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Kaiserguy14 — The Eternal Empire
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Published: 2021-07-01 14:11:09 +0000 UTC; Views: 21952; Favourites: 47; Downloads: 5
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Description
Official name: The Empire of the Eternal DragonColloquial names: Thien Hoa, The Rong, The Empire
National motto: Kingdom of Glory, Land of Eternity
Capital and Largest City: Xu so Huong (The Land of Perfume) - 41.19 million
Widely spoken languages:
- Tieng Rong - “Dragon Language” is the official and most common tongue spoken in Thien Hoa.
Emerging with the Con Rong after The Alignment was their original language, which historians have only mostly rebuilt. Whatever the old language was, the vicious chaos of the Thousand-Kingdom Period shattered it as order broke down, states grew distant, and various dialects emerged that would evolve into separate languages of their own right. Eventually, the Kingdom of Thanh Long successfully united Thien Hoa under a unified Empire. Among its first and most fervent policies was the linguistic unification of the Empire under the ruling dynasty’s tongue. Unlike with the humans, the Con Rong were assimilated relatively peacefully, likely out of racial bonds; many of the Thousand-Kingdom languages have since been lost to history, either because records were never kept or the knowledge behind them has been lost, rendering them unintelligible gibberish.
After millenia of assimilation and education, Tieng Rong is now spoken by practically everyone in the Empire, with only foreign immigrants completely unable to understand it. Even so, the sheer size of the Empire has allowed new dialects to emerge (though none are anywhere near as removed from the mother tongue as during the Thousand-Kingdom Period). Overseas, the sheer might of the Empire, through its tributary network and military conquests, has exposed much of the world (or, more accurately, what’s left of it) to Tieng Rong; many states in Dat Chay would do well to keep fluent diplomats, and the few traders from the west are well acquainted with the language.
- Tieng Da Voi - “Limestone Language” is spoken almost exclusively by the human minority of the Empire, itself mostly found in the south and east.
Public executions of academia and massacres of entire villages occurred on an almost minutely basis by the Con Rong during the chaotic, genocidal free-for-all that was the Spring of Fire. after their victory, the Con Rong kingdoms scaled back their repression as resources and manpower were diverted to defence from external threats as the Thousand-Kingdom Period set in. The original Da Voi culture would slowly fade away as the number of contenders whittled down until Thanh Long emerged victorious. As part of its cultural assimilation program, the newly declared Thien Hoa would enact a millennia-long effort to eradicate the Da Voi language and cultural identity. Various disasters, wars, and crises kept hampering progress and diverting attention until the Empire finally dropped all efforts to stamp out Tieng Da Voi during the Glorious Spring and Summer.
The language, though decimated, survives in the south, where the Despicable Rebellion and rise of the Third Fa has seriously tarnished its reputation; most Imperial humans now choose to speak Tieng Rong, a reflection of their resentment of the far south and desire to distance themselves from the brutal traitors. There are, however, plenty enough who aren’t fazed by the connotations that there’s a reasonable chance for onto to hear Tieng Da Voi being spoken in most southern ports and rural towns.
- Tieng Lun - “Dwarf Language” hails from the Bakufu of Dat Lun in the west.
Dat Lun holds extreme value for the Empire: Its extensive coal and gold reserves are necessary to fuel the industrialization of the economy; but more importantly, its strategic position means that control of the land not only was key to securing the Thousand Crane Sea and precluding naval attacks on the capital, but also granted the Imperial navy direct access to the Angry Ocean. Because of this, Dat Lun’s history saw direct influence from Thien Hoa ever since the two nations came into contact. Most recently, the Imperial-backed Mata clan (which itself partially descended from a Con Rong general) emerged the sole victor of a vicious civil war on the island, securing the Bakufu and becoming a loyal tributary state for Thien Hoa.
Loss of sovereignty aside, Dat Lun has seen something of a golden age since the establishment of the Mata: Their high status in the Imperial sphere grants them preferential treatment in trade and military protection. The influx of eastern goods and culture generated an economic boom and began the acculturation of the upper class. That isn’t to say Thien Hoa didn’t benefit from this arrangement: Dat Lun’s loyalty has secured the capital’s western flank, and Imperial merchants bring back all sorts of exotic items from the western island. Such is the fascination between the two that the Emperor personally ordered the construction of a district in previously undeveloped land near the mouth of the Perfume River for the Dat Lunese. It isn’t uncommon nowadays to come across someone in the capital with at least some familiarity with Tieng Lun.
- The Others - Encompassing half of the largest continent in the world, it’s not difficult to see why Thien Hoa is host to a veritable dim sum of smaller languages that, while spoken by a large number of people, are overshadowed by the Three Kingly Tongues. Many of these languages were introduced rather recently, when refugees fled the brutality of the Third Fa to various port cities and border towns in the southern Empire.
Religions: It is important ot note that, while the rest of the world claims that Thien Hoa follows two state religions, the situation is seen differently at home. WCD is seen as the sole state religion, as it deals with spiritual and divine matters, while The Cult is seen more as an ideology or “secular religion” that deals with matters of state, morality, and society.
- Worship of the Celestial Dragon (WCD) - During the Thousand-Kingdom Period, almost all of the individual states had their own religion or philosophy that attempted to explain the Great Alignment and the periodic movement of the stars. As time went on, many would fall by the wayside and be forgotten or condemned. The Period would climactically end with the unification of the region as Thien Hoa, under the rule of the Rong Dynasty. With unification came the officialization of the Rong’s religion, Worship of the Celestial Dragon. Millenia of assimilation and suppression of opposing faiths have brought not only the other Con Rong, but also the humans into the holy fold.
The cornerstone to WCD is the Thanh Long, the great lord and creator of all, the Warden of the Universe. An important factor of the Thanh Long is its mystery: It contains the same morality and beliefs as animals like snakes; that is to say, none. It is a being of unpredictable nature, either because it has schemes that mere mortals cannot hope to comprehend or, like an animal of nature, it simply does what it likes to. Though a definitive conclusion will never be reached, the agreed explanation behind the Great Alignment is that the Thanh Long had appeared on Earth, gave three breaths (one created the new elements, the next created the Con Rong, and the third gave them magic) and left. This is why the dominant race in the Empire calls itself the Con Rong: Children of The Dragon.
During the creation of the Earth, the Thanh Long created three other beings of immense (but far weaker) power: The Ky Lan (Warden of Spirits), the Rua Than (Warden of The Stars), and the Phung Hoang (Warden of The Earth). Unlike their creator, the three other deities possess moralities of their own. Most importantly, the Rua Than greatly values knowledge, and holds a great love towards man. Therefore, it is willing to manipulate the subjects of its domain every so often to assist its favored.
This, as claimed, is why, every five years, the northern stars realign to form a magic square, indicating that, for the next few nights, the other stars of the sky will realign into new constellations that, through a language of patterns that Imperial astronomers have decoded over centuries, vaguely predict major world events in the future (wars, disasters, births & deaths, etc.). But for the issues local and personal, the Rua Than also offers assistance. The meteors called down by the Con Rong at the end of the Spring of Fire brought materials that, if manipulated by certain mages, can give smaller, more immediate predictions and advice.
There's uncertainty about why the Thanh Long decided to drop a new race at humanity's doorstep and what exactly it thought of the native humans. The official line, following the (also official) line that the Thanh Long is a being of nature with no intent or morality, is that it doesn't hate humans (it just doesn’t care about them) and it simply appeared on Earth because it wanted to. There exists minuscule secret societies that insinuate that the Thanh Long actively despised the weak humans, and created the Con Rong to replace them. Racial supremacist as it was, the Empire still understood that wiping out 20% of its population wasn't a good idea, and actively suppresses these societies before they can grow out of control.
- Cult of The Sage - There is still heated debate over whether the Cult of The Sage is a religion, a philosophical movement, a political ideology, or simply a model of behavior. The state, for its part, has labelled it a “secular religion”, and has accordingly constructed temples to the Sage and ancestral spirits across the country.
The Cult’s history, like that of so many things concerning the Empire, is frustratingly more blurry the farther back one goes, to the point that scraps of information are all that’s left of the beginning. Some centuries before The Alignment (agreed to be around 3 to 4 centuries), the King of Shan accepted a travelling scholar into his court. During the Thousand-Kingdom Period, the Shan capital would be razed and its library burnt; the man’s name has been lost to history. During his time in court, the scholar organized and promoted various underlying political and social ideas that lurked behind conventional discourse, along with some of his own. He eventually gained a large following and was titled “The Sage” by none other than the Shan King himself. However, it wouldn’t be until well after his death, during the Thousand-Kingdom Period, that his philosophy was rediscovered and revived. Mac Vu Anh, a minister serving the State of Huong, recovered copies of The Sage’s works, translating them before ultimately revising many of his ideas to better fit the time of chaos the region was engulfed in. After publishing his magnum opus, Annalects of the Great Sage, a cult based around the scholar and his wisdom was born and quickly swept through the land. After unification under the Rong dynasty, the Cult was enshrined as one of the two official faiths of the Empire, cementing a dominating presence in Thien Hoan politics and society that has lasted to this day.
It is important to note that the philosophy of The Cult is a combination of The Sage’s original works and addendums and reinterpretations by Mac and other scholars. The center of The Cult is the family and social harmony. It firmly believes that people are morally neutral by nature, and that attempting to rule through pure fear or love is ignorant and impractical. The Cult emphasizes relationships built on a combination of moral standards and realistic necessity: Just as a child should be obedient to the parent and a subject to a sovereign, so must the authority figure be benevolent and righteous in their command. However, a good superior must know when to apply force when necessary. A good parent loves their child openly and kindly, while holding no hesitation to straighten them out, harshly if need be. A good ruler ensures the peace and prosperity of the land and people, but must be willing to carry out unspeakable acts if the situation calls for it. Above all else, The Cult calls for pragmatic judgement and the willingness to do what must be done for the good of society in its teachings.
Outside of social harmony, The Cult also has teachings on governance and politics: The Sage urged that a good sovereign will appoint officials not by their bloodline or connections, but their merit and character. He also proposed that states should centralize their power, abolishing traditional feudal privileges and uniting the state under a single bureaucratic monarchy.
Government: Ethnocratic absolute monarchy
Despite crises and reforms over the millenia, the government of Thien Hoa remains faithfully modelled after the ideas of The Sage, along with similarly ancient political doctrines. Along these lines, the Empire has been dominated by the Imperial Court and bureaucracy.
The Emperor/Empress, descendent of the Rong Dynasty, is the absolute autocrat of Thien Hoa. As per The Cult’s philosophy, His/Her Imperial Divinity commands absolute obedience from all subjects, but officials are obligated to advise and guide the monarch if they believed that he/she was making unwise or otherwise bad decisions. The monarch is assisted by multiple ministries dedicated to various executive duties. Despite the extreme centralization of power, however, the sheer size of the Empire has forced the monarch to deliberate certain responsibilities to local, directly appointed authorities. Thus, while all matters are directly handled by the monarch, in effect, the central government handles taxation, the military, economic projects, resources, disaster response, and national law. Various dukes, marquesses, governors, and commanders are responsible for local administration and issues. Despite the autonomy, however, the central government still keeps a very short, very tight leash on its subordinates, and flying ink posts across the Empire ensures that news of failure and corruption can reach the capital in mere hours, no matter how fringe the territory might be.
More impressive than the tightly controlled monarchy, however, is the bureaucracy. Taking cues from Legalist meritocracy and The Cult’s value for virtuous and wise authorities, Thien Hoa is known for its bureaucratic examinations. There are two main branches of examinations: National and Local. National examinations are only held by a decree from the monarch, and dole out high ranking offices and positions in the Imperial Court. Local examinations are biannual and mainly serve to seek out talented bureaucrats, artists, and scholars to either fill out local administrations (bureaucrats), offer government jobs (scholars), or bestow prestige and recognition (artists). Though the exams are theoretically open to all except ex-convicts, slaves and their families, and (for higher positions) humans, the candidacies alone are unofficially, almost completely, restricted to wealthier families who already have history with the bureaucracy, as their children have the money and time to study; not only that, but incumbent bureaucrats must also take the exam to determine if there is a better candidate to replace them, meaning that exam-takers must also face experienced veterans with a vested interest to keep their post. that said, it isn’t unheard of for a commoner to occasionally rise to higher status.
Unlike in most other states, the bureaucracy in Thien Hoa is divided by strict, hierarchical ranks, from Principal First Rank (Minister of the government) to Deputy Ninth Rank (Local tax collector). The military is ranked by a similar system.
Of course, it wouldn’t be an accurate introduction to Imperial governance without addressing the most glaring controversy of the state: Institutionalized racism. The Con Rong, through historical, religious, and biological justifications, have barred humans (“Limestone People” as the Con Rong would call them) from rising above the Principal Fourth Rank in civil and military hierarchies. There is also legal discrimination: Con Rong generally enjoy more legal protections and lighter punishments than humans. Socially, humans aren’t discriminated against should they become merchants, bureaucrats, or most other civilian fare, but those who join the military are looked down on as objectively weaker than their Con Rong counterparts (though not without historical reasons as well). Though the occasional proposal to open up more of the government and military to humans surfaced over the Empire’s long history, each and every one was shot down on the grounds that there simply was no need to reform: Humans made up less than a quarter of the population, and the Empire is already prosperous and powerful enough with segregation in place.
Population by 2nd Month, 4,120th Year: 417,519,660
Economy by 2nd Month, 4,120th Year
- Currency - The Lang
- GDP (PPP) - $1.9 trillion
- GDP per capita (PPP) - $4,550
History: The history of The Empire is tied to the history of the Con Rong race. Unfortunately, it stretches so far back and so much has been lost that the best accounts for start of the Con Rong and their empire are legends and myths.
- 10,000 O.W. to Alignment Year - History before the Alignment is mostly conjecture and theory; the first written records only appeared roughly 7,500 O.W. Note that in the Historical Calendar, the years progress positively like with the current calendar until 10,000, where it switches to the Alignment Calendar. During this period, humankind slowly developed civilization along rivers and coastlines before moving inland. The earliest records speak of multiple warring empires that constantly waxed and waned over wars, disasters, and unions. By the time of the Alignment, it appeared that most of modern-day Thien Hoa was made up of a collection of city-states and small kingdoms allied to a Fa Dynasty.
- Alignment Year - During the Fourth Month of the year, the stars in the northern part of the night sky suddenly and inexplicably realigned to form a specific constellation. Over the course of the next three nights, three great changes would occur throughout the world: First, worldwide, new elements and materials would appear in newly-formed geological formations. It is believed that Mt. Phai, holder of a massive deposit of frosted wood, was created during this time. Second, specific to the continent of Dat Nha, was the appearance of a new race. Though they appeared quite similar to humans in appearance and voice, they were of white hair, red skin, and physical superiority. Third was the imbuement of magic to the new race. The humans of the old world named them “Zhusha Ren” (Cinnabar People).
From here on, all dates are in A.A. (After Alignment)
- 1 to 13 - The Long Winter - Named as such for the traditional hardships of winter that were now suffered for over a decade, chaos and uncertainty griped Dat Nha as the various countries across the continent suddenly found themselves having to support a far larger population than before; that, on top of severe language barriers, distrust between the races, and uncertainty over the whole situation resulted in multiple terrible harvests, leading to widespread famine and disease. At the tail end of the period, state-sponsored lynchings of Zhusha Ren begin gaining popularity as various states begin collapsing. Backed into a corner, the new race, over the following years, collectively decided that it was kill of be killed, and began warring with the humans.
- 13 to 119 - The Spring of Fire - Across Dat Nha, newly formed Zhusha Ren kingdoms battled established human empires for control over resources and territory to support their people. It seems that capitals (and their libraries) are often raided and razed, leaving few surviving records. What remains paint a grim picture: Warfare during this period was brutal and desperate, as both sides regularly massacred the other race in their territory not only out of deep-seated enmity, but also to cull the number of mouths the severely weakened states needed to feed. Famine and disease grew worse and more frequent, as scorched earth tactics became popular. Humankind’s advantages in population and tactical knowledge were blunted by the sheer force multiplier the Zhusha Ren’s magic presented, along with the technological and industrial advances achieved. It isn’t known if it was a collective action or done by a single person/group, but later in the period, the Zhusha Ren called down a massive meteor shower, believed to contain at least 500 falling stars, to blast apart the humans; whether or not it was an accident, it will never be known, but the meteors ended up falling across the world, rendering much of it scorched, blackened wasteland, though only small swathes of Dat Nha were hit, specifically areas of significant human presence. The Spring of Fire would end with the Zhusha Ren conquering the last remaining human state, the Kingdom of Dai.
- 124 to 747 - The Thousand-Kingdom Period - The victory of the Zhusha Ren was quickly soured by severe infighting amongst the kingdoms over what the post-Spring Dat Nha should look like; though most agreed to a confederacy of semi-independent states, unity broke down when it became apparent that some kingdoms would have greater influence in national governance than others. By 124, northern Dat Nha broke apart into multiple warring states as human remnants in the far south reclaimed small amounts of territory before being stopped at the Yan Mountains. Great technological, social, and philosophical breakthroughs were achieved during this period: Crossbows became ubiquitous after 600, the State of Huong adopted new ideas on governance and behavior, and states began utilizing magic and technology to centralize power within the monarch. Many heroes of Imperial folklore, like Cao Linh, Au Trinh, and Ho Phat lived during this period. Over time, northern Dat Nha was consolidated between three main contenders: The Kingdom of Thanh Long, The Empire of Mac, and the Great Eastern Confederacy. Through threats, bribery, and promises from the other states, the Confederacy collapsed into civil war as Thanh Long and Mac beat each other bloody in a final push to secure supremacy over the realm. The Battle of Tay Uy wiped out much of Mac’s leadership, allowing Thanh Long to swiftly conquer the disintegrating Empire and the remains of the Confederacy. The Thousand-Kingdom Period would end when King Rong Hoan Vuong declared himself Emperor, regnal name Thang Thien, and declared the Empire of the Eternal Dragon on the Seventh Month of 747. The name of the state would be Thien Hoa.
- 747 to 1,993 - The First Great Peace - As the name of the period implies, the next millennium would pass relatively smoothly, as Thien Hoa would slowly assimilate the conquered peoples of the Empire. It was during this time that the theology of the Empire would be organized into a coherent religion, the Worship of the Celestial Dragon; around the 1,000s, the Zhusha Ren would henceforth be known as the Con Rong. Thien Hoa would also adopt the Cult of The Sage, borrowing ideas from the conquered Huong. Technological and academic development was fairly slow during this period, not only because of the severe cultural and linguistic barriers between the newly-united peoples prevented cooperation, but also due to the Empire meticulously purging large swathes of literature and records from the libraries of conquered states to both destroy any threats to Imperial doctrine and expedite the assimilation process by wiping the identities of countless cultures. It was only at the tail end of the period, as Tieng Rong became widely spoken across the Empire and the academic base was fully rebuilt, that advances in technology and philosophy began.
- 1,994 to 2,131 - Commonly lumped in with the First Great Peace, the industrious revolution that would follow is now considered by most scholars to be a separate era. Defined by the appearance of most societal aspects of an industrial society (mainly consumerism and a demand for cheap luxury goods) despite the lack of machinery and mass-producing infrastructure. This demand drove Thien Hoa to begin exploring abroad for new materials while domestically ramping up resource extraction at home through the opening of new mines and escalation of human slavery. The industrious revolution would end when an attempted invasion of the human Revival Fa Dynasty to the far south would result in the Southern Calamity.
- 2,132 to 2,437 - The Southern Calamity - Thien Hoan forces poured across the border with the Revival Fa to capture gold and gemstone-rich territories in the north and northwest. After a first few years of successful campaigns, disaster struck the southernmost provinces: Missionaries and priests from the Revival Fa snuck into Thien Hoa, preaching the words of a figure known as the Fotuo. Their sermons on salvation and the end of suffering hit especially hard to the human slaves, who took up arms and revolted against the Con Rong, kickstarting the Orange Cloak Revolt. Though it was put down with relative ease in a few years, the damage had been done: Fotism gripped the south as slaves and even some Con Rong nobles converted and caused unrest for over a century before escalating it into the Yellow Cloak Revolt, which would take decades to put down, not because of determined and effective resistance, but because the highly mobile rebels were near impossible to hunt down by the Imperial army. During this, the Revival Fa managed to not only drive out the invaders, but also slowly push into Thien Hoan territory before being stopped at the Son river. With censors failing to suppress news of the defeats and dissent building up in the capital itself, the desperate Rong negotiated a treaty with the Revival Fa: The latter would keep all conquered lands and was entitled to 500 billion Lang in reparations. The period ended with the execution of the final Yellow Cloak leader.
- 2,438 to 2,831 - The Autumn and Winter period - This period would be given its name much later, and was monikered so after the idea that a parallel could be drawn between the coldening of autumn, then the biting frost of winter before the warmth of spring and the events of this era. Thien Hoa would linger on in a lethargic slump for almost 400 years, as Fotism became widespread across the south (to the point where the Imperial Court was forced to acknowledge it and sponsor the construction of monasteries), the reparations to the Revival Fa strained the economy, humans constantly launched low level revolts, and a general feeling of humiliation and discontent permeated the Empire. By the middle of the period, the Revival Fa would strike again with an invasion to conquer the Thao Nguyen steppes, to which the Empire offered only a token resistance. Beset by foreign invasions, economic decline, religious strife, and growing unrest, historians today are still at a slight wonder that Thien Hoa didn’t collapse under its own weight. To their credit, it almost did, but, at the end of the period, the Celestial Dragon, in a fit of abandon and uncontrollable emotion, brought forth a miracle to the Con Rong: Her Imperial Divinity would birth Rong Vinh Hoa. Reared when the Empire’s malaises were reaching their head, she would succeed her mother at the age of 17, ending the Autumn and Winter Period and beginning one of, if not the, greatest reigns in Thien Hoan history.
- 2,831 to 2,925 - The Glorious Spring and Summer - Despite her relative youth upon ascension, Vinh Hoa, regnal name Sao Thanh, proved shockingly capable in her early reign, purging much of the central government of corrupt officials and, in what would be known as the Revolt of the Ten Fiefdoms, use the army to violently wrest power back into the hands of the central government after centuries of slow devolution. Sao Thanh’s early reign was most notable for the remarkable enthusiasm and fervor the government had as it began a lightning-fast campaign of rejuvenation: Corruption was rooted out through public executions and death threats, taxes (which were, until now, left to decline to keep the people sated) rose to rebuild the military and fund grand infrastructural projects, the government distributed propaganda to Fotist-majority regions and welfare to converts, and, in her magnanimity, she brokered peace with the humans; while they still didn’t enjoy the same status as Con Rong and the Empire still needed an unpaid workforce, all non-criminal humans were emancipated, and slavery was now restricted to convicts and prisoners of war. Even so, despite the revitalization of Thien Hoa, the reparations it was saddled with still hampered economic recovery. And so, in 2,848, the Empress not only refused to continue paying reparations, not only demanded all of the money back and more, not only demanded all lands lost during the Southern Calamity and more, but also demanded the vassalization of the Revival Fa as a tributary state, a relationship unheard of since the Thousand-Kingdom Period. Naturally, the baffled southerners declared war and the Fotists rose up once more.
2,848 to 2,857 - The Glorious War - Things had changed significantly during the leadup to the War: Thien Hoa had meticulously studied southern tactics and weaponry, while developing new ones of their own, while the Revival Fa, having spent centuries in splendid isolation, was mostly ignorant to outside developments. Moreover, Thien Hoa had the fortune to encounter a shipwreck at the mouth of the Pearl Delta. Claiming to hail from the far western islands, the survivors, in exchange for shelter and a ride home, gave the Rong their cargo: A shipment of strange, but impressive arms and armor. Given their overwhelming advantages, it’s little wonder that the Thien Hoans smashed apart the outdated Revival Fa forces. Using their support for the enemy as a pretext, Sao Thanh also took the opportunity to brutally exterminate the Fotists from Thien Hoa. Temples were razed and erased from maps, monks were slaughtered en masse, and followers were either forcibly converted, enslaved, or outright killed. Modern estimates place the death toll at around 30 million; to this day, the Fotist population of Thien Hoa hasn’t risen above the low hundreds. After nine years and a devastating campaign into their home territory that saw unspeakable massacres and sacks, the Revival Fa surrendered. In the end, all 500 billion Lang was to be repaid along with another 200 billion as further reparations, all lands conquered during the Southern Calamity were to be returned along with the annexation of the northern coast, and the Revival Fa was to be made a tributary state, sending a yearly tribute to Xu so Huong.
The Empire’s victory in the Glorious War re-energized the nation: Centuries of humiliation were wiped away in a decade, everything lost was returned with great loot, and Thien Hoa reasserted itself as the dominant power of Dat Nha. Empress Sao Thanh’s reign would bask in the drunken glow of victory as the economy prospered, tribute flowed in, and the government set to work racially cleansing the new territories. Technology and academia flourished. Then, the Revival Fa, so long the mortal enemy of Thien Hoa and castrated by the Glorious War, collapsed; the Imperial army wasted no time in mopping up the warlords and reorganizing them into new tributary states. Near the end of her reign, Sao Thanh received emissaries from the far western island. Months later, an Imperial embassy would be established in Dat Lun.
Empress Sao Thanh would die on the 7th day of the 3rd month of 2,925. She would be granted the posthumous monikers “The Eternal” and “Mother of the Nation.”
- 2,895 to 3,503 - The Second Great Peace - Sao Thanh’s reign left behind a hyperpower for her descendents, ready to be unleashed upon the world; and unleashed it was. For the first time, the establishment of contact with Dat Lun raised curiosity over the true scope of the world. An exploration fleet sailed westwards to find an island even further west then Dat Lun, and jumped from there to discover the great continent of Dat Chay. It was only then that the true extent of the meteor shower, called down so many years ago, was revealed; nary a speck of land was green, and the few people there lagged behind the east by almost a thousand years. Though there were large deposits of meteorite and plenty of easily-conquerable land, the sheer distance made any colonization attempt unappealing, and the Imperial Court eventually settled on having the most powerful countries become tributary states. Relation with Dat Lun also warmed, as Thien Hoans became interested in Dat Lun culture and the Bakufu in turn was eager to import Thien Hoan technology.
Science and technology saw great advances during this period: Alchemy was finally pursued as an empirical science instead of a field of magic, allowing various concoctions and discoveries about the basic elements of nature to be made. Among the new materials was a combination of sulphur and hot ice, which reacted most violently to fire. Initially used in fireworks, this “Firepowder” was later adapted to military use, where it was found that it could propel any projectile to such a speed and velocity as to render bows and armor nearly useless. For the next half-millenium, “firebows” would serve as a near-insurmountable technological edge that Thien Hoa guarded jealously, to the point that initially, firebows were only allowed to be used in the deep interior, forcing troops to be rotated so everyone can gain training and experience with the new weapons. Another great advancement was the clever use of metal and steam to develop a sort of engine that operated without organic assistance. While it would truly come into its elements later, the steam engine already saw great potential when units were employed to drain water from mines.
Society saw significant changes in racial attitudes: The reign of Emperor Dai Phung, who was notable for having a human consort, lifted many of the barriers to human involvement in the military and bureaucracy, causing an uproar among the Con Rong that culminated in a backlash that rolled back many (but not all) of the reforms. There also arose a new economic class, one that had middling wealth.
The Second Great Peace ended with the rebellion of an ambitious tributary.
- 3,504 to 3,518 - The Revolt of the Perfidious Fiefs - The Kingdom of Gao, already the poorest of the southern lands by the Revival Fa’s collapse, only fared worse as a tributary state under the Rong’s thumb. Their economy driven through the ground by reparations, resentful of the Con Rong for putting them in this squalor, and desperate for independence, the King of Gao declared a revolt against the Empire, massacring the Con Rong bureaucrats and their families. Thien Hoa wasted no time in sending an army south, this time equipped with firebows, where they would mop the floor with the enemy. When they reached the capital, however, they found it devoid of both defenders and ruler; the King had fled to Dat Lun, where he successfully pleaded for the domains of Okato and Tsumare, ostensibly subordinate to the Imperial-aligned Bakufu, to rebel. For the first time in its history, the capital was under assault: Dat Lunese ships muscled their way into the Perfume River, landing infantry and firing at nearby guard towers. It took a full day not to defeat the landing force (that took mere minutes), but to hunt down the last straggler. Enraged, both the Empire and Bakufu launched a joint invasion of the treasonous domains, where Imperial ships, newly armed with bombards, devastated Okato’s capital. In the south, the Despotate of Zhang, which had secretly developed its own firepowder weapons and boldend by the assault on the capital, joined Gao in revolt and assaulted an Imperial fortress to great success. Even with their weaponry, however, Zhang was sill horribly outnumbered, and was likewise obliterated. The rest of the war was spent hunting down remnant forces in hiding. After declaring victory with the beheading of the two rebel leaders, Thien Hoa replaced placed Con Rong nobles at the head of the defeated states. Still stunned by the assault on the capital, the Empire began in earnest to prevent such a thing from happening again by fortifying the mouth of the Perfume and securing islands to the west. In the west, the Bakufu collapsed into civil war as the betrayal of the two domains exposed the central government’s weakness.
- 3,519 to 3,920 - The Third Great Peace - The Empire once more looked outwards, seeking mainly to protect the capital and major ports from enemy invasions. In the west, they decided to intervene with the civil war tearing apart Dat Lun. The Mata clan, founded by a Con Rong general who immigrated, found itself awash with Imperial firebows, bombards, and advisors. After a decade of brutal conquest, Dat Lun was united once more, now under a partially Con Rong clan. As per the treaty that gave the Mata their supplies and allies, they were to cede their eastern coast and offer lucrative prices for their gold and coal to Dat Lun.
Eastwards, it was decided to finally explore the burnt continent that sat past the Undulating Sea. Imperial ships landed to find unpopulated mountainous coasts, but trekked further inland to find a civilization that thrived right under their noses. It was discovered that, like in Dat Lun, the peoples of this continent were divided amongst differing factions, this time tribes. The Empire later came to support one of the more amiable ones, known as the Jin. In exchange for assistance with the conquest of their eastern rivals, Imperial technology, and Thien Hoa’s acceptance of their total independence, the Jin would cede the continent’s (Karghan, they called it) western shore and along with large amounts of jade, meteorite, and gold. The later establishment of the Jin Empire, stretching across all of eastern Karghan, would blossom into an alliance between the two nations.
Further abroad, tribute began flowing in from Dat Chay; precious meteorite, exotic alcohols, and quaint luxurious materials flowed into the capital, which grew to encompass more and more land as newer, more efficient machinery was introduced: Water powered looms, glass buildings that could grow food in the harshest winters, and a widespread construction boom attracted peasants from the countryside. Overall, this was seen across the Empire’s largest cities, as the influx of lower class workers, foreign dignitaries and immigrants, and a flourishing of technological research set the stage for the coming industrial revolution.
The military, despite the centuries of peace, still managed to stay in shape. Technology was refined during this period, as a lack of pressure for immediate results from war allowed the equipment bureau to be more experimental. Designs that were adopted include a breech-loaded firebow, complete with metal cartridges (that would be dropped later due to costs), a horse-drawn cart that could fire one hundred rockets at once, and a warship covered by an iron roof. The government finally released its grip on the proliferation of Firepowder weaponry when it became clear that other powers were discovering and developing such things independently. The rise of firebow usage by pirates and bandits groups was initially ignored until, yet again, another Great Peace was shattered by another war.
- 3,920 to 3,935 - The Despicable Rebellion - Marshal Shun Bai Hao was many things: A brilliant commander, a shrewd observer, a capable administrator, a charismatic charmer, and, to the shock and outrage of the Imperial Court, a human supremacist, overambitious son of a bitch who dreamed of crowns and thrones. Upon crushing a revolt in Chuenpi, on the steps of the old Royal Palace, Hao issued a proclamation to shake Dat Nha to its very core: He called upon all humans throughout the continent and tributaries of the Empire to throw off the yoke of Con Rong tyranny, then declared himself Emperor Sheng Xing of the Third Fa Dynasty.
At the outset, it had appeared that the rebellion would fall: Despite riots in the south and tributaries, and a minor revolt in the Jin, it seemed that the so-called Third Fa was hopelessly outnumbered and outmatched. Then the Empire learned that not only was Sheng Xing an avid enthusiast of Firepowder, but also one of the leading revolutionaries in military engineering. Thien Hoan commanders watched in horror as entire regiments crashed into Third Fa defenses like breakers upon a cliff, before rebel counterattacks drove the Imperials into a rout all the way to the homeland. Many garrisons were lost in sudden encirclements formed by revolts throughout the southern tributaries, forced to either surrender or be destroyed. The Jin and Dat Lun suffered rebellious nobles as well. Before they could march further north, however, millions of fresh Imperial troops finally arrived at the front. Unlike the pike-and-shot formations of the garrisons, these armies were reorganized along radical ideas, turning them into almost exclusively firebow-armed infantry that fired in rotating volleys. This was only made possible by equally novel ideas on mass production and how industrial machinery can assist. That, along with similar overhauls in the cavalry and artillery, blunted the Third Fa’s advances. Similar ideas pursued by the Jin and Dat Lun allowed them to overcome their own rebels and begin naval skirmished with the Third Fa. Eventually, numerical, logistical (Sheng Xing would learn, much to his frustration, that he conscripted far too many farmers into his military) and organizational superiority allowed the Empire to slowly push the rebels back until mounting monetary and demographic costs on both sides led to the rebels suing for peace, which The Empire (very reluctantly) agreed to. Thien Hoa would acknowledge and respect the independence of the Third Fa Dynasty, which encompassed most of the territory of Thien Hoa’s former tributaries, save for a strip of land that was to serve as a neutral demilitarized zone between the two countries. Con Rong and Imperialist humans in the Fa and pro-Fa humans in the Rong have ten years to move under legal protection.
- 3,936 to The Present - Era of the Vengeful Dragon - Academic circles have refrained from naming this era, as historical developments have yet to pass, but many are already giving it this moniker as Thien Hoa’s fervent revanchism seems to be the defining element. Though the Empire lost once more to a Fa Dynasty, unlike during the Southern Calamity, not only was it able to halt the enemy before they could reach the homeland and deal severe casualties in the process, but their was effort was decisive and brutal enough that twas Sheng Xing, the southern upstart, who begged for peace, and that alone was enough to salvage the Imperial people’s pride. However, as stated before, they are still bitter over the loss of so many sons and daughters for a mere draw. The government, likewise, is fuming over the loss of tributaries and prestige. To that, Thien Hoa has set out to rebuild, stronger, better, superior to the evil Fa.
An industrial revolution has been in full swing for decades now, as the revolutionary concepts pioneered during the Despicable Rebellion were matured and perfected. State-owned assembly line factories can be found in every city of the Empire, and dedicate themselves to churning out goods both military and civilian. For the first time, luxury goods can be made relatively cheaply, and there are regular abundances of necessities, significantly raising the living standard. This was mostly thanks to increased shipments of materials from Dat Chay, which came in the form of heftier tribute and strongarming. While most of the western tributaries acquiesced, the Republic of Cispadana responded by beating up the emissary who informed them. An invasion force swiftly made it across the ocean, obliterating their second largest city before barging into the capital. In a rare moment of pity, Cispadana was allowed to survive, but not only was its tribute now even greater than that of its neighbors, but it was also forced to cede the island of Armana to the Empire, which would turn it into a naval base.
A doubling-down on more experimental, more powerful weaponry led to new development in firebow technology, such as rifling, paper cartridges, and conical bullets, as well as overall inventions including steel-plated warships, armor for people and horses that can significantly slow, if not fully stop, bullets, airburst munitions for artillery, and new firebow types, such as the swarm-firebow, which fires multiple pellets out at once, and the skirmishing firebow, optimized for long-range combat.
Alchemy has also seen a revolution during this time. The mass production of ingredients allows alchemists to freely experiment and discover new, amazing concoctions. Such experiments were initially propped up by the military, and took the forms of potions that healed minor wounds and food additives that eliminated fatigue. Later, wealthy nobles and local governments joined in, funding various programs to pursue fantastic ideas, the most infamous of which was a potion for immortality. While such dreams were never realized, they paved the way for other groundbreaking discoveries to be made: Opium, hitherto illegal to grow, let alone consume on pain of penal slavery, was found to be an extremely potent alchemical ingredient that, when mixed with post-Alignment minerals, not only negated the adverse effects of the substance, but also reacted to develop new, beneficial properties. Opium-based substances that reversed lung damage, healed gums, cleared migraines, and generally relieved stress proved a massive success on the market, though the fairly expensive ingredients mean that consumers were usually middle class and above. Over time, similar discoveries were made with tobacco, ephedra, and other such materials. Traditional medicinal practices were eventually forced to either embrace the new flood of alchemical breakthroughs, or reject them and fade into obscurity; they chose the former. The central government took an interest in the burgeoning industry, and passed a flurry of decrees regulating production and sales practices; most notable among these were a decree stating that certain drugs were only to be used by alchemists and/or doctors, most recreational drugs would only be available in designated public spaces, and that the price of all drugs would be determined not at a fixed number, but instead as a percentage of the customer’s wealth; all were measures taken to prevent dependency on the new chemicals, reflecting a general cautious optimism about the alchemical revolution that wouldn’t dissipate, even after someone manufactured a colorless, odorless, flavorless syrup from mixing absinthe, black opium, and blue sandalwood that negated the addictive effects of anything it was mixed with.
The rise of the Third Fa has foisted upon the Empire a need to reconsider its relationship with the human minority. Human involvement in the military and government was restricted as a revised mandarin system capped human mobility at local administrative positions. Socially, while human soldiers were already held in mild contempt for their biological inferiority, any human officer is now also held in suspicion, thanks to the Devious Bastard’s treachery. Human nobles weren’t exempt either, as some were audited and investigated for potential disloyalty, though, contrary to Fa propaganda, not that many were questioned in the first place, and even fewer were convicted and punished. Now, any humans who wants to maintain respect works in a civilian field, usually as a merchant, worker, or bureaucrat. Ironically enough, this is a period where human loyalty to the Empire actually increased, and in no small amount. Humans were beginning to enjoy better and better treatment from the Con Rong during the Third Great Peace, right up until Sheng Xing’s rebellion. Now, back at square one, the humans of the Empire harbor an inferno of hatred for the damned Third Fa, whose founder destroyed so much of what was being built solely for his personal ambition; it helps that the far southerners maintain a society more brutal and miserable than any Con Rong dynasty.
His Imperial Divinity has no shortage of foreigners and diplomatic issues to deal with. Though the Jin are still perfectly willing to back Thien Hoa in any endeavor against the Fa (the Ejen isn’t too fond of the Third Dynasty’s proclaimed designs on Karghan), that is about the only simple matter on his plate. The current shogun of Dat Lun, Yashimoto, is beginning to show signs of dissatisfaction of his subordinate role to the Emperor, and the Court is still uneasily turning a blind eye to the issue of the Bakufu’s status. Of course, the Third Fa isn’t helping matters: Raids into the demilitarized zone haven’t pushed all the way to the Imperial border yet, but they’re getting bolder and more horrifying as Fa forces purposefully avoid Imperial-friendly towns, depriving Thien Hoa of a casus belli as the Empire itself also launches frequent raids (though nowhere near on the scale or intensity of the Fa). On top of all that, the Fa’s subjugation of their lands has led to a massive flood of refugees, believed to be encouraged by the Fa themselves, to Thien Hoa. Unlike most of the human cultures the Con Rong are already familiar with, these people speak strange languages, observe bizarre religions, and, worst of all, mostly refuse to assimilate, leaving no shortage of headaches for governors as they have to deal with the tirade of ethnic unrest in the ports and border towns.
It is now almost two centuries since Sheng Xing’s cataclysmic revolt. For almost two centuries, the Empire has let the bitter taste of defeat, fiery revanchism, and fuming humiliation from the Despicable Rebellion coagulate into a cold, determined fury to wipe away the shame of defeat, to eradicate the Fa name from the world once and for all, and to restore order to the south. Many are proclaiming that a Second Glorious War approaches. Only the stars, due to realign once again this year, know of the story yet to come.
Artist's Notes:
- So this is my own take on the generic oriental empire. I decided to go against the grain a bit by not only introducing a fictional race that dominates humanity, but also make the dominant culture Vietnamese because, why the hell not; China’s already got plenty of representation in fantasy.
- My main inspirations for designing the Empire was Le Dynasty Vietnam and Joseon. I also threw in a bunch of elements of ancient, lesser known Chinese dynasties for good measure.
- I also decided to throw in a dash of the Qing Dynasty, ‘cause again, why the hell not.
- The technological level I’m going for here is a mix of heavy medieval fantasy and 1860’s era industrial technology, though I don’t think it’ll verge into steampunk territory.
Holy shit. This might just be my most ambitious, largest work yet. Thanks for waiting so long on this one, folks. Enjoy. As always, comments are appreciated and encouraged.
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