Shing

## City Description

The capital of Borus but also a part of the Ceevilian Empire, **Shing** is a pressure pot ready to explode. With so many factions each fighting for contrasting ideals, leaders and laws, the streets can be a dangerous place. Thats even before secretly practicing or even being accused of practicing Arcane magic. Not just here but in all of Borsu there is a strict ban outlawing all form of magic thats not Divine and even that is heavily policed.

There are many stories of why Arcane magic is banned, some say it's to keep up with tradition as thats how it has been. Some think it's due to the actions of the Sorcerer King Avarus a few hundred years ago which kicked off the war of the 6 kings. Many are told they only allow divine magic to please the gods, and other think for reasons lost to time. But one thing many can agree on is that the arcane practices are the work of witches and devils wanting nothing more but to gain power for themselves, so they stay as far away as they can and report it to the proper authorities to deal with. Normally it involves some sort of sever public punishment and then exile but lately and in most case its public execution, mostly to send a message to everyone else.

However Shing isn't just infighting and chasing people out of town with pitchforks and touches, the people here are very spiritual and technologically advanced. One of the founding members of the Coucil of Gears were born here, there are more clerics and paladins in Shing and in all of Borsu than anywhere around due to the peoples dedication to their gods and their pursuit of enlightenment. Lastly the people of this land often see the beauty in the small or natural things and try to live and build off it as it was intended. Take the Lotus flower for example, it is the symbol of this nation due to the similarities the flower has with the Borsen people; it submerges every night into water and re-blooms the next morning, sparklingly clean. In many cultures, this process associates the flower with rebirth and spiritual enlightenment.

Another aspect of what makes Shing so special is the their dedication to keeping tradition and honouring the people that have come before them. For example in Shing's entire history they have only ever had female leaders, a heritage thats been upheld to this day. Over time more traditions and rules have been brought in, such as how the line of succession works for the (then) empress (Now daimyo after the being invaded by the Ceevilian Empire in the war of the 6 kings). The way the royal family is handled is the the first born daughter is the heir and all brothers born are, from a young aged trained to be her guardians and advisers. If they empress has no daughter then the title will go to the first sons daughter and if he doesn't have any the second son and so on. If they have no daughters then the honer falls upon her mothers second daughter.

### **Districts**

**High Town** - If you follow the White river upstream to the opening of Shing you'll see High Town off in the distance, built up a hill with the Ten'nō Palace at its peak. Hightown is the wealthy district in Shing, the district holds the palace obviously, homes for whoever can afford a view of the whole city. They mainly include highly respected and power clan members and merchants who deal in luxury goods. Also in Hightown is a lot of the schools or academies, only children with higher statuses have opportunity for a higher forms of education. Lastly one different in High Town compared to the rest of the city is its its constantly maintained, this ranged from the Cherry Blossom Gardens, to the upkeep of monuments to hero's gone, also every road in Hightown is are paved with stone which is quite rare if you make your way down to lowtown or across to the Tangi Cliffs.

**Low Town** - The heart of the city Low town is where everything happens, it's actually split further into different sections and 'turfs' run by clans and even gangs. In the center you have the Freshfoot Market, which is built on the river bank, a small number of the stalls are even built on boats and sail from ship to ship selling goods instead of having a shop or stall on the dock/ land. You also have a number of taverns and pubs in the market and when all the business is done in the day the open squares make way for the nightlife in the evening.

**Tangi Cliff** - To the south west of the city up on its peak is the Tangi Cliff. Although there's not a lot going on up there the place holds more of a spiritual importance. People climb the hill at least once a year to pay respect to their gods. It's a place where people come to be at one/ improve themselves spiritually, physically and mentally. A rule everyone must follow in the cliffs are, no ones allowed to cover their head and all buildings aren't allowed any rooves. This is to open the mind and spirit to the gods above.

**Outerlands** - Although it has the biggest land mass out of all the districts in Shing, it's one of the most spars. The Outerlands is mainly used for farming so not many people venture out unless they need to, However the main reason the Outerlands is so important with the rest of the city is the thick forrest and marsh near by, here most of the gangs also use it to smuggle stuff in or use the area for other illegal activities as its a great place to get lost in if you dont know where your going or to hide contraband.

### **Geography**

The capital of Borsu, Shing is to the east of the nation but to the west in the empire and Pyramidia. The hazy mire of Mistborough is the closet town just a few days south. Tengtou, Wallwater are to the west and still in realm. Outside of the nation the mountain mine of Irontown is just across the White River and, Fort Castillia a little further south.

### **Weather**

Due to being near the 'World Peak' (A mountain range most people believe to be the top of the civilised world) Shing is use to the occupational heavy winds sweeping through the land. Although it can be cold its not to frosty and snow only comes a little before the regular winter months.

### **Gods**

Worship in Shing is practiced by nearly everyone, you cant go down a street without seeing symbols, offerings or shrines to any and all gods. Even though when surrendering to the Ceevilian empire Shing agreed to their law of only worshipping a select few gods, there is no way they could enforce it on everyone, as the people of Shing are very religious and very traditional. The empire tried to root out any believers of the pagan gods but after a few years realized it's near impossible and now only arrest people for public worship.

There is also the case of Zeed, although not an actual god at all just an ordinary Aarakocra, but his teachings and ways have been followed and imitated for generations and depending who you ask the effect his had on people can rival a gods.

## City Life

Life in Shing can sometimes be a slow one, people often think before they act and thats if they act at all, sometimes people just pray and wait patiently for their troubles to change or go away. Not to say all the people are lazy, on the contrary they are methodical waiting for the perfect time to strike. Class and social standing are a very important thing in Shing, from your standing in a clan to how people perceive you and your family. For example in some circles who hold martial ability higher than spiritual dedication, a Paladin would be held in a higher of a regard than a Cleric and vice versa. It is rare but sometimes choosing the other one can bring shame and be seen as disrespectful.

Outside the higher classes, the city life is well, the same as it is everywhere. People farm or make goods, travel into the city and markets to trade for money or other goods and survive. Many lonely young kids can be taken in a number of gangs, clans or guilds. However one thing you dont see happen often are citizens being shaken down or robbed or anything really bad happen to them, however this doesn't necessarily mean it's a safe place to live. The reason no one attacks someones who's unaffiliated with an organisation is because there are so many conflicting groups ready for a fight so soon as one steps out of place everyone else is ready to take revenge or right the wrong, and the wrongdoer can quickly see themselves outnumbered. But what does happen a lot are these Gangs, clans and guilds but heads and when a fight or turf war breaks out no one is safe from its destruction and the everyday citizen no longer matters because there is a bigger picture in sight.

## Notable Locations

*Building/ Shops*

Gilberts Gold Exchange - A bank where you can transfer your money into Imperial crowns.

Fan Fire Forge - A open sided blacksmiths right in the heart of Lowtown.

Arini's Attire - A high end fashion shop in Hightown. Probably the best place to find authentic Borsu clothing.

Rivers Rewards - An apothecary along the bank of The White River.

Curious Curios - A jewellery/ precious materials shop up in the Tangi Cliffs. Sells anything shiny.

Finest catch - A small fish stall on a boat either sailing along the river or parked up right on the docks.

*Locations*

Ten'nō Palace - Home to the Empress

Spire of the Lotus, This 6 story, almost ethereal tower is the ultimate test of someones strength. its open to anyone and if you reach the end its said you will be gifted immense power by a divine being, or cursed by a arcane monster depending on who you ask.

Sora Dogo - Although only a circle of stones with wooden columns surrounding it. The Sora Dojo doesn't look like much, but its a place that trains some of the best martial fighters in all of Borsu.

Freshfoot Market - At the bank of the city lies the Freshfoot Market, here is where a high percentage of the city trade is done, it is also a dock of some sort however no large ships could sail up the shallow river.

The White River - Due to Shing and Borsu being elevated the river goes runs down to the south and along the way it comes across a number of waterfalls due to the white colourations when the water splashes the water is often looks white.

Cherry Blossom Gardens - Only a short walk from the Ten'nō Palace are these well maintains and gorgeous gardens, each section has a specific colour and when walking around the circular park the colour all blend seamlessly. In the middle is a very large white cherry blossom tree.

Highpeak Falls - Not even close to the city but the waterfall is so large you can see it in the distance from Shing

*Guild's*

***The Pixiu*** - The Pixiu are a thieves guild in Shing, they are very much anti empire and often specifically target supplies or wealth that come's from places outside Borsu or is to be sent the nation. They then distribute it to the poorer members of Shing. There are rumours that the Koshiro clan secretly aids them with information and equipment but no one knows if it's true.

***The Divine Walkers*** - A small guild but popular across Borsu, have a grandiose base of operation here in Shing, up high in on the Tangi Cliff. Here he witch hunter's task themselves with rooting out any practitioner of the arcane arts in the city, to purge it from their land. They are normally a lot more extreme than the regular authorities and can be known for taking it upon themselves to be judge jury and executioner.

***Knights of the New Moon*** - The Knights have a very small holding and are not very popular just in Shing and in fact all of Borsu. Mainly because they share some similar beliefs with the Divine Walkers but very much disagree on many others they tend to bump heads most of the time. That being pair with the fact that the Divine Walkers are more heavily supported in Borsu, due to the hasher beliefs of any arcane practices leaves The Knights of The New Moon a precarious position.

***Tadashi's Ronin*** - A small set of tents set up int he Outerlands holds some members of the clan. They base themselves here outside the city to try to embody the wills of their mentor, they mainly roam around Borsu but stay in a town or city when helping people who cant help themselves. Many are followers of Zeed

Guild Names
 Eva Whitefall
 Nightfoot

## Military

The Kin - The Kin are the all male elite guards tasked with protecting the daimyo. They are all also closely related to her, more specifically siblings or uncles. When the current daimyo has her first daughter she becomes the heir, any sons she has before or after are automatically then train as members of the Kin, any living brothers of her mother also remain until they pass away or they become great uncles, then they are allowed to retire if they choose to.

The Hundred Swordsman - Although they have the number one hundred in their name there are a lot more than that. It was a name the group adopted from the once legendary band of samurai who defended off an army of thousands to give their messenger time to escape the city and tell the emperor what is coming. How the group are the city guard so to speak enforced by the Shogun herself, its not official as that duty belongs of protecting the city falls to the emperors Praesidium Guards but the native people of Shing dont trust them, and would go the the swordsman first if ever in need. It's also easy to spot a Hundred swordman, they wear normal clothing and armor but in some sort of fashion they will wear there long swords on their sides at all time and wear a while with silver detailed sleeve down their arm to prove they are a swordsman.

The Praesidium Guards - The law keepers throughout the whole empire these guards are very recognisable from their sliver armour with red tunic covering most of the metal. There isn't a standard issue equipment for weapons or armour. Due to the empire being so large and covers many different cultures and grounds some weapons are more common or useful in certain places. However you can always spot a captain or another high ranking military official due to their armour being black and red.

The Legion - The Legions is the empires army and used for conquering new lands or defending territory. They look lightly different to the The Praesidium Guards but instead of the silver armour its replaced with a brass/ gold tone. Their weapons and armour also different depending on the realm they are based in.

## History

Farming - Creates food, artisanal
good

Farming - Creates food, artisanal goods, wines, beers, etc…

Husbandry - Creates food, leatherworkers, woolmakers, etc...

tribes and clans constantly fighting.

why was arcane outlawed (maybe something to do with the corruption of men thats why there is only female leaders)