Najer (Cultural Group)

Najer is a cultural group present in the north of Rathnir, with a variety of subgroups and offshoots across multiple continents. It has developed over many thousands of years, and while once also a single race, the Najer culture has come to encompass people of many races and species.

Origin
The exact origin of the people who became the Najer are incredibly vague and hard to pinpoint. They were an ancient nomadic people who wandered all across Rathnir who left very little documentation of their culture or history, but it is theorized that the Najer were one branch of this group that took root in Northern Nieden.

Their location would become formative in their development, as the hot climate and mountain ranges to the south would unite and force cooperation between various tribes living in the Wandering Deserts. In addition, these geographical features would prevent contact between the early Najer and the Niedene civilizations that were spread across southern Nieden.

Qwarakan
The various tribes would remain sedentary for thousands of years, living off of the land through hunting and foraging, until around 10,000 BB. It was around this time that agriculture would gain traction in the Wandering Deserts, giving rise to the city-state of Qwarakan (ӾФƗɅƗӾƗY in the Najer script). Many tribes (ƋӨЦ, or "pom" in Najer), lived here and it became a massive hub of industry, culture, and economy. The first Najer governmental and monetary system was developed here. This is also where worship of the Lost Gods became standardized and wide-spread across the Wandering Desert.

This state lasted for several thousand years, until due to a growing population, over-farming, and changing weather patterns, people began moving away. Eventually, the city was abandoned, and fell into ruin, but is still extant in modern Najer. After this, small, impermanent villages became the norm. It was around this time that the ancestors of the Asikh people migrated to Plagos and became the Asarāvijāyans.

Post-Qwarakan Civilizations
Around this time, an intense series of drought and heat waves hit northern Nieden. Worshipers of the Lost God of Heat, Ajvudah, were blamed for this, and were driven out. A man named Tejarel gathered them and together they founded a new city, which they called Nahrayn.

Later still, the Mahait and Lizardfolk Seyohdoms became prominent as well.

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Lifestyle
The Najer retain a unique combination of nomadic and sedentary lifestyles - both being instrumental to their heritage. As such, many stay in large cities: tending to their civil and religious sites, as well as preserving cultural artifacts; while many others choose to relive the nomadic past of their ancestors by traveling the continents and collecting exotic goods. While traveling, they can often be seen carrying books with them, as a way to pass the hot desert afternoons while in camp.

Those that live in cities, although removed from their nomadic past, live much as those in other countries. A few large cities support the majority of industry in Najer lands, with massive farming, mining, and textile industries. The transient tendencies of the Najer mean that many smaller settlements will bloom and wither in a short time as its people move on when the circumstances feel right.

Diversity
The original Najer were a distinct ethnic group, and indeed, many of this group are still distinctly extant. However, Najer's accepting and peaceful culture has led to the adoption of many other human ethnicities and sentient species into the Najer system. While not always perfect (most disunity in Najer arises from competing values), this has led to a varied social landscape.

Humans make up the most significant portion of the population, with smaller groups of testificates, lizardmen, Vulpur, and even a few Elves also present. As such, this has led to a common practice of cultural adoption within the people: Any that choose to adopt and live the traditional customs are considered as much of a Najer as any who were born to it.

Clothing
Najer clothing is typically very light and simple- a shirt, trousers, and sandals are enough for most. The robes worn by the Najer are iconic and distinct, and are best known from the many Testificate Najer who travel the world. While generally a rich shade of blue, with a bronze trim, other colors also exist. Robes are often passed down as heirlooms throughout the generations. They are considered important cultural touchstones, and as such are prized and protected. Foreigners who wear Najer robes are frowned upon.

The warriors of Najer also notably keep a lighter aesthetic- armor is light and simple, allowing them to attack better-armed forces and swiftly withdraw, a tactic used most famously just after the discovery of the Buried Bells.

Food and eating
In Najer, food tend to rely heavily on fruits, vegetables, and other savory plants. Rabbit is considered a delicacy, while most other types of meat are mostly unknown. Meats such as beef and pork are uncommon and considered exotic. Spices and herbs are often used to great effect in Najer food, including in the well-known Kijaro baked potatoes and in Najer spiced bread.

Alcoholic drinks are generally unpopular, with most preferring other drinks like Tea, Cocoa, and Coffee. Many Najer will drink alcohol during festivities or special occasions, but frequent drinking is looked down on.

Meals in Najer are informal, as well as important times for socializing and rest. Traditionally, meals are eaten sitting on the ground around a low table, where all food is shared and passed between members of the group. Food is either eaten with the hands or with simple wooden utensils. The use of utensils in Najer has increased drastically in modern times, having been adopted from other countries.

Customs
The Najer value sincerity, and have great disdain for deceit: While they do keep secrets, they prefer open discussion in all matters of life. As well, the Najer are well known as being gracious and generous hosts known for never letting anybody go hungry if they can help it

Due to the Lost Gods' emphasis on beginnings and ends, they typically wave with their left hand as a greeting, and say farewell with a wave from the right. When meeting people for the first time, the Najer can be expected to gift something of value to the stranger, as a sign of good faith.

Due to their nomadic past most Najer citizens don't have surnames and are simply known by first names or nicknames. Those that do tend to be diplomats or local tribe leaders or have adopted them from other peoples.

Literature and art
The Najer also have an expanding repertoire of folklore, including The Wanderer, whose heroic deeds have since been put to paper.

The most iconic works the Najer have produced are their temples, which can stand for thousands of years, and are decorated with detailed stonework. Although most temples are ancient, new ones are still being built in areas like the Najer heartlands. Acting primarily as storage, both for valuables and food, they dot the land as places for nomads to take shelter in and rest.

Many old Najer sites contain carvings, both decorative and informative, and evidence of painted murals has been found in some locations.

Religion
The Najer follow the Lost Gods, and while many do so more out of cultural heritage rather than true belief, the veneration of these deities has seen a resurgence in modern times. Many Najer have also adopted Noxism as part of their personal belief system as its guidance led to the conclusion of the first Great Rain of Rathnir.

The accepting nature of the Najer also allows many minority religions to thrive, such as that of Tauros.

Poma and the Seyoh Council
Having been formed from a loose group of desert-dwelling tribes, the traditional authority of the Najer was a tribal oligarchy.

The citizens typically lived in "Poma" (tribes, in the Najer language); small self-identified groups each represented by a "Seyoh" (Lead Scout). Seyohs held recognized authority within their Pom. Though outside of their community Seyohs retained no governance, they are respected by all Najer. While Seyohs had no internal hierarchy, together they formed a council which served to govern the Najer on a local and inter-city level.

Monarchy
After the formation of the Silver Coalition, and its eventual morph into the Sterling Crownlands, Najer become a monarchy. The people united under a crown, selecting mayors for towns, and adopting the other trappings of Sterling Culture. The Pom and Seyoh system declined in use rapidly. Even after the fall of the Sterling Crownlands, Najer retained the monarchy and mayor system for a time, although the Seyoh term would later be revived and reinvented for the modern day.

As such, the current Najer government is the purest still-extant remnant of Sterling Culture and authority. The King, called the Emir, is aided by a body of competent and trustworthy individuals who manage various aspects of their dominion, from the land, to the culture, to the infrastructure, and more.

Settlements

 * Najera'jad
 * Wobambi-on-Sea
 * Kigea'jad
 * Kijaro
 * Hicto
 * Nahrayn
 * Shahbah
 * Ohjan
 * Ajek Point
 * Mirwa
 * Sigtuna

Trivia

 * The Najer Salute with their left hand rather than their right


 * Najer is not a entire desert state like Yimmu Audul or Hutica, but rather made up of 3 small deserts.


 * Najer is full of wildlife and has many different animals that are still being discovered to this day!


 * The Najer robe is considered something only a Najer could wear. Most Najer robes are passed down through generations and if a regular person is spotted wearing a Najer garment they are frowned upon.