The first shemir societies were matriarchal communities clustered near to hot springs in the tundras of Cassaru. As their societies grew, they each began to take on new forms, eventually merging into the city of Madziar, which is split into hundreds of sectors, each one a different kind of society, ranging from matriarchal communities to autocratic to feudal to capitalist to socialist to communist communities and everything in between. They get along because of their shared interest in maintaining the power of creation, and those that fail to maintain it or who stray into dangerous powers too irresponsibly or who simply rebel are banished into the cold tundras around the city.

For many Ages, there was a small camp in the tundra run by a being known as the Omega Shemir. This camp has since been left in ruins.

Though every community is different, the main community , the original community, remains. This community is considered the First Nation of the world. The First Nation is an advanced matriarchal community led by a council of 101, the eldest and most revered being the Shemir Subsequent. The Alpha Shemir is not part of the council, but tasked with unifying, policing, and handling the affairs of all of the other communities and their interactions. He answers to the council, however, though he is greatly respected. He is the head of the special force that enforces the laws of Madziar through all of the communities.

Members of the council are elected from the tribes (32 councilors), faiths (12 councilors), workers' councils (36 councilors), or arts (20 councilors) they represent. These four sectors are the main parts of the First Nation. The tribes are made mostly of massive extended families, each one led by a council of elders. The elders make decisions for the tribe, but the tribe elects their member of the national council. Faiths are the smallest group. Those shemir who join special religious orders outside of the tribe, worker, or artists communities belong to this category. They are a hierarchical group, but the hierarchy is determined through consensus among them. There are 12 of these orders, and each of them is a mixture of worship of the Maker and of Mother Shem herself, save for one which worships Bahamut. The workers' councils are the largest group along with the tribal councilors. Every shemir save those in the faith orders or those who join the special artists communities are workers. They work a job, they serve a function in society, even if it is a small one. These jobs are represented by a council of some kind, and as workers, they get to decide who represents them. The workers' councils advocate for their workers, and they elect their representatives on the national council. Finally, there are the artists, who split from the workers long ago to form different communities where they could be more independent. They elect their own representatives but have no strong leadership themselves.

In the First Nation, children are raised communally amongst the tribe or by the faith group. They begin their education as soon as they are old enough to understand, and by the time they are 12, they are invited to partake in different work, art, or faith groups. They have forever lives to choose, to change, to decide who they are, and thus, they rarely decide before they are 100 or so to settle on anything specific. Most do end up settling, eventually. They have schools for those who wish to pursue further knowledge, but it is not compulsory, as the tribes usually take care of fundamental education. Gender is diverse, universally respected, and not controlled. Marriage is unknown in the First Nation. Tribes take the place of families; most people know their parents, but all older relatives are equally important. (Though birthing parents sometimes take special significance.)

Once a shemir settles into their role in the First Nation, they join a workers' council (essentially a union), a faith group, or an artists community. These groups represent them politically outside of the tribe. Some few shemir take up life as tribal leaders only.

Shemir in the First Nation celebrate birthdays frequently when they are young, but less frequently as they age. Once a decade, then a century, then millennia, then once per Age is the usual progression. Eventually, most forget. The first day of the year is celebrated as the birth of the world, collectively, and the last day is celebrated as the survival of the world. These two days are the most important among the shemir. Other important days include the start of each season, the various tribal founding celebrations, the workers' days, the artists' days, and the 10 other holy days.

The shemir are respected throughout the world, but also distrusted. Many view them as mysterious (though they are not; just remote) or manipulative (they are not this either, at least not universally or collectively). These stereotypes lead to persecution and discrimination amongst other nations.