Jinin

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Jinin

(Nation)

LG

Land

Tian Xia

Alignment

Lawful good

Capital

Ayajinbo

Ruler

Cathdaran Jininsiel Ikanthi

Government

Semi-feudal shogunate

Adjective

Jininese

Languages

Elven, Minkaian, Samsaran, Tien

Religions

DEG: Desna, Qi Zhong, Shelyn, Shizuru, Tsukiyo
TXWG: Alseta, Desna, Daikitsu, Gozreh, Kofusachi, Lady Jingxi, Qi Zhong, Sarenrae, Shelyn, Shizuru

Images of Jinin

Source: Dragon Empires Gazetteer, pg(s). 27 (1E)
Tian Xia World Guide, pg(s). 98–105 (2E)

The elves of the nation of Jinin are descended from refugees who fled the Mierani Forest in Avistan before Earthfall. After arriving in Tian Xia hundreds of years later, in -4843 AR, they founded a country that later blended their pre-Earthfall elven culture with those of their Tian neighbors.

History

The elves of Jinin are descended from the same group of elves who refused to flee to Sovyrian as Earthfall approached and fled underground. As the refugee elves delved deeper into the Darklands, one of them—an oracle named Jininsiel—received a vision that they would find their salvation and a new home by following the roots of a silver tree and back to the surface.

Most of the elves, however, believed that they would only survive by fleeing even deeper into the earth, leading to the refugees separating into two groups—those that followed Jininsiel's vision and went east, and the majority who continued their descent and were never heard from again. After attempting to divine these other elves' fate, Jininsiel was rendered unconscious and could not remember any of her visions.

Jininsiel's followers traveled under Golarion's surface for centuries, picking their way cautiously and slowly amidst the natural hazards and hostile natives of the Darklands. Eventually, they reached a thick, winding vein of mithral ore strongly reminiscent of the roots of a tree. Concluding that this was the tree from Jininsiel's vision, the elves followed it upwards and emerged in central Tian Xia in -4843 AR. Jininsiel passed away shortly thereafter, content that her people had found a new home, and the elves named their new nation Jinin in her honor.

During the Age of Darkness, the elves of Jinin constructed illusions and cultivated protective flora that protected their fledgling settlement from discovery, an isolation that persisted in their later interactions with other cultures. However, they also constructed a circle of shrines composed of silver, stone, and starflowers called aiyawu. The Jininese secretly stocked these shrines with supplies and magical methods of healing to aid their otherwise unaware human neighbors, who in turn formed superstitions about their mysterious benefactors and guarded the area from encroachment.

As Golarion healed, the Jininese became increasingly curious about the cultures that surrounded them. In 6191 IC they established contact with explorers from Minkai, revealed themselves as the aiyawus' creators, and opened relations with their neighbors both for trade and defensive alliances against threats, both within their lands and from Kaoling to the west.

Geography

Jinin is located north of the centre of the continent of Tian Xia. Jinin is bordered to the southwest by the Sea of Eels and to the northwest by the aggressive hobgoblin nation of Kaoling. To its northeast is Zi Ha, with Jinin's borders with the samsaran nation covering the foothills of the kelsang Mountains. Linvarre, formerly the Taldan colony of Amanandar, is located to the southeast, and Songbai is to the south.

The kingdom of Jinin also stretches beneath the earth as the Silver Tree—the dawnsilver-laced caverns that Jininsiel used to lead the elves to the surface—are still an important part of the nation. The elves heavily guard it as both an entrance to the Darklands of Tian Xia and an active mine that produces the valuable metal. The people of Jinin limit the amount of dawnsilver that they mine and extract only enough of the metal to keep their people comfortably prosperous.

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Inhabitants

Jinin has always been and remains primarily an elven kingdom, though not exclusively one.

The capital city of Ayajinbo is so beautiful, and full of history on a scale of time that overwhelms human guests, that people travel thousands of miles for a mere handful of hours in the wondrous city.

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Culture

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Religion

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References

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