The War Palace

    When the Yeng built the War Palace, they placed it on the western side of the city, so that the palace's eastern wall is a segment of the city's western wall. Two gates that formerly led into the countryside now lead into the palace complex, although only one of them is for public use.

    The whole complex is more or less patterned after the old one at Peach Grove, but it is somewhat less open and ornate than that one. Thought has been given more to defense than to elegance. The entrances are narrower and the walls thicker and higher. It is whispered by some that the Yeng have built secret passages and listening posts throughout the complex, although this has not been confirmed.

    The complex itself is divided into five compartments, running from south to north. The southernmost, the Court of Imminent Appeal, is nearly a little city in itself. Here countless petty officials and servants have their own small apartments, and there are a handful of minor government buildings which each serve some obscure sector of the beurocracy. The Far Gate on the south wall opens to the countryside, while the Oak Gate on the east wall leads back into Mutsai. It is through one of these two gates that most visitors to the palace pass through.

    On the north of this area is the entrance to the next section of the palace. The Armory Gate, as the name suggests, leads into the area which houses the royal arsenal, The Court of Unkindled Flame. Barracks and stables are also found here. Anyone serving in the King's guard will have a bunk and locker in this court.

    Passing north through the Pheasant Gate one enters the third department, the Court of Unfettered Truth. Most of the royal bureaucracy works in this area, centered on the building known as the Outer Hall. Legal changes, judicial decisions, and royal decrees will be published here.

    The Gate of Reply, sometimes confusingly called the Main Entrance, leads into the fourth court, the Court of Enlightened Counsel. Here the King meets with his various councils and holds audience. The Ash Gate on the east side leads into the city. Few are allowed to pass through this gate. Only the King, his personal couriers, servants, and guards will generally use it, and that rarely. However, the Scions are allowed to enter it to attend the War Council in the latter half of the morning, after the King has finished with his administrative council.

    North of this is the Tiger Gate, painted a royal purple, which leads to the private living area of the king and his concubines. This area is designated as the Court of Undisturbed Tranquility. There is a banquet hall here which is reserved for exclusive dinners with the king and a select few. The King's House is here, along with various houses for concubines and apartments for eunuchs. Obviously this is where the king spends most of his time. The Queen's House stands uninhabited, for a chief wife has not yet been selected, and at Fennu's ascension his mother left the palace to live in seclusion on a country estate. She has not been seen in some time. Beside this house is the tomb of the former king, Chengshi-- but that name is never spoken here. By longstanding tradition, it is forbidden to use the name of a deceased king of the Huo line (and here is another place where Shan and Huo differ). Each deceased king is given a posthumous title. Fennu's father is properly referred to as the Reclusive King, although in less reverent circles he is called the Recumbent King.

    Fennu has stayed within the palace for much of his reign, infrequently entering the city and rarely going out into the country. He has never returned to Peach Grove, even during the times it was recaptured by the royal armies. This has made many uneasy. Traditionally the Altar of the Center is where the King makes sacrifice to the Lord of Heaven at midsummer, to ensure stability and prosperity. A fane has been erected on a hill about a days' journey from Mutsai, but it is unclear whether this stopgap measure will meet with Heaven's approval.

    Fennu has thus far ruled with a light touch, not overburdening the people with taxes or conscription. This has won him a fair measure of approval among the wider populace. But there are whispers in isolated corners of the capital. He is certainly a good king, they say, but isn't there something about him? That grin, for instance-- positively feral. And when you look at him from a certain angle, does he look-- not quite human? And his appetites are prodigious, even for a king. Nevertheless, they hasten to add, somewhat more loudly, he does not seem to be ruled by them. Unlike his father, he has not neglected affairs of state for affairs of the heart. Certainly none of the concubines (and there are quite a lot of them, aren't there?) seem to have captured his special attention.

    If he has not neglected the ship of state, he has also not given as free a rein as his father did to the Yeng family of artificers, or to the nobles. It certainly seems that he intends to bring both into line. How he intends to do that remains to be seen. It is doubtful that he can control one without the other.

The Scions (Roll Chart)

     Although there are many provinces in Liangyu, they are controlled by about two dozen clans. Some of these are descended from retainers of the Huo at the time of their ascension to power, rewarded with fiefdoms for their loyalty. Others are cadet branches of the Huo, given lands to tame in the hopes that they would not vie for power at home. Some houses were ennobled by the previous dynasty, the Mi. Their loyalty has always been somewhat suspect. And a very few are older than the Mi: ancient lines of tribal overlords and petty kings that were allowed to keep some measure of status under the shadow of the great Unifier. This is a strange and disparate lot even by the standards of this strange and disparate land.

    The Huo Kings demand that each of these noble houses send a male of their line to serve at court for the duration of the war. These hostages are commonly called Gongzi, which roughly means something like Lordling or Scion. The full title would run something like X, Scion of House Y and Member of the King's War Council. The Scions represent an unusual class in this city. Some have embraced their calling as members of the King's Council and seek to support the war effort with efficiency and fervor. Others have succumbed to the temptations that privilege brings, and spend much of their time in decadent pursuits. Most have ambitions, goals, and vendettas which may or may not match up with those of their clan.

    For the DM, this roll chart may be a starting point for creating unique Scions for the party to interact with. A Scion can be a useful patron or a powerful antagonist.

Personal Name, d20

1  Ai

2  Mian

3  Yan

4  Zhe

5  Dan

6  Shen

7  Fengren

8  Yuan

9  He

10 So

11 Jin

12 Guang

13 Ruoshan

14 Buzhu

15 Shing

16 Zifu

17 Ki

18 Huang

19 Jia

20 Dun

Clan Name, d20

 1  Jiang

 2  Ji

 3  Yao

 4  Si

 5  Yun

 6  Ren

 7  Gui

 8  Peng

 9  Balu

 10 Zhen

 11 Mi

 12 Kiu

 13 Fo

 14 Kai

 15 Wen

 16 Hong

 17 Fang

 18 Gong

 19 Chen

 20 Sun

Clan Symbol, d20

1  Sun Bird

2  Two Cups

3  Three stars

4  Stag

5  Five Bats

6  Pheasant

7  Stone Chimes

8  Dagger-Axe

9  Pearl in the Fire

10 Double lozenge

11 Rhino horns

12 A sprig of coral

13 Pomegranate

14 Pine Tree

15 Peach

16 Lotus Flower

17 Tiger

18 Heron

19 Tortoise

20 Kirin

Clan origin, d6

1 Ancient line, Pre-Unification

2 Cadet branch of the Mi

3 Ennobled by the Mi

4 Retainers or Allies of the Huo

5 Cadet branch of the Huo

6 Foreigners annexed by the Huo

Physical Appearance,  d6

1 Short

2 Fat

3 Average

4 Slender

5 Brawny

6 Tall

How old was this Scion when he first came here?

d20, add ten to roll. 11-30

How long has he been here?

d20. 1-20

Temperament, d6

1 Testy

2 Proud

3 Mocking

4 Relaxed

5 Reserved

6 Outgoing

Servants and Retainers, d6

Their morale is...

1 Unanimously loyal, to the death.

2 Mostly loyal, some outliers.

3 Fond of their lord but lack respect for him.

4 Fear and respect; loyalty but no love.

5 Frustrated.

6 Borderline mutinous.

Vice, d6

This Scion's weakness is...

1 Women. Can't resist a pretty face.

2 Wine. A connoisseur of all types of alcohol.

3 Gambling. Lives for the thrill of the game.

4 Hunting. Lives for the thrill of the chase.

5 Narcotics. High off his gourd.

6 Music. Acquiring a collection of musicians.

Home, d6

1 Cheap house in dockyards

2 Barracks (officer in the guard)

3 House in Oldtown

4 Palatial estate in Oldtown (entire block)

5 Estate in the country

6 King's favorite, has a house on the palace grounds

Rumors (optional), d6

1 High-voiced and beardless. May not be the man he makes out to be.

2 Was sent here as punishment for some crime against the clan.

3 Is plotting against the head of the family.

4 Has connections to Mutsai's criminal element.

5 Is rumored to dabble in esoteric practices.

6 Has the ear of Clan Yeng and has even been inside the Grand Lodge.

Mutsai: The Underground

    The automatons execute basic tasks and can respond to certain stimuli. While some are used for very basic (and deadly) security, they are not sophisticated enough for urban police duty. For that, the Yeng rely on human sentries. The Watch have made and kept Mutsai a model of order. They are meticulous, professional, and very well paid.

    The diligence of the Watch necessitated creativity on the part of criminals. Mutsai had been built with an underground sewer system rather than the usual canals. Criminals began to use the sewer tunnels for movement, meetings, and hideouts. Gradually they dug tunnels of their own. A network sprang up, crossing and crisscrossing beneath the city.

    The underground is not part of the Watch's circuit. The Yeng have tried to renegotiate the contract several times and the Watch always refuse. They will fill in tunnels from above, but they will not go below.

    Things grew more complex with the arrival of the nobles. Quarrels between the Houses led to an increased interest in the underground by thieves, spies and assassins. The Houses responded to this security threat in various ways. House Fo planted a moss which gives off hallucinogenic vapors. House Kai released a swarm of razorlings. And House Wen brought a particularly insidious breed of python from the south, which has proceeded to infest the entire system and prove a greater annoyance than the human vermin. To deal with the various threats once and for all, a few have suggested binding ghosts to the sewers to sweep them clean of life. The Yeng are concerned that one of the Houses may actually attempt this, with potentially deadly consequences.

    But there are other ghosts in the underground already. When digging the sewers, the Yeng uncovered a complex of ancient tombs. They walled it off, but as the population has increased so has the volume of sewage. It has begun to seep into the once-sealed vaults, causing unrest among the dead.

    It is rumored that the Yeng are seeking to form a new security force to patrol the underground. Such a group would certainly face danger from predators, criminals, and agents of the various houses, not to mention the restless dead. And it is quite possible that the Watch would view them as rivals. I urge those interested in the position to perform their own research before applying.

Mutsai

     Mutsai lies in a bend of the Yun River, in the territory of House Yeng. The city was planted by them shortly after they were granted noble status. Prior to this they had been mere craftsmen and artificers, but their invention of the automatons propelled them to a position of wealth and influence. The Yeng founded Mutsai as a base for their future endeavors.

    The first part of the city, Oldtown, was laid out as a walled square with three gates on each side. Each gate opens onto a broad tree-lined boulevard. Branching off from these main thoroughfares are lesser streets marking off blocks or "wards". Most wards are themselves enclosed with walls patrolled by the town watch. Guards are supposed to check anyone entering or leaving a ward. In the center of Oldtown is the Grand Lodge, headquarters of the Yeng. Just east of it is their Ancestral Hall. Directly on the Lodge's west side, where one might expect to find altars to the gods of soil and grain, there is instead a towering temple to the Wood Elemental, patron deity of the Yeng. The great marketplace is directly north of this central area. The northeastern quarter of the Oldtown contains many warehouses. The great forest of Lin is closest to this part of the city and vast reserves of timber are brought here for storage. The southeastern quarter is where most of the recreational establishments can be found-- taverns, gambling halls, and the like.

    The Yun River flows close to the southeast corner of the city. Docks and storage buildings line the shore. A collection of squalid tenements and tottering shacks gradually sprang up in this area between the walls and the river. The Dockyards, as it is called, has an ill reputation. Its winding and narrow streets are a stark contrast to the clean and orderly Oldtown. The sewers also empty into the river in this section, which gives it an unpleasant smell and poor health.

    When the Huo capital fell, the King decided to accept the invitation of the Yeng to retreat to their territory, instead of entrusting himself to one of the older noble clans. The Yeng built a palace for him west of the city, guarded by thick walls with cannon emplacements at the corners. Two gates of the west now open on the palace area-- one for general use, the other only accessible to the King and his immediate agents. It is officially understood that the King is the guest of the Yeng, and that they retain full control over the city proper, but the palace is entirely under the King's direction.

    Once established at Mutsai, the King took steps to ensure the continued cooperation of the remaining noble Houses. Each clan leader was ordered to send one of his sons to the royal court, ostensibly to sit upon the War Council. The unspoken truth is that they are hostages. They are, however, kept on a loose leash. Most have raised families of their own in the time they have been here. A few have managed to purchase estates outside the city. The rest are mostly scattered throughout the western side of Oldtown, close enough to be near the palace but maintaining a healthy distance from each other.  The noble houses have longstanding rivalries with each other, and plots and schemes are incessant.

    The Yeng, however, continue to run the city like a machine. Even the taverns are kept under a tight leash. Patrols are constant, and any disturbances are swiftly dealt with. The Watch pride themselves on maintaining law and order above ground.

    Below ground is another story.

The Huo

    The ascension of the Huo occurred roughly three hundred years ago. Prior to this, Liangyu had been ruled by the Mi Dynasty, descendants of a powerful sorcerer. This dynasty had at first been strict yet efficient, but gradually slid into tyranny and corruption. The Huo took the lead in their overthrow and assumed their vacated position.

    The Huo set about to fix the damage caused by the Mi's misrule, and were mostly successful. They reinstated the worship of Heaven and forbade human sacrifice. They repaired old roads and built new ones. A network of canals connected the various river systems. Harbors were established along the coast. The farmer, the craftsman, and the merchant were allowed to prosper.

    But ease and idleness bred indolence and ennui. The recent kings have been more concerned with wine and women than the needs of the people. This decadence led directly to the current conflict. The loss of their capital forced them to flee eastward, establishing a new court at Mutsai.

Canids in Liangyu

         For as long as Man can remember, the clans of the dogmen have descended from the Imavant to claim land for themselves. While the long struggle bred resentment towards the species, there were some canid tribes that impressed the Dukes with their skill and honor. When the rebellion broke out the old Duke, wary of a war on two fronts, brokered an alliance with these clans. In exchange for their help, they received land. Some were settled in the westernmost valleys to keep any other canids outs. Others were given fiefdoms conquered from the King's vassals.

        This was not wildly popular at the time, but many Shan have gradually come to accept it. The canids have proved dependable allies and bold comrades in battle. Being carnivores, they subsist on hunting and herding. So whenever the humans are tied down with the harvest, the dogmen are still available to guard the front or run raids-- much like the wooden legions of the east. As for the Xin, they have been widely accepting of the new arrangement, being used to all manner of strange folk who cross the desert to trade with them.

        Canids are still banned by law from entering Hei Chao itself, but several of the chieftains attend the Autumn Feast in Zhigen. Many canids have taken up human beliefs and practices. Some incorporate Zaldohin into the Liangyese pantheon, others identify him with the Lord of Heaven. The canids in Bao have taken to wearing silk and have even established a memorial hall to their ancestors. The emphasis on familial loyalty and piety appeals to them innately.

        Canids seem to have a more intense sense of morality and loyalty than many humans do, although their exact definition of such things may differ strongly. Exactly how this plays out in the lands they hold is a matter of debate. The men of the west hold them up as exemplars of virtue, and say that the human peasants who tend their herds utter no word of complaint. The easterners rejoin that any who do speak up are likely to end up in the cooking pots of their inhuman masters. Lurid accusations aside, some critics point out that the canids are likely to multiply and require more land. They feel that a repeat of the old war seems inevitable-- this time in the heart of Liangyu itself.

The Last Fortress

 No fiction this time. I had a difficult time coming up with what Lust's stronghold should be. I finally settled on a dungeon. But then I ran into another difficulty. The AI art generator blocks the prompt "Dungeon of Lust" for some reason (can't imagine why). So I had to cheat a little. The first set was generated with the prompt "The Dungeon of Longing."

And the next set was generated by the prompt "The Prison of Desire".

Hopefully I'll get back to Liangyu next week.