Shingurun

Shingurun is the land in which *Forgotten Villainy* takes place. Within it are two groups, the Circa Clan and the Tria Clan, which often fight for control of Shingurun.

## History

Many years ago, before the blessed ones or the two clans existed, Shingurun was a weak and disorganized country, barely worthy of the title of "nation." It mostly consisted of individual towns and cities, each with vastly different people, customs, and values. Despite the Shingurun river which protected it to the north and west, and the ocean to the south, it constantly faced the threat of invasion and pillaging. The goddesses Circ and Tri each took pity on the country, and bestowed the Circa and Tria powers, respectively, to their chosen champions. These champions began uniting the towns surrounding them until Shingurun was divided into two major groups: the Circa Clan and the Tria Clan.

For many years afterwards, the Circa Clan and the Tria Clan fought for control of the land of Shingurun. Power switched between the two every 50-100 years or so, and sometimes there would be periods where the two groups were equal in dominance and simply fought among themselves. Eventually, they started expanding outwards into other nations, with the blessed ones as their trump card. Shingurun grew into a powerful and formidable country, despite constantly fighting with itself.

81 years before *Forgotten Villainy* takes place, Xiaoyang San, blessed one of the Tria Clan, defeated the Circa Clan's blessed one and took control of Shingurun. He founded the Tria Empire, the most recent dynasty of Shingurun. Under his rule, members of the Circa Clan were oppressed and mistreated so as to prevent them from retaking power. The discrimination lessened slightly with the influence of his kinder son, Haoyu San, but it came back worse than ever after Haoyu San was assassinated and Haoyu's son Weirong San took power.

The Circa rebellion was founded after Weirong San killed Temikorede Ayika, blessed one of the Circa Clan. It sought to overthrow Weirong San and give power over Shingurun back to the Circa Clan. Simultaneously, the Tria people themselves were growing resentful of Weirong San's aggressive rule, and they created the Tria revolution, which aimed to unite the two clans in overthrowing Weirong San. Together, the two rebellions, led by blessed ones Adelana Ayika and Meilian San, succeeded in their mission and executed Weirong San. A new nation was created, the Kingdom of Shingurun, in which the Circa and Tria Clans would finally unify and go forward as one people.

## Geography

Shingurun has coastline to its south and the Shingurun river in the north and west. Long ago, the Shingurun river defined its border, but it has grown outwards since then. There is a mountain range which partially runs through Shingurun's territory in the northeast (where the origin of the Shingurun river lies). Shingurun has a temperate climate which includes a cold, sometimes snowy winter, a rainy season, and a hot summer. It has plenty of farmable land, which contributed to its strength and growth.

To the east of Shingurun is the nation of Padosee.

### Known Locations in Shingurun

* **Zijing**: the capital city of Shingurun/The Tria Empire, located in the central-northwest of Shingurun.
* **Wura Fortress**: Hidden in wooded hills a fair distance from Zijing, but still close enough to be in the center of Shingurun.
* **Ojoewe**: A town in Shingurun that's southwest of Wura Fortress where Adelana and several other characters lived on the streets.
* **Tailing**: A town in Shingurun that was the hometown of Rohan Jhaveri.

## Culture

Shingurun's culture is a mix of the two groups within it: the Circa Clan and the Tria Clan. The clans have noticeable differences such as in clothing, architecture, and naming, but they also share many traditions and practices.

A major part of the culture in Shingurun is earrings. The people of Shingurun almost always wear earrings to signify which clan they are part of: round, golden ones for the Circa Clan and triangular, purple ones for the Tria Clan. The blessed ones of either clan wear larger, palm-sized versions of their respective earrings.

### Religion

The world of *Forgotten Villainy* is polytheistic. Each nation in the world has one patron god which they believe to be the only true one worthy of following. Shingurun is unique in that it has two patron goddesses: Circ, who is followed by the Circa Clan, and Tri, who is followed by the Tria Clan. Circ and Tri are also the only gods who gave powers to their followers. Each of the goddesses has temples dedicated to them throughout Shingurun, though Tri's temples have become more numerous and well-kept with the Tria Clan being in control.

### Real-world inspiration

Both clans contain characters of numerous different ethnicities. However, the blessed family of the Circa Clan is Yoruba-inspired, and the blessed family of the Tria Clan is Chinese-inspired. These two cultures seem to be the predominant inspiration for each clan, particularly in the Tria Clan, where the clothing and architecture are clearly Chinese-inspired.

## The Kingdom of Shingurun

The Kingdom of Shingurun refers to the nation founded by Meilian San, Adelana Ayika, the Circa rebellion, and the Tria revolution after the overthrow of Weirong San and the Tria Empire. It seeks to create equality and unity between the Circa and Tria Clans for the first time.

## Trivia

* The name Shingurun comes from the Chinese word for star, 星 *xīng*, and the Yoruba word for the Sun, *oorun*.
	+ Stars are a symbol of the Tria Clan, and the Sun is a symbol of the Circa Clan.
* The Tria Clan is likely to have originated in the northwest of Shingurun, and the Circa Clan in the southeast.