Nobility on the Golden Plains [A Clan Builder / Cultivation Quest]

Regions of the Empire

The Empire is the only thing that most people have ever known. To the east lies the Dreamless Ocean whose turgid waters are never ending. To the west is the Sea of Dreams where Nightmare typhoons drive cultivators mad. To the north and south are only the Abyssal plains, grey and twisted realms of death. But in between these boundaries sits the continent of the Dawn. It is covered in mountains, plains, jungles, and deserts. Millions of cultivators live and die here seeking wealth, glory, power, or just a comfortable life.

The Imperial Abyss

On the eastern edge of the vast amber plains is an unfathomably deep crater. Over a thousand li wide it plunges into the depths that no cultivator has ever charted. Far from being a wasteland however this is the teeming heart of the Empire for a vast city has been carved into the walls of the crater. Even more importantly the Imperial Palace itself hangs suspended from vast chains in the very center of the abyss.

The reason for this is the abundant Qi that flows out of the depths of the pit. Like the breath of an enormous creature it cycles in and out supplying the inhabitants of the city with rich dense Qi with which to fuel their cultivation and devices. Millions of them live in districts carved into the western edge of the abyss and a constant flow of trade from the rest of the empire flows in to enrich them. Rice from the amber plains, gems from the umber wastes, furs and timbers from the beast masters, and even exotic spices from the far off Hooded cities.

As such the nobles here are among the most powerful in the Empire and the sects are lavish affairs that freely spend powerful treasures on the lowliest disciple.

Or at least that is the dream. As in all things not all sects and cultivators are created equal. The most powerful live on the western edge and as the city districts travel around the walls towards the east they become poorer and poorer. Going from somewhat respectable merchant sects, to the embittered underclass, all the way down to the salvagers who are little better than mortals.

This too has a cause. For the Imperial Abyss sits on the very edge of the continent. Right on the coast of the Dreamless Ocean itself. And every high tide a wall of water smashes over the eastern edge and erases anyone foolish enough to be caught in its way.

The Crownlands

The largest kingdom in the Empire is known as the Crownlands. Bordered by the Dreamless sea in the east and mountains to the north and south it is an immense expanse with only a few small mountain ranges sticking out of the vast plains and forests. The Qi is abundant here and the vast fields of golden rice feed most of the Empire.

From a distance it is a tranquil and idyllic land, but the truth is that it is one of the most violent kingdoms in the empire. For the throne of the Crownlands sits empty. The emperor rules the land as his personal fief, and he cares little for the affairs of those far beneath. As long as the grain tax is paid he doesn't interfere. As such the lords of the land constantly feud and strive to gain every grasp of political power that they can in the hopes that the Emperor might one day decide to appoint them king.

In their squabbles the lords use the rich harvests to raise immense armies of cultivators. Tens of thousands battle each other across the plains leaving behind blood soaked battlefields and littering the Crown lands with ancient fortresses whose lords lie dead, but whose formations still ward away intruders.

This in turn draws in the other source of conflict. Hordes of loose cultivators eager to plunder ancient ruins and reap artifacts in their search for a fortuitous encounter to aid them in their Path.

The Umber Wastes

To the south west of the Crownlands lies a mountain range that pierces the sky. It is known as the Teeth of the Leviathan and it is both vast and home to terrifying dangers. Dread beasts live in the valleys, the cliffs are haunted by ice spirits, and qi storms rage all across the mountains. Suffice to say very few people survive a trip across it.

And there is very little reason to do so anyway for beyond the mountains lies the Umber Wastes. A rugged desolate land with little water and less people. Technically it is a kingdom in the empire, but the Ivory King rules over a bare handful of oasis cities and nomadic tribes. But the land is not what draws people to the wastes. No it is what lies below.

There are rich veins of gems and ores here. Fantastical things perfect for crafting treasures out of. And what's more there are the remains of ancient beasts. Spiritual giants who died long ago, but millenia below the desert sands have only enhanced the qi in their fossilized bones.

The capital of the Umber Wastes is itself built into the bones of a vast behemoth whose ribs rival mountains and whose spine stretches for a hundred li. This is the City of Pale Wonders where the Ivory King rules from a palace carved out of its colossal skull and treasures are traded by the dozen in the dusty streets.

The Maze Lands

To the north west of the crown lands is yet another mountain range. However this one is far gentler than the ones in the South. They still pierce the sky, but there are fertile valleys in between the peaks, and the monsters are much more manageable.

What they lack in deadliness however they make up for in numbers. Unlike the mountains of the Teeth these mountains extend for thousands of li to the west as a vast range of spires and karsts that turn the land into a natural maze.

Between the difficulty of moving across the land and the richness of the Qi flowing down the slopes the area is the perfect territory for spiritual beasts and multitudes of them plague the land. As a result most cultivators live in small mostly isolated clans and sects that focus either on mining the mountains or taming the beasts.

The beasts are not simply a resource and threat however. Spiritual beasts can cultivate in their own right and indeed the monarch of this region is the Dragon of the Wastes. Cruel and inhuman the dragon encourages inter clan and inter species rivalries pitting the sects of the region against each other in battles for its own amusement.

The dragon itself lives in the west where the mountains meet the sea in towering cliffs that the dragon has carved into an immense rookery for itself, its hoard, and its many servants.

The Grey Cities

The Maze Lands sprawl across the north and the Teeth rise in the south, but in between them there is a narrow section of plains. The initial pass in the mountains is only a few li wide, but it soon spreads into a wide plain that rolls gradually down to meet the sea in the west.

This is the queendom of the Veiled Lady. The smallest of the kingdoms, but one devoted to ancient lore and arcane rituals. Several cities dot the land filled with tall spires of grey seemingly cast carved or grown from a single stone. Their inhabitants wear voluminous hoods and trade with passing travelers not for material goods, but secrets and memories.

Not that said travelers stay for long as it is said that to tarry in the Grey Cities is to become one of the hooded folk yourself. The sects that live in the cities have done little to dissuade such rumors, but they are offset by the knowledge that nowhere else in the Empire as you are likely to find the answers you seek. No matter what your question might be.

The Crescent Kingdom

The empire does not quite stop at the sea however. Beyond the leagues of blue ocean lies an island. Small by comparison with the empire, but still thousands of li long. It protects the empire's from the terrible Nightmare typhoons and the inhabitants of this land are hearty boisterous cultivators with a vast love of sailing.

They venture out on artifact ships and tamed sea serpents to explore the vast expanse of the Sea of Dreams searching for the elusive islands that fade in and out of existence like morning mist. These islands contain rich natural treasures, ancient ruins, and terrifying guardians.

Thousands of cultivators die every year on the islands, but thousands more set out to replace them for the stories of those who return speak of mystic treasures that can catapult a cultivator upward across the realms or make them so rich as to simply purchase anything they could ever want.

Such cultivators lean towards lawlessness, but the cities on the island are surprisingly orderly. This is due to its monarch, the Golden Judge. Impartial and merciless the Judge enforces a strict set of laws to enforce order and stability. Punishment is swift and brutal as violators of even the least laws are transmuted into statues of pure gold until their sentence is complete.

It is said that the Golden Judge itself was sentenced to the same fate so long ago that it was able to gain spiritual awareness and cultivate all over again despite its form.