Hwanggot

Hwanggot

(Nation)

Titles

Kingdom of Flowers

Alignment

Neutral good

Capital

Haseong

Ruler

Queen Hyun Eun-suk

Government

Hereditary monarchy

Demonym

Hwans

Languages

Hwan, Tien

Religions

Desna, Hei Feng, Kofusachi, Shelyn, Sun Wukong

Images of Hwanggot

Source: Dragon Empires Gazetteer, pg(s). 26

The small Tian Xia nation of Hwanggot, known as the Kingdom of Flowers, is the ancestral home of the Tian-Hwan people, and is generally considered to be a land of peace, understanding, and diplomacy.

History

Hwanggot was formed in the wake of Imperial Yixing's fall. 13 years after the empire collapsed, and with Tian Xia still in turmoil, the Tian-Hwan people decided to take destiny into their own hands. The nation's founders studied Yixing—its strengths, weaknesses, and the causes of its eventual collapse—and learned from them. With this new-found wisdom, the Tian-Hwan founded their new kingdom in 3089 AR.

It maintained its independence for over a thousand years until it surrendered peacefully in 4304 AR to Imperial Lung Wa when it became apparent that there was no diplomatic route to remaining independent. During the centuries between annexation and the fall of Imperial Lung Wa in 4606 AR, Hwanggot was plundered for its natural resources.

Geography

Hwanggot sits to the east of the heart of central Tian Xia with most of its southern and eastern reaches bordered by sea, including Naikang Bay. To the north, it shares a long land border along the Shuidao River with the totalitarian nation of Bachuan. To the west, Hwanggot borders on the Successor State of Po Li. The Chang Liao Jungle occupies much of the south-west of the kingdom and forms an effective barrier against invading armies.

Government

Hwanggot is a hereditary monarchy ruled by Her Most Transcendent Royal Majesty, Queen Hyun Eun-suk, who has ruled over the nation for over fifty years. Queen Hyun Eun-suk is currently in the process of preparing her successor Princess Hyun Geon-ji, which has caused concerned whispers from many of the nation's citizens. Princess Hyun Geon-ji seems excessively restless and aggressive, traits at odd with the Tian-Hwan virtues of peace and pacifism.

Culture

If Hwanggot culture is renowned for one thing it would probably be its dedication to the ideals of non-violence. Before the invasion by Imperial Lung Wa, Hwanggot had maintained its independence thanks to the skill of its diplomats and the open, giving nature of its people. Even during the annexation by Lung Wa, Hwanggot's people neither resorted to violence, nor seemingly held any sort of grudge against the invaders. Hwanggot is a land that values many things, including beauty. This attracts samurai of the order of the songbird, who are artists and poets in addition to their combat prowess, seeing combat as its own beautiful art form.

The pursuit of art in general is valued in Hwanggot far higher than any other career, exceeding even the prestige that most other nations give to those who serve in the military. It was said by ministers of Imperial Lung Wa that a Hwanggot archer is valued far more for the beauty of their form than how effective they are as a soldier, or even whether or not they hit their target. This was somewhat of an exaggeration; the people of Hwanggot most admire the fusion of art and practicality and this has long been a cornerstone of their culture. Beyond this Hwanggot is renowned as one of the largest exporters of unique foodstuffs, sweets, teas, exotic artwork, and even opium. One of the region's other noted exports is fireworks, particularly ones that depict the mugunghwa flower when detonated.

Religion

Hwanggot is one of the centers of worship for Hei Feng, the Duke of Thunder. Beyond Hei Feng, the other most commonly worshipped deities include: Desna, the Goddess of the North Star; Kofusachi, the Laughing God; Shelyn, the Lady of Chrysanthemums; and Sun Wukong, the Monkey King.

Inhabitants

Among the humans, the Tian-Hwan is the major ethnic group who lives in Hwanggot. Despite their devotion to pacifism, the Tian-Hwan are fiercely patriotic and in many ways are quite a conservative people. Their culture is rooted in adherence to gender roles; however, these roles do differ significantly from other cultures, for example, amongst the Tian-Hwan, it is much more common for women to serve as soldiers and generals rather than men. Men mostly dominant fields like farming, craftsmanship, and all manner of the arts while, beyond soldiering, women make up the vast majority of scholars.

Within the depths of the Chang Liao Jungle dwell a group of Tian-Hwan that form a very different culture to their pacifistic neighbours. The Sunsu Godae dwell in the most remote depths of the forest and adhere to a much more warlike and ancient version of Tian-Hwan culture. The Sunsu Godae hate outsiders and are renowned for the horrendously cruel tortures they inflict on any non Tian-Hwan they capture. While the pacifistic Tian-Hwan outwardly loathe their violent kin, they also harbour a quiet respect for them, as they have long made the Chang Liao Jungle incredibly dangerous for foreign armies to pass through. The Hwaeko kitsune also primarily originate here, with many still living in scattered groups in and around the Chang Lio Jungle.

The sapsali is a specific breed of dog almost exclusively found in Hwanggot.

References

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