Nusantara Lore

The Magical Sanctuary of Nusantara
***Sekepal menjadi gunung, setitik menjadi laut.***
“A lump will become a mountain, a drop will become a sea.”

## The School

Located at the foot of Java’s Mount Semeru, the **Magical Sanctuary of Nusantara** is the regional Magical school of Southeast Asia, named after the Indonesian/Malay term for Maritime Southeast Asia. Despite its name, Nusantara accepts students from both Maritime and Mainland Southeast Asia.

Nusantara is a five-towered palace-school right in the heart of a sprawling sanctuary/settlement. The five towers are five points of the school’s outline, giving it a pentagon shape, and has their respective Naga carved in gold and climbing up to the top of the towers and stretching towards a central point, forming a pentagonal pyramid. Within the pentagon are buildings housing different facilities including the traditional classrooms, theatres, etc.

The towers of the school act as the dormitories for the students, especially the ones who don’t live in the sanctuary itself. The Naga council has their offices on the second floor of their towers while the Nagaraja’s office is in the central building.

The central building of Nusantara also houses the communal main hall, which is considered the heart of the whole sanctuary. Instead of stretching upwards like the five towers, the central building goes deep underground. Five underground levels full of records of knowledge collected from all over Southeast Asia. These levels hold everything from written records to paintings to actual recordings and they continue to grow with Nusantara and its inhabitants. At the centre of these levels is a transparent pillar that shows the flow of the river from underground to the top.

Surrounding the palace-school are ‘districts’ where the descendants of the indigenous groups who sought the sanctuary’s protection long ago reside. They are a healthy mix of modern technological advancements and preserved traditional architecture. The outermost areas are farmlands and orchards owned and tended to by the entire community. Winding in and around the entirety of the Magical Sanctuary of Nusantara is a river.

The river is an enigma though. It starts from the innermost heart of the palace-school, looking like it's been fed from an underground reservoir. Previous Nagi have fashioned a central atrium around it. From there it splits into five directions, heading towards each of the towers’ own central atriums before they start to feed into the different districts of the sanctuary. From there, the five paths of the river wind through the different districts, breaking off into several more paths before meeting again at the outer perimeter of the entire sanctuary.

At night, naga fireballs would rise from the river to illuminate the whole sanctuary. The people claim that if one looks carefully enough, the glistening scales of lesser Nagi could be seen within the waters of the river.

## History

According to ancient texts and legend, Nusantara first existed as the home of the great *Nagaraja*, a powerful Naga who led the great Nagi of Nusantara. The Nagi were the guardians of Nusantara. They were the ones responsible for ‘grounding’ the islands of the archipelago.

A long time ago, the islands of Southeast Asia used to float freely on the ocean and the constant movements of the islands made life for the humans very difficult. In order to alleviate this, the Nagaraja asked for help from the other Nagas all over the archipelago to nail the islands to the Earth. Many Naga heeded the Nagaraja’s call, each carrying a part of Mount Meru on their backs and putting them on the floating islands to act as ‘weights’. These parts would eventually become the various volcanoes and mountains of the Nusantara Archipelago, one of which being Mount Semeru.

The Nagas would use themselves as the seals to these mountains, with the Nagaraja as the guardian and seal of Mount Semeru where they would settle for the next centuries.

Nusantara became a sanctuary for the various peoples of the Nusantara archipelago during the Age of Exploration when colonizers enslaved, ostracised and hunted them to near extinction. Here they brought their culture, their heritage, their history with them to be protected and preserved. They were protected and cared for by the Nagaraja.

The sanctuary grew over the years, eventually becoming a small settlement of peoples all over the archipelago and beyond. The Nagaraja sought out five other Naga in the area to help guard the sanctuary without having to stray too far from their respective mountains and volcanoes. The Nagi work together to make a protective barrier around the sanctuary, hiding it from the eyes of the uninvited and protecting it from potential invaders and the eruptions of Mount Semeru.

Unfortunately, the Nagi couldn’t stay with the Nagaraja for too long. They had to go back to their posts at some point, lest they risk getting their respective seals weak and break. Before they left, each of them gave an egg to the Nagaraja to be taken care of. The eggs held a good portion of the Naga’s power, just enough to help maintain the barrier around Nusantara. The eggs hatched into humans with powers similar to the Naga they were gifted from. These five hatchlings became the first Naga council of the sanctuary.

A few years down the road, the Nagaraja herself had to secede for reasons unknown to the general public. Before she does, she leaves part of herself with Nusantara, a human similar to that of the 5 Nagis’ hatchling, containing enough of her power to sustain Nusantara and their barriers for a very long time.

Soon enough, the sanctuary had amassed enough permanent residents that the Nagaraja of that time decided to open a school for the children to attend without having to travel far. She offered up her own palace’s many rooms as classrooms and the rest of her palace to be renovated to fit the needs of the future students and teachers.

It took a long time for them to get everything right, but everyone helped Nusantara grow as a school and a community. It took a lot of trial and error, but the teachers and the Nagi eventually realised that to make their school as best as it can be, they need to listen and provide for the needs of their students. Not just their needs when it comes to education, but in their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing as well.

The school started to adopt a more relaxed curriculum that would soon evolve to its present-day personalised timetable of classes. At some point in time, one of the Naga councillors suggested adding to their curriculum the different cultures of Nusantara. From there bloomed the foundations to what would eventually become the varied, multicultural curriculum of Nusantara and its pride and joy: the underground catacombs of knowledge.

In present time, Nusantara continues to accept students and people from all around Southeast Asia. It grows and thrives with its people, preserving their cultural identities while also helping them in their journeys to developing their own individual identities.

* **Name of the School**
	+ The Magical Sanctuary of Nusantara
		- Nusantara is known by other formal names in Southeast Asia’s other languages, though all of them include “Mount Semeru” and “sanctuary” in one way or another.
		- Within Southeast Asia, it is known simply as *the Sanctuary.*
* **Founding Date**
	+ Ancient, first mentioned as an academic institution in texts around the time of the Majapahit Empire (roughly 15th century)
* **Motto**
	+ Their motto, written above, is an old Malay proverb about how great things start small. This reflects on how Nusantara had grown from a small home to a great sanctuary that houses many people and cultures through the help of the people who poured their love and care into Nusantara’s growth.
* **Current Headmaster / Headmistress [ You may, alternatively, decide that the school is ran by a council - that is completely fine! ]**
	+ A council of descendants of the 5 Naga, headed by a descendant of the *Nagaraja*
	+ **The Nagaraja**
		- Dewi Annisa Nagaraja
	+ **The Council of Peak Naga**
		- The Bakunawa
			* Linamin Lakandanum
		- The Phaya Naga
			* Naowarat “Jade” Phayanak
		- The Antaboga
			* Cahaya Sanghyang
		- The Sri Gumum
			* Zarina Chini
		- The Singa
			* Melati Sinaga
* **History [ This can be brief or detailed! ]**
	+ *Above*
* **Do they have a House System? If yes, what are they? If no, why not? [ Please go into detail about the Houses! What are they represented by? What traits do they value? Colours? ]**
	+ Yes, five peaks, one for each peak of Mount Meru and named after five major Naga in Southeast Asian mythology
		- Bakunawa Peak [ Philippine naga ]
			* Students of this peak are often ambitious students with a love for the beauty of life and nature, mirroring the bakunawa’s infatuation with the beauty of the moon and its rise from the ocean to swallow it whole. However, unlike their namesake, Bakunawa Peak students are more inclined to the preservation of nature than its destruction
		- Phaya Naga Peak [ Thai naga ]
			* Phaya Naga students are often those with a gift for healing and divination, from the Thai belief of *Nak hai nam* (Thai: นาคให้น้ำ; lit. nāga granting water) that is used to predict annual rainfall. They also possess a ‘go with the flow’ foundation in their personalities and are often mediators and diplomats.
		- Antaboga Peak [ Indonesian naga ]
			* As Antaboga is viewed as a guardian deity and its name bearing the meaning of ‘*endless wealth*’, Antaboga Peak’s students are often protectors with big hearts whose love and generosity are endless and overflowing. Antaboga Peak students are also some of the most open-minded. Their openness makes them perfect to act as middlemen and as someone people can go to for a listening ear.
		- Sri Gumum Peak [ Malaysian naga ]
			* Sri Gumum Peak houses students who ‘break barriers’, who aren’t afraid to think outside of the box and to find new approaches to traditional methods. These students are inventors, philosophers, and builders. They push for growth and for breaking expectations, always.
		- Singa Peak [ Indonesian naga ]
			* The Peak for the ones whose wisdom are beyond their time and for those who value their creative sides the most. Introspective, and with a great capacity for imagination and creativity. Here people whose hearts lie in the arts flourish. From writers to visual artists to dancers, the Singa Peak welcomes them all.
* **If they do have a House System, how are students sorted?**
	+ The school year opens with the week long, annual *Mengulur Naga Festival* (lit. “unfurling of the dragon”, based on the procession for the Indonesian biennial festival Erau). During this time, future students are encouraged to join events that would help them identify which Peak they fit the best. At the last day of the festivities, the Nagas announce which of the future students they feel fit their Peaks the best but ultimately the student themself choose the peak where they feel they would flourish the best.
* **Uniform**
	+ As a multicultural educational institution, Nusantara has no fixed dress code. The students of Nusantara are encouraged to wear clothing that would best represent their culture and their identity
	+ Within the five-towers of the palace-school of Nusantara, there are whole floors dedicated to helping students customise their uniforms to fit their tastes. It also acts as a museum of sorts for the previous uniforms of different students to give inspiration
* **Classes Offered [ Core, electives and extra-curricular if possible! This does not need to be extremely detailed. ]**

Nusantara’s classes are numerous and varied, mirroring the cultures that helped it bloom. Core classes teach only the fundamentals and basics, often using Malay, and they branch out to more specific areas. To teach students of the importance of time management and priority identification, they are encouraged to build their own timetable of classes based on their interests and goals with the help of their teachers.

* **Core**
	+ History Core
		- Not necessarily just the history of magic, but the history of Nusantara itself and its inhabitant cultures.
		- Isn’t taught in classrooms. Instead, they are taught in various mediums and settings like large shadow puppet theatres and oral presentations of long epics
	+ Cultural Dance Core
		- Group magic classes where they teach the indigenous dances of their cultures and the magical effects each dance could produce
		- Subclasses for the different cultural dances are also available should the student choose to focus only on a few
	+ Magical Script Core
		- Their equivalent of Magical Runes
		- There are individual classes for the different scripts of different cultures, but the main Magical Script class uses the *Kawi script*
	+ Spellcasting Core
		- Their equivalent of Charms, Transfiguration, and DAtDA all rolled in one
		- Because students don’t have the same type of Magical tools/conduits, there are often different subclasses for them. However, the main class teaches tool-less (wandless) spellcasting
	+ Art and Music Core
		- Art and music are very important in every culture that makes up Nusantara, so this subject is a must
		- This subject is divided into further microsubjects focusing on different cultures and specialities
* **Elective**
	+ Shamanism [ for students with the gift ]
		- Teaches students how to interact with spirits, both of the living and the not, through altered states of consciousness
		- Classes are often made up of descendants of shamans and its teachers are well-known shamans
	+ Divination [ for students with the gift ]
		- Self-explanatory
		- They use Southeast Asian divination techniques
	+ Microsubjects / subclasses
		- As mentioned above, all of Nusantara’s core classes branch out to several microsubjects / subclasses.
	+ Magical agriculture / nonmagical agriculture
		- Their equivalent of Herbology and Potions
		- This subject is listed under the history core. The reasoning behind this is because all of the cultures within Nusantara has their histories deeply rooted in agriculture
* **Extra-curricular**
	+ Students are encouraged, but not forced, to join extracurriculars. Extracurriculars are composed of various indigenous sports and games, and hobby clubs
		- To register a club, there has to be at least 3 members and a president and secretary

* **How does the magic style of the region influence life and magic usage at the school? Please try to include this! Some regions have very distinct magic styles.**
	+ Festivals & cultural dances - the people of Nusantara’s festivals often serve a purpose that is more than just for show. Their festivals and the dances that come with the festivals are often long, complicated Magical spells that are cast for things like praying for a bountiful harvest or successful years.
	+ Magical tools - the “wands” of Nusantara often vary from person to person, culture to culture. Oftentimes these are local stuff historically used as weapons or charms.
	+ Main language - while all cultures in Nusantara have their own mother tongue and are encouraged to keep using said mother tongue, especially when around their fellow countrymen, Nusantara uses Malay as a common language in things like classroom-taught spells, textbooks, etc.
* **Year Composition [ Are they like Hogwarts where it's First Year at 11 years old to Seventh Year at 18? ]**
	+ Education at Nusantara starts as early as age 6 and students graduate at around 17-18 years old
	+ Ancient magics made it so the dormitories of the students 'raise’ a floor for each year they completed and their journey towards the top of their towers symbolises their ascension beyond the mortal realm through higher learning
	+ Upon graduation, students receive blessings for further growth and prosperity from their respective Peak Nagas symbolised by a token that represents the struggles they’ve faced and conquered and the journey they’ve been through to get where they are
* **Any links to where inspiration has been found**
	+ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C4%81ga
	+ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantu\_Pagelaran