Four Notables
The Four Notables,1 also known as the Four Pillars, are a council made up of the former ruling families of the provinces of modern-day Songbai2 and are based in its capital of Mukinami. After the fall of Imperial Lung Wa in 4606 AR, the families of the Four Pillars each ruled over one of the four provinces that now comprise Songbai as absolute rulers. Warring with each other relentlessly, these feuds resulted in nothing but destruction. With the former breadbasket of the Lung Wa Empire under threat, neighbouring Lingshen invaded putting an end to the absolute rule of the four families.3
When Lingshen was eventually ousted by Shokuro Akatori, the man who would come to be the Sun Shogun, he gathered the leaders of these four families to him to help him rule the newly freed country that was named Shokuro until 4717 AR. Thus the Four Pillars were born, however, they have struggled to put aside the historic grudges that originally led them to war with each other over the four provinces.3
The families that compose the Four Notables are:1
- Gongsun, supposed descendants of royalty from ancient Yixing
- Hu, harbormasters controlling the coast of the Sea of Eels with a major enclave in Dragon-Eel Port4
- Ma, master equestrians and horse tamers
- Yecha, unconventional ceramicists of the Eastern Mountains who were granted secrets to primal claymaking from yaksha ancestors5
References
For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 “Songbai” in Tian Xia World Guide, 206. Paizo Inc., 2024 .
- ↑ Paizo referred to Songbai as Shokuro until the publication of Tian Xia World Guide, and also referred to its leader Shokuro Akatori as Shokuro Toriaka.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 “Regions of the Dragon Empires” in Dragon Empires Gazetteer, 38. Paizo Inc., 2011 .
- ↑ “Songbai” in Tian Xia World Guide, 207. Paizo Inc., 2024 .
- ↑ “Yaksha” in Tian Xia Character Guide, 79. Paizo Inc., 2024 .