The Tzuan Dynasty

The Tzuan Dynasty Overview


In the year 2390 P.T. Emperor Liu Aziong defeats the rival state of Xuang and establishes the Tzuan Dynasty in the Greater Heartland of the Axionic Continent. With the capital of Tzengdu nestled in between the sky-piercing peaks and coursing rivers, blanketed by a divine white mist and enclosed by the sturdy bamboo of Mian Forest. The main threat to the Dynasty is the marauding nomadic tribes to the Southern Steppes which the Emperor keeps in check through his highly-disciplined Legions: known far and wide for their strategic mindset, peerless courage, and infinite adaptability. He dreams of a future for his people in which prosperity is boundless and warfare is a rarity; he understand's this goal shall not be accomplished easily, but shall not rest until he and his people are victorious.

The Foundation of an Empire
2390 P.T. - Ruling Period known as "Zhao Shu" or Divine Rule begins.

In 2400 P.T., Emperor Aziong understood through his ancestors that innovation would be vital in the success of any Dynasty, and established Schools of Thought throughout the land to attract scholarly individuals and foster the sense of learning.

In 2402 P.T., the Emperor and his Court instituted a system of rule in which the land was divided into equal states, led by Governors with ultimate authority retained by the Court.

In 2406 P.T., The Xingba Rebellion occurred in the Province of Xian, it was largely filled with disgruntled minority tribes who felt slighted under the rule of the Axionic majority. The Rebellion lasted only four days and was quelled by Emperor Aziong himself who personally vowed to the tribal leaders his intentions to include all people, fairly, under his rule.

In 2415 P.T., Aule, a traveling merchant of the distant Fenoian Empire arrived in Tzengdu sought a personal audience with the Emperor. He was initially denied by the Court which cast a heavily biased against the foreigner with Aziong's Legionnaires physically throwing him out. However, Aule was determined and stayed in the Capital, repeatedly petitioning for an audience. Emperor Aziong eventually learned of his presence and personally invited him to a banquet for tallks which began the long-distance trade network between the Fenoian Empire and the Tzuan Dynasty.

In 2416 P.T., Empress Aziong gives birth Second Prince Liu Axizon.

2416 P.T. - Ruling Period becomes "Huang Shu" or Divine Prowess.

In 2417 P.T., Emperor Liu Aziong at the age of 56 mounts his war-horse, rather than his carriage, to personally leads the 5th, 10th, and 13th Legions to defeat and annex the Southern Steppes. The conflict proceeds steadily in the favor of the better equipped Legions, and the Tzuan Legions slowly decimate the tribes, Despite his age, Aziong's strategic prowess exceeds that of any of the nomadic commanders and in only two months of fighting, forces the tribes to their largest settlement in the Southern-most tip of the Steppes. However, the tide changes as Emperor Aziong unceremoniously falls to a stray arrow after slaying a enemy nomadic commander, in the 27th year of his rule. His death causes the Legions morale to plummet and as a result they begin to suffer heavy casualties and lose gained ground. However, a loyal commander unites the despairing soldiers, leading to the heroic rise of Tigeress Captain Tzu Meifong at the Battle of Gongol Pass.

The Battle of Gongol Pass
Tigeress Tzu as she was affectionately known by the people was the commander of the newly formed Tigeress unit which as the title hints, comprised solely of female infantry. Though the people adored her, and Emperor Aziong supported her position, many of the Legion Commanders considered her a useless asset of the army and implicitly banned her presence from War Council meetings.

Despite this, she rose to the occasion at the critical battle of Gongol Pass where the Nomadic Tribes attacked with the momentum of the Emperor's death and had inched away at the Legion's defenses. Tigeress Tzu petitioned for her unit to fight at the frontlines, but the Legion's High Command refused her request, dead Tigeresses bore no benefit for the rest of the Tigers, after all. However, knowing that the Legion was only losing ground and troops, she called upon her unit, attached a Tzuan Flag to her armor, and crashed into the Nomadic lines, defeating three Elite Xhanol Tribe commanders in a total of no more than 20 bouts. This act of valor spurred the Legions into combat and eventually led to her slaying the Nomadic Xhan, Hongol the Wicked.

Tigeress Tzu was named Hero of the Legion, and was finally granted full respect by her fellow commanders as she personally oversaw the imprisonment of the Xhanol war captives and became the Military Governor of the newly annexed Southern Steppes. She returned to the Capital for an annual council meeting in 2425 P.T. and fell in love with Crown Prince Liu Azion. They eventually wed and Tigeress Tzu shed her war garb for the crown as Empress Azion.

The Decline
6975 P.T., some 4000 years after the Divine Age of Emperor Aziong the Tzuan Dynasty has declined steadily as heroes have succumbed to the cold, dark grasp of Time and as people become dissatisifed with stagnant economic growth. Rebellions become more constant, and the Xhanol tribes have regained strength and power as they bide their time to unleash their revenge on the Tzuan people.

Aule's descendants remained paradigms of mercantile, but as they discovered new nations over the millenia, they gradually halted trade to the far off Eastern lands, and opted for closer Western states, leading to a vast decrease in the wealth of the Tzuan economy.

Tigeress Tzu's daughters had a notorious knack for outliving her sons, and Emperors more often were Empresses over the course of the years. However, the Court, unlike the people who adored them or the military which respected them, the High Officials remained heavily prejudiced against women in general and disregarded many of the Empresses' edicts, some in blatant acts of treason. As a result, many Court officials were eventually imprisoned and/or executed and massive unrest came about as a result of the lack of efficient governance.

The Great Flood
The vast River Liu, flows on both sides of Tzengdu and opens into the Aziong Basin and provivdes mineral rich fresh water and irrigation for the vast Tzuan farmlands. However in 6980 P.T., a torrential rain swept the land and caused the basin to overflow without pause and as a result waves surged out across miles of farmland, obliterating the annual harvest and sweeping innocent lives into the impartial arms of Mother Nature. Some 300,000 people perished in the Great Flood, and 100,000 more afterwards due to starvation as the harvest failed and the granaries were limited. The next five years would be spent calling citizens to lend a hand to rebuild the farms and villages that were decimated. Despite the tragic losses, the disaster brought loyal Tzuan subjects from all over the country who helped their countrymen rise once more. The Northern and Southern racial distinctions were bridged and the populace felt closer to one another fostering a strengthened sense of national identity. This would be the beginnings of the Age of Prosperity.

The Northwest Campaign
The Dynasty resurged thanks to a newly found cultural identity and as a result, the people worked harder to improve not only themselves, but the nation as a whole. Young men enlisted in the Legions at record numbers (though the majority would be turned away), harvests were plentiful and surpluses stocked the granaries, and the population boomed. The Tzuan Dynasty was entering a much needed Age of Prosperity and decided to take advantage of the newlyfound wealth.

Emperor Tzu Asieng, the 67th descendant of the great August Emperor Liu Aziong was in power at the time and helped facilitate the great prosperity through acts of selflessness, disregarding Imperial luxuries and traveling to the countryside to persoanlly help his people rebuild their livelihoods. This earned him the deep loyalty of the common folk, while drawing the ire of the nobility.

Emperor Asieng had dreams of a larger, more reaching Kingdom than all his predecessors before him and petitioned the Court for funds. Thanks to the vast new wealth, the Court readily approved and Asieng was tasked with choosing a commander for his expedition. Asieng and Major General Tzu Axion had been the greatest of friends ever since Empress Asieng adopted the orphaned Axion and groomed him into an proficient marksman and adequate strategist, but training alone would not have suited him to lead the upcoming Campaign. However Axion had suppressed the resurging Xhanol Tribes, put down numerous Rebellions, and killed an Assassin or two on occasion. Thus Emperor Asieng chose Axion to lead the Northwest Campaign into the frontier towards the dense woodlands of Tanghua.

Thus, Major General Tzu Axion set forth with the 9th Eastern Legion to pacify and annex the Northwest.

Axion himself was a level-headed soldier, played by the War Manual when needed, but by the New Manual when not, fought on the front-lines, ate and joked alongside his troops, but commanded respect nontheless, perhaps more because of it. He defeated the hostile Tanghuan Betrayers and established a forward command post on top of one of their cities at the Tanghua Merchant Junction.