The Lore Ticker

[PyrasTerran]

Here, I will post weekly-to-biweekly "fun facts" about Shyuu, everything from legends to racial anatomy, etc. Check in every now and then to see some new information.

[PyrasTerran]

Allowing humans on non-Fa-Rei descent into the noble class is a recent development, decreed by the Fa-Rei king Song-Shen about 100 years ago. Rather than blood, the noble class is now accessible via meritocracy. Over a century ago, nobility was defined solely by blood, beginning from the royal family and branching out to the families of those they married overtime. This was abolished, and now, under the right bureaucratic processes, the king or a group of nobles can grant nobility to a family that has proven having skills worthy of the noble class' privileges and connection to the government. Non-humans are still not allowed to take government and noble class positions, though, and have restrictions with how much land they own, etc.

[PyrasTerran]

All Dragons share the Lung 'family' name in their moniker. Humans never take this surname for fear that it may incur the wrath of a dragon who happens upon them. Although Dragons have been known to shapeshift into other forms, they can always recognize one another, and know each other's names and family lines even if they have never personally met.

[PyrasTerran]

Recorded history is broken into three major timelines: Rotika (marked by the formation of the Rhasmapatran kingdom), Shohan (marked by the formation of the Hoshidon empire), and Xuwen (marked by the formation of the Fa Rei nation). This game currently takes place in the Xuwen era.

[PyrasTerran]

The official religion of Rhasmapatra tells of a time when before the Devas blessed the land. A colossal beast roamed, attacking anything it came across. When the Devas arrived on Shyuu, this creature would destroy any settlement formed by them. It took the entire combined might of the Devas to destroy its body.. But centuries ago the monster returned after millennia of rebuilding its form. With the help of the Monkey King, Sun Hanuman, it was defeated again, and this time it was sealed into the earth to prevent it from rebuilding its body. This beast was know as Kutaranora, The Inescapable.

[PyrasTerran]

A human once asked a Vanara why his people act so comically, even bold enough to crack jokes in serious situations. The Vanara said,
"Consider the world we live in. It's filled with demons, ghosts, spirits, monsters, bandits, assassins, corrupt leaders and scoundrels. Most people don't live past 40, due to disease or being killed off. My brother lost his son to a Manticore. When he set out to avenge him, he slipped on his son's toy and broke his neck. Life is a dark comedy, we Vanara know this well.. so what can we do but laugh?"

[PyrasTerran]

Naga have two tongues, a regular one for speaking, and a thin snake tongue that hides underneath first, that slips out for detection purposes. Since the snake tongue is not seen in regular conversation, Naga often startle others when it does appear as they sense their surroundings.

[PyrasTerran]

When Kutaranora returned, An old kingdom pleaded to Sun Hanuman, the Monkey King, to return to Rhasmapatra protect their people from the ancient monster's rampage. However, Sun Hanuman learned that it was a lie to lure Hanuman into a trap to attempt to take his staff Ryun Jin Bang, one of the most powerful weapons in the world. The ambush, an army assault of divine and psionic power, mortally wounded Sun Hanuman. But when Kutaranora did threaten to destroy the kingdom, Sun Hanuman kept to his word and, with his last breath, defended the kingdom just in time for the Devas to arrive and stop Kutaranora. This definitive, selfless act of compassion and forgiveness would come to be known as Vanara Honor, and would be the first philosophy of the benign code most Vanara try to keep to this day.

[PyrasTerran]

Dabunraki first attained fame across Shyuu for saving the land from an invading assault by three evil dragons that had joined forces to conquer all of Shyuu. In this battle, Dabunraki performed his penultimate technique, a secret move that, it is believed, he has never had to use since. It is said that this technique is what helped him overcome the dragons single-handed.

[PyrasTerran]

Throughout Qadar are ancient ruins and buried artifacts from a civilization known as the Sand Empire, that fell long before the Qadar kingdom was formed. Qadarian explorers have found pyramids full of artifacts, and tablets depicting various ancient gods. No one has been recorded to have learned how to activate some of these ancient artifacts.

[PyrasTerran]

Although Fa-Rei and Sueongha are at peace and allies, Fa-Rei has used bureaucratically devious means to keep taking more and more of Sueongha's land without being technically considered an act of war. Many Sueonghanese secretly despise the nation for this.

[PyrasTerran]

Tengu are among the most feared and respected spirits of Hoshidon. These enigmatic mountain folk are responsible for teaching Ninjutsu to humans, and are known for their incredible intellect and patience.

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Many adventurers are given farewell by their loved ones with one very important word of advice: "Mind your manners!". Keeping to this advice in the wilderness, where many intelligent and incredibly powerful mystic creatures lie, is as crucial to survival as knowing how to hunt/gather food and find shelter. The number one cause of death in the wild when a human is confronted by an intelligent magic being, is being rude.

[PyrasTerran]

Longom Castle is a significant location in Shyuu history, that no one has gone to in over 80 years.

The sight of the last great battle between Fa-Rei and Hoshidon of the Hoshidonese invasion war, the Emperor of Hoshidon's daughter was kidnapped and being held hostage in the castle. The Emperor sent as much of his forces as possible to take the castle and his daughter back. The battle lasted four days, but in the end both forces were decimated, and the Princess was lost. Rathrr than continue the campaign, the Emperor was heartbroken, and controversially conceded to a peace treaty between the two nations, ending the war. But something awful occurred during that battle. Those few that survived it went insane, and the bodies that piled the streets and castle halls was incredible. Scout parties that would venture to the snow-capped mountain on which it stood would return with only half their party remaining and takes of evil overtaking them. Eventually, the entire mountain was deemed a forbidden place by the Fa-Reinese government, and has remained untouched for decades, bodies still piling the ground, according to the last accounts made long ago.

[PyrasTerran]

Spirit is a blanket term for many mystic beings throughout Shyuu, often without physical forms. Elemental spirits and Djinn fall into the spirit category, and there are some spirits with physical bodies such as Lu Nat tree spirits. Practically all spirits are intelligent and can be effectively communicated with if you know how.

Ghosts are an entirely different matter. Not intelligent in a true sense, ghosts are shells of their past lives and the environment around their time of death, and build behavior and abilities based on this. They often only go off the emotions felt at their time of death, to the point that many ghosts are rage or sorrow incarnate.

The limited reasoning capable by a ghost makes them very dangerous, as they cannot be persuaded or negotiated out of their violent tendencies. Outside of brute banishment or turning, a ghost's incorporeal form can be disrupted with metaphysical attacks, but the most powerful of ghosts can often surpass the mightiest sorcerer.

Alternatively, the reasons for a ghost's appearance, and especially death, are clues that can be used to calm a violent ghost for good, if you are clever enough.

[PyrasTerran]

History tells us that 500 years ago, the land that would become Fa-Rei was a dangerous place, full of feuding lords and various spirit races, some sworn to prevent man's rise. General Xu Wen was able to unite the various tribes and clans on a campaign to bring peace to the chaotic territory. The spirit races opposed him, but thanks to the help of the legendary swordsman Dabunraki, Xu Wen was able to drive back the opposition from the land, finally bringing peace to a new nation. Since then, some of these spirit races, including the beastly Wan Liang and the humanoid Spirit Folk, have completely disappeared. Some believe that they fled past the Grand Ocean, or to the Spirit World, and some believe that Xu Wen was forced to wipe them out completely. Some conspiracy theorists believe that they are preparing for their return, and that when it happens, no human will be safe. Dabunraki supposedly lost his life in the final battle, sacrificing himself to deliver a decisive blow against the enemy's main forces.

[PyrasTerran]

Of the many spirits that inhabit Eastern Shyuu, few are as enigmatic as the Kyubiho. This unique nine-tailed fox spirit, unlike most spirits, actually desires human companionship. It is said that she will take the form of a beautiful woman and try to live among humans, fall in love, get married, etc. However, this powerful spirit is cursed; The moment you are aware of who/what she is, her human form disappears from your sight forever and she appears as a fox once more. Because of this, it is believed Kyubiho has never been able to live a full life with a human.

[PyrasTerran]

Sun Hanuman was born Hanuman, a Vanara with a natural gift for combat. As his power grew, he gained the attention of the Devas (gods of Rhasmapatra). Hanuman gloated that he could best the Deva Indra in hand to hand combat. Indra, confident in his abilities, wagered the sun on the battle. Hanuman defeated Indra, from then on called himself Sun Hanuman. Rather than grant Hanuman the power of the sun, Indra, enraged, used his electricity to beat Hanuman to near death. The other Devas intervened, and to pay for Indra's wrath and as thanks for Hanuman's forgiveness, they created Ryun Jing Bang, the most powerful fighting staff in all of Shyuu. Sun Hanuman went on to be a great hero to not just Rhasmapatra, but all of Shyuu, and went on many adventures with Dabunraki, Zerani, and Inusuke the Butcher.

[PyrasTerran]

Inusuke the Butcher was Dabunraki's most loyal friend and adventuring companion. His signature weapon was a large blade with a blunt end, making it look like an oversized butcher's knife. But aside from this, he was given the nickname for his supposed bloodthirstiness. It is said that Inusuke the Butcher has killed over one thousand people in his lifetime. No one knows what became of Inusuke the Butcher, who disappeared shortly after Dabunraki had supposedly died.

[PyrasTerran]

In Hoshidonese ancient times, before the Samurai Lords (Daimyo) ruled all, the gods were in turbulence with one another. The supreme sun goddess Amaterasu and her brother, the god of seas and storms Susano-o, were feuding. The hot-headed Susano-o's rage and recklessness was so that he was cast out from Heaven to Shyuu. As he wandered the land, he rescued the beautiful Kushinada from a dark dragon. Kushinada was the last of her bloodline, and the brewer of a sake so potent and incredible that it could even intoxicate the divine. As Susano-o and Kushinada spent more time together, their love for each other grew. But the times of happiness would end, as from Hell, Orochi, the dark eight-headed dragon, would surface to destroy the land and raid Heaven. Orochi was able to imprison Amaterasu in a cursed cave, blotting out the sun in the process. Even Susano-o's mighty sword the Totsuka Tsurugi, was incapable of besting the beast. Susano-o sought help from the legendary swordmaker Masamune, who crafted the greatest sword he had ever fashioned, for the sake of destroying Orochi. Even Kushinada was able to assist, offering her divine sake. Susano-o generated a storm of sake to drench the 8-headed monster. Intoxicated, Orochi was sluggish and unable to stand against Susano-o's Masamune blade. Susano-o decapitated all of Orochi's heads, burying the corpse deep within Mt. Hoshi, Hoshidon's largest mountain. The Kusanagi sword was forged from Orochi's scales, one of the deadliest swords in all of Shyuu. Susano-o presented it to Amaterasu as a gift. For his efforts in saving the land from Orochi, Susano-o was forgiven of his sins and allowed entry back into Heaven. He chose to remain on Shyuu with Kushinada. The Kusanagi and Masamune were hidden away by the gods, lost in time.

[PyrasTerran]

The way of the ninja is a maze intertwining philosophy and dogma. When the Tengu taught ninjutsu to humanity, however, there was one aspect that holds true to this day: the penultimate goal of all shinobi is to become recognized as "kage", Shadows. Specifically, the metaphorical shadows of an ideal, goal, or person of such significance that they may alter the course of history. Tengu elder Souichirosen states, "by day, an object is defined as real, as tangible, by its shadow. By night, the shadows blanket the object, as if to protect it from the cold sting of the air. The shadow is never far from the object, no matter where it goes or what happens to it. If the object shatters, so too does the shadow, forever binded to its object. So, too, must a ninja become the shadow of its clan, of its mission, or of its master. If God stands to strike them down, as their shadow it is your duty to meet the blow in their stead. This is what it means to embody the definition of Kage."

While ninja are most commonly members of clans or mercenary groups, usually ruled by Samurai lords or clan leaders, lucky are the individuals in Shyuu who manage to have a ninja choose to become their Kage. In them they find a loyal servant willing to face the wraths of Hell for their master.

[PyrasTerran]

There is a persistent debate with Shyuu philosophers on the subject of enlightenment, a path taught mostly in Rhasmapatra and Tenzin. While proponents claim that enlightenment is a noble goal that brings one's goodness into the threads of the universe, benefiting it as a whole, opponents state there is no such evidence, and that enlightenment is in fact a very selfish way of life that promotes the non-participatory life of a hermit, and does nothing to help Shyuu once the enlightened ascends into the cosmos.

[PyrasTerran]

Deva and Asura, while both mortal enemies, do their best to follow a life of good deeds and just thoughts, and pass this philosophy to their followers. However, few know that it is not simple altruism or ethics that govern their actions. These gods are all born with a dangerous connection to the demons known as Rakshasa. Should a Deva or Asura's heart fill with too much darkness, they risk turning into one, or invite possession by one that has noticed their fall.