Classic of Peaks and Rivers
This document, surviving in fragments and with disputed translations, is purported to be a historical document from the time of the Ancient Jiao. The scroll case it is kept in features jade and gold designs reminiscent of the legendary culture. It is a cross between an atlas and bestiary.
Purpose
This is a foundational document of geography and a reliable bestiary. Reproductions of this artifact, abridged by many authors and purported explorers, are sold to would-be adventurers. The text details nearly 1000 mountains and over 800 rivers, as well as the many wonders of the Ancient Jiao cities that dotted the land. Scholars argue that the document is trustworthy, but to exercise caution as the original is outdated by more than 1000 years, and the landscape has wildly changed.
Critics suggest it is entirely a fabrication. The original is on display in The Secret Sealed City of Heaven, though it is incomplete. It is rumored that one or more members of the Black Horn Society have copies of the complete original that have better withstood the passage of time.
Critics suggest it is entirely a fabrication. The original is on display in The Secret Sealed City of Heaven, though it is incomplete. It is rumored that one or more members of the Black Horn Society have copies of the complete original that have better withstood the passage of time.
Document Structure
Clauses
The text is divided into eighteen (9 + 9) chapters, with most chapters having 2-5 subsections beneath them. The early chapters are focused on geography, the middle contain lore on beasts and monsters, and the last chapters are about the founders of the earliest Ancient Jiao empires.
Publication Status
Reproduced and abridged versions are studied before taking examinations for civil service in Sowa.
Historical Details
Public Reaction
Jiao scholar Ming Hua commented once that the document contained actual examples of sorcery and should be censored for public safety. It should be noted that Ming Hua was later convicted and sentenced to death for the practice of illegal necromancy.
Shanshuijing is the alternate name for this bestiary and geographical reference.
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