Shurima

The Shurima Desert (commonly known as Shurima) is an arid territory in the southern half of the continent. Many men have gone mad beneath the glare of the Shurima sun. It is also the location of the newly resurrected Shuriman Empire, a vast civilization that bloomed millennia ago. It shares borders with Demacia and Noxus.

Ancient beings called Ascendants originate from this area.

Lore
A thousand years ago, the glorious empire of Shurima shone like a second sun across the desert. After a flawed Ascension ritual, the gleaming capital city was reduced to ruins.

But an oft-repeated legend stirs in the desert of Shurima. The swirling sands carry rumors of the ancient emperor, somehow returned.

Locations
There are currently 11 known locations in Shurima.

The Capital
An oasis in the desert, it fell to ruins after flawed Ascension. It has risen once again with the resurrection of Shurima's long lost emperor,. In its prime, it was the center of Shuriman society. Because of its immense importance as the center of trade and culture of the empire, many cultural, educational centers and markets bringing goods from all over the Empire sprung up. It also housed special burial grounds for the most influential of its citizens, such as The Tomb of the Emperors. The city is divided by ringed districts and city levels. The cities most wealthiest citizens lived in the top rings of the city, while middle and lower classes (with slaves) lived mostly in settlements built on the rocky cliff sides of the outer and lower rings. Cities Imperial Palace, Grand Temple and Oasis of the Dawn are located at the center of the city. The most important road in the city was The Emperor’s Way. The city was built around the ancient Sun Disc that floats above The Circle of Ascension and the city itself. The city also had the most advance irrigation system of its time, seemingly unsurpassed until modern times. Floating gardens decorated with palms and other flora protected its many terraces from the burning sun.

Circle of Ascension
Located at the very center of the city, above the Grand Temple, Oasis of the Dawn and the Imperial Place, The Circle of Ascension is the main focal point from which most the privileged beings of Shurimas past harnessed the powers of the Sun Disc a became Ascendant beings. It was also the center location of Ancient Shurimas distruction and its modern rise from the graves. The circle is accessible with the Stairs of Ascension and The Emperor’s Way, the most important road within the city.

Tomb of the Emperors
Deep in the capital city lies the Tomb of the Emperors. For the last millennium it has acted as the makeshift prison of and. It is guarded by the statue of a huge serpent. When the tomb opened the serpent came to life, impaling on its fangs, its venom transforming her into a terrifying half-snake creature.

Oasis of the Dawn
""When the sun is at its peak, the pool blends in with the shimmering heat, looking as if its waters run off into infinity.""

- lore

Described as the Mother of Life, the oasis is located near The Tomb of the Emperors. The bloodline of the entire city, it the cities main source of fresh water. The water is fused with unknown magical properties and has immense healing powers. It is said that any edge dipped into this pool will stay sharper and strike truer than any other sword. It has almost all dried up until the newly resurrected brought a dying  to the now magical pool. The waters powers healed her fatal wounds. This act of selflessness from Azir made him worthy of ascension which ultimately revive his broken city.

Shurima Wastes
The fallen empire has littered the dunes with ruins. A can be found wandering the the desert. defends the entrance to a realm deep beneath the Shuriman wastes; what he protects no one knows. Buried tombs also hold ancient secrets; rose from such a tomb; in another  claimed an Ascendant artifact of incredible mystical power.

Bel’zhun
A settlement at the edge of Shurima, bordering with the Empire of Noxus.

Sai
Sai is the harsh, southern desert defined by rolling plains of sand, sharp stones and eerie silence. Located between the end of the desert and the Capital, it is for the most part, completely uninhabited besides the Xer'Sai and their queen, whom has single-handedly claimed vast parts of the desert. Traders and armed caravans will go hundreds of miles out of their way to avoid her territory, though cunning bandits have been known to lure the unwary into her killing grounds.

Culture


The current inhabitants of Shurima's desert are mainly descended from the survivors of the fall of Shurima's empire. The origin of their culture reaches back to time. During those times, slavery was a common thing in the Empire. It was so common that the entire Empire was dependent of slaves as a working force. One of the former slaves,, tried to seek revenge for position, which inadvertently caused the Empires downfall. After the fall of Ancient Shurima, the society has evolved as they eke out an existence in their harsh environment of the dessert. Commonly the nomads, such as, practice tomb robbing and mercenary service. The people are also known to produce seers blessed with foresight. was born with such abilities. The currency of Shurima is called securi.

The southern desert is plagued by Xer'Sai, vicious monsters originating from the void. To scout from attacks by Xer'Sai caravans can employ Elujrav'i', or "bell riders". They can also employ "Saih'kharash'i", or "sand walkers". These are poor locals who travels with the caravan, but can quickly be outrun in case of an attack by the Xer'Sai, at which point they serve as unfortunate decoys while their employers escape.

In ancient times the Sun Disc produced heroes called Ascendants in times of direst threat. These beings were merely considered legends.

Military
Shurima had a standing army before it fell. There were at least 10.000 elite warriors that guarded the emperor. When returned he summoned a vast army at his command. The soldiers, though made in the image of their predecessors, are constructs of sand and are not sentient.

Xer'Sai
Creatures from the Void whom plague the southern deserts. They are the size of big dogs on average, but can be smaller and much bigger. by far the biggest and the most dangerous of the species. Xer’sai burst from their small burrows and savage anything nearby, at the detriment of desert caravans. Once dead, the Xer'sai decompose at an abnormally rapid rate and become inedible.

Outerbeasts
Beside the Xer'Sai other creatures from the void, referred to as "outerbeasts", can be found in the desert.

Eka’Sul
Desert goats that travell in herds.

Ralsiji
Big and aggressive minotaur-like creatures. They are humpbacked quadropeds with long limbs and thick horns.

Shuriman camels
This breed of camels are used by Caravans as transportation.

History
""A cloud of smoldering destruction hangs in the night sky. This is the Fall of Shurima.

The Ancients groped blindly in the darkness, threatening to unravel the very fabric of creation in their hubris. Noble Shurimans who Ascended found a loose thread in the universe’s tapestry, and pulled upon it. The vulgarity of their ambition consumed thousands of innocent lives and ended a golden age.

Such was the fate of mighty Shurima and of men who would become gods.""

- Ionian storyteller

A Dire Threat To Ancient Shurima
The Sun Disc was ancient long before the pinnacle of the Shuriman Empire. and knew of its power, and used it to ascend in order to face a dire threat from mysterious beings.

An Ancient Mystery In Runeterra

 * Described by.

Shurima's been gone for centuries. It's hardly anything but dust now, but the ruins that remain show a massive civilization that once thrived in the desert. have no idea what happened to the empire. It seems like it vanished without a trace... but that's a whole different mystery.

I found this urn in a tomb there. From the look of the place and some of the carvings on the walls, it was the final resting place of a great Shuriman warlord who led a battle against impossible odds. He and his men should have gone out in a blaze of glory, but somehow, they won. Just a handful of warriors defeated thousands of enemies who rose against them.

It's no wonder they'd immortalize that kind of victory on the walls of a tomb, but what is this doing on the urn? What part did he play in this battle? I just don't get it.

Fall of the Empire
"In ancient Shurima, young emperor was persuaded by, his magus, to attempt the fabled Ascension ritual – despite ancient warnings to do so only in times of direst threat."

"Azir’s hubris proved disastrous. As the  Sun Disc focused the dawn rays into a transformative beam, Xerath betrayed Azir, shoving his emperor aside and stealing its power for himself."

"In an instant, Azir was obliterated – and Xerath remade as a spectral being of pure, malevolent energy – as the city around them was swallowed whole by the desert."

" and, Ascended heroes of Shuriman legend, sensed in an instant that something had gone terribly wrong and rushed to the Sun Disc. They hurled Xerath into a chained sarcophagus – but the magus shattered it into shards."

"Renekton dragged Xerath into the Tomb of the Emperors and shouted to Nasus to seal the door. With a heavy heart, Nasus entombed his brother with a madman in the buried ruins for all eternity.

Or so he believed…" 

Descent Into the Tomb

 * Narrated by.

"The tragic fall of Shurima was nothing comparing to the tragedy of its rise from the grave.

''In a market at the edge of a desert. A stranger appears. , a noblewoman from Noxus looking to hire a guide to take her to the fabled lost city. But not just any guide, she hires a owner of a legendary blade, the mercenary called. Sivir gathers her band of sell-swords and set out in to the desert to find the very bones of Shurima.''

''Five days beneath the broiling sun a scout spots towers juddering upwards and a stairway leading underground. They climb down, into the darkness.''

''Ancient treasures gleam in the torch-light, even Sivir is astonished of the grandeur of the ruins. Her men head deeper in only to stumble into traps and be eviscerated. Sivir is stunned with horror, but Cassiopeia does not flinch. She sees only the statue of a huge serpent silently guarding the door to the tomb of the Emperors and smiles.''

''The ancient weapon is a key. Cassiopeia betrays Sivir. She picks up Sivir's blade, puts it into the lock. The guardians curse is triggered. The stone serpent comes alive, impales Cassiopeia in its jaws - the venom sears her flesh like acid.''

''The Tomb door opens. emerges, the brother I loved and locked away, twisted beyond insanity, followed by, an architect of his torment. My failure is complete.''

Sivir drags herself away, life blood flooding from her wound and then succumbs to darkness..."

Rise of the Ascended

 * Narrated by.



"As lies betrayed and bleeding, something incredible occurs. For though she does not know it, Sivir is the last in the bloodline of, Shurima’s lost emperor. And as her blood soaks into the ancient sands, a deep magic sparks to life. Resurrection!

''First Azir’s mind, then his body. Snatched back from oblivion to be reborn. Then he sees Sivir, wonders at her face, he sees himself in this daughter of Shurima. In that moment, he has no thought of empires or rituals. He only knows: she needs his help.''

''He must take her to the Oasis of the Dawn - the Mother of Life. He smells the waters - smells of life. He prays he is in time. He does not dream that he, Shurima’s greatest emperor, can at long last earn his Ascension and bring back his broken city. He dares not dream that if he can save her...Azir can save them all."''

The Sands have shifted

 * Shurima is resurrected, and Runeterra's future is forever altered. and  have been unleashed from the Tomb of the Emperors., haunted by his brother's heroic sacrifice, is relentlessly pursued by Renekton in his mad thirst for vengeance. Bristling with power and resentment, Xerath plots to reforge Valoran in the fires of revolution. The serpent's curse is the terrible price of  ambition, but it also promises a power she never imagined. , Ascended ruler of a fallen civilization, envisions a new Shuriman empire, while his descendant , ever the mercenary, looks to turn the situation to her advantage. Shurima is a land of mystery... but some mysteries refuse to remain buried.

Trivia

 * The name Shurima comes from ancient Egyptian word "Shu", meaning emptiness and "he who rises up".
 * It is also the name for the Egyptian god associated with . Shu's father was . This perfectly describes Shurima itself, as the son of The Sun.
 * The Emperor of Shurima had other titles such as the Golden Sun or Beloved of Mother Desert.
 * The speech holds in the Howling Abyss mentions that Shurima had not yet been swallowed by the desert when the Frozen Watchers lived in Freljord.
 * For some Valorans Shurima was an Atlantis-like myth. Others, like the current inhabitants of Shurima, knew it existed a long time ago but did not believe any "true" Shurimans remained. and  were also stories for them.
 * The only know map of Shurima is symbolic in its nature. Ancient Shuriman people used it purely for recognizing key landmarks of the Empire and it was before the use of realistic.
 * The map shown rising and the setting of the Sun, a important cosmic body in Shuriman culture. In Shurima, as any visitor knows, the sun rises in the East, sweeps high across the sky on the North side, and then sets in the West. If we take these symbols that represent dawn, noon, and the missing setting sun, then the drawing is orientated with North at the top. It also shows the key mountain ranges of those directions (Mount Targon facing the North).
 * Shurima's fall was recorded in a constellation by a Celestial Being known as.
 * Shurima is described as a place that had a thriving culture, not only a strong military and a powerful emperor. It had a sense of personal identity with art, music, literature, trade, magical technology, etc. motivation to bring the golden light of Shurima to other nations neither was nor is for conquest; he truly believes that Shurima was the height of civilization, and could only continue to grow more wonderful.
 * Although Shuriman, isn't directly involved in Shurima's return. He has his hands full.
 * The, and  are Shuriman artifacts.
 * bears a Crest of Shurima.
 * Although they are not Shurimans,, , and have a Shurima-themed skin.

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