Shou Empire

frame|The Flag of the Shou EmpirePopulation: (75% Human, 15% Yuan-Ti, 5% Spirit Folk, 5% Halfling)
Government: Autocracy
Religions: The Celestial Bureaucracy
Imports:
Exports: Gunpowder, Rice, Silk, Magic
Alignment: All
== Life and Society ==
Throughout the Shou Empire, there are three major classes- the nobility, the middle-class, and the peasants. There is very little social mobility in the Shou Empire, so most cannot, through work or any other feats, raise their status.
The nobility, obviously, sits at the top of the social triangle. In the language of the Shou, the nobility is known as the ‘Jian Ji’, or ‘Top Class’. The nobility of the Shou Empire wields disproportionate power to their relatively small size. Most members of the nobility are somehow related to the Shou, through marriage and/or blood. Every so often, a member of the lower classes is able to work their way up the social ladder, and is rewarded with ennoblement by the Shou. This occurs very rarely, however.
To prevent members of lower classes from joining the nobility, only a noble can marry another noble. To marry someone from a station beneath yourself is considered dishonorable. There have been cases, however, where members of the nobility have dishonored themselves, marrying members of lower classes, their love stronger than the fear of dishonor and being disowned by their family.
Members of the Jian Ji have three names- a first name, a surname, and a court name. An individual uses their given name first, then their court name, and then their surname. Their first name is given to them at birth, by their parents. Their surname is also bestowed upon them at birth, representing the family that they hail from. Their court name is given to them by the Shou- or a representative of the Shou- upon the individual reaching maturity. A noble’s court name is only used while he/she is the presence of the Shou himself.
The middle-class occupies the next ring on the social triangle. In the language of the Shou, the middle-class is known as the ‘Zhong Ji’, or ‘Center Class’. Most members of the middle-class are skilled laborers, such as craftsmen, smiths, and so on. The majority of the Zhong Ji lives in cities, or very close to cities. The Zhong Ji is outnumbered by the lower class, but only slightly.
The low-class occupies the bottom of the social triangle. In the language of the Shou, the low-class is known as the ‘Bei Ji’, or ‘Base Class’. The majority of the Bei Ji are peasant farmers. They are the most numerous, and live in small villages and towns that dot the entire Shou Empire.
Honor is very important concept to the Shou. This is because of the god-worship of the Shou, and the very strict caste system in place in the empire. It is believed to be an honor for a member of a higher caste to ask something of someone of a lower caste. Therefore, members of the lower castes would become honored to do the bidding of the member of the higher caste. Eventually, this transcended castes, so that the idea of honor and duty also reflect someone of the same caste.
Chinchoripan is a popular dice game that is played by the low and middle classes. It appeals to them because one does not need to be educated to play, and there is relatively little equipment. Three dice are thrown into a bowl, and the winner is determined by the outcome of the roll. Your score is determined by your dice roll- it is the odd die that does not match the other two. Generally, the winner is the roller who’s odd die is the highest. Of course, some other dice combinations allow the roller to automatically win, or lose.
The elite enjoy a different game- a card game called ‘Pung Fa’, or ‘Game of Prosperity’. This game is highly difficult to understand, with most players having actual education and training in playing. Social gatherings to play this game are common among the elite. The game itself is quite expensive to play, as licensed artisans create card sets.
Martial arts are also very popular in the Shou Imperium. They are viewed upon as a way to train one’s mind, spirit and body. The indigenous martial art form to the Shou Imperium is called ‘Jut-su’, and it is the most common form of martial art practiced, although ‘dojos’, or schools, of other martial art forms exist. Every ten years, the Budokai Martial Arts Tournament is held in Fing-Wu. Participants from all over the world participate in this famous event, and the winner is known universally as the best martial artist of his/her time.
The official coin in the Empire is known as the ‘Ching’. The ching resembles, and is worth the same amount as the western ‘Gold Piece’. The coin is slightly smaller, but is backed up by the integrity and power of the Shou government. On all ching, the picture of the Shou is imprinted. The Shou printed on the coin determines the approximate age of any given ching. When any given ching begins showing wear and tear, or is defaced, it is collected by the government- the owner is compensated-, smelted, and reissued as a new coin. ‘Ha-Ching’, or ‘Half-Ching’, are the Shou equivalent of Silver Pieces, and ‘Fu-Ching’, or ‘Fourth-Ching’, are the Shou equivalent of Copper pieces.
The official language of the Shou Imperium is Shou. The Shou language is based on the Kanji script. Kanji has some etymological similarities to Draconic, primitive Human scripts, and Giant. All Shou citizens have some basic grasp of Kanji. Of course, those who are educated are more skilled at using the written language, which uses characters to represent ideas.
== Major Organizations ==
Bu-Chen Zhang
The Daluhn
Henshin Mystics
Society of the Withered Lotus
== Major Geographical Features ==
The Shou Empire is extreme massive, much larger than any other nation on the planet. The Shou Empire is composed of the entire eastern subcontinent, as well as many of the islands off the eastern coast of the mainland. Because of this, the Shou Empire has many different geographic regions, and many different geographic features. In the north are the Khazihari Mountains, a vast expanse of snow-capped peaks thought to be the highest on the entire planet. In the south lies the Swamp of the Snake-King, a vast expanse of swampland littered with ruins of an ancient culture, and inhabited by Yuan-Ti, Lizardfolk and other reptilian creatures. To the east are the Red Plains, miles upon miles of flat, rolling hills and broad, open plains.
The empire is broken into five different provinces. They are the Qu’an, Dum Chii, Hai Kwo, Ai’lung, and Tae Min Provinces. A provincial governor, who is appointed by the Shou himself, governs each province. Each governor is responsible for taxing the people living within his province, taking an annual population census, issuing various licenses, and other duties that are beneath the Shou and his ministers.
The Qu’an Province encapsulates most of the eastern empire, from Shen Yang all the way up to the eastern parts of the Red Plains. The Dum Chii Province encapsulates most of the northeast, from the Khazihari Mountains to the Takaiyosho Mountains, the Ryoodo Jungle, and even past terrestrial boundaries, to the Spice Isles. The Hai Kwo Province encapsulates most of the Red Plains. The Ai’lung Province encapsulates the heartland of the Shou Empire, including it’s capital. The Tae Min Province encapsulates most of the southeast, from Kai Qing to Feng Loui.
Because of its large size, the Shou Empire has various climates. The northwest, for example, is composted of temperate hillls and plains that receive little rainfall over the course of the year. Much of the southeast is composed of fertile swampland, that sees a great deal of rainfall, including periodic cyclones from the Sea of Stars. Much of the northeast is either mountainous, or jungle, with the mountain regions receiving little rain, but great heaps of snow at times, and the jungle regions receiving heavy rainfall. The heartlands of the subcontinent is most temperate, and as a result, is where most residents live.
== Cities ==
Dei Kim
Feng Loui
Fing-Wu
Hin-Dao
Kai Qing
Kenkunosoto
Shang Zhi Temple
Sheng Long
Shen Yang
Taifu
Te Pao
== Important Sites ==
Eternal Shrine of Ancestral Spirits 
The Fortress of Kai Deng
Ji’an Springs
The Red Plains
Shrine of Ai-Yi-Senshi
Shrine of Bei-Fen Nu
Shrine of Dong Bu Qian
Shrine of Huang Che Tung
Shrine of Wu-Chien Lao
Wall of the Shou
== Regional History ==
Long ago, before even the Shou Empire, the north was a dangerous place. Orc hoards, Goblin tribes, and other more dangerous creatures- including Dragons- roamed freely. Human banned together for protection against these creatures. However, a massive influx of Giants from the south threw this “natural balance” off. The newly arrived Giants quickly colonized the north, and enslaved the human populace. Because the lands that would become the Shou Empire were devoid of Humans they could easily enslave, the Giants never made much headway into the area. Instead, Thri-Kreen, Kenku and Halflings were the chief inhabitants, and the Giants did not want to get into disputes with them.
In –2,300, for the first time, the native Humans from the Spice Isles, known as the ethnic Heinsan people, first emigrated from the islands they lived on to the mainland. Over the course of the next three hundred years, those who settled on the mainland would spread across the subcontinent and develop into their own culture, who became known as the ethnic Ryukan people.
In –2,000, the ethnic Shou people would come to the area, immigrants from another world, known as ‘Jadespace’. The ethnic Shou were a religious people, and brought with them the worship of the Celestial Bureaucracy. Their leader, Kang, saw that the indigenous people of the area, the ethnic Ryukan people, did not worship the Celestial Emperor, and began converting them, with refusal punishable by death. The settlement of Te Pao, near the site where the Shou people first came to Okarth, was founded shortly after they arrived. For five years, he labored to ensure that all worshiped the Celestial Bureaucracy. After learning that those to the west did not, and that it would be logistically impossible to convert them all, Kang had a massive wall erected, to minimize their foreign influence in his lands.
In –1,992, Kang died of natural causes, and his son, Kang II became the ruler of the Shou people. To honor his father, he had a massive palace, the Eternal Shrine of Ancestral Spirits, built. Soon afterwards, the Wall of the Shou was completed as well. After consulting his advisors, Kang II declared the lands he ruled the Shou Empire, in –1,982.
Shou- the proper title of the Emperor- Kang II lived a long and prosperous life, but he died in –1,912. His son, Jei Fong, became the next emperor of the empire. Jei Fong was interested in expanding the Shou Empire, and commissioned numerous expeditions to explore the unexplored regions of his empire. In -1,898, the Shou encountered the Thri-Kreen living in the west. Three years later, war was declared on these strange creatures, driving them from their native lands, and pushing them onto the brink of extinction.
In –1,894, the Shou continued flexing their military muscles. A misunderstanding caused Emperor Jei Fong to believe that the army approaching the Wall of the Shou from the west were seeking to penetrate it, and attack the Shou Empire. In reality, the army of the Empire of the Sands was simply mopping up Mountain Orcs that had fled to the east. The two armies clashed, resulting in a catastrophic defeat for the Empire of the Sands, and a victory for the Shou.
In –1,892, the Shou made contact with two other groups- the Kenku of Kenkunosoto and the Halflings of Hin-Dao. The Kenku, having witnessed what the Shou had done to the Thri-Kreen, fought back, incurring the wrath of the Shou. After being defeated, the Shou returned with a larger force, to destroy the Kenku. The Kenku had forged an alliance with the Demon Lord Pazuzu, and as a result, defeated the Shou by an extremely large margin. The event was so catastrophic that it was written out of Shou history texts, to save face. Seeking to avoid another catastrophic loss, Emperor Jei Fong goes to Hin-Dao personally, to negotiate a peace treaty. The Halflings agree, and Hin-Dao becomes part of the Shou Empire.
Emperor Jei Fong would go on to rule for many more years, and in –1,797, his hard work would pay off. Already an extraordinary 130 years old, Jei Fong was so decrepid that many of the most basic and simplest tasks needed to be done for him, rather than by him. Kuang Mao, a Hound Archon Celestial, appeared in the Palace of the Six Elements to deliver the Emperor two gifts from the Celestial Emperor himself: Her service, and renewed vigor, that took a century from the 130 year old man’s life, making him 30 again. Taking this to be a sign of good fortune, then decided to deal with the report of a mighty monster within the Swamp of the Snake King, that had killed a promising military cadet.
With 50 ordinary soldiers, a squadron of his elite Kikuta guards, a small group of civilians, and the Hound Archon Kuang Mao, the Shou himself traveled to Kai Qing. Venturing into the swamplands, the group indeed encountered the Snake King. They were, however, powerful enough to parley with the Snake King before either side began attacking. The Snake King, impressed with the crass the Shou possessed, decided to listen to what the ruler had to say. The Shou, simply, demanded attacks on Kai Qing end, and that the Snake King submit to the Shou. To appease the Snake King, the Shou offered the creature twenty-five virgins. The Snake King accepted the offer, on the condition that he, personally, did not submit to the Shou. The Snake King agreed to limit attacks to only those who traveled deep into the swamp, and to giving technical sovereignty over the swamp to the Shou, in exchange for being left alone. Both sides accepted that version of the deal.
In –1,497, the Shou Empire met it’s first major threat. Some years before, the emperor, who’s name was stripped, came into power, and, in an attempt to emulate his ancestor, Jai Fong the Sagacious, he began dabbling in forbidden magics to increase his natural lifespan. The Nameless Emperor was discovered, and slain. In his reign, however, he did make a very important decision- he decided to have the Imperial capital moved further east, to the city of Sheng Long. His evil ways would be discovered, and his name and titles stripped from him, in –1,502, shortly before he was executed. Five years later, in –1,497, the Nameless Emperor was resurrected as powerful Undead creature bent on revenge. For the next two years, he would summon an army of Oni and Undead in secret, before finally making his presence known in –1,475 with an attack on the empire itself.
The Nameless Emperor’s revenge was quick, and swift. Emperor Jin-Mao Kwan, when he learned of the Nameless Emperor, sent the Imperial Army of the Shou to destroy him and his army. The forces of the Shou Empire were routed, however, promting the Nameless Emperor to invade the newly minted capital. As Sheng Long was under siege, the Nameless Emperor killed Jin-Mao Kwan. His final thoughts were prayers directed towards the Okami the Celestial Emperor. Okami granted his follower a boon. Five mighty Dragons, servants of Celestial Emperor, descended from the heavens and used their powers to banish and destroy the army of Oni and Undead that was attacking the city. Temporarily stunned, Lady Bai-Ying Kwan, the wife of the slain former Emperor, slew the Nameless Emperor once more. Because the Emperor had no heirs, nor did he assign any, Lady Bai-Ying becomes the Dowager Empress of the Shou Empire. The Five dragons who were sent by Okami spread out across the Shou Empire, to provide spiritual assistance and guidance to the people of the nation.
In 637, a civil war broke out in the Shou Imperium that is continued to be fought even today. The cause of the civil war can be traced back to two schemers, Lou Ho-Wek and Lee Jin-Wen. Lou Ho-Wek was an advisor to Shou Jin-Wen, and Lee Jin-Wen was the younger brother of the Shou. Lee Jin-Wen was extremely jealous of the fact that his brother was the Shou, and began plotting to kill his brother. In order to ensure that he would take the mantle of Shou, Lee Jin-Wen needed to kill the unborn child that was growing in the womb of the Shou’s wife. After entering into an agreement with Lee, Lou Ho-Wek began to administer small doses of poison to the wife of the Shou, in her tea.
The poisoning did not kill the child, who was born prematurely in 604, a few weeks after the plot was hatched, but it did kill the child’s mother. Determined not to fail his partner, Lou Ho-Wek continued administering small doses of poison to the infant, who was named Min Jin-Wen. Before Lou Ho-Wek could kill the child, he had to stop poisoning Min, for fear of being discovered. Their plot foiled, Lou Ho-Wek and Lee Jin-Wen did not speak again of their covenant.
In 608, Shou Jin-Wen had another son with another wife, who he named Ying Men. Ying Men would grow up untouched by the treacherous Lou Ho-Wek or Lee Jin-Wen. Living the life of a prince in the court, Ying Men excelled at all areas of his studies. His elder brother, however, did not- a result of the years of poisoning he had endured. Min was emotionally unstable at times, was easily frustrated and angered, resorted to violence all too much, and was not very knowledgeable.
In 618, when Min was 14 and Ying Men was 10, evidence was uncovered that connected Lou Ho-Wek with the death of Min’s mother, the Shou’s first wife. He was promptly arrested and imprisoned. While being interrogated, Lou Ho-Wek agreed to give up his collaborator, in exchange for a quick, painless death. The Shou’s brother, Lee Jin-Wen was soon arrested and imprisoned as well. In 619, after a show trial, both Lou Ho-Wek and Lee Jin-Wen were hanged.
The year 626 marked the death of Shou Jin-Wen, and the ascendance of Min. Although a grown man, at the age of 22, Min’s condition had grown even worse than it was when he was a child. Min suffered from extreme mood swings, and some believed that he heard voices as well. However, Imperial law stated that the eldest son would not ascend to the throne only if he were mentally incapable of doing so. As Min was mentally capable, he ascended to the throne of the Shou Empire, and became the emperor.
For the first few years of his reign, it seemed as if his mental condition would not affect his leadership. However, five years into his reign, his mental health suddenly took a turn for the worst. In 631, it was discovered that a small village in the east had not sent any tax money to Sheng Long that fiscal year. Emperor Min responded by sending the Imperial Army of the Shou Army to literally wipe the village off of the map of the Empire, killing every last man, woman and child. In 633, after learning that a group of villages in the northwest were engaging in unauthorized trading ventures with organizations and individuals to the east of the Wall of the Shou, Emperor Min had the wells of those villages poisoned.
In 635, mass protests began breaking out in Shou towns, villages and cities, most of them being located in the northeast. Calls for Emperor Min to step down and allow his brother, who had been appointed Minister of Culture and Education, to rule the empire. Most protests were broken up by soldiers acting on the orders of the Shou. Most protests were broken up with violence. In a three-month span, an estimated 400 protesters were killed all throughout the empire. Late in 636, Emperor Min had his brother placed under house arrest in his private villa in Sheng Long, in order to prevent him from usurping the throne, even though records suggest that he had no interest in doing so.
On the eve of the new year, rebellious villagers from the Red Plains organized a strike team that would enter into Sheng Long and liberate Ying Men from his house arrest. As the rest of the city began celebrating the arrival of the new year, the rebels successfully liberated Ying Men, and brought him to the Red Plains.
The very next day, the first day of the year 637, a confederation of villages and towns on the Red Plains declared that that Ying Men was the true Shou, and that Emperor Min should step down. Incensed, the Shou ordered the Imperial Army of the Shou Empire to march north, and either capture or kill the treacherous Ying Men, and put down the rebellion in the north. In response, the various villages and towns of the Red Plains put together a rag-tag army of their own.
The first recorded conflict between the two groups took place in the second month of 637, when the Imperial Army of the Shou Empire and the Red Plains Army collided. The rag-tag army put together by the residents of the Red Plains had no chance of victory, however. The first skirmish was a near catastrophe for them, as casualties were high, and they inflicted very little actual damage. The one good thing to come out of this battle for them was that the Red Plains Army realized the best way to defeat the Imperial Army of the Shou Empire.
There would be no further large-scale meetings of the two armies after this. As the Imperial Army of the Shou Empire pushed further north and west, the Red Plains Army simply harried them, with surprise hit-and-run attack patterns. Eventually, this began wearing down on the Imperial Army of the Shou Empire, especially when foot convoys and the like were attacked, and stolen.
In order to respond to this new tactic, the Shou allotted a large amount of money from the Imperial coffers to build a fortress on the Red Plains. Large convoys of raw material, along with manpower and guarded escorts traveled to the plains, and within a few months, the Fortress of Kai Deng was erected.For another year, this conflict would continue. In the year 640, Emperor Min, acting on the advice of his advisors, recalled most soldiers from the Red Plains. A large contingent of nearly three thousand soldiers was left at the Fortress of Kai Deng, as a safeguard and a message to those living on the Red Plains. After three years of fighting, and over an estimated ten thousand casualties, nothing changed. Emperor Min did not grant the people of the Red Plains autonomy, and the people of the Red Plains refused to recognize the government in Sheng Long as the lawful regime.