Eternal Emperor
The Eternal Emperor is the name of a philosophy practised practically like a monotheistic religion. Adherents worship the emperor of Lung Wa in Tian Xia, master of the Oracular Council, reincarnated in each successive ruler of that land. It has been the state religion in both Imperial Lung Wa and the theocratic Successor State of Po Li.
The last emperor perished along with Imperial Lung Wa, and no leader has emerged since then. Consequently, most of Lung Wa has converted to traditional deity-worshipping religions, but this is not the case with the faith's adherents in Po Li.1
Religion
As the Eternal Emperor is not actually a deity, his religion has no clerics. In the territory of Po Li, both before and after Lung Wa's fall, clerics are castigated as heretics and worship of deities is forbidden. Instead, his clergy consists entirely of oracles under the leadership of the Oracular Council, who seized power in the area around Changdo, Imperial Lung Wa's capital, after the empire fell, and has been holding both secular and spiritual power in Po Li since then.1
Po Li's citizens believe that the Eternal Emperor will soon reincarnate to re-establish Lung Wa. The Oracular Council claims that they are only ruling in the stead of the absent emperor and publicly supports this claim but has yet to find an heir; the emperor's Five Dragon Throne sits empty in their meetings. According to sceptics, they are unwilling to relinquish their power over Po Li while the faithful believe that this failure is evidence for the oracles' determination to find the correct heir that could unify Lung Wa. No one dares sit on the Five Dragon Throne, as the last person who did so was reduced to ashes by a lightning bolt; though, some suspect that act was foul play from a rival oracle. In recent decades, many residents of Po Li have come to believe that the emperor will only return once the colossal Eternal Emperor statue in Changdo, which has been under construction for more than three centuries, is completed.12
Claimed return
Many throughout history have unsuccessfully staked claims to the title of Eternal Emperor.
Hao Qian
The Gokan beggar Hao Qian, who mysteriously appeared ca. 7210 IC years ago in Goka's Oldport District, claimed to be the reincarnated Eternal Emperor at the Tower of the Forgotten.3 He subsequently convinced about half the district of his claim, and as of 7222 IC toured Goka's temples wearing cheaply and locally made imperial robes and performing proper rites and sacrifices.
He speaks in a convincing royal accent, willing to speak with anyone, and occasionally issues proclamations and decrees, such as an embargo on goods from Po Li. He was reported on by Archivist Krayne of the Pathfinder Society's Dark Archive, who believes this is a scam by Hao Qian that many are playing along with, but also professes numerous dangerous near-mishaps while attempting to shadow him. Krayne speculates that he might also be a sorcerer, or that his ceremonies might connect him to the accumulated collective faith in the Eternal Emperor to make him a sacral lord.4
References
For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 . “Regions of the Dragon Empires” in Dragon Empires Gazetteer, 34. Paizo Inc., 2011
- ↑ . “Oracular Council” in Disciple's Doctrine, 16. Paizo Inc., 2018
- ↑ . “Temporal Abnormalities” in Dark Archive, 178. Paizo Inc., 2022 Temple name derived from in-universe report's incident location.
- ↑ . “Temporal Abnormalities” in Dark Archive, 178. Paizo Inc., 2022 Hao Qian is explicitly described as a sacral lord; the connection is implied by the report's title and associated mechanical feats.