History of Tian Xia

ian Xia was not always the sprawling empire of the modern day. Indeed, at the time of magic's proliferation around 1000 BCE, the Zhou Dynasty barely covered a fifth of the expanse of present day Tian Xia. However, it was the humble beginnings of the Zhou Dynasty which would develop over time into the vast empire ruled by the present Tianlong Dynasty.

It is commonly said by Imperial Scholars that the reign of the Zhou Dynasty from 1046 BCE to 256 BCE was the Reign of Magic, for the introduction of magic into the Zhou empire greatly superseded in influence the simultaneous discovery and introduction of iron into Tian Xian manufacturing. However, as a result of the Changer War, the powerful Dynasty came to an end six years prior to the end of the war, and was superseded by the intervention of the Tianlong family.

The Zhou Dynasty remains a popular area of study amongs Tian Xian scholars preparing for imperial examinations. New archaeological evidence from the era is often hailed with great ceremony in academic circles.

The Zhou (or Jade) Dynasty (1046 BCE to 256 BCE)

Rise of the Jade Emperor, Yu Di (720 BCE - 256BCE)

• A powerful Dragon Changer, Yu Di's appearance singlehandedly altered the dynamic of Dynastic Structure within Tian Xia. Ruling with absolute godlike authority for several centuries the more formally titled 'Yu Huang Shangdi' created in his subjects a habitual tolerance for long standing dictatorship within the continent - a cultural precedent which the Tianlong shifters would eventually leverage when claiming the Jade Throne after the end of the Changers' War.

• Little definitive is known of Yu Huang Shangdi, though anecdotal evidence from legend suggest that his name came from the jade scales of his Changed form.

The Changers' War (600BCE - 250BCE)

• With the Changers' War on his doorstep Yu Huang Shangdi was eventually forced to become involved despite a disinterest in the affairs of other nations, having previously preferred to shape the lands within Tian Xia to his will. Eventually, the Jade Emperor met his end during the Changers' War around 256 BCE.

• During this period both the Fenghuang and the Tianlong family of serpentine dragon shifters entered Tian Xia from the Astral Plane at around 310BCE. Details of their participation in the Changers' War remain unclear, save for the Tianlong usurpation of the empty Jade Throne at 256BCE.

The Rage of Heaven (310BCE)

• At the grim crescendo of the Changers' War the Earth's orbit and axis were altered. Large portions of the continent were submerged, with two new inland seas formed: one in what had been the Sìchuān Basin, the other covering the plains north of the Saian mountains and as far east as what had been lake Baikal.

• At present day these bodies of water remain known as the Sìchuān Sea and the Baikal Sea.

The Warring Races period (256BCE to 110CE/2176PW)

• A half century after the planet's axis and orbit were altered in the Changer War, when the surviving inhabitants of Tian Xia had recovered enough for self-interest to take its hold in the hearts of the dispossessed and disgruntled, a centuries-long period of civil war began between the various races and cultural cross-sections within Tian Xia. The territorial conflicts were eventually ended by the military exploits of the Tianlong family.

• It was during this time that the original Marn fell to Tian Xian forces belonging to a western warlord who found eastern expansion blocked by another warlord and saw the benefit of controlling a fort on the trade route. Marn remained an outpost for many years, though even under during the Tianlong Dynasty it was considered an extreme outpost, barely worth the infrastructure required to keep it supplied and loyal to the empire.

The Tianlong Dynasty (110CE/2176PW to Present)

Imperial Consolidation (110CE/2176PW to 376CE/1910PW)

• A period of militaristic expansionism, colonialism, and consolidation of Tianlong imperial authority taking advantage of the chaos following the end of the Changers War and the closing of the Astral Seal. The three great Tianlong generals - Run, Qin, and Shun - eventually constrain the constant conflict afflicting the continent within the boundaries of imperial order and infrastructure.

• During this period Emperor Tianlong Huangdi and Empress Wangmu established the imperial examinations and nine-badge ranking system, underpinning the new bureaucracy with the tenets of meritorious advancement. Corruption was established as a crime punishable by capital punishment. In this era the Jinyiwei were formed: its initial mandate was to hunt out corruption and treason before it could affect stability of the burgeoning empire, but was soon expanded to hunt down any magic users and monsters whose actions threatened imperial stability.

• It was also during this period that an assassination attempt was made on the Emperor in the Hall of Audience. Henceforth, a standing army was raised to protect the heart of empire for all posterity.

The Nian War (376CE/1910PW to 388CE/1898PW)

• A family of ocean-dwelling shifters, resembling scaled tigers, begin raiding the coastal territories of Tian Xia in the final years of the consolidation period. With the aid of a coalition of pirates and creatures warped by the Changers' War, the powerful Nian tribe caused havoc for a little over a decade until a battle between the invaders' leader Nian Shou and Admiral Tianlong Guang forced the invaders to retreat and resulted in the development of a stronger navy. The victory over the Nian would form the precursor of all future piracy, as future generations of the long-lived Nian would continue their vendetta by supporting pirates in the waters off Tian Xia

The Western Temple Prosecution (1377CE/910PW – 1437CE/850PW)

• The Fenghuang shifters' life of monkish contemplation in the Kunlun Mountains with their followers was largely ignored by the empire for many years, during which time they came to their own understanding of how the material and astral plane inter-related. The Fenghuang explained their understandings through the notion of Qi, or universal energy. Through their own studies and exercises the Fenghuang came up with programs of meditative breathing and martial arts which allowed even the magically untalented to harness some aspect of the universal energy: a process they termed Qigong. Kunlun monks had a strong belief in the individual's ability to shape their fate, and that of the world around them, and a trend began of vigilante monks travelling the countryside to right wrongs and use their abilities to bring bandits to non-imperial justice. The difference in philosophy between the Fenghuang-run temples and Tianlong Imperial Bureacracy led to the now-infamous conflict after what had been a 1000 years of peaceful, if strained, co-existence.

• The remote, defensible nature of the temples in the Kunlun mountains and presence of the potent Fenghuang abbots, coupled with the Qigong of even the lowliest monks, resulted in a stalemate to the conflict. Eventually, an armistice was arranged between the Tianlong and Fenghuang, and the Kunlun Monks of present day still maintain the right to roam freely and teach their philosophies to any who listen, a privilege which over the centuries has led to a proliferation of martial arts throughout Tian Xia.

• During this period of internal strife, forces from the Western empire conquered Fort Marn. Tianlong Huangdi deemed it an inefficient use of military resources to make any attempt to regain the fort. Tian Xia's efforts, after the conclusion of the Western Temple Wars, were instead directed to consolidate Western border security and an improvement in oversight procedures for critical border access points.

The War that Was Not (1437CE/850PW to 1967CE/320PW)

• With Marn in possession of the Western Empire, Tian Xia remained in a state of constant military readiness and developmental research. Though there was never an outright war or pitched battle beyond the odd skirmish between scouts, this centuries-long state of affairs is largely responsible for the present-day habit of maintaining a similar state of military readiness. 'The War that Was Not' period officially ended when Marn was abandoned by the Western Empire.

Splendid Isolation (1967CE/320PW to Present)

• Although its ports and trade routes remain open to foreign merchants and traders, Tian Xia has become a largely inward-looking culture, viewing itself as the pinnacle of civilisation.

• Though this is largely a happy fiction maintained through a biased world view it is true that, aside from the fact Tian Xia effectively remains a benevolent and persistent imperial dictatorship, the meritocracy system built into all levels of civil service and the machine of bureaucratic governance allows Tian Xian citizens a comparatively decent quality of life. So long as you aren't born to the wrong parents, or in the wrong place, or fall in with the wrong crowd.

• One bitter and subsequently discredited scholar infamously proclaimed in his entrance examination "From every torch held up to represent 'enlightened culture' there is cast a shadow of prejudice and carefully ignored inequality."

Recent Events of the Past 50 Years

• The military expedition of 139PW:
• To prevent the stagnation of the military a reconnaissance-in-force against Eyropa was sanctioned and launched along the Northern and Southern traderoutes into Eyropa, resulting in a pitched battle on a Thar west of Shaddin. The northern Tian Xia forces, relying mostly on military might, numbers, and centuries-old military doctrine, were not prepared for the combination of military and magic might the Eyropans brought to bear on their forces. With the failure of the Southern Tian Xia forces to arrive as planned, the defeat was almost absolute. It was only the Tian Xian Northern army's finely honed discipline even in the contingency of defeat which ensured that a detailed report of the battle and defeat reached Great Generals Tianlong Shun and Run. It was around this time that Zhou Lei arrived in Marn.

• An Eyropan counter-expedition against Tian Xia was soundly defeated with the personal intervention of the Great Generals of the North and West, and subsequently a period of intense military and magical reform began in Tian Xia. The emperor Tianlong Huangdi's 'Mandate of Reform in Magic and Military Application and Organisation' has been in progress for fifteen years prior to present day.