Naushikhar

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 1096 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.

Culture

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

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

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.