Nashramae: A refuge of Imperial Shuriman knowledge and culture

Hi again boards. So today I'm gonna talk about Nashramae, some theories of mine regarding it, as well as some very cool things Riot could do with it. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/649664478299947038/658004718697578499/sketch-1576950940674.png

So, for begginers, Nashramae is a Northern Shuriman city that has not been conquered by Noxus. It glorifies the glorious Shuriman past, and it is famous for its Sun Disc replica

The people of Nashramae are devoted to preserving the ways of the past, celebrating their ancestors and the Ascended. The prize of the city is the ornate, non-magical, replica of the Sun Disc, built to honor Shurima's fallen and as a statement of hope that the sun might one day bless them again.

So, where am I getting with this? You probably didn't ask but I'm going to tell you anyways.

THE REFUGE OF ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/649664478299947038/658005146990804992/shurima_nashramae_02-1.jpg So, we know that Nashramae has been a place of great knowledge even by Imperial Shuriman standards. Actually, it was like that even before it got conquered. And since we know that it mostly remained intact and survived to this day since the fall of Shurima

Much of the architecture of Nashramae withstood the great fall, but decades of exposure to the elements has weathered these ancient Shuriman structures.

then I don't see why a big part of the knowledge that it held wouldn't have survived as well. What kind of knowledge you may ask? Magical knowledge. I think Nashramae may hold a great deal of ancient magical knowledge.

NASHRAMAE'S ROLE BEFORE THE RETURN OF AZIR

So, based on this theory, I'm gonna speculate that because of this, mages from all across Shurima may be drawn to the place in pursuit of magical knowledge and to learn magic. Nashramae is also famous for its Sun Disc replica and preserving the ways of the past, so it would have also had a critical role in making passing Shurimans, mages or not, more inclined towards the old ways.

THE REMNANTS OF THE SUNPRIEST ORDER

Back in the Imperial days, Shurima used to have Sunpriests. Mages with a strong inclination towards fire, they were the ones that were doing the Ascension ritual, and also presumably the ones who operated Shurima's grand magical warmachines, as seen in Where Icathia once Stood

Heavy wagons the size of river barques bore strange war-machines that resembled navigational astrolabes; spinning globes orbited by flaming spheres and crackling lightning. Robed priests came with them, each with a flame-topped staff and an entourage of blinded slaves.

So, why am I bringing this up? Well, Nashramae is known to be focused on preserving the ancient Imperial Shuriman ways. My theory is that the remnants of the order of the Sunpriests retreated and survived there, protecting it's knowledge and also preserving the whole Sun worshiping part (hence the famous Sun Disc replica) since, you know, they were also priests. They would have had a vital role in protecting and preserving Nashramae's ancient magical knowledge

EVIDENCE

Some of you may now think that this theory is too far fetched, so I'm gonna give some more evidence: Nashramae, despite being right next to the coast and being a very nice prize with a lot of population, was not conquered by Noxus. Why? I think it's due to the magical knowledge they held that allowed the Sun Priests and the other mages gathered there to sucesfully repel the invaders. Nashramae is one of the most fleshed out cities on the map, which may indicate it has a bigger role in the lore than it would appear for the moment. Nashramae survived mostly intact right at the coast, thus another reason for why it survived and endured for so long

NASHRAMAE'S ROLE IN THE FUTURE OF SHURIMA

Now that Azir (BEST EMPEROR FOREVER) is back, the question remains: If this theory is correct, then what role will Nashramae have to play in the Shuriman arc? Well, remember that some of the golems of Imperial Shurima were shown to have resisted the thousands of years since the fall (Call of Power, Ezreal's story when he explores the origins of Zaun). Now, remember what the role of the Sun Priests was. That's right. Besides conducting the Ascension ritual, they used to operate magical weaponry. And since the golems at least were shown to have survived (a part of them at least) in ruins, then I don't see why other magical warmachines couldn't have, at least in the capital. And now Azir has risen it back. The Sun Priests may be able to re-use those.

So that was all for today. I really think Nashramae has a lot to explore and I belive my theory would def make Nashramae more interesting and vital to Shurima in the future.