Basic History of Asora

As the different ethnic groups of Asora spread out and make their homes near where their bunkers were built, the first to truly seize lands quickly are the Shou. A former leader of one of the shelters, now turned nationalist warlord, Chén Su (陈诉 “to state or assert oneself”) rallies his people at what remains of the pre-calamity city Kuo Te L’ung. Mostly sunk into the sea, the followers of Su settle in the ruins and clear the many beasts and monsters of the ruins. Legends of Chén Su speak of him finding a powerful blade in the wreckage of a crashed starship, that he names Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi(天叢雲剣, "Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds"). Using this blade to summon great winds and wield the energy of storms, even halting storms as they begin to happen, he claims the ruined starship as his own, building his palace inside it and claiming himself emperor of Shou Lang Wáng Guó (受朗王国 “Clear and Bright Kingdom''). Over time the empire is simply called Shou Lang, a claim backed up by its apparently hundred years of perfect weather from 293 BC - 199 BC.

In the Parched Wastes, the Bedine have had a hard start in the desert wastes, surviving around oasis and floodplains, warring with the desert giants and goblins, they will survive and build small villages as the next few centuries go by. Similarly, in the far south plains and steppes, the Turami quickly split into two factions. Those who wish to settle along the rivers formed into the nation of Irakada, while the minority who refused followed a more traditional lifestyle lived in clans and followed a more nomadic approach.

The first of the Rashemaar clans seizes a strong grip over the north, formed in the city of Crossroads. The many rashemaar warlords struggled with other communities in the hundred year Unification Wars.

Now 81 years old, Chén Su believes himself too old to rule effectively, passing his sword and title of Emperor to his 29 year old son Wáng Jì Rèn Su (王继任诉 “great/grand successor”). Wáng Jì Rèn, the oldest and most military minded of his father’s children, consolidates his support in the Imperial army and quickly quashes any plots and rebellions against him as his father had warned him to do. Most notably destroying the rebels that rose up in the coastal city of Owma, supporting one of his brothers' rise to emperor instead of him. Wáng does pardon his brother and allows him to continue his court life despite the uprising.

The day after his father’s death, the Emperor Wáng Jì Rèn declares war on several small city states in the region, notably the cities of Changyang and Tengshu. Claiming his life goal is to follow in his father’s footsteps to unite all Shou people under Imperial rule. A coalition government of northeastern city states is formed and the two sides battle over the coastline for the next 6 years, ending with Shou Lang armies seizing the land and its jungles near the end of 237.

The growing Turami cities to the south and the nomadic horseman of the steppes clash violently for the first time in battle at the Steppes of Khuzsehra, with the tribes united under Khan Sagra of the Two-Hoof clan. This starts the several decades of civil war in Turam, ending with the Khanate conquering the collection of city states, but allowing them to govern themselves in exchange for becoming the Khanates first tributary state.

Lead by elements of a group calling themselves the Northeast Clique (separatists elements of the conquered city states near the coast), a mob storms the Imperial Palace in the dead of night, let in by palace guards, and the emperor and his loyalists are imprisoned with very little bloodshed. Within the next few days, violence with holdouts of armed loyalists breaks out across the city, culminating in a victory for the Northeast Clique.

A great drought strikes the middle of the continent, causing great suffering as well as forcing nearby city states to form closer economic bonds with the much more prosperous Shou Lang in order to avoid food shortages. The closest ties are made with nearby Warlord Gwanggaeto the Great, a fierce and intelligent man who through the years had forced the cities of Gwangson and Posu to bow before his army of bandits turned mercenaries and now ruled over them with military might.

Several months after his jailbreak, the former emperor Yǒu Yí Su (now 26) gathers his remaining loyalists in the city of Lenachi, and appealing to populism and the peasantry, stages an armed uprising near the end of the year. Calling out Zhì Rì as a usurper and claiming the spirit of the Second Immortal, Chan Cheng, has visited his dreams and pressed him to take his throne. A popular revolt explodes across the countryside of Shou Lang as Yǒu Yí Su and his loyalists battle the armies of the empire, as the Northeast Clique refuses to give military aid to either side.

Two decades of peace for Shou Lang follows the civil war. Recovery comes slow but soon the worst of the conflict is put behind them, and the infrastructure and farmland destroyed by war is repaired and replaced. Besides posturing against the Tengshu Clique and the lands of Warlord Gwanggaeto, the Shou empire sees calm and peaceful times until the year 175 BC.

Turami settlers move north along the coastline, settling villages in a hope to escape the rule of the horse lords, but without support from the puppet government of Turam they do not get very far. In Shou Lang, the threats of the expanding Akuma (Demon) population have caused significant internal strife within society as a whole. Groups of skilled adventurers and warriors are sent to periodically hunt and cull the Akuma, who’s population rises and falls cyclically with Shou Lang’s prosperity. These small cells, called Oni-Metsu, will be incredibly important for the future of Shou Lang going forward.

The current Khan of Turam, Jurchedei, sends requests for aid to Shou Lang, warning of the threat to the south, but Dōng Hé, convinced that his fathers warnings of a threat to the west are more pressing, refuses. Shou Lang militarizes and expands their preparation along the Heaven’s Reach mountains to the west, setting up many fortifications and small villages that would grow into the city states that inhabit the area in the future. Unfortunately, Dōng Hé Su’s threat does not come for over a hundred years, and Turam is left to handle the Lothalians alone.

Dōng Hé Su passes the title of emperor to Yīng Fèng Huáng Su (age 6) (英凤凰诉 “Flourishing Phoenix”) and passes the Mandate of Heaven along to him, before his death near the end of 103. The last emperor of the Su dynasty, he leads his empire in defense of a threat that he will never see, and his reign is known for its corruption, stagnation, and overspending of the military budget, weakening the empire significantly for the Swarm Wars to come.

Clashes between the Horselords of Turam and the first of the Lothalian armies occur near the hills and steppes south of the River Suri, and a series of short skirmishes turns into a full blown battle between the two forces. Despite a stiff resistance by the Turami, the Lothalian magical superiority decides the fight, and the Turami are pressed across the river and the city of Bhaktaran is fully sacked and occupied. Turami prisoners of war are skinned or tortured as a sign to Turam that the Lothalians seek total dominion over their realm, and captured civilians are pressed into slavery in the region.

During Lothalian occupation, the Turami human population is separated into two groups, with almost half of the population being sent in great caravans back to the Lothalian heartland, and those who remain bound into slavery and made to mine and farm the lands for their Lothalian masters. In all occupied lands the people suffered, but worse even were those brought to the cities of Lothalian. These elves, known for their timeless beauty and splendor, had crafted mighty citadels and palaces in the nation of Alu Lotha with the blood and labor of stolen peoples and lands. The artistic and technological progress of the Lothalian elves was unrivaled even in the present day, but while their knowledge and wealth grew, their mercy slowed into nonexistence. Every waking moment the slaves toiled and suffered, and those who were not broken by labor or torn into sinew and muscle by endless torture prayed for hope, and for the longest time their prayers would go unanswered.

In the new year, Lu Bu and his army reached the capital. His commanders, especially a young warrior who Lu Bu had grown fond of, Zhu Hao, prepared for a long siege of the city. Lu Bu protested, claiming the entire army should rush the city immediately while defenses were not used to their numbers. He also dismissed those wood and jungle elves that rose up alongside him, claiming he would destroy them himself if they did not flee.    They called him Lu Bu, the Blamer, for he grew angry when tactics used did not appeal to his endless swordfury. Angered by the siege, Lu Bu rushed the gates of Kuo Te L’ung and demolished them, interrupting the siege and taking a straight path to the palace, destroying buildings and people in his path to the Emperor, whom he utterly disintegrated with his killing light.    They called him Lu Bu, Triumphant, because use of his name became synonymous with it, and his army still fighting to enter the city cheered when they saw his banner approaching, his hair and body stained brown with the blood of his foes.

A period of warring states occurs as the Hao dynasty seizes control in the capital, with many of the major cities of Shou Lang forming their own independent armies to battle in what would become the second Shou Civil War, ending with the Hao dynasty solidifying Shou Lang under Emperor Zhu Hao (柱皞, “Brilliant Pillar/Foundation”).

In Shou Lang, Emperor Zhu Hao is slain by an assassin loyal to the old order, and yet another violent succession crisis ends with his wife, Bèi Jīn Hao (蓓金皞, “Brilliant Gold Flower”) taking the role of Empress. News of his death reaches Lu Bu, who in a mad rage, completely destroys several cities on his warpath through Turam towards the Lothalian heartlands.

With the suddenly enormous beastfolk population in Lothalian joining Lu Bu’s rebellion the empire quickly collapses, outnumbered incredibly on the side of the rebels. Lu Bu leads the final charge on the Lothalian capital and slays the Lothalian emperor Umaeril Blackfeather, wounding himself mortally in the process, and finally being killed by the remaining Sorcerer Kings who watched their emperor die. They split his body into seven pieces, leaving the head in the throne room and scattering the other pieces as they fled their crumbling civilization. After the battle, Khulan fought his way to the palace and found Lu Bu’s head, and legends say they spoke pleasantly to each other, like they had always done.

The Iron Lord of Rashemen at the time, Ryurikov Vladimir Yakovich, is a devout and spiritual man who sees the empire’s many religious and cultural differences as problems that may lead to disunity and even more internal war. He polls and meets with spiritual leaders and the powerful elector princes beneath him and lays the groundwork for a unified rashemaar church, with a focus on the “Great Three” gods (The Hidden One, Dhalla, and Khelliara) and the many lesser gods beneath them. Making the many leading figures of those temples into a single unified Church of the Three, banning organization of any faith that does not follow the guidelines and fall in line with this unified church, but does not hunt down and oppose personal worship.

Emperor Liúyì Jié Hao is killed in battle without a proper heir decided, and his three younger brothers are split apart as to keep the dynasty separated and secure, moving them into protected exile in the cities of Changqiha, Fenghua, and Fochu. In the fortress of Changqiha, the favored heir of the former emperor, his 14 year old daughter Měi Hao (媺皞 “Beautiful and Brilliant”), despite the fact that many doubt both her ability to rule and the fact that despite the former empress Bèi Jīn Hao ruled quite well, there is still reluctance about putting a woman on the throne.

The newly rebuilding Khanate of Turam meets and attempts diplomatic contact with the Shou remnant, but is rebuked as the Shou remnant and their assigned heir, the 6 year old Cáifèn Hao (才分皞 “Brilliant Gift”), claim the mostly unsettled region around the coast for Shou Lang. In the many years it takes to reclaim Shou Lang’s heartland, Cáifèn Hao grows his power base in the region that would eventually be called Lingshen.

Within the army of Shou Lang, a major revolt occurs creating a schism between those who support the Shogun in Minkai and those who support the Empress. The Jade Kings’ revolt, as it would be called, significantly slows the retaking of Shou Lang’s heartland as many generals take their armies with them to clear the northern coast and then cross the sea to Minkai. These generals became some of the first Daimyos under the Shogun as he spread his influence throughout the land of Minkai, meeting with local Yokai and Sho-Yokai to learn the land and bring it under his rule.

The Shogun Yuǎn Hao Bō travels the land with a party of his most trusted heroes, to locate and appease the local Yokai and beastfolk alike as he spreads his sphere of influence throughout Minkai. The Yokai of the island give him 8 trials to pass to gain their respect and to humble him. With enough time and help from his friends, he passes the trials and is accepted by the local Yokai.

The now elderly empress Měi Duìzhǎng Hao passes the Mandate to her favored son Wò Hécáo Hao (沃河槽皞 “Fertile Riverbed''), whose ideas of administration and centralization bring the nation closer together during his time. During his long reign, his attempts to look inward caused an uncharacteristic but welcome peace in Shou Lang as well as most of the continent, settling many cities along the river Sangpo (most notably Borwon and Seochaek) and creating many bureaucratic systems to have regions far from the crownlands be ruled more effectively.

Wò Hécáo Hao passes the Mandate to his favored son Bái Yú Hao (白畲皞 “Bright Cultivated Field”), who will be the final Hao emperor to gain the Mandate before Shou Lang is engulfed by social conflict again. His reign is marked by rebellion in tributary states and the rise of several new religious and social movements that will affect the nation to the present day.

The second Conflux Tournament occurs, and the The Jīnshǔ Clan’s (金属) leader, a great general named Huǒlóng Dà Jīnshǔ (火龙大金属 “Great Flaming Metal Dragon”) takes the Shogunate and expands Minkai’s military might by focusing entirely on naval warfare and expansion to nearby small islands as well as founding the city of Fuying to trade more effectively with Xidao.

Minkai’s first major conflict comes as a great creature, an invading Brine Dragon named Doannerth stakes claim to the seas around Takahoma, leading to a great hunt between the clans. In the final battle with Doannerth, the Nahaka clan’s elected leader, Akarui Hoshi (明るい星 “Bright Star'') strikes the final blow, ramming his ship into the wounded dragon to finish it off. Impressed greatly by this feat and this battle prowess for a nation that they only recently have joined, the Shogun grants the Nahaka clan a place in the Conflux despite some disagreement by the other clans.

A major revolt by the organized Rajas of Turam explodes out in response to decreased regional and religious autonomy. Missionaries sent by Shou Lang are assumed to be eroding away the former major religious beliefs of Turam. Specifically targeting the native monotheistic faith of the Mazdayasna and their more nationalistic religious sects, Shou Lang introduces the Doctrine of Lapse. This new law disallows the normal practice wherein Mazdayasna rulers and landlords without a male heir are allowed to “adopt” a close friend or someone politically relevant who would then have all the personal and political rights of a son. Instead of allowing this, the land without an heir is annexed by the state. Though the scope of the doctrine was limited to dependent Mazdayasna men, these annexations aroused much alarm and resentment among most of the non-landed population as well. This revolt is eventually quelled by the imperial army, and missionaries agree to stop conversions in Turam but the Doctrine of Lapse stays law until the Guru Revolt several centuries later.

The Third Conflux tournament occurs with the newly integrated Nahaka clan winning out and crowning their Shogun Gorō Kuroki (五郎 黒木 “Great Black Tree), a young man from an influential order of warriors, the first Samurai. Gorō brings his samurai with him to the capital, and they become an integral part of Minkai culture as the nation embraces their spirituality and codes of honor, forming orders of Samurai all over the nation.

With the death of Emperor Bái Yú Hao, a disputed succession leads to several years of civil war in Shou Lang, ending with the eventual rise of the Zhòu dynasty through plotting and intrigue. The newly crowned Emperor Gōng Dízǐ Zhòu (恭嫡子咒 “Respectful First Son”) reigns from 186 to 191 until his death under suspicious circumstances leads to the crowning of his cousin Jùhuì Nián Zhòu (聚会年咒 “Gathering Grain”) and the start of one of the most corrupt and harsh dynasties in Shou history.

The War Reforms in Rashemen are in full swing, with many of the minor nations of the empire forming alliances and forming large factions under elector nations, causing considerable instability both politically and economically, as a string of weak Emperors allowed too many internal conflicts and weakened the nation for a grand new threat coming in the next few centuries.

The very first sightings of the Mist are reported at this time, drifting in from the central jungles and blanketing parts of the nation lightly, and are seen as a blessing from the local Yokai. The mists begin a seasonal cycle of arrival, arriving for several weeks after every rainy season and then retreating back into the jungle, leaving crops growing healthier and cleansing places tainted by Akuma.

The Fifth Conflux tournament occurs, with the Fēng Clan’s (风) leader Jìng Fēng (静风 “Quiet Breeze”) taking the Shogunate and leading the nation on a path of peace and attempting to dissuade daimyos from fighting each other during his reign.

Hé Hēi Zhòu dies a natural death and his second eldest son, Zhāo Yàn Zhòu (朝焰咒 “Morning Flames”) succeeds him, and with his coronation the Black Years come to and end. Although not all the troubles of the decades end instantly, they slowly begin to lessen during his reign and instead the nation turns to stagnation and rot.

Osiris, Isis, and Anubis see the destruction caused by the Shou occupation, and each of them begins to hatch their own plans to keep out invaders in the future, and ensure the prosperity of Sothis. Osiris and Isis fuse together into a young adult, who they proclaim to be the first true Pharaoh of Sothis. They are named Ammon, Lord of the Two Lands, to represent both their fusion of the two gods as well as the fusion between the nomadic lifestyle of the Bedine and more city based culture of the Sothithians as they bring more nomadic tribes into their society.

The Viaken Age comes into full swing, as the city of Chozawa is struck by a host from the sea, formed from dozens of longships, sea monsters, and allied outsiders serving the Viaken gods. The city is occupied for several weeks and sacked with the riches sent home to the Frozen Isles. Led by King Agnar Skullbreaker, the Skullbreaker Host devastates the Minkai coastal villages, sacrificing prisoners to their gods and burning shrines.

Dying at the old age of 88, Jīn Yǎn Zhòu passes the imperial throne down to his grandson Yào Xuàn Zhòu (耀绚咒 “Sparkled and Adorned”) who continues the trend of decadence and corruption in his adult years. His reign is marked as the worst for the peasantry of Shou Lang, with harsh tax laws and inconsistent bureaucratic control throughout the nation.

The Guru Sharad Goyal travels throughout southern Turam and teaches those who follow him to worship Okan, an absolute god who dwells in every one of his creations and constitutes the eternal Truth. With this concept, he would set up a unique spiritual, social, and political platform based on equality, fraternal love, goodness, and virtue, despite the strict and class based system in occupied Turam at the moment.

The final emperor of the Zhòu dynasty, Tiān Táng Zhòu (天塘咒 “Heavenly Pond”) is crowned after the death of Yào Xuàn Zhòu early in the year. Being the last emperor before the rise of the Dragon Emperor, his reign is marked mostly in failure and the rising of dangerous and radical political elements.

The Eleventh Conflux Tournament ends with the Jīnshǔ Clan (金属) leading out under Shogun Jīnshǔ Jiào (金树骄 "Proud and Strong Metal").

Ayush Muzumdar, taking advantage of the civil war in Shou Lang, leads Turami peasants with a newly appointed council of Gurus in open revolt against occupying Shou forces. However, in defence of higher caste Mazdayasna and Kushic worshippers who believe their land would be claimed by Okanists, several nobles in Turam put out calls for the remainder of the Lingshen army to crush the Guru Revolt alongside their own forces. This defeat of the Guru Revolt creates major animosity between the Okanist and Mazdayasna faiths.

Lingshen declares full economic independence from Shou Lang, minting its own gold currency for use in Turam and at home. This is seen as a threat by the new Dragon Emperor Yún Kàn, as many noble families had fled to the far south during the fall of the Zhòu. The fortress city of Kaoling is seized by the new imperial army, and a great amount of resources are spent fortifying and recruiting from nearby populations as well as the nearby tribes of hobgoblins. With these changes comes a direct line of transport from the capital to Kaoling, called the Kaoling Gate, made from a repurposed Infinity Gate.

The Eleventh Conflux Tournament ends with the Jīnshǔ Clan (金属) leading out again under Shogun Jīnshǔ Rei Mai.

Yún Kàn introduces more religious freedoms in Turam, stopping missionary work entirely and undoing the Doctrine of Lapse formally. However, the heavy taxes on churches remain despite this. Violence between Okanist and Mazdayasna groups increases with religion becoming more prevalent in society as Shou religious officials move out.

Lingshen declares its full independence from Shou Lang under the reformed Hao dynasty, and is subsequently crushed under the forces of Shou Lang and the Dragon Emperor. This also sparks civil unrest in Turam and major mutinies within the Turami army.

Yún Kàn leads an army from Kaoling, capturing the city of Zhongguan and recruiting 7 heroes to battle as his chosen champions. These champions lead several squads deep into the Turam hills to meet with local khans, who are paid or convinced to aid Shou Lang in several skirmishes with Lingshen’s mercenary armies. The army of Shou Lang marches southeast towards the Greensea, meeting the Vulture Company led by Lingshen nobility in the fields outside Fenghua. The battle ends in a victory for Shou Lang, with the Emperor and his 7 leading the army to a siege of the city itself.

In order to prevent revolt in Turam, the Emperor dissolves the Turami army and pays a stipend to each soldier in order to prevent revolt and more poverty from loss of employment. Also, many local khans that were hired to fight alongside imperial forces are given large swathes of land in the north of Turam for their tribes.

The Fifteenth Conflux Tournament ends with the Shuǐ Clan (水) leading out (DECIDE NAME LATER).

The Rusting of Green occurs. A plant rust, affecting most of the farmlands around lower Shou Lang, destroys harvests for the next three years and creates famine all around Asora before finally being cured by druids in service of the Emperor.

The Sixteenth Conflux Tournament ends with the Shuǐ Clan (水) leading out yet again.

Despite immense protection and security, as well as magical divination, Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi (天叢雲剣, "Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds") goes missing from the Emperor’s palace and does not resurface for decades. Although originally this was kept a secret, rumor of it spreads and causes great distrust and discontent for the Emperor. Some claim the sword abandoned him itself, showing that the Emperor has lost the Mandate and does not deserve his role.

Minkai is struck with a sudden increase of troll populations, leading to general panic and dangerous travel throughout the countryside. This issue is eventually resolved but many innocent lives are lost in the months it takes to cull their populations.

Major revolts from human supremacy and nationalist movements in the northwest of Shou Lang lead to greatly increased racial violence against beastfolk and non-humans in higher positions of bureaucracy. Using the hero Lu Bu as a figurehead, they claim him as the physical embodiment of Chan Cheng (the second immortal) and see his rage against elves and non-humans as the will of the Immortals.

The “Glory Years” of Shou Lang, a time of intense political violence against non-humans and strange and esoteric religions. Sponsored by state-run organizations, groups of young and impressionable Shou men are drafted in city guard squads and military organizations. The new Hao dynasty sponsors Réndào as the state religion of Shou Lang and suppresses the religious freedom laws of the Dragon Emperor.

Shèngzǔ Hao passes away, leaving the title of Emperor to one of his sons. Only a day later, that child is poisoned during dinner, leaving a power vacuum that explodes into yet another bloody civil war.