Age of Succession

For the Absalom Reckoning analogue to the Age of Succession, see the Age of Lost Omens.

The Age of Succession is the modern age of the Imperial Calendar of Tian Xia, starting with the death of Aroden and fall of Lung Wa in 7106 IC.

The age's name is derived from the Successor States that rose after the disintegration of Lung Wa, and is marked by the numerous conflicts between these states while some attempt to reunify the continent under a single banner.

The succession

The beginning of the Age of Succession for central Tian Xia was defined by the turbulent conflicts forming out of the power vacuum left in Lung Wa's wake. The governments that replaced the fallen empire each differ greatly in nature. The following is a summary of the forming of the sixteen Successor States that the turmoil eventually resulted in.

"True scions"

The most powerful Successor States are the three formed directly out of Lung Wa's imperial institutions, each claiming to be "true scions" of Lung Wa. Lingshen formed out of Lung Wa's military, Po Li from its religious sect, and Quain from its traditional heroes. These are the Successor States most interested in restoring the empire which remains loathed by many beyond their borders.

Kaoling

Flag of Kaoling, conquerors of six other Successor States.

In a region north of the true scions, more tumultuous splinter powers quarreled over land. The group to rise victorious from this chaos were the uniquely orderly and united hobgoblins who had long been enemies of Lung Wa. Six Successor States succumbed to the hobgoblin conquest in battles now remembered as the War of the Widow Makers. In 7110 IC, four years after Lung Wa's fall, the nation of Kaoling was formed in the territory of these defeated Successor States.

Popular uprisings

Lung Wa had no shortage of exploited citizens, many of whom took the opportunity of the empire's decline and collapse to overthrow their oppressors.

Shortly before Lung Wa's collapse, the long-abused territory of Kwanlai, the tengu ancestral home, ousted Lung Wa in the surgically choreographed Feather and Starlight Rebellion. However, the local clans subsequently warred and feuded with each other.

Later that year, as Lung Wa fell, the mistreated farmers of Wanshou took advantage of the decreased military presence to rise up against their taskmasters, but would not be able to enjoy the victory for long as the calamitous Season of Torrent arrived soon after.

Meanwhile, the revolutionary known as Grandfather Pei and his supporters revolted against Lung Wa's governors, eventually establishing the Republic of Bachuan in 7126 IC, twenty years after Lung Wa's dissolution. Though republic in name, Bachuan was actually a conformist autocracy.

Monstrous takeovers

The instability of the early Age of Succession left regions of the continent more vulnerable to malevolent, opportunistic otherworldly entities, as the following three Successor States are all-too-familiar.

Just a year after the empire's disintegration, in 7107 IC, a group of jorogumos led by the witch-queen Lady Lang Loi seized control of Shenmen, also blighting the land with malignant magic.

Meanwhile, the elder kraken Zhanagorr claimed rulership of the ruined territory of Wanshou in 7111 IC, taking advantage of the desperation inflicted by the floods of the Season of Torrent, a disaster Zhanagorr secretly personally orchestrated. Wanshou's subsequent aggression under the kraken's rule was the common enemy that united the feuding clans of neighboring Kwanlai.

Directly north of Wanshou, oni infiltrators of Chu Ye viewed the collapse of Lung Wa as their opportunity to reveal themselves and dominate, which they did in 7113 IC.

Reclaimed independence

Some of the subjugated provinces of Lung Wa held fast to identities that predated the empire. When the empire collapsed, the change of power for these three Successor States was more a return to the order of old and the beginning of recovery from the damage done by imperial exploitation.

Many viewed the bloodless annexation of Hwanggot by Imperial Lung Wa as a sign of a people passive or acquiescent. But when the empire dissolved, it was this patient endurance that allowed the nation to be revitalized under its ancestral identity.

The city-state of Goka always had a mercantile edge with its dominance of western overseas trade. The collapse was an economic boon to the city as it meant no more demands of tribute.

The sorcerous nation of Tang Mai had long resisted Lung Wa's territorial ambitions and, after several successful defenses, only spent a little over two decades under the empire's rule. However, the destructive Seven Year War cost both the empire and Tang Mai greatly, with wounds that lasted even after gaining independence once again.

Foreign leaders

From the other side of Golarion arrived Taldor's Eighth Army of Exploration headed by General Orphyrea Amanandar, seeking to rule new land. This battered fleet formed the Taldan colony of Amanandar in 7108 IC, earning land grants from neighboring Zi Ha and Tianjing and supplanting the bandit lord who had previously taken control of the city of Kamikobu in Lung Wa's absence. Amanandar continued to be a colony for Taldor for over a century until earning independence in 7220 IC, changing its name to Linvarre.

Seven decades into the Age of Succession, from considerably less distant shores, another foreign-sourced government developed. The rice basket nation of Songbai had changed hands multiple times, first to the local feuding Four Notables but was quickly absolved into the "true scion" Successor State of Lingshen. Then, after almost seventy years of abuse, rebels ousted Lingshen in the Lingshen War of 7176 IC and instated Shokuro Akatori as their leader, establishing the Shokuro Shogunate. Akatori was an exiled samurai from Minkai who had greatly supported the rebellion.

Others

The remaining two Successor States were technically provinces of the empire but largely maintained political independence.

Lung Wa considered the celestial-touched land of Tianjing sacred and never threatened it. Tribute instead flowed the other way, with Lung Wa sending constant gifts. The empire's collapse did not directly change the leadership of the nation, but Tianjing had become economically dependent on such support. A period of scarcity, turmoil, and near-collapse followed the disintegration of Lung Wa.

Finally, the desert of Shanguang is counted among the sixteen as it was officially part of the empire, but Lung Wa had very little interest in the region. The desert's communities, such as the many Mutabi-qi tribes, were therefore not significantly impacted by the collapse.