| Intro | Locale | Mythology | Religion | History | Races |
| Mechanics: | Mechanics | Combat | Char Gen | Characters | |
| Powers: | Powers | Body/Mind | Dragon Blooded | Virtuous Follower | |
| Maps: | Overview | Local | Stockade | Village | |
| Story: | Session 1 | ||||
Many of the ancient legends and stories were lost when the Srin-ga burned the temples and libraries and banned writing. Luckily there is a strong oral tradition so the ancient stories have not been totally lost.
In the beginning there was Xian in the heart of the mountain Nefu, surrounded by the churning essence of chaos. After centuries of sleep Xian awoke. Feeling trapped in the seething energies, he raised his fists and broke the mountain's peak, releasing himself and the essence within.
The chaotic essence immediately grew and spread to fill all creation. Xian wanted space for himself so he drew in a mighty breath, and shouted into the heavens, shaping the skies and clouds. Then he tore vast slabs from Nefu and spread them around, trapping the most dangerous essence beneath it, creating the middle kingdoms. Flaming geysers of essence leaked through from beneath the world so he urinated on them, creating the rivers, lakes and oceans.
Xian was tired from all this work, but he saw that the chaos trapped beneath the middle kingdoms would ever be a destructive force. He returned to Nefu and pulled forth the blood-red diamond heart of the mountain and using it like a mighty axe cut off the fingers and thumb of his left hand. Each sprang to life as a mighty dragon. Xian charged these creatures with maintaining his creation.
The blood from Xian's hand fell all across the middle kingdom, and where it fell, life sprang forth. Some fell on dry earth and became animals and plants. Some fell in the oceans and lakes, becoming fish and seaweed. Some fell in those places where chaos still touched the lands, becoming twisted creatures of power. Some fell on mount Nefu itself, and sprang up before Xian's eyes. Xian looked across the land and saw what his blood had wrought and was heartbroken. He touched those who had risen on mount Nefu, giving them language and a portion of his power, then retreated into Nefu and fell into eternal death. These chosen ones became the gods of the middle kingdom.
The gods worked with the dragons and carved up the remains of Xian. They raised his eyes to the heavens, becoming the sun and moon. His limbs became mighty mountains, muscle and flesh became fertile land. His hair they planted to become flowers and forests. The bones of his body became precious jade and metal.
Once Xian was laid to rest, the gods became distracted and began to lay with each other. The children of the gods became the first humans. They inherited the gods' language, but not their immortality. Soon their presence began to taint the sacred mount Nefu, so the dragons dragged the first humans from mountain and threw them into the middle kingdoms.
This angered the gods, who plotted to use the heart of the mountain to trap the dragons and keep them from their sacred duty. The dragons discovered the plot and stole the heartstone. They shattered it into many peices and hid them in the secret places of the middle kingdom.
The breaking of the heartstone diminished the power of the gods and trapped them on mount Nefu, but it also trapped the dragons in the middle kingdoms. The abyss between the two realms can only be bridged by the children of the gods, mankind.
The Great Ones (five original dragons) are:
The five Great Ones each took station in one aspect of the middle kingdoms. They gave birth to many young to aid them in ordering the world and preventing the lower kingdom from entering the middle kingdoms.
There were 12 first humans, six male, six female. Four of the men took four of the women as wife, beginning the four great clan lines of the people (Tang, Han, Qin, Mang). The fifth man and woman married also, forming the Lin clan. They tried to dominate and rule the others. The four great clans united and drove the Lin into the wilderness where they fell to decadence and inbreeding.
The last man, Min, was a sly creature who proposed marriage to Ping, the last woman. She was a shy but strong-willed maiden and rejected him, fleeing into the shadows of the forest where was befriended by the dragons and their offspring. She spent her life hunting evil creatures. Min became a laughing stock among men, and eventually withdrew into the barren lands to the north where he plotted revenge upon mankind. Legend says that Min and Ping are eternal, never having given up their vital essence to children.
Though most of the dark creatures spawned when Xian created the dragons have been destroyed or driven into hiding, many escaped through the cracks in the world to the lower realm, where raw chaos still ebbs and seethes. These creatures multiplied and still appear to inflict horrors on the middle kingdom. They seek the souls of the dying to bridge the gaps between the lower realm, the middle kingdom, and sacred mount Nefu.
The shards of the heartstone were hidden by the dragons all across the middle kingdom. Over the centuries their power has been used for both good and ill. None may dwell near a shard without being touched by its power.
FINI
All material Copyright (C) Mark A. Thomas. All rights reserved.