Nuhara (nu-har-ah)

Known History

Beginnings

The famed serpent-people across Veltrona, the nuhara are timeless guardians, warriors of virtue, astute scholars, and similar. Their awesome might throughout millennia has been a source of safety and salvation to the downtrodden as much as a terrifying end to the wicked and vile. At the same time, their serene grace and seemingly supernatural beauty has stirred hearts and passions alike, making them alluring, yet out-of-reach, and nigh-mythical figures.   The origins of the nuhara are something virtually lost to time but dragonkind scholars were quite interested in them, as the nuhara were initially confused for a type of lindwurm sub-variant. Their research, however, determined that—despite some similarities—the nuhara weren't related to dragonkind at all, one of the principle reasons being the nuhara are a mortal species. Though it annoyed the scholars of the time, their work nonetheless became important to the overall history of the nuhara as a whole, and the greater mystery behind them.   By nuhara records, testimonies, oral traditions, etc, draconic scholars determined that some kind of progenitor civilization existed at 'some point'. The still-unanswered problem, however, was who or where this civilization originated, as they never found conclusive—or even coherent—information. From the nuhara perspective, their civilization spanned Veltrona herself and all their peoples traced their roots back to it. To dragons, however, no such civilization ever existed in any time period—others did, of course, but nothing that corresponded to the nuhara's views. This inconsistency eventually led to the question if the nuhara themselves were actual natives of Veltrona or potentially from the Heavens or other worlds, such as the jiuweihu. The increasing strangeness of it, however, became that some claims of the nuhara's progenitor civilization did correlate to places and time periods on Veltrona herself.   Regardless of the truth and whatever it may be, the passage of time and changing of nuhara generations invariably muddied this uncertain history. The inevitable loss of information, distortion of imperfect remembrance, and otherwise eventually made it functionally impossible to distinguish between myth and history. While nuhara scholars continued the work of uncovering their own history, many were also just as concerned with tracking the various tribes and wandering scholar-warriors. In this respect, following the nuhara's development as a civilization became far more conventional.    

From the Sands

Before any others came to Sa-kemet, the ancient nuhara—then known as the nuhr—roamed its great desert and arid plains alone. While exact accounts vary as to why, the nuhr cultures converge on the idea that they were sworn to destroy the evil god Kalarahdar, the Ever-Devouring Serpent, and his profane children, the mighty Kelansahdar serpent-beasts . This long war centralized their civilization, uniting the various yeshla—'guardian clans'—in a singular purpose no matter their time or place. According to nuhr mythos, they succeeded in sealing Kalarahdar away in the heart of Sa-kemet, confining his evil, but dooming the deserts to an eternal struggle against his profane influence. Regardless, it was deemed a necessary sacrifice in its time, and one the nuhr would not waste as they sought for a means to truly and finally kill the evil god.   It is around this point that the veracity of nuhara information begins to conflict with everyone else's accounts. The nebusah and muurun, for example, while acknowledging the nuhara as long existing beside them, have no records of an ancient progenitor civilization or a time before Kalarahdar's sealing. What is often even more peculiar is that the nuhara themselves seem to have no direct monster ancestor as other monsterkind do, lending credibility to the thought they're from beyond Veltrona.   Nonetheless, in such ancient times, the ancient nuhr swiftly made a name for themselves as mysterious saviors and stalwart warriors across Sa-Kemhet. Their guardian clans would guide those unfortunate enough to be lost in the deserts to safety, while at the same time confronting any terrifying evils and monstrosities they caught wind of. Famously chasing after and slaying the massive Kelansahdar serpent beasts, their fearlessness and raw power earned even greater attention from their ‘new’ neighbors. Of them all, the nebusah in particular favored the nuhr and saw their two lifestyles as very compatible. Indeed, the two species mingled so well the ancientnebusah themselves are the ones who named them nuhara in a fusion of their ancestral nuhr name and a nebusian word for 'friend'. It would eventually be encapsulated into a meaning resembling 'sunlit friend/ally'.   While some nuhara would integrate into nebusian settlements, given their wider cultural fixation on Kalarahdar, the various nuhara tribes lived primarily nomadic lives slithering among the vast sands of Sa-kemet. Often hired as caravan escorts, settlement guards, and similar martial roles, the nuhara garnered wealth, resources, and support for their seemingly divinely-given task. Even the various goddesses of Sa-kemet paid respect to them in this task, offering both aid and position in their divine ensembles, ##Isara, goddess of passions, and Poleva, goddess of water and life. Combined with their general seclusion from broader political affairs between other civilizations, the nuhara carved out a respectable niche among their peers.    

To Slay a God

The eternal struggle against Kalarahdar defined centuries upon centuries of nuhara cultural thinking and ways. As Sa-kemet's peoples began to grow in strength, imagination, and capability, the nuhara took note. Newer and different possibilities entered their imaginations, offering a tempting promise of ways that might aid in their mission. In this way did the nuhara send their warrior-scholars to work among the great minds of Sa-Kemet’s cities, and through mutual effort with them made new discoveries. Still, the formidable nature of their divine task was one not easily overcome, and they knew this truth intimately well, for in all the centuries since his sealing, Kalarahdar remained undaunted.   The nuhara themselves began reorganizing their collective effort, holding many different tribal conclaves dedicated to determining how they would move forward in their sacred duty of slaying Kalarahdar. The advent of city-states, such as the then-unknown Atenkhet, promised safe refuges for their families, training grounds for their scholar-warriors, and support infrastructure that’d greatly alleviate the burdens of nomadic survival, thus giving more space for their divine task. Many tribes nonetheless preferred their traditional lifestyles, while others sought new alliances and deals to utilize the changing times. Unlike many other cultures, this wasn't a particularly divisive matter among the nuhara, for their united goal of killing a god meant any route to success deserved consideration.   Unfortunately, the more involved the nuhara became with the city-states and tribes of other peoples, the more that their politics started causing issues for the nuhara tribes as well. The fearsome prowess of the nuhara commanded great attention and respect, and no end of people willing to petition for their aid, or simply to exploit it. Though the nuhara’s strict codes of honor stymied most ill-intentioned efforts, it meant the sinister minded learned that they need only invent proper 'casus belli' to push the nuhara to action. Such affairs marked centuries of cultural friction and clash with their allies, with no end of stories and legends spawning forth.   Still, the nuhara were nowhere closer to their sacred task, even if they were making great gains as a people all the same.    

For Us All? Everything

Nuhara scholar-warriors, having studied foreign wares and knowledge, were intrigued by the possibilities of things from beyond Sa-kemet. While at first their desires for accounts of far-off lands were satisfied by their dealings with traders, over time many nuhara scholar-warriors concluded only nuhara eyes might find what they truly needed. But, to leave Sa-kemet was tantamount to abandoning their divine mission, and for many tribes amounted to the ultimate heresy one could commit. At the following conclaves, great and lengthy debates ensued among the nuhara’s most learned minds and priestesses as they grappled with the implications, merits, and even sanctity of such an idea.   Eventually, a grand meeting of nearly every nuhara tribe in Sa-kemet was held. This event, which would later be known as the Last Conclave, saw several of the largest tribes make an ultimate sacrifice. They, along with all willing to do so, would intentionally damn themselves by leaving Sa-kemet so that they might find answers to Kalarahdar. Such indelible sin would remain upon them and all their descendants until they returned to the desert in triumph. As one of the greatest events in nuhara history, the immense sorrow and tragedy the many present felt at such heavenly sacrifice was highly recorded.   For those who would give up everything for Sa-kemet's future, they would be honored as the holiest of all tribes, second only to those that died against the evil god.   Thus, for the first time in known history, nuhara left Sa-kemet, never to return until their day of triumph. These exodist tribes would journey eastward, arriving upon the lands of Immensio, then Nemma and Lophern. The differences of such environments proved staggering and challenging to them, forcing them to learn ever-stranger ways and different approaches. The peoples of such lands, though wary of such foreign monsterkind, were often quick to warm up to them and their valorous demeanor.   A particularly interesting arrangement ensued as a result of the exodist tribes' planning. As they reached new lands, one tribe would be given responsibility for exploring, settling, and finding anything of worth. Once the rest gathered their strength, they would continue their migration toward new lands. This point-to-point settlement method and the nuhara's highly detailed record keeping allowed for remarkably easy tracking of their spread across Veltrona. By the end of a millennium, the nuhara had successfully spread to every equatorial continent that had warm weather.   Sadly, time was as much their enemy as Kalarahdar was.    

Holy and Unholy

While the nuhara at home in Sa-kemet continued on, the exodist tribes faced an existential crisis in their successor generations. Those born outside of the deserts, though initially carrying on their foremothers' divine mission, eventually grew into a schism. There were those of orthodox faith who steadfastly maintained adherence to both their ancestors’ purpose and the belief of ‘inherited sin’, and those who abjectly refused it. The opposition to the orthodox nuhara argued from many different positions, all ultimately stemming from a desire to help their Sa-kemet ancestors, but not at the (presumed) price of their souls' sanctity.   The schism grew over some decades, then centuries, creating entirely new strains of nuhara thought and faith. There were even groups who found a place under the purview of other faiths, religions, and goddesses outright. In turning away from strict adherence to and interpretations of their foremothers' ways, they took on new faiths and cultural practices, or syncretized the two into a new blended culture. They became reviled most greatly of all by the traditionalist and orthodox nuhara exiles. Despite the high emotions of such an explosive situation, there was a strange absence of bloodshed. Goddess Akenra, Uatkara's principle deity and embodiment of the sun herself, would become the only one among Sa-kemet's goddesses to follow the exodist tribes. Through their ongoing faith and unbroken communion with her, the exodist nuhara priestesses eventually ordained that Akenra would rather the willing among them continue their mission, while the others may shamefully leave if they lacked the spirit for it.   While the will of the goddess was generally accepted among all of the exodist tribes, a bitterness nonetheless filled in the wounds left by the schism, galvanizing those of orthodox faith as much as driving away others. This would become the common thread to which many branching tribes, clans, and other cultures of the exodist nuhara were established. To the exodist orthodox nuhara, perhaps worse than what they saw as their sister tribes abandoning their divine mission, these branching tribes became stained by notions of betrayal. The two sides would become as strangers to each other, irreconcilable.   What would become of the progressive exodists is hard to say, for they met many differing and stranger fates. Some found new purpose in the employ of other holy missions at the behest of various goddesses. Some were consumed by the emergence of new nations, becoming one of their peoples tied to the land. Others continued on their foremothers' mission, merely under different contexts and understandings than what orthodox doctrine permitted. In another light, the nuhara had grown greatly since leaving Sa-kemet, and their traditional ways just weren't prepared for that in the slightest.   Nonetheless, their stalwart character and strong convictions ever followed, making them an impressive people for any who met them.    

Age of the Imperium

By the time of the legendary dragonkind, Imperious, and her insane ambitions, the nuhara were a flourishing species in many different continents. Thus, as tales of unimaginable slaughter and wanton destruction at the hands of dragons spread, the exodist nuhara’s attention drew slowly toward Imperious herself. Although not strangers to fighting dragonkind, the nuhara knew that even an individual dragon was a mountainous challenge to combat. The greatest nuhara among the exodist tribes ventured forth, compelled to slay such an evil before it grew any greater.   They, like so many others, sadly failed.   Imperious, ever seeking worthwhile challenges, invariably visited herself upon the nuhara, who quickly earned themselves a position among her most hated enemies. The nuhara are practical people, after all, and in slaying great abominations, challenging the Forsaken, as well as felling many worse foes otherwise, they were long-established mistresses of combat and sanctimoniously scrupulous. They cared not for Imperious' desires nor insane proclivities, and so sought any means necessary to end her evil for good.   As their struggle against Imperious escalated, the nuhara beheld other dragonkind flocking to her banner, and so arose the hated Imperium. For a people with a long, unbroken history of resisting evil and defying it at every turn and pass, the nuhara felt particularly compelled to destroy such a vile ‘nation’. As they beheld the horrors that imperial dragonkind inflicted upon others, a deep-seated rage suffused the nuhara, galvanizing them as their ancestors once had been. Indeed, to even the most progressive exodist, Imperious was an evil of a caliber as terrible as Kalarahdar, if not worse.   They, who would not dare to shame their foremothers anymore, vowed to see Imperious brought down.   While the nuhara may not be among the most populous species, their fearsome capabilities made them important keystones. In joining arms with the other peoples threatened by the Imperium, nuhara warriors took imperial dragonkind head on, becoming the anvil and hammer to evil's demise. Their selfless sacrifices accrued both great fame and honor among their allies, venerating the nuhara exodists among the ranks of heroines. Still, all the same, they struggled, and for all their valiant efforts, the Imperium continued to grow like a cancerous mass, consuming all before it.    

The Great Darkness

The climatic finale of the Imperium would become the World Gate, an ancient artifact of massive proportions, detonating in an explosion that shook Veltrona. The resulting cataclysm erased an enormous portion of Lophern, Dorvar, and eastern Etzli Cuauhtla, with a side effect of creating the Barrier Sea. While not regions highly populated by the nuhara, many of them had settled in Dorvar as a 'second homeland' of sorts thanks to its similarities to Sa-kemet. The explosion effectively erased most of these settlers and a vital portion of the world-spanning daisy-chain of interdependent settlements that the ancient exodists had built, fragmenting their species in the process.   As the skies darkened with debris both mundane and magical, the venerated sun disappeared behind it, depriving the orthodox nuhara of their connection to Akenra. Divorced from their principal goddess for the very first time, and facing a climate catastrophe of unimaginable proportions, they feared that the end of all days had finally come. More worried that such devastation might disturb Kalarahdar's prison, a fateful premonition that would invariably come true. For the nuhara of Sa-kemet, the encroaching debris plunged the desert into an era of strangeness and unparalleled danger. Worse, Kalarahdar himself found an opportunity to break free, leading to a monumental war between him and Sa-kemet's goddesses, with all the people therein caught in the middle.   And so, the nuhara across Veltrona would be plunged into conflict the likes of which eclipsed any they faced before.   As those in Sa-kemet warred against evils both known and utterly mysterious, the stark reality of the 'end of days' coming weighed upon them. The worst case scenario of Kalarahdar being freed had happened, and as that evil god tore the deserts apart, their convictions became sorely tested. Lacking the means to fully confront and defeat such a being, they nonetheless became the shields and spears of the goddesses, willfully sacrificing themselves for every drop of blood from Kalarahdar they took. Scores of their people died in battles against him, his fetid children, and the other horrors engendered by the unending darkness. For the sake of a peaceful world did they die, saving as many as they could in the process, and so the many wept for them.   The exodists, in kind, rallied to their holdings wherever they could. In the times of the Great Darkness, truth and certainty became mirages: landscapes changed, rules of magic no longer followed consistency, beasts and creatures utterly alien prowled the world, and more. They, who would resist such evils no matter what, fought and raged against all that crashed upon them. In that era, the nuhara solidified their reputation for reliability and benevolence, reaching heights of acclaim by the many peoples they saved. So too did their ferocity as warriors become that much more apparent, for they spared no kindness to their foes at all.   If a nuhara lived in such days, they did so with the greatest of zeal and rage, giving everything and more.    

Rays of Hope

By the end of the Great Darkness some centuries later, the nuhara had suffered tremendous damage. By some accounts, more than half their global population had died out or disappeared, leaving them in a battered state. Still, their selfless sacrifices and heroic acts did not go unnoticed or appreciated by those around them. Kalarahdar, once escaped, was imprisoned again, and those braving the dark found safety beneath the nuhara’s vigil. As the sun rained upon Veltrona its splendorous light once more, the nuhara eased from their harrowing vigilance, finally taking a rest they more than deserved. Though many of them loathed to do so, with the combined arms of their allies, the nuhara sought to their own wounds first. While a well-known and storied people in Sa-kemet, their heroism across the world earned them global recognition from nearly all of Veltrona's peoples.   For most nuhara, they found succor in the sun's light once more, but not all were fortunate.   Those who yet remained in what was left of Lophern, and the vast continent of Aerthen, would face a new enemy: the Baarham Dominion. All-too familiar with the horrors of the Imperium, these nuhara saw a similar (or even worse) evil arising within the baarham. Understanding as they were of the tragedies the baarham had suffered, they petitioned, negotiated, and debated with their Sorcerer King, Ghown, to try and avert such an evil course. For all his famed acumen, however, King Ghown's singular vision of a baarham ethnostate would not be dissuaded. To him, all other peoples would serve the baarham or be eradicated; in that way, his people would be safe.   The nuhara of Aerthen and Lophern could not abide such a man's ambitions, and so chose war against him instead. Unfortunately, the devastation of the Great Darkness hadn't even begun to heal for them, making such a conflict as unsustainable as it was brutal. A good portion of these nuhara tribes had survived the Great Darkness only to be fully wiped out in the war against the Dominion, with the few straggling survivors pledging themselves to their allies among other peoples in the war as supplemental troops. In the end, despite their once prominent presence in those two continents, the nuhara were nearly wiped out from Lophern and Aerthen. Their sacrifices are, nonetheless, considered among the great motivational reasons why so many nations swiftly took to war with the Baarham Dominion. They, whom the nuhara selflessly sacrificed themselves to save in times past, would not abide by their heroines and beloved friends’ terrible fate.    

Divine Purpose

With the Dominion's eventually strange and inexplicable disappearance from the face of Veltrona, global politics returned to something resembling normalcy. Though the world had been terribly scarred by the Great Darkness and the devastation wrought by two superpowers, its people nevertheless persevered in the face of calamity and began the process of rebuilding. The nuhara were no different, and many returned to their ancestors’ way, continuing their nomadic wanderings to aid those yet less unfortunate. As Sa-kemet settled in its own affairs, the nuhara there enjoyed high regard and renown, becoming peacebrokers among the many desert peoples.   The exodist nuhara, too, changed greatly. The orthodox tribes loosened their stringent religious traditions, even going as far as inducting foreign goddesses into their then-only Sa-kemet pantheon as they welcomed foreigners to whom they shed blood alongside as sisters. The progressive nuhara, after facing a fabled end times as their foremothers’ once feared, found more meaning in their peoples’ divine task they’d so audaciously embarked upon all those centuries ago. The Great Darkness proved that not only were there tremendous powers as a tangible threat to the world, but Kalarahdar's freedom promised destruction as great, if not greater. Historians would later consider this time period as a general mending in the religious schism of the exodist nuhara, with the worst of inter-communal violence and discrimination waning after this time, though they remained very distinct cultural groups from each other.   By the modern era, the nuhara species had most prominently settled Sa-kemet, Dorvar, and Maika, with incidental tribes migrating through Aerthen, Lophern, Immensio, and Nemma. Although their ancient foremothers' mission of finding a way to kill Kalarahdar remained, it'd long transformed into a cultural axiom. It provided purpose and reason to the very fundamentals of their existence, though its importance varied greatly. Regardless of the means, the nuhara involved themselves fully, doing all they could to mistress the ways of the world in the nebulous goal of one day felling one of its most dangerous evils.      

Biology

Anatomy and Physiology

The nuhara are sexually dimorphic jointed-humanoids, who have an upper humanoid body from the waist-up and a snake-like body from the waist down. Their humanoid half has a head, a torso with four arms that end in five-fingered hands, and their pelvic region fuses together into the singular length of their snake-like lower body and tail. Upon their lower body, the ventral scales are themselves reasonably broad and cover the expanse of the underbelly, while the dorsal scales are somewhat thick and flexible. Generally speaking, while both sexes are mostly the same overall length from head to tail, female nuhara are much more physically massive (almost twice the bulk of a male), have pronounced breasts, a wider pelvic structure, and more angular/sharper scales.   The nuhara head resembles some features of dragonkind, such as pronounced scales upon the brow, nose, and jawline. The eye shape is round to slightly almond, and the nose structure is quite prominent, such as having a strong bridge and wider nostrils. Nuhara mouths are somewhat complex structures, having a wide set of humanoid lips with thin lines from the corners stretching into their jaw. They can unhinge their jaw, greatly widening their mouths and unfurling their knife-like fangs. The tongue itself is much longer than most other species, capable of extending up to around a foot outside their mouths and boasting a forked tip.   Two distinct skin flaps originate from the temple region of the nuhara head, which then curl around the top of the pointed ear, coalesce down the sides of the neck, and smoothly integrates down into the collarbone region. These skin flaps can be flared outward horizontally, creating a large and prominent skin hood' that frames the nuhara head and neck. Due to this skin hood, the nuhara’s head hair or plumage do not grow on the sides of their head, instead solely growing from the top of their crown and, in some cases, partly onto the exterior portion of the skin hood. Because of the exertion required to keep the skin hood open, it’s usually perceived as a demonstration of active intent, for whatever that intent may be from other social cues.   Their ears are long and pointed, extending multiple inches outward horizontally. The ears can articulate on their own for social expression purposes, but will also move in such a way as to not be interfered with by the skin hood's own behavior.   Their torso follows human conventions, with the notable inclusion of an extra pair of arms beneath their 'primary' ones. Similar to the rachtoh, these additional arms are fully functional and possess great range of motion. Additionally, as with other scale-bearing species, nuhara scales largely grow on the exterior portions of the body and terminate as they reach inward. This correlates to fat distribution, or hot/cold regions, with fatter/hotter regions having less scales, and colder/leaner regions gaining scales. E.g, the upper shoulders and sides of the torso possess great scale volumes, but the inner chest and belly have very minimal to none at all. This essentially prevents the typical issue of scale growth interfering in motion or body kinetics, and is a common adaptation on Veltrona's sapient populations.   The snake-like lower body of the nuhara is itself entirely armored in scales and is essentially their most durable body part. Contrary to the convention of normal snake anatomy, only the upper third of their total body (the humanoid torso and a portion of the lower snake-like half) contains their vital organs. The remaining two thirds of their snake-like body is essentially all chevron bones and muscle, making it an incredibly powerful 'limb', as well as allowing them to distribute their weight over a wider distance, making it easier to glide over sandy terrain. It is for this reason that strikes on this part of the nuhara’s body aren't nearly as immediately lethal as it would be otherwise. The partial or complete loss of the tail or major portions of the lower body is still, nonetheless, a life-threatening disability for the nuhara, analogous to a human losing both their legs.   Like other jointed-humanoids, the genitals and buttocks are found at the humanoid pelvic region, which acts as the so-called 'joint' between the upper and lower halves of the body. Given their physical size and shape, the usage of either for biological reasons is an involved affair that poses unique challenges. While ostensibly part of the reptilian family, the nuhara nonetheless retain nipples, a navel on their humanoid half, and breasts—all mirroring human-centric functionality.    

Appearance

Fearsome yet charming, cute but deadly, and many other contradictory comparisons surround the renowned nuhara. Despite their imposing size and often strict demeanor, they're often disarming in appearance compared to the far more fearsome lindwurms, or the beauteous mussuba. Most species regard the nuhara as graceful, refined, and attractively friendly, giving them a rather unique vibe among monsterkind as a whole. As a species, the nuhara generally have brown-to-black and sandy yellow-to-dark gold skin tones, and their scales are normally analogous colors thereof. Their skin may have differing 'patterns', such as blotches, bands, spots, etc, that aid in camouflage in their environment. Generations of interspecies relations, however, have introduced wider and wider ranges of color and camouflage behavior, making these vividly dynamic nuhara rather distinct from their traditional ancestry. In more extreme cases, nuhara may inherit things such as horns, feather/fur-laced scales, larger draconic scale plating, or similar features.   Nuhara 'hair' actually consists of many feathers that originate on the scalp that then grow across the head, down the back of the skull, and down the neck in between their skin hood's muscles. The length, size, and thickness of these feathers vary, with a spectrum anywhere from a 'downy mane' to 'spike-like growths'. The coloration of these feathers also varies greatly even among ancestral nuhara, featuring anything from more natural, camouflage-adjacent colors to wildly out of norm ones such as metallic blues, jewel-tone greens, and golds. The head feathers are used principally in social purposes, such as displaying interest, attentiveness, aggression, etc, in addition to the skin hood and ears.   The eyes of nuhara have black sclera, but their irises are so large that the sclera has minimal presence. The iris itself is a visually complex structure, displaying rich structural detail and coloration normally in the browns, golds, and reds. Their pupils are round, though they may inherit vertically slitted ones from other species. The surrounding skin of the eye is darker than the rest of the face, creating a natural 'mask' or 'pit' appearance.   The exact shape of a nuhara’s scales changes depending on where it is on the body. Those of the face, neck, skin hood, and inner chest trend toward being smooth, cohesively 'block like', existing more as natural cover than armor. In some respects, they're similar to the mussuba, which historically lent to confusion in discerning between the two species. The scales of their shoulders, arms, and lower body veer toward actually thick, armor-like covering, but nowhere near to the degree of something like dragonkind.    

Natural Abilities

Vibration Senses — Nuhara have a keen sense of touch, and are particularly attuned to vibrations, allowing them to receive detailed information from the ground and even air.   Olfactory Adaptation — Nuhara noses seem uninvolved in how they sense smell, instead their tongues suffice as their actual 'smelling' organs. The tongues themselves are quite sensitive to changes in aromas and pheromones in the air, though seem to still be surpassed by the capabilities of nebusah noses.   Manaburn Venom — A potent venom that specifically attacks the structures of living creatures that are rich in mana, actively rending the victims from the inside-out based on how much mana is present. Those with especially low mana constitutions instead simply suffer from debilitating pain.   Because of this unique property, the nuhara utilize their venom in other applications where mana removal is desired, such as purifying or exorcising mana from objects both mundane and magical. This involves alchemical science to develop properly, but it is something of a notable tradition.   Resilience: Spiritual — Nuhara are naturally resilient against the influence and actions of spiritual beings, making them much less susceptible to possession, spiritual illusions, and spiritual damage.    

Diet

Though omnivorous, the nuhara lean toward the carnivorous side of the spectrum, preferring meats of all kinds and rich protein sources like insects, as these were easier to acquire in their arid homeland. This is then complimented by caloric rich vegetables such as tubers, beans, and legumes. While they initially didn't have much historical usage for grains, prolonged contact with neighboring civilizations eventually introduced rye, oats, and processed flour and many types of bread thereof into their diet. Traditional nuhara methods treat short and flatbreads as a compliment, or even vessel, for different meat and vegetable mixtures. They do, however, rather enjoy fried foods. Such items form a mainstay in their cuisine, making them a great source for nebusah and jiuweihu seeking a guilty pleasure.   Given their principally nomadic cultures, the nuhara often herd various types of livestock, which become the cornerstones of the diets. Camels, sheep, goats, umbudo, mok, chickens; generally anything that can survive their harsh lifestyles and often fearsome foes. Their livestock’s products are then harvested for sustenance or trade, with preserved items such as cheeses being considered an especially valuable trade good. They will also trade fibers, thread, and cloth made from things like sheep wool with their sedentary neighbours, in exchange for all that they cannot find in the desert, namely grains, salt, and metal tools.   While the nuhara don't possess a strong aversion to sweet/sugary fruits, they are sensitive to sugar. What other species might find pleasantly sweet is typically overpowering at the best of times to the nuhara, and more often than not also causes digestive issues. In some contexts, sugar-based foods were used as a method of torture or religious penance. Thus, most nuhara regard things like cakes and ice cream with abject horror and disbelief at other people eating such things. Their concept of 'dessert' usually involves salted meats, crysium-coated nuts, extremely 'dry' alcohols, mild cheeses, starchy dried fruits, fried breads, etc.    

Life Cycle

Infancy & Childhood

Nuhara infants are born much larger than other species, generally limiting the number of children that are born at a time to one per pregnancy, with twins being rare, and anything more considered life-threatening to the pregnant nuhara. Due to their size and development at birth, infant nuhara are physically mobile and capable to some degree, allowing them to wrap onto their mother or squirm and slither away on their own. For the first few months of life, nuhara infants are quite delicate until their first shedding occurs, wherein their bodies and scales will start to harden. At such a point, their seclusion period ends, and nuhara infants are then introduced to their broader family and community.   Normally rather docile, nuhara infants will spend most of their time on or near their parents, quietly observing the world and occasionally seeking entertainment. As they age, nuhara will continue to regularly shed their scales as their physical mass increases. Children in particular shed more regularly than adults, especially if unusual growth spurts have occurred. Because of this, as well as the generally dry climates the nuhara prefer, nuhara children commonly suffer from ‘stuck’ sheds, requiring their family’s help to remove properly. Helping one another with grooming is a common way for family units to bond and to integrate new children into the group, especially as a nuhara’s head feathers will require regular preening that is difficult to do alone.   By the time that a nuhara reaches a few years old, nuhara children will more actively explore their environment and even begin mock-hunts on ambient pests or small critters. Unfortunately, their venom will have also started to take shape, and combined with the usual teething problems, makes them extremely dangerous for non-nuhara to handle. While not exactly immune to their own venom, nuhara generally handle its destructive effects much better. However, in the context of interspecies relations and/or parenting, a bitey youngster could potentially kill another child unintentionally with remarkable ease.   Nuhara children themselves don't usually envenomate on a bite unless they instinctively feel they're in great danger, which makes startling them a very bad idea. Various strategies arose to mitigate this danger among the different nuhara cultures, such as mandatory hoods or face veils for juveniles, constant oversight by a guardian, on-site antivenom (if any), and the like. The easiest solution is generally for nuhara parents to raise their child(ren) in semi-seclusion until the child is able to learn enough self-control to not accidentally use their fangs for lethal purposes.   For most cultures, this self-control over one’s venom is an important measure of one's increasing maturity, and so self-discipline is greatly emphasized as a virtue. As such, once a child proves to its elders that it can control the venom of their bites, they are then apprenticed to a mistress of their craft to begin their general education. This aspect is reflected in nuhara cultural traditions such as textile and fabric work (sewing, nalebinding, etc), which are highly integral practices to many of their lifestyles that require both patience and practice. Martial prowess, too, relies upon self-control, with training and aptitude being things the more aggressive tribes prize.    

Adolescence

Beginning around their 20th year, nuhara undergo adolescence. It'll generally continue until their 60th year, and they will experience dramatic changes and cultural rites for coming of age. Shedding becomes a norm as they physically increase in size at a much greater rate, scales mold into their permanent form, and sexual maturation occurs. Childhood head feathers will shed as well and adult plumage will grow in its place, and the skin pattern of their head hood will fully pigment properly.   While childhood is comparatively short for the nuhara, adolescence is much longer than in most other species. Given that nutrition is not always available or in sufficient quantities, adolescent nuhara develop over a longer time period to accommodate such concerns. Those with regular access to sufficient nutrition, however, might appear to mature faster due to their quicker increase in physical mass. In such cases, sexual maturation may not have caught up fully, so size alone is an insufficient indicator of actual physical maturity.   During this time period, nuhara adolescents go through various rites, forms of training, and education as their tribe envisions. This involves religious training, ancestral lore study, survival know-how, textile sewing and weaving, martial practice, and any other essential required to survive their nomadic lifestyle. Generally, the first and second born nuhara are set as the inheritors of the family business, while any others are expected to find opportunities elsewhere to expand the family’s social connections, wealth, and prestige. In many cases, combined with their long lifespans, a family's generational branching is a slow and meticulous affair that's planned out decades in advance. For better or worse, it offers either a measure of stability or stifling oppression, depending on the children's feelings about it.    

Adulthood

Around a nuhara's 60th year, they've largely finished physical maturation and their growth shedding has ended. In some cases, particularly times of famine or starvation, it may take an additional few years for maturation to finish. Unless they suffer extreme harm, prolonged unhealthy conditions, or illness, adult nuhara will typically only shed once per year. The scales across their body have fully hardened, their musculature has developed completely, and their position within society has essentially been made or is set to be inherited.   Having hopefully gone through various forms of training, education, determination of their interests, and settled into their position within their respective family, adult nuhara slither forth to tackle the challenges their elders do. Since a great deal of planning has gone into the professions they'll ultimately take up, it's uncommon for nuhara to suddenly change courses or pursue an alternative path. Those in more sedentary cultures benefit from a much greater range of choice and opportunity, but their long-lived nature means generational planning is still required guiding the family business, investing in success, securing political influence, etc.   As a whole, nomadic nuhara are expected to be capable in a number of roles—as herdswomen, seamstresses, huntresses, scholar-warriors, and religious practitioners—with their intended profession becoming their core strength. This flexibility and familiarity allows great cooperation and cohesion within their tribe, unifying the workforce potential so that anyone can help whoever needs it in at least some capacity. This approach is typical among nomadic cultures, but the nuhara are notable for truly pushing it to incredible heights. Those pursuing the martial paths, and thus most committed toward the safety of the tribe and Kalarahdar's destruction, are the most venerated, followed by priestesses, and are supported in their duties by the tribe as a whole.    

Old Age & Death

Nuhara will live in their physical prime until the last quarter of their average lifespan, around 300 years, then physical decline will begin. Due to its remarkable slowness, even well into old-age a nuhara is still physically capable, though not as much as they used to be. Exhaustion and fatigue are their greatest foe as their large physical mass takes longer to energize and rest, making energy conservation increasingly important. In this respect, elderly nuhara filter into roles closest to tribal encampment, such as sentry duty, handicrafts, cooking, child rearing, and so forth, where they can sunbathe and conserve their energy.   Through sheer age and experience alone, elderly nuhara become important oases of knowledge to the younger generations. Forming the backbone of tribal wisdom, they'll consult with the various heads of family and leadership to ensure everything continues on smoothly. Between that and their other duties, they will not want for things to do, and so continue to live quite busily until physical decline becomes too extreme.   The final end of their life varies based on custom. For those with the means and hearts, the increasingly infirm elder nuhara will be tended to by family and tribeswomen alike. For those of a more martial inclination, they'll undergo religious rite and ceremony before joining the younger warriors in a final, important fight that may yet aid in the tribe's future. Those of a spiritual inclination may even depart on a final journey, venturing to sacred sites or even to the realms of their favored goddesses.   In otherwise normal situations, final death ensues as a result of metabolic failure. Cremation via fire magic performed by one’s tribe, dressing in ceremonial adornment and entombment in family shrines, or simple burials in stone cairns are the norm among nomads, allowing one's body to return to the deserts from which they were born. Scales or shed feathers of the deceased are nominally kept within the family, sometimes with or without ashes, and serve as proof of one's ancestors. As is sometimes the case, remains are woven into sacred sashes worn by family heads or hung inside family dwellings as a protective charm.    

Anaxials, Hybrids, and Variants

Anaxials

As with other anaxials descending from jointed-humanoid species, nuhara anaxials can experience extreme physiological changes. First and foremost, there seems to be a random chance when determining whether such offspring will have either a human-like lower body with two legs, or a snake-like one as the nuhara sire. In the case of the latter, unexpected pregnancy difficulties can ensue due to the much greater size of the infant within the human mother. Nonetheless, such a child is usually smaller than a single-blooded nuhara proper even when fully grown, though they are still motile from birth. The second notable characteristic of nuhara anaxials is their inheritance of the manaburn venom. As such, particularly during childhood, they're as dangerous as single-blooded nuhara offspring, and so must be treated with the same consideration towards safety, lest they accidentally kill their mother or relatives.   Nuhara anaxials are, otherwise, variable combinations of their parents. Pointed ears are the norm among them, varying between slightly angular, human-like ears to the much longer nuhara ones. Scale growth across their bodies follow the same patterns, though with an added potential randomness for much more extensive coverage. Feathers may intermix or even replace sections of the head or body hair, and a partial or complete skin hood may be present on the head and neck. Nuhara anaxials must also contend with having two functional olfactory organs (nose and forked tongue), which can make them especially sensitive to over-stimulation when confronted by strong odors.   While usually as long-lived as their sire, nuhara anaxials mature at a rate between human and nuhara; on average, slower than human but faster than nuhara. This prolonged maturation rate can pose unique challenges for the human parent, who's offspring may require a significant investment of their lifetime into raising. It is a similar issue to other long-lived anaxials, such as those of dragonkind.    

Hybrids

Nuhara hybrids principally exhibit a lot of coloration, pattern, and feather-hair changes from their sire's side. This results in them becoming much more varied in appearance than traditional nuhara, and so are quite distinct in themselves. In the case of scale-bearing sires, such as dragons, nuhara will inherit their scale growth behavior, which is easily one of the largest changes they experience as a hybrid. The most extreme cases tend to be lindwurm sires, who's nuhara offspring inherit the massive armored plates their parent's species are known for. These nuhara are sometimes confused for a type of lindwurm themselves as a result.   Hair tends to be another large inheritance for the nuhara, principally on their head, but it may also crop up on other portions of their body. Whether a minimal amount of body hair or a furry fluff, it tends to compete with the natural scale growths. Harmonious areas may seem as if the hair/fur is emerging from beneath their scales, creating a unique appearance. Chaotic growth generally appears to be as if the two sides are fighting over space together, resulting in a lot more randomness.    

Variants

The nuhara aren't known to have any actual variants. For many centuries, scholars considered the mussuba as a variant of the nuhara, but general opinion shifted against such a classification. Thus, in the modern era, they're considered two distinct species from each other.      

Sociology

Cultural Universals

The proud and confident nuhara are not a subtle people no matter where they are, possessing hardy character and an often fatalistic sense of duty or determination. Their cultures reflect and praise these values greatly, even those long branched off and separated from their original 'divine mission'. It is this group of mannerisms that always see them through times of hardship and adversity, making them solid and unyielding allies to everyone. Yet, for those nuhara that fall outside this narrow definition, social ostracization is a norm that frequently troubles them.   For every nuhara culture, there is some regard not only for the sun, but also the overbearing shadow of Kalarahdar. Those of orthodox or adjacent beliefs hold both in great regard, as well as the pantheon of various goddesses their ancestors’ once worshiped. More progressive or divergent cultures may lessen or even ignore this importance in favor of things more imminently critical to them. While Kalarahdar can be seen as a more distant and dim threat, the ever-present sun and its radiance is much harder to ignore. Whether or not such peoples worship Akenra specifically is uncertain, but the nuhara have an intimate connection with the sun nonetheless, so reverence is a common feature.   To the nuhara at large, kissing is a very specific form of intimacy they generally do not do, and thus do not practice. Respect for the face is important in their traditions, and usually seen as the throne of the soul, so many mannerisms related to it adhere to this strict view. Given that their tongues are also their smelling organ, the conditions of others' mouths may be especially offensive. Combined with their natural fangs and the dangers posed thereof, other forms of intimacy were simply emphasized in importance more. However, civilizations with much greater dental hygiene usually see more willingness by the nuhara to experiment with such acts. On the whole, though, nuhara prefer embraces and skinship of differing methods for intimacy.   Traditionalism is a tricky topic at the best of times, but where the nuhara are concerned, it blends together with notions of 'reliability' in the extreme. For many who live uncertain lives in dangerous wildernesses or otherwise, such values become the backbone of their survival. Thus, they're both prideful and defensive of it, perhaps to the point of stifling potential creativity that's perceived to disrespect it. Whether this manifests as filial piety or a general reluctance to explore unfamiliar technologies or methods depends on the exact culture.   Face coverings are almost universally associated with either youth or criminal activity by many nuhara cultures, making interactions with the zoaen and other peoples who possess masking or veiling practices tricky to navigate. In some cases, even among the nuhara, religious tenants may associate facial coverings with spiritual purity practices. The exposure of said face outside of specific circumstances can be considered sacrilegious, especially if others are trying to remove the veil.    

Lingual Characteristics

In terms of verbal speech, the nuhara are rather human-like, but regularly possess a kind of lisp as a consequence of the structure of their mouths and tongues. Their native languages make use of their forked tongue in certain forms of pronunciation, creating their famous 'hissing speech'. While not exactly lingual, much like other monsterkind species with similar features, the nuhara rely upon their head feathers, long ears, and skin hood as part of their communication. It often creates a second axis to their linguistics that's easily difficult for others to follow along with sometimes.   In written diction, the accepted representation of this accent is usually in three repetitious letters of the hissed syllable, such as “Hello, ssshe isss over there”. The actual severity of the accent may vary more than what is recorded otherwise.    

Arts and Beauty

From physical mediums such as textiles and painting, to musical and oration, the nuhara love structured, geometric patterns in their designs. It captures the splendor of mathematical perfection while emphasizing skill and consistency, creating a mixture that tests them in a number of ways. This approach also coincides with very practical concerns, such as material availability, technique, and recording for future generations.   Of all arts that could be, weaving and music are hallmarks of the nuhara tribes. Although they may not naturally produce their own fiber as the rachtoh do, the nuhara are mistresses of animal-sourced textiles. Their long traditions and passed down know-how, combined with their studious commitment, means even a young child is soon taught weaving arts. From thereon, they'll be responsible for learning and creating textiles of all sorts of purposes, be it dowry, homemaking, or personal attire, with the most skilled among them being tasked with weaving religious and ceremonial garments and fabrics.   Music, similarly, is a faithful companion to which the nuhara weave into so much of their lives. Whether in religious hum-songs or small, portable instrumentation, if one hasn't much skill in weaving, then they must surely have some in music. Percussion and bone-carved wind instruments are the most common, cleverly made from all sorts of parts easily gained from the wilds, ranging from goblet drums made with animal skin, to bone-and-stomach bagpipes, to rattles, cymbals, bells, and castanets made of precious metal and played with the hand of worn on the end of the tail and rattled. String instruments, such as the twin-necked shakk, are never far away either, though it takes a skilled player to not irritate a nuhara's ears.   To nuharan sensibility, strong form and presence are among their most attractive qualifiers. When combined with artistic clothing, colorful body paint, and decorative jewelry, a person becomes a mountain of testament to their own accomplishment. In some ways, the nuhara aren't easily drawn in by pure visual spectacle alone; there must be a story or mystery, as it were. It has led to more than one paradoxical encounter in differing cultures where others' notions of beauty simply fell flat to the nuhara. Or, as the case was, the nuhara's seemed stifling and utterly demanding of an ideal that didn't seem all that reasonable to strive for.    

Magic and Technology

As is often the case with nomadic peoples, the development of new technology is a difficult feat to realize. The lack of reliable infrastructure and the pressing needs of one’s immediate survival means progress is slow, and the means of development oft constrained. Nuhara inventiveness, however, isn't renowned for without reason. Magical arts have allowed for all sorts of alternative paths, or brand new innovations, and their stubbornness saw many such challenges beaten into submission through generations of diligent mistresses. With long lives to hone their crafts, their inventive mistresses built the means to which their tribes would slither to the top of the deserts.   To such ends, nuhara magical arts emphasize a strong foundation of solid mana integrity accompanied by a well-practiced mind. It mirrors the martial arts practiced among the tribes in many ways, relying upon stringently proven methodologies over reckless exploration. By doing so, however, every generation of nuhara has seen their foremothers' designs scrutinized, polished, and improved upon. The result of which is that of capable arts, from the simplistic homekeeping magics to sophisticated veltron magics that might create and tear down a secure and well-outfitted tribal encampment in a matter of hours, leaving no trace of its occupants behind. Metal magics especially hold an important position for consideration, for nuhara mages and smiths are the same idea combined together—literally refining and shaping metals through magic alone.   In this respect, the nuhara have created technologies and magics well-suited to their lifestyles with no compromise in quality or durability. As nomads, what they take with them is a very real concern with dramatic implications, pressuring them to ensure nothing is wasted whatsoever. Scholars of other cultures might weep over how much the nuhara have made and discarded over the centuries, but no one can refute the end result of such craftswomanship. Their wares, rare as they are when the nuhara recycle so much of what they create, can give any city-state or nation a run for its pride any day of the week.    

Religion and Philosophy

There is both great and contentious debate around the nuhara's various religions, particularly in a pre-Uatkara eras. What can be reasonably agreed upon is that the nuhara were worshipers of the various goddesses of Sa-kemet, viewing them as parental figures and allies to their struggles. United as they and the goddesses were against Kalarahdar, the nuhara toiled upon the veltron as the goddesses did so in the Heavens. Thus the two would find accord and strength in the other, uniting against the great evil that threatened them all.   As a pantheon, the nuhara would venerate different goddesses in different ways, as either creed or preference dictated. If one wished for water and health, Poleva would be the one respects are owed to. If one honored the dead, Fyghumat holds domain over such, though other goddesses may have specific funerary rites. Those dealing in crafts are likely to call upon Al-Farad or even Neferiwen. The wise soul pays attention in such matters to who is owed what, for such help in the deserts can be hard to come by.   The pragmatism from such a view intertwines with nuharan philosophies as they gathered the threads of existence to make a tapestry of understanding. Believing themselves to have a certain place in the universe, nuhara scholars have ever tried rationalizing their purpose thereof. It is an often frank and, perhaps, uncharming view of reality, but one that earns its keep by its steadfast answers in uncertain times. Universal truths, of a kind, that can guide a questioning or lost mind to an answer    

Science and Spirituality

Nuharan sciences have ever benefited from rigor and procedure, something mirrored well in their many cultural norms. Given the importance of knowledge, yet faced by the difficulties of nomadic life, the nuhara were keen for a solution. Most, ultimately, settled on complex devices—modified scrolls, after a fashion—that used cryptographic principles to record valued knowledge. It’s unclear if they were inspired by the #torzei, a draconic invention, but it is functionally similar in many respects, allowing a single crypto-scroll to hold entire libraries of knowledge. For the nuhara, who consider knowledge a sacred thing, reading and writing to these crypto-scrolls is an important social duty they’re expected to maintain. Scholar-warriors even consider their own crypto-scroll as a living relic of their own make, often more important than their very lives if it can be brought back to the tribe.   The nuhara believe knowledge captures perspective, and thus a piece of the soul. Just as they hope to preserve their own, they must safeguard against invaders. Evil knowledge, thusly, is to invite into one's self a portion of the evil soul which created it. The inextricable spiritual contamination thereof greatly concerns the nuhara, and so they judiciously scrutinize information thoroughly, often employing the services of priestesses who evaluate the ethical conclusions of the knowledge brought before them. They'd rather see profane knowledge, no matter how valuable or world-changing, burned and forgotten entirely to spare others' its vile legacy. As such, one of the important roles of a nuhara priestess is to safeguard against evil knowledge, and maintain the crypto-scrolls that forewarn of prior evils once met before.      

Psychology

Rest and Sleep

The nuhara, as a rule, are less affected by stress than other peoples; though some mistake it for being cold-blooded or level-headed. It is more the case that the nuhara tend to not physically react on a snap to environmental stressors as other species might. Instead their cognitive awareness easily goes into, and comes out of, highly alert states, rather than suffering malingering aftereffects of physical or emotional stress. This alertness plays into their unique sensory makeup, giving the nuhara a keen understanding of their environment while requiring minimal physical activity in the process. For a species of their sheer physical size, this conservation of energy is a real concern, and something which the nuhara’s mind and body have adapted to prioritize given the scarcity of food in their desert homes.   As long as the nuhara can find somewhere comfortable their whole body can rest upon, they'll easily start relaxing and winding down. Their lower, snake-like half is far more durable than their humanoid one, and so little is uncomfortable to it. As it usually is, the nuhara prefer something hardy or firm underneath, as soft or uneven surfaces can result in discomfort to the vertebrae and muscles of their tails. Their humanoid half, however, craves the creature comforts any other human-like person could desire. These conflicting desires have, over time, resulted in some rather unique architecture being created to purpose, such as 'spiral beds' which nuhara wrap themselves around when sleeping. In other situations, nuhara may wrap around each other under larger blanket covers, conserving group heat during harshly cold nights.   Sleep itself is a deeply involved affair that leaves the nuhara themselves more vulnerable than most other species. As such, those who sleep together are usually highly trusted, or family members if they’re present. Given their deep unconsciousness, nuhara abodes usually sport mechanisms of alarm or entrapment to protect the sleeper(s) within. Where those don't suffice, guards do, and those who take up the 'sleepwatch' are among the most trusted a nuhara can speak for. Those who've trained for it may garner some skill in vibrational sensitivity, which is the most likely to wake up a nuhara. The downside to which is that such nuhara struggle to sleep properly as their vibration senses trigger on everything close to them.    

Consciousness and Thought

Generally considered within the human-like realm of consciousness, the nuharan mind differs in its sensory adaptations as well as physiological concerns. Possessing a much keener sense of balance and fine motor control, nuhara are surprisingly adept at maneuvering and manipulating their environment in ways that minimize energy wastage. Their most detailed forms of environmental mapping usually come from a combination of smell and vibration sense, with eyes taking a tertiary role. In this way, they usually cognate their surroundings with great clarity and perception that makes it difficult to surprise them.    

Motivation and Emotion

As nuhara are most often born as single-children, with siblings coming much later , their parents are typically the pillars of their world view. For many, the inheritance of their parents' ideals or belongings is more than mere property or procedure, but a fundamental aspect in the circle of life that they so greatly rely upon. The most important things a nuhara may keep with them is this familial property, adding their own and eventually passing it down to their children. Those born later on, such as second and third children, come to rely upon their elder siblings in much the same light, as unmarried elder siblings are generally expected to participate in childcare in the family. These bonds are the nigh-unbreakable threads holding together family and tribe, and it is difficult to understate how important they are to the nuhara sense of purpose. Through it, however, one can understand their penchant for and against self-sacrifice in times of hardship, for they hate the thought of their loved ones suffering more than anything else in the world—yet, paradoxically, also hate the idea of their loved ones abandoning them in the name of self-sacrifice for the greater good.   It is a surprising intensity that, especially upon first meeting them, one might not associate with the nuhara. Though their physical mannerisms can be described as graceful, refined, and controlled, if not simply languid and slow, one mustn't presume they're frigid or uncaring due to a lack of responsiveness. Their minds race with great urgency and all-consuming emotion as much as anyone else, but they process it just as quickly. In some respects, when emotion does push them to action, the nuhara suddenly become explosive and swift, startling those around them. Yet, by the time they've done so, they've already thought of the most reasonable means to solving the problem at hand.    

Sexuality and Love

Love is an ephemeral thing that flows upon the nuhara like the sands of the desert they live within. Pervasive, ever-present, sometimes gritty and getting into uncomfortable places. Yet, to the nuhara, love is primarily conceived of as a duty which one chooses to undertake, and duty is something they are born for. It’s a responsibility to which they take with utmost seriousness, yet this does not preclude them from being tugged in many different directions when their chosen duties and the heart are at odds with their families and communities. In this sense, the nuhara understand that the heart can be as much an ally as an enemy to them, and often represents a comrade or rival depending on the context. For those on the receiving end of a nuhara's love, be it familial or otherwise, it can be a heavy thing, for they expect the other side to honor such a bond as deeply as they do.   The importance of family is something quite pervasive in nuhara cultures, for better or worse. At the best of times, it is a strong bond that can make them migrate for weeks across inhospitable terrain to help their kind. At the worst, an unyielding cudgel to which the most obstinate must yield, or face far worse fates otherwise. It is something the queerest of nuhara run into the most, for there is often great and powerful expectation, if not explicit demand, for offspring—which their romantic relationships may not necessarily produce at all, or at least produce easily. Given the generally lower number of children among the nuhara, and the pressures of the dangerous environments they traditionally inhabit, this puts special pressure onto single offspring who may be the only ones left to carry on the bloodline and sustain a tribe’s existence.   In this light, one might understand their general ambivalence toward sexual orientations—the nuhara typically don't care who does what, but it is expected by most that children must follow at some point. Ideally two, but in times of plenitude riches yet low numbers, more may be expected. Families, after all, are planned out for decades and generations in advance, making it an important duty.      

Society

Social Mannerisms

In most nuhara cultures, there is an emphasis on social unity and systems of formality and respect towards another’s seniority or perceived importance in the hierarchy. One's position in society is considered an important aspect of their person, even in casual contexts. Yet, paradoxically, mindfulness of the social hierarchy does not always demand strict divisions among the people in daily life, unless in more serious situations. As an example, a group of nuhara will refer to one another in language that addresses perceived seniority or importance of one another, but they will not rigorously uphold hierarchical division unless the situation demands for it—such as in times of war, during scholarly debate, or when decisions must be made for the group. In some ways, this is rather similar to cultures of Nerzin and Honokom, where honor and propriety are so important to their societies that their languages emphasize it regularly. The nuhara, however, are not considered by most to be as ‘high-strung’ as either culture, which is a reflection of the practical demands the tribe needs in order to ensure their group’s survival.   One thing that the nuhara are particular about is physical contact. While they don't mind most of their lower body (from where it touches and slithers across the ground) touching things in their environment or being touched by others, they're particularly sensitive to anything coming into contact with their humanoid upper half. The face, especially, is not a region the nuhara will permit to be touched by others without tremendous trust and intimacy, which puts them at odds with species who more naturally engage in such behavior (e.g, humanity and nebusah). While for many this aversion to touch can make the nuhara appear as stand-offish, when in reality they're anything but, so long as someone is not standing within arms reach. Even the act of shaking hands is not something which most nuhara regularly engage with, and is a behavior they instead learn to tolerate or adapt to when dealing with other cultures. Bowing is more the norm, especially with the arms held out in a particular way to show they're not hiding any weapons.   That said, for how physically reserved they may be, nuhara aren't shy about making their opinions known. A common sentiment among nuhara cultures is that one who speaks their mind frankly and in honesty is one who ‘shines like the sun’, though whether it is with the inviting warmth or scorching rays of midday is a subjective matter. Nuhara recognize that tact is a skill honed as carefully as any blade, resulting in the common storytelling device that involves some poor soul wandering into a conversational war zone thinking it was a nice get-together. In some ways, the nuhara not only give rachtoh a run for their crysium in weaving, but verbal sparring as well.    

Gender

A matriarchal species, women are the backbone of nuhara civilizations across Veltrona. Warriors, leaders, priestesses; they are the holders of key authority within their tribes, and the ultimate power for anyone who deals with their species. Men, meanwhile, are their proverbial arms and tails, scouring the lands for resources and drawing them back to the tribe. It is their purview to gather what is needed, to tend the household, and see that the labors of the tribe are fulfilled.   Some sociologists consider this arrangement one that maximizes energy expenditure in the most efficient way possible given nuharan lifestyles. Women, being much larger and stronger, eat and burn more food as a consequence. Men, being smaller and sleeker, can potentially labor for longer periods of time on the same amount of food. For nomads who must confront scarcity on the regular, this arrangement is very important to help ensure they avoid starvation. In times of plenitude, or tribes with regular access to food, the women are much more likely to help in such work as well. Though, in their case, usually things demanding their great strength, such as construction or hauling heavy cargo.   That said, time and circumstance are the most important factors that determine anyone's exact responsibilities. A tribe is united in all they do, and so if war or danger appear, the men adorn spears and bows as much as the women to fight. If a man yet proves himself capable of scripture and role, he might become a respectable priest as well. In a sense, the nuhara do not emphasize gender roles for arbitrary reasons; they're well-informed means by which they can all survive. From a broader view, they're entirely pragmatic.    

Kinship and Ethnicities

The standard nuharan family is typically a given matriarch and her one-or-two husbands, and then their resulting children. These families will then coalesce together on the women's side, so other matriarchs of shared blood will group together. Ordinarily, sons marry out of the family, forming new connections to other groups within the tribe, or even leaving to join other tribes upon marriage. In the cases of second or onward daughters, they may also be allowed to marry out in order to expand familial business or opportunities. Firstborn daughters are, essentially, the designated inheritors of the core family's business and assets. Particularly successful or large families, however, may divide up their assets to their various daughters to afford them growth opportunities.   Nuhara ethnic groups are more determined by religious creed and custom than anything else. Given their nomadic nature, it's common to run across each other from different regions, intermingle, and then move on. While every tribe has its customs, their religious orientation is a much more important consideration. Those who follow tenants in line with goddess Poleva's views, for example, may not mesh with those closer to the god Donetet. After all, if one's lifestyle has particular demands or concerns in accordance with their faith, it will have dramatic impacts on what they do, or can offer, a given tribe. This becomes particularly important for the exodist tribes, who have integrated foreign faiths and goddesses into their religions, further complicating such considerations.   For example, the Hissum Tribe of Sa-kemet is one that principally worships goddess Poleva, and so regularly visit oases, rivers, the Shimmering Ocean, and the waterworks of city-states in the desert. The rites of water and associated business thereof is very important to them, but they also tend to shelter many pilgrims of other goddesses. These pilgrims accompany them across the desert, riding upon their tribal caravans like boats would the waters, bringing goods and well-wishes alike. As a result, the Hissum have evolved into a very large, multi-ethnic tribe whose spiritual life and practices orbits around the core group of Poleva worshipers.   At the other end of the spectrum, the Sundusk Tribe, also in Sa-kemet, are strict adherents of the god Neferiwen, and so focus on means by which color can be spread upon the world. They wander to the bleakest of places, bringing life, love, and illumination to the many there with their legendary art performances and sacrificial rituals. Because of this focus, however, other faiths tend to not find much space within the tribe, and though they are well-treated as guests, they rarely integrate into the tribe and there is little opportunity for new beliefs and practices to be woven into their culture.    

Governments and Politics

Nuhara tribal governments usually function as forms of electoral autocracies, where a powerful leader of the tribe is elected by heads of individual families, usually those families which boast general influence or strong martial or religious pedigree. This elected chieftain is then responsible for the coordination of all of the disparate and powerful factions within the tribe (individual families, guilds, priestesses, warriors, scholars, etc), organizing and strategizing the tribe’s means of defense or tactics in war, and seeing to any external diplomatic needs (usually handling trade agreements with other tribes or societies, watering or grazing disputes, etc).   Most tribes, otherwise, leave internal affairs to the different families who own and operate a given area of interest, making factionalism a normal occurrence. Cohesive enough to pull in the same direction, the communal-minded nature of caring for each other ensures there's little division or in-fighting. What conflict does occur within the nuhara tribes that cannot be mediated by one’s superiors is nominally resolved through ritualized forms of combat, debate, or public appeal. In the case of ritual combat, killing or maiming one’s opponent is not permitted and is in itself a punishable offense.   For nuhara populations in much larger civilizations, such as city-states, their interest in effective leadership is a constant and unforgiving pressure. Their political blocs—usually religiously motivated—will scrutinize and take to task any leader (elected or otherwise) who fails to uphold the tenants they consider important. For a future politician looking to take office and implement policy, the nuhara can be steadfast allies or one's own worst nightmare.   This is especially true in the case of the citizenry who, inspired by the nuhara's forthrightness and uncompromising character, side with their political bloc. To those who think of politics as something where both truth and lie live together, the nuhara are those who viciously tear apart liars, earning their scholar-warriors particular acclaim as their fastidious adherence to truth, sanctity of law, and faithfulness to the role of office has seen many unsavory souls scoured from such positions.    

Trade and Economics

Barter economies are the norm for the nuhara, with currency-based ones typically being adopted from neighboring civilizations who practice it. Trading for one's needs is the way of nomads, and the nuhara are diligent in procuring things that are worth trading. Carefully made leather goods and intricately woven/sewn textiles are some of their most prevalent goods, both internally and externally, and second to a tribe’s herds and mounts tend to comprise their main store of wealth. Knowledge is a close third, usually in the form of stories of their exploits, religious contemplation, and survival know-how on what is going on in a given area. More exotic, and less regular, goods such as crysium, unusual animal remains, esoteric technologies, scavenged ancient materials, religious talismans, and the like also command a notable value in foreign trade.   The nuhara, in turn, are proficient buyers of their necessary goods, but also things like schematics, engineering knowledge, scholarly topics of interest, and unique technologies they cannot recreate themselves. The question of 'how to kill a god' is one that ever hangs over their heads, spurring on interests in all sorts of fields. At the same time, their nomadic lifestyles pose very specific challenges that stymie their efforts as much as help them. Either way, the nuhara make do, and where their interests go, very good business usually follows. For other nomads and city-states, they're reliable and trustworthy partners everyone welcomes when they meet, and it is a common sight to see nuhara guarding or guiding trade caravans all across Sa-Kemet.    

Interspecies Relations

The nuhara are nothing if not a people well-spoken for in legend and history, but they also have no shortage of enemies. To the likes of despots, tyrants, and evil-minded, they're a constant scourge and existential threat. To the layperson working an honest life, they're often mythologized as heroic beings that offer protection from danger as much foreign as internal. On either side, this can have the effect of othering the nuhara in the eyes of these cultures who have less cause to interact with them regularly, and it remains a struggle for most exodist nuhara to find those who interact with them as people instead of putting them on a pedestal or caricaturing them as inherently dangerous or disruptors of progress. Yet, at the same time, nuharan sense of duty and composure, particularly under their religious views, can result in even stranger outcomes.   Among the many peoples of the world, they get along most with the nebusah and muurun, both meshing well with nuharan sentiments. Of them, the nebusah confer best with the principled discipline and methodology of the nuhara, while muurun ferocity and independence ever challenges nuhara to better themselves. They, in turn, keep the others in check when their paths stray and uncertainty poisons their minds, and so the three have lived in harmony for untold centuries; warfare and the like excepted, of course.   On the other hand, they've butt heads with those of the baarham, tokyau, aryauk, dragonkind, etc, for their insufferable arrogance and disregard for the well-being of others and the world at large. To the nuhara, power begets responsibility far greater than any other, and so its flagrant misuse rankles them deeply. It is for this reason the nuhara and such peoples collide again and again throughout history.      

Associated Articles

Notable Civilizations

Atenkhet

 

Notable Characters

       

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