Naushikhar

Kingdom of Naushikhar Motto: -
Capital:	N/A
Religion: Other Religions:	Aatmahhism -
Demonym:	Naushikharian
Ethnic Groups:	Naushikharian
Currency:	N/A - barter based economy

The Kingdom of Naushikhar, also variously called Kingdom of Temples and Kingdom of Nine Spires by Hasperian scholars, is a landlocked country in southern Arrakis. Located in a natural valley where three mountain ranges meet, Naushikhar is famed for its beauty. The Kingdom has no capital city or any large built up areas at all.

History

According to local legend, Naushikhar has existed since the dawn of Pluribus itself, its valley being shaped by unknown powers.

The realm was first visited by a Hasperian in 1056 in an expedition led by Marco Descamisaro, who described in great detail the natural wonder of a kingdom at the source of the greatest of rivers and a queer system of governance where no man has true power in the realm. His experiences were recorded in his book, Book of the Marvels of the World.

Culture

The state religion of Naushikhar, Aatmahhism, comprises a wide variety of traditions and spiritual practices which place the world and its spirits above all else.

The economy of Naushikhar is barter based. Most citizens work as subsistence farmers, spending their free time in meditation or tending to gardens. A small slice of the population work in mines where the gems found are usually traded with outsiders to supplement what the country cannot get itself. Mines, once depleted, are often converted into crypts. The ruling class, the Adhya, often direct the economic development according to the local community's needs.

The average diet in Naushikhar contains little meat, since religion forbids unnecessary cruelty to animals which includes all forms of hunting, fishing, and farming. Most rarely have anything more than a single portion of meat a month, be it poultry, fish, or game, usually eaten ritualistically since meat is naturally hard to come by.

Politics

Naushikhar has no central leader. The realm is managed by a council made up of the Adhya from all the nine temples in the land but each of the Adhya act functionally independent from the rest as petit kingdoms. In times when the council is convened, they meet in the gardens in the centre of the country.

Any man or woman of any age can be an Adhya so long as the previously reigning Adhya nominated them as a successor. All Adhya have similar responsibilities and power within their own districts, however some towers and Adhyadoms are associated with certain traits, beliefs, and forces of nature. Adhyas, upon gaining rule, abandon their previous name being only referred to as Adhya or Adhya [honorific] in the presence of other Adhyas.