Naja

Naja is a country in Southern continental Xang which is home to the largest population of Nara in Jokaimi. Note that Naja can refer to both the entire country of Naja or the main desert region of the country in the West. This article discusses both Naja and Maja. The total area of Naja and Maja combined is 4,459,120km².

History
Main article: Naja History

Ras Jec
Ras Jec (more often called Rašec) was a member of the Že na Ṡa party who took a strong anti-human stance, especially against population control measures. Ras Jec, as a result of his numerous speeches and radical position gained much popularity for both himself and the Že na Ṡa party. Due to the modern view of the Že na Ṡa party, Ras Jec has become a highly controversial figure, eliciting both sympathy and distain for his views and actions. Generally speaking, Ras Jec is respected for removing population control measures that the Chū-Kata instated but is despised for his violent tendencies with regards to hunting down 'enemies of the Nara' which is a point levelled against most if not all of the Že na Ṡa members by moderate Nara. Amongst the more extreme, anti-human Nara, Ras Jec lives on in certain chants and slogans he created such as 'naz síh ža şara' (they will not replace us) and 'naz síh cara, nah aitheta casa' (they take our children, we take their lives).

Climate
Naja features a hot desert climate. Average daytime temperatures are between 30°C and 40°C. Typical of a sandy desert, nights are substantially colder. Precipitation is minimal, rarely ever reaching beyond 100 millimetres per annum though the majority of land does not consist of dunes which skew the average. If dunes are excluded, the rate of precipitation is closer to 50 millimetres annually. Sandstorms are commonplace in Naja with various defences established in population centres to minimise their impact such as plantlife to root the sand and in some more extreme cases, curved walls to shield cities from the particulate matter.Ješ, meaning 'sandstorm stop' is the native term for when local governments announce all outdoor activities are to be halted to protect the population from storms which is a somewhat common occurrence.

Population
Naja is home to numerous species, the vast majority are Nara with Neis being most numerous. Naja is comprised of the two main regions, Naja and Maja with the former being arid desert home to the majority of the Neis population and the latter being a humid rainforest. Despite housing a minority of the population, Maja holds the majority of the Jé and Şái species of Neis along with some Neh though most Neh live in Naja.

Culture
Due to historical context, the modern culture of the Nara is a mixture of multiple species with different practices dividing different groups but also certain universal ones holding the race together. A Chū-Kata influence does also exist because of the imperial control that Chū-Mèe held over Naja for so long. A commonly cited example of differences between Chū-Mèe and Naja (by extension the Chū-Kata and the Nara) is transportation where Naja focuses almost exclusively on public transportation which is somewhat culturally enshrined while Chū-Mèe has little to no public infrastructure in this area. Certain elements are shared such as religion though mostly in one direction due to Chū-Mèe being a more major participant in global politics and economics than Naja. Throughout history, due to factors such as physiological limits on acceptable temperatures for the Nara as well as geography and so on, the Nara developed a very defensive form of combat while the Chū-Kata are seen as much more outwardly expansionist hence their empire. The Nara and the Xō, despite cultural and biological differences, are generally on good terms due to a mutual dislike of the Chū-Kata and indeed humans in general, in keeping with the tensions surrounding the interspecies relations of Jokaimi.

Religion
The main religions of Naja are Sir and Xēnghào with Sir being the native and more supported of the two, Xēnghào being the religion of the Chū-Kata which flourished under Chū-Mèe rule at the expense of Sir but since The Fall has become considerably weakened mostly from cultural shifts and even legislation.

Sir
Main article: Sir

Sir is the native religion of the Neis which became the religion of the Nara upon its formation due to the inequality between the Neis and Neh. Sir is a polytheistic religion, like others it is believed to have always been polytheistic, with a return to the old gods rather a shift from monotheism to polytheism occurring, as happened in Igleis. The central tenet of Sir is that all are connected in some way, a ruler is not separate from their subjects nor are strangers separate, all living beings are connected even to the dead if not especially so. Just as all living things are connected, so too are inanimate objects though only to each other according to certain sects, others argue that the inanimate and animate worlds are connected to varing degrees. Wind causes sand to move and moving sand causes rock to be exposed and used which then connects the rock in new ways. Nothing is alone in Sir, everything and everybody has at least a connection to something or somebody somewhere. Despite interconnectivity being the core belief, it is still disputed (mostly by atheists) and has been used in the past, according to some it still is used in the present, to exclude and or marginalise certain groups. Even assuming all are connected, hierarchy or more importantly a lack thereof is neither taught nor punished which allows Sir to justify unjust views. Not only this, many disagree with the religious institutions of Sir with debates over religious doctrine and institutional power remaining controversial.

Deities
Main article: Sir (deities)

Inés or 'The Death Serpent' is not as terrifying as the name implies. Inés is believed to be both the god of death but also and more importantly rebirth, this process is manifested in the Itla and the Iner (also known as Net) wherein the carved infinite heads of Inés, the Itla, take the physical form of the dead and consume them for them to be unborn in her and then reborn from new mortal mothers all over Naja in the egg laying areas known as Iner or Net. Inés is said to live within Jokaimi but she can never be reached for she occupies her own infinite space within Jokaimi, much like a pocket dimension within the world itself.

Ṡah is the name given to the once massive statue of a four armed Neis (this is according to Neis authored descriptions throughout history) that stood in modern day Aża (see entry for etymology). The name Ṡah also refers to the god the statue was and is still believed to represent. Ṡah's power is said to flow through the statue as it is the closest they can come to having a physical manifestation on Jokaimi. Ṡah is said to use their four arms and tail to hold the world together. The statue was destroyed upon the Chū-Kata invasion since intel was confirmed right, destroying this would severely cripple and near break Nara morale. Upon the destruction of the statue countless Nara did believe the world would literally collapse without Ṡah's arms and tail around it but since it did not, their belief was later bolstered as they saw proof that the Chū-Kata would fail for Ṡah would loosen their grip on Chū-Mèe for this unforgivable act and despite the hard time ahead of them, the Nara would survive under Ṡah's protection as reward for their faith in them. In a way the Nara were right as The Fall would come and indeed Chū-Kata social structure would be heavily affected by this. Due to the aforementioned events, Ṡah now represents not only holding the world of Jokaimi itself together but also holding Nara society together, once more emphasising the connectedness that is at the heart of Sir. Though the statue now lies as rubble, Ṡah is believed to still be there but invisible now to not be destroyed further and this is an example to the Nara people to show them what ultimate perseverance is, it teaches them to push ever onwards despite the hardships they endure both on a societal level and as individuals.

Ḑei is the Sun God of the Nara. Ḑei is seen as the source of all life for it was he who lay the sands upon Jokaimi and by extension over Inés who lives within Jokaimi but can never be reached. It was from these sands that the Neis (in modern times Neh are now included too) emerged along with all other life. Ḑei is praised to ensure the continued existence of the Nara. Ḑei represents not only life but also forces of change as it is from Ḑei that the winds blow and it is these same winds that shift the sands of Naja and minds of Nara.

Eže is the Moon God to the Nara, representing the flow of time, the importance of working together but also of rest. Eže hatched along with Ḑei and from this day came to be. After Ḑei's laying of the sands upon Naja and the eventual birth of the Nara, Eže noticed that the Nara were tired as they worked all day for indeed there was but day. Concerned for the Nara, Eže approached their friend nay brother and asked what could be done to cure the Nara of this seemingly eternal fatigue. Eže and Ḑei discussed possible solutions and finally they agreed that Eže would create time and bestow the concept of time upon the Nara so they may rest to cure them of their fatigue. The Nara now with a concept of time, work until Eže arrives to remind them to rest for the following day. The Nara now resting at what they called night were vulnerable however for in their rest they could not defend themselves and this is why Eže, with Ḑei's permission of course, created the nocturnal Nara, the Ḑal (Moonborn), so whether it be day or night the Nara would be protected so long as they worked together.

Practises
Tet is the prayer to the four primary deities of Inés, Ṡah, Ḑei and Eže. The left hand is held open with the four fingers spread out, after a god is prayed to, praised and thanked the finger is folded until the entire hand is in a fist wherein the fist is then held to the heart and a final thank you is given to all of the primary gods and lesser deities for their continued and tireless work. The second half of tet follows immediately after when the left hand is held by whoever is to the individual's left, both individuals are praying as prayers are a strictly communal practise for the Nara. Upon holding the left hand in the right and the same with the other follower, the handshake takes place to recognise each other's respect for the gods and other mortals as well as the intangible connection between all of them as well as the physical connection between the two individuals. Everybody involved turns to their left and then their right, completing the circle twice. Further prayers may take place or tet may be the final prayer at the end of a session. Tet can be performed with two to any number of individuals, the important point is that the circle is created.