[h1]Nur, The Wrothful One[/h1]

[b]Deity of:[/b] Rage, Passion, Strong Emotions, Murder, Violent Behavior, Lust

Indirect or Direct:
Direct

Appearance:
[img]http://40.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9c78jJa7b1rpznqgo1_1280.jpg[/img]

Personality: 
The Wrothful One, Born of Twisted Earth, who wanders without a goal, destroying all that is foolish enough to come before her. Nur appeared suddenly one day, apparently born from the very violence of an earthquake that was nearby. Legends say she tore her way through a nearby mountain to move seemingly nowhere in particular, as she began her rampage across the land. Nur is seemingly overwhelmed with hatred and fury, though she is not mindless, as the goddess is able to suppress her fury and hold conversations with her fellow deities and her followers. She is intelligent enough to forumlate things like language and a social structure for her followers. The era of her rampage has long since passed, but Nur is no less violent and agressive. Her every word is tinged with vitriol, and every phrase she constructs is an insult. 

[b]Nation:[/b]

[h1]Harran City States[/h1]

Population: 150,000

Denizen description:
The Black Haired Elves of Harran, farmers of the 4 Rivers, the builders of the great cities of stone, and beings filled with fury and savagery in war. Harran Elves are an unusual group, gifted in the art of war, but with no regard for Magic. They are a tall, slender race, though significatly more muscular and bulky than a typical elf, giving them a rather imposing mix of muscle and height. The Harran Elves have dark tan skin, black hair, and often grow curly hair and long, thick beards. They take great pride in their facial hair, combing and oiling their long curly beards and hair almost obscesively, and applying dark makeup to their eyes, black eyeliner and mascara to accent their naturally long eyelashes. In their culture, a man who has become a general is given a silver earring, and earns a new one for each war he wins as a general. 

Lands:
[img]http://i.imgur.com/Ph1p0ad.png[/img]

Flag:
[img]http://i.imgur.com/NrMt5.png[/img]

Government description:
A collection of disunified city states, each ruled by their own king or queen, or an absolute oligarchy. They are bound by a common cultural, linguistic and religious identity, but will often go to war with each other, conquer one another, and loot each other. They do have a loose confederation at times, the city of Qoddosh is sacred land, and is a ceremonial "capital" of Harran. 

Military:
The Various city states each have their own military. Certain cities have better ones, but all the Harran cities have formidable  armies, equipped with state of the art military technology, armors, and weapons. The Military of the Harran elves are notorious for their brutality, with violent actions like torture of their captured people, entire extermination of captured villages, the flaying and salting of prisoners, and horrifically violent punishments for crimes. Despite their power, the near equal strength of the city states makes them unable to conquer each other, and their wrath filled natures prevent long term alliances, acting as a check and balance to their power for now.

Culture:
Harran originated as an agricultural culture of elves who settled around the 4 rivers of the Hasna Desert. Harran was not an easy place to settle. It was fertile around the coast and near the rivers, but its vicious desert could easily kill a man who wandered into it foolishly, and its flat, unprotected land made it easy for conquest and raiding. As a result, the native elves became stronger, more vicious and war like. Then came the arrival of the goddess Nur, who, like a fire of anger, boosted the natural warlike behavior and distrust of the elves hundredfold, and forever shifted the focus of these people. Going from rural farmers, the elves quickly developed cities, walls, militaries and stone cities. The trend toward urban life became stronger as the influence of Nur became stronger in Harran. The Harran are very well suited to urban lives, naturally suited to violent life, who see war as a glorious activity. It is said that in their formitive years, Nur herself created a language for the Harran Elves. The elves have a ceremonial center, the holy city of Qoddesh, home to the Temple of Nur. 

[img]http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/m/images/mesapot_sargon_khorsab_lg.jpg[/img]

The Temple of Nur lays in the heart of the city of Qoddesh, said to be the home of Nur herself. Every 5 years, a sacrifice, usually the greatest warrior of the city state, as a gift to Nur. 

As Nur is not only a goddess of Wrath, but of all strong passions, her people are skilled poets, who write stories that express the beauties of love, the passion of determination, the glory of heroes. They have a rich history of literature, and of art in general. 

Other: n/a