Cangji
Cangji
Religion
Traditions
-10% Advisor Cost
+1 Monarch Administrative Skill
The Lone Lotus SeatThe tale of the Ashwoven Harimari is one of opportunity, betrayal, and intrigue. Scions of the Eastern Lotus Court of Lianzhou, a meager cadet branch of the Undying Flame dynasty known as the Ashen Soul embarked upon a research expedition in 277 AA to the mythical expanse of Gozengun, following tales of the wonders of northern spirit magic. To reach their destination in the southern Rünsukhi plateau, they would require the approval of the Kingdom of Guwaamud, an ancient rival of Lianzhou. Amidst a temporary peace between the two powers, the expedition managed to set out upon a journey of discovery.\n\nThe expedition was fruitful, and much was learned. The Ashen Expedition began preparations for their triumphant return. However, in the summer of 282 AA, a brutal war had begun between Lianzhou and Guwaamud. No longer assured safe passage and isolated from any semblance of a supply line, the decision was made. Upon the plateau would be founded Cangyuan, the Lotus Seat of the Harimraj, and its loneliest outpost.
+1 Yearly Devotion
+1 Yearly Horde Unity
+1 Yearly Legitimacy
+0.3 Yearly Republican Tradition
Evoke the Ashen SoulThe Ashen Soul dynasty from which the Ashwoven Harimari gained their name is a peculiar one, with coats as white as ash and innate magical power resting within their illustrious fur. With a fervent curiosity and unquenchable thirst for knowledge, the Ashen Soul seamlessly filled the role of scholar-gentry, organizing several expeditions upon the Odheongu Sea and eventually venturing north of the Demon Hills into the unknown.\n\nOne aspect of this endless pursuit of knowledge was an unrivaled aptitude for the arcane among the Eastern Harimraj. Boasting mastery of fire and water, the Ashen Soul evoke sorcerous blood to mold the immaterial into material, to gather the vital chi of the elements and wield the result with ferocity and grace befitting the twofold tigers of Rahen.
+1 Land Leader Shock
+5% Mages Loyalty Equilibrium
Tian ZhuThe glistening sands have long since been blessed with ample geodes of a special variety of gemstone known by locals as Divine Agate, formerly mined as a novelty for jewelry or other meager decor. However, with the advent of chi-based research among the Rünsukhi, it became clear that Divine Agate held special properties concerning the storage and release of chi. A sufficiently empowered agate, when worn, possesses remarkable protective powers, warding adverse spirits and helping oneself achieve balance, within and without.\n\nThese charms became known as Tian Zhu, or “Heaven’s Beads,” and have become a popular source of tangible–though very temporary–protection amidst the treacherous wastes of Gozengun.
+1 Tolerance of the True Faith
+10% Trade Steering
Khaaz-Monks of the Blazing ClawDespite their loathsome persistence, little is known about the spirits of Haless, entities that have razed villages on a whim, caused castles to fall in mere days, and ravaged the minds of the brightest minds to ever live. The endless pursuit to understand and ultimately banish spirits led to many harimari of the way of the Blazing Claw, historical residents of Lianzhou, to seek passage north to the fabled lands of Gozengun. It was said that there upon a high plateau, monks could recite words of power known as mantras to abjure and ward their secluded monasteries against the many spirits they face each day.\n\nMany of the Blazing Claw chose to take advantage of the ill-fated Ashen Expedition in 277 AA, offering their services as guards or schleppers in hopes of learning these legendary techniques. Upon the expedition’s arrival in the year 279 AA, the monks of the Blazing Claw began to fervently study the art of Khaaz, ultimately mastering the technique over the centuries and wielding it with a tigerlike ferocity, evoking pink and blue psychic flames alongside traditional Xiaken martial arts to banish ethereal and mortal alike. They earned the title of Khaaz-Monks, acting as warrior-exorcists in times of spiritual strife.
+10% Infantry Combat Ability
Monastic SchismThough reverence of the High Gods is, by all rights, the official religious doctrine of Cangji, worship and dedication in accordance with the tenets of High Philosophy is typically localized to secluded monasteries and harimari mage-pagodas. Due to the relative minority status harimari hold within the Lotus Seat, the vast majority of the domain adheres to traditional Rünsukhi values, though as the years passed, more and more Rünsukhi locals began to set their sights upon Kartya. This monastic division has led to a separation of roles between harimari and Rünsukhi believers–the Ashoven Harimari spend much of the year in quiet contemplation of Dekhana, or "ascertaining," whilst the Rünsukhi at large, who often lack proper education of specific philosophical doctrine, take a more active role in the faith through the art of Pichka, or "pursuing."
+15% National Manpower Modifier
Graveyard of CogsMany archaeological sites of clockwork treasures and marvels litter the surface of the Southern Rünsukhi Plateau, full of trinkets and tidbits the likes of which we can barely comprehend. These trinkets and relics are the subject of much study by the Ashwoven gentry-scholars, and over centuries of study and refinement, clockwork architecture began to make an appearance among mage-pagodas, powering and facilitating the operation of many arcane contraptions. Though this technology remains incomprehensible to the public, mages of the Ashen Soul have made countless breakthroughs regarding the discernment of ancient, otherworldly technology.
-5% Technology Cost
Low Temple of the NorthThe various peoples of Haless were each forced to adapt to survive and overcome the whims of spirits. The Yanglam tribes of the Lupulan pursued appeasement and coexistence with their mythical Great Spirit, whilst the peoples of Rahen and Yanshen chose to gather around the masterworks of the High Gods to bask in the divine mercy offered to all that follow in the High Gods’ footsteps. Now, we walk upon soil and sands that the High Gods did not tread. This does not mean, however, that we must fend for ourselves. The Ashen Expedition possessed the foresight to bring along a single ember of the Undying Flame, preserving its warding powers for the journey ahead, and nurturing it upon a brazier located in the inner sanctum of the Low Temple of Cangyuan. This ember would spark a grand blaze and project a powerful magical ward, preventing spirits from moving within its radius unhindered.
-2 National Unrest
Ambition
+1 Administrative Free Policies
History
TBD
Strategy
TBD