Nagsenur Home

Nagsenur Home, also called zhyagaynsnur, is a type of and community centre found in Gemurtrak. Their intent is for the creation and fortification of community relationships and bonds through communal living and shared maintenance of the public space. The practice is so widespread it is often called a second home and is a primary pillar in the nation's civil construction and social identity.

Originating as gathering halls in the early 8th century, the halls grew to become centers of community interaction and maintenance of ties with ones Nagsenur. They eventually took their modern form following the liberalization of Nagsenur titles in the Nagsenur imperial freedom accord by Mazkwat during the early societal reforms in his reign.

Function
A Nagsenur Home combines the functions of a standard housing establishment alongside facilities typical of a community centre in other countries, such as facilities for various sports such as a pool, indoor/outdoor sports courts, tracks, and ranges. They may also possess a garden or community created library, possessing books donated by members of the Nagsenur. What is present varies from place to place. Function rooms, living quarters and other rooms indicative of a standard home are always included in their construction as is the main focus of them.

A Nagsenur home's resident capacity varies from location but will typically consist of 30 permanent residents who live and supervise over the Nagsenur Home and its maintenance. These act as public housing, possessing no form of taxation, with maintenance workers who live in the building being offered financial compensation, however these are not subject to the federal minimum wage and are instead managed by the local Duchy board of senagsenur. Accommodation is permitted exclusively for members of the Nagsenur who are represented in the home. All other services are permitted for all people but will include financial charges for equipment and use of function rooms depending on what’s used and its purpose. Those living in the home are exempt from these charges.

The homes are almost always used for events involving a Nagsenur, and sometimes for the wider community depending on the event. These can be either locally created events such as a sports day, community dinner, and market day, or national holidays such as Unification Day and the Imperial Birthday. Some events may also be organized by the Duchy board to encourage intermingling of Nagsenur between communities.

Pre Unification
Before the formation of Gemurtrak, the concept of the Nagsenur or the community as a secondary family was a popular concept within smaller societal groups, namely hamlets and villages, which required major cooperation between members of the community to ensure survival especially in events of famine or disease. However larger gatherings of society, namely the coastal cities, failed to possess the same form of community camaraderie, likewise with members of nobility. Places of community did exist, such as drinking establishments and markets, however the tangible connection between a person and their local community was inherently not there due to the chaotic conditions of people and where they would be.

Gathering Halls & Noble Courts
With the growth of prosperity following unification of the confederation, there was a high spike in income which encouraged the creation of gathering halls, a building made specifically for post work entertainment for many occupations including dockworkers, merchants, masons, soldiers and so forth. This concept was originally conceived by the 23 Mercenaries who used them as places of discussion for the Mercenary group. The concept was shifted instead towards entertainment and improvement of morale for the working force. These soon came to locations beyond the port cities where they were established as offshoot buildings of taverns for the noble members and associates situated within the towns. The exclusivity of these halls began an adoption by the higher class of an additional name that denoted a relation to the higher ranks of that community and thus access to community buildings such as the halls that were barred from the lower class.

This concept gained so much popularity that it soon was used for much of the nobility in Gemurtrak and gave rise to the construction of buildings and locations that were made entirely exclusive to members of a certain Nagsenur. These places, commonly titled Noble Courts were built for the purpose of maintaining a disconnection between members of society seen as high class to those of the lower echelons of society. Soon by about the 1400's, there were entire blocks of cities made exclusive to nobility and their close associates that were illegal for anyone not part of the Nagsenur to enter. The system did possess numerous problems, the most extreme of these being the barring of members of a different Nagsenur from another Noble Court. This created divisions even in local governments who were splinted by now centuries of interconnecting communities. It is commonly believed it is one of the major factors that influenced the Inheritance Wars.

The idea of the community being a second family soon diminished in wake of this, as many small isolated villages soon became large interconnected towns with ever changing populace that reduced the closeness of one another. The use of a Nagsenur name was outlawed for lower society, discouraging many to congregate together. Leaving many to only associate themselves with workmates or neighbors, but never the larger community as a whole. The idea however was growing within cities as many typically began to become members of various community groups such as guilds and temples, giving some semblance of community connection through similar interests.