Sanchai

## Introduction

Sanchai is the nothernmost of the High Prefecti. It lies at the shores of the Crab Sea. It is also known as *Blue Kingdom,* *Realm of the North, Land of the Kujai* or *Dominion of the Sea.*

## Culture

### Food

The diet of Sanchais royalty is mostly vegetarian. They do not wish to sully themselves with the meat of unclean beasts that live with peasents and lowborn scum. No nobles wishes to eat animals in the reach of their subjects, including most of the fish their region is so renowned for. While Sanchais wildlife has been driven almost to extinction, they often import venison from other Prefecti. The favoured dish of most nobles are whales or dolphins, however, as it is increadibly hard to catch and transport and its hunt is an honored tradition. Despite this, they favor rare and exotic fish, most of which is poisonous and requires a complex procedure to be made edible.

### Scripture

The Xyrillian Script is deemed as sacred all across the dimension. According to their believe, heavens themselves teached humanity their letters so they may preserve the most significant of goods: knowledge. Wearing blessed parchments and inscribing armor or cloth with letters from its alphabet is believed to grant the bearer supernatural protection and marks them as allies of heaven.

Sanchai values the script far higher then any other Prefectum. They where the first to invent printing and although it has spread across all Prefecti, it is extremly common in Sanchai where almost every family has a small printing press. Learning to read and write is something every Ming in Sanchai must learn, even the poorest of peasants. This makes Sanchai the most educated of Prefecti and the seat of science and academics.

The Ming administration has developed the habit of writing everything of significance down. Even the most profane agreements and forbidden deals will be written down on some form of contract. Some even go so far to record illegal activities. Writing something down is seen as a confession to the gods. They will know of everything that bears their mark and refusing to document something is seen as an herectial act in service of the *darkness below*. This has made the Sanchai administration extremly elaborate and complex as they hoard massive amounts of documents.

## Sanchai

### Cities

The west of Xyrillia has a unique form of architecture. Lacquer is very prominent in Xyrillia in general as its used to make materials harder, water resistent and visibly pleasing. Yet the paint makers of Sanchai mix bright colors with minerals, salts and biological components that can make wood as hard as iron while sterilising it and coloring it in exotic patterns. The houses in Sanchai are mostly build from wood, bamboo and clay; yet through lacquering it they become durable. Even the houses of peasents are a bright sight to behold, if the lacquer is applied correctly. Wealthier houses decorated with paintings of incredibly strong color and detail. Dedicated halls are painted and laqcuered in specific styles to display their purpose. Factories and crafting halls are painted with images of workers, farmers and wide farmland doing their daily deeds. Armories and barracks display historic battles and legendary warriors on their walls and pillars. Brothels show exotic beauties and carnal imageries to foretaste the pleasures within. Bathhouses are painted with the images of kaianic hot springs and calm oceans. Shops dedicated to pleasentries often display divine gardens and growing trees. The most impressive buildings are the temples however. They combine the sacred alphabet of Xyrillia with unbelievably detailed artworks displaying the incomprehensable beauty of the heavens.

**Goto**

The entire coastline of Sanchai is eroded and features countless caves and tunnels, most of them filled with seawater. Some of the stretch far into the inland where the oceans influence can be feeled even far away from its open waters. The largest of these caves lies hidden in the Goto valley where vulcanic activity has heated the salty waters, creating hot springs and geysers across the entire area. In its core, the priesthood of *haizan* has constructed a large temple. With the powers of both sea and land Ethyrion Lailyd sucessfully revived the serpent god. Around its temple, made from jade of the palest green, has developed a large and wealthy city. Goto is the seat of *Chaisan* and his noblity. Despite the central temple and the surrounding palace, the city is renowned for its bathhouses, fueled by the hot springs below. It is also the main seat of the Sanchai administration. The imperial bureaucracy takes up an entire district for its ministry, its countless archives and the houses for eunuchs and assistants that serve in it. Each of the nine discticts is surrounded by a wall of thick granite and a moat that is usually closer to a pool then a defensive structure. The spirits of haizan inhabit these waters, constantly moving around as if the salty floods were alive. In times of danger, the moats of Goto start to boil and hot fountains spurt towards the attackers. The outside of Goto is highly defensable as well. A gigantic wall protects its outsides. It has only four gates from which roads lead in every cardinal direction. They are the only way to approach Goto as the surrounding swamps and wetlands are filled with hot pools and geysirs that can erupt without any warning.

**Krakenhold**

The city of Krakenhold was build after a tsunami had ravaged the coast of Sanchai. From the wrecks of the destroyed ships and countless buildings, the Ming build a new city using shipbows as houses, sails as roofs and banners as consolidation. Over time, this ravaged appearance was modernised and enforced with stone and clean wood, yet the architects stayed true to the original design. Krakenhold hosts the most esteemed whalers and sailors in all of Xyrillia. The cities archways are build from the bones of whales and the guards wear their dried skin as capes. Despite its whalers, the city is renowned for the giant squids that inhabit its ports and are a local delicacy. Close to the coast, a deep sea drench stretches across the oceans bottom. Filled with black smokers the rich depts create a hotspot for all sorts of life, mostly squids and fish. Despite these marine treasures the soap factories are one of the commerical centres of Jayed, producing its main trade good from the ashes of burned algea and the fat of whales. Although their products are of unmachted beauty and smell, the stink of the rotten fat used in the production of soap covers the entire city when bad winds blow from the sea.

**Vvorport**

This hulking city was build in the ruins of an ancient pratonian city where it derived its name from. It was the last seat of the Second Celesital Empire and as it fell, the city was dedicated to Haizan. Yet, the cities walls, the palace and the royal districts remain in the ancient style. Vvorport is one of the only cities which has been presumably purged from sleeping Pratonians complelty. Yet the priesthood claims the ancient crypts spanning the entire cities underground for themselves, preventing any foreigner from entering. Surrounding the royal districts are large and wealthy quarters for merchants and travelers. The lower districts are mostly comprised of inns, motels and brotels. It is here where farmers from the surrounding fields sleep when selling the fruits of their labour. Vvorport administres the most fruitful region in all of Xyrillia and produces as much rice as the entire Kaianai. From Vvorports giant ports it is sold across the entire continent and even shipped in far away lands.

**Azai**

The city of Azai towers over the shallow waters of its own encircled ocean, the *Cataian Sea*. Long since its discovery it has been a retreat and fortress for the Imperial Navi. Its entire coastline has been fortified and the strait connecting it with the outer oceans are constanly patrolled by warships. Azai itself is not only a renowned military harbour and one of the havens for military artisans and shipbuilders. Every eighth warship in all of Xyrillia is produced in its marine factory halls and dry decks. During the bloodclad ages this was a highly profitable buisness that made Azai one of the richest cities in Sanchai but as time progressed the strong navi lost its relevance and most of the cities factories are now abandoned or repurposed. Despite that the city is kown for its countless markets and its academy. For every admiral it is mandatory to undergo a two-year long training in its halls and even for outsiders the academy of Azai is perhabs the most famous in the entire west. Although it is focussed on martial combat and fights on decks, the techniques its ancient loremasters and instructors teach are of increadible effectivness. Most of Azais infrastructure is made from compact, black stone and jasper since no laqucered wood could withstand the uniquly corrosive winds that blow from the salty *Cataian Sea*.

### Mausoleums

When an Ethyrion dies, his body will be brought to a mausoleum, a giant tomb. Their bodies are mummified with sacred parchments, decorated with jewelry and Leyriel and preserved with special operations and sterilizing pastures. While an Etyhrion is the living connection between the three realms, the *Heavens above*, the *Darkness below* and the *Realm of Earth* in its midst, his corpse functions as an anchor between the middle realm and the heavens. It is believed that once every Mausolem is destroyed, the *Realm of Earth* will loose its connection to the heavens and cast into eternal darkness. Their burial grounds are sacred places, worshipped by thousands. Every Mausoleum consists of a hulking outer temple that hosts the priesthood taking care of the Ethyrions corpse and the riches he amassed in life which are now stored with his corpse; and the central spire. It is incredibly tall and designed to be as close to the divine heavens above, forging a symbolic connection with the earth. On the base of the spire lies the mummified body of the Ethyrion. These Mausoleums are so costly to build that constructions usually starts decades before the Ethyrions death, while he takes an active role in its planning and design.

A Mausoleum is usually in the hands of the priesthood and far away from cilisation, surrounded by defenses and large fields to supply the tombs inhabitants and visitors.

While the tomb is a symbolic anchor between earth and the heavens, it is also a beacon for the spirits which are empowered by the worship surrounding these spires. Only in the tomb of an Ethyrion can the sacred Cotians be animated and spirits bound to them.

## Economy

### Major trade goods

* Green Jade
* Cannons
* Tools
* Armor (Paper, Lai, Steel)
* Fish
* Whale meat
* Soap

### Minor trade goods

* Green Jade
* Weapons (Crossbows, Spears, Blades, Shields)
* Woodworks
* Lacquer
* Ley Stones

### Agricultural products

* Fish
* Rice
* *Lyse*
* Leek
* Soy
* Peanuts
* Spices
* Meat

## Armies

### Units

   **Seablood Cotians-** The sacred cotians of Sanchai are animated by the spirits of *haizan.* Since they draw their power from the waters under Sanchai, they Cotians are not filled with earth but with salty water from the sacred pools of Goto. Seablood Cotians are by far the fastest and most agile, yet also the weakest. They fight with two-handed blades the lenght of a horse. The statue itself is made from white marmor, held together by steel and silver. The most imposing feature is the serpenthead on their shoulders, made from white jade.

**Divine Pavillion**- On the battlefield xyrillian nobles have many ways to move, be it on horseback or chariot. Yet the most desirable way is the divine pavillon. It is build like a giant crab with countless legs made from marmor, jade or metal and has a large pavillion made from the palest wood and the most delicate silk on its back. It is a common way of traveling for a noble as it fits multiple seats and places for guards or servants to stand. In times of battles these constructs, animated by sacred spirits, are also of common use. The outer shell is almost impenetrable and the Cotian moves without tiring, crushing opponents under its sharp legs. On its back sits a general surrounded by its elite bodyguard, either armed with Longglaives or crossbows.

**Carronade-** These larger cannons are far better made then regular small- or Greatcannons. Carronades have a far lower risk of developing cracks and exploding when used to often. Additionally they require far less cleaning after each shot, massivly increasing the rate of fire. Carronades are amongst the most versitile of all cannons, shooting with high impact while remaining somewhat mobile and light.

**Maw of Haizan-** These cyclopic constructs are the rarest and largest cannons ever constructed. They are large enough to fit a full horse in their barrel and as long as a Xyrillian dragon. Only 20 of these mighty cannons have every been constructed. Four of them guard Goto, one of them the ports of Busen and another one the Imperial Palace. The rest is either placed upon large ships or has fallen in the hands of raiders or mere destruction. The Maw of Haizan fires gigantic grenades with impact strong enough to crush any wall of fortification. The main barrel is build from a mix of extremly stable metals. To prevent it from cracking under the extreme pressure and heat, a thin layer of Leyriel is coated on the innermost metal layer of the cannon. It is said that when ever the Maw of Haizan fires, cattle faint and women fall into labour pains within a mile radius. It has an extremly long fuse to ensure cannoniers can run into safe distance when firing. Mere blackpowder is not enough to fire its giant ammunition, so the Xyrillian designers have to import more potent mixtures from Kaith.