Xi'anZhou, the Serpent Kingdom

Geography

Xi'anZhou is a land of deep sprawling jungles, cool mountain steppes, and long river valleys. This land, far to the East, is one of the unique vistas and stunning features. In the Northern reaches of the country, the Cloudspire Alps begin, stretching down and ending in the Western reaches of Xi'anZhou. The highest peak of the CloudSpires is Mount Shīlì or, the Lost Mountain. Xi'anZhou, while a place of beauty, is a place of deception. Much of the Flora and Fauna deceive their prey by being deceptively beautiful or meek. It should come as no surprise that, most often, tourists and visitors are the ones who fall for such traps.
The lands of Xi'anZhou are split by two major rivers, known as the Twin Fangs. The Greater Fang begins in the North and works its way in a South-Western direction, intersecting The Jade Road and ending just below AhinRaj. The Lesser Fang begins in the North and works its way in a South-Eastern direction, cascading over The Heaven Falls right near Lanxhu, the capital of Xi'anZhou, and into the Bay of Scales. Between the Twin Fangs lays The Jade Steppe. Here, jade appears in abundance, but the steppe itself is haunted and watched by various creatures and monsters that have learned to watch jade deposits and wait for treasure hunters and travelers to pass by. Adorning these steppes and valleys are various ruins from previous dynasties, which are largely avoided due to their "haunted" nature and the persecution that treasure hunters are met with by the Yuan-Ti.

The Easternmost Edge of the empire borders The Veridian Sea and is subject to horrid tempests and storms almost year-round. The Westernmost edge of the empire borders AhinRaj and Kursh. The Kurshai and Yuan-Ti have a long-standing enmity due to their relative closeness to one another. All that separates the two is a small range of the Cloudspire Alps called The Serpent's Threshold. The Westernmost portion of Xi'anZhou also hosts The Mirage Jungle, or, by more cynical and experienced traversers of the jungle, The Deceiver's Garden. These jungles are filled with deceptive predators, both flora and fauna, living and inanimate.

Fauna & Flora

Fauna

Yaoguai: malevolent animal or plant spirits that have acquired magical powers. The evil ones are usually referred to as guài (literally, "weird") or mó (literally, "demon" or "magic"). Their greatest goal is achieving immortality and thus deification.

Oni: Ogre sorcerers, or demons to others.

Displacer Beasts

Mountain Trolls

Giants: Namely, hill and stone giants. Hill giants wander the Jade Steppe, setting clever traps for treasure hunters. Stone giants inhabit the CloudSpire Alps in huge temples high among the peaks, practicing their religion and conversing with travelers.

Jade Golem: Special stone golems that guard ancient Xi'an temples. Have a special immunity to magic.

Huli Jing: Shapeshifters that can be malevolent or benevolent. The Nin-tailed fox is the most famous of these shapeshifters.

Kitsune: Kitsune inhabit secret cities in the Cloudspire Alps, mingling with society from time to time though the Yuan-Ti hunt them and seek them out to learn of their secret cities and magics.

Yetis: Inhabit the CloudSpire Alps.

Jiangshi: Undead, created by ancient dynasties that guard old ruins and temples.

Girallon

Foo Dogs: Typically guard abandoned ruins and temples.

Yuan Dragons

Drakes

Giant Komodo Dragons

Behir

Etc.

Flora

The Serpent's Tears: Small clear berries that can only be found among the highest peaks of the Cloudspire Alps. These berries are EXTREMELY poisonous, but, if boiled, can instead be an incredibly powerful narcotic and tranquilizer. Used primarily by The Dúyá and one of the secrets that this organization stole from the Kitsune.

MoonLeaf: The leaf of a small herb that makes delicious tea and is said to be capable of restoring the most exhausted soul.

Assassin Vines

Corpse Flowers

Shambling Mounds

FireSnap: A popular tobacco found in Xi'anZhou. The leaves are coated in an oil that makes it possible to ignite by placing the leaf between two snapping fingers. The plant produces a pleasant aroma that is often used as a base for Hookahs and other smoking tobaccos in AhinRaj.

Gui Shuiguo: Ghost Fruit. A foggy fruit that is supposed to grow on lands inhabited by Yaoguai. This fruit is supposed to be capable of curing most illnesses and, when fermented, makes a delicious Gui Baijiu, or Ghost Wine. This wine is clear and delicious and is said to fortify the soul of the person who drinks it against possession and illness. This is a delicacy reserved almost primarily for the Feathered Court in Lanxhu.

Fox Root: The root of a plant that looks like a fox tail. This root is most often eaten grilled and seasoned lightly. When cooked, this root produces a thick sap-like substance that can be used almost like grease and is often used as a sort of kerosene for torches. The root, after being cooked, is very bitter but can be ground down and used as a seasoning.

Scale Pit: Scale pit is a plant that grows incrementally in size yearly, never stopping in its expansion. It starts as a small bud on the ground that, if found in this stage, can be eaten and provides the same effect as the good berry(5e) spell. However, after several years, the bud opens and begins to dig downwards, creating a small trap hole in the ground. At first, this hole is only big enough for a mouse, but after a decade can grow big enough to swallow a caiman. The largest recorded Scale Pit was found just South of Lanxhu and was big enough to swallow an elephant. It is now used as a sacrificial pit by the Scaled Empress. The plant is given the name Scale Pit because of the brilliantly rainbow scaled trapdoor, designed to entice prey, that covers the gaping, sweet-smelling maw beneath.

Natural Resources

Tea

Unique fruits and berries for fermentation

Hides of exotic creatures

FireSnap tobacco

Jade

History

Xi'anZhou is a land of legacy, grown and bred from ancestry and inheritance. The first dynasty to rise in Xi'anZhou was actually a group of humans called the Zhou who began the first Zhou Dynasty. This dynasty lasted for a few centuries but eventually fell when a rival family called The Xi supplanted them in a bloody war and took the throne. Thus, The Xi Dynasty began with war. The Xi focused on shamanic studies and practices, investigating magic old and new and seeking out commune with unknown entities and deities. It is believed that, during the Xi Dynasty, Xi'anZhou first began their relationship with Gonggong, the Snake God. Gong Gong slowly whispered secrets and deceit into the ears of the Xi until they performed an ungodly ritual that transformed themselves and much of the royal household into the Yuan-Ti. It is believed by Western culture that Gong Gong was actually Zehir, but this has never been confirmed by an outsider.

Following the sudden transformation of the Xi, the rest of the country attempted to remove them from power, meeting with marginal success. The Yuan-Ti retreated into the Mirage Jungle and bided their time there, growing in power among their cities and sects and cults. A new dynasty began with the man who chased the Yuan-Ti out, a hero named Han Yu, the Mongoose, and thus began The Han Dynasty. This peace lasted for many years, the Han Dynasty being the longest standing dynasty in Xi'anZhou history. However, it would not last, and after a century of peace, the Yuan-Ti returned, led by a cunning general named Cai Su, the Night Serpent. Cai Su overthrew the Han and retook the throne, though it was moved to Lanxhu at this time. Since this time, The Cai Dynasty has sat upon The Scaled Throne, ruling with iron and scale. However, the Yuan-Ti still hunt for the Kitsune in their hidden cities, seeking their secrets and power. The Kitsune have always stood against the Yuan-Ti since their ascension, claiming to be lead by The Nine-Tailed Fox itself in this endeavor.

Tourism

Most tourists travel to Xi'anZhou along the Jade Road, hoping to see Lanxhu and the Serpent Throne and possibly Kowtow for a favor from the Scaled Empress. There are also ancient Xi ruins and temples to see and various beautiful flora and fauna to study. Most tourists also come to Xi'anZhou to partake of the famous alcohol, tobacoo, and tea that the country produces in abundance.

Included Locations

• The Jade Road
• The Jade Steppe

Owner/Ruler

Cai Lifen, the Scaled Empress

Owning Organization

The Dúyá Poison Fang

Contested By

• AhinRaj, Land of Decadence
• Kursh, the Savage Lands

Inhabiting Species

• The Shellback Tortles

A massive Scale Pit - identified in an abandoned Yuan-Ti temple for ritualistic sacrifice