Tang Mai

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Tang Mai
Dtang Ma

(Nation)

Alignment

Neutral

Capital

Surat Prakan

Ruler

Kamraten Khemkaeng

Government

Feudal confederacy

Adjective

Tang Mai

Languages

Tang, Nagaji, Tien

Religions

Hei Feng, Nalinivati, Pharasma, Phi Deva, Yamatsumi

Images of Tang Mai

Source: Dragon Empires Gazetteer, pg(s). 22 (1E)
Tian Xia World Guide, pg(s). 208–215 (2E)

Tang Mai, also referred to as Dtang Ma, is a nation in southern Tian Xia ruled by a confederation of five powerful sorcerers.

History

Founding

The nation's early history is largely lost to time.

Tang Mai gained its independence from the Shu empire in 3223 AR by five sisters, each of whom was a powerful sorcerer but also who drew their power from a different source: the fey, the stars, storms, and music. While treated well under Shu's rulership, these sisters demanded that Emperor Jiao Deng Shu grant the nation its freedom, and he agreed without dispute. Tang Mai's independence was the subject of one of the largest disagreements that contributed to the split between Emperor Shu and his chief advisor Que Yan Helian, who preferred to retain the land.

Each of the five sisters divided the nation into their own region to rule with the regional title of Chaophraya. They also created the title of Kamraten and Cinnamon Throne, selected from the Chaophraya, to lead them all. To prevent the nation from falling into tyranny, the founding sisters mandated that none could hold the title of Kamraten for more than five years, and no Chaophraya could regain the title until each other Chaophraya held a term.

Civil war

See also: Sun Coup

In 6387 IC, the Sudachan family descended from one of the five founding sisters attempted a coup on the nation, betraying the other four to attempt to retain the Cinnamon Throne longer than allowed. The other four families defeated the Sudachan family, deposed its leader, and banned all members of the family from holding the titles of either Chaophraya or Kamraten for 15 generations.

Lung Wa

The expansionist empire of Lung Wa, founded in 4142 AR, soon grew to covet Tang Mai's resources and made several attempts to conquer the nation beginning in 4432 AR. Its first attempt not only failed but indirectly resulted in the death of Lung Wa's emperor at the time, and Tang Mai's sorcerous leadership successfully repelled five subsequent invasions. In 4480 AR, Lung Wa marched for the seventh time and incited the Seven Year War, which ended in 4487 AR with Tang Mai finally surrendering to Lung Wa's conquering forces.✝

In 4599 AR the volcano Pho Yim exploded and devastated the country, and many blamed Lung Wa's influence for this destructive event. The eruption was one of many influenced by Lady Nanbyo, the Widow of Suffering an deity of disasters.

Successor State

In 4606 AR, after about 120 years of Lung Wa's rule, the death of Aroden caused global catastrophes that precipitated the empire's fall. Tang Mai quickly reverted to its former system of government to become one of the sixteen feuding Successor States.

Geography

Tang Mai is located south of the centre of the continent of Tian Xia, running parallel to a long inlet from the Okaiyo Ocean that separates it from the kingdom of Hwanggot to its north. Past the western end of the inlet, Tang Mai also shares a small northern land border with the Successor State of Po Li near the edge of the Chang Liao Jungle.

Tang Mai stretches much further east to west than it does north to south, essentially occupying the land between the Kullan Dei Mountains to the south and the Okaiyo Ocean. The Empire of the Dragons, Xa Hoi, is located to its east and southeast, and the vast naga kingdom of Nagajor is to its west and southwest.

The capital city of Tang Mai, Surat Prakan, is located in the nation's south in the shadow of Pho Yim.

Government

Before the coming of Imperial Lung Wa, Tang Mai had been ruled over by a council of five powerful sorcerers, known as Chaophraya, for over a millennia. After the fall of Lung Wa, it took some time for the former sorcerous bloodlines to rise to power; while the Chaophraya were long traditionally direct descendants of the five founding sisters, this is no longer true in modern Tang Mai.

Each Chaophraya leads a political faction tied to one of the four founding sorcerous bloodlines: imperial, draconic, psychopomp, and nymph.✝ Groups formed from other bloodlines are considered relatively insignificant in the nation's social strata. A fifth sorcerer, known as the Kamraten, then rules over these four and sits on the Cinnamon Throne in the capital of Surat Prakan. The Cinnamon Throne grants powers to this ruler that combines the powers of the four traditions mentioned above.

The Chaophraya are selected via a secret process that takes place in the depths of the catacombs below Surat Prakan and serve lifelong terms; few have been removed through other means, such as Kamraten XIII in the Sun Coup. Every five years,✝ one of the sorcerers is selected to become the Kamraten. When this happens, the former Kamraten returns to their previous role as a Chaophraya of one of the provinces.

As of 4724 AR the Chaophraya consisted of:

• Khemkaeng, Ruler of Surat Prakan, draconic sorcerer, and ruling Kamraten
• Duangkamol, Ruler of Huaburi and nymph sorcerer
• Patcharin, Ruler of Uthong and imperial sorcerer
• Piyapon, Ruler of Adidaya and draconic sorcerer
• Suriya, Ruler of Thap Samut and psychopomp sorcerer

Inhabitants

Students of sorcery study at the Indraracha Institute of Tang Mai.

The people of Tang Mai are a human ethnicity known as the Tian-Tang, a people renowned for their subtle sense of humour and an open and honest character. The people of Tang Mai believe that magic is the best means of maintaining peace and fostering knowledge. The many rare substances found in its jungles lead to many alchemists adventuring in the country.

Religion

The most commonly worshipped deities within Tang Mai are Hei Feng, the Duke of Thunder; Nalinivati, the Queen of Nagas who is also sometimes known as the Serpent's Kiss; Pharasma, the Mother of Souls; and Yamatsumi, the Mountain Lord.

References

Paizo referred to Tang Mai as Dtang Ma until the publication of Tian Xia Days and the Tian Xia World Guide. See also Meta:Tang Mai.

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.