions lessen, and so truly wild and untamed things may happen.    

Life Cycle

Nebusah follow human-like gestation, though averaging two or three children at a time, with single offspring being much rarer.   Infant nebusah are born weak and incapable, their closed eyes rendering them functionally blind and requiring diligent care and attention for the first six months of life. Once the infant is larger, this generally critical time has passed, the infant nebusah is considered to be developed enough to be more comfortably handled, swaddled, and carried around. As long as the warmth of someone is nearby, they're relatively docile and quiet as far as infants go. Around their first birthday, they open their eyes fully and become more aware of their surrounding environment. Within about a year or two, they'll develop enough to begin earnestly crawling and exploring around, becoming the curious nuisances they're known to be.   Nebusah children are rascally little creatures, but remain dutifully obedient to their mother to a fault. They'll follow her everywhere if given a chance, and only do things within her line of sight. If anything spooks them, they'll immediately crawl or run toward her and hide. In this respect they can be easier to handle, but they can be agitated if taken away from their mother. If the other parent is present enough they make a connection, they'll suffice for them as well. With age, and capability, they'll develop a sense of independence, but in the nebusian fashion, it’s one that tries to find meaning within their family unit.   As is usually the case, nebusah children being brought together to play are both cautious and shy, especially as they usually favor their siblings first. These youngster packs are sources of great trouble for their parents, but vital for the children to learn how to navigate the world and rely upon each other. Preliminary education usually begins around this time period, though usually revolving around fundamentals of social hierarchy, etiquette, fine motor skills, and similar skills that don't interfere in childish life.   By the time of adolescence, nebusian children are capable enough to start receiving proper education and training. The onset of puberty and physical maturation is a time of great turmoil and activity for adolescent nebusah, and so all that energy of theirs needs an outlet of some variety. For many cultures, this entails actual enrollment into schools or formal education under tutelage by priestesses or independent teachers. The exact specifics vary, but general education, socialization, and training are all handled in some form or another, and those governed by social caste status or other social mores receive more specific, purpose-oriented education.   By ages 20-to-25, a nebusah reaches physical and mental maturity. Most forms of coming-to-age rituals are done in this time period, signifying one's adult life beginning properly. From here on out, they'll need to lift the weight of their social responsibilities to their family and society at large. The nebusah are a people who do not shirk from hardship, instead deriving purpose from their struggles.   A nebusah will be in their physical prime for around two-thirds of their average ~100 year lifespan, and in the last third begin to experience gradual physical decline. Much like elderly humans, a healthy lifestyle lets them remain fit and active, albeit to a slowly lessening degree. Nebusah who are particularly troubled by an especially punishing life, however, will experience much harsher symptoms of physical decline more immediately. Toward the last tenth of their life, they'll undergo severe physiological decline as the weight of age finally catches up.   Natural death for the nebusah is usually a result of metabolic failure and is generally considered a peaceful luxury if one reaches this end of their life. Funerary rites are quite varied between the different nebusian cultures, with most involving a customary burial or cremation process with close family and friends. In some cultures, such as those following Uatkara practices, it is believed that it is important for a nebusah to die within, or as near as possible, to the lands of Sa-kemet itself, as this is the only way through which their soul may be found by the death goddess Fyghumat, and thus undergo the judgement process. For those daring to leave the desert's soil, it is customary to carry sanctified soil with them just in case they die away from home.    

Anaxials, Hybrids, and Variants

Anaxials

Nebusian anaxials are famous for their 'humans with wolf ears' appearance, which is usually deemed as ‘simple yet exotic’ by the definitions of many other peoples. Overall, though, the nebusian anaxial is very human-like, with fur on their limbs or other limited places upon their body. Due to the arguable similarities between the nebusah and humanity in the first place, anaxials do not have much opportunity for tremendous or unusual variety as they're otherwise known for with non-nebusian ancestry. In more extreme cases, asymmetrical features (e.g, one wolf ear, one human ear) may arise, though these are usually associated with other health-related congenital issues, and so taken as a sign of concern.    

Hybrids

Hybrid nebusah typically inherit fur-related traits, or if scales are present, substitute portions of their fur for scale growth instead. Iris color and pupil shapes, similarly, inherit from their sire's line. In the most extreme cases, a hybrid child may be born with additional limbs (such as extra arms being inherited from a rachtoh sire), or larger and different tails may also emerge. Among monsterkind, the nebusah have a generally high level of physiological variability to their hybrids, though scholars are mystified as to why. These hybrid traits also seem to pass down easily, maintaining their distinctiveness throughout many generations.    

Variants

The two principle variants of the nebusah—the wolver and vuklor—are descendants of those who've adapted to different climates over the nebusah’s traditionally arid homelands. Of them, the wolver are associated with temperate environments such as grassy plains, forests, and semi-mountainous regions like alpine or boreal; e.g, Aerthen, Lophern. The vuklor adapted for profoundly cold, if not permanently frozen, regions, such as those in Fauverngarz, or high altitude mountains. However, like the name nebusah, wolver, and vuklor are considered to be culture-specific identities (Aerthen/Nerzin, and Fauverngarz/Eylia, respectively).   The world-spanning nature of the nebusah means their species can be found almost anywhere on Veltrona, and so too are their adapted variants. Technically, one could argue the nebusah of Varnkof are essentially the same as the vuklor, though they are culturally distant and isolated enough there's no real exchange between the groups. Since dragons loathe to get involved with species-specific concerns and considerations, their habit of identifying 'the major group' (i.e, nebusah) and then applying it to the whole species 'greatly simplifies the issue'.   For better or worse, the name nebusah tends to translate well, though different cultural groups will react to it in their own ways.      

Sociology

Cultural Universals

Collectivism

As a result of their group-oriented tendencies, the nebusah are a species intrinsically drawn to collectivist ideas. While the allowances for things like personal property change on a culture-by-culture basis, to the nebusah mind, it is important that everyone benefits from prosperity, security, and happiness. Whenever excessive poverty, misfortune, or inequity occurs, it's normally a sign of something seriously wrong happening. Despite this approach’s effectiveness in small-scale environments, they've constantly struggled with applying it to larger scopes like city-states or nations. Their usual form of governance—or the ones they support earnestly—tend to embody facilitating these ideals, so long as it satisfies the good of everyone.   In a way, the nebusah themselves are empathetic, but their self-control implies a certain callousness to most other species. That is to say, they’re motivated to help others, but keenly judge when circumstances warrant giving ‘everything’ or reserving something for themselves. It is a very pragmatic view of altruism, often tempered by hard-learned lessons from throughout history. For a nebusah to give more help than ‘may be reasonable’ is, itself, a great gesture on their part, and not something to be underestimated. Comparatively speaking in broad strokes, nebusah can be more readily helpful than even humans, but are nowhere near as readily self-sacrificing. It is a puzzling sentiment that can be hard to fully grasp without a lot of experience in the matter.    

Hygiene and Purity Standards

Cleanliness is one of the most important things for the nebusah, often far more than other species. Their especially sensitive noses means they can detect all sorts of scents at far greater intensities and detail. Aromatics, as well as proper sanitation, are uncompromising demands they force among themselves and upon other cultures they live/work with. Unfortunately, such notions only go so far, and coming to terms with the general 'smell' of the world is something every nebusah has to confront at some point. The fact they can detect more about a person than that person may realize they're 'emitting', as well, can and has made for incredibly awkward, if not confrontational, social encounters. Or, in some contexts, very advantageous.   Bathing is always a cornerstone of nebusah cultures, and serves a variety of roles beyond simply cleaning. Whether it be privately among family or trusted friends, or more public venues, it is a time of relaxation, cleansing, and easy socialization. More sophisticated and ritualistic forms follow that of religious rites and diplomatic conferencing, creating a form of a bathing at every level of their civilizations. As a presumed side-effect, the nebusah themselves have usually relaxed notions of bodily figure and presentation, though not to the extent of open nudism. Rather, clothing is important for practical purposes as much as its artistic display and enhancement of the person wearing them.    

Odorous Crafts and Wares

Where the nebusah are concerned, smells are never far from their day-to-day lives. Whether it’s the pleasant aromatics of gardens, perfumes, or freshly baked goods, there are also vile concoctions of nauseating stenches, weaponized stink gases, and stupefying pungencies of rot. Cleanliness is certainly its own concern, but the nebusah push into realms both desirable and hated with great necessity in mind. In day-to-day living, for example, a particular perfume that disguises one’s level of stress or romantic interest can help ‘mask’ their smellable social cues. When seeking secrecy or maintaining polite company, such a concern is very real and tangibly important. Thus, the profession of a perfumer is never truly far from the nebusah; where none are available, the craftiness of other skilled labor often suffices.   Although all species contend with their own sensory capabilities in their own ways, the nebusah’s is particularly noteworthy due to their prominence on Veltrona. Most people would encounter a nebusah before ever meeting a vampyr or dragon, and so those unique senses often aren’t very ‘relevant’. Nebusian trade, war, and politics, however, means aromatic goods are constantly desired and often quite important. Associated goods, too, often matter greatly, such as the famous ‘frog-cheeks’ and ‘bird-beak’ masks some nebusah may wear when trying to protect their noses during odorous labor, like sanitation work. For other peoples, these concerns are a peculiar wrinkle in interspecies relations.    

Lingual Characteristics

Nebusah vocal structure and voices are comparable to human ones, albeit usually at 'deeper' pitches/tones.The nebusah are capable of producing a unique vocalization similar to the howls of wolves. The exact characteristics of a howl varies, as much like an accent, nebusah learn to 'howl' similarly to their family/ethnic group. Given its loudness and attention-grabbing nature, howling is employed to either find one’s distant kin or to issue commands amongst a spread-out group. Children, who are still learning how to speak and/or howl, however, will abuse it gleefully to get attention or make their feelings known.    

Arts and Beauty

The essence of nebusian beauty standards are reflected by the ideals which most nebusian cultures strive towards: powerful presence, a fit and physically proven physique, and a proud but not arrogant demeanor.   To the nebusah, who were often the descendants of nomads and have generally active lifestyles in the present day, having a physically fit body is an outward demonstration of one's own effort, both in one’s professional life and in one’s self-care. It also serves as a demonstration of an individual’s general competency in leading a balanced and virtuous life. Conversely, most nebusian cultures perceive individuals with especially fatty or obese physiques as evidence of the individual’s greed and selfishness. After all, to collectivist nebusian mindsets, if one has such overabundance in the first place, it should've been shared with the group. This sentiment is less strict for the sedentary/urban nebusah, but even with their greater abundance, obesity is seen as a moral failing, and culturally it is believed to speak poorly of one's character, resulting in varying degrees of social ostracization or discrimination against such individuals, intentionally or otherwise.   Hair and fur styles are somewhat influenced by gender views, with more voluminous and loosely styled looks associated with women, and more smooth and highly styled hair associated with men. The exact interplay between these shifted with cultural generations, particularly as certain styles came in or out of fashion, or were associated with certain meanings. In some paradoxical senses, combining both in a unique blend became a third possibility that's usually considered a stop-gap solution or a cultural rebellion against gendered appearances.   Regardless of whether one wishes to achieve a masculine or feminine look, generally speaking, the more work that goes into styling, the more ’presentable’ one appears, particularly for styles that require other people to help produce. It is considered not only a reflection of one’s wealth and status, but also one’s ability to maintain the social bonds necessary to procure so much additional labour for the task. Depending on an individual’s hair texture, such styles can range from elaborately picked-out hair shaped into a halo around the head, carefully sewn updos, or even shaving one’s head bald in order to simply wear carefully prepared wigs.   Braiding is also a common approach, with nebusian styles being so intricate and precise that the act of getting one’s hair braided can entail a multi-hour, if not a full day’s, worth of work. When combined with ornamentation such as beads, gems, ribbons, pins, etc, braiding becomes both an artistic and a ritualistic activity requiring both effort and attention to realize, leading to many nebusian cities and settlements producing braiding salons that specialize in this service. Various forms of braiding exist, from the functional, long-lasting styles ideal for work, to the more decorative ones preferred for ceremonial or prestigious social occasions.   Nebusian arts, similarly, tend to embody this cooperative approach. While individual artists honing their crafts is quite the norm, to the nebusah, art is something that is received as much as it is made, and so audience participation is not uncommon either. This approach takes in many performative art concepts, allowing for more complex yet immersive pieces to exist. One such example is in the practice of ‘statue arranging’, in which an audience is presented with a set of statues from an artist or studio, and are then invited to work together to arrange the statues as they like. Depending on how the audience chooses to arrange the statues, different narratives and symbolic meaning can emerge. Statue arranging is a popular practice, but it is also rather time and space consuming in its traditional form, making it difficult to actually implement. Consequently, it is an extremely popular hobby for nebusah to instead collect miniature statues to arrange instead.   Most consider the truest examples of nebusian art to seamlessly draw the observer into them, creating a sense of involvement and attachment in the moment that truly captures the artist's intentions.   Music, in particular, is a divisive field because of how nebusah hearing works. Since they're able to perceive sounds of higher and lower ranges than most other species, instruments utilizing those ranges readily exist. The problem becomes that, for everyone else who can't hear those sounds, they will likely 'miss' parts or even most of a song that fall out of their range of hearing. Due to the nebusah often cohabitating with other species, the concern of large portions of their audience not even being able to properly perceive their work has caused a constant pressure on nebusian musicians. Some only create pieces for their own type of hearing, but most usually mix and match, or at worst, make a more 'generally accessible' soundscape instead.   Dancing holds a special meaning as it is an activity with many different applications, from the solo dancer to entire groups or more. It is also physically demanding, and so it combines both recreation and exercise together in a way most nebusah enjoy wholeheartedly. In a broader sense, physical sports are an ideal combination of art and exercise coming together. Soccer, batting, pitch-throw, competitive trock racing, and so on, all provide outlets, socialization, and group bonding that embody nebusian sentiments. A wise person learns not to pick fights based on sports teams, however, as they can be kind of vicious about it.    

Magic and Technology

The harsh conditions of their ancestral lifestyles, combined with their collectivist tendencies, lended a sense of great practicality to how nebusian magic and technology developed. Clear and present needs created challenges to which their most capable tackled, bit away at, and developed solutions for. Historically, priestesses were the ones most responsible for this progress, as they were explicitly tasked with working for the goddesses and the greater good for everyone. As one of the few with both time and resources often readily available, the priestesses often became the pioneers of progress. In some cases, even aided by the goddesses themselves.   Hence, the very act of creation itself became something 'holy'. A prestigious act that not only showed one's capabilities, but appropriate reverence for the world and goddesses as a whole. This is why, for those in Sa-kemet, the creation of the sun obelisks wasn't perceived as a sacrilegious thing until Poleva's great rage ensued. Much like a child proudly presenting a cockroach to a parent and having it slapped out of their hand, the backlash the nebusah received from Poleva became a scar in their cultural mind. A tempering of ambition and a greater understanding that they shouldn't necessarily tread freely upon the domain of the goddesses. Something that would become a constant point of contention between the traditional polytheistic nebusah and the agnostic nebusah, who instead saw their creations as testaments to their own species' greatness rather than extensions of the goddesses’.   With such conflicting perspectives in mind, nebusian methodologies of technological research and development primarily centered on an invention’s potential real-world application as the principle guide. Magical arts to create water, shape veltron, and refining ores walked pawhand-in-pawhand with water purification towers, housing architecture, metal-shaping smithies, and so on. Although sometimes derided as 'simplistic', the reliability and utilitarian aspects of such approaches allowed for greater works to be stacked on top. Thus, while artisans painted houses and decorated fine goldware, engineers built foundations for cities and the holy sun obelisks; creating something of a cultural divide in the worthiness of the two. This constant tug-o-war between 'form vs function' defined entire generations; to the point archaeologists could identify certain dynastic eras quite easily when excavating them.    

Religion and Philosophy

To the nebusian mind, the stark demands posed by life creates challenges which no one individual could overcome entirely on their own. Surely there were those that survived; perhaps thrived, after a fashion, but often at a great sacrifice they themselves may not have fully understood. But, through the combined arms with one's sisters, such struggles could be tackled and conquered. The fact their historical rival, the muurun, faced the very struggles nebusian scholars identified answers to—despite all their individual prowess and power—only vindicated their assertions in the first place.   Henceforth, the duality of the individual within the many became the centerpiece of nebusian philosophical view. The many didn't come fully formed from nowhere, they arose from the individuals coming together. But, by establishing balance between these two seemingly opposing forces—the individual versus the group—civilization could be created, and thus greater heights reached by everyone. This back-and-forth is a constant element in their guiding philosophies, and so sees routine attention by each and every generation.   In a similar vein, religions themselves serve as vehicles of organization to which the many can interact with the few—goddesses, in this case. The nebusah hold particular respect, if not reverence, for the divine and heavenly, for it was such beings who offered guidance and aid to them in their most dire hours. These divine beings belonged to an order of life of its own, beholden to its unknowable whims and natures, and therefore wasn't the nebusah’s place to interfere. But at the same time the nebusah believe ‘as on Veltrona, so in the Heavens’, and thus both were intrinsically linked in ways still yet mystifying, and so the affairs of the divine couldn’t simply be ignored, either. The navigation thereof became an important role for nebusian priestesses, who acted as guides—and gatekeepers—to both sides.   Many sorts of religions and local faiths exist among the nebusah. Larger ones come into play as the both veltron and divine come into accordance, such as in the case of Atenkhet's Uatkara, which boasts a religious pantheon where many of the most influential goddesses venerated across all of Sa-kemet hold a seat. In Uatkara's case, it doesn't particularly mind other religious organizations existing, such as in the Poledar tribe of the Sa-kemet Tribes, who specifically worship Poleva as their principal goddess. On the other pawhand, religious competition isn't uncommon either, especially by those trying to earn divine favor from the more aggressive goddesses. Ultimately, matters of religious cross-pollination and tolerance varies depending on the individual culture and time period.    

Science and Spirituality

The spiritual views of the nebusah are often firmly rooted in wanting to build a safer, more prosperous world. When faced with the terrible reality of something like the Relentless Herds and Packs, uncompromising answers must follow and such existential threats have galvanized the nebusah throughout time, forging their great moral compasses of good and evil. Thus, they're not uncomfortable with the mysterious or unknown, but rather see such things primarily through the lens of how they directly impact their safety or prosperity. While perhaps a binary view, it is also one which means that most nebusah are largely accepting of non-threatening entities or mysteries of the world they do not yet understand as a natural part of Veltrona.   Their approach to the sciences meld this tentative acceptance and meticulous practicality together. The mysteries of the world are understood as being the works of those far grander than themselves; whether specific creations by greater minds or by worldly forces. To the nebusah, studying and harnessing the world is not only establishing their mistressy of it, but also like a child studying after their parents. In some cases, the goddesses they worship are responsible. In others, things not even the divine know were at work. But, none of them dares to deny the splendor of life and its possibilities, as surprising and vexing, as they are.   Some scientists and scholars of other cultures tend to deride most nebusian works as lacking ambition, or at least, suffer from overbearing traditionalism. While the speed of their work may be considered slow-paced at best, what work the nebusah have put that time into developing has historically always yielded extraordinarily safe and reliable results. With their focus on safe practices, the nebusah tend to be bothered by those with a habit of bringing reckless experiments or wildly unstable subjects to them directly. In such cases, the nebusah end up being the moderators to save someone from their own foolish decisions.      

Psychology

Rest and Sleep

Resting is one of those topics the nebusah respect, yet simultaneously have a bad time actually doing it. Given how easy it is for them to get roped up in work, social obligations, or other activities, they'll often push themselves too far and end up even more exhausted afterward. It's incredibly necessary for associates, coworkers, or otherwise to strictly monitor and enforce rest time for one another, to the point it's actually an established caretaker job. Disrespecting designated rest time, or even just someone taking it easy (and not actually slacking off) is a fairly serious taboo more often than not.   The nebusah's great senses also complicate how they rest. Conditions humans might deem tolerable, such as noisy neighbors, machkinery buried within walls, workshop labor, or similar become audible headaches to the nebusah. Their (infamous) notions of cleanliness is directly correlated to their sense of smell picking up uncomfortable amounts of detail. Hence, finding comfort enough to rest is much more demanding, requiring more specialized inns, bathhouses, and civic planning to fully accommodate them. Aromatics and music are great methods by which nebusah can easily achieve rest, and so fundamentally drive those economies as surely water does a river.   Sleep, once obtained, is usually fairly deep, but the nebusah sense of hearing never fully turns off. This capability makes them hilariously difficult to prank or assassinate, but also unintentionally easy to disturb them while resting. The more familiar the nebusah are with people and the environment, the less this passive 'danger sense' is likely to trigger. Still, it’s also a ‘feature’ some in the military or guard-related roles exploit, making effective ‘all day, all night’ sentries.    

Consciousness and Thought

Nebusah are sapient beings with a human-like mental capacity. Because of their enhanced senses, though, they have particular adaptations toward sound and olfactory information processing which makes them much better at comprehending and using such information. The full depth of that experience is difficult for most other species, though ones with the same—or superior—capability grasp it quite well. While their hearing usually doesn’t receive much fame, their sense of smell tends to garner great attention and superstition. Some even believe the nebusah can smell the innate evil or good within one's very soul, something their priestesses aren't exactly denying, either.    

Motivation and Emotion

Nebusah are primarily motivated by their social bonds and commitments, with food, comfort, and fun serving as close secondary motivators. In some ways, the nebusian sense of motivation is disarmingly simplistic for a species usually associated with getting themselves firmly stuck into every mess imaginable. But, to do so would be to undersell just how deeply the nebusah are driven by these few things.   Nebusian cultures greatly value honesty, both of known facts and one’s own emotions. This is largely attributed to the nebusah’s sensitive sense of smell, as it's quite impossible to hide one's stress, excitement, or otherwise. While propriety may keep them from directly confronting the matter if a person doesn't want to talk about it, it doesn't make it any less obvious. To a lesser extent, the innumerable characteristics of the voice, and even the heartbeat itself, can tell a lot to an attentive nebusian ear. Thus, there tends to be an unspoken balance between a nebusah’s stark frankness and ‘reading the room’ so as to not damage their own social ties and position.   From another perspective, the nebusah's often learned sense of self-control, societal responsibility, and duty are the leashes to which their forthright emotions are reigned in by. This socialization can lend a sense of cool detachment or aloofness to the nebusah that they do not actually feel, but maintain due to social expectations around maintaining peace. In times of great excitement, whether good or bad, the earnest character of a nebusah can show quite readily. For those on the receiving end of such 'explosive' moments, it shatters the icy veil they mistakenly believe the nebusah inherently have.    

Sexuality and Love

Sexuality itself is somewhat less of a concern to the nebusah, as it is seen as just another social boundary that exists among them. Their principal interest is actually usually around how offspring are made and who has inheritance rights, especially in situations of three or more partners in a relationship together. The sheer messiness of such practical, yet material, concerns has been a source of drama throughout time, and entire professions exist (e.g, lawyers) to navigate such dangerous sands. It's believed among sociologists that the nebusah penchant for well-written documentation arose from what was, essentially, trying to solve this very problem.   Nebusian same-sex couples tend to face great pressure in traditionalist cultures to either have children (somehow), or to consign inheritance rights to the children of their siblings. Nebusah who are a single child, unfortunately, face the greatest pressure of all, and so it can become an overbearing burden when parents want the bloodline to continue. Larger dynastic families, or families which are more business-oriented, tend to view adoption more favorably, as it is less a concern about continuing a bloodline and more 'maintaining an existent entity'. Still, deciding who gets what is as much par-for-the-course as it can rip entire families apart.   Love, after all, is a great and powerful force, and the nebusah chase it with a fervorous spirit. Most nebusian cultures consider love to be the singular, most defining aspect of their lives, and from love and its myriad forms, all pursuits follow. Sometimes reason alone doesn't matter if they believe an act benefits those they love, leading to some very eccentric decisions to be made. While love of one's family and kin is usually quite stable, when romantic love enters the equation, the situation can quickly spiral out of control. As such, to curb the potential for social catastrophe, match-making and mediation services are common professions as well.      

Society

Social Mannerisms

... Why? They're the most lovable idiots around, of course. Strong, dependable, always fun loving, and they're cute when they get all stuck up on 'decorum' and 'status' while their tails are wagging away.

— Attributed to Ulatontor, self-proclaimed nebusah expert on Veltrona. The dragon herself is a controversial figure, and in most nebusian cultures her name is synonymous with 'pervert'.

  There is a certain duality to nebusian mannerisms that is easy to speak for, yet difficult to capture. Their innate sense of pride lends them to cultural customs of respect and diligence, as well as formal means of presentation. At the same time, they seek ease, comfort, and fulfillment. The ever-shifting relationship between these two extremes is where most people struggle with capturing the essence of nebusian behavior. However, of the two, being easier and amendable to the nebusah's wishes is usually a certain route to victory.   An example of this idea in action is the near-universal manifestation of formalized systems of reciprocal altruism in many nebusian cultures. Among most nebusah and their complex social hierarchies, it is considered prudent to anticipate the needs and desires of those around, and above, you in the hierarchy, while simultaneously making your own needs subtly known to those beneath you in order to give them the opportunity to fulfill them. A person’s ability to gracefully navigate these social power plays reflects on their own standing. Those who maintain a deft social agility and reliable character—both in meeting their superior and subordinates subtle needs—are regarded highly, while someone more forceful or blunt comes off as lacking social grace. For example, trying to force gifts, even if highly valuable, on a superior who doesn’t want them is tantamount to social weaponization, and so incredibly rude.   From an outside perspective, the nebusah are a species concerned with 'face', or social respect, clout, and acknowledgement. The disrespect thereof can be a serious taboo and threat to the power structure, so there are many ways in which it is navigated around. The various mechanisms of their social hierarchies operate on this core idea, so it is important to understand. Some otherwise inexplicable acts and behaviors can all be traced back to social respect, both conventional and otherwise.    

Gender

Traditionally, the nebusah are a matriarchal species, with the center of families, organizations, etc, principally based around women. As the more physically powerful sex, anything involving physical labor and fighting has been their domain, to which they easily then built the rest of civilization around themselves. Men would take on a secondary role, acting as support for the women in the ways of managing domestic affairs, resource gathering, entertainment, and the like. In matters of war, if men are allowed at the battlefield, they usually occupy a fire support role such as archery, magic, and scouting.   The increasing complexity of magic, technical knowledge, and the changing world has had a dramatic impact on the role of men. These more intellectual fields allowed them more opportunities to distinguish themselves, thus carve out social niches they didn't have before. Where the men went, however, the women were soon to follow, especially as they established dynastic lineages in these new areas themselves. For most nebusah cultures, it led to various cultural revolutions on the social status of men, which generally saw them take on more active and prominent roles in their cultures as they became able to earn social prestige through non-traditional means.   Some scholars also attribute the status of men in other species as being a strong motivator. Humanity is one notable example, especially as a species with close ties to the nebusah, where men are equivalent or even patriarchal—the latter of which being a rare identity on Veltrona. With nebusah women generally finding such ideas adorable, however, progress of any kind was both slow and difficult to achieve. For many cultures, this strong dichotomy remains to the current day, though it can be considered in one of the better places it has been from a historical context.   In older times, the nebusah largely viewed gender through a binary lens, owing to the pronounced differences in the sexes. Those who fell out of this arrangement faced degrees of ostracization, and those seeking aid in transitioning between genders were even more contentious. Increasing population sizes, and interspecies diversification, however, put great pressure on these traditional views. It’s difficult to determine, but scholars generally believe men’s increasing position in society conjoined with loosening strictness in gendered views as a whole. Modern nebusah cultures eventually settled upon being concerned with an individual meaningfully contributing, as long as they’re not disruptive in doing so. More (relatively) progressive ones, like Atenkhet, saw it as a societal responsibility to accommodate all types of people, pioneering innovative medical techniques for sex transition and legal representation in government.    

Kinship and Ethnicities

The nebusian idea of kinship is one of the most complex on Veltrona; often second only to the rachtoh, and maybe dragonkind lineages. To fully grasp its nuances requires a careful examination of its inner workings. Otherwise, one may easily make a mistake or faux pas, as foreigners so often do.   The fundamental nebusian family unit is one led by a single matriarch who then marries any number of spouses, though she usually marries between two-to-four spouses for pragmatic and cultural reasons. Generally, larger families or more expansive business means more spouses for the matriarch, and often correlates to wealth, high social status, or prestige. These marriages, and the resulting children thereof, then form a family, which in turn then fits within the greater context of the surrounding blood/tribe/politically related families. The matriarchs of each unit form the effective leadership of a larger social group. In turn, all matriarchs within a given kin group are then led by, and give deference to, a head matriarch—typically the eldest married woman, or her successor, of the largest/most influential family. In some cases, the arrangement of this hierarchy is very pyramid-like.   Unwedded women, or those who are married to the matriarch or her spouses (i.e, a woman who leaves her natal household to move into the household of her wife), comprise the second rung of leadership, and are considered the main workforce of the family. Male spouses and unwedded men occupy the last rung of leadership, with married men having more responsibilities than bachelors, whereas children are nebulous creatures left to their own devices and are generally raised communally by all elder members of a household.   The actual responsibilities of a given family vary on its overall state of development. As the matriarch is the one primarily bearing the next generation of children, and said children of the matriarch wean as they come of age, her other spouses then take over in childrearing duties. Female spouses of a matriarch may bear children themselves, but in most traditions, while the children born of these spouses might be considered the same sibling group as the matriarch’s children (i.e, family members not eligible for marriage), they’re automatically branch members of the family lineage. The exact arrangement of property, inheritance, and the like is usually decided within the family in marriage discussions before children are even born given how much is involved in such an affair. When one factors in nearest-related families and their own interests in each other, the complexities begin to increase by magnitudes.   Keeping track of one’s direct kin, or even nearest related kin, can also become quite an ordeal. Various cultural methods arose in response to this, such as forms of clothing, particular embroidered patterns, favored colors, and the like. While rather important themselves, the nebusah eventually developed a more sophisticated solution in the form of body tattooing. Through Ink Magic—quite possibly inspired by the petrakin themselves—the nebusah learned to artfully inscribe upon their bodies things like family, bloodline, profession, and even historical details. These semi-permanent marks took on a life of their own and swiftly became a massive part of many nebusian cultures.   The city-states and largest tribes are prominent examples of this. In the case of the former, things like caste, profession, familial lineage, citizenship number, and the like serve as an effective means of identifying every person within the city. Atenkhet particularly favors simplistic forms of tattoo work, given how many individuals are born within the city-state and thus require tattoos which signify their citizenship, so many others tend to copy that idea. For tribes, artistic flair and ethnic identity come together in dazzling displays of bodily artwork that showcase all sorts of important things a nebusah would want to memorialize. The Yunul tribe of eastern Sa-kemet, for instance, tends to depict green verdancy from Immensio with themes of fire and burning, symbolizing cycles of life in their part of the lands.    

Trade and Economics

Shit, man, I don't think she'd stop chasing even if we're dead!

— A bandit, complaining to her fellow on the sixth day of trying to evade a nebusian tax collector.

  Nebusian economics typically focus on the satisfaction of as many people as possible, to which individual or group enterprises may then arise from. It's the strongest demonstration of their collectivist mentalities where the many ensure the few have what they need. The exact specifics vary, but this process is usually overseen by the government and dedicated aid agencies, such as priestesshoods or worker unions.   The accounting of material goods is an incredibly necessary and heavily monitored process, and usually the most complex part of nebusian governance as a whole. In a broader way, nebusian tax collectors are some of the most well-trained, educated, and capable enforcers in their respective governments. They not only ensure the due amount is collected, but unnecessary payments are repatriated appropriately, for without absolute fairness, only exploitation awaits.   Trade is almost always a contentious matter. The fundamental principles of merchants never align with the well-being of the populace, for they seek personal profit to the exclusion of other concerns. It is a constant battle between nebusian authorities and merchants to ensure a proper level of fairness is observed and faithfully adhered to. Worse, when marketeers try to play with economic forces to achieve greedy or political goals, it rapidly angers the nebusah as it threatens their often carefully-maintained sense of stability. Consequently, the economies of nebusian lands tend to be not only highly regulated, but effectively closed off to anyone who will not play by their (highly demanding) set of rules.   This does mean that nebusian city-states often have an amendable and cooperative relationship with their nomadic kindred. Although closer to bartering than currency-based economics, the sharing of common resources (particularly water) and exchange of wilderness-derived goods is something every city welcomes. For foreigners, making friendly with the tribes is usually a good way to garner connections to a city-state who might otherwise be far more wary. In a broader sense, the development of complex city-state economics hasn’t really changed nebusian sentiments all that much, unlike some other species.   Immortals are the sorts of people most nebusah have a very love/hate relationship with. On the one pawhand, such people often not only learn and respect their ways, but generally prove valuable in the opportunities provided by such long and knowledgeable lives. On the other, it's common to encounter immortals who are trying to exploit mortal ignorance for their own gain, which grates against most nebusian sensibilities. It is for this reason the nebusah cultures usually have many different warnings about such beings, who they view as almost predatory by nature.   Consequently, nebusah usually divide economic forces into two distinct camps: essential needs and luxury goods. Essential needs largely surround critical items like food, water, industrial resources, infrastructure maintenance, etc, and so government forces focus heavily on making them available to all to at least some extent, resulting in more regulation of these goods. Luxury goods involve everything artistic and recreational, seen as privileged items to indulge in or create, but not necessarily vital for livelihood. Of the two, cultural goods tend to be much less regulated and controlled, and so it is where many, many chaotic forces ply their trade.    

Interspecies Relations

Where the nebusah are concerned, humanity and the muurun are never far behind. The three seem inextricably tied together in some form or another; or at least, constantly in each other's hair. For better or worse, they've had dramatic impacts on one another, both good and bad, great and terrible, throughout history. For the nebusah, they consider humans as hard workers yet delightfully in need of protection, while the muurun need constant discipline and a stern leash to keep them in order.   Perhaps more surprising to the uninformed is the nebusah's general friendliness with harpies, particularly the nebura, and the renowned snake-like women of the nuhara. These latter two are even purported to having been given their names by the nebusah themselves, such were their close alliances and lives together. This is most evident in the lands of Sa-kemet, where these species presumably met the nebusah, but extends well into Immensio and even Lophern itself.   Nebusah women tend to view smaller species in the same way they do their men: adorable things needing protection and work to keep them busy. For the likes of the baarham or urni, this overbearing attitude has resulted in massive friction between them. While the nebusah generally do learn some degree of respect, their self-centered confidence and caretaking nature means they're almost always pushing on someone's boundary (intentionally or otherwise).      

Associated Articles

Notable Civilizations

Atenkhet

 

Notable Characters

Aramix, Eternal Pharaoh of Atenkhet

Hammu Tibern, Vizier of the Shining Legion

Warrior-king Khaf

   

Design Notes