Azka-Surian Ideas

Traditions
+2% Missionary Strength vs Heretics
+10% Morale of Armies

Fortress of the SunAzka-Sur was first founded long ago before the age of god-kings as a trade outpost for the Segbandal alliance. As human tribes gathered around 'Logrod-Tûngr', the river harbour, the dwarves taught them the rudiments of agriculture and law, allowing Surani grain to fill the granaries of the Middle Dwarovar.\n\nAfter the fall of the Djinns and the beginning of proper Human civilization in Bulwar, the city was reorganized around its fortified temple and became Azka-Sur, the Fortress of the Sun. Trade between Seghdihr and the Surani never stopped and many of the fortified holdings in Azka-Sur were built based on Dwarven designs, making them superior in terms of defense.
+15% Fort Defence

The Elephant Lord of BulwarBaji was a Raheni Prince of the 5th century that had to flee the Harimraj after he fought against the new caste system that gave the primacy to the new conquerors of Rahen, the Harimari. Defeated by the Harimari multiple times, he and his followers fled west into the desert, following the caravans of the Salahad, and losing many along the way. But, after weeks he arrived in Azka-Sur with a small but still impressive elephant force.\n\nPledging himself to the King of the city, he was quickly adopted and married into the royal family to become 'Barid szel-Sur', the next King of the Sun Fortress. At the helm of his army of elephants, which had never been used for warfare in Bulwar, he conquered all of the upper Suran and as far down it as Bulwar, making his kingdom the main power of eastern Bulwar for a few centuries.\n\nNowadays, the leader of Azka-Sur always rides an elephant for ceremonial purposes even if they don't have the numbers to serve for war.
+1 Yearly Prestige

The Caste Laws of 1487As human rule grew stronger in the eastern city following Zokka's invasion, the elves became more and more removed from military and administrative purposes and were restricted to more priestly or magically inclined roles. The various rules surrounding the elves' place in society were eventually codified in 1487 in a book of laws called the ‘Peace of Surael':\n\"No longer shall the blessed blood of the heirs Jaher, who is Surael reborn, praised be his name, be shed in violence."\n"No longer shall the protectors of the Light allow themselves to become corrupted by the hardships of state leadership."\n"We, poor humans, are but mere stewards for the heirs of Surael reborn, whose most important purpose is to perform the rites that allow us to banish the Darkness from our lands and our hearts."
-20% Stability Cost Modifier

The Bil-EkluAzka-Sur is often called the ‘bride' of the desert, as the harsh sands of the Salahad are seen mere miles outside the city. Thus, we are the last civilized stop before the dangers of the desert, with all merchants stopping in our city to trade Raheni and Bulwari goods. The great souk, the Bil-Eklu, covers an entire quarter and sees Dwarves from the Segbandal argue with Brasanni traders about the price of Cannorian goods while Bulwari and Harimari merchants compete over silk fabrics of the utmost quality.\n\nMeanwhile, in the taverns, harpies distract merchants with their beautiful songs and intellectuals discuss philosophy while drinking the best coffee in the world. No one forgets their time spent in our city and our tales accompany the travellers in the cold nights among the lone and level sands of the great desert.
+20% Caravan Power

The Erlian-natuZokka's first target in Bulwar was the small akalate of Hašr, our old rival that quickly fell against his hordes and demonic magic. When the news of Hašr's fall reached Erlian, the last elven ruler of Azka-Sur, he quickly marched down the Suran with his army to protect any refugees that were fleeing into his lands, despite the two nations' past grudges. Giving his life in the process, his actions were not forgotten, with many former Hašr refugees commemorating his memory and calling themselves the people of Erlian, the Erlian-natu, in his honour.\n\nWhen the upper Suran was finally liberated, plenty of those Erlian-natu were the first to resettle these lands and Azka-Sur has always been able to count on their villages to send conscripts for its wars.
-10% Development Cost
+5% National Manpower Modifier

The Sun ShieldAs Azka-Sur endured as an independent state, the szel-Sur dynasty had to distinguish themselves from the various human sects of Darkness worshipers that ravaged Bulwar. They were not cultists like the accursed rebel Dartaxes in the West who had refused the truth of Surakel reborn; nor were they like the desert legion who followed another poisoned message of the only god. No, the Azka-Suri knew their place was as the shield of the faithful, to be brandished by the heirs of Jaher in order to protect Bulwar from the Darkness in the Salahad and beyond. After defeating the gnollish hordes and bringing the Light of Surael to the depths of the desert, the ruler of Azka-Sur was proclaimed ‘Sur Zama' -Sun Shield- by the sun elven priests of Bulwar.
-15% War Score Cost vs Other Religions

The Surani LegionWhile the upper Suran is a bountiful land compared to the Salahad, Azka-Sur never rose to the heights of Bulwar or Brasan in sheer size. In their wars the Azka-Suri were thus always forced to count on a small but effective force rather than the masses that could be fielded further west. Their main inspiration following their wars in the Salahad was the Desert Legion who, while heretics, were also direct heirs to the legions of Jaher, praised be his name.\n\nWhile never as disciplined or skilful as the Legionaries they fought – and how could they be, when the legions were comprised of the Chosen who have centuries to master their arts and have the blood of Surael running in their veins – the Surani legionaries were nonetheless a deadly and feared force in all Bulwar.
+5% Discipline

Ambition
+15% Trade Efficiency