Lóng-zhī Empire

The Liliang Alea Dynasty is split into various regions all ruled over by a Supreme Emperor, who runs the Council of Lords. The Council of Lords is made up of trusted advisors to the Emperor, they oversee various ministries such as war, justice, and revenue. The Dà xíngzhèng guān, or Grand Administrators were another council that answers to the Emperor, but their role is to manage and oversee the Provincial Governors, Prefects, and Kingdoms. The Dynasty's regions are ruled in various ways, yet all answer to the Grand Administrators and their Supreme Emperor by divine rite. The Kingdoms are the oldest form of regional government. The remaining kingships within the Empire have held on to power for nearly millennia, with bloodlines so old they pre-date even some of the oldest nations of Aeris. Many of these are human families, who have lived in Alea since before the Rise of Moraphan. The second kind of rulership is provincial governorship. The provincial governors are not appointed by the Emperor, but instead from within their province. These Provincial Governors rule the wealthiest regions of Alea, making power difficult to grab back by the Emperor without starting a civil war or plunging Alea into crisis. And finally, the Prefects are chosen by the Emperor to rule their region. These are often former Military commanders or trusted friends of the Supreme Emperor.

The culture of Alea is exceptionally diverse, and different regions can feel utterly foreign from each other. Goblinoids hold the cultural majority in Alea. While the Empire began as a majority human cultural force, Hobgoblins quickly rose to power through excellent leadership and military prowess. As humans became mired in political machinations and decadence, Hobgoblins worked to truly build the Empire up. Soon enough Zheng Xue-Hao gained the seat of Supreme Emperor, becoming the first Hobgoblin to do so. It was this that propelled hobgoblins to cultural dominance as many humans fled to the surrounding islands.   Alea molds its denizens in a unique way, unlike the other civilizations of the world which may deal with wandering warbands, or enemy kingdoms; Alea is under constant siege from the Ashlands. This has forged Alean culture into one of indomitable strength, and stalwart beliefs. There is no military in the world that comes close to the size or skill of the Lóng-zhī Empire, and this is owed in large part to the constant siege the land finds itself in.

Millions of Alean troops stand ready to defend its shores at all times, not to mention the thousands that stand atop Zen-Tsu's Wall. Alea trades extensively as well and is a center for all kinds of trade. Rare goods and materials can all be found for sale there. Even former enemies like the Kari and Asteri trade with them, as Alea has made itself a vital trade partner for all nations.

The origins of the Empire of Heaven are shrouded in myth and lost history. The earliest recorded dynasty thought to have united the lands of Alea was the Ryo-Kang. Legend says that Kai Ryo-Kang united the peoples of Alea long before "Humanity's Spring", and that he went from province to province challenging the strongest warriors there to a duel. After beating them he would induct them into his fledgling kingdom. It was said that he had the Blood of the Dragon within him and that the heavens had charged him with creating a holy kingdom upon the material plane. Soon he had impressed the continent with his skills and so the Lóng-zhī Empire was born. For two thousand generations the Ryo-Kang dynasty ruled gloriously, cultivating the land and even beginning to explore nearby islands, coming into contact with the Karikaga during this time.   While the Ryo-Kang dynasty had brought peace and prosperity across Alea, unrest was beginning to grow. In the wealthy coastal Zong-Kai-Si region the lord there grew ambitious. Jun Zhou-Jin took his army to the gates of the Heavenly Palace and demanded an audience with his Imperial Supremacy to be granted more land rights. The Emperor refused his request and siked his grand army onto Zhou-Jin. Jun and his soldiers fled the Imperial City and returned to his province, telling every lord whose land he traveled through of the Emperor's unjust attack, and that the noble Dragon Blood of Kai Ryo-Kang had been corrupted by demons. And so began what would become known as "The Century of No Light" as for one hundred years the Alean continent was plunged into civil war. The lords loyal to the Emperor in the north clashed with the rebel warlords in the south. After a century of war, the Emperor was slain in battle high in the mountains. He's said to have fallen from the mountain in a duel with Jun Zhou-Jin, the dragon spirit held within his blood thanking Jun, telling him he would watch over him for all time, and returning to the heavens. Jun Zhou-Jin became known throughout history as the "Demonslayer".    The reign of his dynasty would come to an end when in the east of Alea the Crimson Lord Moraphan would rise and crush the Aleans. Some would flee to Kari, others to Sarasarada, but the then Emperor Shin Zhou-Jin faced Moraphan in single combat. It was a valiant display, and he would leave a slash upon the helm of Moraphan. However, the Crimson Lord would slay him in the end, and burn the Heavenly Palace atop his fel drake. After many years of darkness and catastrophic war, the Aleans would join the Golden Alliance at the Battle of the Red Fields; beating Moraphan's forces and reclaiming their homeland aided by the Ryo-Kang Dragon Spirit. The dynasty which would be responsible for rebuilding would be led by Huang Su-Guo who had led the surviving Aleans. This dynasty would put in motion many of the grand constructive projects which would forge Alea into the "Fortress Continent" it's known as today. Zen-Tsu, a notable Hobgoblin General who had served against Moraphan would design and begin the construction of the Great Bulwark, or Zen-Tsu's Wall as it would come to be known. In the rebuilding of Alea great wealth came to the Su-Guo, and funded by the Aeran Empire would grow more and more decadent. The Heavenly Palace was reconstructed even more impressively, and each night the Imperial family would host lavish parties for the elite lords of Alea. Little did they know their grip on the people of Alea was weakening. The Hobgoblin (or High Goblin) population had been building their palaces, their walls, and their fortresses, while their human overlords grew fat and safe upon their labor. Not only did the inequality of the regime seed resentment, but also the spreading of two new systems of belief. Ru-Ri and Zhu-Tau became extremely popular amongst the Hobgoblins and Humans of the low castes. The Hobgoblin Zheng Xue-Hao, a charismatic and prominent military leader, repeated history when he took his forces to the gates of the Heavenly Palace and made demands to the Emperor. Only this time when the Emperor ordered his levies to attack Zheng, they did nothing. The Imperial family fled Alea, joined by the other human lords loyal to the Su-Guo. Some human lords however welcomed the regime change, preferring the militaristic practicality that Zheng Xue-Hao championed.   Thousands of years would pass, and within that time Alea would leave the Aeran Empire, and the Xue-Hao would prove itself again and again in several civil wars, and complete the construction of the Great Bulwark. In the midst of the Blight Wars however, Alea would face another dynastic change as the Xue-Hao were overcome by the ascendant Song-Bai Dynasty. The Song-Bai, a human dynasty, would rule for the last thousand years before the Great Collapse. When the Great Collapse finally came the Song-Bai were weakened, leaving room for the Shang-Do to grab power over the Dragon Throne from the Song-Bai in 32 AGC. The Shang-Do Alean Dynasty saw an opportunity to conquer the Kari easily in the aftermath of the Collapse. In the year 52 AGC the Shang-Do forces sailed for Kari, within 6 months they were repelled by the island’s people, who fought so ferociously that they strongly planted themselves as the first world power Post-Collapse. Dismayed and humiliated the Aleans furiously planned their next invasion. But the Shang-Do would be humiliated once again as the Kari and their Minotaur allies raided Alea's coast and invaded the capital itself. This only worked to fuel the Shang-Do in their plans for revenge. Just as the Shang-Do Dynasty was preparing their armies to invade Kari and the Asterus Isles in 112 AGC, the ancient and twisted Ashlands of Moraphan’s ancient domain began to spit forth beast hordes larger and more dangerous than ever before in the thousands. Thus forcing the Shang-Do Dynasty to instead repel these dark forces. The Norseans were called for aid and answered with massive armies of bear riders. Dwarves mounted on bears would charge into battle against the beasts sometimes pouring out of the very earth. The Norseans and Aleans would become closer through this, opening up trade and military access. Though in Kaldrland this would cause a civil war, the end result was positive for the Aleans when in 241 AGC the Kaldrland-Alean Pact was formed. The two alliances began rubbing up against each other as tensions rose with trade disputes in 252, but would reach a boiling point in 257 when both sides engaged in a naval skirmish when two trade escorts clashed. The trade ships of both sides were sunk, sparking the Great Alliance War which would last from 257 to 293. While the war had no clear victor, the Aleans had redeemed their glory through the battles they had won.   When the Long Freeze befell Aeris the Lóng-zhī Empire was ready. Their title of "fortress continent" was too restored as the Aleans defended against the Dark Elves, maintaining order and surviving through the endless winters. Their iron will had been tested and passed, with the help of the Goblin discovery of gunpowder. Gulong Shen discovered not only how to make gunpowder, but also designed the first cannon as well. The Dark Elves were greeted one day at the capital walls by huge dragon-mouthed cannons blasting them with righteous fire. Gulong would become a hero among goblins and Alea as a whole. In recent history, the Shang-Do continued to prosper till in 950 AGC when the Liliang Dynasty peacefully took power through a marriage to the Emperor by Empress Mei Liliang.

The Alean military is vast, with millions of soldiers. The entire continent is sometimes referred to as the "Fortress Continent" due to how many defensive measures the Aleans have built. In addition to more conventional defenses, the border with the Ashlands is guarded by Zen-Tsu's Wall, one of the greatest structures of the Known World, and itself garrisoned by many thousands of defenders.

Though many argue over whether Ru-Ri is a philosophy or a religion, one thing is for certain: Ru-Ri guides all things in daily life. In the wake of Moraphan's cataclysm the Hobgoblin thinker Gojinn saw the devastation caused by what he saw as the failure of the gods to protect sentient life, and so he wrote the Ru-Ri Directives. These were a series of ethical and moral treatises which outlined Gojinn's beliefs on how to live virtuously without relying on any God for judgment or faith. The Ru-Ri Directives were spread and took Alea by storm. This prompted many of the humans in power at the time to flee Alea since Ru-Ri had become the official state religion.   Ru-Ri was not the only result of Moraphan's rise in Alea. Zhu-Tau was the other faith that sprang from the ashes of that bloody age. It is said that two ancient dragons wrote the original beliefs of Zhu-Tau on a cliff face with sunfire. These dragons were named Shilong and Dihuo. Together it was said they debated each other for as long as stars can shine before finally writing down their creeds. A nearby shepherd saw the writings and copied them down. It is unknown when this event took place or if it ever even occurred, but nonetheless, after the defeat of Moraphan the Seer Ye-Da began having epiphanic visions of the shepherd and the dragons, writing down everything he saw to create Zhu-Tau as it's known today. Far more spiritual than Ru-Ri, though still without a God of any kind; Zhu-Tau focuses on leading a virtuous and ethical life while paying homage to the spirits around them and within nature itself.   The humans of Alea had long worshipped their own pantheon of Gods, though much of their holy texts and traditions were lost when Moraphan razed their civilizations. What's left are ancient temples long forgotten, hidden shrines, and ruins built around some cities themselves.

The Prime Directives

• Benevolence in all things, one serves others before he serves himself.
• Be ever righteous in your cause, the path to prosperity is paved with righteous stones.
• Stay loyal to yourself and others
• Wisdom was the strongest weapon given to sentients