To the east of the Imavant is a land in turmoil.
For centuries, the Huo Dynasty ruled Liangyu in prosperity and peace. In the west, a line of border Dukes known as the Shan defended the kingdom from sporadic incursions of canid tribes. Science and art flourished in a thousand forms. All seemed well.
King Chengshi took as his chief wife a daughter of the Shan, in a move meant to cement the bonds between the two families. The son of this union, Prince Chou, was designated the heir and grew to be a well-respected soldier and statesman. But the King, nearing old age, developed an infatuation with a young concubine named Xiyi and began to dote on her to the exclusion of all else. Eventually he installed her as the new Queen and named their newborn son the Crown Prince. After an attempt on their lives, Prince Chou and his deposed mother fled to her father's court in the west. Outraged by the shameful treatment of his daughter and grandson, the mighty Duke of the Shan raised the banner of rebellion. Allying with some canid clans, he brought war to Liangyu.
The King was unpopular and few nobles answered his call to arms. Were it not for the wooden automatons that made up the bulk of his army, it is doubtful he would have held out. In the event, the first battle was close-fought, and both sides fell back to lick their wounds. Afterward, the Shan alliance with the dogmen galvanized the King's vassals to rally to his side, fearful that their lands and titles would be conquered by the barbarians. The war dragged on, and neither side could win a decisive victory.
This was all decades ago. Both King and Duke have passed on, but the war continues, in spurts and lulls, among their descendants. The concubine's son now reigns in the east, backed by his nobles and the family of artificers who create his automatons. In the west, Chou's three sons maintain their father's right to the throne, and with the help of the Shan and their canid allies they seek to claim it.
The cultures of the two factions have begun to drift apart, or perhaps the ongoing conflict has simply revealed divisions which already existed. The coastal east looks to the sea and the southern jungles of Argathras, importing exotic goods-- and faiths. The creed of the Teacher has begun to take root in the this country, to the discomfort of some of its more conservative elements. And everywhere one sees the various types of automata and other devices that have been developing over the past few generations. The west, by contrast, is landlocked. But it holds a near monopoly on the brisk trade which runs north thru the Sokot Desert and then west to far-off lands. The Duke's people have become experts in silk production-- as have many of their canid allies. While the dogmen had long been some of Shan's most implacable foes, a common enemy (with rich lands to plunder) seems to have united the two groups. How long this arrangement can truly last, who can say.
Automata are rare in the lands of the Shan. The easterners guard the secrets of their craft closely, and many of the rural folk of the west distrust their innovations. They tend to view the east as decadent, dishonest, and far too quick to put their trust in lifeless machines. Meanwhile, the easterners take pride in their sophistication and progress, viewing the Shan as blunt rubes, or even barbarians. Their alliance with the dogmen is felt to be a deep and unimaginable betrayal. But, they grudgingly admit, Shan courage and resourcefulness is undeniable.
Still, it is too simple to dwell exclusively on the two warring houses. Some nobles are still trying to maintain neutrality, and others seek to play the factions against each other. A few have switched sides, some more than once. There are also isolated clans and domains which have never bent the knee to the Huo kings. There are commoners just trying to go about their business in peace. And there are more unusual characters too. Wandering scholars go about, unearthing old secrets. Alchemists travel across the kingdom to procure ingredients for their elixirs, leaving strange rumors in their wake. Students of the martial arts hone their bodies to the breaking point in pursuit of perfection. And, of course, rogues of all stripes ply their shadowy trades on both sides of the border.
And, in the background, lurk wilder and stranger things.
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