The Lands of the Minzu

The Lands of the Minzu - a country beset by many old, new and developing challanges.

The Lands where Jeff Church runs his games.

Places

Minzu Chang Cheng - The Barrier/Great Wall of The Minzu

Apparently created by The Great Closing

• The Pyramid of Left Handed Hummingbird and Tlaloc
• The High Roost of the Airians
• The Cyst of the Gargle-spits/Demons of Ariman
• The Water Cathedral
• Underground city of the Triad
• Underwater city of the exiled Shai Minzu

Powers

The Ancients of the Minzu

Dragon and Phoenix		Ancestor of the Minzu of the Air The Dragon has a male aspect while the Phoenix is yin – the two together are symbolic of balance. Associated with thought and reason – as well as states of disharmony and unhappiness
Sun Wukong/ The Monkey King		Ancestor of the Minzu of the Earth Associated with wu ju (the primal chaos from which come yin and yang). Characterised by randomness, unexpected events - laughter, practical jokes and trickery
Zhu Rong		Ancestor of the Minzu of the Fire Associated with creativity, action and movement, enthusiasm, adventure, risk-taking and confidence. Yang, or masculine principle
Gong Gong		Ancestor of the Minzu of the Water Associated with emotions and spiritual experience, corresponds to the yin energy of the world.
Two Headed Mantis		Ancestor of the Minzu of Metal Master of metals – armour, musical instruments, weapons. Associated with practicality, security and material concerns.
Nüwa and Fux		Ancestor of the Minzu of the Wood Brother and sister, husband and wife – commonly half-snake, half-human Associated with birth and death – and rebirth. Sowing and growing new seeds and what they develop into

Left Handed Hummingbird and Tlaloc

Enemies of The Ancients. The Gods of the Triad - who worshipped them with blood sacrifices of captured Minzu.

• LHHB was first encountered on Minzu Chang Cheng, where he was worshipped by the beautiful Mexica. He followed the adventurers to the lands of the Minzu. Later he assisted in the defeat of Taint creatures above Tiananmen Square. His powers seem to be of the air - flying and active combat. Can take the form of a flock of hummingbirds.
• Tlaloc was first seen in caverns beneath the Imperial city - accompanied by a pack of pregnant vampric women. Also helped fighting the Taint creaturs. Powers seem to be of the earth (water, fertility and death) and is reputed to have powers in gating and teleporting. Can take the form of clouds/mist.
• Beneath the Great Pyramid on Minzu Chang Cheng the adventures found two black walled abandoned temples - each dedicated to one of these two. When they entered Tlaloc’s temple the horrific wall carvings where still 'powered' – appearing to move slightly and vibrant with colour. Now they are stationary and the colours have faded. The horrific mosaics are described here: Minzu Chang Cheng Temple Mosaics

Events

The Final Strike and The Great Closing

The Saga of Saito and Ari - as performed by the Shai Minzu 
in their water cathedral on Minzu Chang Cheng

The Minzu warred with the Triad.

The Minzu were good and pure and their Ancients walked (and swam) amongst them. The Triad worshipped The Left Handed Hummingbird and Tlaloc with sacrifices of Minzu blood.

Ari Thornybeck

After generations of strife, The Left Handed Hummingbird prepared a Final Strike – a ritual fuelled by the sacrifice of 20,000 Minzu prisoners over four days at the top of a blood soaked pyramid. Lines of beaten Minzu made their last journey up steps running with blood. Saito Elderrill and Ari Thornybeck where Shai Minzu in love, dragged from a secretive river where they had gone to spawn.

The Final Strike never landed, as the Minzu had been conducting their own ritual. In this extra-ordinary ritual, the Ancients drew deeply of the life force of their followers to invoke The Great Closing. Many Minzu died, giving their all for the good of the people, but as a result a ‘barrier’ was created through which portals and other teleportation would not work. Minzu Chang Cheng (The Great Wall of the Minzu) was created. Hummingbird and his pyramid, most of the Triad, their servants and the sacrificial prisoners were all moved to Minzu Chang Cheng. The Hermit was left behind.

It is not known where this barrier plane came from – it is possible it was created by the Minzu ritual itself – but it was a terrible place, a kind of hell, inhabited by flying monsters and jungle demons. Many Minzu prisoners escaped - but many died. Those that survived became wild, reverting to savage primal behaviour. The slaves of the Triad – The Mexica – learnt to survive in the dangerous jungles of the barrier, where they remained servants of the Left Handed Hummingbird.

The Triad escaped underground. This was a dangerous place too, but the Triad found it suited them better.

Shai Minzu died in their thousands, but many escaped underground too - and by following underground rivers, eventually found their way to the mother ocean. There they thrived and grew strong and built new lives.

Ari and Saito escaped and survived. They found other rivers to swim up and spawn in - and their descendants live today.

A Loss of Reason

Sister of Reason is missing, and the Memory of the Ancients is fading

Reason Unborn

Since the departure of the previous Seagate party, turmoil has wracked the The Lands of the Minzu.

• The memory of the Minzu Ancients continue to fade.
• Without the Ancients' beneficial and stabilising influence, war is raging in many parts of the Lands.
• In the last two months, throughout the lands of the Minzu all births of sentient creatures have stopped – including Sister of Reason’s unnaturally extended pregnancy.
• Zombies walk the streets of the imperial city (and elsewhere).