Quain

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Quain

(Nation)

Titles

Successor State

Alignment

Lawful neutral

Capital

He Ming

Ruler

Monarch Emeritus Nelongso

Government

Martial monarchy

Languages

Tien

Religions

Irori, Qi Zhong, Shizuru, Sun Wukong

Images of Quain

Source: Dragon Empires Gazetteer, pg(s). 35 (1E)
Tian Xia World Guide, pg(s). 176–183 (2E)

The Successor State of Quain in Tian Xia is the largest center of martial arts training on the continent.

History

Quain, in its current form, was formed in the wake of the fall of Imperial Lung Wa in 7106 IC. With the empire's fall, its remnants began to split into three broad factions: military, religious, and traditional. The traditionalists came to settle in Quain, while the militarists ended up in Lingshen, and the religious faction in Po Li. These are now the largest of the Successor States and still have a broadly antagonistic relationship to each other based on these factional divides.

In 7199 IC, the so-called 'King of Heroes' Burning Cloud Devil, interrupted the Ceremony of the Celestial Dragon causing 12 years of droughts and other disasters to ravage Quain.

Recent history

Quain's government was previously run as of 7211 IC by King Wen, an hereditary monarch who was supported by a bureaucracy of eunuchs. While tales about treachery and intrigue amongst this eunuch class were common, most were loyal and diligent servants of Quain. Eunuchs held a range of government roles, from managing commerce and conducting diplomacy, to spying on Quain's enemies and leading its armies into battle.

Unlike many other kings, King Wen desired daughters rather than sons, for it was believed only a royal maiden could complete the 12-year Wish-Cycle in the Ceremony of the Celestial Dragon and exchange her heart for a celestial pearl, which has the power to grant a single wish.

After an edition of the Ruby Phoenix Tournament, recanters of Quain discovered that a grandmaster cultivator could also produce a celestial pearl by sacrificing their accumulated power, avoiding the need to sacrifice an innocent life. The grandmaster performing the sacrifice becomes the monarch emeritus and selects their successor after 12 years of leadership.

Economy

Quain is a land rich in many resources including gemstones, gold, grain, stone, and timber. It also produces fine paper, silk, and tea, and is home to countless mercenary companies.

Geography

The Golden River serves as Quain's northern border for much of its length and is also the country's primary, bustling trade route. According to legend, this river is the perspiration of the Celestial Dragon himself. Beyond the Golden River lies the rival successor state of Lingshen while, to the west and south, the Wall of Heaven mountains cut Quain off from the Embaral Ocean.

Government

The laws and customs of Quain change drastically from village to village, as countless martial sects rule their own sphere of influence. All nation-wide laws, called the Common Edicts, are subject to change by local sects with the exception of the Three Golden Laws. Of the factions, the Four Great Sects are the most powerful. Above the Four Great Sects in authority is the Council of Recanters, bureaucrats who answer only to the monarch emiritus.

Monarch emiritus

As of 7224 IC Quain's government is led by Monarch Emeritus Nelongso, who gave up their ability to cultivate and their status as a grandmaster to the Celestial Dragon in order to take the position.

This sacrifice of ability, which replaces a former ritual of sacrificing a noble maiden, is done every 12 years, at which point a new Monarch Emeritus is instated.

Council of Recanters

Serving the monarch emiritus, the governmental aides of the Council of Recanters handle paperwork, border security, international relations, and trade. They have two main goals: preventing the monopolization of cultivation by a single faction, and improving Quain's prospects. Recanters are exclusively former cultivators who are magically prevented from ever practicing cultivation again. Most recanters are retired martial artists who choose to remain in politics, but some are reformed criminals who had their cultivation forcefully taken away.

Common Edicts

Quain has several dozen Common Edicts, the laws that apply everywhere. The Common Edicts are most important in lands without a ruling sect, such as wilderness and contested areas, as local sects can override these edicts with specific laws. These sects maintain the power even to permit the likes of theft or killing, if they so choose. The only exceptions are the Three Golden Laws, which take precedence over the rules of local sects.

Martial sects

The endlessly feuding sects of Quain define local governance. Frequent turf wars are characterized by spontaneous skirmishes, formal duels, and planned insurrections. When a village's sect is replaced, the changing of laws and customs can create tension with the inhabitants, leading to revolts. Canny leaders therefore understand that social victories can be as important as martial victories.

Four Great Sects

The most powerful martial factions are known as the Four Great Sects: the Cloud Crane School, the Divine Chaos Cult, the Enduring Jade Clan, and the Shadow Tongue Temple. Each of these factions subscribes to a different school of martial techniques.

Inhabitants

Grandmasters clash in the streets of the village of Zhining.

Without the military strength of Lingshen or the religious power of Po Li the people of Quain instead rely on its heroes. Thousands and thousands of martial arts practitioners are split between hundreds of different temples, sects, schools, monasteries, and clans across all of Quain. Some of these practitioners seek riches, glory, or to prove the superiority of their personal martial arts style or school. These martial artists fight each other frequently but will unite to defend Quain in times of need. While the number of martial artists fluctuates constantly, a mysterious force known as the Balance keeps the number of grandmasters at exactly one thousand.

Most of Quain's human inhabitants are of the Tian-Shu ethnicity, although large numbers of kitsune and tengu also live in the country.

Religion

The most commonly worshipped deities in Quain are Irori, Qi Zhong, Shizuru, and Sun Wukong.

References

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