Navaravu (Na-var-ah-voo)
What is this world? Navaravu is a world of water. Canals connecting rivers connecting lakes and ponds and oceans. There is water everywhere. It drips. It flows. It gushes. The light of the two moons glistens on its surface and the air is heavy with humidity. The whole world looks like it could have been painted by Monet, only instead of water lilies, there are blush-pink lavarhonda blossoms all along the shores. Navaravu is a world of empaths, feeling and flowing in harmony, connected through the five clans and guided by councils of great matriarchs. For generations the title has passed from mother to eldest daughter, but sometimes one is born who's destiny lies elsewhere. It's beginning to look like Sisara Sahanandha might be that one. All is peaceful and quiet tonight except for Sara's troubled heart as she floats down the canal in her tiny boat. She looks out at the colorful lights on the little docks that dot the shoreline, and beyond that, the houses tucked in among the vegetation and she wonders about the people who live there. Her people. The people that she always thought she was meant to serve. She longs to follow in her mother's footsteps as Matriarch of the Sahanavu Clan of the running waters, but in her heart, she knows that Visana is better suited to the role. Tomorrow Sara will venture into the stars seeking answers, but what can she possibly find out there when all that she loves is right here? Her tears flow into the canal connecting rivers connecting lakes and ponds and oceans of Navaravu.
History
Since before recorded history the people of Navaravu have been grouped into five clans which are similar to large extended families, and theirs is a matrilineal society where children belong to their mother's clan. Each of the clans speak a different dialect of Navarun, but they all come from the same linguistic base so they can understand each other, even though it can be a bit difficult at times.
The clans are each led by a Matriarch and leadership usually passes to her first born daughter when the Matriarch reaches the age when she feels ready to join the Council of Crones. Normally it's a smooth transition since the first born daughter begins her training to assume the role of Matriarch soon after her birth, but if for any reason, that daughter can't fulfill the role, leadership will pass to the next eldest daughter. The five Matriarchs form the council that is the governing body of Navaravu and they must reach a consensus on all major decisions affecting their world as a whole.
Each clan is associated with a different kind of water. Varavu for the oceans. Sahanavu for running water like rivers, streams and canals. Lahanavu for still water like lakes, ponds and swamps. Ziravu for cold water like ice and snow. Zizanavu for atmospheric water like rain and mist. There's a lot of nuance to it that's difficult to understand for someone who's not a native of this world. There are many words for water that just don't have a translation in Common (the language we are using here).
As you can see, water has always been very important on Navaravu. Even now, it's the main mode of transportation for both people and goods. Many generations ago, before the destruction of the Bane'ile home world, the people of the Sahanavu clan of running water proposed a very ambitious project. With advice and help from the Singers of Songs as well as a group of Bane'ile engineers, they created a plan to build canals that would connect all the bodies of water across the entire world.
At first there was some concern amongst the other clans that these new canals would increase the importance of the Sahanavu clan causing imbalance and disharmony. Navaravu has always been a world of empaths where everyone feels what everyone else is feeling so maintaining peace and harmony is considered essential. Any kind of warfare or even simple discord is just too painful to tolerate. The Matriarchs held many meetings and, with the help of the Council of Crones, an advisory body made up of elders who share their wisdom with the Matriarchs when needed, they came up with a compromise that would ensure that balance and harmony amongst the clans was maintained and the project was approved. It took three generations to complete but when it was done, commerce and connectivity across the whole of Navaravu was vastly improved.
Sisara Sahanandu a.k.a. Sara by Alex the Creatrix
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