Nu Mou History
The Nu Mou are one of the oldest and most venerable of races to make their home in Ivalice; they are on par with the Elves, though it is uncertain exactly which race came first. As of the present day, they are a contemplative race; and they are a people in apparent decline, as their numbers have slowly dwindled over the last thousand years, and they are becoming a rare sight outside of Bur Omisace, though this has not always been so.
Since the beginning, the Nu Mou have been blessed with exceptionally long life spans, far greater than that of any hume or animal kin. At first, they had to spend most of their time on the day to day business of survival, just as anyone else; but as they grew older, and they became more skilled in feeding themselves and keeping the threats of a hostile wilderness at bay, the elders of their race found themselves with a great deal of time on their hands. Slowly, one by one, they turned this time towards reason. While the youngsters tended to the matters of daily life, the elders merely gave over to observing the world around them; the animals, the monsters and fiends, other newborn races, and the realms of the spirits. They watched the stars crossing the night skies, they listened to the songs of birds, and discussed with each other at great length the fascinations of natural phenomena.
As they came to develop a deeper understanding of the world around them, they came to seek an equally significant understanding of their place within it. Very quickly they came to the conclusion that in order to find your place in the world, you must first see as many places as possible, and find the place where you feel the greatest sense of harmony. One by one, the Nu Mou familes packed up their crude huts and left, each choosing a different direction. It didn't take long before Nu Mou settlements became a thing unheard of, and so they wandered. Their discussions took the form of messages left in particular places; paintings on cave walls being the most popular, but while discussion became difficult, personal observation and growth flourished.
When the spirits bestowed magic into the world, it prompted a great exodus; Nu Mou became virtually unknown in the lands of Ivalice. Where they went, precisely, is not known. The Nu Mou themselves have thus far been uninterested in clarifying. Some Historians claim that they travelled en masse to Jylland, citing their involvement there in comparatively more recent political upheavels there. Others insist that their involvement was quite low key at best, and point to the Spirit Realms as the destination of choice, citing the Nu Mou's constant examination of the world around them. Whatever the case is, when the Nu Mou returned to Ivalice centuries later, they brought with them an intimate understanding of magic. Family units split up; no longer needing the protection of numbers against the perils of the world, they succumbed to the desires to wander off in their own directions, following whatever creature or phenomena piqued their interest. Slowly but surely, the returning Nu Mou became a disparate race.
In time, the Nu Mou came to realize that in order to for them to come to understand their place in the world, they must see to the mundane issue of continuing to have one; allowing their race to become scattered and out of contact while in the pursuit of knowledge and philosophical understanding had, over the centuries, come at a heavy price to their numbers. How to balance the two became a difficult problem; ultimately, the solution proved to be two fold.
An elderly Nu Mou by the name of Kobia had spent most of her life living in and around a grove of trees; it was a place that she discovered early on resonated for her, and so she remained, tending her garden and listening to the birds. Eventually, she learned not only to understand the birds, but to answer; a skill she taught to other Nu Mou who passed through, and who in turn learned to speak to all manner of beasts. This allowed them to communicate with each other over long distances, greater even than magical means would allow for. It was also this skill that enabled them to learn of the spiritual importance of Mt. Bur-Omisace; legend has it a Nu Mou found out about the purity of this peak while in a pleasant discussion with an old hawk.
Bur-Omisace remains the only notable settlement of Nu Mou; it is a place where they often gather, to meet one another and to raise children, before returning to their distant wanderings, in search of both answers, and better questions. Though they are by no means as commonplace today as humes or animal kin, they are at least a race no longer in decline, or in danger of falling to numbers too few to recover from.
When Bur-Omisace was chosen as a holy site for the Light of Kiltia, the Nu Mou did not deign to argue; they simply welcomed the new faith, and set about to studying it as well, from inside and out. Such has remained the Nu Mou way until this present day; constant observation, study, and refining of theories and thoughts, so as to learn to better understand the universe as a whole, and the place of the individual within it. This study of natural law leaves them, at times, uncaring for the particulars of the laws of civilization; while they are generally harmless, they sometimes are oblivious to accepted customs and norms of the other civilized races. When a Nu Mou is present, be polite, but have a care for your potted plants lest they be appropriated for study.
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