ScarletHood
One Weird Winker
~Yaoguai~
On the edge of China near the East China Sea, in the city of Hangzhou, there is a district called, “Yaoguai.” The locals who live there call it, “the demon’s playground.” Late at night when the sun peeks from under the mountains, other unearthly beings begin to emerge.
History
It began in 2070 BC, the Xia Dynasty where the origins of first dynasty and the oldest of scrolls were believed to have started from. There were two tribes; Xia and Nine Li. Constantly fighting with each other for the sake of conquering the land. The ruler of the Xia tribe; Yu the great, a man who was known to have been able to prevent the land from flooding by digging canals, redirecting the water, as well as removing a mountain. He was known after this great feat to have gained the title as well as the basis of the ethics, “hard work pays off.” Chiyou ruled over the other tribe, he was known to be a tyrannical sort of brute. He was a powerful man however had an undesirable trait; greediness. Eventually he was caught during one of the battles between the Yan empire, and was executed.
However deep hidden within all this chaos, were the mythical creatures of China; Yaoguai. Various spirits of strange appearance that were rarely seen by the humans who live here. They witnessed the rise and fall of each dynasty, the fall of both tribes, the rise of the dynasties that followed.
Now the year is 1368, the Ming dynasty has started. away from all the conflicts of war, the creatures of whispered tales have begun to appear.
Imperial Army
Ruled over by the empire of ming dynasty, the word of "dragon god" is absolute. The ranks of such are; Shing, Nong, Gong & Shang.
The Shi: Gentry Scholars
This description of the Shi is not fully correct. They initially came from the warrior caste. Over the years the Shi slowly started to include aristocratic scholars and an educated bureaucracy. Since access to books and knowledge was extremely limited, a scholarly person was highly respected in society
The Nong: Peasant Farmers
In status, the Nong were only second to the Shi. Farmers were considered the producers of food which sustained the empire and they contributed to state revenue by way of taxes. In a country wracked by periodic famine, the Nong was seen as a vital and productive social class, essential to the empire.
The Gong: Artisans and Craftsmen
The Gong were artisans who had the skills to make objects of everyday use. They were producers like the farmers, but since they were essentially landless, they did not generate revenue for the state. Since they had a skill, which was passed on from generation to generation, they were more respected than merchants. Some of them were successful enough to hire apprentices and labor to increase their production.
The Shang: Merchants and Traders
They were the merchants and traders and since they did not produce anything they were looked down upon by society as those who lived off the labor of others. They only traded and transported the food and goods made by the Nong and the Gong. Many merchants did buy land to command more respect in society. The popular belief at that time was that merchants were only motivated by greed and did not contribute to the greater good of society.
(Taken from; http://totallyhistory.com/ming-dynasty-s...structure/)
The Imperial Army is part of the "good" faction.
Monks (thanks Dad for being a rambling martial arts enthusiast)
Monks unlike the others are not striving to fight but find inner peace. The following are their motto for understanding the way of martial arts;
The Monks are part of the "neutral" faction.
Yaoguais
Strange mystical creatures that reside within the human realms, they were the oldest of beings and the most wise. However due to recent events; elders have long since gone. Only the young, some even newborns, yaoguais are alive now. Seething with vengeance, most are set out destroy the human race.
The Yaoguais are part of the "evil" faction.
The "Wu" Shaman (giving credit to wonderful Felix)
Strong followers of Taoism, the belief similar to Buddhism, that "Tao" is life force behind everything. They believe that there is natural flow that should not be disrupted and to truly reach everlasting life they must abide by rules.
The "Wu" Shaman unlike the monks do not rely heavily on martial arts, instead on spiritual magic, and carry around the "ying yang" symbol as a dedication to their faith. They as well when in battle summon their spiritual guardian. One they must gain through a ceremony. During this ritual of initiating the full "wu" responsibilities, they gain their "ying yang" medallion and their spiritual guardian, whose appearance will be based off one's own connection to the elements.
On the edge of China near the East China Sea, in the city of Hangzhou, there is a district called, “Yaoguai.” The locals who live there call it, “the demon’s playground.” Late at night when the sun peeks from under the mountains, other unearthly beings begin to emerge.
History
It began in 2070 BC, the Xia Dynasty where the origins of first dynasty and the oldest of scrolls were believed to have started from. There were two tribes; Xia and Nine Li. Constantly fighting with each other for the sake of conquering the land. The ruler of the Xia tribe; Yu the great, a man who was known to have been able to prevent the land from flooding by digging canals, redirecting the water, as well as removing a mountain. He was known after this great feat to have gained the title as well as the basis of the ethics, “hard work pays off.” Chiyou ruled over the other tribe, he was known to be a tyrannical sort of brute. He was a powerful man however had an undesirable trait; greediness. Eventually he was caught during one of the battles between the Yan empire, and was executed.
However deep hidden within all this chaos, were the mythical creatures of China; Yaoguai. Various spirits of strange appearance that were rarely seen by the humans who live here. They witnessed the rise and fall of each dynasty, the fall of both tribes, the rise of the dynasties that followed.
Now the year is 1368, the Ming dynasty has started. away from all the conflicts of war, the creatures of whispered tales have begun to appear.
Imperial Army
Ruled over by the empire of ming dynasty, the word of "dragon god" is absolute. The ranks of such are; Shing, Nong, Gong & Shang.
The Shi: Gentry Scholars
This description of the Shi is not fully correct. They initially came from the warrior caste. Over the years the Shi slowly started to include aristocratic scholars and an educated bureaucracy. Since access to books and knowledge was extremely limited, a scholarly person was highly respected in society
The Nong: Peasant Farmers
In status, the Nong were only second to the Shi. Farmers were considered the producers of food which sustained the empire and they contributed to state revenue by way of taxes. In a country wracked by periodic famine, the Nong was seen as a vital and productive social class, essential to the empire.
The Gong: Artisans and Craftsmen
The Gong were artisans who had the skills to make objects of everyday use. They were producers like the farmers, but since they were essentially landless, they did not generate revenue for the state. Since they had a skill, which was passed on from generation to generation, they were more respected than merchants. Some of them were successful enough to hire apprentices and labor to increase their production.
The Shang: Merchants and Traders
They were the merchants and traders and since they did not produce anything they were looked down upon by society as those who lived off the labor of others. They only traded and transported the food and goods made by the Nong and the Gong. Many merchants did buy land to command more respect in society. The popular belief at that time was that merchants were only motivated by greed and did not contribute to the greater good of society.
(Taken from; http://totallyhistory.com/ming-dynasty-s...structure/)
The Imperial Army is part of the "good" faction.
Monks (thanks Dad for being a rambling martial arts enthusiast)
Monks unlike the others are not striving to fight but find inner peace. The following are their motto for understanding the way of martial arts;
- To fight use your inner qi, never succumb to anger
- Do not use martial arts to fight, unless you are defending
- A fight should only last seconds; each jab is a death jab
The Monks are part of the "neutral" faction.
Yaoguais
Strange mystical creatures that reside within the human realms, they were the oldest of beings and the most wise. However due to recent events; elders have long since gone. Only the young, some even newborns, yaoguais are alive now. Seething with vengeance, most are set out destroy the human race.
The Yaoguais are part of the "evil" faction.
The "Wu" Shaman (giving credit to wonderful Felix)
Strong followers of Taoism, the belief similar to Buddhism, that "Tao" is life force behind everything. They believe that there is natural flow that should not be disrupted and to truly reach everlasting life they must abide by rules.
The "Wu" Shaman unlike the monks do not rely heavily on martial arts, instead on spiritual magic, and carry around the "ying yang" symbol as a dedication to their faith. They as well when in battle summon their spiritual guardian. One they must gain through a ceremony. During this ritual of initiating the full "wu" responsibilities, they gain their "ying yang" medallion and their spiritual guardian, whose appearance will be based off one's own connection to the elements.
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