The Six Great Ancestors

The six heroes that saved the entire continent with their great sacrifice

The Six Ancestors

Though they were the six key figures in Zheng-Kitaran history that would be the sole reason for the advent of the Spirit Kings, the Six Great Ancestors are figures of whom little truly accurate information remains. Only snippets remains of their existence and lives, despite their great deeds - due to both the immense length of time that has passed and the obliteration of most all records of the times before their sacrifice by The Yema during the Age of Desolation.
Now, precious little remains of them - most of which is enshrined in their official Mausoleums on Hyeojiin Island, or kept in their ancestral homelands. Each of them would become a living conduit for one of the Spirit Kings after the completion of their grand ritual, which would see their souls and minds burned away to become corporeal vessels for the might of the Spirit Kings.

1. 
   Kaede Shimabukuro, Last of the Cindered: A warrior-woman from an ancient tribe of warriors originating in the Great Vhudsing Range, dubbed "The Cindered" for their practices that saw them char their flesh to a dark charcoal black. A fiery woman, she was said to be the "face" of the Ancestors. She was charismatic, convincing, and deeply driven - she is believed to either have been the founder of the Ancestors or the one who brought the group together. She is described in the annals of history as a woman who never gave up hope, never despaired, always driving forwards and onwards, with passion and zeal unmatched - a character whose personality far outmatched her physical size, boisterous and confident, and usually the most raucous and loud. Around her, it is said, it was hard to stay negative for long - she possessed both a sense of humor and smile that are described as infectious. She left behind a legacy that saw to the repopulation of The Cindered, and her lineage is believed to continue in the area of Modern-Day Narixia to this day.


2. 
   Lihua Yan, The Icevein Wraith: A woman described in the history books as a "Cold Princess', Lihua was believed to have been ancient royalty - a princess of a kingdom that once ruled Hyeojiin Island that has long since fallen out of history and memory. Her personality and personal history, more than the rest of the ancestors, has mostly been lost - she is rarely mentioned as talking, speaking, or making herself known, so is assumed to have been quiet, brooding, and often overshadowed by the others. Contrary to her title, she is not believed to have been an actual wraith - it is believed to have been a descriptor for her as very thin, gaunt, and cold in body and personality, as well as a severe lack of presence - much like a wraith. Her legacy was the founding of Liuishi City on Hyeojiin island, future holy site and place of great piligrimage, as well as site of the mausoleums for the Six Great Ancestors. Her lineage continues unbroken in the chain of royalty that leads Liushi City to this day.


3. 
   Kichiro Itoh, The Earthen Pilgrim: A stoic, stalwart, humorless man said to be on an eternal pilgrimige to find a place called "Yomi" - a physical entrance to the land of the dead. A valiant warrior who is described as a stubborn and infuriating man who never smiled nor frowned in his entire life. A reassuring presence to any at his side, he is described as perhaps one of the most steadfast allies any could wish for - words like "retreat" or "faliure" were not in his lexicon. He is believed to have come from a very small village that he left as a young adult on his eternal pilgrimage. Believed to have been recruited into the Ancestors by Lihua, who is described as saving his life such that he swore himself to a life in her service in a form of "Life Debt". Very close friend and possible sworn bodyguard of Lihua. His legacy has mostly been lost to time - a permanent bachelor, he was not known to ever have kids or leave a lasting impact on the world aside from the ritual to summon the Spirit Kings. He is assumed to have continued his pilgrimage and faded away.


4. 
   Fu Gong, Vagrant of the Blowing Winds: An aging monk who was once the Grandmaster of a monk temple that was destroyed during the latter part of the Age of Desolation in a Yema attack. The oldest member of the group, and the wisest. He was never known to have a single, stable home, and is described as the Grandfather of the Six Ancestors. An aged, wise sage who often told light-hearted jokes and dispensed life advice to any who needed it or asked for it, he was loved by all the Ancestors, and is said to have been the pioneer for the ritual the Ancestors used to summon the Spirit Kings. He is described has having a "spirit that shone even in the darkest times" - he is said to have lost all of his family and friends during the course of the Yema invasion of the time, but never lost his laughable, joyous disposition. He was said to have once been a vile soul during his youth, but found redemption - and would go on to provide mentorship to several members of the Ancestors. His legacy is one of monastic perfection - he founded countless monk temples and schools for the less-fortunate, and left behind a legacy of learning and teaching, many of which endure to the modern day. His children, if any exist, are undocumented and undiscovered.


5. 
   Jin-Ho Seomun, The Brother of Light: Blood sibling to Hei-Ran, who is described as "Man of noble and kind spirit". He was said to have bottomless generosity and goodness in his heart - no evil was beyond his abiltity to redeem, no problem to much - he was a wholly pure soul, bright and noble, to such a degree that he could be considered stifling to many. Only his sister Hei-Ran was able to put up with him consistently, as his moral code refused to bend or break for any situation - he was, by all reports, an impossibly pure spirit the likes of which the world has not seen before or since. Little remains to describe him that was not idealized - likely his own doing, as was likely heavily egocentric and self-absorbed. His legacy is one of giving, generosity, and egocentrism - and his line continued for awhile before dying off during the War of the Last Alliance against The Witch Kings of Bhorsis-Razghûl.


6. 
   Hei-Ran Seomun, The Sister of Dark: Blood sibling to Jin-ho, who was described as a quiet, introverted soul much like her closest friend in the Ancestors, Lihua. She, much like Lihua, does not have much record left of her existence - she was known to be quiet and not very outgoing, more prone to brooding and quiet planning that speaking to others or being outgoing. She was not believed to have any friends outside the Ancestors, and most records of her exist tangentially to her brothers, Jin-Ho - records of her being the only one that could stand her brother's overbearing attitude and demeanor, calming him down, and ensuring his meddling didn't offend or trouble those the Ancestors came across. A mediator is how she is best described - unassuming on her own, but ferocious and spirited indeed when going for the benefit of others. Her legacy isn't well documented, as she was not the type to make herself known - and her line continued for awhile before dying off during the War of the Last Alliance against The Witch Kings of Bhorsis-Razghûl.

The Two Exiles

The two exiles were once members of the ancestors, remembered as they who abandoned their duties in the Ancestors' final moments and left their kin to die. They are described as cowards, who could not be asked to pay the ultimate price of the ritual to summon the Spirit Kings - the ritual that would summon the Spirit Kings, though miraculous, required the Six Great Ancestors to completely sacrifice their souls - burning them away into oblivion, withering and vanishing forever, to finish the ritual - a price the betrayers were unwilling to pay. As such, they were believed to have turned their backs on their friends, as cowards, and set out to try to find another way to accomplish the same objective and save the world.
However, forced by two of their own abandoning them, the remaining Six Great Ancestors were forced to turn to other means and rituals, since they were now down two members. Unfortunately, most all information about the two Exiles was purposefully erased by The Six Great Ancestors and those who followed them as penance for their crimes - they were wiped from history and memory.

1. 
   Daewon Gam, The Broken Bulwark: Once a proud noble soul, remembered only as one so terrified of the price his kin demanded be paid to save the world to summon the Spirit Kings that he fled, desperate to find another way that would not demand such a high price of him. A proud man so consumed by fear he fled his duties. Believed to have been the main influence of Shizuka to persuade her to follow him into Exile trying to find another way. His ultimate fate, like Shizuka's, is unknown.









2. 
   Shizuka Morimoto, The Sinister Shadow: Once a careful, paranoid scout and assassin, Shizuka was the one who was believed to handle the dark side of the Ancestor's business - ever an advocate for winning no matter the cost, she was known to be a bit too paranoid, which, though it may have kept her alive, was also the primary means with which Daewon manipulated her into joining him in his quest into cowardice.

Six souls against the world.

Type

Adventuring Party

Alternative Names

The Heroes of Hyeojin, The Six Martyrs, The Living Conduits

Related Historical Events

• Closing Year of the Age of Desolation
  Advent of the Spirit Kings

Not a single person asked them to make that sacrifice - they saw the Yema destroying the entire continent and knew they had to do what had to be done. They made the ultimate sacrifice to save the entire continent - they didn't even get an afterlife, their souls were burned away entirely. So keep that in mind next time you spit on what they achieved - they're the reason we're even here to have this stupid argument.

— Unknown