Name: Nar World: The Web Common Species: Nar, Root Walkers Summary: The remnants of the civilization which once lived on Qu'ulsis Description: The Nar are charcoal skinned with white and silver hair. They range in height from five to six feet, and typically are fine-boned and lithe, holding an ethereal beauty. They were the Father's first created people, much like the Elves were the Mother's first created people. The common assumption is that they are the evil counterparts to the elves. While the Elves do nothing to discredit this assumption, in reality they are simply from a different origin (the Father's worlds, instead of the Mother's). Nar have a similar lifespan to the Elves, living to be up to 150 years old. Several years after the destruction of Qu'ulsis, Celestial histories record that the Nar were again sighted, living among the ruins of their world and scrabbling out an existence on some of the larger fragments. Calling themselves the Children of Qu'ulsis or the Survivors, and calling the ruins of their home The Web, they re-declared eternal enmity toward the Celestials, and swore to see them destroyed. More frightening, however, were the rumors of marauding kill-crazed Nar called the Echo--discarding any semblance of society and order, the Echo are believed to have become insane after the destruction of their world. Rules for playing Nar can be found in the Nar Species Apochrypha. Some reference artwork for the Nar (click on artwork for original artist information): by Sinto-risky The Survivors / Children of Qu'ulsis Many people claim the Nar live under ground, hiding in caves and grottoes from the Mother Sun. This could not be farther from the truth. The Survivors have large cities, even after the destruction of their world, Qu'ulsis, in an apocalyptic attack by the Celestials. The Survivors buildings tend to be fairly baroque in style, large, airy and designed to bring white light throughout the structure. They are ornately gilded with silver and other white metals (rarely yellow metals). Heavy semiology and iconography can be found in all Survivor Nar structures, laced as religious symbols in decorations and design as well as scenes depicting important aspects of their religious history. Survivor settlements are many and varied within the Web. Some live in ruined cities being rebuilt on chunks of rock barely large enough to contain the buildings, while some live on larger pieces capable of crop cultivation. The Nar Survivor city-state of Zamolxis consists of a number of very large rocks, over 100 miles across, chained and bridged together in an intricate webwork, the center of which is occupied by the high temple of Qu'ulsis (an ancient structure which survived the cataclysm and has been reclaimed by the Survivor faithful). History Qu'ulsis is the mother of all the Nar. She was the first Nar created by the Father, and remains as the greatest power in the Nar pantheon. She often is iconified as a spider, representing the "nest builder" and protector of the Nar. There are other Demi-gods in the Nar pantheon, known as the Immortals, but they are all subservient to Qu'ulsis. The original Nar home world was consumed by the Father Sun, in a fit of rage. Qu'ulsis, the mother of the Nar, saw the coming destruction and, as the stories tell it, she cast a tenebrous web across the void where it landed on the mostly vacant home of the Root Walkers, circling the Hearth. Then, while the Father Sun was boiling on the verge of apocalypse, she ferried her people from their doomed home world circling the Hollow across the great void to their new home. As the Father Sun went dark and consumed all of his worlds, the Nar home world included, Qu'ulsis was still bridging worlds to the very end and lost one of her eight legs in the process. This is why her symbol only shows seven legs, or more commonly is an eight pointed star with the southern-most point missing. Unfortunately for the Root Walkers and their home world around the Hearth, the Celestial Elves also had designs to colonize. They had previously claimed the entire Root Walker world as a territory of the Celestial Empire. When the refugee Nar refused to bow to the Celestial Empire, a war began between the people which has been raging ever since. A thousand years in the past, the Celestial Empire blockaded the world of Qu'ulsis and, with methods unknown, destroyed it, leaving what is now called the Web. Only a fragment of the Nar population survived the devastation, but they have reestablished much of their power in the intervening years. Beliefs and Society The Nar firmly believe in a very grounded sense of right, wrong and justice; having never been given quarter or mercy, they see no need to offer them to anyone else. They believe that if slighted, it is acceptable to take revenge, and to them the ends often do justify the means. While many take this as lack of compassion, they believe this is simply how one should behave. Do not offend a Nar, it may be the last thing you do. Since their society was shattered a second time by the destruction of their world and perhaps because their race once came so close to extinction, children receive great reverence and protection by the Nar. Their society has formed into small family-groups called Septs. Each Sept is a communal arrangement geared towards producing as many offspring as possible to help regenerate their floundering race. This is a difficult task as Nar, like Elves, have a slower fertility cycle. Nar do not have monogamous relationships for the purpose of procreation. When a female Nar is fertile, she may arrange with any male of the Sept (and sometimes several) to attempt conception. The Sept then raises all children together; many children don't even know who their father or mother are, thus the habit within Nar society of referring to each other as "cousin", no matter how distantly related (if at all). Only the elderly are given the revered titles of "mother" and "father", as these are also the ones who provide much of the rearing within the Sept. Septs are grouped within a Clan. Most Septs expect children to leave when they come of age, and this produces a constantly revolving population of Septless Nar who have not been inducted into a family group. In such a case, the Nar retains his or her Clan affiliation. Should the Nar accept an invitation to join a new sept, he or she also changes Clan affiliation, though generally Nar born within a given Clan join Septs within that Clan. Nar society does not consider males or females more superior than the other--all are working towards the common goal of preserving their race. Nar do revere their ancestors as well as the elderly, placing them in positions of leadership. Within a Sept it is the most elderly Mother or Father of sound mind who is given common decision making duties. The Revered Mother or Revered Father (as the case may be) takes on the duties as religious leader as well as leader of the sept. It is the Revered Mother or Father who tells the children when they must leave the sept, and who interacts on behalf of the Sept in Clan councils. The Nar are very religiously grounded. Semiology and Iconography from their religion is throughout their buildings and clothing. All Nar wear the star of Qu'ulsis, the eight pointed star missing one point. This same star can be found designed within filigree and knot work for all of their artistic designs. Furthermore, while they do not refer to him by name, Father Sun is their creator, and while he has fallen they still revere his original incarnation as creator. This can be somewhat disturbing to those of the Hearth worlds, and is oft misconstrued as worshipping the Hollow, which is anything but the truth. Because of this misconception, however, the Nar generally keep this aspect of their religion a secret. There are some religious behaviours of the Nar that they must adhere to each day. The Nar week is seven days long. They are not permitted to eat meat on the first day, and they are not permitted to eat cultivated foods on the fifth day. They are constantly considering numerology, seeking significance or auspice in all unique number combinations. They perform a ritual prayer each day at noon to revere Qu'ulsis and her Immortals, and if they are staying within a creature-made structure, the men must sleep on the north end, and the females must sleep on the south end, in different rooms when possible. Governance The Nar have a very rigid and structured society. Each sept has a Revered Mother or Father. Septs range in size from 10 to 40 individuals, but are never larger than 49 individuals. If a child will be born making a Sept larger than 49 and no children are of age to leave, one of the current Sept members are asked to leave the Sept before the birth. It is common practice for the Revered Elder to keep the Sept's gender ratio even when making such a selection, but this practice has been used in the past to remove divisive elements from within the Sept regardless of gender. The Revered Mother or Father of each sept in a clan meet seven times a year at a Clan Council. Each of the seven councils meetings has a name and is followed by a festival by the same name. There is a High Revered Mother or Father that speaks on behalf of the entire clan, at the Clan Synod held in Zamolxis once a year in the week following the Seventh Clan Council. It is at the Synod that the High Revered Clan leaders commune with Qu'ulsis and her Immortals, receiving direction and guidance for the following year. Interactions The Children of Qu'ulsis are judiciously fair in all things. They believe to their core in the concept of an eye for an eye, they absolutely want to see all scores settled, regardless of what the score is related to. People of the other worlds don't universally hate Nar--they are just generally perceived as very very different. One as part of a group of non-Nar can be vouched for by his companions and is not a concern. A single group of Nar, however, will be carefully watched by the locals. All Nar children are taught from the cradle that the Celestial Elves are the ultimate evil, and must be destroyed to avenge the wrongs perpetrated on the Children of Qu'ulsis. Nar oaths of vengeance are legendary. This does not extend to the Jade Crown or allies of the Celestial Empire. There are rumors that the Children of Qu'ulsis have made deals with the Chithrau. However, what the deals would be for, or if it is even true, have yet to be established. The Survivors consider the Echo as dead to Qu'ulsis. If somebody is taken by the Echo a funeral is held, as even if they are not dead, they have been assimilated into the Echo and will not return. There are two Septs on Ra'niah as Embassies. One is in Sai, and one is in Telma. The Embassy in Telma pre-dates the destruction of Qu'ulsis by the Celestial Empire. Builders Notes Nar, Naren and Narish.