The Age of the Divinities

After the untimely demise of the two God-Emissaries Asche and JadeNight (who still exists, but only as a phantom), the Land was thrown into chaos, with invasions more frequent and the shift of powers even reaching up into the remote echelons of Heaven and Hell.

In response to this, the Divinities have come to the Land, taking up the responsibilities of the two previous God-Emissaries. Headed by the Jade Emperor of the Heavens and with FelMaiden representing Hell, they have pledged to protect the Land by maintaining the delicate balance of Yin and Yang and by guiding the Path-Seekers on their Cultivation.

Jade Emperor, Ruler of the Heavens

Descending to the Land after hearing of the chaos, the Jade Emperor brings with him the Mandate of Heaven, the law upon which all other laws are based on. It is on the strength of his Mandates that the wheels of war turn yet ritual combat maintained, and from the guidance that his Mandates provide the Path-seekers may find the Path. He has come to take a direct hand to protect that which he has worked so hard to cultivate.

FelMaiden, Divinity of Hell

The last God-Emissary, FelMaiden still remains watching over the Land. Locked with an uneasy truce with the forces of Heaven in the war against the Soulless, she stands as the highest-ranked officer of Hell in the Land. All demons answer her beck and call, and despite her appearance as a Wingkin, humans and even the Beastkin hold her in high regard.

Moonshine, Divinity of Luck and Chatagai, Divinity of Certainty

They were called the twin spirits of the strings of Destiny: Moonshine of Luck and Chatagai of Certainty.

Of Chatagai's word many are assured, for what he says is truth and is destined to happen. He is often sought by those who make plans and chart maps, and is hearkened to by those who are lost. Precision and growth are his purview.

However, his twin Moonshine of Luck is his complete opposite. She is often hearkened by those who craft, and it is said that it she spurned the famed rumormonger Wei Xiaobao after telling him some of his rumors—which only become real when they choose to. The forges of the Ironsmiths and Craftsmen, the looms of the Tailors, and the Castellans’ hammers—all are sacred to her, and they swing true and fail depending on her moods.

Mei Shen, Divinity of Prosperity and Good Fortune

Beloved by the Path-seekers for her generosity and kindness, Mei Shen blesses hard-working Path-seekers with bounties beyond their imaginations. Said to be the fairest of the Divinities, she can be often found in the caves and dungeons of the Land, helping those who are in need. She loves wine and precious stones and is perceived to be flighty; but she truly loves the land and works hard to protect it.

WarSpine, Divinity of Combat

Son of Asche and JadeNight, heir to their powers; his existence was only discovered only recently by FelMaiden as she searched the Land for the last remnants of the Invasion. Truly his parents’ son—he delights in war like his mother, yet still maintains the righteousness of his father—he is a formidable force to reckon with once he is roused to anger.

SteelWing, Divinity of the Storms

It is said that only in storms would you hear his wings beat, accompanied by lightning flashing from the skies. Called SteelWing, sentinel of the skies; his name is invoked by those who have been wronged. His sword strikes the unjust in silence, and his wings are the swiftest of all in the Land.

BlackHalo, Divinity of Chaos

Beneath her delicate features and appearance as a peace-loving Wingkin lies the embodiment of fear. Little is known about BlackHalo, though many say that she was born of the Void – Chaos taken to form; even said by some to be a defector from the side of the Soulless. Only a few had survived to see her, for as they say, she only appears in times of war and strife.

Partings

Antares looked out into the emptiness that lay before him, the night sky seamlessly blending into the Void. At the edge he stood; the edge where the Land ends and no Path-seeker had stood before.

'Unfortunate,' he thought, 'that this time had to come.'

Slowly he took off his cloak, the once regal azure now a dirty blue. He wouldn't need it in the emptiness--there, it is neither cold nor hot; there, every ounce of feeling that had come and gone will be shred apart. All will have returned to nothing, the nothing that had fallen apart with the first battle.

His last thoughts were interrupted by footsteps light and quick.

"Master!"

KaiShen, his most loyal apprentice, ran to where he stood and bowed.

"Please, Master, rethink your decision. Things may still yet change--they have promised us that. There is hope yet for the Land."

"I have taught you well, KaiShen." Antares replied. "Yes, there may be hope still, but what I seek cannot be found in this Land anymore. She has long left the Land, the Lady that I have sought the Path for.

Selfish, maybe, but are not our motives selfish as well? The Path-seekers claim to unite to rebuild the Empire of old, yet they cling to the banners of their own clans and try to raise them above others'. The gods and demons keep the Land (and the Path-seekers, to some extent) from being ravaged by the Soulless--simply because without a Land, they would not be rulers. The Soulless want to destroy the Land, because that is what they have not. Even the most austere ascetic does it for his own enlightenment.

Pray tell me, kind one, that we truly live for others. Maybe then I will change my mind and return."

Antares folded up the cloak, and together with his sigil, handed it over to KaiShen.

"And we all have to move on sometime. What is the use of an apprentice if he would not succeed his master?"

With that, he took a step forward, and let the Void consume him.

Visions

"If we were to implement this--"

The groan of the heavy chair interrupted the venerable Immortal Master mid-sentence. "What is it, Qi Xun Jue?" Zhuan Xu turned to the Seer, who stood up under a trance.

"The Dragonslayer awakens."

Asche stole a glance at the Immortal, then at FelMaiden. They had feared that this day would come.

At that moment a Yao Jing burst inside the room, panting heavily. "Dragonbreath--in the wind--nearing the city..." Sui Mei gasped, steadying herself against the frame of the door.

"Check JadeNight's chambers. Raise an alarm across the whole Land, alert all the clans. Tell them to brace themselves."

Warnings

Arcadia's peach blossoms still danced earthward, their fragrant footsteps etched upon the wind. Between the trees, a fox lay lazily upon the green grass, catching up on her sleep.

Sui Mei sighed. It has been such a long time since she last went here, her refuge from the wars now ravaging the Land. This place always had a certain magic; the battles fought on these hills not tainting its beauty. The fragrant blossoms were proof of this.

Yet something in the wind was amiss. It was first a hint of smoke, then ash that slowly made it hard for her to breathe. The blossoms' fragrance slowly disappeared, replaced by fumes no mortal hand could have created. Surely not one of the gods, nor any of the demons; they have long forsook any direct meddling in the affairs of the Land.

Then it dawned on her: Dragonbreath.

But the last of the honorable Dragons have passed from this Land, killed by JadeNight when his Soulless side gained control of his body and power. Only Asche and FelMaiden managed to contain that side, the side that wished to revert everything back to the Void.

All traces of sleep shaken off, Sui Mei threw her raiment of flowers around her and raced back to town. Her paws barely touched the ground as she ran, wanting to outrace the wind that had brought the warning.

Something was coming, and it did not seem to be good.