Changrila

The area to the west of the Handprint Desert is full of green, rolling hills and idyllic valleys and mountain ranges. The **Changri-La** people claim it as their home, who have build a large Empire that consists of many smaller confederacies that's governed by a single God-Emperor. Fenqui is the capital of **Shangri-La** and is one of the largest cities in the entire continent.

Thanks to its huge population and defense technologies, the Changri-La have defended themselves well against the Witch Elves to the north, and aim to expand their empire to the western kingdoms.

## History

### Founding

2.181 ABE. Treaty of Nafkin, Independence from Azan

## Geography

### Borders

Witch-Elven Empire (North), Civilised Trolls (SW), Ögchuck Fiefdoms (South)

## History

Thanks to its gentle, fertile lands, the Changrila region was one of the first where stable human civilizations formed.

There were many different tribes, kingdoms, confederacies, and empires, now largely reduced to myth. Several millennia ago, the Changrila region, along with most of the humans of the south and west, were unified by the Prophet Aza against an ancient evil, and later Changrila became part of the Azan/Dragon Empire.

As a core piece of the Azan/Dragon Empire for several millennia, the Changrila provinces were considered nearly as prestigious as the core Azan region around Nananikor, and the city of Fenqui was considered second only to Nananikor itself.

The Changrila region was known for its particular fanatical interpretation of the Old Azan Faith, and its obsession with dragons and dragon iconography. Soldiers from the Changrila region often served as shock troops as the Azan Empire expanded, and the Changrila region was also somewhat influential in terms of architecture, fashion, and philosophy in the wider empire, though individuals from this region held surprisingly few positions in the government outside of their home provinces.

This created resentment over time, and following a series of major defeats to the drow, generals from Changrila tried to stage a coup, but were ultimately defeated. Instead, Changrila separated and became its own nation.

Almost immediately Changrila came under pressure from the north, where the witch-elves had recently begun carving their own empire. However, after a series of setbacks, Changrila was able to force a stalemate by mobilizing vast numbers of troops.

Feeling strong and empowered, the leader of Changrila at the time declared himself God-Emperor, a position that has been held by his descendants ever since.

Despite some initial credibility problems and religious turmoil, the newly founded religion of the Divine Light helped bind the new nation into a fearsome theocracy which provided internal stability for several centuries, though it had surprisingly little luck at expanding beyond its borders.

However, over time the Empire began to stagnate. The God-Emperors became increasingly detached from reality, which caused real power to shift to first the generals and the bureaucracy, and later to the governors of the provinces, who became hereditary rulers. This led the Empire to essentially become a loose confederacy, united only by a common culture and paying lip service to the God-Emperor.

The Empire reached a low point about a century ago, when the Red Lotus Cult launched a peasant revolt that took decades to suppress and cost millions of lives.

Since then, it has recovered somewhat, but the oafish new God-Emperor has proven just as egotistical as his legendary ancestor, and seems to be on the verge of launching a massive war to conquer the small nations to the west, a move which will most likely benefit the witch-elves and the succubi, but few others.

## Government

Although its leadership, whether it be the provincial noble families, the courtiers, or the God-Emperor himself are sometimes seen as incompetent and/or ruthlessly power hungry, Changrila still benefits from a strong bureaucracy and military kept motivated by religious fervor. The clergy of the Divine Light has a strong presence among soldiers and civil servants, allowing them to both preach to the devote, as well as root out the corrupt.

### Administrative divisions

On paper most of the empire works on a two-tier system. Most of the country is made up of large provinces (zhou) which are themselves made up of smaller counties (xian). Crucially while the emperor has, in theory, the right to appoint and dismiss provincial governors (zhouwei), it's the provincial governors that have the charge of appointing the governors of counties (xianwei). As the emperor's effective powers have diminished, the vast majority of provinces have become ruled by hereditary dynasties backed by extensive clientelist nets. Because of this it has been centuries since the last time the imperial palace has successfully removed a provincial dynasty from power.

There are however exceptions to this system, mainly the captaincies (jun) and protectorates (duhu). A jun is a single level administrative division ruled by a taijun (grand captain) who is directly answerable to the emperor. Most of the empire's borders are made up of jun and allow the emperor effective control over the empire's borders, as they have much more control over these posts than over the provinces. Traditionally a successful term as a taijun defending the borders of the empire was seen as a necessary pre-requisite for young nobles seeking to advance to powerful positions at the Fenqui court such as the Seven Chancelleries, though this tradition has been broken a number of times by arrogant or corrupt emperors.

The other main exception to the provincial system are the duhu, independent states with their own administration that pay tribute to the imperial throne. Traditionally the empire sends a protector (duhufu) which would act as ambassador and counsel at the court of the tributary state. How much the vassal states have to bow to the duhufu depends on the exact modalities of the protectorate agreement. In modern times the most important duhu are the Ogchuk fiefdoms. In previous centuries when the empires of Azan and Changrila were less exhausted, the two often went to war over the right to tribute the smaller states that lie between them.

There also exists an archaic parallel system in the empire, that of judicial leagues (daoge). In the early years of the empire, one of the more forward thinking emperors established a new judicial system which instead of being based in the customary laws of various tribes and the whims of governors established new judicial leagues, territories which fell under the legal jurisdiction of one judge (zhidaoge), appointed by the emperor and following a unified codex of laws. As the borders of daofu were not congruent with the borders of provinces and counties this allowed the emperor to somewhat break the influence of local governors. This system however would become more and more marginalised as the powers of the palace court declined and those of local governors rose. While the idea of a single codex of law for the entire empire has been preserved in the name of ease of commerce and policing, over time most of the powers of the zhidaofu were instead transferred to county judges (zhixian) which are answerable to the local governors instead of the emperor. While the daoge system persists to this day, the zhidaoge have lost the authority over most judicial matters, with only a handful of inter-provincial property and taxation disputes as well as those regarding military matters falling under their jurisdiction.

## Economy

Despite its somewhat questionable leadership, Changrila is still a major center for research and innovation. New technologies and fields of magic study are frequently discovered here, and items created with such discoveries fetch high prices elsewhere.

    Luxury goods like silk, jade, exotic spices, ingots of rare metals, and enchanted items fetch high prices elsewhere, particularly in Azan and the Blind Bastard’s Domain, where some folk are still proud of their Changrilan roots, and with others who associate such items with the grandeur of the old Azan/Dragon Empire.

Naval trade is also an important source of wealth, particularly for ambitious individuals not born into status. Large merchant ships known as treasure ships can be found as far north as Calcabra, and as far east as Ortuga.

Much like Azan, Changrila has benefited from millennia of wealth and prosperity, and even the poorest folk have a few finely crafted items handed down for generations, while the wealthiest have massive palaces and villas, and vaults full of the wealth they have accumulated for generations.

Rice paddies, bananas, pigs, sugar cane, powder cane, grapes, and silkworms are the main crops, but there are many more. There are also countless mines, particularly in the mountains along the border of the Giant’s Handprint Desert, but there are plenty elsewhere as well, including the infamous massive Zheng-Shii Silver Mines.

Changri-la has some of the biggest silver deposits in the world, which allows them to mint coins with a high value. The Changrilese seal on a coin is highly appreciated by traders across the world, since it guarantees the shown value of the coins. Because of that, Changrilese authorities are highly alert about possible falsifications done by pirates and thieves, with the punishment for falsifying coin being working do death in the mines.

## Foreign Relations

### Witch-Elves and Succubi

The witch-elves and Changrila have been firm enemies ever since the creation of both empires around a millennia ago. Although Changrila lost much territory during the initial wars, they have since fortified the border extremely heavily, leading the witch-elves to focus more on slave raids, except when Changrila’s attention is focused elsewhere (like the Red Lotus Rebellion, or the more recent war against Gurize in Altopolyan and the invasion of the lands of the “civilized rock trolls”), at which point the witch-elves switch back to conventional warfare and sometimes take new permanent territory (a fact the God-Emperor seems to have forgotten as he gears up for war in the west).

### Furlaniya, Azhar Nar, the Nars Satrapies, and the Golden Hills

For the past two centuries, Changrila has been at peace with Furlaniya, particularly in the Golden Hills region, where they once worked together to keep it clear of trolls and succubi. However, the current God-Emperor believes he is destined for greatness, and the lands to the west seem like the easiest target to start with. For now fighting is limited to minor skirmishes and bush fire wars, but a full scale conflict seems inevitable in the near future.

### Ogchuk Fiefdoms

This region is currently a vassal state of Changrila. On some maps it is even considered a province, though the Divine Light has little influence here, thus depriving the God-Emperor of his usual means of influencing his provinces.

### Civilized Trolls

Changrila has recently begun a rather pointless war against the civilized trolls. It has gone poorly though, as all but the most fanatical followers of the God-Emperor see it as nothing but a land grab, and trolls are fearsome opponents to fight.

### Giant’s Handprint Desert

Although Changrila extensively mines the mountains that border this region, the deserts are avoided due to the threat of sandworms.

### Lorient, Lemon Kingdom, and InGurLand

Currently Changrila is at peace with these nations, but even the orcs of InGurLand can see Changrila has become increasingly expansionist in recent times, and the time may come where they have to seek allies against Changrila.

### Maneater Islands

Changrila has launched several campaigns in recent years to purge this area of pirates, though they have surprisingly little to show for it.

### Azan, Asvaran, and Terpsythea

Although Changrila has trading relations with most nations in the south and west of the continent, these are perhaps their best customers.

### Red Lotus

Although the God Emperor and his two predecessors are aware that the remnants of the Red Lotus Cult have settled in the far west, they don’t seem to consider it important to hunt them down, and are content to ignore them for now.

### Moreelse

Changrila has identified this nation as the main source of the narcotic White Death, but has yet to do anything about it, likely because a loss in faith in the navy due to their persistent failures against the pirates of the Maneater Islands.

### Golden Skulls

Changrila isn’t too keen on the Golden Skulls as many of them descend from rebels and exiles from Changrila. But for now they ignore each other.

## Geography

Most of Changrila’s surface is covered in gently rolling plains and heavily cultivated land, however many large forests have been left alone as nature preserves or the hunting grounds of the elite. Of particular note are karst formations of the Hiuan Tsi River, where the richest of the rich make their homes among the beautiful rock formations and vast swathes of virgin forest.

There are some variant terrains though, like the small desert in the north, the mountain range along the east, or the dry, rocky coastal areas with its abundance of karst formations.

## Demographics

### Humans

The vast majority of the Empire’s inhabitants are human, almost all of whom are of the Shangris ethnicity. Due to its massive population and somewhat isolationist traits, Changrila never became as multicultural as other parts of the Azan/Dragon Empire, and most minorities become assimilated over time. A few families claim some dragon ancestry, but it is rare for it to physically manifest itself like it does amount some Azanese families.

### Cave Goblins

Some cave goblins live in the caves beneath Changrila. Although most clans are isolationist, and a few openly hostile, there are a handful of clans in the south which are friendly to strangers. Unusually long lived, pacifist, and slow to reproduce, they are fond of talking to guests, particularly well travelled ones, about the outside world, and recounting stories told to them in the past. Some believe if you talk to them long enough, and sift through the tall tails and misremembered stories, you might be able to gather some genuine nuggets of wisdom and useful knowledge.

### Jooish Clans

These cat-like beings are fairly common among merchant groups travelling back and forth through the Golden Hills, and have formed a few small communities in Changrila’s western communities.

### Yetis

These rare creatures are mostly found in the mountains around the Handprint Desert.

### Civilized Rock Trolls

Although Changrila is currently at war with their nation, there are still a few rock trolls living in Changrila, working for anyone who sees their strength as enough of an asset to tolerate their stupidity.

## Religion

The main religion is the Divine Light. Created by the first God-Emperor nearly a millennium ago, it has a great deal in common with the Old Azan Faith, including an obsession with dragons, an emphasis on altruism, humility, and service, and a tendency to divide the world between good and evil.

Some cynics feel the first God-Emperor largely plagiarized the Old Azan Faith, and changed little aside from replacing Bronzar, Aza, and the Saints with himself and his favorite lackeys. Many of the oldest temples of the Divine Light are repurposed Azanese churches, and many of the initial Divine Light clergy members were former clergy of Azan.

Despite its questionable origins, and expectation of unquestioning loyalty to whoever holds the position of God-Emperor, the followers of the Divine Light are fundamentally compassionate folk with a strong sense of justice. They have kept the military and bureaucracy motivated and relatively uncorrupt for generations, and are generally well respected by most folk in Changrila and any lawful minded folk elsewhere.

Some followers of the Divine Light seem to have divine powers, which many in Changrila see as proof of the God-Emperor’s divinity. However some believe these powers come from Bronzar, who is known to sometimes grant divine magic to any who follow his core tenets.

Some smaller religions and philosophies exist too, as Changrila is surprisingly unwilling to suppress religions unless they are blatantly evil.

The New Azan Faith has a few followers, as does The Balance (a nature-centric pacifist religion popular with certain hermits, free thinkers, alchemists, yetis, and cave goblins), the Dragon Cult and the Grave Watchers (offshoots of the Old Azan Faith mostly focused on worshipping dragons and fighting undead respectively).

Certain other religions are strictly banned though, particularly worship of Gogotha the Succubus Queen, an ongoing issue in many parts of the Empire.

## Military

Despite their reputation for winning many battles by sheer weight of numbers, enemies of Changrila would do well to remember that this nation has produced some of the world’s greatest fighters and spellcasters.

        The core army is a solidly trained and equipped force with many types of specialized elite and auxiliary formations, not unlike the Azanese Legions, which is not surprising as both are based on the Dragon Legions of the old Azan/Dragon Empire. However, Changrila is somewhat unique in its usage of primitive gunpowder weapons made with dried powder cane. Despite the fact that each province has its own army, they use many types of standardized equipment and usually work seamlessly together.

Supplementing the professional soldiers is a network of rural and urban militias trained with spear or bow. Although not particularly well equipped, or trained, they have turned the tide in many battles by weight of numbers.

There are also a number of elite organizations who will occasionally come to the aid of the military if the cause is right, including:

**Monks** – Often followers of The Balance, the Dragon Cult, or the Grave Watchers. Most simply train in unarmed and armed martial arts, but some have access to divine magic.

**Wuxia** – Religious fighters who follow the Divine Light or one of the Azan Faith offshoots. They are loosely organized, but only the most skilled and selfless are generally recognized as wuxia. Some can cast divine magic, others use sword magic, and a few are just exceptional fighters.

**Wizards** – Changrila has plenty of magic schools whose teachings are not that different than the main western schools. A few spellcasters become just as powerful as the strongest of the Wizards of the Isle of Wizards.

**Martial Artists** – Although most martial arts schools are tied to the military or orders of monks, some are unaffiliated, appealing to those more interested in self-defence, spirituality, personal fitness, mercenary work, or competing in tournaments.

**Ninjas** – Stealthy fighters organized into clans. Most are mercenaries, assassins, or criminal enforcers, but some serve old noble houses, morally grey branches of government, demon cults, or radical branches of legal religions.