Naravi

The Naravi, of the many species native to the planet Narava, are the only humanoid race. For eons, they had dominated the world with no competition. That is, until the arrival of the Ve'lik five hundred years prior to the present. As a whole, the Naravi worship Narava, namesake of their world, as their holy Mother. It is in honor and reverence of their creator that they took the name "Naravi", meaning "Children of Narava" in their native tongue.

Appearance
The Naravi are a humanoid, bi-pedal race characterized firstly by a rather outstanding, pale pigmentation. As a whole, the Naravi are a race of generally short stature, with the typical heights ranging from just over five feet to just under five feet, nine inches. Hair and eye color also vary from Naravi to Naravi, however, only those born into the royal lineage possess the combination of red hair and green eyes. This combination, a reflection of Narava's own physical form, is the key identifier of a member of the royal household.

Being that the Naravi are a long-lived race, they have ample time to devote to the pursuit of whatever craft that captivates their attention. It is for this reason that the Naravi have some of the most skilled smiths, artisans, and architects in the world. As such, the general population of Naravi benefit greatly from these masters, especially when it comes to manner of dress. Typical fashion among the Naravi consists of light, flowing fabrics of bright colors; with silk being the material of choice. They are generally modest in their manner of dress. Women are most commonly seen donning beautiful, vibrant dresses and then men are commonly seen wearing tunics of similar hues and typically darker pants. It is noted that there the ratio of females to males weighs heavily in favor of the former, with the exact numeration being 5:1.

Abilities
When Narava cast away her physical form and became the entity known as Najra, she elected to gift each and every one of her beloved children, and every living creature upon the face of the world, with a piece of herself nestled deep within them. Thus, the Naravi were intimately connected to their loving Mother forevermore. However, that was not the only benefit that came from this gift. In time, the Naravi discovered that the presence of their mother's essence within them had granted them the power to influence the world around them like never before. They could draw upon this unseen tie with their Mother and perform feats that before were impossible even to fathom. The Naravi could weave Magick inherently.

Furthermore, the Naravi could now interact wih the world around them like never before. Due to the fact that every living thing possessed a piece of Narava within them, the Naravi could now commune with nature. Their language changed from thenceforth, becoming a rich, soft-spoken tongue whose words drip with the essence of their Mother. The nature of this language allowed it to be instantly comprehended by any being native to the world, sentient or not. For this reason, natue itself has endeared itself to the Naravi and the various beasts of the world are easily tamed by their honeyed words.

Social Structure
The boundless adoration the Naravi hold for their beloved Mother is reflected through the structure of their society. As a whole, the Naravi are a heavily matriarchal society with women holding the highest place in society. Men are respected, as without them the population would cease to increase, and their occupations revolve around making the best usage of their natural strength; acting as architects, laborers, blacksmiths, soldiers, and other positions of the like. However, it is exceptionally rare for a male to hold a position of leadership outside the military, with the highest possible position available to them being that of an adviser to the reigning Queen-Mother.

As a whole, the Naravi are organized into a monarchy under the leadership of one referred to as "Queen-Mother". The Queen-Mother is the supreme, undisputed leader of the Naravi and acts as an intercessor between her people and the Mother. While Narava may opt to speak to her children in one form or another, the Queen-Mother is privileged enough to have direct communication with the Mother on a regular basis. A Queen-Mother can only be selected from a lineage of royal blood that is evidenced by the "Visage of Narava". This is the combination of red hair and green eyes that is found exclusively within the royal lineage and is said to be a reflection of the Mother's physical form.

Selection of the next Queen-Mother are made by the reigning monarch towards the close of her life. She will embark on a period of intense prayer and meditation, in which the Mother will enlighten her on who the next Queen-Mother shall be. When the selection is made and announced, it is done so out of divine inspiration, and as such the rule of the chosen heiress is undisputed.

Religion
When it comes to what the Naravi believe, one would find that their religion is relatively simple. They worship, honor, and love Narava, their creator and mother. Piety exists in the form of diligent worship in temples and abiding by the commands of the Queen-Mother, as they are essentially the words of Narava herself. One of the most interesting beliefs of the Naravi is that death is not to be feared or abhored. As a metter of fact, it is to be welcomed! Upon birth, the Mother imbues each and every Naravi with a piece of her essence: nestling her presence within them for as long as they live. When members of the Naravi race die, their essence returns to the Mother. Death is a welcome and joyous part of life, for the Naravi are ecstatic to spend eternity as one with their Mother.

The Naravi also believe in giving back to the Mother out of gratitude for all she has done for them. The most common practice, which had been exercised since shortly after their creation until the coronation of Queen Rhosyn, is The Sacrifice. Once a year, when the planet's three moons are simultaneously visible in the evening sky, a ceremony occurs. One of the best and most pious of the Temple Maidens are laid upon an alter of stone and sacrificed to the Mother. Since the Temple Maidens are the absolute best the Naravi have to offer, they show no hesitation in giving one of the best among them back to the Mother annually. However, following the marriage of Queen Rhosyn to King Cyrus, the opinion the Ve'lik held regarding the practice prompted a special prayer to Narava on the part of the Queen. The outworlders saw the practice as barbaric and even Cyrus, who had spent many years among the Naravi, was disgusted with its use. It was with the Mother's blessing that Rhosyn converted the Sacrifice into a celebration in honor of Narava.

As aforementioned, the Naravi deeply and passionately adore their Mother. She is their creator, caretaker, and patron deity whom they worship and serve faithfully. Within every city, both Ve'lik and Naravi, there is a temple dedicated to the Goddess. These structures are always breathtaking examples of architecture, as the Naravi always do their absolute best when it comes to honoring Narava. Typically, the temples are characterized by statues, paintings, carvings, and other works of art that are masterfully crafted and depict the Mother.

All temples are staffed and maintained by an order of esteemed women called The Temple Maidens. They are collection of pious, virgin women whom dedicate their entire lives to the worship and service to the Mother. At the age of twelve, any Naravi female may choose to dedicate themselves as a Maiden during the Festival of the Goddess. Formerly, the Maidens were an order exclusively made up of Naravi women, yet in recent years changes were made to allow the entrance of any outworlder woman with a desire to serve the Mother. As a whole, the duties of the Maidens consist of maintaining the various temples, directing worship services, evangelising the worship of Narava to the outworlders, and rendering healing services abroad. It is for their healing services that the Maidens are highly respected among both races, as they are known to heal anyone in need of care regardless of race. It is also for this reason that the Ve'lik permit and welcome the construction of temples within their cities.

Education, Upbringing, and Everyday Life
Whenever a Naravi household is graced with the presence of its firstborn child, the family will hire a nurse of sorts to aide in its care and to handle the vast majority of its education. This nurse work alongside the newborn's mother and attend to its needs, until roughly the age of five or six. At that point, the nurse will step back and the family will rely upon the local temple as the child's primary source of education. All Naravi are educated at the hands of a Temple Maiden who will walk the child along the paths of learning for approximately a decade. Once this period of education has passed, the child is considered a young adult and is thrown a rather large celebration that involves the vast majority of the surrounding community.

As young adults, all Naravi are free to choose whichever craft captivate their interests; though males are pushed into occupations which make the best of their strength and away from positions of leadership. Furthermore, because the Naravi are a race which ages gracefully and enjoys a longevity which surpasses the norm of other species, a Naravi is never locked down into one occupation permanently. They have the time to traverse from craft to craft until they find the occupation which satisfies their desires. It is typical that the Naravi find their dream occupations after only a short number of years and dedicate their exceptional lifespans to the performance of said craft. It is for this reason that the Naravi are exceptionally gifted in whichever crafts that they choose, not only because they have ample years to dedicate to its practice, but because they can study under literal masters of the craft.

Everyday life among the Naravi is characterized by routine. Shortly after dawn, most Naravi venture to the nearest temple for prayer; though some decide to have this time of worship within the comfort of their own homes. Following this time, the Naravi set about their daily business. The children settle in for their lessons, the nurses prepare to educate, and the adults go about their elected crafts. At the hour of noon, the Naravi break from all that they are doing and return home to share in a meal with their loved ones. It matters not what they Naravi are up to, for they will always deviate from their tasks in order to spend this daily time with their loved ones. Once this meal is complete, the Naravi return once again to their daily tasks, halting once night falls. At this hour, the Naravi engage in the second of their daily worship services before returning home to spend the remainder of their day with the ones they cherish.

The Tale of Creation
The world of Narava is a place where the beauty of nature reigns supreme, yet it was no always so. In the beginning, the world was dark and bleak, appearing as nothing more than a molten sphere cast adrift the vastness of space. Then, one fateful day, Narava appeared. It is unknown as to where She came from or how She came to be. However, She chose that sordid mass of fire and stone as the canvas to paint a masterpiece. She embraced the world and gave it the breath of vitality, introducing a new hue into the black: the vibrant green of life. She worked without ceasing, blessing the world with glistening oceans, vast lands, and vibrant creatures teeming with life. She then plucked a single strand from her fiery hair and planted it within the fertile ground. She nurtured it with love and care, cultivated it with careful attention, and introduced a new species into the world. Born of her own flesh: her children.

It is said that she loved her children so much that it simply would not do to observe them from above. So, at first, she walked among them, allowing them to bask in the glory of their Mother. Yet, her presence was simply too great for her children to handle and her power too awesome. So, she decided to cast away that form and adopt one that would allow her to be close to her children, and all her creations at all times. She forsook a physical form and became the Najra: the perpetual embrace that encompasses the planet to this day. It is the literal essence of Narava. All life stems from it, and upon dying, all life returns to it.

Yet, this was not enough for the Mother. No, she was not satisfied with simply being present among her beloved children. She wanted to be apart of them and so reached out and touched each and every Naravi, leaving a small piece of herself within them. She then did the same with all her creation, leaving small pieces of her essence within the trees, the grasses, and every living thing...and even steeping some of the rocks and waters with her marvelous presence. And, while this sudden surge of majestic essence changed creation from the inside out, the Mother was finally satisfied. Now, she and her children were one and the same: inseparable for all eternity. She and her world were one as well.

In honor of their mother, her children adopted her name as their own, henceforth becoming the Naravi, the children of Narava. And the world, embraced and blessed by the perpetual presence of their beloved Goddess, came to be known by her name as well. For who could distinguish between the mother and all creation.

The First Queen-Mother
At first, all was well, yet Narava soon made the discovery that she could no longer physically communicate with her children.. With ease, she could influence their dreams, but the lack of a physical form prevented her from simply speaking to her children as freely as she once did. Though this fact did not especially bother her in the beginning, she soon found that he children would ignore the guidance in their dreams and do as they pleased. In time, the peace she desired for her children to share was lost to squabbles for power and violence. Narava knew she had to act, lest her beloved children slay one another, so she hatched a rather clever plan.

She listened to the prayers of her people and found the most selfless, kind, and pious among them. This turned out to be a young woman by the name Sylvia. Narava descended quite heavily upon her and filled her dreams with her voice, informing her that she ha been chosen for a very special task. The Mother then transfigured her appearance, giving her the visage of the physical form she had abandoned. The task nearly claimed the life of Sylvia, for Narava had to expose her to quite a phenomenal amount of her power. However, the transformation was a complete success. When Sylvia emerged among her people, they immediate ceased their senseless quarrels and worshipped her as if she were the Mother.

The transformation had done more than simply change Sylvia's transformation, for that matter. Narava had imbued her with so much of her essence that she was able to communicate with her faithful child just as easily as physically speaking. Through this, Narava was able to guide her people through this faithful vessel with great success. As such, Narava declared Sylvia to be Queen among the Naravi and promised that her lineage would forever act as the leaders of her children.

The Fall of Sarenice
Before Ve'lik made his eventual return to see that Narava had departed, Sestra licked her wounds and began to hunt for her old nemesis. She wanted to make the Mother suffer, not only for stealing the one she desired, but for influencing him to fight against her. Though excessively weaker than ever before, Sestra managed to drag herself across the cosmos, following the trail of her adversary. In time, she came upon Narava's new world and descended upon it with discretion. She knew that, in her current state, she could not hope to defeat Narava..so she opted to work from the shadows. She waited quietly, away from the awareness of her adversary, and observed the world her nemesis had wrought. It was truly a place of beauty, of that there was no doubt, but Sestra saw the true nature of Narava's beloved children. Without their Mother physically close by to steer their actions, lust for power for power soon arose to cloud their hearts and minds.

Though Narava counteracted the growing conflicts with the establishment of a royal lineage whom bore her appearance, Sestra was confident that she would be able to destroy the Naravi from the inside out. And so, she began to target the Naravi, sowing the seeds of ambition within their hearts and minds. She made many of them lust for the power to reign supreme over the entire world...a lust her enticing whispers promised to fulfill. Sestra called out to all those she had ensnared ensnared through their dreams and beckoned them to meet her in the northern mountains. Hundreds hearkened to her call and she appeared before them. Though weak, she displayed a shred of her might by conjuring a citadel of the purest black and declared it their new home: Sarenice. This display, coupled with promises of power, was enough to cement the loyalty of those she had manipulated. Immediately, Sestra set about making good on her promises. She reached into her faithful servants and drank from the essence within, replenishing a small portion of the power she had lost with each touch. When she was done, she left a corruption in her wake, one that allowed them to utilize a new, darker power. This was the power she had promised...and she commanded them to use it to bring more of their kinsman before her. They obeyed.

It did not take long for Narava to fully understand the growing emptiness she felt as more and more of her children were corrupte. When she finally discovered Sestra's vile plot, she commanded her Queen-Mother to act. Narava expected an attempt at a peaceful solution out of her dear Sylvia...but what she ordered left the Goddess in awe. Sylvia commanded her subjects to arms and marched on Sarenice, ordering the utter destruction of the black citadel. A battle, long and bloody, erupted that day and raged on until the white snows were painted red. In the end, Sylvia succeeded in putting down Sestra's cult and personally reduced the citadel to ruins. Then, Narava stepped in like never before. She took her bond with the Queen-Mother to a new level and inhabited her body. With a physical form at her disposal, Narava challenged Sestra once and for all and easily decimated the weakened deity. This time, Narava was much more thorough in eradicating her ancient adversary, literally obliterating her physical form into nothing. She was confident that Sestra was destroyed, finally, but she was mistaken...She lingered, now reduced to shreds of essence and began waiting for the opportune time to strike again.

The Advent
Approximately five hundred years prior to the present, a single vessel from another world disrupted the peaceful planet of Navara with its presence. It plummeted through the heavens and smashed into the earth, shaking the foundations of the world. For the peaceful Navari, whom spent their lives ignorant to the existence of other worlds, they now found themselves hosting guests from across the stars. First Contact between Navara's native population and the outworlders was relatively peaceful, though there was an extreme difficulty to communicate due to language difference. Yet, despite this challenge, the Navari welcomed their foreign guests with open arms and did everything in their power to help the stranded, wounded outworlders survive in this harsh, new world.

To say the very least, the outworlders, whom introduced themselves as natives from the distant world Ve'lika, were unlike anything the Navari had ever seen. This was not due to their appearance, as they seemed no different than the Navari at a glance, but it was due to that which accompanied them. Technology, glorious and awe-inspiring, of every sort and size, was at the disposal of the foreigners; things that the Navari had never seen, nor could even fathom in their wildest dreams. However, the Navari instructed their newfound guests in how to survive within Navara, showing them how to take reasonably from nature and differentiating between what was edible and what was hazardous to health.

In the years that followed, the Navari and the Ve'lik developed a peaceful relationship. The Ve'lik came to occupy a single area not far-off from the site of their crash, which blossomed into a settlement of sorts by the name Nebesa. During that time, everything was peaceful...until the Ve'lik shocked the Navari with their destructive habits. With "protection" and "restoration" being their reasons, the Ve'lik began to ravage their island home. They burrowed deep within the earth and robbed Navara of her unseen jewels and metals. They massacred the native wildlife, cleared and razed the forests, and even began to pollute the adjacent seas with chemical bile. The Ve'lik claimed that this was all necessary in order to construct better technology that would aide in their survival, yet the Navari would not stand to see their beloved world defiled. They issued the Ve'lik a single warning to cease and desist...and their words fell upon deaf ears.

The Battle of Nebesa
When the Ve'lik refused to cease their destructive behaviors, the Neravi responded in a manner they had never before. They launched an all-out assault upon Nebesa. Though they were initially repelled by the awe-inspiring technology at the disposal of their adversaries, they ultimately succeeded in triumphing over the Ve'lik and nearly decimating them. However, their Queen-Mother ordered that they stay their blades from eradicating the Ve'lik once and for all. She took it upon herself to enforce the belief that they all shared: the all life, even the lives of the Ve'lik whom dared defile their lands, was sacred.

As such, she devised a simple plan that would prove the Ve'lik an opportunity to redeem themselves after quite some time had passed. She weaved a terrifyingly powerful magick that literally lifted the island upon which Nebesa was situated and suspended it within the heavens. Her plan was that she would leave the Ve'lik to live upon the floating island until their current leadership died off, at which point she would give them the opportunity to have peace once more. However, the leadership that would arise to replace that which currently led the Ve'lik would only prove to be much much worse.

The Massacre of Roseus
After many years of silence upon the floating island, the Ve'lik were seen moving about to the mainland. To those whom witnessed this and reported back to the Queen-Mother, it seemed as though they were simply exploring the world and were making no attempts to instigate violence. This came as a welcome surprise to the Queen-Mother and she was only a breath away from meeting with the Ve'lik in order to bid for peace once more. However, she never got the opportunity. As it turned out, the Ve'lik were doing more than simply exploring the mainland, they were diligently seeking a means to counteract the magick that had contributed in their near annihilation many years prior...and they had succeeded in doing so. Out of nowhere, the Ve'lik descended from Nebesa like a blight from above and laid waste to the city of Roseus.

The attack sent ripples of outrage through the Naravi, for never before had one of their esteemed cities been reduced to ruin before. All out war was initiated from that point forward and the Ve'lik fought back at six locations across the mainland. Despite the best efforts of the Naravi to avenge their fallen capital, they could not triumph over the Vitrecite that was being utilized to nullify their magickal force. As the war waged on, the Ve'lik were successful time and time again at repelling their advances. This went on for enough time that the Ve'lik were able to heavily fortify their positions into fortresses of sorts and move the entirety of their population to the mainland. Thus were the Seven Cities born, much to the chagrin of the Naravi.

The conflict continued on for several years into the future, until the leader of the Ve'lik passed away. Surprisingly, his successor approached the Naravi with a bid for peace and a request that they be permitted to retain the land they had earned through the war and be able to use it as they saw fit. Though even requesting such a thing outraged many of the Naravi, the Queen-Mother allowed it so that her people may know peace once again. A shaky era of peace followed this agreement, one populated by spontaneous acts of random violence.

The Era of Turbulence
Even though there was an official peace between the Ve'lik and the Naravi, meaning that open war had not been declared as of that point, many minor conflicts erupted over the years. Some were simply skirmishes that were fought when the races looked at one another the wrong way, others were sieges and military offenses that never lasted more than a few days. However, as time moved ever forward, the number and intensity of these events began to increase drastically until it seemed as though another war was only a stone's throw away.

The Year of the Exiled Queen
During the turbulent era, the reigning Queen-Mother, a Naravi by the name of Dahlia, was the proud mother of two beautiful daughters: Willow and Iris. Willow was a cunning Naravi whom held nothing but malice for the Ve'lik in her heart and a lust for power; a lust so strong that she delved into the darker arts of magick in order to aide in her quest to attain power. Iris was a direct contrast to her sister and was a kind, loving woman characterized by a strong curiosity and a burning desire for peace in her heart. As Dahlia's life drew ever closer to its close, she embarked on her period of prayer and meditation in order to ascertain which of her two daughters would be her successor. The Goddess instructed her that Iris was to be the next Queen-Mother, as the desire for peace within her would halt the brewing war between the two races.

When Dahlia returned, she confided in her consort, whom also acted as her adviser, the identity of the next Queen-Mother prior to her making a public announcement. However, Dahlia never got the opportunity to do so, as Willow bewitched her mind in order to make her publicly proclaim that she was the rightful heir instead. Furthermore, she seduced her mother's consort in order to keep him silent about the true heiress when she discovered that he knew of the truth.

Upon the passing of Dahlia, Willow ascended to the throne with all power in her hands. Her first order of business was organizing the Naravi for the war to end all wars. Furthermore, in order to cover her tracks, she went ahead and had her mother's consort assassinated for good measure; as she had no intention of continuing her seduction when she could simply tie up the loose end with relative ease. However, her cunning and wickedness would prove to be her undoing. The consort, knowing just how vile Willow was capable of being, took it upon himself to record the entire truth in his personal journals. Upon his death, his family went through his personal effects and discovered the journals.

Immediately, Willow was stripped of her throne and exiled to the frozen ruins of Sarenice, the supposed birthplace of dark magick. She was spared execution simply because royal blood flowed through her veins. Iris took the throne immediately thereafter and set about building the foundations for peace alongside the reigning leader of the Ve'lik.

The Roserian Concordat
The peace talks between Iris and Cyrus culminated in two agreements that would forever alter the world. The first of which was the ingenius notion to send their respective heirs to each other's realms. In this way, Cyrus' heir would gain a greater understanding and appreciation for the Naravi, just as Iris' heir would gain the same understanding and appreciation for the Ve'lik. The second idea, which occurred several years later, was the arranged marriage of their respective heirs and the unification of the Seven Cities and the Naravi realm into a single, unified entity: The Kingdom of Roseria. This new realm would be ruled by their heirs and a new era of peace and prosperity for all would be ushered in.

Present-Day
The vision of the Roserian Concordat has been realized, as Queen-Mother Rhosyn and King Cyrus have been wed for a decade and now rule the unified Kingdom of Roseria together as equals. Relations between the two races has never been better, though there are some dissenters on both sides.