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Nayabaru society is governed in an anarcho-totalitarian fashion.
They have almost no concept of centralised government, with the exception of the Karesejat title for the final arbiter, which is necessarily singular - though matters will so rarely bubble up to that level that it's not a problem. On the other hand, they are such a strongly social culture that ostracism is a grave threat to any one of them, on average making them eager to please those who they could consider their direct superiors.
Sociopolitical interactions occur on two levels: Title and individual. Leverage occurs by titles. Nayabaru do not question titles, themselves practically unable to lie about their own. Titles are more transient than individual identity, of course, though they are more static than in human cultures. Nayabaru tend to choose their own titles once they mature, based on their honest assessment of their capabilities and strengths, and have a strong incentive to pick a reasonable one, as it is their title that is under scrutiny:
Should another Nayabaru have beef with them, it is almost without a doubt linked to their title. Titles impose certain expected behaviours upon the Nayabaru that have them, granting them authority in some matters and no authority in others. For example, the Karesejat has almost complete authority as long as her commands can be plausibly linked back to her purpose as a final arbiter and prime protector of the Nayabaru; were she to ask something that could not be traced back to this, it would not be uncommon for Nayabaru to ignore her request, or outright challenge her for her title.
A title challenge is a simple depiction of how actions and title do not mesh. Thus challenged, a Nayabaru must either (1) plausibly refute the points, (2) grant that the points are valid and (a) strive to make amends, as well as plausibly promise not to breach the title's authorities again, (b) rescind the title. If a refutation is successful, the Nayabaru that spoke the challenge is generally considered to owe the challenged party a favour (in proportion to the social status gap between them).
Losing a title is not the end of the world, but very unpleasant to Nayabaru, as it takes time for them to find another, and in the time that they have no title, they have only their individual identity, which is far more sacred, and all Nayabaru strive desperately to keep out of disputes. The only true means to 'challenge' an individual is to ostracise them.
That said, Nayabaru are generally very liberal in their social understanding, excepting the following:
- actions linked to titles, which are expected to be meticulously in line, both in superiors and inferiors
- blatant crime (most notably murder), which bypasses titles entirely (unless the title might be considered an excuse for said crime, in which case it is considered the criminal rather than the individual Nayabaru) and results in ostracism
- kavkem sympathy
Kavkem sympathy is not considered all bad. Words are cheap in this regard and an individual Nayabaru can lament the treatment of kavkema all they wish, treat kavkema nicely in the privacy of their own home, and politely request better treatment for kavkema from the people who detain them, but even the slightest action that could be taken to be sabotage of a different Nayabaru's actions toward the kavkema are considered inexcusable, and will usually result in immediate ostracism.
Generally speaking, all Nayabaru are friends with each other. They tend to speak their mind openly amongst each other and are rarely deeply offended by a comment made. Heated debates are extremely rare - even the severe disagreements that result in title challenges tend to be had in quiet, open-minded conversation.
Despite their social nature, however, Nayabaru are still very individualistic, though the societal framework that is embedded in does not allow that to flourish. As hinted, individual quirks are more than tolerated… but it is rare that these quirks even develop, as Nayabaru are keen to conform to each other's expectations.
It is this relative conformity that slows their development as a species.