Hwanggot

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Hwanggot

(Nation)

Titles

Kingdom of Flowers

Alignment

Neutral good

Capital

Haseong

Ruler

Queen Hyeon Geon-ji

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 (1E)
Tian Xia World Guide, pg(s). 90–97 (2E)

The small Tian Xia nation of Hwanggot (pronounced hwan-ggot), 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.

During the first years after independence, General Cho, one of the nation's great heroes and military leaders, fought to maintain its existence. After his last war, the general prayed that the Heavenly Court would not let later generations experience war like he and his army had suffered. This plea was answered with the creation of the venerated Dragon-Lotus Drum, and Cho's writings influenced Hwanggot to adopt a national pacifism.

Hwanggot 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.

In times past, an enchantress named Mistress Peony ruled Yeonji Island, a land built atop massive lotuses of her own creation, off the eastern coast of Hwanggot. Jealous of the sorcerer Hao Jin, Mistress Peony attempted and failed to entrap the Ruby Phoenix on the island, and Hao Jin instead abducted her along with her island into the Hao Jin Tapestry.

Godsrain

In 4724 AR, the Godsrain released Mistress Peony and Yeonji Island back onto Golarion, and the Mistress then led a growing movement to bring Hao Jin to justice for her crimes against Tian Xia. Such claims also included suggestions that Hao Jin was at least partially responsible for the Godsrain and the murder of a god.

Hao Jin occupied herself with finding warshards and exploring Godsrain pools, but the people of Tian Xia accused her instead of attempting to selfishly claim their power for herself. This has led to increased local resistance further spurred on due to the Godsrain's ability to incite conflict in those it has affected.

Elsewhere, the Godsrain transformed a hilly countryside of colorful flowers into the dusk gardens, a land where flowers turn black during the day but glow with colorful light at dusk. Each color of flower also bears powerful magical effects that vary based on their colors. A tale about a murdered newlywed husband being resurrected after being buried in the dusk gardens led to authorities forbidding the burial of the dead in the gardens.

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 Xiong Dao River with the 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 Hyeon Geon-ji, who was crowned after the death of her mother, Yeon Eun-sook. Her mother had ruled the nation for over fifty years. Before her death, Queen Yeon Eun-sook prepared her daughter for the succession. This had caused concerned whispers from many of the nation's citizens, as they perceived the princess as excessively restless and aggressive, traits that were at odds 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

A Tian-Hwan dancer.

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

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