Saurinia: The Northern Jewel of Turia
Saurinia, a desert land the stretches from the White River in the South to the Sea of Asten, its sands hide millennia of history. Once the home to many warring nations and factions the vast kingdom was tamed by the first Maharaja Purujan, who sages and archivists contend was born a slave in the now capital city of Chattavaan. Purujan wrestled the Juthran from the Cat Tribes of the Sinhilog, beat back the idol worshippers and nomads into the Deadlands, and took the Elven Ardui people into his own family, marrying their warrior queen Dayashni and brought the whole of the land under his authority. For over six hundred years the descendants of Purujan and Dayashni have held sway over the fate of Saurinia, not always as its premiers but always as leaders.
Saurinia is officially ruled by a Maharaja who is chosen by election by the twenty Emir who are expected to govern the regions of Saurinia, though the position of Maharaja has historically been given to the most capable and amicable member of Purujan's legacy. Periods of strife and uncertainty have seen the separate Emirates vie for the post, though such reigns have often lasted for short stretches of time as the Purujan dynasty is often quick to reassert its legitimacy through force if challenged or usurped by wits. The current Raj is The Enlightened and Magnanimous Sovereign of Saurinia, the Juthran, and Al'Hajara Maharaja Shezzar, Heir of Purujan I and Speaker of the Tetradic Hymn. Shezzar is the only son of the late Raj and has come to the end of his first year of reign, where he now faces the political intrigue of hungry Emirs and a rising rebellion stemming from the Deadlands in the West from a band of brigands and mystics known only as 'The Reapers.'
Magic was once a staple of Saurinian society, until the rise of Purujan. The first of the Raja was said to have been enslaved by the Mages of Chattavaan, who had established a growing empire in the North of Saurinia until their fall. Upon Purujan's ascent, all those who had by their nature or choice attained the touch of Arcana were to be executed, exiled or enslaved. Since then the practice of magical study or the possessing of magical talents is as grave a crime as murder and is often met with the same fate, save for in the Port city of Talm, where the Emiress Tsentiel has through many favors attained the permission to allow mages, scholars, and the like into the city, for a price of course.
There are four major cities of Saurinia.
Chattavaan (Purujakram) - The political capital of Saurinia, situated upon two twinned plateaus that jutt from the desert below, bridges, wenches, and slave powered elevators fall from the sides of the plateaus and the city stretches out atop, inbetween, and below the cliffs. Here the Raj's palace resides, though the rulers are often travelling through the land and finding abode in their many manses, only returning to the capital for the planning of war, and the birth of heirs.
Talm - The largest city in the land and the economic hub of the vast network of Saurini slave ships that venture into the Hevalian Divide, raiding Khauscan villages and bringing the 'Sea Elves' and their like to Talm to be branded and sold. Talm is ruled officially by Emiress Tsentiel though it has throughout its history been truly run by the merchant kings who run the numerous guilds, businesses, and illegal ventures that stretch throughout the kingdom. In Talm one can practice magic with a permit, hire assassins in hidden lodgings, and provided the coin indulge in every vice and pleasure.
Samarthak (The Canal City) - Built as a vast bridge between the Islands of Namir and Myra and connecting to the rest of Saurinia, this city is comprised of hundreds of small and large canals and bridges. Here many of the criminals and miscreants who refuse to pay the fees and dues owed to the merchants have established themselves as the underlying powers. Adventurers and rat catchers alike tend to get their start in Samarthak should they hope to avoid being used as a plaything by the wealthy and prefer the nobler world of criminals and cut throats. All the while Emir Najal tries to keep his city from falling to insurgents, or under the thumb of the Raj.
Bandaraakh (Ashen Port) - Lastly, the Southern city of Bandaraakh, which lays upon the White river and acts as the bulwark against Southern aggressors, and the offenses of the Orcs and Greenskins which reside in the Great Marshes and Mushroom forests of Hxzylag. Bandaraakh is commonly called the Ashen Port in honor of its many fires and burnings which have seen the city rebuilt twelve times over the last four hundred years. Emir and Admiral of the Raj's Navy Akhsur holds this city and is unwilling to retreat, even if the city must burn again. Refugees from the South, like the Firefolk find their home here, even if it often comes at a dire price.
Outside of Saurinia's vast Tassari Desert also lie two territories of little true power for the Maharaja
The Savannah and Grasslands of Juthran - Here the Sinhilog roam in their tribes and packs, holding onto their dying ways. While they are nominally citizens of Saurinia their pelts are frequent trophies for cruel hunters and powerful merchants, and their people are frequently taken captive to fight in the pits, to serve as pleasures and slaves, or to be dined upon by those with the darkest of hearts. Sinhil Tribes as such remain cautious, and often hostile to any trespassers, though Saurini settlements have begun to push the Catfolk to the edge of the Hylos Mountains.
The Deadlands - It is said that centuries ago the Tassari Desert was a rich verdant grassland, and forests once stood in the far west. These legends speak of a great cataclysm brought upon by the Gods, who drank the water from the land and buried all who had lived in the west of Saurinia. Nowhere is this dry lifeless story more apparent than the Deadlands, an expanse of stone and hot krags where none can live easily. Here nomads and criminals compete for the chance to slay the dangerous beasts of the land and for short momentary relief from the beating heat and the shifting earth that whispers of creatures far more alien and evil than the Dragons of old.
Lastly the people of Saurinia worship "The Divine Tetrad" a collection of Four deities who they believe to have shaped the world and who constantly war between one another for dominance.
Baretesh (Baern) - The prime deity of Saurinia, Baretesh abhors magic and rules the laws, regulations, and truths of the universe. Saurini picture Baretesh as a woman while other Turian civilizations view Baretesh as a man. Baretesh is said to have harbored three living champions, Bruna who is worshipped by Knights, swordsman, and warriors, Aelrich a Southern champion who preached judgement and death upon the impure. and Oshir, the lightbringer whose words of kindly guidance were cut short by mages and sorcerers.
Rosha - The revered deity of death and time. Rosha weaves the tapestry of fate through their flowing hair of silken white. Rosha is not openly worshiped as many believe calling praise upon death welcomes it onto the land. It is only when one has passed that Rosha is given their due, a handful of stones placed upon a grave, and a word of acceptance from whispered prayers. There are no known or recognized Archons of Rosha in Saurinia, and they are only represented by endless void.
Tanarat (Tanea) - A being of nature, love, and the beauty of the world. It is said Tanarat that Tanarat crafted all the beings of the world, and most especially birthed the Ardui from their heart as the Ardui are of a union with Tanarat and Rosha, the embodiment of earthly beauty and the tapestry of fate. Tanarat is depicted across all of Saurinia as a woman, and while worshipped in Saurinia Tanarat is done so in solemnity. Most Saurini believe that Tanarat brought the wrath that created the Tassari desert and the Deadlands to punish the world for its injustices. There is only a single Chosen of Tanarat acknowledged in Saurinia, Cadarya the Fertile.
Sujan (Suhl) - The dark opposite of Rosha, Sujan is the living chaos of magic, fortunes, and deceit. Seen as a destroyer on every piece of Turia save in the Frigid southern lands of Wylos. Sujan is a necessary being to worship though it is done only in hopes that the the misfortune and catastrophes that Sujan brings shall be avoided. Mages and Arcanists worship Sujan in secret, hoping that just as Sujan delivered them to their demise, their luck shall reverse and the oppressors will crumble under the deities many calamities. Some speak of a Prophet of Sujan, an elderly woman deep in the Tasari, but all hope she is only a madwoman.
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