The Foundation of Xiubeyoa

Scope (write a sentence on each)

What is your motivation for building this world?

I want to build a realm/world with a different approach than my main world, while keeping a distant link to it.

What are you hoping to get out of it?

An exotic setting that is refreshingly different from my "generic med-fan" World.

What is the Hook or Unique Selling Point of your world? What makes it unique or different?

Med-fan DnD but with cultures tied to East-Asian style and Elemental overlords instead of Divine Pantheon. Elemental Magic & Religion being Central to their world.

Theme

What’s the Genre of your World?

A magical Fantasy world of medieval-East-Asian kingdoms worshiping the Elemental overlords (Water, Fire, Earth, Air).

How does the world feel (player experience)?

World feels like exciting "kung-fu / samourai" stories, with a strong presence of elemental magic powers.

What is the tone of your world?

Action and intrigues in an Empire trying to Balance the opposed Elemental cults of its vassals. Imagine Legends of the 5 Rings, AirBender, "Once upon a time in China" mixed together with a DnD touch.

What is the character agency level like?

The characters should be part of the big intrigues, to feel the powers at play and struggle to survive in that world not only by combat but also by status. They should be powerful people of their realms/families, yet not the leader themselves. an influential Imperial official, the member of one of the great families, or right hand to an overlord.

What are the recurring themes which reinforce the genre, tone and feel of your world? (Give three examples)

Many elemental themed creatures and geography linked to each elemental kingdom.

Danger of one of the elemental forces overwhelming the others, tension between them and the fragile balance maintaining peace between them.

Honor bound respect of the Imperial family even when its decisions seems unfair to "mere mortals".

Meta

Military: Cold war between the four Elemental kingdoms (Water, Air, Fire, Earth) existing around a central unifying/peacemaker Imperial House. As long as the Empire rule and maintain the opposed elements on opposites sides of the continent, peace holds. (Fire <> Water , Earth <> Air). If the Empire disappeared, Opposed kingdom would instantly enter in devastating wars.

Religious: The four elemental kingdom are bound to their corresponding Elemental overlords (Not True Gods).
The Imperial House is said of direct ascendancy to a major neutral Goddess (True Goddess, the one of Magical Arcana and Legends).
Other Gods exist but are not known to mortals of this "world".

Racial: Most people of the kingdoms are oriental humans. In each elemental kingdom, there is Elemental hybrids seen as "children of the gods" and given higher status for human of the same function and families.
In the Imperial House, there is "Bloodline of the Imperial", distant hybrids of the Divine that are seen as creatures above any other Human or Hybrid. With even Life/Death right to others.

Drama

The first kingdom to bend the knee and surrender to the Empress was the north Order of the fiery flamboyance. Some says it was out of loyalty and faith, others that it was an attempt to ascend to more power in hope to crush their nemesis in the south, the Order of the inexhaustible benevolence.

Rumors run among the four kingdom about who was the last to bend the knee and surrender to the Empress. Sometimes as a shame, sometimes as the last to abandon the pride of its kingdom.

The holy order of Imperial Arcana is using magic unknown to others (Divination, Transmutation, Necromancy ) and it give them a great power. What other secret does it hides?

An independent kingdom exist on the far West of the continent. They are distant and unaffiliated with the Empire but if getting in trade with the West Order of the relentless determination, the Imperial status-quo could be unbalanced.

Elemental wild creatures and monsters are becoming more aggressive and crossing the borders of their known "elemental regions more often in the recent years. Tensions rise on all borders are they are accusing each-other of controlling it to invade their neighbor kingdoms.

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