Lo Pashong
Lo Pashong
Religion
Traditions
+15% Fort Defence
-15% Stability Cost Modifier
Time of the Black SunThe beginnings of Lo Pashong hail from the times before ash blotted the sky. In those days of yore, when the Sikai stood united in a struggle to free themselves from Verkal Ozovar’s control, they worshipped Hebat Mahar and its many spirits of the land. This was the way of the world until the Hour of Darkness - a solar eclipse that lasted for an unprecedented full hour, leaving many citizens terrorised by the notion that the Spirit of Moon and Sun has abandoned them.\nThe mass hysteria that followed broke the first Sikai state, and in the chaos many Sikai fled into Xianjie and built monasteries that would later form the basis of Lo Pashong.
+20% Manpower in Primary Culture provinces
Communal StationsAs monks train themselves in the martial arts, many of their chosen tools become damaged or worn. While this isn’t an issue when residing in a monastery, it is a common problem for the hundreds of monks who spend their time wandering the land searching for challenge, as even minor defects in one’s equipment can completely sabotage their combat capabilities.\nThe monks of Xianjie address this problem by setting up havens across the land. These gathering points, originating in Tameuong, serve as natural gathering points where the monks can repair their belongings, sleep, and train with any other martial artists who happened to pass by. Every visitor is expected to care for the station, providing materials from nearby villages and maintaining it as they stay, benefitting from the cycle of taking and giving.
-2 National Unrest
Many Shapes of a Shield’From the mines up in the hills, the ore is mined. The monk descends down to their first station in which they craft a mould. For two days they remain, deciding on the shape and size of the future accessory, for from buckler to pavise and round or square, the design must fit the monk first and foremost. After such meditations are complete, they proceed, polishing the mould to perfection, adding ornaments and innovating on the design. From there, the wood is collected to fire the forge and to reinforce the shield. Here they stay for three days, embarking for the forges of Lo Pashong only on the third night, where the shield can finally be crafted.’\n- The Forging, Lao Baize, 1421 AA
-10% Shock Damage Received
Shield is a ToolWhen asked about how they would describe their school, the monk of Lo Pashong regularly give one of two quick responses.\n“The Shield Monks bear no weapons.” and “The Shield is no weapon, as it is meant to protect.”\nThis staunch, direct and confident answer is indeed the quintessence of how these warriors fight. They indeed wander the Xianjie only equipped with their trusty shields, as they believe their ability to cover themselves is sufficient to overcome any edge their opponents may have.\nWhile the tempo of their attacks vary depending on the size of their tool, every move they make is done with full commitment, seeking to abuse a window in which they can unleash a devastating set of blows combining their fists and their shields, stunning their opponents long enough to inflict the finishing blow.
+10% Infantry Combat Ability
Faces Familiar and UnfamiliarWhile normally friendly to the outsiders, the monks of Lo Pashong follow a strict mindset when it comes to their homeland - if you choose to live here, it’s on our terms. They have proven to be very stubborn in following this, as they’ve retaliated brutally against any unwanted incursion into their territory with immense and often unnecessary fervor.\nPerhaps the greatest example of this would be the invasion of then newly established monastery of Liukhexingzhe, which sparked from a disagreement over a newly built well on the border of both Xiakens' domains. The monks of Lo Pashong, as expected of them, demanded immediate dismantling of the structure, while the new master of the school, unfamiliar with his neigbours’s temperament, declared that the well stays, as its water was of incredible quality that was necessary for the monastery’s training.\nThis outraged the master of Unbroken Shield, who ordered an invasion, one which ended almost disastrously for the newcomers. The well was destroyed in the end and since then no one dared to annoy the Pashongi monk on his home soil… at least without immediately regretting it.
+20% Foreign Spy Detection
Silver and BronzeThe monasteries of the South Xianjie contain many diverse cultures, bearing most of their denizens from the lands bordering the Xia, rather than the local Szitu population. This intermingling leads to many problems, as it seems like the most common language in these lands is the one of constant sparring, with not many words exchanged between each other.\nThis can lead to a feeling of loneliness that is taxing on the mind and soul, disrupting its cultivation. That is why monks of Sikai frequently go across the border, to meet their brethren from the Townships, who are always willing to offer a home to the monks - for a small price. Custom states that the monks pay for themselves with leftover copper, receiving silver Ngoeni coins in exchange, which not only provided bronze for the townships, but also spread the Sikai currency across the monasteries.
+10% Domestic Trade Power
Hope Dies at Lo PashongMany threats came and swept across Xianjie in its history. Harimari, Elves and Hobgoblin, each making a similar kind of push, coming either from west, north or both, they dealt humiliating losses to the unified Xia, as they pushed onwards to control the heart of Haless and the Righteous Path.\nThese campaigns, one by one, have always led to the same place - Lo Pashong. At the base of Phokhao, and at the corner of the Xianjie, the monks have thrice made their last stand against foreign conquerors here, and thrice they have faltered.\nAnd so, a saying spread amongst the people. Whenever a situation seems dire and there seems to be no solution to overcome it, know that you’re ‘pinned at Lo Pashong’ - for it is there that hope goes to die.
+20% Garrison Size
Ambition
+10% Recover Army Morale Speed
History
TBD
Strategy
TBD