Yurt

Illustration and description of Yurt in the Shining Force Setting Compendium.

Yurt (パオ, Pao) is a nomadic state located in the northern plains region of the Western Continent of Rune. The location appears in Shining Force and Shining Force: Bloodline of the Divine Dragons. The region it occupies is known as the Great Yurt Plains (パオ大平原, Pao Daiheigen).

Name

The country's original Japanese name, Pao given in katakana (パオ), is a reading of the kanji「包」that refers to a type of portable nomadic dwelling known in English as the "yurt". The Japanese name for these structures comes from the Chinese bāo (包) with the sense of "wrap".

Yurts are built from a collapsible wooden lattice adorned with a woolen cover. Though the English word is Turkic in derivation, yurts are characteristic of cultures spanning Inner Asia, including those of Mongolia. In Shining Force, the port on the edge of the Yurt Plains is known as Ulan Bator, which is named for a historical reading of the capital of Mongolia.

History

Yurt's country profile in the Shining Force Strategy Guide by ASCII.

The following text is excerpted from ASCII's Shining Force Strategy Guide, which features contributions from Shining Force writer Masaki Wachi.

The Grassland People in the Midst of a Distribution Revolution

草原の民が手にした流通革命

The expansive Great Yurt Plains are situated on a highland with an average elevation of 1,500 meters above sea level. Most of the northern area of the Western Continent consists of this vast region, which is entirely the domain of the nomadic state of Yurt. Approximately 2,500 years ago, a large-scale migration took place from the Eastern Continent to the Ulan Bator Archipelago. Over time, as generations passed and more people settled there, the population of the Great Yurt Plains steadily increased. Eventually, multiple tribes of shared ethnicity split apart and went through repeated dispersal as a result of their nomadic lifestyle. Approximately 2,000 years ago, an influential tribe emerged in the southeastern region and subjugated the other tribes. The throne has been hereditary ever since.

平均海抜1500メートルの高地の広がるパオ大平原。この西大陸北部の大半を占める広大な地域がすべて遊牧民国家パオの領土だ。およそ2500年前、東大陸からウランバートル列島を島伝いに大規模な民族移動が行なわれた。このときの一部が何世代かに渡って大平原まで入り込み、徐々に人口増加。やがて複数の種族(民族的には単一)に分裂、遊牧の移動生活の中で集散を繰り返していたが、およそ2000年前南東部に有力な種族が出現、他の種族を平定した(以来王位は世襲)。

The yurtpubs once roamed wild in this region, but their docile nature made them a superb fit for people of a nomadic lifestyle. Their primary industries came to include livestock farming, dairy production based on yurtpubs, wool products made from their hair, and other local specialties. Their wool products in particular have become so famous that every year, merchants from many countries gather to bid on the purchase of them in large quantities. Their economy is based essentially on bartering, and there is no active policy regarding the acquisition of foreign currency.

パオパブはこの地方に野性に生息していたが、元来がおとなしい動物なので遊牧には大変適していた。主産業は牧畜、パオパブの乳から作る乳製品、体毛から作る毛織物などが特産品だ。特に毛織物は毎年各国の商人が集まり、競りを行なって買い付けていくほど評判が高い。基本的には経済は物々交換で成立し、積極的な外貨獲得政策は採られていない。

The ability to found a nation in such a place has been attributed to Yurt’s national character traits of an adventurous and pioneering spirit. Because of their lifestyle’s long historical dependence on yurtpubs, the yurtpubs have come to be regarded as sacred animals in which they place a great deal of faith. Their meat is never eaten. Some 150 years ago, a giant engine happened to be discovered in the ruins of a previous civilization, and so was the Yurt Train constructed. In economic terms, this has marked a sudden change in their means of distribution. The culture of their daily life, too, is undergoing modernization as a result. In addition, the Yurt Train, which utilizes yurtpub dung as an efficient fuel source, has brought about an energy revolution. At the moment, Yurt welcomes a period of great change.

冒険心、開拓者精神に富むパオの国民性がこの地に建国を成し得たと言える。歴史的にパオパブに依存した生活を続けてきたので、パオパブを聖獣として厚く信仰しその肉は食用にはしない。約150年前に前文明の遺跡から偶然にも巨大エンジンが発見され、パオトレインが敷設。経済的には流通機構が激変する。生活文化も近代化が進んでいる。併せて、燃焼効率のよいパオパブの糞を燃料に用いるパオトレインはエネルギー革命をももたらした。今パオは大きな変革期をを迎えている。

Shining Setting and Story Directory

Locations
Endias[disputed]	Storm	Stormsang・Ancient Temple
	Rune	Guardiana・ Altarone・Yurt・Runefaust
	Parmecia	Granseal・Ark Valley
	Valleria	Crantor・Shieldia・Runevale
Erd	Tatsumi	St. Luminous
	Alfheim	Astoria・Lombardia
World Concepts
Constructs		Legacy of the Gods・Metaphaluna
Metaphysics		Magic・Great Intention