Divinity

**Divinities** are those who have ascended to seemingly immortal forms.

## Ancestral Beasts

A creature that has lived long enough and become smart enough to take human form. While they have “evolved” into a human form, with human intelligence, Ancestral Beasts still have a tendency to obey their baser instincts.

When an Ancestral Beast looks at a demi-human child of their own, who can take more than a year in order to learn how to walk, the Beast's instinct after a few months is that the child is so weak that there's no way for it to survive. So they abandon the child, as they believe it would be mercy compared to living as a cripple. Of course, the child is healthy, and could only be considered a cripple compared to the child of two ancestral beasts.

### Slavery

Ancestral beasts are hunted, beaten, and subdued, forced to procreate, their children trained and sold in slave markets. A male can have multiple partners, resulting in a horde of children being born every year. A female is even more valuable, as their children tend to be stronger than those borne by a female human.

All Ancestral Beasts in the Eastern Province are enslaved as soon as possible, their descendants supplying the Emperor's Slave Corps. The Situ Clan has enslaved 5 Ancestral Beasts.

## The Treaty

> "*An agreement between the Empire and creatures of power which keeps everyone in check through threat of mutually assured destruction*."
>
>

## Known Divinities

### Ancestral Beasts

* Gang Shu - Steel Rat
* Guan Suo - Red Panda (Deceased)
* "Mama Gam" - Fox
* Lao Lang - Wolf
* Machali - Tiger
* Da Hui - Bear
* Ling Lu - Gazelle
* WuKong - Monkey
* Hua Lie- Bicorn Rabbit
* Taduk- Cloudchaser Hare

### Defiled Ancestral Beasts

* Shih Yang - Badger
* Zhu Chanzui - Bristleboar
* Ba Khe Zhu - Stag
* Mammoth

### Dharma Protectors

* The Destroyer (Deceased)
* Monk Happy
* Xing Yong Wei (Imperial Divinity, Guardian of Falling Rain as the Legate)
* Yang Zaixing - Imperial Divinity, Guardian of Shen Zen Wu (Deceased)
* Yang Jixing Guardian's (surnamed Liang)
* Emperor's Guardian

### Divine Beasts

* Pong Pong
* Ping Ping

### Unnamed Divinities

* Bull: Man Giao's father
* Cat (e.g. Elia's progenitor)
* Cow (e.g. Cierna's progenitor)
* Dog (e.g. Ral's progenitor)
* Fox (e.g. Chakha's progenitor)
* Goat (e.g. Tate & Tali's progenitor)
* Macaque (e.g. Argat & Jochi's progenitor)
* Moose (e.g. Akanai's progenitor)
* Stag (e.g. Jariad's progenitor)
* Weasel (e.g. Fu Zhu Li's progenitor)
* Mole Rat - Unnamed Mole Rat Hag (Deceased)

Enslaved Ancestral Beasts

* Cat: Du Min Kyung & Li Song's mother

## Trivia

* Inner parts of the Northern Province belong to the Ancestral Beasts.
* Shen Huo has "many" of "bunny-kin'' children running around.
* Ping Ping was called the Divine Turtle of Ping Yao before she actually became a Divine Beast under the mistaken belief that she was close to ascending.
* Before the existence of Pong Pong was made known, it was believed to that birds, fish, and reptiles had no Path to Divinity, and that the only way forward for most animals was to become human.

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 10
2. ↑ Chapter 123
3. ↑ Chapter 64
4. ↑ Chapter 47
5. ↑ Chapter 350
6. ↑ Chapter 67
7. ↑ Chapter 52
8. ↑ Chapter 99
9. ↑ Chapter 617