Zhianshi Home Life

The Zhianshi are diverse people coming from three unique caverns that connect to each other through various narrow tunnels. Each cavern has its own nation with its own philosophy and technology. Each nation rivals each other and keeps each other in balance. There is a deep rivalry between the three due to their constant quest for expansion. As a whole, they represent the most advanced nations of all the lands, with full steel factories and early industrial tools like steam power and muskets.
The first nation is Han. Their cavern connects directly with Polaris and as such is their biggest trader. Han makes their profits off of their research in alchemy. They take the Earth Crystals they get and crush them into fine particles to be used in potion brewing, combining them with herbs and chemicals to produce unique effects. This forms a good chunk of their trade with Polaris, but the real moneymaker is their factories, which produce resources like steel which Polaris doesn’t have the means to produce. Of course, the most valuable thing Polaris desires is metals, which Zhianshi is full of.
The second nation is Wuyue. Their cavern has rich soil making it ideal for farming, and the population has learned to use Earth Magic to build complex aqueduct systems to irrigate their crops. While their magic and lifestyle are simple, it is powerfully effective. They are a huge menace in war because of their ability to quickly create walls, throw large boulders, and take control of the advantageous position in the war.
The third nation is Nanping. Their cavern is home to one of the most lucrative universities in all the lands, the Guozijian. Here, engineers have developed advanced weaponry and vehicles, including some of the earliest tanks and muskets. In addition to this, they have a massive mining operation with some of the largest ore veins for iron, lead, and other desirable utility metals. They are the most aggressive amongst the three currently because of their feeling of superiority from these advancements.
Now is a unique moment in history where the power struggle between these nations is boiling over as all three prepare to go to war in the modern era, with magic and technology far more deadly than in any other period.
Throughout the nations, though, is a deep spirituality in the form of animism and spirits. While they do not believe in gods, they have many guiding spirits and forces which influence the flow of the world in which they live. At the center of their faith is a concept of stability, where the world is one great foundation that each of our spiritual energies brings imbalance. To master one’s spiritual self is to bring greater stability to the world.