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Shuriman mortal army equipment: Concepts, ideas, and what we know so far

RyzeTheSmurfMage·7/8/2019, 11:45:24 AM·30 votes·16,205 views

Hi boards! I'm RyzeTheSmurfMage, a big Shuriman fan as some people may know although I havent posted much on boards lately. So I was looking at the regional pages on Universe, and I noticed that the Shurima page is quite.... underwhelming compared to other factions such as Demacia or Noxus (and more), especially regarding their weapons, armors, etc. So, today I'm gonna list what we know about their weaponry from stories featuring Shurima, as well as some concepts I made with the help of some people on the Discord server of League Lore (yes Falr post the link in the comments). Keep in mind this is mostly going to be about Azir's side, not Xerath's, although some weapons and styles of fighting will be similar So, let's begin.

#####ARMOR

Shurima is a desert, thus heavy armor wouldn't be a great idea. Besides slow movement, you would basically boil in the sun. Thus, Shuriman soldiers would wear light to mid-weight armor, like we saw warriors wear:

Lightly armored warriors streamed into the city over the rubble. They howled a dozen different war-cries, eager to begin the slaughter.

Taken from Bloodline. But how would this armor look like? Here comes the concept part of it. Mostly, we based it off Azir's sand soldiers and Ancient Egypt, with a few modifications. The plate would look like similar to this, maybe with a Shuriman symbol at it's center. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/547867910111100968/597740558768668708/6ccaad72cd1660f67a2fe3e12d508379-1.jpg It would be easy to wear, would provide protection, although obviosly not as much as heavy armor, while keeping mobility, which would most likely be core for desert warfare and Shuriman warfare overall (we'll go into that deeper later on). It would also fit Shuriman aesthethic. Now, the helmet. The helmet would most likely look like the sand soldiers (but without the gem on the head obvs). https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/547867910111100968/597741549807206410/Screenshot_20190708-135122_Gallery.jpg We also thought that it may have an incorporated veil to cover the eyes and nose, to keep the dust going up during battle from entering them and making vision harder as well as the sun light. The rest, aka the limb armor, would be much like the soldiers too, offering some protection without obstructing movement.

####MELLE WEAPONS

Let's go over swords first.

The jackal’s eyes snapped wide. He saw seven of them. Their curved blades remained sheathed, but the look in their eyes spoke of martial training and guile.

Shurimans are known to use curved blades, although that's as much as it goes into describing them. So, what type of curved sword is specific and iconic for Ancient Egypt, from which Shurima heavly draws inspiration? The Kopesh. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/547867910111100968/597743045563252746/DemoShot.jpgb340c207-3a35-4e7b-879e-77c49773c02dOriginal.jpg Of course, it wouldn't be the only type of sword used, although imo it would be the most common one, as it's very good for slashing, which would be very effective against light armored enemies or openings in limb armor. It would also enable mobile style of fighting, since its a 1 handed weapon. It's a 1 handed sword, weilded by a light or mid armored combatant tho, so a shield for the other hand would be essential. So, why not the same design as Imperial Shurima used? https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/547867910111100968/597744101474959360/Screenshot_20190708-140105_Discord.jpg It's 1 handed, and it would provide enough protection. Now, there's also another type of shield Shurimans use that we know of.

Five hundred warriors at least; light skirmishers, whooping horse-archers, and fighting men bearing scale shields and heavy axes.

Shurimans cover the shields with scales, presumably from animals. This 1 Shurima animal comes to my mind that appears to have hard scales: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/547867910111100968/597744950649552926/shurima_sandswimmer_01_1.jpg The sand swimmers. I assume the scales are durable enough to make for a shield plate since they are used as shield plate.

Now for axes, as seen in the paragraph quoted above, they use heavy axes. Nasus's own axe may give an idea of what form Shuriman axes have, and I'd add to that Egyptian axes: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/547867910111100968/597745870292779028/7200edb40f7420dcfd51a1e4b22aaf36.jpg This one also comes to my mind as something that could fit https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/547867910111100968/597747611856011264/2i4-FM1934-2_grande.jpg

Now for spears. Spears would be crucial for Shurimans. They give range, and the ability to poke with them while staying behind your shield. Short ones can also be thrown. They would also be extremly good in desert, since there would be no close spaces to not be able to manuever and get your spear stuck. So, how would they look like design-wise? For long spears, the image from Where Icathia once Stood comes to mind. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/457316449594245150/565583598636498945/c-o-runeterra-void-05.jpg Basically, a common long spear. We also know Shurimans use other types of spears too, aka shorter spears. From Varus's color story we know they use hooked spears:

Tanned, wolf-lean men worked the ruins, digging out hidden reliquary chambers as thick-limbed beasts of burden dragged excavated rocks from deeper inside the structure. Warriors wearing boiled leather breastplates and carrying hook-bladed spears guarded the perimeter. So I suspect something similar to this https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/547867910111100968/597747958943055892/0632271d7acc56358d3a7981c05e6c52.jpg We also saw Kala from Ryze's comic "Burning Lands" weilding a spear. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/547867910111100968/597748431863283737/Screenshot_20190708-141844_Chrome.jpg

##RANGED WEAPONS

Bows. Bows are used by everyone (except people that have guns. Not Shurima's case). Here we don't have much to talk about. Basically, common bows would be used. We do know Shurima has horse archers tho.

Five hundred warriors at least; light skirmishers, whooping horse-archers, and fighting men bearing scale shields and heavy axes.

And why not, let's also add a Shuriman-esque design to a bow https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/547867910111100968/597749298532319303/Auriels_bow.png Yes I know it's from Skyrim but it fits Shurima aesthethic so well that I think it would be the best example.

##SPECIAL FORCES

Regarding special/elite forces, we actually have some info. We have the raiders, and altough they are, well, raiders, I doubt coin wouldnt buy them (and Azir has if anything a shit ton of money). https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/547867910111100968/597750025438756874/shurima_valley_02.jpg

The raiders of Shurima survive not through trade, but through violence. These bands of marauders often attempt to blend into the environment in order to lure unsuspecting travelers into traps before killing them, taking their belongings, and (in very rare cases) eating them.

These ones would be very good for ambushes https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/547867910111100968/597750025438756875/shurima_valley_03.jpg

These nomadic raiders are known for their agility, using hardened bone-braces and polearms to vault towards their victims at terrifying speeds.

While these ones would be very good for, well, ambushes too, along with chasing down the enemy, and quick harras attacks in the enemy line while they are traveling

And now, my own creation (alongside Vartius's), the Shuriman Palace Guards. They would be guards of high ranking officials, captains, and generals. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/547867910111100968/597751170206793748/unknown-44.png

This is how their helmet would look like. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/547867910111100968/597751308405178380/unknown-51.png

And this, is how their weapons would be like. Vartius had drawn inspiration here from the sand soldier spears, and modified the blades a bit. This weapon would be extremly versatile thanks to the blades on the sides, but also hard to master, making it an optimal weapon for elite guards.

#COMBAT STYLE

So, I mentioned above I'll go more in depth about possible Shuriman combat style. I would like something to make them unique among other factions, while being accuarate to their background and battlefield, aka the desert. So, I'd go with a mobile style of fighting, as said above. Not only it would be optimal for marching in the desert because it isnt recomended to wear heavy armor there and you would also move faster, but it would also enable the fighter to use his weapons faster in combat (less weight from armor=more manuevrability). Noxus has raw numbers and diversity in battle styles. Demacia has the best armor and weapons in the world, as well as the most elite soldiers, all of them having heavy equipment. Shurima would have mobility, and precision. Why precision? We know Shurimans are accuarate enough with the bow to be able to shoot while riding horses (from paragrahps quoted above), and it would also be an unique characteristic to them that other regions don't have much focus on. In overall army, I'd say that Shurima would be betwen Noxus and Demacia. By that, I mean they would have better quality in soldiers than Noxus (the average warband soldiers I mean. Basically they are giving minimal training to be able to replace the fallen soldiers in expansion wars by executing commands, having discipline to the superiors, and other typical training stuff, the weapon they are the best at, then sent to battle), although obvs not as good as Demacia, but less soldiers than Noxus, altough obvs not as many as Demacia. Aka a middle ground betwen the 2.

So there it was. I hope you enjoyed reading my thread, it was a lot of fun to write. I would love to have the Shurima art gallery on the region page expanded more to have actual canon representations of the things I listed, and not just armor and weapons, but maybe even how the capital of Shurima looks from the inside, and how Nerimazeth looks like, and maybe even how normal tools look like (for the capital part I may add that we have 4 images of it and all of them show the same thing)

21 Comments

RiotBioluminescence7/8/2019, 5:35:23 PM19 votes

I reached out to Graham to ask about the scale-shields, and, paraphrasing, he said he had been thinking of something kite-shield-like, and with actual scales on it - likely from a sandswimmer (but possibly claimed to be from dragons). Lightweight and tough.

So pretty much as you suspected! :)

The Iceborn7/8/2019, 12:05:42 PM7 votes

This is some good research you have done!

WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOO7/8/2019, 12:37:26 PM3 votes

Well thought-out, high effort post. I’m not a big weapons/military guy so I can’t really add much, but this seems well researched as well

Warlord Dienekes7/10/2019, 12:44:21 PM1 votes

Hey man this is really good. But it has a few assumptions that don’t actually hold true to historic military equipment. Since this is a fantasy setting you can ignore it if you want. But I’ll go on my ramble anyway.

First point desert warriors can have pretty heavy armor. Mamluks, cataphracts, and janissaries were all about has heavily armored as their European equivalents. The difference is more in how the armor is styled. Because you are right steel in the sun will cook you. But cover the steel with cloth and you’re mostly safe. The real determining factor is the development of cities and/or whether they have trade with places that utilize heavier armor. The Egyptians created their own very heavily armored warriors, while people like the Mongols traded with the Chinese and Rus for their armor.

Second point, that’s a common misconception, armor slows you down some as it adds 20-50 lbs on your body. But shields, especially larger shields slow you down more. As it’s putting 10 to 15 lbs directly on one arm, effectively dragging the user down. But you need some form of defense or if your army ever does meet another in a pitched battle you’ll be destroyed.

Mephala7/8/2019, 6:28:21 PM1 votes

As for the soldier needing lighter armor for being in a desert. I would say that that is not always true look at the ptolemaic dynasty's military, roman campaigns in the east, and crusaders all having heavy armor in that type of environment. Also look at the us troops an iotv is extremely hot to have on but the us has troops in both Afghanistan and Iraq with that type of armor.

EdgeLady7/9/2019, 2:54:59 PM1 votes

What about scimitars? If Shurima's progression vaguely mirrors Middle Eastern history in our world, it's likely that some modern swordsmen would use scimitars as well as kosephs.

Plus, well, scimitars look cool. Why wouldn't Shurimans use them? It would also offer an in-universe explanation as to why so many Bilgewater pirates choose scimitars, like Gangplank, since Bilgewater is closest to the Shuriman continent and they probably trade for (or steal) a good bunch of their weapons from their ports.

14daysuspensionk7/9/2019, 9:44:14 PM1 votes

We know that Azir wears a birb shaped helmet.