Néshar

The Core:

Wáni and their apprentices are about one third

Beastwardens: about one quarter

Support Roles:

Workers: about one quarter  

Crafters: three to four kin

Wild allies:  

Nímari: scouts, ritual aides, envoys, and emergency support  

Rásen: guards, builders, laborers, Forcers  

Age spread the kin: Few elders, adults, young adults, and a small number of children.

Néshar is run by a concord with a triad council.

The Voice Triad:

1. Lead Wán – speaks for the ethics and the beasts’ needs.  

2. Head Beastwarden – speaks for daily safety, patrols, and any concerns.  

3. Peacekeeper – chosen from among Nímari and Rásen that speaks for allied interests.

Decisions are made in open gatherings around the central fire. If the Triad agrees and no one strongly objects making the decision stands. If there is disagreement, they delay, discuss, and sometimes consult Wáni rites for guidance.

Core rules of Néshar:

No one owns beasts for they are wild.  Beasts are never property; branding, chaining, or forced labor are forbidden. Shádu zíno use is restricted for its defense.

  May be used only for:

    Calming or healing distressed beasts  

True emergencies (defense, evacuation, disaster)  

No using Shádu for daily chores or personal convenience.

Nímari vétar zíno is bound by similar ethics along with won’t dominate anyone.  

Rásen equality to have equal say in matters of safety, labor, and resource use.

Justice is personal and restorative: apologies, reparations, and extra duty. Only serious harm to beasts or kin risk exile from Néshar.

Néshar’s defenses are light but clever:

No walls  

Only a few guiding fences and thorny hedges to mark paths and keep children away from dangerous drops. The outpost must remain open to beasts.

Single Watch Platform  

One high point with a lookout on duty whenever possible, scanning for raiders, poachers, or strange beasts.

Signal System  

Horn calls, drum patterns, and other instruments will play a certain melody to spread alarms quickly.

Armed Nádi

Most adults carry a knife or short weapon. A handful are competent archers or spear-fighters.

Nímari vétar zíno  

They will raise a brief fog barrier, awaken the wild plants, or otherwise slow attackers. Their beasts fight for the other beasts to keep them safe.

Beast Deterrence  

The regular presence of lyna, vexra, and zoan discourages would-be attackers. If truly overwhelmed Nádi will stall, confuse, and withdraw into the wilds. They return later to rebuild rather than die defending buildings.

Néshar is an outpoost thrives by surviving in the wilds:

Fishing and Foraging 

The river provides fish; the woods yield berries, roots, mushrooms, and game.  

Gardens and Small Fields  

Tiny plots near the outpost grow vegetables and some grain for porridge and bread.

Guiding and Mediation 

Their main “service”: 

Guiding small caravans, messengers, and envoys across beast paths and through nearby wilds.  Mediating conflicts between the local beasts and any wandering kin.

Light Crafting

Tool and weapon repair. Simple wooden gear and leather goods. Wáni will have thor instruments occasionally tuned to keep them playing beautifully.

Trade is rare and small:

Exports

Guidance services, a few crafted goods, medicinal herbs, and information about beast migrations.  

Imports  

Metal tools and weapon blanks, salt, cloth, rare medicines, writing supplies, and tidings.

Néshar is minimal, practical, and open to the wild:

Central Fire Circle

A stone-ringed hearth with simple seating around it. Used for meals, meetings, and Wáni rites.

Mésane (Command) Hut

A larger hut that serves as a planning room, map store, and record-keeping place. Holds simple charts of beast paths and seasonal notes.

Wáni Lodge

A long, low building where Wáni-keepers sleep, study, and practice quiet melodies. Outsiders and even some Nádi must ask permission to enter.

Beast Yard

 An open grassy area at the edge of the outpost where beasts can rest if they choose. Not fenced; only marked with low stones and a few posts.

Long-houses

Two or three shared buildings where beastwardens, workers, Nímari, and Rásen sleep and live. Arranged around the fire circle.

Smithy and Work-Shed  

Simple forge, anvil, and woodworking area for tool and weapon repairs and basic crafting.

Riverside Landing

A small dock or just stout posts and a simple platform for tying boats and rafts.

Watch Platform  

A single wooden tower or raised platform on a nearby knoll, used as a lookout over the river and beast paths.

Water Sources

One main well and a couple of rain cisterns; the river is close enough for easy access. The paths are just beaten dirt there are no paved roads.

Néshar is too small for true districts, but Nádi think of it in loose zones:

The Core  

Fire circle, command hut, Wáni lodge, and main long-houses.  

Riverside Edge  

Boat landing, fish-drying racks, a shed for nets and small boats.  

Outer Ring  

Beast yard, watch platform, small gardens and vegetable plots.  

Beyond that is simply the wild, where beasts move freely.

Néshar’s value is mostly in knowledge and skilled kin, not wealth.

Compact Wáni Archive  

A small collection of carved stones, knotted cords, woven bracelets, bone flutes, ocarinas, and written notes. Records the most important calming and healing melodies.

Skilled Wáni  

An unusually high number of Wáni for such a tiny place. Their training and discipline are the outpost’s greatest strength.

Nímari and Rásen expertise

Nímari brings controlled magic and specialized skills. Rásen brings battle experience, building skills, and survival knowledge.

Medical and Herbal Stores  

Simple but well-organized supplies for treating injuries and illness in both kin and beasts.

Tools and Gear  

Enough tools, weapons, ropes, tents, and instruments to function as a self-sufficient place.

No formal guilds for there's only small internal groups:

Wáni Circle

The 10 Wáni and their apprentices. Guard the melodies and enforce ethical rules for Wáni use.

Beastwardens

5–8 Nádi who specialize in watching, tracking, and walking with beasts. Often serve as scouts and first contact for visitors.

Nímari

They coordinate how their zíno supports Néshar. They meet privately to decide what they will and will not do with the zíno.

Rásen Hand

They organize physical defense, building maintenance, and heavy work.

Nádi belongs to more than one group based on personal decisions.

Founding Mission  

Néshar was created to be a safeguard: To protect the knowledge of Shádu andVétar zíno. To protect beasts from poachers, slavers, and cruel experimenters. To provide a safe crossing point for respectful travelers.

The Misused Melody

A Wáni in the early years tried to push a large herd away. They had used a forceful melody in the fragile herb gardens. The beasts panicked, damaged buildings, and injured a Rásen. This incident led to Néshar’s strict Wáni code: Wáni is never to be used to drive beasts like tools.

Alliance Oaths 

  Nímari and Rásen each swore specific oaths:

Nímari: not to bend beasts’ or kin’s minds with their magic.

Rásen: to stand in protection when Wáni focus is locked in song.

Quiet Years  

Néshar has mostly seen: 

Small skirmishes with poachers. Tense, talk-heavy encounters with passing warbands. Occasional rescues of injured beasts or travelers. The outpost has slowly refined its weaving to become a reliable place on the edge of the wilds.

The Fire Circle of Néshar

  The social and spiritual heart of the outpost. All major decisions, ceremonies, and Wáni rites take place here.

The Wáni Lodge  

Modest outside, but inside it is lined with carved stones, cords, instruments, and simple scrolls.   The air is often very still, as if listening.

The Crossing Stones  

Flat rocks are in the shallow part of the river acting as a bridge. The Nádi along with the beasts could cross together and safely. They watch this place closely to not ever block it.

Watch Knoll  

A low rise where the watch platform stands. Nádi watches the beasts moving along distant paths and boats on the river.

Nímari Marker Stones

A few small stones placed at the outskirts, lightly enchanted by Nímari. They give a subtle warning when strong magic or violent intent approaches.

A few outsiders do come by stumbling into their territory:

Scholars and Nímari

Curious about Wáni and how the Nádi limit its use. Rarely allowed deep access to the Wáni Lodge.

Wanderers and observers 

Come to watch free beasts pass close to the dwellings without cages or arenas. Small caravans and envoys use Néshar as a safe, if spartan, stopover and guidance point.

Lodging:

A small guest lean-to or corner of a long-house with spare cots. If crowded, kin will set up tents at the edge of the outpost under informal watch.

Materials  

 Local wood for frames and platforms. Wattle-and-daub or plank walls. Thatch or wooden shingle roofs. Rough stone for foundations, hearths, and the fire circle.

Style

Low, broad huts and long-houses with wide doors and few sharp corners, to avoid startling beasts. Minimal fencing; only where safety truly demands it.

Simple carvings and painted lines suggesting:

Soundwaves (for Wáni), Beast pawprints, River currents

Structures are built to be easy to repair or even abandon and rebuild if Nádi must retreat for a time.

Néshar sits:

Beside a narrow river crossing with flat stones forming a natural ford. On slightly raised ground above the usual flood line. At the edge of light woodland and open meadow, where several beast trails converge.

Nearby features:

A low knoll which holds the watch platform. Patches of wild herbs, berry bushes, and game trails surrounding the clearing. The distant hills framing the horizon. It is a true border is the forests surrounding the river and them.

 Cool, rainy springs that swell the river slightly. Warm summers, with some strong afternoon storms. Crisp autumns, when many beasts migrate through the ford. Harsh winters with its onyx snow, icy mornings, and occasional fog. Nádi tracks seasonal weather patterns carefully to predict beast movements and plan Wáni work.

River: Fish, fresh water, reeds, and a little clay along the banks.

Nearby Woods: Timber, firewood, mushrooms, herbs, and some game.

Meadows: Forage for a few domestic animals and rich grazing for wild beasts.

Stone: Scattered boulders and a small quarry pit for building, tools, and Wáni stones.

Nádi take only what they need, careful not to disturb the paths and habits of the beasts that define Néshar’s existence.