Nyota

"I tell ya, I've been to a lot of places, but the first time I saw the Bularys skyline lit up at night, casting that golden glow over the dunes. Hoo boy, damn near took my breath away. Shows you why people say Nyota is as close as you can get to paradise on Iora."
Finn MacCaul, Traveling Merchant

Looking at the barren dunes and sparse vegetation of northwestern Uleon you could be forgiven for thinking the area is nothing but a wasteland. If you look near the coast however, where the Kawkaba rivers meets the Sinae Ocean, you'll find a cluster of massive gleaming cities populated by some of the world's best and brightest. This is the country of Nyota, one of the most scientifically and magically advanced nations on Iora.

Demography and Population

The vast majority of Nyota's 15.3 million inhabitants reside in its few major urban centers, mostly located along the coast near the Kawkaba river deltas. The few who differ from this norm tend to live along the borders of Akhi and Ulua in the relatively verdant foothills of the Akhi's Horns. As of 72 ARF, the population of Nyota is on the rise, though it's growth rate is less than many other nations.

Technological Level

Of all the nations on Iora, Nyota is perhaps the most technologically advanced. This statement does come with the caveat that it is difficult to separate magic from technology in Nyota, and much Nyotan technology is difficult if not impossible to operate without a working knowledge of The Aether. This reliance on The Aether means that there are few who work with Nyotan technology outside of Nyota proper, and it places a significant disadvantage on those who would rather just stay away from the dangers of The Aether altogether.

Magical Level

Nyota is one of the most magically advanced societies on Iora. The vast majority of Nyota's population is proficient in basic spellcasting, and things like small scale telekinesis, low-volume energy transference, and basic conjuration are taught in primary schools around the country. Additionally, most citizens know a few more advanced spells that they use in their day to day work lives. Nyota also plays host to some of the largest and most prestigious arcane universities in the known world, where the boundaries of what is possible with The Aether are constantly being tested.

Culture

by MidjourneyAI

Taelim Shahr

To promote self improvement among the citizens of Nyota, the government offers a special program called a Taelim Shahr. For one to two months a year, Nyotan citizens take a break from their work lives to learn about a subject that interests them, often returning to a university or taking on an apprenticeship. These can range from learning advanced spellcasting techniques to art to practical trade skills like plumbing or electrical engineering. Unfortunately, competition for slots in more popular courses is fierce, and many find themselves getting what they would consider to be sub-par educations.
Some less ambitious citizens will choose to use their Taelim Shahrs to take a break from work, though people who take advantage of the program this way are often scorned by society.

A Culture of Night Owls

Because of the extreme heat of the Thulanthi deserts, the citizens of Nyota tend to operate more at night than they do during the day. This has shifted somewhat in the modern era as more and more buildings are constructed with air conditioning, but it is still relatively common for a citizen of Nyota to wake up as the sun goes down and go to sleep as it rises again.

Religion and Philosophy

Since the revolution against their false God Kings in year 107 of The Age of Verdance (AV), Nyota has not had an official state religion. Some in the southern parts of the country adhere to religions commonly worshiped in Akhi, but these are not sanctioned or supported by the Nyotan government.
While they do not specifically follow any religions, they do adhere to a philosophy that promotes constant self improvement, leading to a culture of high competition between peers. Often times, those who choose to ignore this philosophy are looked down on and thought of as lazy or unworthy.

Food

Given how difficult it is to raise animals in the arid climate of Nyota, a lot of Nyotan food is either vegetarian or vegan. Legumes, vegetables, and grains like barley and rice are common in Nyotan dishes. Meat is reserved for special occasions or for particularly high class members of their society, and tends to be served in small portions. Fish is slightly more common than other types of meat, and tuna, shrimp, tilapia, and yellowtail are often a featured players in fast food. Common spices include cumin, coriander, chili, and cardamom, though Nyota's central location allows them access to most of the world's available spices. Desserts are generally fruit based, and often feature dates, honey, and/or nuts.
Black tea, green tea, and water are most commonly served with Nyotan food. Date wine is the most common alcoholic drink in the nation, though alcohol is mostly reserved for dinner parties or other high class events, and finding a bar that serves alcohol in Nyota is a bit of a challenge.
Most Nyotan food is grown in its major urban centers in large, sky-scraping greenhouses. These structures use systems of mirrors and electrical lights to funnel sunlight to the plants in the buildings while water is brought in through the rivers and sent up to the higher floors. There are some smaller, more traditional farms at the border of Akhi, but it is difficult for farmers from those areas to get their products to the coastal Nyotan cities.

Fashion

Nyotan fashion tends towards efficiency and simplicity, with the exception that luminous fabrics are often used in the linings of garments or as small accents on the outsides. Because the deserts can get relatively cold at night, jackets, scarves, and cloaks made from thick artificial material are common features of Nyotan clothing. Nyotan clothing is also not gendered in any way, and suits, dresses, and skirts are common for both men, women, and non-binary individuals. Simple jewelry such as chokers, chains, and ropes are also often seen, and sport pendants made from silver, crystal, or pearl.

Art

Despite being a very scientifically minded people, Nyotans do not neglect art when educating their population. Sculpture, installation, and pottery are common art practices in Nyota, and aesthetically feature a lot of simple geometric or abstract shapes accented with bright metals or enchanted components. Nyotans are also somewhat unique in their use of The Aether in art, and illusion magic is a common feature of contemporary Nyotan art installations and performance art.

Architecture

Nyotan architecture, much like its fashion, tends towards efficiency rather than ostentatiousness. Their buildings are typically made from simple geometric shapes and are constructed from metal, glass, concrete, and stone. The use of native plants is also common when embellishing buildings, and Nyotan cities can sometimes look like massive greenhouses from a distance.

Music

Traditional Nyotan music heavily features percussion, woodwinds, and brass, and tends to primarily focus on simple folk melodies. Modern movements utilize a fair amount of electronically or aetherically generated music, but still feature a lot of heavy percussion.

by MidjourneyAI

Holidays and Festivals

Other than the internationally celebrated New Years Festival and the The Day of Remembrance, there are several holidays celebrated in Nyota that are not often celebrated in other parts of the world.

Starslight

Starslight is held once a year on the longest night of the year, and strictly mandates that all lights in Nyota's major urban centers be turned off to allow them to see the stars above. On this night, Nyotans celebrate by gathering in public places to trace new constellations and tell stories of their significance. Competitions are held every year to add new constellations to the national archives, and to record the stories told about them.

Kingsfall Festival

On the anniversary of the day the Nyotan's overthrew their false god king, a festival is held to commemorate the country's freedom from oppression. This night is often celebrated with fried food, carnival games, and displays of magical abilities put on by skilled casters from around Nyota.

Politics

Internal Politics

Nyota operates under a system of direct democracy where, regardless of status, every citizen over the age of 18 is given the right to vote for governmental policies and elect officials. The people are also empowered to collectively veto motions passed down by their elected officials, and to suggest referendums to the nation's constitution. Because of how directly citizens are able to influence Nyota's government, there are few political parties in the nation, with most citizens choosing instead to vote based on their own lived experiences.
Generally speaking, the Nyotan government is fairly stable. There are dissenters amongst its population who believe that a more free market would allow for further growth of the Nyotan economy, but with sparse natural resources and few exports most citizens agree that the proposed system would not be worth the risk.

International Relations

Despite its relatively central location, Nyota is not a major player on the international stage. Additionally, many citizens have felt a desire to withdraw from the rest of the world and rely only on themselves in the aftermath of The Last War, and motions are being proposed to limit passage into and out of the country. This isolationism is largely accepted by Akhi, who are long time enemies of Nyota, but Askar and its citizens worry about losing Nyota as a trading partner and general ally.
Other than these two relations, Nyota imports a small amount of mundane tech from Suhr, and trades frequently with the Manahoan fleets that pass through their waters. They have also recently reopened relations and trade with Leior at the behest of their king, though there is little of interest to them in Leior lands.

History

The Era of Kings

When Nyota was founded in 136 ARS, it was watched over by a dynasty of entities that called themselves the God Kings. While the actual divinity of these beings remains in question, historical records indicate that they were powerful mages and possibly possessed powers beyond those of normal humans. Leading scholars believe they may have been descended from the Ancient Gods, but as of the modern era no one has been able to prove this theory one way or another.
While the God Kings were in power, the use of The Aether was forbidden in the nation, as it was decreed that only the God Kings were allowed to manipulate the fundamental laws of reality. During the first century or two of the nation's existence, this went unquestioned, and anyone not related to the God Kings who attempted to manipulate The Aether in public was branded a heretic and either exiled or executed. While this mandate was accepted during Nyota's isolation from the rest of the world, once trade and conflict began with other nations many citizens started to question the edicts of their rulers.

The Fall of the God Kings

When Akhi battlemages and Askari traders bearing enchanted items began to arrive at the borders of Nyota, some citizens believed them to be heretics for defying the laws of the God Kings, but many more began to wonder if the God Kings were really all that divine. This, coupled with the fact that the average arcane abilities of the God Kings had been on the decline since the nation's founding lead to a substantial amount of civil unrest. Sects of individuals calling themselves Arisen Heretics began to practice magic in secret, and through careful practice and study of foreign spellcasting scrolls, began to learn rudimentary arcane techniques.
While the God Kings and their faithful initially attempted to stamp out these organizations, it quickly became clear that the rising dissent would not be so easily quashed. Eventually, the leader of one such organization was able to defeat a God King in arcane combat, triggering a revolution around the nation that lead to the eventual fall of the ancient dynasty in 107 AV.

Rise to Power

After the overthrow of their God Kings, the Nyotans vowed to never again allow themselves to be ruled in such a way and established a prototype form of their current system of government as a replacement for monarchic rule. They also started to openly practice and teach manipulation of The Aether to any and all who were interested in it, leading to the development of a society composed primarily of mages and enchanters.
Additionally, because of the barren nature of their land, they were not highly impacted by the arcane effects that targeted most of the world flora during the Age of Verdance. This afforded them many years of relative peace and ability to progress while the rest of the world fought for their lives. When the world finally emerged from the Age of Verdance and into the Age of Regrowth, Nyota stood proud and tall as a beacon of technological and magical achievement, having caught up to if not surpassed the developments of the most advanced nations of previous eras.

Conflicts with Akhi

Throughout the course of history, Nyota has had numerous conflicts with Akhi. This began during the Era of Kings when Akhi platoons began to invade Nyotan border towns, and only escalated during Nyota's fight against the God Kings. For many years, Akhi controlled the southern region of the western Thulanthi desert, but despite their best efforts were never able to fully control the Nyotan peninsula.
Despite the animosity between nations, some historians do credit Akhi as one of the nations that introduced Nyotans to the concept of everyday people using The Aether, indirectly leading to the overthrow of the God Kings. While this is praised by some, many others argue that the rest of history does not absolve Akhi of their aggressive tendencies.

The Last War

At the beginning of The Last War, Nyota and its ally Askar pledged their support to the Sehneka Alliance after Leior breached the Treaty of Lhenoa. However, the nation of Akhi, which had initially signed the Treaty of Lhenoa, chose to violate their agreement and instead began to send troops and supplies to Leior. This angered both Nyota and Askar, and the two nations declared a joint war on Akhi.
Akhi, not expecting this kind of swift judgement, was quickly driven out of the southern Thulanthi desert and back to their homelands. Conflict would continue between Akhi and Nyota for much of the war, utterly destroying what little life remained in the southern part of the desert. Over time, as Nyota gained confidence in their abilities, they began to push further and further into Akhi lands, and captured what is now modern day Ulua and Gabadi.
At the end of the war, Nyota was forced to abandon most of the lands they had taken from Akhi, and Ulua and Gabadi were made independent states, though they still have broadly positive relationships with Nyota. All in all, Nyota's major metropolitan areas were spared most of the devastation caused by The Last War, though the infrastructure in the southern parts of the nation is in a state of disrepair. Given that the populace is leaning more towards isolationism in the modern day, some international traders fear it may remain that way for some time.

Founding Date

163 ARS

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Capital

Bularys

Demonym

Nyotan

Government System

Democracy, Direct

Economic System

Command/Planned economy

Location

Uleon

Neighboring Nations

• Akhi
• Askar

Imports
Lumber, Meat, Fabric, Stone, Spices Exports
Crystal, Advanced Technology, Aluminum
Common Physical Traits

• Very dark to completely black skin.
  
• Glowing, star-like freckles.
  
• Dark coily hair.
  
• Pale, pupilless eyes.
  

Average Height
5’4”
Average Weight
125 lbs

by MidjourneyAI