Naari

The Naari (singular: Naareth) are a race of humanoids native to the planet Nekilaahn. They are one of the two "major" races on Nekilaahn, the other being Humans. The Naari are widely regarded as the world's founders and originators of its culture and government. The word "Naari" translates roughly to "civilized", "cultural", or "belonging to a developed society".
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Physical Description

While physically resembling humans, the Naari possess distinct features that set them apart. These include:

  • Height: Naari are significantly taller than humans, averaging around 7 feet (215 cm).
  • Build: They are described as slender and wiry, with different muscle mass, bone structure, and joints compared to humans.
  • Skin Tone: Naari typically have light skin, with minor variations in shade.
  • Hair and Eye Color: They exhibit a range of natural hair and eye colors. Black, brown, blond, and white hair are common, while eye colors vary from reddish-purple and blue to green and dark brown.

Physiology

The Naari possess remarkable physical capabilities:

  • Endurance: They are known for exceptional stamina, capable of going without rest or sleep for a full day.
  • Resilience: The sources describe the Naari as capable of surviving without food and water for extended periods and withstanding harsh environments that would be fatal to humans.

Lifespan

Perhaps the most striking difference is their incredibly long lifespan. While variable, a Naari can live for several hundred years, averaging around 700 years. However, their lifespan has been steadily decreasing over generations.

Memory

The Naari have unique cognitive attributes:

  • Short-Term Memory: They possess exceptional attention to detail and focus on immediate events.
  • Long-Term Memory: Their long-term memory is comparatively weaker. Over time, they forget most events except for the most significant, leading to a cyclical sense of "living a new life" repeatedly.

This memory quirk has led them to create vast libraries and repositories to preserve their history and knowledge. Their short-term memory makes them exceptional tacticians, learners, inventors, and innovators, contributing to their mastery of science and magic6.

Culture

Naari culture is deeply rooted in lineage and family:

  • Clans and Houses: Their history revolves around several prominent families or clans, with inheritance and power rarely leaving the family line.
  • Cultural Unity: Despite their clan-based society, Naari culture is remarkably unified. They share a common language, currency, and customs, regardless of their location within Nekilaahn.

Stagnation

  • The Naari's long lifespans and belief that "everything good that could be done has already been done" have led to cultural and societal stagnation.

Population and Distribution

The Naari population is relatively small, especially outside of Nekilaahn, where they hold central authority. They have a low birth rate and have faced multiple near-extinction events throughout their history. This has resulted in:

  • Inbreeding: Due to a limited number of ancestors, intermarriage among close relatives is common, though not as detrimental as it would be for humans.
  • Slow Population Growth: Multi-child families are rare, leading to a slow population increase.

Relationships with Other Races

Naari interactions with other races are limited:

  • Humans: They have a complex history with humans, marked by periods of both cooperation and conflict. While Naari acknowledge human contributions to exploration and discovery, they often view them as chaotic and prone to instability.
  • Half-Bloods: Offspring between Naari and other races, while rare, are generally stigmatized and ostracized by both sides.