争いの島
In ancient times, the great dragons ruled over the Isles of the People. Everything was prosperous and green, and the fields of rice and bays full of fish kept all the people well fed. Then came the dark emperor Shin. He was a black-hearted Shugenja, and he hated the prosperity that the five mighty great dragons maintained. Bitterly, he plotted in the palace to cast them down, summoning all of his evil magicks to do so. He consorted with potent oni who also wanted to see the dragons cast down, and when the time was right, at the apex of the Year of Five Elements, he cast his spell. The five dragons were sealed away, each to his own element, locked for all time in the deep places of the Isles of the People. And the peace faded away, and in time the old name of the islands was forgotten, replaced by a new name and ruled by a dark, immortal shogun-emperor. These are the Isles of Strife...
Once, the Isles were five jewels of prosperity floating in the gleaming Sea of Prosperity. Over time, though, the dark elemental nature of Shin's magic has changed them, forcing them to take on more dramatic aspects of the five elements. The Island of Wood is covered in thick forests of tree and bamboo, and the inhabitants there are constantly battling back woods and swamps from the walls of their cities. Beng, the Dragon of Wood, is storied to be hidden deep in a temple in these woods, overgrown with vine and root. The daimyo of the Island of Wood is Shaki, the only woman Daimyo. She is anarchic in nature, a wild child who cares more for the forests than for her own people, devoting her samurai and priests to the maintenance of the forests and swamps.
The Island of Earth is just south of the Island of Wood. It is a desolate place, a large island covered in dun gray basaltic rock and sand dunes. The people here are forced to be hardy and nomadic, following the herds from oasis to oasis. It is rumored that a giant statue of the Dragon of Earth, Heng stands in the middle of the stone flats, his soul sleeping inside of it. The daimyo of the Island of Earth is Shang, a cold and unfeeling man as hard as stone. It is said that his only true passion is horsemanship, which connects him to the people. He is said to be the most just and even-handed of the Daimyos.
Between the Islands of Earth and Fire is the floating City of Water, a collection of ships and boats that spans for miles, floating on the surface of the Sea. Anchored to the sea bed by mystically enchanted chains that never rust or break, the City of Water is ever-changing, adding and subtracting whole fleets from the composition of the city. The Great Dragon Zuan lives somewhere beneath the city, said to be trapped in the form of a giant Coi fish tangled in the chains of the City. The Daimyo of the City of Water is Cheng, lord of change. His moods are said to be as tumultuous as the stormy seas, his mind never constant from one minute to the next. His indecision often develops a cruel capriciousness that inflicts great poverty and suffering upon his people.
The Island of Fire lies to the south of the City of Water. A blasted land of craters and constant volcanic eruption, there is no vegetation here, and the only beings that exist here are fire Oni and the shogun-emperor Shin himself, in the Obsidian Palace which he had built upon the back of a great volcano. It is said that the volcano itself holds the essence of the Great Dragon Pao, which is why the volcano is in a constant, unending cycle of eruption, destroying itself and rebuilding hours later. Somehow, the Obsidian Palace is not affected by this, always existing just on the edge of the destruction. The shogun-emperor himself is a dark and cruel man, filled with black magicks and dark powers granted him by unholy pacts with ancient and evil Oni spirits.
The Island of Metal is still further south of the Island of Fire, and is one large mountain that stands miles above the water. Deep within, the miners of the shogun-emperor provide a constant flow of high-quality iron and steel and gold and jade to power his constant warring. In the deepest of these delves was found a magnificent, gargantuan metallic statue of solid silver, holding deep within the essence of the Great Dragon Pi. The miners guard it jealously, having come to covet it as their greatest prize. The daimyo of the Island of Metal is Go, a grizzled old miner who rose from the ranks through dirty trickery and lies.
The NPCs
This section is devoted to important NPCs in the storyline of this thread. If you have one, submit a succinct description of them and a picture link and they'll be added.
