Novarra is situated east of Pescara and north of Kumantarakis, the land itself isn't vast and offers little obvious dominance at first glance. Rolling highlands, mineral-rich subsoils, and unusually stable atmospheric currents made it pleasant but unremarkable. What set Novarra apart was not the land, but the minds it produced, generation after generation, as though the region itself encouraged thought to take flight.


In the early eras of Anarkand, Novarra stood out as the nation that was most devoted to learning, experimentation, and record-keeping. While neighbouring nations measured success in territory or force, Novarrans measured it in solved problems and unanswered questions. Scholars, engineers, and chemists were elevated to positions of influence, and governance gradually evolved into a meritocratic council system where innovation carried as much weight as lineage. This cultural foundation would define Novarra for all time.


The first great turning point came in the late 2nd era when Novarran aerists achieved controlled atmospheric flight. Long before other nations mastered even basic propulsion, Novarran craft rose into the skies using principles of balance, resonance, and controlled lift rather than brute force. The first Novarran flight is still commemorated as a national day of quiet reflection rather than celebration, a reminder that progress must be respected, not worshipped.


That same philosophy carried Novarra into the stars. In the early 3rd era, Novarra achieved the first successful space flight in Anarkand’s recorded history. Unlike later spacefaring nations, Novarra’s ascent was not driven by expansion or conquest, but observation. Their earliest vessels were equipped not with weapons, but with instruments. The data gathered during these missions would later underpin much of the Temple of Anark’s cosmological doctrine, forging the first deep bond between Novarra and the Temple itself.


The relationship between Novarra and the Temple of Anark grew steadily, rooted in mutual respect. The Temple recognised Novarra as a rare civilisation capable of advancing knowledge without destabilising the world, while Novarra viewed the Temple as a necessary arbiter, ensuring that discovery did not fracture Anarkand.


Novarran scholars were frequently invited to advise on Temple decrees, particularly those involving technology, the Red Hex, and off-world ethics. Over time, Novarra became an intellectual extension of the Temple’s will, though never its servant.


Perhaps Novarra’s most consequential innovation emerged in the 4th era with the development of Sentinel technology. Where other nations envisioned sentinel being utilised as an instrument of war, Novarra understood it to have the capacity for guardianship, observations, and regulations. This way of thinking led to the development of autonomous constructs which monitored infrastructure, environmental balance, and early-warning threats. The ethical frameworks developed alongside them became the gold standard across Anarkand, preventing the widespread abuses seen elsewhere.


Novarra’s mastery of energy followed a similar path. As the Red Hex became both a temptation and a danger to surrounding nations, Novarra pioneered methods of indirect harnessing. Their generators drew only surface resonance, avoiding destabilisation while producing immense, reliable power. This breakthrough allowed the rise of Novarran megafarms, vast agricultural complexes that fed not only their own population but stabilised food supplies across the northern regions. Hunger became a foreign concept within Novarra, not through abundance alone, but through precision and balance.


By the 5th and 6th eras, Novarra had risen to prominence as the political and intellectual anchor of the north. While never an empire, its influence was undeniable. Treaties often passed through Novarra before reaching the Temple of Anark in Kanesh. Disputes between northern nations were frequently mediated by Novarran delegates, whose reputation for logic and neutrality made them trusted even by rivals. Kumantarakis, wary but pragmatic, maintained cautious respect, while Pescara found in Novarra a complementary ally: vigilance balanced by wisdom.


Unlike many great powers, Novarra never sought expansion. Its cities grew upward and inward, filled with academies, energy spires, and living districts designed to evolve alongside their inhabitants. Education was universal, lifelong, and adaptive. Failure was not punished but studied. Success was shared. This culture ensured that Novarra continued to produce some of the greatest minds Anarkand has ever known, not as rare anomalies, but as a steady inheritance.