Mingyun

The land under the watchful gaze of Heaven, and the fear of the Mara. Mingyun is bordered by the Northrun Mountains to the west, and Asgard just past them.

Mingyun as a whole is very religious, believing in the Arcana as their figures of worship, and that everything draws its power from The Fountain. It has been taught from generation to generation that people's current reincarnation is based off of their Dharma, and that the Dharma gained in this life cycle will be weighed when their soul returns to The Fountain.

## **Religion**

### **The Arcana**

There are twenty-two of the Arcana that reside in Heaven. Each having their own jurisdiction.

1. **The Magician** - Creativity, Power, Manifestation
2. **The High Priestess** - Mystery, Intuition, Inner-Knowing, Self Trust, Discovering your own truth
3. **The Empress** - Nurturing, Abundance, Fertility, Motherly figure
4. **The Emperor** - Authority, Order, Structure
5. **The Hierophant** - Institutions, Education, Tradition
6. **The Lovers** - Love, Choices, Partnerships
7. **The Chariot** - Ambition, Confidence, Victory
8. **Strength** - Self-Assurance, Self-Control, Self- Belief, Strength through personal power and not violence
9. **The Hermit** - Introspection, Contemplation Enlightenment
10. **The Wheel of Fortune** - Luck, Opportunities, The Cycle of Life, Fate
11. **Justice** - Balance, Equilibrium, Truth, Fairness, Responsibility
12. **The Hanged Man** - Breaking patterns, A Crisis, Giving something up, Burden, Reversal of fate
13. **Death** - Endings, Mortality, Transformation, Renewal, Rebirth
14. **Temperance** - Harmony, Balance, Moderation, To see all possible futures for growth
15. **The Devil**  - Temptation, Enslavement, Materialism, Addictions
16. **The Tower** - Destruction, Ruin, Catastrophe, The end of a Cycle
17. **The Star** - Hope, Happiness, Optimism, Renewal
18. **The Moon** - Illusion, Hidden things, Mystery, Falsehoods
19. **The Sun** - Life, Energy, Joy, Vitality, Enlightenment, Warmth, Manifestation, Happiness, Riches
20. **Judgement** - Redemption, Rebirth, Awakening
21. **The World** -Completion, Fulfillment, Possibilities, Outcomes

.....0. **The Fool** - New beginnings, Spontaneity, Innocence

### **The Fountain**

The source of everything, The Fountain resides in Heaven. It is believed that a person's soul will return to The Fountain while it waits for its next reincarnation. It is also believed that all power is drawn from The Fountain directly. This includes Divine Magic, Arcane Magic, thought, abilities, life, etc.

### **The Soul, Dharma, and Reincarnation**

Every living creature has a soul. Each soul is composed of two parts. The Yang and the Um. The Yang is all the positive Dharma that someone has accumulated during their life cycle. While the Um is the negative Dharma that is accumulated.

Once a soul has returned to the Wheel, and conversely the Fountain, the Dharma is weighed. The more Um then the lower someone is reincarnated. Which could be a monkey, a bug, a person forever damned to a life of physical labor, etc. Whereas if there is more Yang, then a person is reincarnated as something higher. Which could be a more affluent person, or a Tian Shi.

### **Heaven's Will**

With Mingyun being a very religious country, majority of the population follow Heaven's Will. which are:

* There are to only every be four of things. Four Provinces, Four capital cities, Four governing leaders per Province, and Four overarching factions.
* There can be no war. As such, there can be no military power. Small private militias for personal defense are fine. Guards for the governing leaders are fine. But there can be no military power.
* The appointed government leaders act as the enforcers of Heaven's Will, but have no actual power. They are merely bystanders to ensure that Heaven's Will is followed by most.

### **Taboo**

Another tradition that has been passed from generation to generation is the idea of The Mara. Creatures that are the embodiment of evil and the opposite of the Arcana. They are vile creatures that cause destruction and will curse those that summon them. The Mara are creatures that feed on the weakness of people, and are able to drain the waters of The Fountain from them.

Because of this, it is known that saying the name "Mara", straying too far away from the beliefs of The Arcana, or any overwhelming emotions draws the Mara to them.

## **The Four Provinces**

### Xing Lou

The lower left province of Mingyun, it is geographically closer to Camelot, and half of the Northrun Mountains. It is composed of the normal landscape, some forest, and some of the Asgardian Desert. However, in recent times the Asgardian Desert has been rapidly expanding and consuming this province.

### Zai Huo Xia

The upper left province of Mingyun, it is composed primarily of the normal terrain, mountains, and a large bamboo forest. But according to some of the more recent guild reports, the bamboo forest is rapidly being deforested.

### Shui Qiao

The upper right province of Mingyun, it is a geographical mess of a province. Most of the land is either a swamp, some body of water, or archipelagic masses of land.

### Shu Shizijia

The lower right province of Mingyun. Its primarily hills, plains, and desert.

## Weaponry

**Katana -** *3 lb. 30gp, Martial Weapon*

1d8 Slashing

Versatile (1d10), Finesse, Special.

-This weapon cannot be used as a Finesse weapon if wielding with two hands.

**Dangpa -** *6 lb. 15gp, Martial Weapon*

1d8 Piercing

Two-Handed, Reach

**Meteor Hammer -** *6 lb. 100gp, Simple Weapon*

2d4 Bludgeoning

Thrown (20/40), Special

-**Storm from Above** - When you attack with the Meteor Hammer as part of an action, as a bonus action you can throw it at another creature. Attacking this way it deals 1d4 Bludgeoning damage.

**Silver Needles -** *.1 lb. 10 gp. Simple Weapon, Comes in a pack of 4.*

1d4 Piercing

Consumable, Light, Finesse, Thrown (20/60), Special

-**Extended Potency** - The applied poison will have it's duration on the weapon doubled.

Ex. Basic poison normally lasts for 1 minute after applying. On the Silver Needles it would last for 2 minutes.

-**Hidden Wounds** - The puncture wound from a needle is very very tiny. As such it makes finding the entry point more difficult.

After a creature has been killed by this weapon, any **Investigation checks** to determine the cause of death, time of death, and clues of the killer, suffers a negative modifier equal to the killer's STR or DEX modifier.