Najjir

Najjir

Najjir
Map of country or capitol
Country Information
Motto	None
Capital	Najjir has no capital, but major cities include Qarsythe and the ruins of Amas'kyaa
Language(s)	Najjir
Ethnic Groups	races
Religion	Primarily Menxiyeh, among others
Government	Independent city-states and domains
Current Ruler	None
Population	Impossible to determine
Currency	name of coins

North of Kahlahra and Rashnad lie the dunes of Najjir – a stretch of desert, scrublands and oases extending to the long sea. Najjir is not a country but a language and culture shared among multiple sovereign domains and city-states throughout the region. Most Najjira civilization is situated in a broad ring around the Fareedah, encrusted around the life-giving rivers, streams and oases in an ocean of drifting sand.

Najjir is a relic. Many centuries ago, it was spanned by the mighty Amas'kyaa empire. The capital city laid at the heart of what was once a valley of life, but is now the wasteland that is Fareedah. A magical cataclysm involving a giant rift in the sky once swallowed the enormous center of civilization in a matter of hours. The rest of the empire crumbled shortly afterwards. Thousands of ruins and fragments remain scattered throughout the land. Najjir is a language shared by all ethnic groups that live there, a poetic tongue that arose from centuries of trade and cultural diffusion among the northern deserts. The modern alphabetic Najjira came to replace the glyphic Amas'kyaan language that once dominated the region. Dialects vary all throughout the land but the Qarsythian sheikh, the Buhuchan poppy farmer and the Emshi wanderer can all understand each other. Finally, Najjir is a culture. Though its residents come from different cities and ethnic groups, the brown people of the desert share an identity that is unknown to the light-skinned dwellers of the Occident. Najjir’s cultural bias towards mercantilism and scholarly pursuits is renowned throughout the continent.

Geographical Features

Najjir is a region bounded by Kahlahra in the south, Taraja in the east, and the vast ocean to the north. Its heart is the smoldering Fareedah desert, and its periphery is full of burgeoning life.

Religion

Menxism is the predominant religion across Najjir. In some domains, it’s the official state religion, while others are more permissive of other belief systems. The worship of Menxvan (often spelled Menxwan or Menqs’wan) originally came from what is now Arangoth, but the Najjira interpretation of the faith differs from its Arangothek counterpart. Most Najjira people are Menxists, though not everyone practices. Other people may worship the old gods of the Amas’kyaa empire or adhere to other faiths entirely.

Menxiyeh

Much of the tenets of Najjira Menxiyeh come from the prophet Rashid Mahiyat, who radically re-envisioned the religion brought by the Templars of the south. It was he who took the faith from isolated Templar outposts, interpreted it from a Najjira perspective, and amassed a crusade that swept through Najjir, converting a majority of the population. Historians have linked the rise of Menxism to Najjir’s cultural renaissance after the collapse of the ancient empire of Amas’kyaa.

The tenets of the faith are enumerated in a tome called the "Menxiyeh Mahiyati," penned by Rashid Mahiyat shortly before his death. Much like in the Arangothian version, there once existed but a single mind, Nehed, the god of gods. It pleased Him to create the universe, but since He was all that ever had been, he split his consciousness into millions of fragments in order to create "soul-templates" for all that exists. Two of Nehed’s greatest souls contained the seeds of their father’s wisdom: the elder Al-Menxwan and the younger Al-Menxruk.

The twins became the caretakers of creation until the day when all souls would re-coalesce into perfect one-ness. Since Nehed was greater than the sum of His parts, His constituent souls needed to grow in wisdom and goodness before they could rejoin with one another. Menxwan created the Empyreann, where noble souls come together to dwell in bliss, awaiting the eventual apotheosis. His brother Menxruk, however, became seduced by matter and grew unwilling to return to singularity. Menxruk employed his army of djinn and demons to lead sentient-kind astray and stave off apotheosis, and now he seeks to seize control and remake creation in his image. Menxruk is often known as Al-Shaitan – The Adversary. Any action that supports The Adversary prevents the rest of creation from achieving its purpose; therefore heretics, Menxrukians, and other sinners are seen as holding everyone else back.

Observance

Observing the Menxiyeh involves keeping a spiritually pure lifestyle and helping advance Menxwan’s agenda. Those who follow Menxruk are seen as heretics and often not accepted openly in society. Prayer is essential to maintain the spiritual link to Menwan’s Empyreann. In large cities, Menxwanite clerics let people know when and how to pray by singing from tall towers in the morning, at noon, and at sunset. The First, Second and Evening songs are also often used to tell time. In smaller settlements with no tower, traveling clerics perform the functions of both human prayerbook and almanac.

As an orderly god, Menxwan prescribes keeping one’s affairs in order. The Holy Book contains a description of the ideal family life, a section on resolving disputes, and a list of rules for an orderly society. The laws of most domains are influenced by these rules. Menxism also calls for charity, acts of kindness, and being a good citizen. At the same time, the dogma forbids harboring those who would spread the will of Menxruk. In the hands of some clerics, this passage has turned into a witch hunt.

There is currently a schism among the churches related to two interpretations of the Menxiyeh Mahiyati. The more hardline Mahadi faction believes in strict retribution against heretics, whereas the more peaceful Salafi sect strives to embrace them "because Menxwan’s wisdom will inevitably win." Both the truly righteous and the corrupt can be found on either side of the debate.

The Old Gods

Long before Menxism came to Najjir, during the time of Amas’kyaa, people worshiped an entirely different system of gods. The pantheon consisted of rebels from monstrous cosmic star-spawn that once controlled this plane. The original tales are said to have passed down to proto-Najjira people from extra-planar travelers. This polytheistic faith still has followers today, though in far fewer numbers.

Despite Menxism’s initial success, many people continued to combine the two religions in their mind, looking to Menxvan for the future of their souls, but turning to the old ones for lesser things. Shrines to the old gods can be found here and there throughout the land, and some have formed secret sects around the worship of one old god or another. Sect members usually don’t discuss it in mixed company for fear of ostracism. The nomadic tribes of Najjir are the biggest worshipers of the old gods. All that’s known of these deities has been recovered by historians from the ruins and records of the former empire. The following is an incomplete list:

• Akhthon – The Prime Mover, god of the sun and wielder of lightning. This leader of the gods' insurrection slew his mother, the she-wyrm Attu, and drove his father, the time-squid Zxulh, to exile beyond the gate of stars. Akhthon’s will keeps the chariot of the sun circling and the world heated and lit. He always watches from his golden observatory to see whether cosmic danger approaches and if all is well in the universe.
• Nadah – The Winnower. As a spiritual gardener of the gods’ realm, she is in charge of weeding out the bad souls from the good after their death. The good souls get to stay in the realm of the gods. Bad or unwanted souls end up in Tepemkau’s vault.
• Ahmose – The Lanterner, god of the moon, time, and agriculture. This reclusive insomniac deity carries the lunar lantern around the sky while Akhthon’s chariot is underground. As the pantheon’s calendar keeper, he is responsible for watching over the proper flow of time, and his lantern is always present to inform everyone of the passage of days and seasons.
• Inash – The Master Healer. This is a god of life, alchemy and healing. The sacred profession of medicine falls under his purview. Inash empowers followers who ease the suffering of others and take on the stresses of the world. On the other hand, he is also the god of poisons and various other alchemical combinations. People pray to Inash for the health of their families, crops and livestock, and the removal of blights, both biological and societal.
• Matathu – The Dreamer. She is nocturnal goddess who presides over the court of dream and nightmare. She knows all the hopes and fears of sentient-kind and is most in touch with the pulse of humanity, rewarding either with bliss or punishing with insanity. Amas’kyaan psychics and astral travelers try to appease Matathu in exchange for the soundness and safety of their minds.
• Tukkul – The Manifold. He is the four-headed, multiple-personality god of the winds, weather, change, and erosion. Praying to him is complicated because one needs to know which of his personae dominate his mind at any one time.
• Siamah – The Laughing Conqueress, goddess of warfare, passion, and love. People in Amas’kyaa believed that love and strife are two sides of the same coin and that Siamah represents them both. No god but Akhthon can best her in single combat, though one or two have tricked her in order to defeat her in a spar and get in her bed.
• Nedresh – Siamah’s younger brother, the god of art, music and revelry. Though he is among the weakest gods of the pantheon, everyone loves him because he makes life worth living.
• Tepemkau – The Great Death. He is a deity of sun-bleached skin and sand-blasted bones who walks through the deserts collecting the dead. Tepemkau is the keymaster of the vault where all unworthy souls are kept. His vault has seven compartments, the eighth of which opens up into the pit unto the star-gate to beyond, where star-spawn languish in their squamous exile. The worst souls go through the gate to feed them.
• Khamesh – The Fateweaver, trickster-deity of fate, roads and information. The great manipulator is so enigmatic that no one is really sure whether Khamesh is male or female. The Fateweaver alone can see the multicolored strands of information that comprise the lives of mortals and gods, and as such, possesses the gift of divination. Khamesh is the patron deity of couriers, travelers and magicians. The Fateweaver’s sacred animal is the Fennec fox. The wandering Shushan elves place Khamesh the highest in their pantheon.

Other Faiths

Other faiths can be found among Najjir in smaller numbers. Pockets of foreigners in coastal cities typically retain their earlier beliefs, and cultural diffusion bleeds over from neighboring lands. As Najjir relies on trade, foreigners are free to practice any religion they wish without too much ostracism - followers of Menxruk are one major exception.

Society and Peoples

Etymology:

Najjir (noun) - refers either to the region or the entire body of people living there.

Najjira (adjective) – refers to the Najjira language or to a person’s background, i.e. “A Najjira man.”

Najj, Najji (slang) – an informal, occidental way to refer to someone from Najjir.

Culture and Economy

Common Culture

Najjira populations cluster around city-states that sit on rivers, crossroads, or oases. Usually, a city has a satellite of villages and farmland spread out around it. The city’s ruler exerts a sphere of influence over the surrounding land to the extent that he can protect it. These spheres of influence are commonly called domains. Some domains like Qarsythe, are enormous, containing many towns and cities, while others, like Dastrakhan, are tiny in comparison. Most people, with the exception of some tribes, are patriarchal and polygamous. Marriages are usually arranged, and the number of wives a man has is often a sign of his social status. Other status symbols include the amount of land or livestock a man has, whether he was born as a noble or a commoner, and his level of education. Slavery is an accepted practice in Najjir, and free people always have more rights than slaves.

The Najjira are a trading people, but they are also a people of letters. Najjira scholars try to translate as many cultures’ written works as they can, and a handful of the larger cities boast public libraries. Najjira natural philosophers have made some important breakthroughs in astronomy, mathematics, and linguistics (see Ankenah). Customs vary, but most free Najjira value piety, hospitality, and eloquence. Poetry is a national pastime, to the point where all educated people are expected to be able to speak and write in verse. Family is of paramount importance to any Najjira, and family honor and reputation is worth more than material wealth. Young men like to declare blood feuds against people who have brought dishonor to their families.

When a Najjira household entertains guests, the host is expected to share his best food, wine, and lodging, and guests should accept it without question. It is expected of the guest, the traveler, to regale the host with road tales and news from abroad. A guest should never hesitate to follow the host in prayer, even if they worship a different deity; if they pray silently, their thoughts are their own. Most Najjira dwellings have two sections--one for men and one for women--and depending on a guest's gender, they must make sure to sleep on the appropriate side of the house.

Social Status

Rulers, their advisers, and high nobility stand at the top of society. They live in palaces or manor-houses with lush gardens and sizable harems of up to dozens of women. Usually, such powerful people have their own private guards or command detachments of the domain’s soldiers. The powerful love to bask in ostentatious displays of their wealth, hiring artists and decorating everything they own with jewels and precious metals. No less wealthy are the top merchants and guild masters. They enjoy a very high standard of living but tend to invest their money into more liquid assets than expensive palaces. Because they command not only great wealth but also the means of trade that fills their ruler’s coffers, they enjoy a great deal of influence in society. A powerful merchant’s reach may extend across many domains, where Emirs and Princes eat out of the palm of his hand. Smaller merchants, master craftsmen, plantation farmers, and educated scholars are next on the social ladder. They are comfortably well-off but lack the opulence of their wealthier counterparts. They might have only a handful of wives, a nice house, and a plot of land that brings in a decent income. Journeymen crafters, small farmers, and semi-skilled laborers usually have only one wife and a small house. Though they have the means to make their daily bread, they won’t always be comfortable. On Bazaar days, their likes clog the market stalls, hoping to sell enough to maintain their meager lifestyle. Most low-ranking guards and soldiers also fall into this category. Unskilled laborers, dervishes, beggars, and subsistence farmers have it worst of all. They rarely go a day without experiencing hunger pangs. Sometimes these poor souls turn to a life of crime out of desperation. Slaves are at the bottom of Najjira society and are entirely at their master’s disposal, though they sometimes eat better than the free poor.

Economy

The economy in the big cities and their surrounding areas is structured around the concept of the bazaar – a huge marketplace in the very center of town that forms daily, except on religious holidays. Everything is bought, sold, and traded at the bazaar, including the administration of most social functions, making it the nexus of Najjira life. The bargaining tradition is deeply embedded in the bazaar culture; expect to haggle for everything except food and tea. In some cities, bargaining is an art of competing in eloquence, while in others, haggling fulfills a more practical role. If a prospective buyer doesn’t haggle for their goods, most vendors will lose respect for them and drastically inflate their prices.

Traders intersect the desert in camel and mule-drawn caravans, banding together for protection and hiring guides to lead them along the treacherous roads. Heat, the lack of water, and banditry are all common threats to any caravan. Caravans can either be conglomerates of various traders, belong to a single merchant, or consist of professional transporters with their own camels and guards who hire themselves out to people for safe passage. Traders often cross national boundaries to do business with Rashnad and more recently, Arangoth. Animal breeders often make mercantile forays into Kahlahra to purchase the prized Khalar horses for the upper crust of society. The port cities of Mashriq, Bassij and Khorzem receive ships from all over the world.

Guilds are the biggest players in the Najjira economy. In any given city, large and small guilds devoted to all sorts of crafts and professions can be found. Some guilds are local, while others are spread out across Najjir. Membership often equates to a more favorable place in a bazaar; high-ranking guild officers can control supply and thus, prices. In some cities, guilds have de-facto taken over the functions of government (see Qarsythe and Khorzem). There are some special types of guilds, such as the shipwright cartels in the port cities and the pan-Najjira association of scribes, described in greater depth in the language section.