Nhamy
“By far, my favourite visit was my extended stay in Nhamy’s atolls. OH THE NHAMY KNOWS HOW TO BUILD! What structures! What incredible structures! I have seen the Parade of Giants, I have seen the Harvestita! But the architecture and beauty of the Unuahi Atoll will live in my mind constantly.” - Matija Saša Lučić, in the opening lines of Section 5: Ocean’s Vistas within his memoir Hidden Corners.
The Nhamy are an enchanting tribe that have taken to their home in the water. They are characterised by the features of a fish; ray fins, scales, long eel like tails that are typically structured similar to a fish species. Their abilities come from their manoeuvrability in water, retaining almost no surface tension and allowing them to glide through the water with complete ease. Nhamy are known for their incredible endurance, able to withstand the extreme pressures, temperatures, salinity, and chemical disparages of the water. This is not the only form they are able to take, however. The nhamy spirit does permit a degree of manoeuvrability between water and land. As long as nhamy can find a pool of water every so often to allow their bodies to soak, land living suits them just fine. Upon land, when a nhamy has dried out, their fish-like tail will give way to two, more practical limbs for a humanoid. The tail itself will still be present. Somewhat like the late days of a tadpole, their tail will come from their spine into a thin cord. Upon re-entering the water, it’ll refuse. Many of these nhamy also possess the minor ability to manipulate water, changing its surface tension to either hold, move, or slide off objects. Similar to pirig’s, some have argued this change in taps into Hysalin, the spirit of water.
Nhamy has by far the largest territory, occupying a large portion of the ocean. While a lot of the population are opportunistic settlers, Five predominant settlements have been created. Unuahi Atoll is the most famous of these. Baked into a coral reef of the same name, Unuahi has grown in the basin of an extinct volcano that lies just below the surface. One of the largest of its kind, the atoll swallows much of the bay, and stretches ~200 metres deep. It’s a mixture of both nhamy and fenwyn who have found their plant to be water based, like seagrass. Unuahi feature the Daejyré family, the closest thing Alkgnir in total has to royalty. The Daejyré hold influence over the other reefs, keeping an eye on all of their health, and keep communication primarily with land. They are often nicknamed the Oracles for their role. Other areas include Pengal, a smaller but not insignificant settlement south of Yulca baked into a vast kelp forest surrounded by beautiful seagrass beds. Settled on a large continental shelf, Pengal only ever reaches a maximum of 45 metres deep. Its population is not only nhamy but also ry who have learnt to adapt their bodies into that of marine mammals, like seals, whales, and dolphins. Mávros, another coral reef, is situated neighbouring Unuahi and is similarly beautiful. A barrier reef reaching 100 metres deep, it’s famous for its vibrant buildings. And finally, Kalalau. Kalalau is both a barrier reef and a kelp forest, and while doesn’t enjoy the customage of any other tribes, but does have frequent drop-ins from the neighbouring seafaring pirig colonies.
Outside of the commonly nicknamed “Daejyré Alliance” - there are 3 more only talked about settlements. Baltris, Cunira, and Culgaena. These are all deep sea colonies, sitting on the abyssal plains. Baltris currently sits 550 metres deep, Cunira 730, and Culgaena 1,450. Some have speculated these settlements no longer contain nhamy but something else - while others argue it is just nhamy who have adapted to the pressure. The denizens of these settlements rarely surface, and when they do they frequently come with new features. Large eyes, bioluminescence, strange body plans, large and protruding teeth. The Daejyrés themselves officially recognise these as Nhamy of the void and fear them, linking them to their own storm: the Hunger.
The Nahmiphant spirit, the ones the Nhamy all come from, emerged around about 134. At the time the seas were largely dominated by the Heskiddthigr spirit, and over the course of the next 200 years slowly claimed the territory it has now. To list all total storms the Nahmiphant has endured would be to recount every second of Alkgnir’s history. Over 50 have been identified from what historical records there were from 134-164 alone. This period was called the Black Seas Storm System. Many scholars are very thankful that the seas have settled since that time. This is not to say the Nhamy do not endure storms. There’s two known of note: The Hunger and The Blight.
The Hunger is prevalent in Unuahi. So much so that it’s well known that Asteria Daejyré has been rumoured to have it. The Hunger is a behavioural storm, encouraging nhamy to swim deeper. When they do, what happens is largely a mystery. Not many have followed. It’s this reason that the Daejyré themselves fear “abyssal nhamy” or Nhamy of the void, many supposing it’s the fate of those who swim down. Those who do not swim are restrained in hospitals, quietened with the help of a spirit no one has yet identified. If untreated for too long, their bodies begin to undergo a transformation to adapt to the deep water they crave. Often leading to fragile, malformed bodies that cannot keep up with the demands of a coral current.
Meanwhile, the Blight is currently striking Mávros. An illness that seems to be necrotic in nature. People begin by coughing, something that should not happen to the gill-bearing nhamy. Occasionally they’ll cough up black phlegm. As the illness progresses, nhamy grow weak, fragile, and lose body mass at an alarming rate. The last leg of disease sees dark lesions coming across the skin. Autopsies of victims of the blight show this disease is essentially living decomposition, as the organs begin to decompose while still functional. Mávros was once a famous trading point in the Daejyré alliance. Since the Blight’s emergence two years ago, the reef has been on something close to a lockdown. It was only a year ago the illness was identified as a storm.
Basic Information
Anatomy
“Nhamy biology is simple to us, but complex to the world. I see no greater time of importance to make familiarity with it commonplace. Should a blight infected leave Mávros, I can only hope physicians will know how to care for them in their final days.” - Namika’s closing statement in the Buska Conference on Storms. Leader of the Mávros Reef, her words haunted many of the attendees.Nhamy biology features a lot of the traits of that of a fish. In their oceanic form, they possess gills, swim bladders, fins and muscles required for the far more acrobatic movements so often found below the waves. There’s a few oddities - “pseudo lungs” sit in the chest cavity that remain deflated until they make the transition to land. As they transition to land, the organs necessary for sea travel “deflate” and the lungs “inflate”. It’s often supposed that this transition is heavily aided by the Nahmiphant spirit, as the transition should be excruciatingly painful. But instead, the transition is fine. The same goes for the transition for the tail. Many descriptions describe the flesh “melting into a new formation” when the transition takes place. This is all true beyond victims of the Hunger and Blight, both have shown discomfort in the transition.
Civilization and Culture
Major Organizations
“The Daejyré Alliance is vitally important. We wish to keep our ceremonies sacred, but not gawking point for tourists. They are welcome, but not our ceremonies.” - Vacivia Daejyré, the leader of the Alliance, on her personal beliefs around its legitimacy.
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