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File:Shurima capital.jpg

Shuriman Capital, 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

Shurima logo

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 Azir Azir, somehow returned.[1]

Locations

Shurima map

Map of Shurima (The Capital at its center)

There are 6 known locations in Shurima.

Capital

Once the center of Shuriman society; an oasis in the desert, it fell to ruins after Xerath's Xerath's flawed Ascension. It has risen once again with the resurrection of Shurima's long lost emperor, Azir Azir. The city was built around the ancient Shurima's Legacy Sun Disc.

The Tomb of the Emperors

Deep in the city lies the Tomb of the Emperors. For the last millennium it has acted as the makeshift prison of Xerath Xerath and Renekton Renekton. It is guarded by the statue of a huge serpent. When the tomb opened the serpent came to life, impaling Cassiopeia Cassiopeia on its fangs, its venom transforming her into a terrifying half-snake creature.[2]

Oasis of the Dawn

Described as the Mother of Life, the oasis is located near The Tomb of the Emperors. After his resurrection, Azir Azir brought a dying Sivir Sivir here and healed her in the magical pool. This act of selflessness allowed Azir to ascend and revive his broken city.[3]

Shurima Wastes

File:Shurima landscape.jpg

The Shuriman Wastes (Shuriman Capital under the sands, before its resurrection)

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

Bel’zhun

A settlement and the edge of Shuriman, boardering 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 Rek'Sai Rek'Sai, 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. [4]

Culture

File:Shurima Crest login screen.png

Crest of Shurima

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 Azir's Azir's 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, Xerath Xerath, 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[5]. Commonly the nomads, such as Sivir Sivir, practice tomb robbing and mercenary service. The people are also known to produce seers blessed with foresight. Malzahar Malzahar was born with such abilities. The currency of Shurima is called securi. [6]

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. [7]

In ancient times the Shurima's Legacy Sun Disc produced heroes called Ascendants in times of direst threat. These beings were merely considered legends until recently until recently.[8]

Military

File:Shurima Army.jpg

Shuriman Army (summoned by Azir after Shurima's resurrection)

Shurima had a standing army before it fell. When Azir Azir 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.[9]

Wildlife

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. Rek'Sai Rek'Sai 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.[10]


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
Separator

A Dire Threat To Ancient Shurima

The Sun Disc was ancient long before the pinnacle of the Shuriman Empire.[11] Nasus Nasus and Renekton Renekton knew of its power, and used it to ascend in order to face a dire threat from mysterious beings.[12]

Ancient Darkin Influence

File:AAMIR Urn.jpg

The Shuriman urn picturing the dark figure dark figure

"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 dark figure dark figure doing on the urn? What part did he play in this battle? I just don't get it".

Ezreal Ezreal [13]

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Fall of the Empire

"In ancient Shurima, young emperor Azir Azir was persuaded by Xerath Xerath, 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 Shurima's Legacy 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."
"Nasus Nasus and Renekton Renekton, 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…"[14]

Descent Into the Tomb

"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. Cassiopeia Cassiopeia, 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 Sivir. 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. Renekton Renekton emerges, the brother I loved and locked away, twisted beyond insanity, followed by Xerath Xerath, an architect of his torment. My failure is complete.

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

Nasus Nasus [15]

Separator

Rise of the Ascended

Azir OriginalSkin

Azir, the Emperor of the Sands

"As Sivir Sivir lies betrayed and bleeding, something incredible occurs.

For though she does not know it, Sivir is the last in the bloodline of Azir Azir, 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."

Nasus Nasus [16]

Separator

The Sands have shifted

Shurima is resurrected, and Runeterra's future is forever altered. Xerath Xerath and Renekton Renekton have been unleashed from the Tomb of the Emperors. Nasus Nasus, 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 Cassiopeia's Cassiopeia's ambition, but it also promises a power she never imagined. Azir Azir, Ascended ruler of a fallen civilization, envisions a new Shuriman empire, while his descendant Sivir Sivir, ever the mercenary, looks to turn the situation to her advantage. Shurima is a land of mystery... but some mysteries refuse to remain buried.[17]

Trivia

Shurima's Pendant

Shurima's Pendant

  • The speech Lissandra Lissandra 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. Renekton Renekton and Nasus Nasus were also stories for them. [18]
  • 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).[19]
  • Shurima's fall was recorded in a constellation by a Celestial Being known as Bard Bard.
  • 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. Azir's Azir's 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.[20]
  • Although Shuriman, Malzahar Malzahar isn't directly involved in Shurima's return. He has his hands full.[21]
  • The Ancient Coin Ancient Coin, Nomad's Medallion Nomad's Medallion and Talisman of Ascension Talisman of Ascension are Shuriman artifacts. [22]
  • Sunfire Cape Sunfire Cape bears a Crest of Shurima.


Media

Main Theme
Ascended Theme
Related Themes

Affiliated Champions

Champion Ties
Azir, the Emperor of the Sands Azir, the Emperor of the Sands Birthplace; Ascended being; Shuriman Emperor
Nasus, the Curator of the Sands Nasus, the Curator of the Sands Birthplace; Ascended being; brother of Renekton Renekton
Rammus, the Armordillo Rammus, the Armordillo Residence; travels across the Shuriman desert
Rek’Sai, the Void Burrower Rek’Sai, the Void Burrower Residence; largest and most feared of the Xer'Sai
Renekton, the Butcher of the Sands Renekton, the Butcher of the Sands Birthplace; Ascended being; enraged brother of Nasus Nasus
Sivir, the Battle Mistress Sivir, the Battle Mistress Birthplace; mercenary, sole living descendant of Azir Azir
Skarner, the Crystal Vanguard Skarner, the Crystal Vanguard Residence; guardian beneath Shurima
Xerath, the Magus Ascendant Xerath, the Magus Ascendant Birthplace; Magus to the Emperor; Ascended being

Other Related Champions

Champion Ties
Aatrox, the Darkin Blade Aatrox, the Darkin Blade Aided a Shuriman warlord in ancient times
Amumu, the Sad Mummy Amumu, the Sad Mummy Awokened from an ancient Shuriman tomb
Cassiopeia, the Serpent's Embrace Cassiopeia, the Serpent's Embrace Hired Sivir Sivir to raid the Tomb of the Emperors; transformed by a Shuriman curse
Ezreal, the Prodigal Explorer Ezreal, the Prodigal Explorer Discovered a magical artifact in a Shuriman tomb
Kassadin, the Void Walker Kassadin, the Void Walker Presumed birthplace; leader of the "Preservers"
Malzahar, the Prophet of the Void Malzahar, the Prophet of the Void Birthplace; Shuriman seer; leader of the "Cult of the Void"

References

Template:Places

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