Neonymphonia
Introduction
Neonymphonia (/ni.oʊnɪmˈfoʊni.ə/) is a faction and polity of Post-Tempest Novaluna. Descended from the Ante-Tempest colony of XCL-XV Isle Nereis, Neonymphonia is a strange and isolated nation, long self-secluded from the rest of the world in its sanctuaries beneath the waves, yet playing an increasingly important role in global affairs as it reengages with the world.
An unusually peaceful enclave in a world wrought by turmoil, violence, and tyranny, Neonymphonia has long since its founding hewn to a principle of isolationism. This is most saliently observed in the nature of Nymphonian geography; with the sole exception of the sacred island of Nereis, Neonymphonia claims sovereignty over no terrestrial land. Instead, the vast majority of its population and infrastructure exists in massive, mobile, submarine habitats called Viospheres that migrate across the oceans of Novaluna, spending years, even decades on end completely submerged and thus cut off from all but the other Viospheres of Novaluna. Nevertheless, this general policy of societal solitude has often varied over time, ranging from total reclusion to pacifism and non-interventionism, and furthermore has weakened in fits and starts as time progressed, eventually coming to collapse altogether as Neonymphonia fully reconnects with the surface world.
Much of Neonymphonia's unique and exotic nature arrives through its highly distinct culture, organisation, and use of technology. Focused almost entirely on psionics, bioengineering, and ecology, the Nymphonians possess some of the most powerful biopsionic technology found on all of Novaluna. Because of every Nymphonian's possession of vast passive psionic potential, the entire civilisation is united beneath an overarching gestalt known as the Sympath, connecting each and every Nymphonian together in a great network of telepathic communication. The Sympath, in turn, is effectively worshipped by Nymphonians as a virtual deity, central to what in effect serves as Neonymphonia's national religion, cultural lodestar, and guiding philosophy.
Though all Nymphonians are fully capable of independent, individual thought (and can even sever their link to the Sympath), their connection to each other has forged a culture that is on one hand devoted to compassion and altruism, yet conversely is also suspicious of outsiders and hostile to departures from the broad cultural ethos of Neonymphonia; much in spite of Neonymphonia's seemingly lax and liberated society, a deeply ingrained form of nativism and conservatism pervades. Elsewise, the ability for Nymphonians to share in each other's sensory experiences resulted in the development of an unusual focus on basic, hedonistic pleasures, especially those of a sexual nature; to each other and to foreigners, Nymphonians are famous for being gorgeous, passionate, sensual lovers.
Etymology
The creation of the term Neonymphonia coincides with the formal birth of the nation in 50 PT, by which time the unique character of the fledgling polity was well on its way to establishment. Nymphonia, the primary root of the nation and its demonym and adjective, is derived from the Ancient Greek word νύμφη/nýmphē, reflecting the amorous, carefree female nature
Flag and Seal
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Neonymphonia
Mind and Body
Elysia
Calypso
33,964 sq km (27th)
7,744 sq km (22.80%)
0 sq km (0%)
26,220 sq km (77.20%)
120,003,118 (14th)
3,533/sq km (2nd)
+2.419%
Nymphosympathic Psionosyneidocracy
Selenis
Foracis
Rathis
Avairis
Shendolis
Vasilis
Lacibis
Apyzosis
Eneris
50 PT
Nymphonian
Nymphonian pulse (₱) (NYP)
NST -9 to +9
spirits in Greek Mythology that typify the Nymphonian characteristics of pacifism, hedonism, and affinity for nature. It is also a reference to the island of Nereis and its Ante-Tempest colony of XCL-XV Isle Nereis, the precursor to the Nymphonian civilisation, with Nereis denoting a particular type of sea nymph in Greek Mythology. Neo-, meanwhile, demonstrates Neonymphonia to be the new, evolved, Post-Tempest incarnation of Isle Nereis.
History
Neonymphonia's Ante-Tempest predecessor colony, XCL-XV Isle Nereis, suffered a uniquely acute level of devastation as a result of the cataclysm that brought low the humans of Novaluna. Its population quite literally decimated following the Tempest and the ravages of disease and starvation that resulted in its aftermath, effectively all that had once composed the society of Isle Nereis was gone.
In the grueling years of reconstruction that followed, however, the remnants of what had once been Isle Nereis began to coalesce once more, around a new society born from the ashes. Uniting under the leadership and inspiration of a scientist named Vari Ie Dea, the people now identifying themselves as the Nereids sought a new home beyond their ravaged island, one that could provide for their rise and prosperity while remaining safe from the hostile world beyond. Thus, as was their nature, they took to the sea, first aboard the inaugural Viosphere, Arga, and the many others that followed.
It was with Vari's successor, Ibe Va Ria, known also as Ibvarea, that the characteristics that have now come to define Neonymphonia—its name included—were introduced, as the eccentric and charismatic young visionary implemented her vast and sweeping platform of total societal transformation. It was her as well that the newly-dubbed Nymphonians began to embrace the principle of collective syneidetics, tying their society together with biopsionic technology and giving rise to the telepathic gestalt known as the Sympath. As the culmination of all her efforts, once Ibvarea, the White Lady, stepped down as Aphroarch, the society she had wrought was the first that could truly be called Neonymphonia.
In the centuries that followed, Neonymphonia strove to stay true to its mantras of pacifist isolation and the pursuit of bliss beneath the Sympath, an endeavour often and evidently at odds with the nature of the world. The Red Duchess Elifea, Ibvarea's successor, built Neonymphonia's first military in tacit acknowledgement that the outside world had little respect for their wish to be left alone; the Gold Maiden Aorea, the Aphroarch after Elifea, both encouraged peaceful trade with other nations and dealt with the first serious national threat posed by external actors; and the Blue Princess Nauthalea, succeeding Aorea, promoted Neonymphonia as a benevolent exponent of culture. Nevertheless, for many years Neonymphonia successfully kept to itself in spite of all that occurred around it.
It was Salaishea, the Rose Goddess, who set the first precedents of true, formal engagement with the outside world, establishing diplomatic ties with other countries for the first time; her adventurous successor, the Black Matron Tenivrea, was born to a half-Nymphonian couple who would never have met were it not for Salaishea's reforms. Following Tenivrea was Dolarea, the Silver Priestess, and much in spite of her extensive attempts to reverse the gradual process of opening Neonymphonia to the world, her failure to do so manifest itself dramatically. For following Dolarea was Siylvea, the Violet Queen, whose radical reengagement with the word was so extensive as to be inexorable, fully entwining the fates of Novaluna and Neonymphonia in anticipation of the peace and war alike it would bring.
Geography & Viospheres
Rather than existing on a contiguous stretch of land, the Nymphonians inhabit a series of tremendous, migratory, underwater habitats, each housing a self-sustaining, verdant ecosystem seamlessly interwoven with the organic architecture and advanced technology of the Nymphonians. The habitats, called Viospheres, vary in size, population, and ecosystem contained within, though all are structured in roughly the same oblate-spheroid shape, with the upper half constructed of a curved-strut lattice projecting physiopsionic barriers between them to contain the pressurised atmosphere of each Viosphere against the crushing depths of the ocean, while the lower half houses the soil and subterranean features of each Viosphere. The Viospheres frequently migrate from location to location, typically remaining submerged deep below the ocean and occasionally surfacing should there be a reason to. Although they typically range far across the oceans, barring exigent circumstances they undergo a regular Convergence every five years, during which they gather in the waters near Nereis as a symbol of unity and for the practical purpose of facilitating exchange.
Each Viosphere houses its own unique, diverse, and highly complex self-contained ecosystem with which the Viosphere's Nymphonian population lives in harmony. Interwoven with artificially constructed topography, each unique miniature environment contains numerous species of organisms, most of which are bioengineered variants of surface organisms, and some of which are entirely new creatures devised and engineered by Nymphonian Pasiatara. The vegetation native to each Viosphere play a spectrum of critical functions, not only serving to recycle the carbon dioxide exhaled by the heterotrophs living within, but also being one of the primary sources of produce and raw materials acting as feedstock for each Viosphere's economy. All non-organic Nymphonian structures within these Viospheres are designed and constructed specifically to harmonize with and complement the natural environment.
Infrastructure on Viospheres is generally divisible into two groups, based on whether it is built on the upper half or lower half of the Viosphere. Buildings, facilities, and spaces dedicated to "daytime" occupations and activities, as well as the constructed ecosystems with which they are intertwined, are largely located in the open-air upper half of the Viosphere, where the inside surface of the physiopsionic barrier shell variously simulates the day-night cycle. The lower half of the Viosphere contains most communal and individual residences in relatively dense formation, as well as the bulk of prosaic operating infrastructure required to keep the Viosphere functioning.
Beyond the Viospheres, Neonymphonia levies sovereign authority over only a single piece of terrestrial land; the island of Nereis, on which the Nymphonian civilisation was born from the remnants of XCL-XV Isle Nereis. Ever since the Nymphonians took to the sea in their Viospheres, Nereis has been sanctified as hallowed territory, from which normal development is excluded. Instead, Nereis now serves a reserved dual purpose. Based on the island's terrestrial soil is a temple-complex dedicated to unity amidst all the component facets of Neonymphonia, as well as harmony with the outside world; during periods of particular Nymphonian isolation, it is often via this complex that other polities interact with Neonymphonia. More important, however, is the institution based in Nereis' natural harbour; a gigantic shipyard-like facility where new Viospheres are built, christened, and launched. Until the endeavours of the Violet Queen, it was the only such facility capable of such and certainly remains the largest and most capable, thus being of immense strategic value to Neonymphonia.
Demographics
The definitions of a Nymphonian citizen are very narrowly-delineated as a person born to a Nymphonian communal mother, possessing the baseline genetic and psionic abilities common amongst all Nymphonians, and currently in connection with the Sympath; because of this very strict set of criteria, the Nymphonians are an extremely homogeneous society. To prevent demographic complications, childbirth is stringently regulated by broad societal fiat; all Nymphonians except for the communal mothers and fathers are sterile by default, though this is readily, if not frequently, reversed. While two native Nymphonians are permitted to birth a child or multiple children so long as they remain in constant contact with the Sympath and strict guidelines are followed, including regarding the raising of the child, such children are a relatively rare occurrence.
Furthermore, Neonymphonia follows a rigid system of role allocation, wherein each Plasamen, upon turning sixteen and making their Phylactic Selection, is genetically and psionically modified to fit a predetermined role in society. Though they are given the option to, within certain limitations, change their role in society once they have made their choice and received their modifications, this seldom happens due to a complex combination of factors; they are genetically predisposed and raised to value their assigned roles, and inhabit a wholly collectivist society structured around powerful telepathy. Though numerous specific roles exist, they are grouped under general classifications, called Clades, for ease of reference. While perception of any Clade as superior to another is heavily discouraged under the Nymphonians' unique form of egalitarianism, and the nature of Clades are very distinct from that of caste or class, this system of socioeconomic role assignment is nevertheless highly ingrained in Nymphonian society and is thus socially difficult to subvert.
Clades
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The basic Nymphonian equivalent to politicians and other leader figures, Naiacara help to guide and harmonize Nymphonian society.
-ivas (Female), -ivor (Male)
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As scientists, engineers, and technicians, Paisatara are responsible for developing, improving, and maintaining Neonymphonia's technology.
-ersa (Female), -erso (Male)
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The warriors of Neonymphonia, Iodhatara are equipped with offensive psionic abilities and tasked with the role of defending Neonymphonia from attack and protecting its citizens.
-iri (Female), -ire (Male)
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As historians, philosophers, and social scientists, Manatara document and analyse Neonymphonia's history and theorise about its future.
-ona (Female), -olan (Male)
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The artists and creative minds of Nymphonia, Calacara develop and contribute to Nymphonian culture through various media.
-arin (Female), -arom (Male)
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Roughly analogous to a religious clergy, the Prarthara are a clade of powerful psychics who delve into the Sympath's deeper reaches to serve the spiritual needs of their fellow Nymphonians.
-ila (Female), -iel (Male)
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Representatives of Nymphonian culture and society in foreign lands, Apsarasa live and work primarily with people of other cultures to foster good relations.
-isi (Female), -isu (Male)
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Equivalent to doctors, nurses, and medics, Vishazhara are dedicated to using their powerful and unique psionic abilities to preserve the health of their fellow Nymphonians and heal those who are ill or injured.
-oria (Female), -orua (Male)
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The manual and domestic labourers of Neonymphonia, Sivatara perform basic and vital societal functions ranging from farming to childrearing.
-ita (Female), -icar (Male)
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Prior to their assignment to a Clade on their twentieth year of life, all Nymphonians are known as Plasamena, equivalent in other countries to a legal minor.
-ara (Female), -or (Male)
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Nymphonians in possession of unique and preeminent positions are often considered to exist outside of the traditional Cladistic structure, and are assigned their own nominal suffixes accordingly.
-ea (Aphroarch), -athoria (Devarchi), -on (Adonarch), -is (Synedris), -ilani (Oomantissa), -i (Seirena), -o (Seirenos)
Language
Despite each and every Nymphonian's linkage to the Sympath and thus ability to mentally transcieve communicative information telepathically over great distances, language has yet to be rendered fully obsolete. For the bulk of ordinary Nymphonian citizens, communicating via telepathy alone remains a difficult and involved process that fails to effectively and efficiently capture all of the nuance that physically spoken or written language can, meaning conventional language retains a central role in Nymphonian society. Moreover, as Nymphonian society places great value in physical, interpersonal interaction, speech retains an important cultural nous that has seen off its obsolescence. Nevertheless, telepathy is universally used to augment ordinary speech, as it often is with other shared activities.
As with virtually all of Novaluna, the Nymphonian language itself is a descendant of Novalunar English; in Neonymphonia's particular case, Nymphonian combines an English typological substrate with very heavy lexical and morphological influences from Ancient Greek and Classical Sanskrit, as well as a number of novel linguistic innovations, these largely being the result of the White Lady's efforts to develop a distinct Nymphonian language alongside its budding national identity. As such, Nymphonian language is a complex hybrid that exhibits a highly sophisticated system of inflection, attesting to its diverse origins. Notably, Nymphonian personal names (which are inflected along the lines of Nymphonian grammar) consist not only of a lexical, immutable root given at birth, but also a secondary suffixed stem that denotes their clade, and thus can change if the individual changes clade.
Culture
Renowned worldwide for its depth, internal diversity, and exoticism, it is not without reason that Nymphonian culture is regarded as a paragon amidst its Novalunar peers. However, as is so often the case, the full truth of the matter is somewhat more complicated. First and foremost, it is indisputable that the paramount central locus of Neonymphonia, culture and all, is the Sympath, for it is on the Sympath as a basis that all the rest of Nymphonian society is built.
Religion
Though Nymphonians do not adhere to any classical religions nor do they worship any ordinary deities, their connection to the Sympath and the collective power it represents is treated with a reverence that very much resembles that of a religion, complete with the complex structure of the clergy-like Prarthara, the goddess-queen Aphroarch, and a vast array of sacred traditions, rituals, and orthopraxes that are collectively identified under the umbrella term—largely constructed by foreign observers—of Sympathism. Within Neonymphonia, however, these are considered indivisible from the rest of Nymphonian culture, and that the status itself of being Nymphonian is accompanied by this distinct philosophy, ideology, and set of cultural practices.
The Sympath
The Sympath is, in many ways, synonymous with Neonymphonia itself. Just as a nation is the collective representation of a group of people who share in common important aspects of their identity, so is the Sympath to all Nymphonians. Defined most broadly, the Sympath is simply a holistic representation of what binds all Nymphonians together under a single collective identity, composed of elements both tangible and intangible. Almost all references to the Sympath, however, refer to its most palpable and unique element; a vast psionic construct linking all Nymphonians together as parts of a huge gestalt superconsciousness. Acting as a massively interconnected network of individual minds just as the internet is a vast network of computers, the Sympath gives each and every Nymphonian a deep emotive link with one another, as well as access to a tremendous overarching system of psionically-transmitted information. As the Sympath's influence is rooted deep in every Nymphonian's psychology, its role as a social governing force is greater than any formal legal framework. However, the extent and power of the Sympath, though immense, is not infinite; there exists a technique known as Shrouding, by which a Nymphonian stifles their connection temporarily for the purpose of preserving secrets and exercising individuality. A more extreme measure exists as well; known as Severance, it is the complete excision of a Nymphonian's connection to the Sympath. Far more pervasive and very difficult to reverse, it is only ever performed by those wishing to remove themselves from the Nymphonian fold altogether, or otherwise an ordinary Nymphonian under extreme and dire circumstances.
So vital and so integral is the Sympath to Nymphonians that it is often identified as the Nymphonian religion, and rightly so; Nymphonians treat the Sympath with devotion and reverence, seeing it as the source of their collective identity and a force that transcends their physical existence. Indeed, concerted, focused communication with the Sympath's deepest reaches (known quite ecclesiastically as Deep Communion) is very much akin to prayer or meditation. As with many religions, the Sympath also brings with it a plethora of ideological doctrines, chief among them a communitarian mindset that values both interpersonal altruism and a commitment to Neonymphonia and the Sympath as a whole. Though Neonymphonia is culturally highly collectivist, personal rights are, from a legal standpoint, very extensive. This comes with a significant caveat, however; because of the existence of strong cultural taboos against overly unorthodox behavior, as well as the sheer power such customs have over individuals due to the Sympath's pervasiveness, these ostensible liberties are seldom exercised to their fullest extent. Such taboos are extensive and highly reflective of Neonymphonia's unique cultural axioms, chief among which are an unwavering adherence to all that is seen as quintessentially Nymphonian, down to personal beliefs and behaviours. For this reason, permanent Severance from the Sympath is considered the most taboo of all specific practices, and is treated with a level of horror and sadness (but not animus, which is considered entirely contrary to the Nymphonian ethos) towards those who willingly disconnect themselves from it.
Though identification of the Sympath not just as the basis for a religion, but as a deity being worshipped in and of itself is often denied on the basis that the Sympath is not an entity truly separate from the Nymphonian collective, as time has progressed and the Sympath has grown in size, power, and complexity, so also has this pronouncement become less and less true. In the three and a half centuries since its creation, it has become increasingly difficult to deny the notion that the Sympath, alone and independent of its constituent parts, has a living consciousness of its own. The implications of this remain both deeply troubling and highly elucidating as to the more esoteric nature of the Sympath, not least in its potential capacity to act of its own, entirely inconceivable volition.
Theology & Philosophy
The theology of Sympathism and the general philosophical ethos of Neonymphonia are difficult, even nearly impossible to extricate from one another, as they both derive from the Sympath as the central axiom.
Besides the Sympath itself, however, exists the extremely important concept of "Perfection in Mind and Body". As a concept, though it is now entirely integrated with the rest of what constitutes Sympathism, it in fact predates the Sympath itself, going back to the foundation of Neonymphonia and evident in the nation's motto. Similar to yet still verys distinct from the concept of Übermensch as envisioned by Nietzsche, it is a critical point that "Perfection in Mind and Body" does not in any way refer to a conception of relative mental and physical purity or supremacy, nor the transcendence of either mind or body from a current, imperfect state. Rather, it is the hypothetical ideal state of a person relative to their circumstances. Broadly interpreted, this can apply to any individual anywhere, but in the context of Nymphonian philosophy it applies far more narrowly to those who exist in the Sympath's fold; Nymphonians, in other words. Thus, "Perfection in Mind and Body" here pertains particularly to a certain relationship with the Sympath and Nymphonian society, and the Aphroarch of Neonymphonia is chosen on the basis that she is the person most predestined to exemplify this concept.
In reality, however, even Aphroarchs can fall far short of this aspirational, highly subjective, and in many cases self-contradictory ideal.
More symbolically, the concept of Mind and Body can also be taken to refer not to individuals but Neonymphonia as a whole, with the Sympath representing its Mind and the Viospheres representing its Body.
Prarthara
Analogous to an ordinary society's clergy, the Prarthar Clade of Nymphonians claims responsibility for coordinating complex interactions between other Nymphonians and the Sympath. They provide emotional and spiritual services for individual Nymphonians as well as greater collectives, helping the laity navigate the vast complexity of the Sympath during Deep Communion and forging a populace that is happy and spiritually satisfied. They are responsible for encouraging the development of psionics in young Plasamena, conducting Ethereal Passages for the departed, and even providing a safe Severance for individuals that thoroughly wish to leave. Though they may travel to any place that requires them, they are typically found in special ecclesiastical temples known as Carya (singular Caryon), where the devout gather to enter Deep Communion with aide from the psionic amplifiers integrated into their architecture.
Customs & Traditions
Due to the virtual omnipresence of the Sympath in Nymphonian society, insofar as the Sympath can be viewed as the centrepoint of a religion, nothing can truly be viewed as "secular" in Nymphonian culture. Nevertheless, a great many cultural practices, particularly those of an artistic nature with close parallels in various non-Nymphonian societies, can be viewed as somewhat divorced from purely religious, wholly Sympath-dependent pursuits.
Art, Music, & Literature
The traditional arts, in their myriad forms, are vital components of Neonymphonia's culture. Music is especially popular, and many of Neonymphonia's talented Calacara are capable of beautiful singing and skillful musicianship. Nymphonian music in particular is known for its stunning vocal melodies, whether as part of bombastic ensembles or gentle lilts, all performed in Neonymphonia's euphonious native language, as well as the creative usage of psionic voice modulation. Visual art in the form of sculpting and draughtsmanship are commonplace and highly diverse, while functional art in architecture and design is incorporated into nearly all aspects of life, generally following a Nymphonian aesthetic of natural, flowing, organic curves. Nymphonian poetry is varied and complex, often taking advantage of the Nymphonian language's grammatical structure as well as trying to convey the unique mind-to-mind experience of multiple people connected through the Sympath.
Dance & Sport
Dancing, as both an art form and a sport, is an extremely widespread and popular activity practiced by many Nymphonians on a daily basis, most often in the unique Nymphonian dance known as Pravaha. Widely renowned for its athleticism and grace, Pravaha dancing involves two or more partners enacting out a series of complex, fluid, and physically demanding moves involving great strength, flexibility, and agility while incorporating strong elements of acrobatics and, occasionally, martial arts. Each stage of a Pravaha dance is meant to convey a powerful, passionate emotion, from fury, to joy, to grief, to intimacy, expressed through different styles of body movement between each participant. With each Clade possessing their own unique, distinctive style, Pravaha's elegance is unlike any other.
Otherwise, various forms of athletics and gymnastics not choreographed enough to be considered dance are prevalent. In particular, a sport very popular amongst Nymphonians—primarily Iodhatara—possessing telekinesis and other, often combat-oriented psionic abilities is Vaiball. The rules are diverse and vary from game to game, but they all involve the use of a specially-designed psionically-sensitive sphere (the eponymous Vaiball) that is frequently hurled at targets, zones, or, in more violent versions, each other. Furthermore, Iodhatara have made a sport out of their various martial art styles known as Rhivma, practicing armed and unarmed combat through this activity.
Cuisine
Nymphonian cuisine is most notable for it incredibly creative and diverse methods of making the most out of what ingredients can be cultivated within their Viospheres. Nymphonians broadly trend towards vegetarianism, and receive most of their nourishment from a sweeping variety of pseudophyte tissues, all genetically engineered and specially cultivated to provide the nutrients required to live a healthy life. Though meat is traditionally excluded from Nymphonians diets, the vast selection of other ingredients means that an eclectic and varied culinary practices are still present in Neonymphonia. Beverages are widely diverse as well, with common drinks such as tea or juice found in abundance alongside exotic native options as well. Alcoholic drinks are also prevalent, especially sweet fine wines and liquors.
In Nymphonian cuisine, a special emphasis is placed upon using the many exotic pseudophyte products available to create an aesthetically pleasing meal that showcases the diversity of ingredients used in large, multicoloured presentations. This goes hand-in-hand with traditional Nymphonian customs, in which eating is a regular and highly communal activity done in large groups, often in accompaniment to other activities or entertainment. In recent times, however the adoption of in-vitro meat cultivation techniques and the loosening of social mores have brought past dietary habits into question, and Nymphonian cuisine has begun to adapt to the widening range of ingredients available to it, a cultural shift that has also coincided with the slow unraveling of long-held traditions regarding the status of meals as social events.
Fashion
Clothing in Neonymphonia is known as being particularly distinct for two reasons; its unique style, and its sparsity. Due to most Viospheres possessing warm, humid internal climates and Neonymphonia as a whole having relatively loose cultural norms regarding modesty, most Nymphonians only wear enough to cover their more intimate regions, if even that. Arms, legs, and midriffs almost always remain bare for both genders, with males exposing all of their chest and females a significant portion of their breasts. Aesthetically, what does remain is decorated in distinctive ornamental styles; the primary cloth base is often an achromatic colour such as white, black, grey, or a desaturated "cool" colour such as green or blue, with varying levels of sheen, while various brightly colored, oftentimes luminescent accents are added at different points around the garment. The shapes of each main garment are diverse and cosmetically complex, and decorative clothing and jewelry is widespread and varied.
Viviculture
Representing the confluence of horticulture and contained ecoengineering, the practice of viviculture—cultivating numerous forms of life under controlled conditions so that they interact in holistic harmony—is of great cultural and economic importance to Neonymphonia. All Viospheres house incredibly beautiful and vibrant terrestrial and aquatic microcosmic ecosystems within their enclosures, with which the anthropic topography—buildings and such—is heavily integrated and intertwined, and the simultaneously artistic and technical pursuit of shaping these landscapes is critical to the creation and maintenance of the Viospheres. This is in no small part due to the economic importance of bioengineered organisms to the Nymphonian economy, not just as sources of raw materials but also as tools integrated at all levels of the production value chain.
Calacara
Endowed not only with a gestalt's creativity, but an array of innovative techniques as well, the Calacar Clade is host to many of Neonymphonia's most artistic and creative individuals. They dedicate their time and effort almost in their entirety to their artistic endeavors, developing and then disseminating them to the rest of the Nymphonian collective and sometimes the wider world. Taking full advantage of the Sympath's interconnection with all Nymphonians, Calacara incorporate deeply emotive experience into all of their artistic media; while much Nymphonian media have a fully physical component appreciable by non-Nymphonians, without the empathic element they are often considered "incomplete". Of the Calacar subtypes, Horatrai are the aestheticists of Neonymphonia, often cooperating with other Clades to bless all of Neonymphonia with beautiful visual art, sculpture, architecture, and landscaping. Mythoteirai, meanwhile, are the creative storytellers, their narratives spanning a wide host of sensory media, from what might be called cinema, to literature, to poetry and songwriting. Chorotiai are the performing artists, renowned for their unparalleled use of psionics to enhance their artistic pursuits of music, dance, and acting. Although Calacara can be found performing their work all across Neonymphonia, most often they operate out of studios called Noes (singular Nus) furnished with the tools of their trade.
Sex, Romance, & Intimacy
Though Neonymphonia possesses a unique and vibrant culture spanning many practices, chief among them in terms of notoriety to outsiders is sex. Concomitantly, it is also one of the most misconstrued and misunderstood aspects of Nymphonian society, especially by foreigners unaware of the deep and inextricable interplay of romantic, intimate, and sexual emotion regarded as central to the practice in Neonymphonia. While the physical act of intercourse per se in its many potential forms is, indeed, a very common pastime—certainly enough to give rise to jokes about nymphomania—the physical pleasure to be derived from such activities is seen only as a single, incomplete component of the whole experience physical intimacy brings.
In Neonymphonia, sex is considered the physical manifestation of love and emotion, a shared, collective passion given potent, vibrant life. Sex is seen to represent multiple separate beings coalescing into one, brought together to share and complement each other's euphoric pleasure, forming a singular whole greater than the sum of its parts. It is, in effect, the physical half of a holistic merging of bodies and minds, complemented by the extremely close, Sympath-mediate telepathic linkage between participants so that they may intimate with each other on the deepest, most fundamental level, sharing not just in each other passions, but convalescing in and consoling each other's pains. By forging such indelible bonds between individuals, sex is seen as fully accomplishing the sort of literal empathy and sympathy that the rest of Nymphonian social practice can only pursue.
With neither offspring nor disease undesired a concern in Neonymphonia's technologically advanced society, polyamory is the societal norm, often being seen as a normal, even vital aspect of forming close bonds with other individuals, the line between friend and lover blurring nearly to nonexistence. Sexual prowess is a major component of what Nymphonians consider perfection in Mind and Body, and orgiastic ecstasy is interpreted to be the brilliant supernovae in a galaxy of minds. Using their potent psionic abilities and advanced genetic engineering, Nymphonians commonly use the former to vastly augment their sexual experiences—including the Apsarasas' famous Mind Meld—as well as the latter to reach the bodily perfection seen to be necessary in order to fulfill one's full potential. Because of their sheer symbolic significance sex and sensual activity are considered some of the holiest of pursuits under the Sympath, worthy of reverence and devotion.
Apsarasa
Fitting for the Clade most symbolic of Neonymphonia's charms from the perspective of foreigners, it is to this Clade that the Nymphs (and Satyrs) of Neonymphonia belong. First and foremost, the Apsarasa (singular Apsara) act as a conduit between Neonymphonia and the rest of the world, their role unchanging even as the rest of the country fluctuates in and out of isolation. In this capacity they act somewhat as cultural, social, and political envoys to other nations, functioning as representatives of their own country. Because of their duties as envoys, they often position themselves within the aisles of power, almost invariably by becoming the sexual partners of preeminent individuals within governments and other major institutions. This serves the dual purpose of providing them with a metaphorical vantage to gather information and disseminate their culture. Provided they are not living with a particular individual of standing as their partner, they typically inhabit Nymphonian-built domiciles called Thalame (singular Thalamos) scattered in great numbers across the world. As they often live in solitude from their fellow Nymphonians, or otherwise only work in a very small group of Apsarasa, they are equipped with a range of powerful mind-to-mind psionic abilities that serve both to protect them and complement their roles, such as two-way telepathic communication with non-psychics, the induction of debilitating-yet-physically-harmless agony, and their famous Mind Meld. Domestically, they work closely in tandem with Prarthara to provide emotional therapy to troubled Nymphonians.
Science & Technology
Ever since the time of the Green Mother, the very first Aphroarch and a scientific mind unparalleled, Neonymphonia has placed a widespread and extensive emphasis on scientific research and development, both for the purposes of achieving specific goals and for the sake of society-enriching knowledge itself. An entire Clade of Nymphonians, known as the Pasiatara, dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to the pursuit of scientific knowledge and the application of it all throughout Neonymphonia. This devotion to the sciences underscores a commitment to the forces of genius that provide Neonymphonia with its metaphorical Mind and Body.
Research Foci
Far and away the greatest and most distinctive of Neonymphonia's technological specialties is the study of psionics, a field that is nothing less than an absolutely integral part of Nymphonian society, forming the very basis of the Sympath. Far exceeding in capability the technologies developed before the Tempest, Nymphonian techniques focus primarily on biopsionics, the integration of psionic technology with organisms and organic structures. Psionic abilities are often divided up into "active" and "passive" groups, ranging widely in potency, from mere emotive sensitivity to local temporal dilation. In particular, the mind-mind connections afforded by psionics were what initially allowed Nymphonians to construct the Sympath as a powerful gestalt intelligence. Though all Nymphonians possess a basic level of psionic ability plus whatever specific talents their Clade requires, the fabled Psychonomore of the Pasiatar Clade are responsible for constructing the psionic structure of Nymphonian society and, along with a few select Prarthara and Naiacara, are the only Nymphonians capable of directly altering the nature of the Sympath.
As a scientific discipline deeply important to all of Neonymphonia since its very inception, and remaining so even after the introduction of advanced psionics, biotechnology is hugely pervasive throughout Neonymphonia. Joining with psionics to form the "body" half of Neonymphonia's philosophical mantra, highly advanced biotechnology is responsible for the superlative beauty and health of Nymphonian citizens, to say nothing of internalised ecosystems deeply important to the Nymphonian culture and economy. Similar to psionics, bioengineering is used to equip members of each Clade with a set of phenotypic traits that best suit their role, a practice managed by Pasiatara known as Hyphantrai. Past the extensive usage of biotechnology in medicine and augmentation, it plays a vital role in maintaining the self-sustainability of Neonymphonia's Viospheres. Each Viosphere is equipped with its own complex, self-contained ecosystem, curated by Ecotectones, that provide the inhabitants with liveable conditions and the many agricultural products that are consumed for sustenance or are otherwise inputs for the economy. Moreover, Neonymphonia utilises a great many transgenic organisms for labour and defence.
The majority of Nymphonian mechatronic systems and technologies are, curiously enough, bionic and biomimetic in nature; motion is often accomplished with synthetic contractile fibers, and many systems draw a level of inspiration from living organisms. Robots and other forms of automation are an indispensable component to Neonymphonia's internal economy, performing many of the menial, intensive, and dangerous tasks ill-suited for Neonymphonia's wide host of engineered creatures. Most Nymphonian robots are utility-types with basic autonomous functionality; as Nymphonian usage of semiconductors and other conventional computer technology is essentially nonexistent, simple robots are instead hooked up to the Sympath via psionic loci known as Psionic Animacy Synthesis Cores (PASCes) and are controlled with a simple specialised "consciousness" afforded to it, crafted and attuned by Pasiatara known as Phrontopoietrai. Recent experiments have yielded the possibility of full Sympathic integration with PASCes, perhaps allowing for the full synthesis of artificial intelligence outside of a biological brain. Further uses for mechatronic technology, though uncommon in most of Neonymphonia, is a requirement among its military, where many Nymphonian vehicles make use of advanced mechatronics to run their transport and weapons systems, and where artificial prostheses are, though still uncommon, less scarce than elsewhere in Nymphonian society. Such technology is designed and fabricated by a Pasiatar subgroup known as Techniti.
Materials science is a well-developed field in Nymphonian science, tracing its origins back to the creation of the Viospheres' structural materials to survive the massive strains they are meant to bear. Many of the materials and substances used in Neonymphonia, both organic and inorganic, are fabricated by various genetically modified organisms, such as the fabric used to make much Nymphonian clothing; as it is produced with a specialized form of "silk" akin to those of Terran spiders by genetically engineered zoomorphs, it is incredibly versatile and nearly indestructible. The armor worn by Nymphonian Iodhatara is another notable example; as an extremely advanced biopolymer, it is capable of rapid self-reparation and is highly adjustable in its physical properties. Such is often the purview of the subclade of Pegnumiti.
Pasiatara
As the scientific and technical minds behind Neonymphonia, the Pasiatar Clade is responsible for the conception, development, implementation, and maintenance of the many highly advanced technologies prevalent in Neonymphonia. Much of their work is performed within extensive laboratories known as Dendra (singular Dendron), to be found in every Viosphere, as well as in the field conducting observations. Often times, the Pasiatars' experiments are furnished with research subjects not just of their own finding, but of technology purchased from other nations that the Pasiatara are tasked with interpreting and adapting. Furthermore, they are often an indispensable part of any venture onto foreign soil, diplomatic or not; this is because Neonymphonia's limited population and resources only allow extensive scientific development in a few focus areas (though the Sympath augments this significantly), and Pasiatara often go to great lengths to assimilate or simply record the technologies of other nations so as not to be left behind.
Economy
The dominant factors influencing the form and nature of Neonymphonia's economy are chiefly; the Sympath, insofar as it acts as a highly effective and efficient method of conveying information, in this instance relevant to internal market dynamics; Nymphonian culture, and its particularly quirky brand of Clade-striated collectivism; the highly variable nature of Neonymphonia's interactions with the outside world and thus foreign markets; and the fundamentally limited nature of what primary resources the domestic Nymphonian economy can draw from.
Domestic
Internally, the Nymphonian economy, like the rest of Nymphonian society, is a system heavily reliant on the Sympath for its basic mechanisms to function as intended. Broadly, it is a quasi-decentralized system "governed" collectively by the whole of Neonymphonia and the market conveyances carried within it, and coordinated and organised by special contingents of Manatara. In line with Nymphonian egalitarian values, basic amenities, such as food, clothing, and shelter, as well as simple services, such as medical attention and education, are provided in great quality and quantity supposedly without direct cost. Whether or not these can be said to be truly "free", however, is questionable, as while they are delivered without substantive monetary obligation, the workings of Neonymphonia's economy are not easily disentangled from its complex system of social duty and taboo, these being the primary factors behind motivating labour and eliciting products.
Elsewise, demand, be it from the general populace or specific institutions of governance, is the primary driver for determining supply and the allocation of capital, with value represented in currency-like units termed Pulses and conveyed to the wider market through the Sympath. Leadership is provided by Naiacara known as Oicomiti, who act as the effective representative heads of economic organisations called Gerasa (singular Gera), akin all at once to businesses, unions, collectives, guilds, and associations. Formal ownership, meanwhile, is generally regarded as a vague concept somewhat inapplicable to the Nymphonian economy, and attempts to label the Nymphonian economy along lines or spectra devised for wholly different societies are broadly dismissed.
Foreign
Externally, Neonymphonia's level of trade with foreign markets is heavily in flux, with economic engagement depending heavily on foreign policy at the moment of interest and thus subject to wild swings. During periods of isolation, Neonymphonia aspires for as complete a system of autarky as can be managed, although the cost and efficacy of such a pursuit remains a heavily debated and disputed topic. When trading with the outside world, however, Neonymphonia follows a distinct pattern, often importing raw materials not easily gleaned under domestic circumstance, a great variety of manufactured goods for which Neonymphonia is ill-equipped to make internally, and an immense amount of foreign services and media unique in quality to other countries.
Primarily, Neonymphonia exports a wide variety of high value-added and luxury goods, such as clothing, jewelry, various forms of art, exotic foodstuffs, medicines, civilian seacraft, and the many services provided by its Apsara populace. On a wider scale, scientific and technological research, as well as large ecoengineering projects, are increasingly major components of Neonymphonia's interactions with the rest of the world; Nymphonian-bioengineered organisms and the techniques used to create them sell for a hefty premium on international markets, and the expertise of Nymphonian Pasiatara and Manatara is often in high demand. Tourism is also a rapidly expanding industry within Neonymphonia, seeing its greatest growth in the years after the Violet Queen's reign, after which Neonymphonia's opening to the world was unprecedented in scale and thereafter irreversible. Much, if not nearly all, of this formally takes place on behalf of the whole collective, though there is no central institution that this trading must take place through and de-facto interactions occur independently with Neonymphonia's many Gerasa.
Sivatara
Though their prescribed role in society is not as romantic or, from the perspective of foreigners, prestigious as those of the other Clades, the Sivatara (singular Sivatar) of Neonymphonia form the vital foundations of their nation with their tireless service. As a sort of "catch-all" Clade intended primarily to encompass skilled manual labourers and other roles that do not fit into other Clades, the Sivatara represent those members of Nymphonian society that oversee its basic functionalities. As they are a very diverse and interdependent Clade, they interact professionally with other Clades on a very frequent basis, only exceeded by the Naiacara. In this capacity, they are the farmers working with Pasiatara to feed their fellow Nymphonians, the builders alongside their architect Calacara to construct the Vivospheres in which they all live, the workers crafting much of what furnishes the essence of Neonymphonia.
Most critically, the Sivatara are given the monumental and revered task of bearing and providing for Neonymphonia's future generations. Mitire and Patire conceive the vast majority of Nymphonian children, while Cepotei nurture and raise them as virtuous members of Nymphonian society. Also important is the Sivataras' role as a "reserve pool" of fairly fungible labour, as transitioning from most subtypes of Sivatar to another Clade is far easier than between any other two Clades, in any direction. Ergo, they supply the Nymphonian labour market with a critical level of elasticity that would be much costlier to implement without them.
Government & Politics
Due to the central role of the Sympath in what might be conceived of as Nymphonian politics, the character of Neonymphonia's governing system is not easily appellated the descriptive titles of other governing systems; while the rather excessive Nymphosympathic Psionosyneidocracy formally appended on Neonymphonia from both within and without, given its tautological definition as Neonymphonia's political system it is somewhat useless as a comparative descriptor. Parsing apart its component roots is slightly more revelatory, but more importantly they segue into the more substantial aspects of Nymphonian government.
Nympho- is merely a symbolic hail to the unique culture of Neonymphonia from whence its politics rise. Sympathic, meanwhile, reiterates the indispensable facet of the Sympath in Nymphonian governance, useful only to those unaware of the axiom that the Sympath is important to everything pertaining to Neonymphonia. Psiono- touches upon the likewise central function of psionics as a basic mechanism of action by which Nymphonian politics works, again an axiom in Nymphonian society. It is only the fourth and final root, -syneidocracy, approximately meaning "rule by consciousness", that truly leads into the details of Neonymphonia's unprecedented nature of sociopolitical organisation.
In a sense a bizarre and novel form of democracy, syneidocracy in Neonymphonia entails gleaning, inevitably via the Sympath, the collective will of the citizen body of Neonymphonia, and acting upon it in the effective spirit of a telepathically-gleaned plebiscite. In practice, this is implemented along various levels of decentralisation, be they of Viospheres, Clades, Gerasa, or even smaller units of social organisation down to the individual levels, generally but not entirely levied on the principle basis that only those affected are to have a say. For example, in most cases it is only the inhabitants of a certain Viosphere that can determine by syneidocratic will where the Viosphere migrates or what shape it internal policies take, although this too can be heavily coloured by the formations of Nymphonian national will, or simply by the complex truths of a heavily interconnected national society.
Insofar as this system might be regarded as emblematic of a perfect direct democracy, internal snarls over majoritarianism aside three factors subvert that notion. The first, arguably most benign of the three is the Clade of Naiacara. Acting moreso as the titular components of a representative democracy, as societal organisers they more or less function variously as politicians, bureaucrats, and public servants. They are elected to their roles by indirect syneidocratic fiat, and typically play a fairly hands-off "facilitator" role in Nymphonian politics. The far more prominent and visible subversion of this direct democracy is the Aphroarch as both an office and the institution built around it. Although her selection is supposedly a pure expression of syneidocratic will, because of the third factor even this aspect can be held in doubt. Said third factor is the nature of the Sympath itself; as the keystone intermediary between the will of the people and the actions taken on their behalf, supposedly in accordance with that will, the fidelity of the Sympath's communication of that will is a grave and pressing concern. With a consciousness of its own, whether or not the Sympath's interpretation of the people's will is a terrible subversion of syneidocracy or a truer, wiser manifestation of it remains a question unanswered.
Foreign Relations
Neonymphonia's relationship with the outside world, to say nothing of other nations specifically, is highly complex and varied, much in spite of its efforts. Neonymphonia's once-habitual isolationism long led it to resist building all but the most ephemeral ties with the outside world; until the term of the Rose Goddess, Neonymphonia had eschewed virtually all formal diplomatic ties, and much in spite of economic demand, trade with the outside world remained in an embryonic state for a very long span of time. However, even in those times of reclusive flux, the Nymphonian peoples often found the pursuit of perfect seclusion to be a futile one, as the outside world refused to stay away.
Since the effective foreign-policy revolution initiated by the Violet Queen, Neonymphonia's already-dwindling pretense of isolationism—the Silver Priestess' forceful withdrawal of Neonymphonia was received much more poorly than prior episodes of isolation—was wholly and entirely abandoned. Under the leadership of the Aphroarch Siylvea, Neonymphonia not only normalised and formalised diplomatic and economic relations with as many outside powers as possible, but furthermore acceded Neonymphonia to a number of strategic alliances, an act of international engagement that would have been unthinkable at any prior point in history. Easily the most important of these alliances is the Organisation for Novalunar Integration (ONI), a wide-spanning political, economic, and military alliance founded by the Hadron Corps, in the short term created to combat the incipient threat posed by the Black-Green Pact and in the long term aiming to reestablish a long-lost global peace on Novaluna.
Beyond its fellow ONI nations, with which Neonymphonia has rapidly constructed deep and fruitful ties, the majormost recent development in Neonymphonia's foreign policy was its decision to declare war on the Grove Eternal. While establishing hostilities with the Praxoid Hive, the Solarian Covenant, Grailsphere, and the Ash Crest Necronet was relatively uncontroversial given the extreme unprovoked belligerence of these powers, the declaration of war against the Grove Eternal and subsequent invasion and occupation of the Bladed Strait were vastly more so; much like Neonymphonia, the Grove Eternal was a very isolationist polity (albeit far more violently and aggressively so) that had done Neonymphonia no direct wrong in the past. There was no attempt to disguise the fact that the invasion was a response to Grove intransigence (despite repeated warnings) towards opening up the strategically critical Bladed Strait to ONI, Dominion, and Confederation naval forces, justified on the basis that it was indirectly necessary for the survival of Neonymphonia in preparation for the War of the Four-Eightieth.
Synaptic Synedriti
Each Clade is ultimately represented by a single individual, outside the Naiacar clade, intended to embody the greatest virtues of their Clade and act on their behalf. In their capacity as representatives, they, the Synedriti (singular Synedris/-itria/-iter), convene as the members of the Synaptic Synedrion, a collection of each Clade's Synaptic Synedris in addition to the Aphroarch, to run the day-to-day operations of Neonymphonia. Rather than coming to office by syneidocratic election, new Synedriti are typically appointed by their outgoing predecessor, and must prove their suitability for the position by demonstrating mastery of several skills, to the point of eclipsing their mentor Synedriti in aptitude. The exception to this longstanding tradition is the Anuraga Synedris, representative of the Naiacara, who must instead win via a more conventional syneidocratic election, often accomplished by demonstrating their coordination skill to the populace at large.
The system of nomenclature for Synedriti is significantly more complex than for most other Nymphonian occupations, yet is nevertheless upheld by Nymphonian traditions of decorum. While the role of Synedris is the only one to come with a nominal suffix that is neutral to Clade and gender by default (-is), the system of title appellation is considerably more baroque. The office itself of a certain Synedris is afforded its own term, while the title given to the person holding that position can vary between two entirely different variants depending on gender or preference.
Naiacara: Anuraga Synedris (office), Agape Synedritria (female), Storge Synedriter (male)
Pasiatara: Vidia Synedris (office), Sophia Synedritria (female), Gnosis Synedriter (male)
Iodhatara: Sena Synedris (office), Polema Synedritria (female), Stratos Synedriter (male)
Manatara: Dhania Synedris (office), Chrema Synedritria (female), Plutos Synedriter (male)
Calacara: Ashanca Synedris (office), Chroma Synedritria (female), Iris Synedriter (male)
Prarthara: Sradha Synedris (office), Latreia Synedritria (female), Theos Synedriter (male)
Apsarasa: Maithuna Synedris (office), Lagneia Synedritria (female), Eros Synedriter (male)
Vishazhara: Svasthia Synedris (office), Ygeia Synedritria (female), Iatreios Synedriter (male)
Sivatara & Plasamena: Zhana Synedris (office), Agora Synedritria (female), Demos Synedriter (male)
Naiacara
As the Clade responsible for leading all the rest of Neonymphonia, the Naiacara (singular Naiacar) are tasked with ensuring that the complex dynamics of Nymphonian society function as smoothly and harmoniously as possible, using their guidance and leadership skills to resolve disputes, manage the interactions between other Clades and subgroups, and strike a satisfactory balance between the interests of the individual and the collective. Though the people of Neonymphonia are, for the most part, self-governing due to the Sympath, it is the Naiacara who sustain this system through their role as arbiters, adjudicators, and conductors. Indeed, their role has often been compared to the maestros of symphony orchestras, providing a rhythm and direction for the rest of the ensemble to follow. At the most grassroots level, the Harmozeines act as important community leadership figures, although at the highest levels of governance the Naiacara are supplanted by the supercladistic Synedriti. Most Naiacara work out of publicly-accessible offices known as Rhizai (singular Rhiza).
Education
Education in Neonymphonia is largely regarded as inseparable from the entire, holistic process of rearing children and developing them into adults, including not just the discrete pursuit of acquiring knowledge and skills, but also the broad cultivation of societal functionality and the Nymphonian ethos. For the majority of Nymphonians, education is largely goal-oriented in nature, in early life providing them with the preparation necessary to adapt to their chosen Clade, and later in life helping them adjust to any change their Cladistic occupation requires of them. Nevertheless, the purely academic pursuit of wisdom and understanding for its own sake has a venerated tradition in Neonymphonia, and for those curious beyond the bounds of their Clade, there exist many opportunities for learning.
Pre-Selection
The vast majority of Nymphonian children, known as Plasamena (singular Plasamen) for the first twenty years of their life, are born to the many Matrials of the civilisation, and are raised communally by Sivatara known as Cepotei in multipurpose domiciles known as Plasia. During this period, their days are often spent playing with their fellow Plaslings, exploring their native Viosphere, travelling to other Viospheres to witness the great diversity of peoples and environments preserved beneath the waves, and being taught the basic skills and mores expected of every Nymphonian regardless of their Clade and role. Taught by tutelary Manatara known as Scepsa, these include the ability to connect to and communicate via the Sympath. Once they reach twelve years of age, their lessons begin placing an emphasis on observing and learning about the different Clades of Neonymphonia and the many roles within them, all in preparation of their Phyletic Selection.
Post-Selection
Upon reaching the age of sixteen, a young Plasamen undergoes their Phyletic Selection, where they choose the Clade and role to which they desire to dedicate themselves. Though all Nymphonians are genetically predisposed from birth towards a particular Clade, it is ultimately the volitional decision made during their Selection that determines their fate. Once they have chosen, a Plasamen spends the remaining four years of their term apprenticed to a member of the Clade and role they chose, mastering the skills and accruing the knowledge necessary to perform their duties to the best of their ability. At the age of twenty, their apprenticeship and span as a Plasamen comes to a close, and they take part in a coming-of-age ceremony known as the Phyletic Emergence, after which they are considered a fully-fledged Nymphonian adult with a newly acquired nominal suffix to symbolize their transition and role in society.
Manatara
Likely the most contemplative of Neonymphonia's Clades, the Manatara (singular Manatar) are dedicated to the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge and cerebration beyond the natural world, acting as the dedicated philosophers and scholars amongst their Nymphonian kin. Highly adept in the use of more esoteric mind-to-mind psionic abilities, Manatara index and analyze events and their causes in human society. Parelthonore embody this activity, functioning as historians insofar as their investigations into the past are concerned, as well as their efforts to record in great detail the occurrences happening within the world. Mellonore, meanwhile, perform the opposite feat; as devotees to the social sciences, they combine their extensive and well-organized knowledge with a relatively potent form of precognition to theorize about future events and formulate responses to them. Scepsa then draw upon the considerable reservoir of knowledge and information available to them in order to educate future generations of Nymphonians while they are still young Plasamena, teaching them basic, universal skills and values and preparing them to make their choice during their Phyletic Selection. Most frequently, they work and teach in locations known as Phrenes (singular Phreni), where all are free to visit and learn.
Health
Extensive baseline genetic and epigenetic modifications made to the Nymphonian populace over the span of its existence have had drastic effects on its health, ridding Nymphonians of many old diseases and maladies once afflicting humankind and vastly improving their anatomy and physiology beyond that of unmodified humans. Through initial genome alterations at birth and after their Phyletic Selection, Nymphonians are ensured not only resilience against pathologies and ideal phenotypic morphology, but also greater receptivity to the healing and medical services provided by Vishazhara.
Lifespan
Due to the excellent health preservation technologies and general standard of living afforded by Nymphonian society, most Nymphonians typically live healthy lives up to an age of one-hundred years, after which their consciousnesses are ritualistically bonded to the Sympath for all eternity; culturally, it is considered normal to have a predetermined death date of which one is aware, although various exceptions are not unusual. The major exceptions to this near-universal trend are the Aphroarch, Adonarch, their retinue of Seirenes, and the Synedriti, whose lives are always extended by another fifty years during their terms of service. This is accomplished by using extensive negligible-senescence technology to halt the aging process entirely during the fifty years of an Aphroarch's reign, ensuring that the vigor of youth remains with them at all times during their critical duties. Once this period comes to a close every fifty years, they then resume aging at an ordinary rate.
"Death" of natural causes in Nymphonian society is very much unlike that in most other cultures, as it is not truly death. Upon reaching (what is typically) their hundredth year of life within the Nymphonian fold, a Nymphonian undergoes a ritual known as the Ethereal Passage. Akin somewhat to a funeral and completed alongside all other Nymphonians within their Viosphere who have reached the same age on the same day, the Ethereal Passage involves a humble, somber ceremony during which the "dying" Nymphonian rests upon a cloth-padded altar surrounded by floral arrangements. A Prarthar present then begins to meld their consciousness with the Sympath, a process that is completed by sundown. By the end of the ritual, their mind becomes yet another indistinguishable part of the Sympath's greater whole, and their lifeless bodies are given a sendoff that varies depending on their personal wishes or the Clade to which they belonged.
Vishazhara
Huge advances in both biomedical and biopsionic technology over the span of Neonymphonia's existence have resulted in the two disciplines overlapping heavily. Medical procedures most often involve using highly skilled psionic healing techniques handled by a unique group of Nymphonians known as Vishazhara (singular Vishazhar). Though they were formerly considered to be part of the Pasiatar Clade, their application-oriented role, unusually powerful psionic ability, and selection criteria meant they eventually digressed into a separate Clade unto themselves, and are afforded their own suffixes as such.
Using biopsionics, Vishazhara catalyse the removal of diseased or necrotic tissue and augment the growth of healthy tissue, generate novel biomolecules with medicinal properties, or otherwise use their abilities to enable and vastly increase the body's natural healing mechanisms. In more drastic scenarios, they are also capable of using precision psionics to perform surgical maneuvers or even selectively remove different substances from the body without affecting the rest. Beyond their direct medical services, they also dispense pharmaceutical devices and substances for more minor maladies or for prophylactic purposes. Similar techniques are applied by Nymphonian nanotechnology for rapid and autonomous regeneration capability, though without a Vishazhar present they are significantly less powerful. Typically, they operate out of institutions called Somata (singular Soma) specially equipped with psionic medical technology.
Military
For the significant bulk of its history, Neonymphonia has been a strictly neutral, largely pacifist country, and while its foreign policy during those centuries swung back and forth between total isolationism and mere non-interventionism, stringent non-aggression was for a very long time considered the basic axiom of Nymphonian foreign policy. Although that in time came to be demonstrated as wholly false, long before even that political sea-change, Neonymphonia recognised that in a world brimming with capricious and violent entities on all sides, there is little room left for weakness. As a result, Neonymphonia wields a military force packing a punch far above what its pacifistic rhetoric suggests.
As Neonymphonia's organised military and the Iodhatar Clade responsible for manning it were founded during the days of strict Nymphonian pacifism, their initial mandate covered only national defence, reflected in their basic organisation; Iodhatar units and the various weapons, tools, and equipment made available to them are arranged primarily on the basis of the Viospheres in which they are garrisoned and thus tasked primarily with defending, making the Nymphonian military's earliest incarnation something of a paramilitary force. It was not until later reforms that the Nymphonian military gained a formal, centralised chain of command, at first to allow it to better combat large, highly coordinated external threats, and then to turn it into an effective, power-projecting expeditionary force in its own right.
Alongside these changes to its size, resources, and mandate have come adjustments to its combat doctrine as well. When its task was only that of defending the Viospheres, with the exception of the contingent stationed on Nereis it was an entirely submarine force, equipped to fight almost solely from the stealth and safety of below the ocean's surface. As it gradually expanded, and its interests became harder to contain within its former isolated remits and became more intertwined with the outside world, the Nymphonian military found itself having to adapt to new theatres of warfare. As it developed, it first leveraged its aquatic expertise into creating a proper and potent surface navy, afterwards then greatly strengthening its amphibious-operation capacity and logistics. In order to make the most of its small numbers, the Nymphonian military has become especially adept at offensive pseudo-guerrilla tactics such as skirmishing, ambushes, sabotage, and high mobility hit-and-runs. The design of Nymphonian military equipment largely reflects this, with an emphasis on speed, agility, stealth, and relative logistical independence so as not to require large groups of support personnel.
Materiel
Armour: Nymphonian armour is highly distinctive in both its appearance and functional design, incorporating many innovative technologies into a form of aestheic note. The plating of the armour itself, though constructed of organoceramic and organometallic composite polymers capable of protecting from rifle shots, serve not so much as the armour itself but as a housing for other functions; this is made most evident by their scant placement in all but the heaviest variants. The primary protective component is a device housed on the back of the cuirass; a psionic amplifier, specifically designed to draw from the wearer's psionic potential and project a constant energetic barrier around them without requiring their concentration. Some forms of Nymphonian armour, typically of the lighter variety, otherwise utilise another innovation for protection; a nanobiotic semifluid film-laminate covering the body, creating a coating that, upon projectile contact, simultaneously hardens to the point of near-impenetrability and prompts a counter-vector reaction that dissipates much of the projectile's energy and/or deflects it away from the body.
Weapons: The weapons wielded by Nymphonian Iodhatara generally come in a few generalised varieties, each carried by nearly every Iodhatar. One such weapon is some sort of psionic amplifier, most often in the form of a spearlike Shacti. The Shacti allows them to concentrate and focus their abilities into lethal attacks, such as plasma jets, lightning bolts, or telekinetic throws. Second is the Casha, a long, prehensile whip used to create a direct neural connection between the wielder and their target, used for such incapacitative purposes as channeling immense, debilitating pain through the whip or initiating a mental takeover. Lastly is a (somewhat) conventional weapon, typically a firearm of some sort, potentially loaded with a variety of conventional and unconventional ammunition. Unorthodox replacements occasionally appear for all three weapons, but this loadout is standard for all Nymphonian Iodhatara.
Vehicles: To properly combat the many technologically advanced nations that may, in a heartbeat, become enemies with Neonymphonia, a plethora of military vehicles have been developed to counteract these potential threats. Most of these vehicles are split between the roles of Viosphere defense and irregular offense, and differ greatly in their design as a result. Because of the Viospheres' location in the ocean, all defense-based vehicles are either dedicated submarines or have a submersible feature, including all aircraft fielded in the defense of Neonymphonia. Nymphonian attack craft, developed only recently in its military history, is much more diverse; primarily based on land and ground-support roles, they often feature unconventional means of propulsion such as hover modules, quadrupedal legs, or sometimes even anisopter wings for increased mobility. Propulsion and energy is provided by Psionic Drives, special devices that utilise telekinetic psionic energy to accelerate components or entire vehicles. Weapons range from the ordinary, such as missiles, to the unconventional, such as plasma cannons, to the exotic, such as micro-robot swarms. All Nymphonian vehicular control and feedback systems are connected directly to their operators' nervous systems for sophisticated and responsive control.
Creatures: Taking advantage of their considerable bioengineering expertise, Nymphonians are also especially known for their use of heavily modified creatures to do their bidding and, if necessary, participate in the defence of the nation. Due to the extent of modification they undergo, they bear very little resemblance to any of the organisms that provide their base design, and range across a huge variety of sizes and shapes. The smallest can be the size of a dust mite, and attack in massive swarms, while the very largest are tremendous undersea beasts resembling the sea monsters out of sailors' tales, tasked with defending the larger, more critical Viospheres of Neonymphonia. Quite notably, some strains of beast are used as rapid, vicious mounts for Nymphonian cavaliers, capable of traversing difficult terrain very quickly and possessing formidable natural armour and weapons of their own.
Iodhatara
Though nearly all other Nymphonian Clades adhere to a fairly strict creed of pacifism and nonviolence whenever possible, this is very notable excepted in the case of the Iodhatara (singular Iodhatar). As their summative purpose in life is to serve as the defenders of the Sympath and Neonymphonia, using all means necessary to preserve their fellow Nymphonians' way of life, they have developed a distinctly warrior-like culture, with an emphasis on the honor and glory of combat. They live and train in barrack-like arrangements called Amygdalai, where their weapons and vehicles are also stowed, and are fond of rougher, more aggressive physical activities such as Rhivma martial arts, Vaiball, and their own style of Pravaha dancing. In their own respect, they attract a sort of reverence from the other Nymphonian Clades, due to one notable factor in their line of work; if a Iodhatar dies in the line of duty, their consciousness cannot be merged with the Sympath, and is instead simply lost forever. By taking this risk, Iodhatara are greatly admired for their courage and self-sacrifice. However, this, among other factors such as their rejection of pacifism and martial culture, has a profound consequence; the Iodhatar Clade's connection to the Sympath and much of the rest of Nymphonian culture is unusually fragile, requiring strong emotional bonds of a more conventional nature, as well as a linchpin in the form of the Aphroarch, to anchor them to the rest of society.
The Aphroarch
Even in light of Neonymphonia's wholly unique, elsewhere-unreplicated political system, the Aphroarch—rendered more precisely and natively as Aphroarchusa—is, in effect, a featural quirk who is nevertheless one of the most powerful individuals in the world, by virtue of her potentially uncontested command of all the resources Neonymphonia can muster.
In status and power alike, the Aphroarch is the preeminent individual in all of Neonymphonia—the sole individual, in fact, with any substantial claim to social preeminence—occupying a cultural position in Nymphonian society very much akin to both royalty and religious dominion and wielding vast soft (and, potentially, hard) influence over her subjects. In most ordinary circumstances, the Aphroarch occupies a largely symbolic position in Neonymphonia; as the ultimate symbol of her nation, she is said to be the individual most emblematic of Perfection in Mind and Body, with a connection to the Sympath far deeper and more powerful than any other one Nymphonian and thus a unique capacity for being in tune with the will of her people.
Following this line of logic, she is in fact bestowed with immense, almost unlimited de-jure power, potentially curtailed only by unanimous Synedrion consensus and a major syneidocratic pushback. In historical practice and custom, these powers were reserved exclusively for extreme national crises and the Aphroarch seldom exercised any of them, preferring to defer authority to the normal workings of Nymphonia's syneidocratic system. However, since the precedent of much more active and presumptive leadership was set by the Violet Queen, the Aphroarch's role as a substantive leader figure increased greatly, never to be diminished back to its original form.
The theoretical legitimacy of the Aphroarch in her status and power is said to derive syneidocratically from the Sympath, as all of the Nymphonian political sphere is intended to, both in her selection and in her reign. Her selection at birth by the Oomantissai is ideally reflective of her being the choice of the Sympath, and thus the choice of the people of Neonymphonia, being beholden to their will and acting only at their behest. Her upbringing and connection to the Sympath thereafter, meanwhile, is intended to reinforce her role as fundamentally a servant of the people who will not—and perhaps even can not—suborn their wishes.
The reality, inevitably, is more complex. Starting with the Black Matron and becoming most evident with the Violet Queen onward, serving Aphroarchs have demonstrated a bold capacity for acting in direct contravention to the seeming syneidocratic will of the people, oftentimes in the name of "unpopular wisdom", as it were. Internal opinions on this are varied, but most hearken to the observation that, as a person chosen by the potentially self-aware Sympath, perhaps her unacknowledged, true role is to, in light of a complex and increasingly unavoidable outside world, steer her nation in directions unpopular yet necessary.
Aphreian Selection
Since the tenure of the Green Mother, the first Aphroarch to lead Neonymphonia, Aphroarchs have invariably occupied the post for fifty solar years, no more and no fewer. The incredibly important and involved process of choosing and raising the next Aphroarch, therefore, begins a full twenty solar years before the current Aphroarch's reign comes to a close.
On precisely the thirtieth anniversary of the present Aphroarch's tenure, scheduled to coincide with a major wave of births, a conclave of powerful, specially-selected Prarthara known as the Oomantissai convenes in in the Caryon Aphronon. There, they enter Deep Communion with the Sympath in search of who, of all their recently conceived number, is predestined to be the chosen amongst all her peers. Never has there been a formal mandate that the girl so chosen must, indeed, be a girl; technically the possibility of the Aphroarch being male remains open. Yet for reasons thus far entirely unknown, each and every Aphroarch selected by the Sympath has been and will be female. Once the selection has been made and confirmed, the future Aphroarch is raised by the Oomantissai in accordance with Nymphonian traditional strictures until she is sixteen years of age.
In a nod to Neonymphonia's all-important coming-of-age Phyletic Selection, the selected Aphroarch is, at this moment, ostensibly able to reject her prescribed role as sovereign of Neonymphonia; in this hypothetical event, the role would then be passed to the determined "next in line" of several Plasamena covertly kept track of by the Oomantissai. In practice, however, this has yet to happen for a great many reasons. Once the Aphroarch has passed this threshold—at which point she becomes known as the Aphridia—as with other Nymphonians of her age she then undergoes the four years of education, training, preparation, and biopsionic augmentation required of her by her role.
The end result, by the time of her twentieth birthday, is a beautiful, powerful young woman meant to embody the Nymphonian ideal of Perfection in Mind and Body. She is assigned a similarly selected Adonarch to assist her, and takes her station as the new Aphroarch of Neonymphonia during the Aphreian Ceremony. She is considered the ultimate manifestation of all Clades in one being, displaying the ideal traits of all at once; as such, she is the eminent sovereign of Neonymphonia and is ultimately responsible for the well-being of her people, and acts with the leadership expected of such a person. Yet in spite of the rigid character ideals expected of them, historical Aphroarchs are notable for their widely varying personalities, all of which have taken precedent over this hypothetical state of perfection.
During her tenure, potent genetic augmentations preserve the youth of both the Aphroarch and her Adonarch through the fifty years of her reign. By the time she steps down, however, these augmentations fade, and she begins to finally age as her successor takes the throne. Upon her resignation, she is also assigned an honorary title to describe her unique personality and her role in ruling and shaping Neonymphonia, preserving her legacy for all eternity.
Aphreian Ceremony
Once a present Aphroarch reaches the end of her fifty-year reign as sovereign of Neonymphonia, she must finally step down and hand the mantle of responsibility to her successor, the Aphridia, on her twentieth birthday. A massive ten-day ceremony precedes the final ritual of passage, during which all Nymphonian Viospheres collect in a single location and rise to the surface of the ocean. Extravagant festivals and celebrations take place on all ten days approaching the final Aphreian Ceremony.
On the final sunset of the decidial on which the Ceremony takes place, the departing Aphroarch and her successor enter the Caryon Aphronon, where the final ritual takes place. The Aphroarch and Aphridia must kneel in the very center of the Caryon, surrounded by the Oomantissai and facing each other, and enter Deep Communion with the Sympath until midnight. Once midnight arrives, the Aphridia places her hands within the Aphroarch's, and the two in tandem recite the Aphreian Oath, after which the immense psionic power of the Aphroarch is transferred into her successor. The two then enter Deep Communion once more. At sunrise, the newly consecrated Aphroarch emerges from the Caryon in her ceremonial garb, and leads the closing ceremony in a Pravaha dance with her Adonarch.
The Adonarch
In many situations, most often by foreign observers, the Adonarch—domestically rendered as Adonarchon or Adonarchusa—has been described as Neonymphonia's King or Queen Consort; though such a description is not inaccurate in and of itself, it is nevertheless wholly inadequate to capture the breadth and nuance of the Adonarch's role. The Adonarch is the Aphroarch's closest companion, most loyal servant, and most steadfast and vigilant protector, tasked with the monumental responsibility of tending to his or her Aphroarch's every need (and, unlike the Aphroarch, there is precedent for Adonarchs to be of any gender), from safety to pleasure to intellectual critique. As her servant, they are ultimately responsible for her comfort and accommodation; when at home, they act as the Aphroarch's majordomo, managing and coordinating the Seirenes who service the Aphroarch. When away from such facilities and bereft of any other tenders, they may perform valet work themselves, preparing meals, keeping her accommodations tidy, and other such roles. Though their duties extend to any and every task wished of them by the Aphroarch, up to and including literal spoon-feeding, it rarely, if ever, comes close to that; most Aphroarchs prefer the Adonarch as a professional assistant and steward rather than a handservant.
Along these lines, the Adonarch wields a substantial level of unofficial political power as well. As the Aphroarch's closest companion, their position as trusted adviser gives them a significant amount of soft influence in domestic affairs, in some cases even acting as the prime conveyor of the Aphroarch's wishes and wills to the rest of Neonymphonia's body politic. Externally, they are also given the official position of secretary-general to the Aphroarch, and are permitted to represent her at diplomatic affairs in her absence and even act on her behalf when necessary.
Furthermore, arguably even more important than the Adonarch's role as a servant is that of a bodyguard; more than anything else, their duty is to protect the Aphroarch and ensure her safety at all costs, up to and including their own life if need be. To facilitate this, the Adonarch is trained and augmented to the status of the second most fearsome warrior in all of Neonymphonia, greater than even the Sena Synedris and below only the Devarchi herself. Their prowess in combat is otherwise unmatched, and are capable of using their psionic abilities with a level of skill and power seldom seen elsewhere. For the most part, Adonarchs nevertheless do not partake in normal warfare despite their capabilities, as that would entail leaving their Aphroarch's side during a time of conflict. On her behest, however, they may act as a military leader or even a key combatant, and have done so to great effect in the past.
Adonarchs are, in a manner very similar to the Aphroarch, selected and raised by a conclave of Oomantissai before they are assigned to their Aphroarch's side. During the period of their youth prior to their formal initiation and the retirement of the current Adonarch, they are known as the Adoniscos or Adonidia.
The Devarchi
Unique to the Aphroarch alone is an ability, reflecting her status as the absolute pinnacle of psionic potency, that imbues her with an inconceivably immense amount of power, transforming her into an entirely new, entirely different entity known as the Devarchi. As the Devarchi, the Aphroarch can muster incomprehensibly vast psionic energies and direct them in nigh-upon any way she chooses, be it through active or passive means, gaining her the destructive capabilities of entire militaries at her disposal. Intended as a last-ditch defense mechanism in moments of existential crisis for the totality of Neonymphonia, the Devarchi is capable of single-handedly wiping out entire invasion forces, or defending directly against the superweapons of others.
The Devarchi's sheer power is most unique in that it draws not from the Aphroarch's (already considerable) psionic abilities, but rather directly from the Sympath itself, utilizing the collective energies of every Nymphonian connected to the Sympath and channeling it through the hyper-energised form of the Devarchi, in effect merging the two into a single, discrete being. The side-effect of this transformation is that the Devarchi is, in essence, a being entirely distinct from the Aphroarch as a person, and the Sympath as an entity, with an entirely novel consciousness that exists only as the Devarchi exists. As such, the Devarchi is referred to by the Aphroarch's nominal root, but with a different cladistic suffix, so as to represent this fundamental shift in personage.
Though this method of drawing power has created an ability far, far greater in potency than almost anything previously conceived, it also carries with it a terrible risk; should the Aphroarch be injured or killed while in her Devarchi form, it could irreparably damage the Sympath itself, effectively crippling or destroying one of the most central, defining elements of Neonymphonia itself. As a result, the Devarchi is, in effect, a weapon of mass destruction only used when all other options have been exhausted, and rightly so; the sheer power the Aphroarch is capable of wielding while in Devarchi form is truly beyond belief. Past Aphroarchs who have used the Devarchi have demonstrated its unimaginably trenchant abilities, capable of decimating entire theatre-scale mobilisation forces of other countries. The Black Matron, as her Devarchi form Tenivrathoria, telekinetically lifted and threw entire aircraft carriers, froze several square kilometres of ocean just to trap ships in place, and even contained a fusion missile explosion within a projected barrier.
The Psyche Aphrone
Located in the heart of the capital Viosphere of Elysia, amidst its dense vegetation, the Psyche Aphrone is the capitol and metaphorical centre of Neonymphonia, containing the residences of the Aphroarch, her Adonarch, and their servants, as well as the central locus of the Sympath. Spanning a vast complex interwoven into Elysia's physical geography and environment, the Psyche Aphrone is the tallest and largest single structure in all of Neonymphonia, discounting the Viospheres themselves. Contained within its sprawling architecture are the private living accommodations of the Aphroarch and her attendants, the Psyche Chapel (a specially designed Caryon reserved for the Aphroarch herself), meeting chambers and facilities for the Synedriti, the Caryon Aphronon (the seniormost Caryon in Neonymphonian), and a multitude of other connected buildings and halls, most of which are fully accessible to the public. Adjacent to the Psyche Aphrone is a great public forum, where Nymphonians may collect to meet with each other and the Aphroarch in person.
Seirenes
Serving roles very similar to that of the Adonarch, yet as a collective group rather than a single individual, the Seirenes are the Aphroarch's personal servants and guardians, whose duty is to assist and follow the Adonarch's directives in serving the Aphroarch. The titles of Seirena and Seirenos respectively denote female and male members of this handpicked group, with both Seirenai and Seirene sharing equally the roles of personal servant force and security detail to their Aphroarch. Because of the narrow selection process involved in choosing Seirenes, they possess psionic abilities far above average (including the varied weaponisation of sound, as per their titles) so as best to carry out their Aphroarch's bidding. Like the Aphroarch, Adonarch, and Synedriti, they do not age for the duration of their service, which is more often than not tied directly to their current Aphroarch's reign.
Historical Aphroarchs
Varidea, the Green Mother (50-100 PT): Neonymphonia's very first "Aphroarch"—so named retroactively, as the neither the title nor the character of the role existed during her time—the Green Mother was renowned and beloved for her wisdom, empathy, and adoration of life. A scientist and leader like few others, the Green Mother was responsible for uniting the remnants of Isle Nereis and guiding the construction of Arga, Neonymphonia's first Viosphere, giving the Nymphonians a peaceful, Edenic sanctum from the turmoil of the outside world. Reclusive in her later years, she spent much of her days alone amidst the beautiful ecosystems she helped engineer.
Ibvarea, the White Lady (100-150 PT): In her day a highly controversial leader, the White Lady was responsible for introducing a vast proportion of the traditions and practices that now define Nymphonian society, routine and extensive bioengineering, and the newly reinvigorated technological field of biopsionics. During her reign, the people now formally known as the Nymphonians distanced themselves from the outside world, focusing on nurturing their growing psionic power and developing their unique synthesis of technology and culture. By the end of her reign, the Sympath had developed into its earliest form.
Elifea, the Red Duchess (150-200 PT): As the rest of Novalunar civilisation finally began to fully pick itself up from the ashes and rebuild, albeit with a distinctly dark twist, Neonymphonia's heretofore-unadulterated existence was thrown into question; with violent, capricious nations ravaging weaker enemies without reason, the Red Duchess took strides to protect and fortify her nation, subverting Nymphonian pacifist norms to establish the Iodhatara and their military complex as potent forms of defense and increasing the pace of Viosphere construction to accommodate her growing country and expand the power and influence it could marshal.
Aorea, the Gold Maiden (200-250 PT): Though best-known for her eminently popular disposition, frequent personal interaction with the Nymphonian populace, and oft-storied personal heroism during the First Sympathic Crisis, likely her most substantial accomplishments were her erudite reforms and refinements to Neonymphonia's embryonic Gerasa system of economic organisation, vastly increasing its productive and distributive efficiency. In light of the increasingly powerful economies of potentially hostile nations, this is seen by scholars as an underappreciatedly seminal moment in Neonymphonia's history.
Nauthalea, the Blue Princess (250-300 PT): It was during the rule of the Blue Princess, an artistic and contemplative woman who preferred the calming solitude of the deep, that both expressive and functional art became an integral part of Nymphonian culture, incorporating creativity and expression into everything from architecture to genetic engineering and thus providing Neonymphonia with its pervasive and renowned cultural nous. Acting in parallel with her love of the ocean, she famously underwent extensive modification to better survive aquatic environments and spent much of her time beneath the waves.
Selaishea, the Rose Goddess (300-350 PT): Domestically, the Rose Goddess is best-known for her creation of the Apsara Clade and transformation of sex in Neonymphonia from a frequent pastime to a major locus of culture and society, to a degree virtually a subject of worship and reverence. However, just as important to Neonymphonia were her unprecedented interactions with the outside world, breaking many years of isolationist precedent and establishing formal diplomatic relations in a bid to influence a broken world for the better, rather than simply hide from it, in the process also setting the stage for the emergence of her successor.
Tenivrea, the Black Matron (350-400 PT): Easily the most unusual of all Aphroarchs to have reigned up to that point, the Black Matron is widely known as the first Aphroarch born to a non-native parent, as well as for her oddly individualistic and mischievous personality. Certainly a highly controversial Aphroarch, she is also known for her antics and adventures, including ten years spent traveling the world, absent and unaccounted for. Her final stationary contributions being the creation of the Devarchi, the defense of her homeland against an invasion, and a dramatic new precedent, after transferring her mantle of office, she simply disappeared without a trace.
Dolarea, the Silver Priestess (400-450 PT): Reserved and reclusive by nature, the Silver Priestess was known initially for her shy and gentle personality. Not long after she took the title of Aphroarch, however, she experienced a temporary yet highly traumatic Severance from the Sympath under mysterious conditions. Holing herself up in the Psyche Aphrone and refusing to exit under any circumstance, she ordered that Neonymphonia retreat into total isolation once more while she effectively locked herself in Deep Communion with the Sympath. Nevertheless, her especially powerful link with the Sympath enervated it like none other had.
Siylvea, the Violet Queen (450-500 PT): Although not the first Aphroarch to defy tradition, the Violet Queen is noteworthy for her precedence-breaking being of a far more momentous nature than any of her predecessors. Reengaging with the world on a scale never before conceived, in the span of her rule she irreversibly turned Neonymphonia into an out-and-out adventurist world power and global player, going so far as to declare war for the first time in Nymphonian history. Though always renowned for her grace and intelligence, it was not until the War of the Four-Eightieth that her aloof style, active rule, and widely-resented policies were vindicated.