Ookami-sama
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Tianshen: Rise of the Demons
Lore:
Tianshen is an ancient continent where magic, martial arts and the supernatural have existed for millenia. The environment has cultivated five great civilizations with highly advanced cultures. Each country have unique martial arts, magic and supernatural creatures.
Linyi
Linyi is a mountainous nation that is known for its hard working people and its steppes. The rough terrain has made it difficult to cultivate a variety of crops so Linyi imports many of its foods from the other nations. It grows a variety of rice so much of the population is vegetarian. The people here are mostly mountain people and most have rarely left their villages.
Despite their isolation, a handful of the strongest and most intellectual youths are send to Shan Di Temple for a formal education. Those who succeed in passing the arduous tasks and difficult classes become the mandarin’s personal guards or part of his court. Linyi has many mountainous spirits they pray to for good harvest and have a multitude of shrines to these nameless supernatural beings throughout the nation.
The priests that maintain these shrines are gifted with supernatural powers and therefore many people flock to the shrines in times of sickness or the need for spiritual guidance. Sometimes the spirits bless lay people who become their village’s shamans and exorcists. Actual magic is rare in their parts due to the lack of Chakra stones, the core of conventional magic however shaman magic fairly common. This magic is fueled by the blessings of the ancestors.
The martial arts in Linyi is based of animal observation and differs from village to village. The most notable is Golden Crane from the Shendi Village and Thundering Mantis from Wong Fu village.
Yamato
Yamato is one of two sea bordering nations and many famous seafarers and fishermen hail from this nation. It is well known for its spicy and flavorful seafood dishes. Many people from other nations come to learn from its famous chefs. With much of Yamato’s population working as sailors and fisherman, they eat a variety of foods. Those who do not fish for a living dive for pearls, coral and Chakra stones. The magical stones form at the bottom of the bay that Yamato is built off of. The dense concentration of Chakra has imbued the bay water with healing properties. Yamato water is highly sought after by merchants and adventurers.
Yamato is quite wealthy but its people are quite humble despite their monetary domination of the continent. Its people are quite welcoming and eager to take in travelers. It has a large market district where its sailors and fishermen sell their wares to peddlers and merchants. The exchange of culture in Yamato makes it the most diverse nation on Tianshen. Magical item shops here are well renown and many adventurers flock here hoping to buy a handcrafted magical item.
There is lots of shrines in the towns of Yamato but only one temple. The Umi Temple is dedicated to ningyo, or the mermaids that frequent the shores of Yamato. These supernatural creatures are quite amicable and it is said those who see one are blessed with the powers of the sea gods.
Offerings are left at Umi Temple and its priests take the offerings to a pier built behind the temple and set them down for the ningyo to take. In return, the ningyo protect Yamato’s seafarers and guide its lost ships home. Those who slay a ningyo are thrown into the bay with weights tied to their feet. This is done to appease the ningyo.
Yamato’s martial arts and magic are closely linked and many times, the martial artists are also famed magic users of their towns. The martial arts here is based on the concept of the waves. Its soft and hard attacks and defenses mimic the rolling of the waves.
Ungjin
The nation of Ungjin is appropriately nicknamed the nation of rolling hills. Built on the coast like its neighbor Yamato, Ungjin is a fishing nation but the hills of the nation are rich with minerals. Most of the fish Ungjin’s fisherman get are spiny and have much scales. However they also are expert deep sea divers and hunters and trappers. In addition to bony fish, Ungjin also has a steady supply of birds eggs, octopus and crab. Ungjin’s mineral mining makes it a rich nation and its cities are decorated with its minerals. Many visitors and adventurers describe its cities as gilded buildings with marble walkways.
Ungjin’s people are welcoming and love entertainment so there is a large theater. The rich culture of Ungjin is evident in their dance, drama, comedy and historical plays.
Ungjin has specialized mages here that draw their power from supernatural blessings. These mages use blessed objects to channel divine energy. They cast their spells through long chants and prepared talismans.
Ungjin has temples to various supernatural beings due it's multicultural population. It is the only nation to have a shrine to the kappa, a benevolent supernatural entity that protects little children and rivers. Cucumbers, the kappa’s favorite food is commonly seen left in little baskets along Ungjin’s Temujin River which runs from the hills to the coast.
Ungjin’s martial arts is said to be handed down from the kappa. Their katas involves locks, breaks and throws in addition to striking at an opponent's vital points.
Annam
Annam is lacks hills and mountains and mostly consists of forests, plains and grassland. Much of the nation is agricultural. The main crops Annam is notable for are tea, coffee, coconuts and a variety of fruits. There are a few major cities in Annam, mostly built to accommodate traders and merchants but most of its people reside in villages. Most villages are well fortified due to the large wildlife outside of the villages. Those who do not farm hunt the large predators that lurk in the nation’s wildlands to reduce the likelihood the predators will attack a village. Cities are much larger and better defended so hunters are not needed in the cities.
Annam’s major cities are famous for its artisans and merchants pay top dollar for high quality jewelry, statues, armor, weaponry and other masterpiece quality goods.
Annam doesn't have chakra stones but it has beast tamers. These people have an extraordinary aura that calm and soothe the wild beasts and supernatural animals they come into contact. The tamer creatures are often sold as pets or as companions. Those beast tamers that become adventurers venture to shrines in rural regions to ask the divine animal spirits for a pact. Usually they are able to form a pact with low level creatures or dire beasts but those with great reserves of qi or pureness of heart and soul can bond with arcane or divine beasts.
Annam’s martial arts was developed accidentally after a farmer drank too much rice wine. The drunken fist’s lineage is hard to trace back but each village has its own version of the drunken fist. Some use drunken animal styles while others incorporate weapons or qi techniques.
Xiongnu
Xiongnu is a nation of hills and plains and its people are mostly nomadic. There are trading posts and fortifications but no set towns or villages. Its people setup collapsible tents that can be quickly dismantled when the area is no longer viable. The people in this nation farm very little due to their constant movement from place to place, heavily relying on foraging and edible plants of the area in which they have set up in. The nomads do domesticate cows, yaks and goats for milk, cheese and meat. Despite not having a central government, each group is run by a council of elders.
The wood from the Temujin Tree is quite dense and grows in the hills of Xiongnu. This special wood is worth its weight in several bars of gold. It is used to produce hard arrow shafts impervious to splintering and staffs of incredible strength. Xiongnu has a variety of high quality medicinal plants and herbs that the other nations do not possess due to its temperate climate. These plants and herbs are highly sought in markets across Tianshen by master herbalists. High quality pills made from these herbs are worth a small fortune.
Xiongnu’s nomadic people are quite friendly and are willing to share their meager resources in exchange for items from outside their nation. They love exotic items and are quite the negotiators.
Xiongnu gets its supply of Chakra stones from Yamato and Ungjin. The stones are used predominantly by herbalists and artificers to aid the crafting process. The stones are used to power large refining kettles and forges due to the extreme hot flame it produces when qi pushed through it instead of spiritual energy.
Xiongnu’s martial arts is ground based and is notable for its grapples, holds, trips, locks and throws. It relies on strength and speed to incapacitate an opponent and render them unconscious. Many of its practitioners are known for their incredible strength.
Lore:
Tianshen is an ancient continent where magic, martial arts and the supernatural have existed for millenia. The environment has cultivated five great civilizations with highly advanced cultures. Each country have unique martial arts, magic and supernatural creatures.
Linyi
Linyi is a mountainous nation that is known for its hard working people and its steppes. The rough terrain has made it difficult to cultivate a variety of crops so Linyi imports many of its foods from the other nations. It grows a variety of rice so much of the population is vegetarian. The people here are mostly mountain people and most have rarely left their villages.
Despite their isolation, a handful of the strongest and most intellectual youths are send to Shan Di Temple for a formal education. Those who succeed in passing the arduous tasks and difficult classes become the mandarin’s personal guards or part of his court. Linyi has many mountainous spirits they pray to for good harvest and have a multitude of shrines to these nameless supernatural beings throughout the nation.
The priests that maintain these shrines are gifted with supernatural powers and therefore many people flock to the shrines in times of sickness or the need for spiritual guidance. Sometimes the spirits bless lay people who become their village’s shamans and exorcists. Actual magic is rare in their parts due to the lack of Chakra stones, the core of conventional magic however shaman magic fairly common. This magic is fueled by the blessings of the ancestors.
The martial arts in Linyi is based of animal observation and differs from village to village. The most notable is Golden Crane from the Shendi Village and Thundering Mantis from Wong Fu village.
Yamato
Yamato is one of two sea bordering nations and many famous seafarers and fishermen hail from this nation. It is well known for its spicy and flavorful seafood dishes. Many people from other nations come to learn from its famous chefs. With much of Yamato’s population working as sailors and fisherman, they eat a variety of foods. Those who do not fish for a living dive for pearls, coral and Chakra stones. The magical stones form at the bottom of the bay that Yamato is built off of. The dense concentration of Chakra has imbued the bay water with healing properties. Yamato water is highly sought after by merchants and adventurers.
Yamato is quite wealthy but its people are quite humble despite their monetary domination of the continent. Its people are quite welcoming and eager to take in travelers. It has a large market district where its sailors and fishermen sell their wares to peddlers and merchants. The exchange of culture in Yamato makes it the most diverse nation on Tianshen. Magical item shops here are well renown and many adventurers flock here hoping to buy a handcrafted magical item.
There is lots of shrines in the towns of Yamato but only one temple. The Umi Temple is dedicated to ningyo, or the mermaids that frequent the shores of Yamato. These supernatural creatures are quite amicable and it is said those who see one are blessed with the powers of the sea gods.
Offerings are left at Umi Temple and its priests take the offerings to a pier built behind the temple and set them down for the ningyo to take. In return, the ningyo protect Yamato’s seafarers and guide its lost ships home. Those who slay a ningyo are thrown into the bay with weights tied to their feet. This is done to appease the ningyo.
Yamato’s martial arts and magic are closely linked and many times, the martial artists are also famed magic users of their towns. The martial arts here is based on the concept of the waves. Its soft and hard attacks and defenses mimic the rolling of the waves.
Ungjin
The nation of Ungjin is appropriately nicknamed the nation of rolling hills. Built on the coast like its neighbor Yamato, Ungjin is a fishing nation but the hills of the nation are rich with minerals. Most of the fish Ungjin’s fisherman get are spiny and have much scales. However they also are expert deep sea divers and hunters and trappers. In addition to bony fish, Ungjin also has a steady supply of birds eggs, octopus and crab. Ungjin’s mineral mining makes it a rich nation and its cities are decorated with its minerals. Many visitors and adventurers describe its cities as gilded buildings with marble walkways.
Ungjin’s people are welcoming and love entertainment so there is a large theater. The rich culture of Ungjin is evident in their dance, drama, comedy and historical plays.
Ungjin has specialized mages here that draw their power from supernatural blessings. These mages use blessed objects to channel divine energy. They cast their spells through long chants and prepared talismans.
Ungjin has temples to various supernatural beings due it's multicultural population. It is the only nation to have a shrine to the kappa, a benevolent supernatural entity that protects little children and rivers. Cucumbers, the kappa’s favorite food is commonly seen left in little baskets along Ungjin’s Temujin River which runs from the hills to the coast.
Ungjin’s martial arts is said to be handed down from the kappa. Their katas involves locks, breaks and throws in addition to striking at an opponent's vital points.
Annam
Annam is lacks hills and mountains and mostly consists of forests, plains and grassland. Much of the nation is agricultural. The main crops Annam is notable for are tea, coffee, coconuts and a variety of fruits. There are a few major cities in Annam, mostly built to accommodate traders and merchants but most of its people reside in villages. Most villages are well fortified due to the large wildlife outside of the villages. Those who do not farm hunt the large predators that lurk in the nation’s wildlands to reduce the likelihood the predators will attack a village. Cities are much larger and better defended so hunters are not needed in the cities.
Annam’s major cities are famous for its artisans and merchants pay top dollar for high quality jewelry, statues, armor, weaponry and other masterpiece quality goods.
Annam doesn't have chakra stones but it has beast tamers. These people have an extraordinary aura that calm and soothe the wild beasts and supernatural animals they come into contact. The tamer creatures are often sold as pets or as companions. Those beast tamers that become adventurers venture to shrines in rural regions to ask the divine animal spirits for a pact. Usually they are able to form a pact with low level creatures or dire beasts but those with great reserves of qi or pureness of heart and soul can bond with arcane or divine beasts.
Annam’s martial arts was developed accidentally after a farmer drank too much rice wine. The drunken fist’s lineage is hard to trace back but each village has its own version of the drunken fist. Some use drunken animal styles while others incorporate weapons or qi techniques.
Xiongnu
Xiongnu is a nation of hills and plains and its people are mostly nomadic. There are trading posts and fortifications but no set towns or villages. Its people setup collapsible tents that can be quickly dismantled when the area is no longer viable. The people in this nation farm very little due to their constant movement from place to place, heavily relying on foraging and edible plants of the area in which they have set up in. The nomads do domesticate cows, yaks and goats for milk, cheese and meat. Despite not having a central government, each group is run by a council of elders.
The wood from the Temujin Tree is quite dense and grows in the hills of Xiongnu. This special wood is worth its weight in several bars of gold. It is used to produce hard arrow shafts impervious to splintering and staffs of incredible strength. Xiongnu has a variety of high quality medicinal plants and herbs that the other nations do not possess due to its temperate climate. These plants and herbs are highly sought in markets across Tianshen by master herbalists. High quality pills made from these herbs are worth a small fortune.
Xiongnu’s nomadic people are quite friendly and are willing to share their meager resources in exchange for items from outside their nation. They love exotic items and are quite the negotiators.
Xiongnu gets its supply of Chakra stones from Yamato and Ungjin. The stones are used predominantly by herbalists and artificers to aid the crafting process. The stones are used to power large refining kettles and forges due to the extreme hot flame it produces when qi pushed through it instead of spiritual energy.
Xiongnu’s martial arts is ground based and is notable for its grapples, holds, trips, locks and throws. It relies on strength and speed to incapacitate an opponent and render them unconscious. Many of its practitioners are known for their incredible strength.
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