The Nuan-e-Nare (Noo-on-ay-nar-ay), or People of the Lake
Location: Along the western shores of the bigger lake in the western cradle, and along the rivers until about halfway to the other lake.
Values: Spirituality and reverence above all, with city and family loyalty a distant second.
Religion: The Nuan-e-Nare, or just Nuan, believe that every object, from the largest mountain to the smallest blade of grass, has a spirit. These spirits are known as
Esenuan (sing.
Esenua). They believe that the creator, known as Rada, has eight aspects. Each of these represent major forces and are represented by specific animals. For example, Mukhla, esenua of war, is represented by a murder bird, and Holabra, esenua of rivers, lakes, and what dwells in them is represented by a crododile. Each of these has many aspects in turn, representing somewhat narrower but still fairly major forces. For example, Verdurana, esenua of forests, is one aspect of Khilehu, esenua of plants. This pattern can continue indefinitely. They also believe that there is evil lurking in the shadows. This evil is personified in the form of Enshali. That this personification of evil has a very similar name to the spirits of the Gwonhelod is no accident.
Society: The Nuan follow the classic city-state model. Each state has a particular Esenua which they believe is their patron, with alliances formed based on patrons. There are currently two major factions: one in the northern part of the region, known as the Mukhlites and located around the rivers, which worships Mukhla, and another in the southern part of the region known as the Holabrites, which worships Holabra. The dividing line between the two is considered to be the central river, and the largest, oldest, and most prestigious city, Vindma, stands where that river meets the lake, and is the only city to bear the honor of having Rada as their patron. Each city-state is led by a Kolnua. Below her (the Nuan are a matriarchal society) are the priesthood, or Lanuan, usually composed of between 10 and 20 individuals. The soldier class, or Silenuan, are below that, standing equal with the merchant class. Below them are the artisans, with farmers standing at the bottom of the hierarchy. At the death of a Kolnua, the successor is usually determined by a series of trials. In most Mukhlite cities, candidates are sent into the savanna with nothing but one weapon of their choice. Whoever returns first with the body of a murder bird becomes the next Kolnua. In most Holabrite cities, contestants are sent into a river, and whoever can return first with the head of a crocodile becomes the next Kolnua. Vindma is a special case. Whenever the Kolnua of that city dies, the successor is determined by the priests.
Foreign Relations: Foreign relations vary between city-states, but most Nuan view the Gwonhelod with mistrust, with the priesthood condemning them as heretics. Most Nuan look upon the Kupi with disdain, although they are recognized as valuable trading partners. Most other cultures are viewed as at best myths and at worst lies of Enshali.
Lifestyle: Life in Nuan cities varies, but in most cities there are a few basic features. First of all, the central feature of Nuan life is prayer, and there are three times a day set aside for worship. Most houses have shrines, ranging from one small statue to a magnificent array of statuary, candles and art. Most Nuan are farmers, and life for them is much like life for farmers around the world. They have developed bronze, but not iron, though their pottery is fairly advanced. For the richer residents within the city, life is better than for the farmers, although plumbing is very primitive, and they have no way of controlling temperature. The largest houses in the city generally belong to members of the priesthood.
Economy: The Nuan are a primarily agricultural society, domesticating rice, wheat, and trin, among other staples. Among the luxuries grown include mangos, sugar lilies, and snake vanilla. Among animals domesticated are relatives of modern cattle and a few species of native marsupial. Most attempts to domesticate native animals have met with failure. Most meat eaten by the Nuan is acquired through hunting. They also trade with many nearby cultures, with murder bird meat of high value to the Kupi. Also, the priesthood may condemn the Gwonhelod as heretics, but many enterprising Nuan trade crocodile meat with them anyway. Their economy is mostly based on barter, as they have no concept of currency.
Language: A few language rules, in no particular order:
*Possessives are shown by putting the object being possessed first, then an e, then the possessor. For example, Nuan-e-Nare means people (Nuan) of the lake (Nare).
*Plurals are shown be adding -n to word that end in vowels, and -en to words that end in consonants.
*When I write -e at the end of a word, it is pronounced
ay.
The Nuan writing system is fairly primitive, with symbols representing most buildings, crops, animals, most gods, numbers 1-100, most geographical features, and most occupations.
The Nuan language is almost nothing like the Helod languages, although it bears a similarity to the Kupi one, simply due to proximity. It is also part of the general Radanare language family, shared by most tribes around the lake, although none of the other groups along the lake have a writing system, or nearly as developed of a language.
History (with names): The Nuan have many stories about their origin, but most follow the same general pattern.
Ah, hello children. Which story would you like today? Ah, the story of how we came to be? Well, one day, in a far away land, there was a kolnua. He was very wise, and much loved by his people. There was one problem, though. He was very old, and he knew that one day he would die. So he called his three sons, Chama, Thunda, and Vinda, to him and told them that when he died, they would each rule one third of his people. Two days later, he died. The first son, Chama, was very proud, and he and his people immediately set off to conquer others. Thunda was cautious, and he and his people stayed as they had always been. The third son, Vinda, believed that there must be more to the world. His brother Thunda, though, urged him to stay, and he agreed. One day, though, while he was out hunting, the great Rada appeared before him, and urged him go forth, and settle new lands in His name. Vinda agreed, and the next day he and his people set off. They ran into many dangers, but soon reached land. Vinda looked out, and saw that it was good. He called it Radathul, and the jungle before him Verdurnil. He sent his son, Gusa, with two friends to explore. They came back, seven days later, covered in bites.
“We went forth,” cried Gusa, “But in the forest we encountered a terrible beast. It was made entirely of ants, huge ants, with powerful venom. We can go no farther.”
“Bah!” cried Vinda, “We shall find another way.” And so they sailed on. Soon, they found flat land, with no monsters. There, however, were people. Worshipers of Enshali! Vinda was infuriated, but he knew he could do nothing. They marched past on their quest to find a new land. Soon the found a lake, pure in color and stocked with fish of many types, which he called Radanare, and a great river, which he called Radarunde. Where they met, he founded a city, and took the greatest part of his people to stay with him. He called this city Mas-e-Vinda. This is the city we now call Vindma. He sent half of the remainder south to where the Radanare thins to barely more than a river, and there founded Mas-e-Mukhla, what we call Mukhlama. He sent those that were left north, to where the river Holabrarunde meets the Radanare, and there founded the city of Mas-e-Holabra, what we call Holabrama. He decreed that the Kolnuas of those cities would be determined through a series of trials, and we have carried on those traditions. And that is how we came to be.
It’s not known how much truth there is in this story, but it is true that these three cities were the first to develop. What it does not include is a fourth city which was almost as old. It was destroyed by the other three fairly quickly, implying that this story was developed after this destruction.
