The ages of Man
Age of Creation:- In the beginning the two forces of the Toa, the balance, struggled and fought against each other for dominance. As a result of their struggle the five lords of the elements came into being. To stop the struggle between the two strongest forces of all creation the Elemental lords created the world. But the world was made only of Wan, the physical, while there was life, it was without a sense of purpose. So the Elemental lords put them selves into the world they had created and by their presence breathed Chi, the spirit, into the world.
As the creatures of the world began to think and feel, each found that while their Yin and Yang were in balance, their Chi was Strong, when it was unbalanced their Chi was weak.
By striving to keep their own Yin and Yang in balance each living being helped to help the Toa of all creation to stay in balance.
Age of Legends:- In the early days the gods walked the earth and created wonder and horrors. Until the first king journeyed to the center of the world and sworn to bring order. The first king was named Xiu, the leader of the Renruku and a mighty magician, he made laws and organized the first kingdom. As Xiu grew weary, the second king, Yan Di took over and expanded the first kingdom out to the four sacred mountains. But Yan found enemies as his kingdom expanded. To help in his duties he took a Human as his co ruler, Huang Di. Huang became more popular as a leader and so supplanted Yan in a civil war, Yan fled to the south of the kingdom and vowed vengence upon Huang.
Huang become know as the Yellow Emperor and made his capital in the mountains of Kunlun, were he ruled for many years. Yan set out to retake his throne many times, each time failing, but causing much destruction to the land. In the end Yan grew too old to continue the fight, and sued for peace. To prevent further damage to the world by warring gods the Yellow Emperor lifted up his lands into the heavens and set aside the hells to be ruled over by Yan as the first Yama king.
Age of Empire:- The Yellow Emperor selected a human to rule over the lands he left behind. This Emperor selected the best man he could find to serve as co ruler as he aged and then to succeed him as emperor. The second emperor did the same, but the third selected his own son and started the first Dynasty, the Shang.
In the Heavens the Yellow emperor passed on the rule of Heaven to the August personage of Jade. The Jade Emperor set up the Celestial bureaucracy which put a Heavenly being in charge of every aspect of the earth. Many years passed, each emperor of the Shang dynasty varying in ability but always at least adequate, that is until Zhou.
Zhou was a madman who loved to experiment on living beings to see how they worked. Zhou once cut the legs off of a group of peasant wading across a cold stream so that he could study the how the cold had effected the marrow of their bones.
Zhou cruel experiments became so hated that the Shang dynasty was overthrow and the Ming dynasty took over.
The Ming were not bad rulers but they were forced to compromise to maintain their rule. Year passed and Emperors came and went, each becoming weaker in turn while the Empire grew smaller, till the last Emperor was but a child ruled by his advisers and the Empire finally fell apart.
Age of Warlords.- For many years there was a Dark Age, the empire fell apart into hundreds of small fifes ruled by warlords who then set out to conquer each other. In the end there was only 5 warlords left who ruled most of the lands that had been part of the Empire. Each Warlord was too strong for any other to conquer alone, and they distrusted each other too much for two to ally together to defeat a third.
Age of Wonders:- Into this standoff came Chin Ito, the maker of wonders, with his army of Brass men and his magics he conquered the other warlords and reunited most of the Empire well as much of Shadia to the south. Ito build the great wall to keep out the barbarians to the north, built the great sea port of ShangHai to build ships to fight the Vorda raiders and dug the great canals to bring waters from the yellow sea to arid lands. The Chin were mystics and secretive, each emperor after Ito hid their faces behind a tiger mask of bronze, and build secret underground cities to house their wealth and tombs. Each also grew more indifferent to the rule of the empire. At last the Indifference to the empire grew too much for the nobles to tolerate and the Han led a rebellion to overthrow the Chin, the war was brief but bloody before the surviving Chin sued for peace and returned to their ancestral lands.
Today:- The Han have ruled well for the last 200 years, the great wall has been repaired and garrisoned, the shipyards at ShangHai once again send out ships to fight Vorda and the canals have been repaired. But the Empire's peace may not last long. The Lords of the western isle once again begin to seek chances at fame and conquest, the Chin have recovered from their humiliation and pray to the spirit of Ito for a return to greatness. The Ming plot against all and seek ruler ship of the empire by rule of the Bureaus, and the Shan speak of succession from the Empire.
Temples
Due to the large number of gods, spirits, deities, fairies, ancestors, and philosophies present in the middle kingdom, priests are seldom dedicated to one faith. Instead priest are organized into the groups known as the Temples. Temples are political groups who take care of the holy grounds under their care and watch out for their members other, as well as taking care of specific duties. During the time of the Chin Dynasty the Temples often fought out right war between each other. This caused the Emperor to forbid priests the use of weapons, although the Han have repealed this law, most still use the weapons which had become traditional to them. Priests usually wear the colors of their temple.
White Temple:- Caretakers of Ancestral graves. Ruthless hunters of the undead. A small temple, but powerful. The priests have the right to take offering from graves to feed themselves.
The White temple is also known for carrying out the last wishes of the departed, as well as hiding things away until their owners wished them returned or passed on.
Green Temple:- Students of medicine and the Apothecary arts, often researchers into immortality, another small temple, but popular for their belief in charity.
Red Temple:- The temple devoted to pleasures, food, music, gambling, luck and other of the gentler arts. The holy grounds are more like casinos or resorts. The Red Temple also operates a banking service and loans.
Blue Temple:- A temple of those dedicated to knowledge and scholarly arts as well of that of magic.
Yellow Temple:- The largest and most diverse of temple, a catch all for everything else. Made up mostly of philosophers and those who are dedicated to an ideal rather then a deity.
Brown Temple:- Less of a organization then a description of all the priest who serve local deities and small villages.
Black temple:- The secret temple. Devotee of the gods of murderers, thieves and bandits. They are only openly seen in Zheng.
Grey Temple:- Suppress by the Chin, the Grey have only recently began operating again, the Grey are dedicated to the perfection of the martial arts.
Purple Temple:- Imperial cult set up by the Ming dedicated to preserving the empire itself. Strong supporters of the Han at present. Intrinsically tied up with Bureaus.
Orange Temple:- Cult set up to worship the Chin Emperor as a living god, operating only in Chin itself now. Believed to have stolen away most of the Imperial treasury during the Han rebellion.
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