Wanshou

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Wanshou

(Nation)

Alignment

Chaotic evil

Capital

Numijaan

Ruler

Zhanagorr

Government

Monstrous autocracy

Languages

Boggard, Minkaian, Thalassic, Tien

Religions

Hei Feng, Lady Nanbyo, Lamashtu, Lao Shu Po

Images of Wanshou

Source: Dragon Empires Gazetteer, pg(s). 42 (1E)
Tian Xia World Guide, pg(s). 238–245 (2E)

The Successor State of Wanshou (pronounced when-shoo) was once the top rice-producing province of Imperial Lung Wa, but after the empire's collapse it was beset by a series of disasters that left the kingdom today as little more than a monster-ruled wasteland.

History

Zhanagorr, kraken ruler of Wanshou.

Before the Age of Lost Omens, Wanshou was the most fertile and productive food holding in all of Imperial Lung Wa, its people diligently keeping the empire's kitchens stocked with rice and other foodstuffs. Much of the country had been extensively irrigated to improve its agricultural yield. As the empire of Lung Wa collapsed, Wanshou began to splinter, its people having long suffered both harsh conditions and constant back-breaking overworking in order to keep the empire fed. With the central authority of Lung Wa gone, the people of Wanshou began to rebel. In short order, both field and cities burnt as rebels turned against their cruel overlords. This rebellion was successful but ultimately achieved nothing, for almost as soon as the rebels had seized power, Wanshou was buffeted by a series of colossal storms now known as the Season of Torrent. With the infrastructure of the country already severely damaged by the rebellion, the storms became a true catastrophe. With the destruction of their home nation seemingly imminent, a group of powerful oracles called upon ancient primal powers to deliver them but what they got was much worse.

In the aftermath of the rebellion and floods, the massive kraken Zhanagorr rose from the depths of the Xidao Gulf. Whether Zhanagorr had heard the summons of the oracles or had simply been dredged up from the ocean's bottom by the same storms that wracked Wanshou is irrelevant. Zhanagorr arrived at Wanshou's capital of Numijaan, bringing with him even more powerful storms and tsunamis and all but completely destroyed the once-bustling metropolis. After annihilating most of Numijaan, Zhanagorr used his mastery of weather magic to quell the storms across Wanshou, the price of his faux-benevolence was the kingdom of Wanshou itself. To this day, Zhanagorr rules the nation of Wanshou as its absolute tyrant. No one knows Zhanagorr's true motivations but many think he might be preparing to wage war against the athamarus of the neighbouring nation of Xidao.

Geography

Wanshou is located on the western shores of the Xidao Gulf, with the monstrous nation of Chu Ye to its north and the tengu nation of Kwanlai to its south. For much of its length, it is sandwiched between the Xidao Gulf and the Kelsang Mountains, though it also shares a border with the kingdom of Linvarre. Wanshou was once a land of fertility and prosperity, even its more remote reaches had been carefully irrigated for maximum productivity. With the coming of the floods and Zhanagorr, most of Wanshou's rice fields have reverted back to full-blown swamplands. Zhanagorr also sank much of the once-lively capital of Numijaan below the waves of the Xidao Gulf.

In the century of rebuilding since, the survivors and their descendants have settled in newly constructed terraced farmland on natural waterways. Otherwise isolated by miles of hazardous untamed mire, these communities remain connected by a network of elevated roads which demand periodic maintenance. Though possible, traveling the marshland is precarious and slow. The floodplains are marked by thick and variable vegetation that make navigating via skiff difficult while obscuring the deep water channels that present a danger to anyone traveling on foot. Across the land, numerous ruins of the old province remain submerged or buried, sometimes preserved by the mud. Many still harbor the victims and treasures of the past. These ruins can seem attractive to treasure hunters, but superstitions and taboos about unearthing the past prevent most locals from aiding such prospectors.

Inhabitants

Farmers watch tentacles of Zhanagorr off the coast of Wanshou.

Ethnically, the surviving humans are mostly Tian-Mins and Tian-Shus.✝✝ Other humanoids also exist in small numbers in Wanshou. Some who have consorted with some variety of fiends have given birth to cambions, while other families have had more and more undines, beings tied to elemental water, born to them. Fleshwarps also number among Wanshou's populace. Increasingly, children are born with a variety of unusual mutations such as extra eyes or an insatiable hunger for flesh. This is especially common among the endlessly feuding upper class. Despite their unnerving nature, these mutations are considered a direct blessing from Zhanagorr.

The new swamps of Wanshou have given rise to boggards and kappas.✝ The waterlogged province is also now inhabited by cecaelias, merfolk, tripkees, and athamarus.

The victims of the Season of Torrent remain bound to the land in death. These tormented spirits and undead are commonly referred to as the Drowned. Undead such as zombies, ghouls, and revenants haunt the land and are an ever-present danger. The Drowned need to be continuously appeased so their torment may be eased and the living may be safe from their wrath.

Government

Zhanagorr and his agents manipulate almost every aspect of life in Wanshou. Since his initial seizure of power, Zhanagorr has carefully increased his insidious influence over the people with civil infrastructure and propaganda. Roadways, settlement locations, fresh water, mining operations, and the military are all credited to the elder kraken and agent organizations such as the respected Mireguard. Most citizens now know him as the "Divine Savior", revering him as a deific entity. The people of Wanshou may seem naive to outsiders, but they have enjoyed generations of relative prosperity under the kraken's rule in an otherwise unforgiving land. Those who do openly oppose the leadership of Wanshou are fast to disappear, a grisly display of their corpses sometimes turning up later. These discreet killings are blamed on the restless undead spirits, implying that Zhanagorr's influence extends even to the dead.

The Divine Savior also cunningly manipulates the ruling class in the capital of Numijaan. As a political alliance could threaten his rule, the kraken turns the nobles against each other with his coveted blessings. Only the ruling lords of the three major districts within Numijaan are so blessed as to have a direct audience with Zhanagorr, and this triumvirate's ranks are fiercely contested. These titles change hands frequently and rarely nonviolently. The ruling lords are, in turn, responsible for enacting the Divine Savior's will across Wanshou. As of 7224 IC, the three ruling lords are:

• Mìmì Qiáng, Lady of Dìshàng
• Naoki Tanaka, Overseer of the Hitasu District
• Hadalpea, Currentkeeper of Karagatan

Religion

It is little surprise that in a land with such a monstrous ruler evil deities are now the most widely worshipped. These include Lady Nanbyo, the Widow of Suffering; Lamashtu, Grandmother Nightmare; and Lao Shu Po, the Old Rat Woman. The one exception to this is Hei Feng, the Duke of Thunder, who holds domain over storms, the sea, the winds, and the rain.

References

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