Navyan People
The Navyan people are descendants of the Navya Tribes that settled between the Saramona Desert to the north and the Cordoba Desert to the south. They were and still are considered some of the most skilled swordspeople on Aralun.
People of Navyan descent are usually identified by their warmer skin tones, black hair and darker eyes, all a by-pass of generations spent in the bright lights of the central deserts and savannah of Ankara. These areas are still where the greatest concentration of this ethnicity can be found though they have always been welcome within the empire and have assimilated to the point that Navyans are found throughout imperial territory and in many lands that were part of the Ankaran Empire until recently.
Navyan have not retained a separate language but they have managed to preserve a somewhat separate cultural identity nevertheless. Where Ankara as a whole is a rather patriarchal society, Navyan culture remains associated with meritocracy, with the highly visible exception of House Riboreti, who has led the Silkkeep Province for over 2000 years. Anyone with the wherewithal to prove their skills can move up the ladder and gain the rank of master and the higher station that comes with the title. Gender plays no part in this and women are regarded in the same way as men. Navyan remains one the few sub-cultures within Ankara where parents will automatically discuss which one will become the primary carer of any offspring their might have.
Navyan etiquette dictates that all people should wear insignia of rank on their person at all times. Formal situations require a person of lower rank should greet a higher ranking person by kneeling in front of them. If the status difference is slight, it is only kneeling on one knee. If the status difference is great, the lesser person must prostrate themselves. In informal situations, a simple nodding of the head is acceptable. The exception to this is when the serving of food is involved. Social status is basically ignored at any meal, formal or informal.
Related Locations
Comments