# Shi’ruul Protectorate ## History ## Government The Shi’ruul Protectorate is a magocracy ruled by the Council of Magi, 13 Wizards chosen from the High Asterians, one representing each of the astrological signs. The council makes relatively few laws, leaving the majority of social structure to the Asterian councils. Those that they do create typically carry one of two penalties: the first, and much more common, is the obliviation and exile, the second is execution. The shi’ruul don’t care to maintain dungeons. Most social structure comes from the Asterian councils. The Shi’ruul do not divide themselves into cities or families, but instead on their station, a combination of their astrological sign and their caste or rank. Upon completing the Sumal’lu’kulin, the rite of passage into adulthood, a Shi’ruul is bestowed with the rank of the 7th star, and no longer beholden to the parents that raised them. They are instead bound to the laws and customs set forth by their star-kin. The vast majority of the shi’ruul are of the 7th star of their asterism. They are the common folk of the shi’ruul. Few common shi’ruul ever earn advancement to the 6th star, and those who do are often local politicians, skilled warriors or other heroes of great renown. Those who dedicate themselves to a life of scholarship and magic find advancement into the higher echelons of society much more attainable. The actual decision to promote a shi’ruul from one caste to the next falls upon a collection of well respected caste members, known as the elders. It is also possible for one three castes higher to put forth a candidate for promotion, but such an honor is rare. There are typically trials and rituals involved to prove that one is worthy of promotion, but the common thread that runs through each is the solemn oath to never discuss with their lessers the secret knowledge of their station. The enforcement of this edict is a matter of utmost seriousness, which will bring together shi’ruul regardless of station. ## Inhabitants ... ## Society and Culture ... ## Faith and Religion ... >[!hidden] >### Geography >The shi’ruul have populated around the Vy’llan’pyrrilo, an island they believe to have been formed by the impact of an immense celestial body on the order of a meteor, though none know its true origin. The shi’ruul spent many years tapping into the island’s ecosystem, giving them the ability to modulate and thereby manipulate the heat and light rising from the earth. Further engineering by the shi’ruul has given rise to thermal vents that provide heat and moisture sufficient to grow tall, broad-leafed trees that form a jungle, caves that act as natural steam rooms, and hot springs as mineral baths.