The White Jade Emperor

In an age veiled by war and marred by the schemes of petty nobles, a saga unfurled its first chapter. A thousand years ago, the Middle Kingdom of Rokehara stood fractured, its lands divided into warring kingdoms locked in unending conflict. Amidst this turmoil, within the confines of the modest realm of Karachang, a boy named Shen Yin was ushered into the world. Born to a family of prosperous merchants, his life was destined to intertwine with the threads of destiny, war, and ambition.
As the seasons turned and the tendrils of time grew, Shen Yin evolved from a curious youth to a knowledgeable alchemist, mastering the arcane artistry of his father's trade. Yet, alongside his growing expertise, simmered a bitter discontentment with the societal confines that had defined his station since birth. He watched with a heavy heart as nobles of birthright wealth held dominion over his family, a family that, by all measures, could have been draped in opulent silks were it not for the stifling grip of caste-bound restrictions.
A pivotal moment seared itself into Shen Yin's memory, an event that stoked the fires of resentment within him. His father, a scapegoat in the intricate dance of noble intrigue, met a cruel fate that left the young man's heart aflame with hatred and bitterness. Fueled by this conflagration of emotions, Shen Yin cast aside the shackles of acquiescence. No longer content with mere existence in a world dictated by forces beyond his control, he embarked on a daring quest to reshape his fate.
Armed with a formidable arsenal of alchemical knowledge, material wealth, and influential connections, Shen Yin executed a transformation that defied convention and reality itself. Disguising himself through the enigmatic art of shapeshifting alchemy, he effortlessly deceived the royal court, insinuating himself as a prospective court eunuch. The veils of deception he wove were intricate, their strands meticulously intertwined with the tapestry of his ambition. The grand stage was set, and Shen Yin's cunning manipulations would soon alter the course of history.
Within the hallowed halls of the Court of King Liu Su, Shen Yin found himself in an unprecedented position. A master alchemist and a shadowy puppeteer, he offered his concoctions – a blend of drugs, poisons, and mystical elixirs – to those ensnared in the machinations of power. Yet, his remedies often held the antidote to afflictions he himself had inflicted, a paradoxical dance of deception that would ensnare an entire court in a web of his making.
As Shen Yin's influence swelled like an ominous tide, he indulged in clandestine liaisons that further embroidered the tapestry of his ascendancy. Affairs with concubines, members of the court, and even the queen, Su Xunyi, painted a portrait of hedonistic excess hidden from the prying eyes of King Liu Su. Amid these secret dalliances, he whispered draughts of infertility into the ears of the unsuspecting monarch, a malevolent alchemical stroke that fostered a generation of courtiers unknowingly birthed from the seeds of Shen Yin's design.
Yet, what began as a quest for dominance over the royal lineage grew into an insatiable thirst for power and mastery. With each passing day, Shen Yin amassed a treasure trove of favors, secrets, and knowledge. His schemes evolved from the seductive art of courtly intrigue to the precipice of ultimate ambition. With the sage oracle Fan Zexi's proclamation that the next monarch would arise following King Liu's demise, Shen Yin glimpsed a window through which his destiny could be realized.
Fate, it seemed, was malleable in Shen Yin's hands. Poison claimed the lives of King Liu and Queen Su, leaving a void within the kingdom's heart. Swift as a shadow, Shen Yin infiltrated the royal tomb, pilfering not only treasures but also the iconic White Jade death mask. The mask became a symbol, a conduit through which he could manifest his destiny and quell the skeptics within the court.
Emerging before the court, the embodiment of the oracle's prophecy, Shen Yin's transformative masquerade took center stage. The disbelieving murmurs of courtiers were silenced as he revealed his "reversal" from eunuch to fully realized man, invoking the heavens themselves to validate his claim. But the court demanded substantiation – magic turned upon him, seeking the truth that lay within his veins. Craftily, Shen Yin's calculated machinations thwarted their efforts, leading their inquiries down a labyrinthine path of falsehoods, his very blood altered by his alchemical craft.
The weeks that followed were a crescendo of subterfuge, a symphony of evidence and elimination that silenced opposition and cast Shen Yin in the light of the prophesied heir. The court, a trembling assembly, succumbed to his enigmatic aura, accepting him as their king, a ruler ordained by the cosmos and chosen by destiny. And thus dawned the immortal Dynasty of Shen Yin, King of Karachang, a sovereign whose origins were as intricate as the plots that had propelled him to power. Little did the world know that this was merely the opening act of a saga that would echo through the corridors of history and resound across the realms of Middle Rokehara.
Rise of an Empire dedicated to one man
Upon ascending the throne as king, the cunning Shen Yin embarked on a calculated path to solidify his authority and pave the way for his ambitions of dominion over the kingdoms of Middle Rokehara. The first stratagem he wove into his narrative was his affiliation with a modest religious philosophy known as the Way of the Dreaming Dragons. Although he harbored no genuine piety, Shen Yin adroitly manipulated the philosophy's morally ambiguous canvas to suit his purposes. Swiftly, he cast aside his former identity, adopting the name Long Zhi Zan Wei Li Ling. He then spun a tale of divine visions, claiming that the very creators of Rokehara, the great dragons themselves, had anointed him as the chosen ruler of their world. The Way of Dreaming, bereft of deities or dogma, found itself ill-equipped to challenge his assertions. As his coffers flowed with gold gifted to the philosophy, many followers chose to avert their gaze from probing questions, allowing Shen Yin's deceit to take root. Thus, the seeds were sown for his gradual transformation of the Way of the Dreaming Dragon into a state-sanctioned faith, eroding the foundations of established religions that might challenge his self-proclaimed divine authority.
In his quest to consolidate power and quash dissent, Shen Yin enacted a multifaceted strategy. He embraced and propagated ideologies that relegated women to subordinate roles, meticulously crafting a societal framework that marginalized their influence. Through intricate gender roles, he ensured that women would be stymied in their pursuit of power, safeguarding his dominion over the throne. Although never inclined to favor women, Shen Yin weaponized his disdain to systematically repress half the population, removing them as threats to his regime.
Yet, his cunning manipulations did not stop there. Shen Yin harbored an unspoken fear and insecurity towards Hengeyokai and other non-human humanoid beings. In the shadows, he sowed the seeds of prejudice, nurturing a climate of distrust and animosity towards these communities. Under his clandestine orchestration, these groups were pushed into the shadows, painted as undercastes to be scorned and reviled. Hengeyokai were displaced, their properties confiscated and handed to human citizens, fostering the illusion that humanity was favored by the Divine and, consequently, a superior class.
With skillful alchemy and the potency of his schemes, Shen Yin embarked on a deliberate campaign to reshape his kingdom's very essence. He intricately structured a hierarchy wherein only those who were pliable or oblivious could rise to positions of influence. In effect, he established tiers of bureaucracy that formed an insurmountable wall for those who might challenge his authority.
Under Shen Yin's calculated manipulation, those who followed his faith, converted, or hailed from the realm of man thrived within the framework he constructed. Yet, this foundation was built upon the anguish, oppression, and exploitation of those outside this favored circle.
At the age of 40, Shen Yin unveiled his pièce de résistance: the fabled alchemical elixir of immortality. He spun a yarn of holy enlightenment, proclaiming himself a divine immortal, a lie woven with the finest of threads of his deceit. He cast himself as the eternal emperor, a sovereign destined to rule in perpetuity. A sinister agenda began to unfold over the next five decades, as Shen Yin's tendrils spread to undermine, manipulate, or outright conquer the realms of Middle Rokehara. When every kingdom lay within his grasp, he declared that it was the decree of the Dreaming Dragons, rebranding his empire as Long Guo, the land of the Dragons, an eternal tribute to his artifice.
Thus, Shen Yin's intricate web of deception, oppression, and false piety reshaped an empire to bear his imprint. With every thread he wove, the tapestry of Long Guo darkened, a realm founded on artful subjugation, manipulation, and the audacity to rewrite history in his own image.

The Immortal White Jade Emperor Shen Yin, Ruler of Long Gou, destined ruler of the entire world, beloved by the heavens and chosen by the Dreaming Dragons.
(by Midjourny)

Ruled Locations

• Long Guo