The Ziou Jianjai

Created by /u/gmoney0607

### LOCATION

Rather than maintaining cities or towns on any of Aokoa’s many islands, the people of the Ziou Jianjai instead live, work, play, and die aboard their ships. This is done, according to their tradition, to avoid the inherent oppression and authoritarian hierarchy that comes with landed life.

### BIOLOGY/ETHNICITY

Much like its parent state, the WuXing Empire, the Jianjai consists of many races. Although they only count four of the five imperial races amongst their number. The Ren Huo (humans) make up the overwhelming majority of the Jianjai's population (about 85%). Because of this statistical advantage, the vast majority of leaders within the fleet are Ren Huo. The Shei Tu are a serpent people with the ability to conjure golems using dead organic matter and consist of a rather small (about 2.5%) but crucial minority. However unlike their counterparts in the empire, who create golems by planting remains in bogs and marshes, the Shei Tu of the Jianjai have adopted a method of planting remains in coastal waters and coral reefs while their ships are at anchor, creating golems which are particularly useful in naval environments, but that dry out quicker and only serve limited purpose on land. The Niao Jin, raptors of the sky and birds of prey, have adopted a very seahawk like nature to cope with life at sea. While their ability to fly already makes them ideal scouts, their sixth sense for electromagnetism and magic makes them particularly vital to the mages of the fleet. They are the largest non-human population in the fleet (about 10%), although they are still dwarfed by the Ren Huo as far as numbers go. The Shuin Gui, amphibious turtle-frogs, have adapted rather well to their naval existence. Their ability to work and function in water for long periods of time has made them a valuable commodity. In addition, their ability to create hardened shells is the primary method by which records are kept, and holy scriptures preserved, making them an essential part of religious life. However, like the Shei Tu there are very few (about 2.5%) present in the fleet. The Shuren Mu, tree tyrants of the old empire, are only present in one meaningful way. That being the few ships which are crafted from fallen nobles and commanders who were captured and turned into gruesome trophies during the war of independence.

### HISTORY

Founded eighty-six years ago by the radical warrior-philosopher Hep Wei Su, the Jianjai was borne of rebellion and heresy. Six years before the proper founding, Hep was a convicted heretic serving a life sentence. However, through the use of charisma, tactics, and a mastery of poetic casting (a style of magic which he pioneered), he managed to rally his fellow prisoners and not only escape but take the stronghold for himself. From there, his heralds spread across the Empire, preaching his radical reformist philosophy. Due to this, the initial founders of the Jianjai were largely disenfranchised Ren Huo and Niao Jin who rejected the religion and rule of the dominant Shuren Mu. Coming primarily from the poor corners of the Empire, the prison camps, and the lower ranks of the military, “Hep’s Rebellion” as it came to be known, raged for over half a decade over which his forces only multiplied. The culminating battle of the rebellion, which came to be known as the “Battle of the Burning Port” ended with the majority of the rebel army adrift in a fleet of captured civilian, merchant, and Imperial ships. And this is where the Jianjai truly took shape.

### SOCIETY

Governance and Organization: The Jianjai is a meritocracy to the fullest. The crews of individual ships decide their own captains (also known as Chuanzi), with some version of democracy typically being the dominant form of selection, although elected leaders have no set terms and are not immune to mutiny or being voted out from power. Ships are divided into larger groups of 40-50 known as Zhan or flotillas, who share food and other resources as well as being presided over by a common leader. These High Captains known as Zhanzi, are chosen by the Chuanzi they led, and just like common captains can be removed at any time so long as enough of their under-captains deem it necessary. An armada or Jun is the largest single collection of ships possible within the Jianjai, made up of 3-7 Zhan and led by a Junzi, or Admiral. A Junzi is chosen from amongst the Zhanzi by a collective vote of all the Chuanzi in their Jun, requiring a two-thirds majority to take office. The choosing of a Junzi is typically much more straightforward and organized than that of a Chuanzi or a Zhanzi, and Junzi often stay in power for much longer. This is due to the fact that attempting to remove a Junzi requires a great deal of popular support. The Jun, while largely autonomous and often physically distant from each other, collectively make up the Jianjai, with the Junzi forming a council that comes together to govern in times of great crisis or social upheaval.

### Religion

While adrift, Hep secluded himself alone in the cabin of his ship and began to formally record all of the revelations he felt that the cosmos had granted him. He railed against the racial caste system of the empire, writing that heaven had revealed to him that righteous people of any race could reach apotheosis and join those he called “the enlightened ones” by living a strict and principled life and by embodying certain ennobling values. The Shuren Mu, in tyrannically ruling over the other races, had forever forsaken their chance at enlightenment. In addition, the enlightened ones, heroes who had become gods in the infinite cosmos, must be venerated and respected, so that they would bestow their blessings on the righteous and the worthy and preserve the fleet through all the many hardships it is bound to face.

### Culture

In addition to his already radical religious beliefs, Hep began to preach against settled-life and traditional agriculture, saying that practicing either would lead inevitably to oppression as seen in the Empire. This belief has held strong amongst his followers and their descendants, who have adopted a method of seaborne agriculture which allows them to survive for years on end without ever seeing land. The traditional longhaired Kwarta cattle that the Ren Huo farmed while in bondage under the Shuren Mu were frequently beset by moss and other things growing in their thick fur. As the legend goes, Hep discovered a breed of moss that both grew on the beasts and which they were able to consume. This gave him the idea of breeding the cattle to be accustomed to life and sea, and sustain themselves through their symbiotic relationship with this moss, while simultaneously acting as a source of food, materials, and manure for the fleet. This manure, alongside soil stolen in raids, is used to grow the mushroom crops that act as another staple of the Jianjai diet. Thus the largest of a Jun’s ships are used wholly or partially as farm or supply ships (these are kept separately to stop disease from spreading). Alongside Kwarta and mushrooms, fish is the other key pillar of the average diet of someone in the Jianjai.

Another effect of Hep's teachings, and the general lifestyle of the fleet, is a culture focused heavily on individual success (though not encouraging selfishness) and martial prowess. The children of the Jianjai are taught to distinguish themselves from their peers if they wish to rise through the ranks, and men and women both are expected to be warriors to a certain extent. Hep's ways, and the ways of the fleet, are under constant attack, thus those who follow his teachings must be prepared to defend them at any cost. Additionally, military prowess is necessary for the survival of the fleet, as raiding, piracy, and mercenary work are the primary way by which it is able to sustain itself economically.

### OCCURRENCE OF MAGIC

Unlike in the Empire, magic is a fairly unguarded secret in the Jianjai, although the shape it takes is much more uniform. One of Hep's greatest accomplishments was learning to utilize his own magical abilities, and pioneering a style of magic known as poetic casting. This style emphasizes the use of spoken rhyme and metre to create a magical effect, be it throwing a fireball, closing a wound, or simply creating a source of light. Users memorize and recite simple verses to create a basic but reliable effect, while more complicated spells require the use of more intricate and lengthy poems, some of which may take hours or even days to even recite. These more complex spells are particularly dangerous to the caster, as even a simple stutter of mispronunciation could completely throw off an intricate spell and cause an unforeseen effect. This makes mages of great power rather uncommon, as those with magical ability are not given any special treatment and are still expected to pull their weight, leaving them little time to memorize long stanzas. However, as poetic casting is largely unrelated to the more traditional forms of magic practiced in the empire, those styles are almost unheard of within the fleet.

### Posts:

The Ziou Jianjai, a Fleet of the Free

Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here

The Jun System: A Divided House May Still Stand

What’s in a name? Naming Conventions in the Jianjai

Romance, Marriage, Sexuality, and Family Dynamics in the Jianjai

Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire

Merchants, Mercenaries, and Pirates Ahoy!

Guns & Ships: Weapons of the Jianjai

A Storm Gathers