Auj Oule

Auj Oule (ア・ジュール) is one of the two countries of Rieze Maxia in Tales of Xillia and Tales of Xillia 2. The country occupies the mountainous northern hemisphere of the world under the rule of King Gaius and is frequently involved in power struggles with the neighboring country of Rashugal.

Geography
Auj Oule lies to the north of the great bay that separates it from Rashugal. To the west, it connects to its southern neighbor through Fezebel Marsh, an autonomous area that has become notorious for its dangerous terrain. To the north of Fezebel Marsh lie the Sillea Tundra (セイライ冷原) and Tulea Tundra (トウライ冷原). The Sillea Tundra connects to a lava-filled cavern known as the Nala Lava Tubes, while the Tulea Tundra connects to the Kukhar Ice Caverns. Both areas spill into the Xailen Woods (ザイラの森), which yields the Xailen Woods Temple, a neighboring infrastructure to Kanbalar, the large snowy capital of Auj Oule.

The Mon Highlands (モン高原) connect Kanbalar with Xian Du, another large mountain city, adorned in culture. To the northeast of the city, deeper within the mountains, lie the Royal Hunting Grounds (王の狩り場), which kings of Auj Oule have used for generations, and Labari Hollow, a desolate area that has been used to privately conduct booster research. To the southwest of Xian Du, the Lakutam Seahaven, a port, is connected by Lakutam Highroad (ラコルム街道). The area is painted in a beautiful sunset spirit clime.

The Xagut Floodmeadow (ソグド湿道), a wetland, is positioned directly south of Xian Du, connecting to the spiritual village of Nia Khera, where Maxwell is said to reside. The Nia Khera Spiritway (ニ・アケリア参道) leads from the village to both Milla's Shrine and the Nia Khera Hallowmont. East of Nia Khera rests the Kijara Seafalls, which connect to the village of Hamill through Galia Trail (ガリー間道). Finally, Aladhi Trail (イラート間道) pours down from Hamil into the Aladhi Seahaven, the country's other port.

Tradition and Culture
Auj Oule is a country rich in culture and spirituality. Despite not having any organized religion, cults and legends play a vital role in shaping the country's faith. Like Rashugal, the people of Auj Oule revere spirits, but their mystical appear has lessened since their discovery, putting spirit faith in decline in spite of enduring traditions. One such tradition that is held sacred in Auj Oule is that of Milla Kresnik, commonly mistaken as a man known as "Kresnik the Genesis Sage", and her fight with the Chimeria, a beast of legend that has since become a symbol of the country. In Nia Khera, faith in Maxwell, the Lord of Spirits, is particularly strong, with a small community that passes on the teachings of Maxwell's creation of Rieze Maxia. There is a shrine dedicated to Maxwell on the village's outskirts that houses a family of shamans that have been serving there for generations.

Despite belonging officially to Auj Oule, Nia Khera remains disconnected from the remainder of the world, with little contact between it and neighboring settlements. In Xian Du, two Great Spirits are notably revered: Efreet of Fire, who is considered to be the guardian of warriors, and Undine of Water, who is said to guide the souls of deceased warriors into the afterlife. Legends involving the reincarnation of souls explain the large statues of past warriors erected throughout the city. The tradition of statue building is approximately six-hundred-years-old.

Other customs in Xian Du include prayer pennants, which are hung with a wish from the person who made them, and sword lilies, which are exclusive to the Kitarl Clan (キタル族の) and offered to warriors prepared to fight in the city's large coliseum that hangs between cliffs in the distance. Its location is noteworthy because warriors must cross the river below by boat in order to reach it, a spiritual way of purifying themselves. Pluto, the Great Spirit of Eternity, was once worshiped in the Xailen Woods Temple near Kanbalar, but the temple is now abandoned and a legend indicates that Maxwell sealed Pluto within the temple ages ago.