Pre-War Xheng
The Xheng lands stretch across the northeastern part of the Terran landmass, bordered by the Asagata Sea to the east, the peninsula of Leode to the northeast, the Khepri Desert to the south and west, and the Ger lands to the northwest. The territory encompasses a landscape of sweeping and drastic change: the fertile lowlands and subtropical forests along the Ikichi river basin, the lofty peaks of the Kiwa Mountains, the cold desert steppes of the northernmost part of the country, the hot deserts in the south. The coastline is dotted with small offshore islands. The largest and most important city in Xheng is the port city of Pinghu, located at the mouth of the Ikichi River, largely due to the fact the Great Library of Terra is located therein.
The sheer size of the empire, in conjunction with the protective barrier of the Kiwa Mountains and the relative barrenness of much of the western hinterland, have been pivotal in allowing for the defense the Xheng lands, while the fertility of the river basin and the ready access to the sea have allowed the culture to develop rapidly. Interestingly enough, despite the abundance of good harbors along the eastern coast and the cultural significance of Pinghu, the Xheng have chosen to orient themselves inland, concentrating their imperial power within the very heart of their lands.
Politically, the Xheng are arranged into five separate clans, each of which is affiliated with an element and a direction: Moku, the Wood clan, resides in the east; Kasai, the Fire clan, dominates the south; Kane, the Metal clan, lives in the west; Mizu, the Water clan, claims the north; and Ji, the Earth clan, stands at the center of the empire.
The five clans have a long and involved history that persists today in the often complex and subtle diplomatic relationships between them. After more than two centuries of internal strife and grabs for power, the five clans were unified at last in 224 RE under the rule of Sato Chinatsu of the Ji clan, who declared herself Empress of Xheng. She reformed many aspects of her new empire, most notably establishing a series of diplomatic procedures to be used between clans to settle disputes, as well as creating an imperial judicial system that superseded clan authority and standardizing the language and measurements throughout the empire. Empress Chinatsu was a strong but fair ruler, and the empire thrived under her leadership; however, the Sato dynasty came to a quick end upon her death and her son Takeo’s ascension to the throne in 258 RE, when his harsh authoritarian policies provoked widespread rebellion. His overwhelming brutality caused the Xheng to pass laws barring men from assuming the position of emperor, thereby ensuring the passage of leadership from mother to daughter from that point on.
The ruling family has changed many times over the centuries, with two particular high points. The first came in 486 RE with the rise of the Nara dynasty, which lasted for over a century and marked a period of peace, prosperity, and cultural flowering that had never before been seen anywhere in Terra. The first of the Nara empresses, Nara Michi of the Mizu clan, established the system of coinage that is still used today and created the first permanent standing navy in Terra; other empresses concentrated on expanding the cultivation of rice, leading to massive surpluses of food and a subsequent population boom that brought the population to about 100 million people. Artwork, philosophy, poetry, and theater flourished during this time period, ascending to new heights of complexity, subtlety, and maturity. In 601 RE, the Nara dynasty finally collapsed when an ambitious Ger warlord, Cai Li Hui, invaded with hordes of Ger raiders to sack the Imperial Palace. In addition to the sheer amount of money, items, and priceless artwork lost during this attack, it also represented one of the bloodiest struggles in Xheng history; while the census of 590 RE reported roughly 120 million inhabitants, by the time the census was taken again just twenty years later, the population had fallen to slightly less than 60 million people.
The other high point of Xheng society began in 1536 RE and is still ongoing today. After a relatively long period of decadence, wasteful spending, and unnecessary war under the Oita dynasty, leading to huge debts and a widespread scarcity of resources, the empire underwent a bloodless coup that placed the Mori family in power. The reign of the current Empress, Mori Reiko of the Kasai clan, has concentrated attention inward in an attempt to rectify the debt accrued under the Oita family, to encourage trade and business within the empire itself, and to build up food stores. Empress Reiko herself also seems to have a particular interest in education, especially magical education, and has passed several reforms aimed at improving schools throughout the empire.
Xheng politics as they exist today are as follows: The Empress resides in the Imperial Palace, located in the heart Xheng; the land upon which the palace sits has been declared neutral ground, after the Ji clan attempted to claim it as their own several hundred years ago while staging an unsuccessful coup. The building itself, naturally, is heavily warded and very difficult to access, but is also considered to be one of the most beautiful and impressive in all of Terra. From her seat within the palace, the Empress is advised by a council comprised of the leaders of the five clans, who operate within their own clans as kinds of emperors or empresses themselves. The clans are ranked every five years in terms of their respective strength, wealth, and prestige, and the Empress takes their counsel more seriously—or less—depending on that rank. Currently, the Kasai clan is the most powerful, followed by the Kane, the Ji, the Moku, and the Mizu, in that order. Relationships between the different clans are formally defined through an intricate system of diplomacy, although “unofficial” outbreaks of violence on the fringes of the boundaries between clan lands are known to occur from time to time.
Outside of the political realm, the Xheng as a whole split their society into a further five divisions that revolve around various professions: Scholars, who are dedicated to studying, library work, scroll crafting, and the practice and development of different magical systems; Warriors, who are trained to serve in the armies of their respective clans and who, if particularly talented, might be drafted into the Imperial Guard to serve the Empress directly; Diplomats, who handle both internal and external political affairs, as well as arranging and monitoring Xheng trade routes; Laborers, who are responsible for farming and craftwork of varying degrees of complexity; and finally, Shadows, a seemingly small and almost impenetrable group of people who the Xheng never discuss. It is worth noting here that, when a person selects Shadow as his profession, he essentially vanishes and is neither heard from nor spoken of by neighbors, family, or friends ever again.
Within each profession, every person is further ranked on the basis of ability. Student rankings start at sixth grade, Rokyu, which is the lowest rank, and proceed upward as follows: fifth grade, Gokyu; fourth grade, Yonkyu; third grade, Sankyu; second grade, Nikyu; and first grade, Ikkyu, the top student rank. Upon graduating from the status of student, a person assumes the title of expert and is ranked thusly: first degree, Shodan, the lowest expert rank; second degree, Nidan; third degree, Sandan; fourth degree, Yodan; fifth degree, Godan; sixth degree, Rokudan; seventh degree, Shichidan; eighth degree, Hachidan; ninth degree, Kudan; and the last and final degree, Judan. Each step upward through the ranks requires a formal test, which are usually administered by a teacher, but in certain instances can also be set up through the Great Library. The ultimate goal within Xheng society is to earn the rank of Judan; however, this is a very rare and highly honored accomplishment indeed, and most people never attain it within the span of their lifetimes.
Post-War Xheng
After the death of Empress Reiko in 1601 RE, Mori Hisoka of the Kasai clan ascended to the throne. Although she issued some preliminary remarks indicating Xheng’s disapproval of Runa’s seizure of Gallif in the west, concerns about a host of Ger amassing at the northern border demanded Empress Hisoka’s attention. Shortly thereafter, the Ger invaded with more force than initially expected, bringing to mind the sack of 601 RE.
Empress Hisoka deployed armies to defend northern Xheng, as well as small teams instructed to deal with the opposition’s leadership. The latter teams failed to assassinate the Ger general, Merv, but the armies were successful in holding back the onslaught along the border. The war continued for many years, but eventually the Xheng forces broke down and were forced to retreat. Empress Hisoka has gone missing; no one seems to know whether she is in hiding or has been killed in the chaos of the struggle going on.
In many people’s minds, one of the greatest and most evocative atrocities of the invasion of Xheng involves the Great Library’s fate. Across Terra, the Library has always been a neutral force, dedicated to study and the preservation of knowledge alone, but not interfering with wars or politics. When the Ger and Leoden troops entered Pinghu at last after several long years of warfare, the librarians gathered in the fortress-like Library to wait it out, as had always been their wont. However, invading troops—whether illiterate, uncaring, or simply caught up in the destruction—did not spare the Library. In one of the fiercest battles fought in Terra’s history, the Library stood against the siege for four years before finally falling. The night of its fall, several librarians fled carrying whatever they could; many others were killed and valuable books and items lost, destroyed, or stolen.
Beyond that, though, the Library had been home to many strange things: malevolent spirits bound in the depths who hadn’t seen the light of day for centuries; strange monsters that had taken up residence in the lowest-levels; curses long forgotten and hidden away. With the destruction of the Library and those that had tended to these chains, much was released into Terra that ought not to have been.
As a final and most curious note, it has been said that the one-hundred or so invaders responsible for breaching the top-most tower of the Library have since suffered the effects of a most terrible curse, flung upon them by a white and ghostly mist that disappeared into the night sky. They are to wander for the rest of the cycle as ghosts or spirits, unable to speak or interact with mortals, re-enacting the gory scenes of old battles from the books they destroyed, feeling every blow they deal, plagued with hunger and thirst they cannot satisfy.
In an unexpected and very rare gesture of involvement, the Elves extended safe-harbor to the librarians who survived and, although they are not allowed to enter Lisht itself, there is a small “city” of makeshift dwellings that have cropped up around Lisht, where the librarians live and regroup and measure what has been saved and what lost.
Scholars agree that the Xheng empire, having withstood so many centuries and tests, may finally be toppling for good. The country is in shambles, threatened alternately by Ger, Leoden, dwarves, Voidic monstrosities, and regular pirates or bandits. Many Xheng have fled the country for the relative safety of western or southern Terra, or even the lands beyond.