Shura

*"The golden plains and bright red oaks make one feel nostalgic of Shura-- even if you've never been. Watching the hawks fly freely and the horses run without a care in the world is liberating."*

***- Marcario Moorehome, "The Free Kingdom"***

**Shura** is the kingdom of the Shurans. It is located in central Waesyn and is comprised of prairies, plains and fields. It borders The Fortara Wild, Rhoda, Bleakpoint and Llewyn. They are known for being long-time rivals to Llewyn.

## People

Many species live in Shura-- though it is most populated by Shurans.

#### Shurans

*Main article: Shuran*

The descendants of House Shura-- these descendants of Vel are known for being masters of husbandry, agriculture and horseback riding. Many have inherited the blonde and sandy hair of the original pilgrims and are the palest individuals of anyone descended from Vel. Shurans are often associated with being acolytes of freedom.

## Government

### Central Government

The Shuran roots in Vel lead the founding members of House Shura to still have memories of the absolute power many kingdoms in Vel enforced. While Shura is is lead by a monarch who appoints counts and countess' throughout the kingdom there are laws in place to prevent the crown from taking taxes without providing back to the people. While this ultimately does result in the nobility of Shura to be less wealthy the people's morale is generally considered higher in Shura leading to a great military and large amount of production. Various councils are elected to ensure the crown or other government members doesn't step out of line and start collecting taxes for personal gain-- or at least as much personal gain as the monarchs of Llewyn and Rhoda.

### Local Government

Each county is governed by an appointed Count or Countess. While most other kingdoms appoint individuals based on bloodline, political prowess or skill in combat-- It isn't uncommon for skilled horse breeders or farmers to eventually become a count or countess. That isn't to say there aren't career politicians or individuals still showing off their family crest relating back to House Shura-- but class isn't as important in regards to picking someone to look over land. Towns and cities within counties often have maire's or mairesse' to act as councilpeople to look over city governments.

## Military

The idea of standing in a line and pushing towards the enemy does not compute with the Shuran army. Warriors on mounts out-number infantry units as Calvary and air-support scatter all over the field herding their enemies like cattle. This is used to confuse armies that practice more traditional warfare who can't react to being flanked at every corner. Infantry in Shura are still well trained even if they aren't the focus in combat-- most of them outfitted with a spear and a axe as a sidearm.

Shura also employs battle mages on the battlefield. Abjuration specialist are also trained in riding horseback to stay within range of the various mounted combatants. The mounts of mages are usually smaller and faster than the heavy combat horses allowing them to get in-and-out as needed. Various medics might also use this tactic though they also use donkeys if need be.

## History

The Shurans, like many denizens of Waesyn, are descendants of the Velesse pilgrims. During the War of the Giants a group of common people lead by Elyor Chardin would make up "The Chardin Brigade," a notable group of Calvary that be responsible for the defeat of the Gnarka. It is notable that of all the Velesse groups fighting alongside the Sotteran Empire the Chardin Brigade did not eradicate their foes and encouraged them to surrender.

After the War of the Giants House Chardin would be recognized by the Sotterans and when disbanding their empire they would grant the region formerly known as Laraquil to them for their efforts. House Chardin would ultimately decide to name the land 'Shura' after a breed of horse brought from Vel. Shura would define it's borders with natural boundaries. While all the Velesse would feud Shura would most often go to war with Llewyn. The neighboring kingdoms spent nearly the entire second cycle in battle with each other and when they weren't fighting, which was rare, they were aggressively negotiating and never truly getting results.

Shura would be the largest ally to Rhoda during the Lakarian Occupation despite still waring with Llewyn. Rhoda is forever thankful to Shura for fighting on two fronts to help them. Shura would eventually be forced to form a treaty with Llewyn due to the Dragon attacks plaguing central Waesyn. The Dragon Wars is the first time Llewyn and Shura have a truce and are not at odds in Waesyn's history.

## Geography

While Waesyn is known for being a very mountainous continent, Shura is a very flat kingdom. Grasslands, prairies and plains make up the central Waesyn area. It isn't without its share of rolling hills-- but it it nowhere near the altitude of Llewyn, Rhoda or Bleakpoint. Some make note of how various parts of Shura seem like they are in perpetual autumn-- with only the northern most parts seeing snow. The climate allows apples and similar tree-fruits to grow year-round. The red and pink colors of a sunset from the Shadow Sun spend more time looming over Shura's yellow and red foliage, giving it a very distinct feel from many of the other lands in Waesyn.

## Flora and Fauna

### Flora

Shura is prime land for agriculture as such many crops have started growing in the wild as well. Sugar, wheat and maize are all common in Shura. Northern Shura will see more color plants such as wild lilies. Most of the vegetation in Shura is a combination of red, orange and yellow with the exceptions being things that grow in the north. Most tree leaves are bright red throughout Shura and the grass is usually golden.

### Fauna

Many types of horses are bred in Shura. The Versian and Lumian are considered the toughest and fastest breeds in Waesyn. Many other types of horses are kept as companions or roam in the wild. Other common creatures are horned marmots, golden hawks, ashling deer and boars. The Alba Owl is a giant owl that is the symbol of Frelun. These giant owls can be found throughout Shura but unless they are tamed by the Order of Alba they are quiet, reserved beasts that usually ignore contact with other creatures unless they are hunting.

## County Capitals

### Belves

Belves was the first capital of Shura however it was later changed to Lumisier as Belves is the front line defensive against Wynish attacks. Buildings constantly have to be repaired, remodeled and rebuilt due to the conflict with Llewyn. What was once a metropolitan city for Shuran culture is now a hardy and practical headquarters for the Shuran army.

### Drallac

Drallac is the furthest away from Llewyn and is surrounded by mountains on the east. Because of this it is the only county capital to never see invasions from neighboring kingdoms though they do occasionally see some creatures from the Fortara wander into their borders. Drallac is often thought as the "calm" section of Shura and many come to visit and get away from the harsh life Waesyn can throw at them. Though Shura is typically thought of as a very dry region Drallac does have various lakes nearby. Due to it's proximity to the mountains it has a handful of mining operations. Notably, a satellite entrance to Lakaria is near Drallac.

### Frelun

Frelun is the only region in Shura with some elevation and is home to the Order of Alba-- an elite order of knights that act as Shuras small air-force. Frelun sees just as much combat as Belves however Frelun has a legacy of having impenetrable walls and being much more efficient compared to Belves. This gives them a superiority complex sometimes and being the strongest military asset in Shura-- despite Belves having the most recruits and infantry members.

### Episier

Episier is the forest region of Shura as it borders the Fortara. Episier, like Viersva, represents traditional Shuran values that praise the common people. Episier is the largest export of craft goods, beer, wine and lumber. People in Episier may not praise the concept of a "simple life" but instead a "quiet life." They are not as posh as Lumisier and Drallac nor as battle ready as Belves and Frelun. They still dabble in the appreciation of arts and have decent arms ready to deploy due to the ever changing allegiance of Valon-- but most people in Episier just want to get away from hustle-and-bustle society.

### Lumisier

Lumisier is the new capital of Shura and is the hub of culture. All of the aspects other Shuran counties are known for can be found here as they are imported. Grand horse races, art galleries, cafes, fine breads and cheese and puppet shows are constants. Lumisier has the wealthiest population of anywhere in Shura. Various colleges are located in Lumisier and, excitedly, the first non-Sotteran mage academy.

### Valon

Valon was originally a Shuran city but is constantly conquered by Llewyn. This has caused the city to be a merging of cultures over the years. Many citizens consider themselves citizens of Valon before they do Llewyn or Shura. With new Counts and Megas being granted the land from their respective governments frequently it's hard for the government to truly develop Valon in their own way-- thus the citizens have taken matters into their own hands. While the laws of Valon are technically to follow those laid out by Shura or Llewyn, Valon has made it's own community guidelines and stubbornly sticks to those instead.

### Viersva

Viersva looks over the many farmlands of Shura and preaches Shuran tradition. The Count is usually someone raised on a farm or ranch and really connects with the land and it's people. Viersva produces the strongest horses in all of Waesyn second only to Lumisiers who are more breed for speed. Viersva exports most of Shurans agricultural goods as well as lots of fine wheat.

## Economy

While not as rich as Llewyn or Villia, Shura has a moderate level of wealth. It is mainly evident in locations such as Lumisier and Frelun as locations like Viersva and Episier are much more blue-collar. While the country doesn't have perfect roads and many active watch towers like other more wealthy kingdoms-- citizens can rest easy as counts must publicly reveal what they are doing with tax money. Informing the public about tax spending isn't the only service the kingdom does for it's people as education, medical attention and paid vacations are all supported by the kingdom as well. While the average shuran citizen may not have as much money as other Waesynians-- they often feel they have less burdens due to the support of the crown.

## Culture

Shura was founded by farmers, ranchers, hunters and fletchers. While they now have a military, active nobles and a decent education system-- the values of the founding shurans are generally upheld by shuran families. Many believe that you should work hard but never to the point of exhaustion. Nature is heavily appreciated and expansion of any type is examined heavily before construction begins. Workers are encouraged to join unions and the crown enforces paid time off for employees who suffer injuries, start families or even just need some time to themselves. Shura is one of two kingdoms in Waesyn that practices policies like this.

The horse is the symbol of Shura. Not only does the beast of burden represent both freedom and hard-work but it is also the militaries specialty. It's common for a family to have a horse as a family pet with many houses have a small stabled attached to their house. Mistreating and stealing horses are very serious crimes. Murdering a horse is treated the same as the murder of a shuran.