Shiraz

Shiraz is a planet of the Virasana Empire. Often called ‘the better Earth’, it is famous for its lush landscapes and fine food. The ancestral homeworld of House Grebenstein is suffocatingly well-mannered, sedate, and walled-off.

## Climate

* Famously, Shiraz is the only planet other than Terra that reaches a clear 0 TS all over, even exceeding Terra in so far as neither the polar nor equatorial regions exceed +1 / -1 TS.
* 18 moons
* neighbouring planet: Kalidor

## History

* low N'Ptalini population
* After the Black-and-White War, as many titles as possible were given to nobles who had previous connections to the old owner.
* Stifling social mores have become a little more relaxed under the rule of House Cournicova
* about 5% of the population are serfs, almost all of them working as farmhands. Slaves are rare.

## Culture

Choirs and opera are the most popular entertainement on Shiraz, widely promoted in schools and every avenue of public life. The Nachtigallen of Syrah is a highly renowned 1260-year-old boys choir that regularly tours the most prestigious venues of the Empire.

Shiraz is famous all over the empire for its wine, and it is the second largest exporter of artisanal cheese after Terra. Bread, charcuterie and pastries are top notch, and its delicatessen are a widely sought out commodity all over the empire. The local coffee houses, with their sepia charm and overwrought decorum, are often copied but never quite matched.

Architecture is celebrated, but the real art of Shiraz is *ars vivendi* - the art of living well.

Polo, hunting and owning vinyards are the hobbies of the upper crust, while the rest of the population enjoys hiking, ice skating or one of the countless country fairs.

As the 'better Terra', Shiraz is regularly topping the charts as the Empire's favourite holiday destination. Unlike on Malicorn, though, tourism here is seen as a necessary evil, and more tolerated than welcome. Especially the northern regions of the planet are virtually untouched by tourism.

Many visitors are confounded by the local population being at the same time genuinely helpful, hospitable and deeply patronizing, with the capital Syrah leaning heavily to the condescending side.

## Snippets

* Change of any kind is highly unpopular.
* Technology is not very widely spread, and most people live in pre-industrial conditions. Within these limits, living standards are extremely high, and poverty barely exists.
* Public transport happens mostly via steam-powered trains or horse-drawn coaches.
* Population levels are kept intentionally constant and low. Immigration is consequently highly regulated and monitored.
* Sustainability is a key concept to everything - from the treatment of household waste to the entire population level, everything is balanced in a way that will ensure the planet will remain hospitable for human life indefinitely.
* Mirabelle - the village where Yaden & Ivan rescue Myriam
* San Fonterulo - a medium sized town
* Veruccio - a regional capital, seat of the Earl
* Tregoli - small village on the edge of the Veronian Mountains

## Notable Shirazans

 Amadeus Grebenstein Angela Inkuwe Father Caradini Friedrich Nikolaus Grebenstein Morgana Grebenstein Ulysses Wilhelm Grebenstein
## Other Articles on Shiraz

 Greifenwald Kalidor Red Claws, Blue Ink Syrah The Renegade Psion