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Kaiserdom of Muragenn

Overview:
Muragenn is very old land, not often concerned by the Church or other nations. It is nearly impossible to invade, and most certainly impossible to occupy. It was said that only fools would try to settle this land. The nation has been rather stagnant since it's conquest, with few disputes and even fewer wars. The Kaiserdom has a strange form of rulership, a duo-monarchy. The first ruler is the Kaiser, who has the highest authority in the realm, and must take the name Mura upon ascension. The second is the Arque Petty King, with a bit less power.

Kaiser Mura XXVI, previously Qurr II is not very bright, but extremely violent. The moment he began his rule, he began preparing the army to lash out at neighbouring Vohemia and other kingdoms. King Verrk VI is nearly his polar opposite. Shrewd and clever, a day doesn't go by without him plotting something or other, be it the death of a particularly ambitious Grii, placing a ridiculous claim on another nation's land, or trying to get a discount from a local merchant.

here is a link in case the picture fails: imgur.com/ud39WsL

As far as the eye could see, Muragenn (or Mura's Land) is dry, arid desert. The sand is so coarse that it's almost rocks, and in most places so infertile that the only thing that grows is salt. Harsh mountains jut up from the ground, breaking up the monotony of flat sand. At it's peaks are perhaps the only source of water, in the form of light snow. The snow would melt in the days, and dribble down where it would collect in pits, natural or manmade, creating small lakes. This is the only place where agriculture is possible.

The mountain ranges come together to form a sort of maze of the terrain. Many foreigners have not memorised it's winding paths, and many bones could be found sometimes only some poolsnakes away from water. 
Merchants, however, don't have trouble navigating the stone maze that is Muragenn (the living ones, anyway). A large trade route runs through the desert, from Timluk to Vohemia.

The original settlers of Muragenn were Surani nomads, trying to escape the wrath of the crusades and inquisitions of the early Ambrusian Church. They ran to the coarse sands, behind them a horde of crusaders. When they walked three days into it, gathering what little water they could, they turned around to find that the crusaders had long died of thirst. The desert had saved their culture, and so they named it "Teng", meaning "Blessed" or "Gifted".

Meanwhile, hearing of the failed genocide of the Surani, another force rising up from ancient Guras sought to finish the job. The Band of Victors, led by Mura, was tasked by the early Church to root out all infidels. They razed the small Surani farms, killing or enslaving any man, woman, or child they saw. When it was complete, they were awarded the land they conquered by the Church. Most of the crusaders were unhappy with this, saying that it was a cruel joke being played on them, but the pragmatic Mura saw the possibility of a living being made. After all, if a bunch of heretics could live here, obviously they could as well, and even better. So he made the land his home, and named it Muragenn.

At the end of his life, Mura had two sons. Each desired to rule the kingdom he created. Both were excellent rulers, and Mura was stuck with a dilemma. Either allow the elder or younger to inherit the land. In the end, he decided to allow both to succeed him, creating two ruling titles. Today, the Kaiser and King are still cousins.

While at first strictly Ambrusian, nearly eight hundred years of isolation began to change the temperament of the Murans. The Surani before them believed that the stars were the spirits of noble warriors, called upon to fight back the evil presence of the moon. They learned to travel by the stars, and saw patterns in them, marking the constellations. The new Murans began worshipping a mix of the Ambrusian religion and the stars, even calling their mightiest heroes Grii, meaning "Star".

Outside of the Kaiser and King, the nobility is comprised of the Grii. Grii are warriors who have shown remarkable bravery and skill in battle, and while they hold no land of their own, they hold great influence in the Kaiser's court and they are regarded with great prestige.

Another large point in Surani culture was the eating of men. They believed that eating another man would prevent them from becoming a star in the next life. The Murans adopted this as well, eating their enemies as a show of insult.

Muragenn is almost entirely reliant on trade, as there are few natural resources available to them. What little farmland they had was most often used to create Pak, a dry, tasteless mash of dried fruits. Their most important resource is the natural buildup of salts in the mountains, requiring lots of hard labor to extract.

Clever merchants knew how to turn a large profit in the desert. By selling water. They would charge extravagant prices for even the tiniest amount, and foreign merchants would buy it for any price they asked. If they didn't they would in a couple of days.

No one would say the Muran army was very well trained. They didn't march in any formation, and most would start routing at the first sign of personal danger.

However, their tactics were unpredictable, and their commanders deadly. The Muran army's specialty was stealth and guerrilla tactics. Stories circulate around the commonwealth of regiments killing a half of an army before they even knew they were under attack, then the other half when the enemy has got down on their knees and started praying for mercy.

The largest thing holding the army together is the hero worship in their culture and military. All soldiers, from the lowliest cadets to the most experienced veterans dream of one day being known in any household as a legendary Grii.

Today was one of the few days Jacquelyn decided to get up early in the morning. There, the man was, dealing with his hairy horse thing. She was excited to see the city again, and other places in the vast world she was never told about.
"Hey mister!" she called, approaching him. "I heard that there are bears in the north tundras large enough to eat a tavern! Did you see one of them?"
Sura looked at this girl. He didn't know her, but he enjoyed being in the presence of youth. He liked their curiosity, their bravery, how things like laws and limitations don't apply to them.
"Ah, you're one of Sean's girls, eh? Yes, yes there are. Their fur is white as the snow they stand upon, so men don't see them coming . . . until they leap out and swallow a tower whole!" This was completely false, of course, but seeing her face light up told him he said the right thing.

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