The Grand Empire of Catai
Afar off land, born from dragons
Structure
The Jade Empress is the one true power of the land. Everything lives because she allows it, and everything goes exactly as she commands. She mostly lets her council of trusted advisors handle the daily matters, as she cannot be bothered to mingle in every daily affair of ruling an empire. She does however reserve the right to veto any new law or make any command she wants whenever she wants. Due to how vast the Catai Empire is, she chooses Warlords to rule over the provinces. These Warlords do at times war with one another to gain more favor and even admiration from the Jade Empress, and since the Jade Empress is a goddess, she usually does not interfere in these border conflicts unless one Warlord seeks to usurp her rule. However none so far would dare challenge her, for she has the Eternal Mandate of Heaven
Culture
The people of Catai are a smart and proud bunch. They have lived through civil wars and other conflicts beyond counting, and as such they are strong in spirit. Much of Catai culture revolves around rank and social class. Who one is, who their family is, who their relatives are, who their spouse is- all of these are crucial to ones social standing. Higher social standing means others must pay respect to you. Which plays into the concept of honor, for disrespecting someone brings dishonor to ones self and more importantly ones family. Dishonor to ones family means their social class goes down, and so many seek to avoid this outcome.
The people of Catai also love art, seeing everything in life as an art form to be mastered. Even a farmer tilling the field can be an art form in and of itself. This culture was developed since the earliest dynasties, and has since remained a cornerstone of Catian culture. There is also the very spiritual nature of the people of Catai. This leads many to see Catai as a golden culture in the world. However, this comes at a cost, for the current regime seeks to bulldoze much of the old faiths in favor of the new faith in the Jade Empress. Opposition to would be to oppose the Jade Empress, and everyone fears what will happen fi they oppose the Jade Empress. As such, many monks and others are trying to preserve as much of the old ways as possible, though this is unfortunately a losing battle.
Dragons also play an important role in Catai culture, with them being seen as divine beings or messengers of the gods. They usually inhabit the mountain rangers of Catai and are said to bless travelers with good fortune and the moral strength to continue in their journeys across the beautiful but admittedly dangerous lands of Catai
History
Catai is a land of superstition, faith, and strife. Much of the Cataian history has been lost to the many civil wars it has fought against itself, but much history still remains. The stories of creation vary, as until recently there never was any state religion or one faith. One myth has it that the Cataian people were made after a goddess was slain by the other gods after trying to find a home for her people. Her body became the continent of Orliea, and her blood gave life to the land. Another myth has it that in the void of nothingness, there were the elemental planes constantly mixing together. This chaos would form a dragon egg, and in the egg two dragons named Yin and Yang would thrash about until finally they hatched with such force that it created the universe. Many stars would turn into more dragons. Yin and Yang would tire from their cosmic birth, but they would suffer nightmares and soon attack each other when they awoke. Their blood would land in the heavens and create the gods, and as more dragons joined the fight, the bodies became the earth and all life on it. Yin and Yang would fight so much that soon, only their hearts would remain. Yin's became the sun, and Yang's the moon. The other dragons would stop fighting and look upon what had been created and smile, and soon would retreat to the heavens or stay behind on earth, to guide mortals and look over them like children. This is why some mortals worship dragons in Catai.
Regardless of which creation myth is true, if any of them are, the Cataian people would start like every other kingdom, as warring tribes of people before soon establishing permeant settlements, staying close to the great rivers of Catai. Eventually one settlement would gain prominence, and seek to rule over the others. The first emperor Xen Huong, would seek something to give him more power, and found it when he discovered what would become the Great Throne. This throne, would bless the one who sat upon it and proved worthy with the power of dragons, using the jade material in the throne as a sort of catalyst. Now ascending to near godhood, Xen Huong would declare that he is now the true ruler of Catai by divine right. This marked the first dynasty, the Xen Dynasty. The Xen Dynasty is known for making much early advancements in Catai, from refining the creation of silk to developing writing, and constructing the famous Palace of the Emperor. However, this golden rule would end when over time, the power of the throne was so overwhelming, that it would corrupt the ruler, and drive him made, causing Catai to erupt in civil war as the provinces fought to secure rulership. One would eventually be found, but thus would it be a fact that eventually, every ruler would go insane from the power of the very gods themselves.
Many more dynasties would rise and fall, but during the Chin Dynasty, the Weeping Lands would be formed, causing strange creatures and demons to invade Northern Catai, causing the Emperor to build the Great Wall, a barrier that kept out the dark and provided safety and comfort for the Cataian people. However, due to the massive amount of funds needed to build this wall, resulting in higher taxes, the completion of the wall would then see yet another civil war to add to the countless battles and wars the Catai people had fought with each other, not to mention some wars fought against the Al-Hinoso that do not have much history written about.
However, one of the most famous points in Catai history was the Wu dynasty, for that is when the Empire of Kantō would invade, seeking the many riches of the Cataian Empire. Thus the War of the Jade Dragon would be fought, a war that took over 8 years to fight. At first the Kantōnese armies would make great progress due to the the Cataians not being able to commit all of their forces thanks to recent engagements with the Ujik steppe nomads and Al-Hinoso forces, resulting in the Catai army having to resort to guerilla warfare. However, the Kantōnese would eventually start to take heavy casualties, and the great distance the Kantōnese had to travel made reinforcement difficult. Eventually, the Battle of Jiaomay would break the samurai of Kantō, and force them into retreat, ending the War of the Jade Dragon just 2 months later. However, the amount of destruction caused, would lead to civil unrest, as the Emperor would once again become corrupted, resulting in perhaps the bloodiest civil war fought in Catai's history.
During this civil war, one powerful woman living in the mountains would look down at the death and destruction and fill with hatred. Xiong Wuying, would descend from her mountain home and lead a rebellion, against the province warlords and the imperial family, declaring that the ruling family have lost the Mandate of Heaven. She would eventually find a great stone of jade near the end of the rebellion, and using strange magics, fuse the jade to her body, her skin becoming jade, and her blood glowing green. When she eventually took the capital of Catai, she wouldn't simply sit on the throne. Using her jade powered magic, she drained the power from the throne itself, effectively giving her not only the mandate of heaven, but seemingly giving her the mandate of heaven permanently. So began the Xiong Dynasty which to this day has lasted for a thousand years. Xiong Wuying regained order in the land with an iron fist, and has recently, formed the Church of the Jade Empress, for she is the god empress of Catai. Grand Catai now stands as the seat of power for the Jade Empress, and woe to anyone who dare interfere with her dogmatic rule
Territories
The Empire of Catai encompasses most of the land to the East of Orliea, past the Tepesh Desert and the Burkhdyn Steppes, reaching all the way up to the Great Wall, which blocks the Weeping Lands from spreading into mainland Catai
Military
The military of Catai encompasses thousands upon thousands upon thousands of soldiers, making it one of the largest militaries in the world. However, due to the tumultuous nature of Catai politics, most of these soldiers are actually disbanded when not in open war, and only engaged once the Warlord or the Jade Empress calls for war. Most of the professional soldiers simply execute the empresses will, be that making examples of those who would seek to go against the ways of the empress or patrolling the streets of the many beautiful cities. A permeant contingent of professional soldiers is always kept on the Great Wall however.
Religion
The people of Catai are a highly spiritual and philosophical people, and until recently with the new state religion many provinces had their own gods and beliefs. However three philosophical concepts remained constant throughout the lands and even to this day they remain strong.
The first one is the idea of the Duality of Life. Life to the Catains is not merely a long series of trials and woes to be overcome, but a turbulent path designed to lead one to spiritual enlightenment. Therefore every action one does in life serves a dual purpose. Food, which provides sustenance for the body, also feeds the spirit. This also means many seek to try and attain perfection in an art form. Music, calligraphy, painting, and all other art forms are believed to have been taught to the Cataians by the dragons themselves, and to perfect an art form is to become closer with the spirits of the dragons.
The next idea is that of the "Golden Soul". The Golden Soul is the achievement of perfect harmony between body, mind, and nature. This enables the soul to achieve Enlightenment and join the eternity of immortal life. In each lifetime, a person is given a chance to move closer to the ideal not only through religious practices but also through preforming righteous acts. When a person dies, there is an accounting of their actions in that lifetime and should they be found to have harmed or damage others or themselves, they are forced to atone in the next. This means it is important to strive for the ideal of the superior man so that one does not do anything to impair their journey to enlightenment.
Ancestor worship is one of the few ideals allowed under the new regime of the Jade Empress. When a family member dies, it is believed that they take their honored place among the spirits of their ancestors. Unlike other cultures, the afterlife is not a place of eternal rest, but rather a place for ones ancestors to agonize over the fate of their family. Many believe that the spirits of all a Cataians ancestors watch over and guide the family. Doing anything that would bring dishonor to ones family might invoke the wrath of these restless spirits, and many Cataian rituals are designed to help appease any unruly spirits that might be causing one trouble.
However many of the old gods worshiped by Catai have been gotten rid of in favor of the Jade Empress's new religion, that being the worship of herself. Many texts and creeds of faith have been destroyed and replaced with these new holy books, and all those who resisted were put to the sword or made to repent in less then civilized manners. ANy who hold to the old ways are treated the same, and so those who hold to the old ways are wise to hide in plain sight.
Foreign Relations
Many seek to keep trade relations with Catai due to the exotic goods of the land, mainly silk. The market is highly competitive for the trade goods of Catai. Al-Hinoso is on mixed terms with due to the border conflicts they have with one another. The Empire of Kantō is one of the few nations Catai holds in absolute scorn, due to the Jade Dragon War. However, currently they are not in open war, as Catai cannot effectively commit mass amounts of troops to attack Kantō, nor can Kantō due to the warring daimyos fighting with one another.
Agriculture & Industry
The lands are extremely fertile, proving to be able to feed most of the empire very easily. Another important part of Catai is a material called Jade. For it is a rock with many properties, for it can be fashioned into beautiful armor, grand titan constructs, or magical stones to be worn in crowns or wizard staffs
"For the Jade Empress, and the Dragon Throne!"
Founding Date
unkown
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
Demonym
Cataians
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Legislative Body
Minister of the State
Judicial Body
Minister of Justice and the many judges in the provinces
Official State Religion
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
