Guidaozhen

The **Guidaozhen** or **Followers of the Golden One** are a broad group of zealots and followers of the Goddess of Luck Piqumi on the Gemstone Islands. The Guidaozhen date back to briefly after Piqumi's appearance and was Piqumi's main mortal military force during the War of Two Suns against Adyana.

When the War of Two Suns ended, the Guidaozhen lost prominence. After the Divine War, Piqumi increasingly began relying on the Order of the Golden Cliffs instead of the Guidaozhen, leading to the Undergod Wengzin taking control over the remnants. While the Guidaozhen is a shadow of its ancient form when its members numbered in the millions, the Guidaozhen remains a strong and decentralised force on the island of Karashan.

## History

### War of Two Suns

The Guidaozhen, or Followers of the Golden One, began as a grassroots and ragtag collective of followers of the newly appeared Goddess Piqumi. As the Goddess of Luck, she had been seen performing miracles and turning lives around, granting her a vast following. The Guidaozhen were a broad coalition of mortals unsatisfied with the status quo of the Gemstone Islands, particularly the cruelty of the Third Evin Empire.

Adyana's followers struck out against the Guidaozhen early on, forcing many into hiding. Piqumi, too, went into hiding when she came under constant attack. However, while forced underground, the Guidaozhen became increasingly militant and their growth was only mildly impacted. By 970 BW, Piqumi came out of hiding and the Guidaozhen launched their attacks under an appointed leader, Lord Nungong, marking the start of the War of Two Suns.

The Guidaozhen swelled into the millions during the War of Two Suns. With the aid of Piqumi, they toppled the Third Evin Empire and created the Fourth Empire. The tables turned as the worship of Adyana became outlawed by Piqumi's forces. However, the Guidaozhen were soon faced with troubles of their own. While toppling the weak and unpopular Third Empire had been relatively easy, holding on to power proved more challenging. As soon as they had gained power, they lost it, as the Fourth Empire collapsed in a matter of years. The Gemstone Islands entered a period of anarchy, with no governing force to speak of.

For centuries, the Guidaozhen clashed with the followers of Adyana, yet they would never regain complete control over the islands. As the neutral Fifth Empire tried and failed to compromise, an Adyana-aligned Sixth Empire would eventually arise. After some more futile fighting, Piqumi threw in the towel and left the Gemstone Islands to roam the Mainland.

### Decline

Without their Goddess, the Guidaozhen slowly ceased their struggle. Local chapters were abandoned and most returned to civilian life. When the Sixth Empire collapsed due to a demographical crisis, and more tolerant Human towns and cities began to dominate, the need for the Guidaozhen was further diminished. Their members fell quickly from millions to hundreds of thousands and then tens.

The already loosely organised structure broke down, as local chapters began infighting over religious interpretations. Minor differences tore the Guidaozhen apart until they were driven to the brink of extinction. Most of the Gemstone Islands had no more Guidaozhen presence, with only a few select islands retaining them.

It wasn't until the Undergod Wengzin, with the help of the Undergoddess Shanjin, intervened that the Guidaozhen's decline turned around. The intervention of Piqumi's Undergods brought back some sense of authority. Loose chapters and strongholds of Guidaozhen were merged together once more, as a community of Guidaozhen was maintained on the island of Karashan. While their influence on other islands had waned, Karashan would remain a Guidaozhen hotspot into the modern day. Wengzin would begin heavily influencing the politics of the Guidaozhen, hand-picking the lords of the faithful over the centuries. Slowly but surely, the Guidaozhen made something of a resurgence.

### Modern Day

In the present day, the Guidaozhen's numbers have swelled somewhat. The chaos and destruction of the Fühlgartian-Qiuan War and the resulting Gemstone Wars have led many people on Karashan to rely on the Guidaozhen for protection. Especially those distrustful of the Republic of Lao Muji, the occupying force on Karashan, have flocked into the service of Piqumi in recent years.

The current number of Guidaozhen is some 75,000, though this number is inflated by non-combatants. While the Guidaozhen describes itself as a military order serving Piqumi, the actual number of fighters they can deploy seems to be about a sixth of their total members.

## Activities

While the Guidaozhen started as a rather extremist organisation – culminating in the bird of the Gilded Dawn Cult – they have since washed their hands of the cult and their old views and adopted a more nuanced outlook that aligns with regular Piqumi Worship. The Guidaozhen believe that worshipping and serving Piqumi is the key to success and a fulfilled life. Through their military service, the Guidaozhen believe their fates will be altered for the better.

The core tenets of the Guidaozhen have been modernised and altered multiple times throughout their existence as each chapter came to its own interpretations. While their original beliefs dictate that the Guidaozhen fight and purge the worshippers of Adyana at every opportunity, this has been dropped in favour of lasting peace.

Their modern purpose has shifted towards a more defensive purpose. The Guidaozhen defend certain holy sites and minor artefacts of Piqumi and her Undergods as well as the pilgrims that travel to them. They have also taken to defending certain smaller settlements near holy sites, sometimes drawing the ire of local nobles who believed the Guidaozhen posed a threat to their domains. While helping the populace is often left to the Faithful of Lady Shanjin, the Guidaozhen do train missionaries and warrior priests that primarily travel the South and spread the word of Piqumi.

## Past Members

* Lady Fi (exiled)
* Lord Naigo
* Lord Nungong
* Skylord Ccengo
* Skylord Iatoh
* Skylord Krashak