Nuhara (nu-har-ah)
Summary
The serpentine nuhara have ever been icons of strength and grace, their capable forms as awing as they are powerful. Though they may not be as twitchy or agile as the bipedal peoples, their sure-fire strikes and unyielding commitment makes them a captivating force. It is something all nuhara come to embody, though it is the ones who dwell within Sa-kemet that this article will cover extensively. Counting themselves among Sa-kemet's first children, the desert-born nuhara lived comfortably in the sands and arid plains of the land. Though such a lifestyle had unyielding and demanding concerns, the nuhara never shied from meeting them head-on. Such admirable resolve formed the foundations of their nuhr–"guardian families", though perhaps closer to clan as others would understand. The nuhr largely originate from the same shared culture, at least initially, of a people meant to defeat Kalarahdar, the Ever-Devouring Serpent. Surmounting such a formidable god is easier said than done, and for many generations the nuhr waged war against Kalarahdar and those who curried his favor. Much of the original history as to the hows and whys have long since been lost to the sands of Sa-kemet, but the nuhr do not mind, for the mission gives purpose. It would be when other peoples tread upon the deserts that the nuhr realized change would invariably follow. Others could not live within the deserts as easily as them, and the nuhr saw fit to shepherd them. Whether as advisors, guardians, or helpers-for-hire, the nuhr ever sought to make friends rather than enemies. To capture a glimpse of the nuhr mindset requires looking at their particular and somewhat strict cultural ways. Their ancestral purpose against Kalarahdar frames much of everything they are, engendering a warrior cult-like perception. By honing their bodies and minds, and using their gained power to shape the world around them, they fight for a better future for them all. One that might finally see Kalarahdar undone. How the many nuhr seek to do this differs, for they all have their own opinions on the matter. The common threads of a head goddess ascribing them their sacred purpose is a fairly unifying one. Changing oral traditions, lost scriptures, and a variety of complications just from time itself has greatly muddied this. The nuhr have a sort of 'agree-to-disagree' policy amongst themselves, otherwise intra-doctrinal feuding erupts almost immediately. Rather, it could be said they all seek to prove their version of the truth as the correct one through virtuous deeds. For everyone else, this often means the nuhr do not readily 'intermingle' with other cultures. They're quite respectful and usually pay attention to the ways of the land, but they ever maintain their own distinct identity. It has caused them endless friction throughout their history with others. Among the nebubis, however, they found common enough ground. The nebusians considered the nuhr's 'head goddess' as another incarnation of Akenra, a fact the nuhr themselves equally pondered over. Hence, the two generally viewed each other as siblings of a sort despite their different origins. Something that, in time, earned the nuhr their name of nuhara from a nebusian pharaoh–'sunlit ally/friend'. One of the highest marks of honor the nebusah ever really gave to anyone else, for what could be said of that. In time, most in the deserts learned to make peace with the ways of the nuhara. Those who did not would just as much earn the ire of the nuhara's friends, a costly enough proposition. Some would even join the various nuhr in their mission, or pursue something similar. The Ahdarqi Tribe rank highest among all such peoples, fervently like-minded in seeking Kalarahdar's downfall. In this way, serpents often represent two great extremes: destructive evil, and benevolent guardianship. Hence the saying, 'may you live among snakes'. Incidentally, there are a number of nuhara who have spread across Veltrona at large. While they're most found within Etzli Cuauhtla and Dorvar, some have adapted to the climates like Aerthen and Nerzin. It can be said they're a species principally concerned with warm, dry/humid environments over others. The curious note is that while, largely physiologically similar, these various nuhara cultures all also contain some references to a progenitor culture and a 'head goddess'. Scholars postulate that, if true, at some point the nuhara had a much larger civilization of some kind that eventually migrated (or spread its territory over) a great portion of the world. The acute lack of information, save oral traditions or badly preserved artifacts, is a puzzling occurrence to many archeologists who have tried looking for these mysterious ancestors.Basic Information
Anatomy
A type of jointed humanoid species, nuhara have a humanoid upper body, and a lower body resembling that of a snake's. They have a head, four arms, four hands with five fingers, a thick torso, wide hips, and their lower body becomes long and snake-like, adorned with smooth, overlapping scales. Unlike dragonkind, nuhara scales are generally individually smaller and more flexible rather than a plate-like thickness and protection.
Nuhara heads have two eyes with scaly brows, a nose, and modest lips. While their bone structure is somewhat sharp/angular, their facial features mold it into a comfortable, snake-like roundness. Some ethnicities emphasize this roundness more, while others may grow very small, threatening spikes. They've been described as surprisingly cute and terrifyingly dangerous in the same breath more than once.
A particular line denotes the division between where the jaw connects to the skull. The nuhara have the ability to distend their jaw, usually opening their mouth by twice the normal size. Their canines are actually long, flexible fangs that fold backward into the roof of their mouth, or extend outward when they strike. While the fangs are dangerous, their flat teeth and surprisingly strong jaw strength makes even just biting in general a very dangerous attack they can do. Some nuhara variants cannot fold their fangs back, and so they always poke out from between their lips.
A type of skinned hood begins at the nuhara's temples, where the eyebrows end, and extends backwards. It curves smoothly up and over where their ears are, proceeds to the back of their head, then goes down their necks. It terminates into their shoulders, and this 'snake hood' can be flexed open, shut, and moved somewhat. The overall size of the hood can vary, but it is generally prominent and distinct when fully opened. It's capable of easily folding shut in a fairly compact manner. There is no head hair on the 'interior' of the hood; all hair grows on the scalp outside.
Their hair is curiously fine and somewhat durable, often easily growing to the middle of their backs. Nuhara cultural customs dictate braiding and binding the hair, in order to protect it in both combat and general movement. Since rolling, slithering, and other high-speed movements against the ground aren't uncommon for them, free-flowing hair is a risky proposition outside of social events.
Nuhara ears are long, pointed, and possessed of a hardy, protected structure by their scales. Their overall shape is very human evocative, with the topside flairing off to a pointed tip, and the bottom side rounded to meet that. Mertakan commonly call them 'triangle ears' as a result. While the ear itself is a fairly rigid structure, the tips can slightly curve, as well as the ear itself flexibly angle in different directions. This plays an important part in nuhara social expressions. The curving tip also stops them from jamming their ears inside their hoods.
Nuhara have a long, forked prehensile tongue that doubles as a scent-based sensory organ. Their human-like nose does the bulk of the work, while the tongue is usually reserved for sifting out fine, particulate scents.
The humanoid upper torso of the nuhara structurally resembles a human one, with one pair of arms at the shoulders, and the second pair of arms underneath those. Both arms are relatively identical, and possess impressive flexibility to work in tandem. Snake scales, as is typical of similar species, cover the harder/outer portions of the body, but are less present on the softer/inner portions. For example, the topside of the hand is covered in scales, but the palm is not; the belly and front chest are skin-like, while the back has scales. The exact arrangement for this varies among bloodlines.
Like other jointed humanoids, the genitals and buttocks is found at the humanoid pelvic region which acts as the joint between the upper and lower halves of the body. Due to particular evolutionary concerns, the sensitive areas of the nipples and genitals can 'recede' into the body, giving them better protection.
The nuhara lower body is snake-like, and has a length generally 3-4 times that of their upper body. Larger, flatter dorsal scales protect the underside, while the topside has the same small, interlacing scales as what covers the rest of the nuhara's body. The lower body's generally protected nature makes it less sensitive overall, though the tip of the tail is analogous to a foot in its sensitivity.
Nuhara are sexually dimorphic, with females being larger and having enlarged breasts. There is a mild difference in scales, in that females pattern with a slightly sharper edge to theirs, and males are smoother looking. However, this distinction is not a solid one, and can vary.
Traditional desert nuhara colors are very veltrony in nature, favoring sand yellows, dune reds, veltron browns, sunset oranges, and so on. Interbreeding has introduced much more varied colors in their scales, with more artful colors like strong reds, sky blues, and eye-catching patterns being established. Tropical nuhara are extraordinarily vibrant, and possess fantastical color combinations from glistening gem stones to iridescent rainbows.
Their eyes have vertical slit pupils, and the sclera is usually black or gray, though some may have white as well. Their irises are somewhat similar to cut gemstone, having strong visual clarity and distinctive, bold colors that make them enticing to look at.
Biological Traits
Sensory Adaptation: Vibration Sense – Nuhara have a strong sensitivity to vibrations, and can feel them through the air and ground, providing incredible 3D information around them.
Manaburn Venom – Nuhara venom wreaks havoc on creatures or beings with high amounts of mana. It actively rends them from the inside-out, while creatures with lesser or minimal amounts of mana instead suffer from bodily paralysis. The lethality of the venom varies depending on the recipient's overall constitution.
Magical Resilience – This species is unusually resistant against the effects of magic, withstanding far more harm than others might be able.
Enhanced Olfactory Senses – Nuhara have a sophisticated sense of smell, split between two complex organs: their nose, and their tongue.
Civilization and Culture
Relationship Ideals
The nuhara value integrity above every other consideration imaginable. This often has overlaps with cultural ideas like honor, but not always. Rather than aim for social expectations and receive esteem for adhering to them, they value internal, ideological consistency. In other words, people who maintain their sense of selves, identity, and values in the face of adversity and prosperity.
That steadfast sense of integrity in the sifting sands of Sa-kemet, and the unknown dangers that ever happen, has been vital for the nuhara's continued survival. Relationships, too, become an important component to that sense of integrity. The establishment of friends, family, or otherwise creates a solid foundation, and a rock-solid world through which the nuhara navigate through. Even if the physical distances are far, or the locale in chaos, nuhara can rely on what they know almost without fault.
So it is their concept of a social world is unyielding, and grows to encompass all of their needs in one form or another. To earn the trust of nuhara is a mark of great respect in itself, but also a burden of even greater responsibility. Theirs is not some expectation of service, but an understanding of 'this is what you are, and can do, and I will trust relying upon such'. In turn, the nuhara on the other side do much the same.
Romantic relationships often grow most organically from prior, intersecting relationships. Since reliability is usually established by that point, nuhara feel much safer in trying to branch out and build more from there. This can result in a lot of varied romantic entanglements, even ones other species may not necessarily consider such.
'Casual flings/encounters', for example, can be fairly regular among the nuhara who are not sharing further, compounding responsibilities. Established partners may be separated by weeks or months at a time due to circumstances, but they're on the same wavelength all the same when they meet once more. Many such relationships have no real trouble with such complications, but that is not to say the nuhara are cold or unfeeling. They perhaps feel a little bit too much when given the chance, but it is their sense of integrity that lets them endure times of famine and feasting.
Hence, from the outside the nuhara can appear overtly serious in how they handle such affairs. It'd be more accurate to say their fundamental views on how things work are just very different from other cultures.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
The harmonic underpinnings of nuhara cultures can be somewhat difficult to discern, but its impact can be felt everywhere. While it's usually spoken of as some kind of 'fundamental good' or 'innate righteousness' by other peoples, those definitions change entirely depending on who the observer is. Among the nuhara, they seek an understanding of the natural world, and balance their living against its self-correcting mechanisms. It's a type of thought that, surprisingly, is much closer to the ways of Nerzin than Sa-kemet, traditionally.
But, chief among those ideas is their willingness to confront wrong doing, evil, or impediments to the people's sake. It's often drawn in contrast against Kalarahdar's rampant destruction, serving as a moral guide post in their decision making. However, many other practical examples were added in over time: tyrannical rulers, greedy merchants, bloody warladies, and so on. The nuhara willingness to confront such things makes them no end of enemies, but even more allies and supporters who are grateful for their help.
They achieve these feats through the rigorous and strict upbringings the various nuhr live under. Traditional nuhara thought believes a strong body begets a strong mind, and so an even stronger will can manifest. Training, meditation, education, self-reflection and contemplation, and more are the norm for them. In seeking lesser evils to overcome, they prepare for greater ones to throw down later.
A warrior cult is often the result, and it is the most common example of their various cultures. Mystics, engineers, mages, and more came over time as the nuhara learned the ways of others. Although the 'strong body and strong mind' philosophy tends to guide the strongest, concessions were made to alternative but still useful ways.
That said, they are not without artists, creative minds, entertainers, or other pursuits. A rich and fulfilling life sharpens a strong mind, and so wisdom can be nurtured like Poleva's great oases. For as many warriors as there are among the nuhara, many pursue creative outlets that they share with others, hone their own experiences upon, and more. The two go hand in hand so much, it often puzzles the nuhara when they encounter people who practice a singular profession, and so lack flexibility.
Genetic Descendants
Lifespan
200~ years
Average Height
6-8ft / 182-243cm
Average Weight
300lb / 136kg
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