Aurlûnor Velande

The Aurlûnor Velande (Meaning the Sun Dragon Empire) or Aurlûnor (Sun Dragon Realm) is a nation located in Southern Syltör. Its capital city is Lhûmar, located on the northern coast of Gulf of Heaven, a subsection of the Western Sea. Its official religion and state ideology is the Twin Dragon. It's overseas colony on Eldham, the Viceroyality of Isillûnde has it's borders shared with the Zamotz Union to it's north and east. It is by far the largest and currently only majority Elven ruled nation in the world.

Etymology
Main article: Aurlûnoren language

The word Aurlûnor Velandé means "Sun Dragon Empire", which was said to have been the name Velereth Sareariel Lelya-Earcala gave the country. However, the name could also be due to the fact that the descendance of the Velereth from heaven was on the year of the Light Dragon, with the stars aligning in the form of that of a Dragon, and the Sun being at this constellation's center.

"Aurlûn" alone translates to "Sun Dragon" in, as the words aur meaning sun, and lûn meaning dragon, while "-or" while being used alone would mean "land" or "country". "Velandé" means "empire", or literally "[the] empress's country".

Note the é used in direct transliteration from Aurlûnoren is not an accent mark, but a tone marker, as the language features four tones which can effect the meaning of the word.

History
Main Article: History of the Aurlûnor Velande

The area occupied by the modern-day Velande was once occupied exclusively by human tribes known as the Guren, ancestors of most of the modern Aurlûnoren humans. Approximately 11,000 years ago the Elven Migration Period began, which coincided with the advent of agriculture among the Guren and the settlement of the Kumiho in Hampo. These Elves would spread all over southern Syltör, and it is believed they came into conflict with the people of Bjørn´sberg after settling in the North-Aurlûnor Mountain Range, which after the migration of the local mercenary guild, they easily won. The ancestors of the Celestial Elves would establish a capitol in the city of Ardol, in modern day Tacua province.

An elven king by the name of Maxion the Conqueror consolidated the various elves on the Lothranis Sea's west coast, and began the conquest of the Dawou kingdom to the north. He would found the Kingdom of Almador, the predecessor of the Aurlûnor Velande, and place its capitol in the then-new city of Silamar. Almador would begin a period of conquest, dominating the other Guren kingdoms as well as the Kumiho. The rule of Almador was legalistic, and at many times excessively cruel. Rebellions were crushed and non-elves were commonly enslaved. However, during the centuries through which the kingdom lasted, the Imperial Humans and Kumiho were eventually assimilated to the level of equals.

Almador would eventually fall into chaos following the mismanagement of King Hireon and a large famine. Governors broke away from the central government to form their own kingdoms, beginning the "Warlord Period" or "Warring States Period". The following 400 years of conflict would see nearly a third of the population waste away from war, disease, and famine.

One small city-state that broke away was Dun, and from here a local warlord (warlady?) by the name of Sareariel Lelya-Earcala. She would capture the fishing village that would become modern Lhûmar and declare the founding of the Aurlûnor Velande. The various other elven kingdoms that occupied old Almadoran land would be swept up by the new velereth, though many other Almadoran territories were occupied by foreign governments. Years of strife and instability followed the founding of the Velande, but with the reform and stability of the central government the lives of the people improved as famine was eradicated and peace returned to the land.

Geography
The Velande is located in Syltor, along the northern shores of the Sea of Lothranis. It also borders the western edge of the Phagosian Sea at some points. The Velande contains 12 provinces, with one special city known as the City of Lhûmar, which functions as an independent territorial unit from the Imperial Province that contains the Empire's capital.

Note: This list lists it's official Aurlûnoren name before it's native name. The Velande is also in possession of a colony known as the Viceroyality of Isillûnde on the continent of Eldham (Sinawendor), with it's capital of Cúamwan.

One former province, the Vedassa Province, was the first province to be abolished as a province entirely. Also known as North Fornois, Vedassa was created later during the Velande's expansions to the south and east. Lencamar was the capital until Mid-July, where Drakovien was made the official capital. It was merged with the Alvada Province on October 5th. Drakovien (Lûnwirmar) served as it's capital and largest city.

Government
Under the Imperial Constitution, the Aurlûnor Velande is an Absolute Theocratic Monarchy, which means that the government entirely falls under the control of the Velereth, a title which means "Empress". The power of the Velereth is seen as absolute, and opposition against the government is usually seen as a form of treason. No political parties are known to exist within the Velande, and while local elections do exist, they tend to be in villages. Government positions and military positions are appointed, and are a lifetime, hereditary position. The Lelya-Earcala Dynasty, the current Imperial Dynasty, is the ruling family of the Velande, and their rule is seen as the most Autocratic in the world.

Though the government is mostly an Absolute Cognatic system, the Imperial throne falls under Enatic succession, which means only women can inherit the throne of the Velande.

Structure
The Government Structure of the Aurlûnor Velande works off a system that is akin to the Royal court system. The court was divided into multiple parts, which help govern the nation.

The Velereth is the supreme authority over all other bodies. Whatever comes to her throne or desk, she decides if it is final or not. The Velereth's power can override any single decision or action made by other ruling bodies, and may issue imperial decrees should may be. Authority is never challenged by the Velereth's word, as it is final, and law, and those who usually do, are seen as rebels and traitors.

The Chancellor 's authority is similar to the authority of the Velereth, and may issue Imperial Decrees on her behalf. They are considered the second most powerful figure in the Empire, being able to do anything without having to ask the Velereth, with only their own power being overridden. The seat of the Chancellor is the highest position that anyone with Citizenship can achieve in the entire Velande.

The Phoenix Advisor is considered a ceremonial title given by the Velereth who has proven to be a rather useful asset in the court. This can be considered anything from being trusted with regency or with tasks that the Velereth herself may give to them.

The Imperial Court is by far the largest body of the Velande, which consists of every single governor of each of the twelve provinces, in addition to others who would stand to give advice and assist with the nation with varying duties. This can include being Minister of Diplomacy, Foreign Affairs, of War among other things. The court is seen as the blood of the government, and is the highest a person with Civilized Status can achieve.

Succession
Succession of the throne of the Aurlûnor Velande is thought to be through the use of the Divine Crown of the Velande. However, legal laws state that in order for one to succeed the throne of the Velande, they must follow through a ceremony, which confirms legitimacy.

To be eligible to become the next Velereth, they must meet the following requirements:


 * The heir is female.
 * The heir is at least 30 or older.
 * The heir must be a daughter of Sareariel biologically.
 * The heir must be apart of the Lelya-Earcala Dynasty.

The ceremony begins with the five questions of the Vale. They must be answered in Primodial.


 * 1) What is the greatest desire of the world that men want the most?
 * 2) Through what divine the blood you descend from? Speak thy names in their original tongue.
 * 3) Upon what do you seek the greatest, when given to you at full strength?
 * 4) Should you slit your left thigh, and drink the Wine of Yunin, while riding a Qivar through the Five Passes?
 * 5) The Ultimate Truth. What is the correct answer to everything that exists around you?

Should they pass through the five questions successfully, they are given a golden chalice, in which inside, is a specially brewed Celestial Tea, made from a yet unknown ingredient. They must slice open their left palm, and drip it into the tea. Should it come up green, they are not legitimate, and are therefore, a pretender, if however, it comes up pure blue, and starts making a sizzling sound, causing the cup to broil, and flame like a torch, they are confirmed to potentially be legitimate.

The final step of the process, is the new Velereth is to strip, and be bathed by Ceremonial Baijiu, and set on fire by their own chalice. Should they wince, the flame asunders reddish orange, and burn, they are not legitimate. However, should it burn white, then crimson red, at the same time, and do not feel pain, cooling down with it absorbing into their pours, they are then knelt down before, and hailed as the new Velereth of the Velande, in which she'd be dressed back up, and sit on her new throne.

Law
The Velande Laws are the mandated code of law in the country. It is known as the harshest law code in Rathnir, as many of these laws involve beatings by bamboo canes, which can be seen as brutal. The law is also among the most controversial due to its suppression of free speech and religion, with the most executions per capita, with many of the laws involving execution. The Velande is also one of the few countries that sends convicts of the more severe crimes to hard labor, mostly in the Erúme Province. It is often called the "Bloody Dragon Empire" due to these causes, and the "Graveyard of Practitioners" due to it's anti-heresy laws.

Military
The Aurlûnor Velande military is currently divided into two divisions, the Dragon Army and the Dragon Navy. The Dragon Army is the main forces of the country, and utilizes in the use of pike and shot, as well as the use of arquebuses, being one of the first nations to fully use firearms on Rathnir. They are mostly a defensive military, protecting the Velande's borders, as well as local militias that sometimes gather under their banners. The Dragon Navy deals with the domestic affairs of the Lothranis Sea and the Great Southern Ocean, often hunting pirates, and protecting merchant vessels that enter in and out of the sea.

Religion
''"Free Religion leads to societal collapse, civil war, destruction, and no-good barbarians invading your borders. This is what happened to Almador. Never again, shall this happen to the Sun Dragon Empire. The Velereth may not like this idea, but her majesty will understand why we had decided on it." - Unknown Court Official, 2ACA''

The majority of the Aurlûnor Velande adheres to the religion of Twin Dragon with a 98% majority. The largest minority religion is the Ashuran Pantheon 1.2%, Soleannen at 0.4%, traditional Hampo Animism at a 0.2%, and various other religions making up varying minorities throughout the nation.

The official religion of the Aurlûnor Velande is Twin Dragon, which is also mandated by law through a method of either forced conversion, persecution of public displays or worship or through integration. It is against the law in the Velande to worship any other religion other than the state religion. Violators are usually subjected to the harsh heresy punishments. However, the law seems to loosen up outside of large settlements, or less densely populated regions that are not made up of a majority Celestial Elven population. The least population provinces appear to have this law less enforced, although cases of anti-heresy crackdowns had been seen upon order of the governors.

The Ashuran Pantheon is the only religion that is legal by the Velande's legal code, but only in the Sharla, and Erúme Provinces.

Culture
Aurlûnoren Culture is among the most diverse in terms of the Western Syltör region. Almadorian culture that was left over from the remnants of the Kingdom still linger within the Aurlûnor Velande massively, and is present in every day life. Unlike the Almadorians, the Aurlûnorens adopted many aspects of Ghûren cultures, most notably Dawou Culture, blending it together with Almadorian culture, creating a unique identity in which the styles of building, architecture and traditions. Aspects of the Dawou people can be seen today in Lhûmar with the presence of holidays such as Dragon Day with another in Winter and the New Years festival held ever 12th of Feburary.

The Velande is often known as the cultural capital of Western Syltör, and continues to show itself as a shining example of a nation with rich culture.

Food
Aurlûnoren cuisine mostly consists of rice, wheat, berry, fish and meat dishes that are native to the region. Aurlûnoren cuisine mostly appears to mostly steam their foods, most notably vegetables and meat, as said to "enrichen the flavor" and to make food more "savory". One of the most famous dishes in Aurlûnor Velande is known as the Steamed Beef Bun, which composes of a round shaped bun, filling inside with meat, and a flour exterior. Inside, usually composes of either crushed berries, bamboo sprouts or rice, surrounded by the beef.

Sauces are among the most used in any Aurlûnoren dish. Usually, a dish will be seen with sauce being added, which can vary depending on what type of dish it is. Most of the sauces are sweet or salty, with one of the most popular sauces, soy sauce, being used on almost anything to make it tasty. Chocolate Sauce is more widely used in Tacua Province, accompanied with a leaf covering the food as a form of respect to the consumer.

Coastal towns along the Lothranis Sea tend to use lots of fish in their cuisine, often replacing other meats that inlanders would normally eat. A staple food fish of the average Aurlûnoren peasant is the Blue Snapper; Sand Grouper and Red Dolphinfish are more pricey fish. Pufferfish fugu is served as a delicacy, as its preparation must be careful in removing the fish's poison glands. Sea turtles like the Western Hawk Turtle are rarely eaten, and protected by law.

Spice is extremely popular in upper class dishes, and is often used on many dishes to help make the flavors give extra kick. Freshly grown Tacuan Jungle Spices known as Jihaw, Saffron, Anardana, and Sumac are among the most popular spices that are seen, with saffron being reserved mostly for Imperial Family members.

Art
The Velande is well known for talented artists, who appears to have painted many portraits of the Velereth, and that of multiple battle scenes. Famous artists such as Dalatra Mosulia and Aesop Hexen have been renown for their art skills despite their mixed origins. Azan, Governor of Sharla Province is also a famous sculptor, being responsible for such works such as his depictions of the King of Darkness and Queen of Light that still shines outside of the gates of Lhûmar.

Literature
Despite living in a rather conservative country in regards to literature, Aurlûnoren literature is among the most liberal, and open-expressive pieces in Syltör. The most famous of these pieces throughout the country is a book known as The Princess, a currently two volume book written by Aldara Ellan, a well known scholar in the Imperial Court of Seraan descent. Other political works include Chancellor Mao Meili's Harmony and Politics.

The Celestial Fertilizer is an infamous novel written by an unknown author back in 221ACA, which is described to be "raunchy" and "extremely informal" by many, but is widely popular by adults as something known as "Pleasure Literature".

Another huge book is known as the Clash of the Three Kingdoms, which was written by an Aurlûnoren Human by the name of Liu Rundon in the mid-600s ACA, which takes place during the time of the Warring Period of the Almadorians, romanticizing the rise of power of the Velande.

As far as more scientific and theoretical literature goes, the scientist Tara Sauranis has written multiple short works describing ancient beasts, bringing the science of paleontology to the public. Her books are popular, with the Fornost Museum holding a copy of her work on Megalonectes on public display. Hydra Blackwater's philosophical work Systems of Harmony details Twin Dragon's epistemology and metaphysics.

Architecture
Throughout the history of the Aurlûnor Velande, the building style of the varying cities changed overtime, with some having a traditional Almadorian-look, such as the ancient city of Ardol, to having more of a mixture of Neo-Dawou, and whatever regions they settled in. Though the dark history of architecture shows that slaves of the Ghûren peoples were shown to have adopted their traditions, when slavery was discontinued in 0CA, the Aurlûnor Velande adopted many practices of this style, and incorporated into a more varied style. As the nation expanded, and more cultures integrated into the Velande, so did architectural styles. Kumiho style would enter into the scene upon the integration of the Hampo Province, Fornoisan architecture entering the picture in the northern territories blending styles together to create a strange hybrid of the cultures, and even Dune Elven architecture mixing in with the acquisition of the old Ashuran territories from Huitca.

Among all nations, the Aurlûnor Velande is often ranked extremely high when it comes to architectural prowess. Multiple cities, most notably Lhûmar, Dun and Lûnwirmar, which are often called the "Three Titans of the West", in terms of architectural beauty and prowess. The ancient city of Ebonimemar is also an example of rather high architectural prowess, with Ashuran Architecture mixed in with aspects of Almadorian style architecture.

Music
Aurlûnoren music is widely renowned as "cultured", "refined" and "asthetic". Most Aurlûnoren instruments are inherrited from Dawou or Almadorian culture over 900 years ago. The invention of instruments such as the Aurlûnoren guzhen, the sitar, the erhu and the Tacuan style lute, are among the most popular by many musicians around the world. The most popular Aurlûnoren melody is known as "The Prowl of the Tiger", which is known to be one of the oldest pieces of Dawou music that dates back to 4,700BCA. The oldest Almadorian piece known as "The Bamboo Forest of the Shining Moon" is among the most popular wood-wind pieces, which is accompanied by a poem, and is usually sung by many bards in taverns and tea houses across the country.

Later instruments such as the Ashuran Ney, which was introduced in the 1600BCAs, is common among the more lower classes and labourers, as well as many tribes of the Ashuran Desert. The Aurlûnoren Piano, invented in 560ACA by Larcan Jae-Sailanis, became a widely common sight in many houses, taverns, tea houses and even among the elites.