Koryo

The Three Kingdoms

Koryo, formerly Choson, is a loose association of three kingdoms, all descended from the Han people and bound together under a strong king, the warlord Wanang Sun. The current government is administrated through royal appointment, governors ruling the 21 city districts and reporting directly to the king. Each governor is autonomous, dealing with his district as he sees fit. While some of the current governors are personal friends and advisers to the king, most are political appointments that strengthen Wanang Sun’'s position with the people of ancient Saishu and Koguryo. Men and women often dress in the all-white linen tunics and pants that are universal work clothes. Warriors wear heavy padded armor that provides warmth in the ill-tempered winter months. Silk is rare and expensive in Koryo, so only the rich families can afford to adorn their women in fancy dresses of satin and silken veils.
Archery is a respected, competitive art, as well as tae kwon do which, in its varied styles and forms, is practiced by all male members of the community. War and invasion are constant threats which keep the people ever alert, and the people only trust their own, often wrongly accusing strangers rather than malign a fellow Koryoan. They have a reputation for fearlessness in battle, and for high spirited celebrations.
From Pan east to the Malu River, the Vorkani Mountains arch across the land and separate T’ona’ Chee and Xi from the rest of Choson. They can be seen in the distance from Xai Chung. To the west is Saishu, on the edge of the Celestial Sea, as they call it, or the Yellow Sea, a place of sea serpents and mysterious powers, like the green mist that turns men into fish or the blue ice that sizzles and smokes in the water, but burns with its cold touch. The fishermen of Ansong and In’ani are the greatest in the world, having caught the mighty eel Ghartii Nung, a full 100 feet long, and rid the Straits of Koro of the menacing sea lion prides.
The best ships are made in Ansong, and some are made with magic so that they float better, sail faster and seem to fly above the waves at full sail! They also make a barge that doesn'’t rock with heavy seas. Many foreigners from Lung and Kamakura buy boats at Ansong. The land is known for its extraordinary tides through the Straits of Koro, where floods will rise 30 feet in two hours or a boat can be stranded for hours in the muck, bait for the dikanie, the giant orange crabs that grow to 30- and 40-foot lengths! The holy man Chiquong wandered to the southern tip of Saishu in search of a place for a hermitage, and, finding no suitable place, the mighty shukenja called an island up from the depths, a bleak and jagged desert of rock and sand. This place is called Su’un, and it is said that the hermit Chiquong lives there still, on that desert isle with only the wind as a companion. It is rumored that he has fantastic riches and can foretell the future.
Lui Do-pah, the “Dragon’s Teeth,” is the sailor's curse, the unnavigable straits south of Paektu-san. Hundreds of miles of jumbled reefs, treacherous shoals, and shifting islands have claimed many a sailor’s life and a king’s fortune in treasures. There are tales of ghost ships sailing through the tangled seas, and ugly sea dragons that eat entire crews. In Taiku they have a fountain that lends invulnerability to a bather for 10 days, and they guard this pool very carefully against misuse. Our most valiant heroes have bathed in the Taiku Fountain and drank its waters before their greatest battles. A berry grows in the Quang Muku Forest that makes a powerful love potion that has been used to trick lovers and destroy mighty houses, as when Prince Du-yang of Silla was killed by the jealous husband of a scheming woman, or when Queen Ki Hiar of Saishu fell in love with a pirate from Wa. Other powerful herbs are found in that dark and twisted wood.
The Dang Caverns are huge, and it is said that the entire Han clan sought refuge there when the skies caught fire, and Kanko rose out of Kang Ray. There are hundreds of entrances and levels, and bandits often hide there from the law. It is said the wizard Cho Lu-k’u cursed the tunnel when he died there and it harbors evil monsters that hide from the light. When the king of Silla abdicated, he fled to Dang Caverns with his most loyal men.

Type

Region

Location under

Lungshi