The People of the Empire and surroundings
The Northerners
The Nothern Provinces are sparsely populated, compared to the other Provinces of the Empire. Most of the people living there are either military personnel, condemned criminals, members of the few remaining original settlers of this area or had once been refugees from areas north of the Great Spirit Wall. The harsh land, as well as the looming threat from the Shadowlands, does not help either in attracting new settlers. Most of the communities are rather small, mostly just supporting nearby mines or in the shadow of the huge garrisons along the Wall. The only large cities are found along the coastal areas, in the few spots where the sea is not treacherously sprinkled with reefs and cliffs. Mountain Spirit Folk also inhabit the mountains along the Wall, but most of their ancient holdings had to be abandoned due to the advancing influence from the Shadowlands. The coastal areas also harbour several communities of Sea Spirit Folk, but compared to their cities farther south, these are also rather small.
The Easterners
The Eastern Provinces are well-populated areas of the Empire. Here was the core of the realm during the rule of the First Dynasty and from here it started to expand. Today, more it seems like more people live here than in any other part of the Empire. Though the population consists mostly of humans, the Catfolk as well as the different Spirit Folk are also more common here than in other parts of the Empire (except, that is, for their home regions). They live together in the large cities which date back to the more humble beginnings of the realm and the Easterners see themselves not only as the geographical but cultural heart of the Empire. Here the great Guilds of the Mystics have their headquarters, the largest of the Temples can be found and the capital city of Qijing lies at the shores of Moonwater Bay, stretching along the coast and inland for several miles.
The Westerners
The People of the Western Provinces were and still are known for their fierce independence and the value of their traditions. In fact, if the Second Dynasty wouldn’t have collapsed under it’s own weight, the people of the West would surely have gone into open revolt after the signs of them loosing the Mandate of Heaven had been amassing. But the rise of the Third Dynasty cut this development short and the Westerners became one of the foremost supporters of the new Dynasty, the Emperor having spent most of his time living in Western Provinces and having made a Name for himself there. They are descendant from the nomadic tribes which had followed their herds across the wide plains at the foot of the Rising Phoenix Mountains for generations. They settled down somewhat during the First and Second Dynasty, but even today there are still tribes of nomads living in the harsh wilderness. The Westerners are known to be the best horsebreeders in the Empire and their skills at horsemanship are second to none. They form the backbone of the imperial cavalry and their horses are sought after even well outside the Empire’s borders. The Rising Phoenix Mountains are home to a few smaller communities of Mountain Spirit Folk, an ancient people of stocky humanoids with a close affiliation to the Earth and the spirits contained within. Their mountain strongholds, as well as the fortified passes, castles and watchtowers of the Empire scattered throughout the Mountins control the border for any incursions by land from the neighbouring realm of Khem’hasar.
The Southerners
Today, the Southern Provinces are a vivid mixture of human and other cultures. Aside from human tribal cultures which had existed in the area almost as long as those of the Catfolk, following the subjugation of the South many people from the other provinces of the Empire moved south and mingled their own culture with that already present. The Catfolk still inhabit the deep jungle and woodland areas of the region as well as peacefully living together with the humans. Aside from these larger groups, several communities of River Spiritfolk live among the many rivers crisscrossing the South, from small villages along rivers deep in the jungle to much larger communities along the coast and the banks of the Border River. Two other groups also exist among the people of the South, but to most these are nothing more than rumours: the last of the River Dragons of ancient times are said to live in remote areas far from human civilisation, in places where the only once in a while get visited by the nature priests of the Southern People and act as oracles in times of need. The other group is even more rumour than the dragons. These are a rare breed of shapeshifting spirits which are said to be able to take the form of either human or fox. Since shapeshifters are regarded with fear by the common folk (as well as many of noble birth) of the Empire due to their usual alignment with the Shadowlands, these Fox Spirits are said to live in remote areas of the woods where their only visitors are those of nearby Huren tribes which have earned their trust. But the Huren don’t like to talk much about these and even seem to think of them as a kind of ancient folk tale which has survived the time of the First Dynasty, because since then o Fox Spirits have been encountered by humans. Bamboo Spirit Folk are living in the deeper parts of the woods and jungles, sometimes close to Baoren communities.
People of the Dragon Isles
The Dragon Isles are mostly inhabited by humans and an assortment of wild animals. A few more fantastical creatures are sighted from time to time but since most shipping tries to stay clear of the coral reefs around the volcanoes, they can mostly be seen only from afar. The humans themselves are loosely organised along lines of clan and family and often several of those families together take part in pirate raids along the eastern coasts, mostly operating from small, fast and highly manoeuvrable boats and sometimes with the assistance of some of the Water Spirits and the Wu-ren in association with the Element Water. Few of these rogue wu-ren are known in the dragon isles, but those who are born there are said to have a special gift for the Elements of Fire and Water which are such a determining factor in their daily life. Far from the coast, in the area known as the Dragon’s Eye, which is a large ring of coral reefs centered on a group of three larger islands in the middle of it, lies the centre of activity. Here are the largest communities and the many surrounding islands form a natural wall of protection enhanced by many a spell and bound spirit or creature over the years. The Dragon Isles themselves are also rumoured to harbour Sea Dragons, but the only proof of their existence so far have been tales of captured pirates and the occasional glimpse of a huge shadow underneath the waves. The Dragon Isles are also home to larger communities of Sea Spirit Folk which live more or less close to the communities of the pirates and have sometimes even worked together with them.
The people of Khem’hasar
The Khem’hasari are known for their bloodlust as well as their dabbling in Spirit Magics of the Outer Spheres. Ever since the two realms first came into close contact with each other, the people of Khem’hasar had harboured the notion of taking the rich lands of the Empire by force. They have tried for several times, unsuccessfully, but even though there has been peace for several generations the frontier doesn’t seem to quiet down. Trade is sparse, but existent in several places along the Rising Phoenix Mountains, but aside from a few caravans that cross the passes each year, most traffic between the two realms is strictly monitored by the imperial military. The people of Khem’hasar are famous for their inventions, which utilize unknown magical processes to summon spirits from the Outer Spheres along the Elemental Reaches and bind them to machines to do their creator’s bidding. The most spectacular of these are the flying machines, which are often used for the military forces of the Khem’hasar, but sometimes they even appear in civil service (though most of the time this happens within the borders of Khem’hasar). The realm of Khem’hasar is a federation of large and wealthy city states ruled by a caste of priests and mages able to summon these kinds of spirits. To the people of the Empire able to contact Elemental and Nature Spirits these summoned Spirits appear to be totally alien. Nobody knows what kind of spirits these are, but their apparent aggressive and malevolent nature suggests that these are not typically found within the Heavenly Order. And sometimes, the people controlling them just seem to be as alien as the spirits themselves.
The People of Belinquar
The people of Belinquar are often encountered in the markets and bazaars of the cities near the Border River, but some of their trade caravans even go further up the coast to deliver their exotic collection of spices, herbs and other stuff not found on imperial soil to the ever growing group of paying customers. They are humans, but have darker skin than even those of Southern birth, more rounded blue and brown eyes and a way of moving that reminds most observers distantly of the Catfolk of the South. There are even Catfolk amongst their caravans, hired guards or merchants from distant tribes living among the people of Belinquar, but members of other Spirit Folk races have not been observed to live in the realm. The people of Belinquar pay homage to a six-armed goddess, who by herself unites all aspects of life for the people and is revered in the so-called Temples of Many Faces. It is said that on special occasions they bring human sacrifices to their goddess, either slaves or those captured on raids or during battles. This, as well as other cultural differences, has made the people of the Empire wary of interacting with their Belinquaran counterparts, because it so much resembles the practise of blood magic used in a wide range of ceremonies among the tribes of the Shadowlands. But nevertheless trade flourishes and both people try to get along when visiting the other country. Sometimes, though, there are those who think that all of this is just part of a scheme aiming at attacking the Empire unawares. But so far, the sceptics have been proven wrong.