Nuum

The Nuum are the people that dwell in the arid desert country of the same name in central Arad. Descendants of Nu, the woman who discovered the City of the Gods and sought to share their secrets to those that would join her there, the Nuum have a cultural fixation on the occult, with a particular focus on arcana. Eventually forming an empire of five major cities built around large artifacts created by the old gods, Nu and the City of the Gods one day vanished completely and have been impossible to locate since. Many believe Nu achieved her own godhood, and she and her city ascended into a higher realm. This served only to increase the Nuum's obsession with occult knowledge as the leaders of the remaining major cities seek their own ascension.

In appearance the Nuum tend to be tall, lithe, and dark-skinned, with black hair and large eyes. Most notably, many Nuum have eye colors that are often described as "crystalline" and in uncommon colors such as amethyst-purple. Often considered the most beautiful people in the known world, many speculate that Nu used the knowledge and powers of the gods to refine her own appearance and give her skin a resistance to the rays of the blazing desert sun, and shared these blessings with those who joined her in the City of the Gods to be passed down through the generations. Pride in the beauty of their bodies combined with an apparent immunity to the desert sun is likely why Nuumic fashion is minimal in clothing coverage and often makes use of sheer fabrics.

Societal Structure

Nuumic society is split into the following tiers:

• Ruling Class - Rulers and various higher administrative officers.
• Upper Class - Lower administrative officers, as well as those highly favored by the ruling class, or retired/released from ruling duties with their standing and reputation still intact.
• Middle Class - Those showing exceptional promise or ambition who have been elevated by someone in the upper classes. Individuals with a talent for the occult will often find themselves in this class and are allowed to legally practice the occult in service to their superiors, their city, and the Empire.
• Lower Class - The common people of Nuum, they have few rights and handle virtually all of the non-leadership mundane tasks and roles of society.
• Slave Class - Individuals with no rights at all, owned either by an individual or by their City.

The Upper Class consists of:

• Annu - Ruler of all Nuumic peoples and territories, whose word is law. Rarely actually seen or interacted with by the people. A hereditary title so long as receiving heirs are of sufficiently extraordinary occult prowess; otherwise, a contest of occult ability is hosted to determine the new Annu. (Plural: Annui)
• Alamaar - Rulers of individual cities. All answer to Annu, but are otherwise free to rule their cities as they see fit. Always a Khenet (see below).
• Eneru - Top officers of the Alamaar, serving as advisors, administrators, justice officials, etc.
• Khenet - Individuals gifted in occult arts, considered potentially viable candidates to become Alamaar, or even Annu should any Annu fail to exhibit sufficient occult prowess.

With the exception of Annu, the upper ruling classes of Nuum are not hereditary, but chosen by their superiors. When a leader changes, they are free to retain or replace any or all officers below them at any time. Dismissed officers will still retain their status as part of the upper class unless their superior specifically chooses to reduce their class status to the middle, lower, or slave class.

Leading and uniting all people of Nuum is Annu. Annu has ultimate power over their people and their word is considered incontestable truth and law. Should Annu say something contrary to what has been said or written before, then Annu has spoken the new truth. Should Annu say something that is contrary to history, then history shall be rewritten. This immense power comes with significant risks and responsibilities, and so the Annui of Nuum have been known to write or speak very infrequently and only with extreme care. The Mouth of Annu is a prestigious position held by one who speaks on behalf of Annu outside prepared speeches and writings. The Mouth is fallible, however - if Annu endorses what the Mouth has said, Annu will nod. If Annu deems what the Mouth has said to be wrong, Annu will respond with a shake of the head. In the latter case, the Mouth will be immediately demoted to the slave class and put to the worst tasks society has to offer. So it is that even the Mouth of Annu is often slow and ponderous to respond, wanting to be certain they are speaking accurately on Annu's behalf.

In truth, Annu and even the Mouth of Annu are very seldom seen by the Nuumic people, even in the city in which Annu resides (currently Nuravar). In addition to administrative duties, Annu also seeks greater understanding and mastery of the occult in order to seek true ascendance after the example of Nu. Thus the Cities of Nuum are led primarily by their local rulers, the Alamaar.

Religion

In ancient times, Nu heeded the call of the gods, and from them she unlocked the secrets of the occult. In time she was able to exceed even the knowledge of the gods themselves, and ascended to a higher state of being. From this the Nuumic people learned that the gods were not in fact the pinnacle of power or knowledge, but rather teachers to set mortals on the path to ascendance. The rulers of Nuum have long since exhausted the knowledge of the old gods and have now turned to seeking higher knowledge through their own research and experimentation, allowing the old gods to finally rest as they have achieved their purpose and fulfilled their duties.

The "old gods" include not only those commonly-known Immortals who are also prominent in many other cultures, but countless other gods that other cultures never came to meet or know. Many of these gods had extremely niche spheres of influence, some being specific even to particular locations: The god of rain in one city would be different from the god of rain in another.

One of the few old gods to retain any particular acknowledgment in Nuumic culture is Naia the River Goddess, given continued respect for the life-giving waters of the great Serpent River that runs through Nuum and provides some habitable land in the arid desert realm outside the Great Cities.

There is also some scattered respect for Iarel the Serpent Queen, many believing her to have been the god to originally reach out to Nu and begin teaching her the secrets of occult arcana. To speak openly of Iarel is dangerous, however: those who now rule Nuum forbid speaking of the Serpent Queen, as her time is long past and the people of Nuum should allow her to rest while they go to the Nuumic leaders for the greater knowledge that has been attained since the ancient times of the old gods.

Population

There are various towns and settlements scattered throughout the rare hospitable locations to be found in the arid deserts of Nuum, mostly along the Great Serpent River, but the majority of Nuumic citizens live within, or at least near to, the four primary Great Cities. Each of these Great Cities is built around a large central pyramidal structure, built long ago by the old gods. Strictly off-limits to the general public, these pyramids serve multiple functions, including city administration offices, high-security storehouses for the city's riches and other valuable resources, places of occult learning and research, and tombs for prominent individuals. Additionally, each city's structure has its own unique effect on the surrounding environment.

The Great Cities

Nuravar, "The Tower Uniting Earth and Sky"

Home of the current Annu of Nuum is the sprawling city of Nuravar, largest of the Nuumic Great Cities. Setting apart the pyramid of Nuravar is its tall tower rising from its apex to extend higher into the sky than any other known artificial structure. Many a Nuumic leader seeking their ascension have made their way to the top of the Tower of Nuravar, as well as those who would seek knowledge and guidance among the stars. It is said that arcane rituals performed at the top of the tower are able to achieve incredible feats, from controlling the weather to blotting out the sun - though the latter has only been mentioned in records and never experienced in modern times.

Of all the Great Cities, Nuravar is the one to display the greatest use of arcana in daily life. City lighting, waste disposal, security monitoring, temperature control in the richer private homes and public facilities, arts and entertainment, peacekeeping and law enforcement; the powers of occult arcana are utilized daily for all these things, and what would be rare and wondrous to other cultures is considered normal to the citizens of this truly blessed city. Of course, while the general public benefits from these things, it is only the privileged few licensed individuals who are able to actually implement and maintain these arcane workings. Occult arcana is far too dangerous to be trusted to just anyone.

Iuunet, "Valley In Which The Stones Call Down The Rain"

Within a long, smooth-walled valley is not only the city's central pyramid but many tall weathered natural stone pillars and long narrow plateaus. The legends state that these stones were placed in ancient times by the gods to continually call down the frequent mists and rains that keep the city of Iuunet in a near-constant state of precipitation - certainly a wonder in the otherwise-arid desert of Nuum. Growing of food is primarily done beneath special rain shelters (a primary food source being a grain known as "Nuumic Rice" elsewhere) and within special facilities of the city's central pyramid.

Qetennu, "The Garden Which Draws Upon the Dreams of All Creation"

The city of Qetennu is within a deep depression in the earth surrounded by sheer cliffs. The pyramid of Qetennu is of a stepped design, each of its tiers decorated with beautiful botanical gardens and waterfalls pouring down each of its four sides from the pyramid's apex. The water is said to be drawn up from vast underground reserves deep beneath the earth. Qetennu is known for the exceptional fertility of its land even in comparison to the other Great Cities, and produces vast amounts of food crops at an incredible rate as well as various rare and exotic herbs to be used in anything from cooking to medicine to occult rituals - one particularly potent type of chalk to be used in arcane diagrams is known to contain many such rare herbs.

Uluum, "The Sunken City"

Uluum is known as "The Sunken City" as it is housed almost entirely underground - only a small portion of its pyramid peeks up above ground level, where powerful winds frequently tear across the landscape and stir up vast and deadly sandstorms. These fierce winds and sandstorms have been a phenomenon since ancient times, which is why the original settlers in the expedition to discover the Uluum pyramid decided to settle within the pyramid itself. This sets the Uluum pyramid apart from the others in that the public are able to traverse its interior regularly, though the areas they are able to access are strictly limited, and mostly used for passage between various connected tunnels and caverns found beyond the pyramid's artificial structure below ground level. Uluum is easily the least-populated of the Great Cities, but those who live there take pride in how they have adapted to life primarily underground, including the cultivation of various strange underground plants and fungi which serve to feed the city's inhabitants.

Occult Arts

While Nuumic society is certainly one of occult wonders, it yet remains reliant upon all the mundanity required for a society to function. The reality is that the majority of Nuumic citizens have little to no occult ability, nor understanding of occult arcana. The knowledge and power of such things is held primarily by the upper classes who do all they can to keep this knowledge and power out of the hands of their lessers.

A middle class does exist that is made up of those who have shown signs of occult talent or affinity and are allowed a level of arcane teaching through the usage of occult diagrams and similar controlled methods. These individuals are allowed to legally practice - with significant rules and oversight - in order to serve primarily in three ways:

• The first and largest such group is essentially a force of occult maintenance workers. They manage the daily busywork required to maintain what occult-based infrastructure exists in the Nuumic cities, and other day-to-day matters involving the occult. While some might see this as essentially amounting to boring gruntwork, these arcane service workers do enjoy a considerable amount of prestige and can afford to live quite comfortably.

• The second such group serve as specialists in military or law enforcement positions, using occult methods of combat, surveillance, espionage and such.

• The third and smallest group essentially serve as occult entertainment, putting on shows and events which can go far in keeping the lower classes entertained and content.

History

The oldest tales of Nuum speak of an eastern nomadic tribe which produced a madwoman by the name of Nu. Nu constantly spoke of hearing voices that others could not. She would enter strange trances in which she babbled and gibbered incomprehensibly. Considered a burden on her people, there was little effort to stop her the night she ran off into the barren wastes of the great nearby desert to seek the speakers she constantly heard in her mind. Only one followed her: a young man whose heart she had won despite her apparent madness.

Months passed, and Nu and her diligent suitor were considered long dead, claimed by the unforgiving desert like so many others. So it was that her tribe was surprised to see Nu's suitor return and find them, and what was more, he was able to perform incredible occult feats that had never been heard of before. It took little effort for him to convince many others to follow him back out across the desert and to the paradisiacal City of the Gods that his beloved Nu had discovered, she being the only one able to hear - and willing to follow - the beckoning of the gods. There, the blessings and knowledge of the gods would be shared, and mortals would be empowered and enlightened. Many made the journey and the City of the Gods swiftly swelled with a happy and enlightened population. The gods themselves could only be communed with by a select few, but their power and their blessings were clear and evident, blessing the surrounding land and its people to be a fertile and comfortable paradise in the otherwise-inhospitable desert. Rich and fertile soil, lights that required no fuel, moderated temperature, and even control over the weather were among the countless blessings of the gods. Nu spent much time in the massive pyramid at the center of the city wherein the gods dwelt, and would often emerge with new occult knowledge to share.

There came a day when Nu revealed that there were other sites out in the desert in which other gods dwelt, waiting for mortals to discover them and heed their teachings to increase their understanding of the occult. Four expeditions were sent out to such sites, each led by one of Nu's most trusted students with whom she shared the deepest secrets of the gods. Sure enough, at each site was discovered another massive pyramidal structure like that in the City of the Gods. Settlements began to rise around these other blessed sites that made the land surrounding them comfortable and hospitable.

As time went on, it became apparent that Nu was not aging - a clear sign of her progress along the path to ascendance and immortality. The Empire of Nuum, named after Nu, was flourishing thanks to its fives cities sat upon gods-blessed sites and the occult knowledge its leaders were able to learn from the gods. Then there came a day when the City of the Gods simply seemed to vanish: Where it once stood were only the barren windswept dunes of the desert, with not even the slightest remnant or ruin to be found. Nu had not only learned all that the gods could teach, but had exceeded their knowledge and achieved true ascendance, taking her city and its people with her into a higher realm of existence.

Trivia

• Beauty, intelligence, cleverness, and ambition are characteristics highly valued by Nuumic society.

• It's often said that there's no such thing as a beautiful slave in Nuum, because the beautiful individuals will always be taken in by someone in the upper class willing to work on salvaging their role in society somehow. It is not uncommon to hear about pretty faces manipulating their way through society despite their obvious and glaring flaws otherwise.

• Many times when those of the lower class are required to be in the presence of those of the upper class, the former will be required to wear masks to hide their ugliness. This is often done despite their actual physical appearance, making it likely to be a practice to help the upper classes to feel superior.

• Related to the above, one will occasionally see some members of the upper class wearing beautiful, ornate masks themselves. While any of the upper class are free to do this, the rumor is that this is only really done by those of the upper class who are too talented or powerful to be shunned by their peers, but have ugly (by Nuumic standards, at least) faces.

• The Nuum are overall quite caught up on physical beauty. Rumors abound that the famed extraordinary physical attractiveness of the Nuum as a people is the result of some kind of occult tinkering, often attributed to work by Nu or her greatest students started all the way back at the time of Nuum's founding. This is often the explanation given for the unique eye colors that the Nuum exhibit, in particular. (Not that the Nuumic standard of beauty is universal - the Giganti, Faewyr, and Hillfolk in particularly likely find the Nuum a bit too willowy and frail compared to their own cultural preference for having more meat on the bones.)

• Some characteristics the Nuum might shun could be an excess of kindness, tenderness, or compassion, often being seen as signs of weakness by the Nuum. Not to say that all Nuum are cold and unforgiving - there's just that extreme cultural pride and even haughtiness that comes into play.

• Those of particularly burly or muscular statue are often assumed to be of lesser intelligence, and ideal for manual labor (or perhaps a product of it) that is a sign of the lower class. As such, being an individual of particularly impressive physical stature can actually a hindrance when it comes to social status. A common way for such individuals to try and maintain some respect is to join the military, law enforcement, or a sports team. This isn't to say the Nuum shun a well-toned body, however; They're very appreciative of the lean athletic look. It's just things like the big broad shoulders, barrel chests, and rippling muscles that could spell social disaster.

• While Nuum holds no coastal territory, there are reports of sea-vessels of a clearly Nuumic design aesthetic to be found upon the sea. They never seem willing to communicate with other vessels, and are rumored to unleash a barrage of occult attacks upon any vessels that remain near for too long. What they might be up to is an oft-discussed mystery by mariners, though there are reports that they have at times been seen helping to enforce the Quarantine of the Lost Lands.