Territory People Features Clothing Technology Mining Farming Government Political System The Silver Ziggurats The Imperial Family Culture Language Art Architecture Square Dancing Feast Days Religion History Prehistory Early History Unification of the Clans Rise of the Empire Role in the Bloodstained Aeon Post-Aeon Prosperity The Attempted Liberation of Bareta Meo Current State of Affairs Population International Relations Economy World-View

Territory

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The empire of Shetugu's territory encompasses the rolling, resource-rich foothills of central Russitea, bordered by the Tanshu Mountains in the north, the coastal plains to the south and east, and the colonial outposts in the west. Entry in and out of the empire is along wide roads to the south and east, complete with toll gates that mark the borders. The colonies of the west are not deemed important enough to merit the building of a western road.

 

People

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Features

The inhabitants of Shetugu are all Humans, with no exceptions. Other races are mistrusted and discriminated against by the laws of Shetugu. The Shetugou (as they call themselves) are primarily a short, lithe people, with moderately reddish-brown skin, orange, brown or even magenta eyes, and light or dark blonde hair. They have strong chins, but short noses and heavy eyebrows, and shorter than average fingers and toes. Facial hair is common among men, as is shoulder-length hair, tied back with string. Women tend to wear their hair tied up in buns or more complex styles.

 

Clothing

The Shetugou tend to wear quite fine clothes, woven of cotton or hemp. Men traditionally wear long tunics and vests, and women wear knee-length, sleeveless dresses. Buttons and decorations of copper and gold are often sewn into the hems of clothing, as well as square and diamond patterns. Dyes are mostly green and blue, with yellow and red dye as a valuable commodity and black dye as practically nonexistent.

 

Technology

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Mining

Shetugou technological advancements in the field of mining are impressive, with complex systems of supporting mine shafts and pulleys for salvaging copper and gold. A widely held myth outside the empire is that the Shetugou employ some sort of magic in their mining practice, but in reality diviners are used merely to detect the presence of minerals in the area, and no spellcraft is used in the actual process of extraction.

 

Farming

Agriculturally speaking, the Shetugou are also quite adept; they have mastered irrigation techniques that increase crop yields dramatically, making vegetables the third largest export to the surrounding countries, following refined ores and copper products.

 

Government

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Political System

Although it is above all an absolute empire, the political structure of Shetugu has some remarkably capitalist traits: serfs are allowed to amass their own wealth, while paying hefty taxes on it to their lords, who in turn pay smaller taxes to the imperial court. A serf could very well buy his or her independance from the lord, along with that of any present or future children - but the price for the independance of children is much higher than that of adults, due to their potential. As such, the parents of a Shetugou child might well secure their child's independance at a young age while remaining in the lord's service themselves, or secure their own independance to allow their child a better chance at amassing enough wealth to buy his or her own at a later date.

 

Independant "ex-serfs" form a class of their own, and often move to the larger cities, where they become merchants, craftsmen, scribes or mercenaries. The standing army of Shetugu is drafted from the serfs, but the empire can afford to pay soldiers of fortune as well. It is rare for an ex-serf to be made a lord, but prolongued, loyal service to the emperor can sometimes result in a promotion in status and a grant of land.

 

The Silver Ziggurats

The imperial court itself is situated in the capital city of Tenusha Meo, in the opulent palace complex known to outsiders as the Silver Ziggurats of Shetugu. Designed in the classic tall and thin style of Shetugou monuments, the Silver Ziggurats are markedly unique in that they are plated with a thin layer of pure silver, coated with a sap-based lacquer that prevents tarnishing. The end result is astonishing, especially in the full sun - indeed, the emperor himself must wear a specially crafted mask with very thin eye slits to avoid hurting his eyes- the masks of previous emperors are preserved in a special chamber within the ziggurat.

 

The Imperial Family

The current emperor is Tahutshouna Tahutba, the ninth in the Tahutshouna dynasty, and currently in the fifty-seventh year of his reign. Tahutba inherited the current system of "feudal capitalism" from his successor, Tahutshouna Arnusha (widely regarded by the populace as one of the greatest, most influential emperors in Shetugou history), and has yet to make any major changes to his father's laws. He has three sons and five daughters, but his eldest two sons and his youngest daughter are currently extremely ill from an unknown cause.

 

The emperor's status is just below godlike: although his citizens do not regard him as a deity, the populace at large respects his word as law. There is, however, underlying tension between the emperor and his underlings, especially those in charge of the military and economy of Shetugu. The rights granted by the laws of Shetugu mean that every citizen is essentially born with the potential to be independant of the ancient feudal system, and it is unlikely that the old empire will retain its absolute rule for much longer. Change is in the winds.

 

Culture

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Language

Turenou Shetugou (literally "The language of the people of Shetugu") is an inflectional language: a word's structure changes depending on its gender, number, case, tense, and so forth. As such, placement within a sentence is of little import, as the actual meaning will not change very much.

 

Unfortunately, the vocal structure of the Shetugou allows for only a select few vowel and consonant sounds: short a, b, d, short e, eo, hard g, h, m, n, ou (similar to oh), r, sh, t, and long u. Thus, many Turenou words are very similar in sound, and the Shetugou have a very heavy accent when speaking in any other language.

 

Written Turenou is phonetic, with different letters corresponding to each of the 14 possible sounds. The small number of letters makes written Turenou easy enough to learn. The letters are geometric, focusing on straight lines and angles. Consonants are often patterned after squares and rectangles, whereas the 5 vowels are diamond-shaped in some for or another.

The Shetugou Alphabet

 

 

Art

Artistically speaking, the Shetugou are masters of metalworking, crafting fine works of primarily silver and copper, inlaid with the various precious stones found in the mines. A piece of Shetugou armour can be a work of art to rival that of the Dwarves - although they are in a different style, naturally, and nowhere near as durable. Shetugou art incorporates many square and diamond designs, often in interlocking patterns. Their chain mail is a notable example of this style - instead of circular links, the Shetugu use diamond links with rounded edges.

 

Architecture

Shetugu architecture shares the predilection for squares and diamonds -most floor plans are either perfectly square or composed of several squares. Rooms are usually square as well. Most average buildings are made with bricks of a fast-drying clay concoction, and gently sloped roofs made with tiles of this same substance. Perhaps the most well-known symbol of Shetugou architecture are the lofty ziggurats that serve as castles or palaces for the emperor and nobles of the realm. Built with stout bricks and plated with copper (or silver, in the sole case of the emperor's palace), they rise on average over 200 feet and include 5-7 steeply sloped tiers. The bases are usually surprisingly small - often no more than 150 feet to a side - and the lord's keep at the top is accessible by a succession of steep staircases that zig-zag up the side of the monument. From the top, it is possible to see for many miles around, and many ziggurats double as watchtowers for their lord's lands.

 

Square Dancing

Another traditional facet of Shetugou culture is dancing, both alone and in large groups. Set to rhythms from skin drums, copper shakers and pan flutes, communal dancing generally takes place on feast days after dark, in a square around a bonfire with all dancers facing outwards. The dance makes use of one's partners to the left and right to weave a sort of moving wall of bodies that is almost hypnotic. Dancing solo usually follows a similar square pattern, but the square is much smaller and the dancer traces it with his or her feet whilst the upper body goes through complex gymnastic routines. Classic Shetugou dancing garb consists of many light copper plates worn on the shoulders, wrists, thighs and calves, which make noise as they hit against each other during the dance. If the dancers are skilled enough, this sound alone can be its own form of music.

 

The fact that Shetugou square dancing shares its name with a form of hoedown entertainment on Earth is purely an unfortunate coincidence.

 

Feast Days

Every so often a feast day is declared throughout the empire, at the emperor's discretion. On these days, normal work ceases at noon and people gather together to prepare food for a great feast after dark, where there is music and square dancing and all manner of entertainment. The lords of feifdoms will often descend from their ziggurats to preside over these feasts, as well, in a tradition originally intended to increase public support for the lord. This often backfires, however, since lords are generally disliked by their serfs, and feast days are often chances to subtly mock one's lord as well as to dine in his company.

 

Religion

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The Shetugou are spiritualists, who do not follow one particular deity, but instead believe every natural object is imbued with its own spirit, called a terungu (plural terungou), which protects it and causes misfortune to those who abuse it. Because of this, there is no true priest class in Shetugou culture. There are, however, numerous open-air brick shrines, where a person will traditionally go to pray to the terungou if they are about to do something out of the ordinary to an object that would require permission. Slaughtering a cow for food would not require such permission, for instance, but putting a diseased cow out of its misery would. The distinction is usually up to the discretion of the person themself, but failure to do so in a situation where it is required will result in a nasty streak of bad luck that can only be cured by fervent apology at a shrine.

 

Any shrine will do for praying to any spirit - the type of terungu and its distance away are not an issue. For convenience's sake, though, there are usually shrines set up on major road at least every mile. Most mines in the north are equipped with their own shrine, as well, since extracting metals from the earth is generally regarded as an action that requires permission. An important part of the average miner's day would include praying at the shrine - usually with his fellow workers, since prayers can be said alone or in company, aloud or silently.

 

The only form of terungu that is considered more important than any other is those of the empire's famous Lion-hounds, as they are believed to be the symbol of the Imperial family and the link between it and the spirit world of the terungou, which the Shetugou believe is also the afterlife.

 

History

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Prehistory

It is thought that the people of Shetugu are originally descended from one of the many prehistoric tribes of Asivis, having migrated across the East Russitean Sea in ages past. It is unclear exactly why they did not push further into Orath across the Sea of Octhoros (before the existence of the Eight Hundred and Thirty Three Islands), but the rich foothills of the Tanshu Mountains would certainly have provided plenty of reason to stay. Not much is known about the Shetugou culture or activity before The Celestial Age of Blessings.

Early History

The first records of Shetugou lifestyle have only recently been found, thanks to the encouragement of the previous Emperor to begin mining areas further south of the Bufalos Mountains. Many of these digs have accidentally uncovered tablets of stone, clay, and bone, on which are written records in a primitive form of Turenou. From these sources it was discovered that early Shetugou culture was not unified in the slightest: existing in a series of clans, the people of the foothills were constantly warring amongst each other for territory and resources.

Unification of the Clans

Rise of the Empire

Role in the Bloodstained Aeon

Post-Aeon Prosperity

The Attempted Liberation of Bareta Meo

Current State of Affairs

 

Population

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The largest human country in Russitea, Shetugu houses roughly fifteen million inhabitants, with a concentration in Tenusha Meo (roughly 50,000) and the three other large cities, Gushata Meo, Mounuga Meo and Bareta Meo (with roughly 12,000 each).

 

International Relations

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The Shetugou interact with their neighbours to the south and east on a mainly commercial basis, and have signed many treaties with the smaller states of southeastern Russitea that ensure trading opportunities. Shetugu exports a geat deal more than it imports, since the country is comfortably self-sufficient. Since trade is carried out by independant merchants, the empire has placed a tax on exports and is making a considerable profit. The main exports are copper and silver ore, various metal implements, and agricultural produce.

 

The western colonies are not often dealt with, unless it is to issue warnings to the stray colonists that sometimes wander too far into Shetugou lands (there is, after all, no road to alert them to the fact that an entire empire lies to the east). Every so often these warnings are met with violence, but the Shetugou military is quick and ruthless when supressing these outbursts. A few sympathetic merchants have taken to selling raw materials and produce to the colonists, but the lack of roads means that trade is slow and often unprofitable in the long run. Demands from this faction to construct a road to the west are growing, but most Shetugou are opposed to it.

 

To the north, there is very little contact with the Northern Orcs, but the average Shetugou citizen is vaguely disturbed by their presence beyond the mountains. Every so often there is a push for a plan to "expel" the Orcs from Russitea, but this is simply not feasible, and the Emperor knows it.

 

Most Shetugou have no idea the Boggy Empire of the Rats even exists.

 

Economy

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Shetugu's enormous wealth and trading habits make it the undisputed economic superpower in Russitea, with a much higher standard of living than any other Human nation or colony.

 

The currency is the Shanmou Geruna (Imperial Talent), usually shortened to Shanmou - a thumbnail-sized copper coin that comes in denominations of 1, 2, 3, 6, 20, 30 and 60, since the Shetugou use a base-60 number system. Each coin is stamped with the mask of a famous emperor (the newly-minted 60-Shanmou pieces bear Tahutshouna Arnusha's famously unorthodox blank mask).

 

World-View

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The Shetugou are a proud, selfish race, who see themselves as the most important and powerful nation in Russitea - a claim that would no doubt be contested by the Northern Orcs among others. They value money, cleverness and ambition above all, and are sometimes rather ruthless in their pursuit of fortune and influence. In addition, they are quite xenophobic, fearing and mistrusting non-humans and refusing to deal with them unless absolutely necessary to get ahead.

 

Tradition holds sway over much of Shetugou activities, but the average citizen has little respect for ceremony except in regards to feast days and honouring the terungou. Most traditions are simply upheld because they exist and it would be difficult and bothersome to stop observing them entirely.