Welcome to the Tales of Heroes and Demons. It is a character fantasy roleplay which brings together ideas from both Chinese and Western fantasy fiction. It is a sandbox adventure that aims to give players a great deal of freedom; they can be martial heroes, bandits, pirates, court politicians, Dukes, concubines in the Imperial Court or whatever else they wish. It also aims to allow players to choose their roleplay style; they can either have an adventure of their own or collaborate with other players to form a common storyline. But regardless if they choose to be a 'lone wolf' or collaborate with others, the actions of players will affect the state of the world.
Improtant Notice: The Tales of Heroes and Demons, while giving great liberty to players to define their characters, has a pre-established lore and world. It is necessary to read about it in order to gain an understanding of the world, otherwise it would be impossible to understand the setting.
The Creation of the World
- The Legendary Hero Yi Hong
According to the Imperial Records compiled by the esteemed scholar of antiquity Dai Yijun, the world was created two million years ago by the Heavenly Emperor. The Heavenly Emperor and his Heavenly Court – comprised by Deities and Angels - lorded over Heavens. The Heavenly Emperor wanted to experience mortality, so he created the world and the Goddess of Fertility birthed man and woman to populate it. The Heavenly Emperor observed the two humans and was moved by their piety and virtuousness. When they died, the Heavenly Emperor allowed their children to keep inhabiting the world. Humans are descended from this First Couple.
A million years ago, the Demonic War took place. The Demonic Deity was a being of supreme power. The Heavenly Emperor and the Heavenly Court were terrified of its power and had to accept its lordship. The God of War Ma Yuan was among the few who could not put up with the tyranny of that evil creature. So, he went to the Mountain of a Thousand Flames and used its Holy Lava to forge a magic medallion of immense power. He then channeled all his vast internal energy into its gleaming red stone. This combination of the Holy Lava and the internal energy of the God of War made the Flaming Medallion an all-powerful object. Ma Yuan used this medallion to obliterate the Demonic Deity. He then hid the medallion and soon after died due to his wounds.
Two hundred thousand years after the obliteration of the Demonic Deity, a young Angel named Ye Guang discovered that remnants of the spirit of the Demonic Deity had managed to survive. Those remnants overtook his body. Overnight, his powers increased a thousandfold. He inherited most of the extraordinary powers of the Demonic Deity and cultivated them. With powers beyond the imagination of even the Heavenly Emperor, Ye Guang was no longer content with being a mere Angel. He raised an army of fallen Angels, rose in revolt against the Heavenly Court and took the mantle of Dark Lord. He wreaked havoc on Heavens and Earth, killing many Angels and millions of mortals.
It was then when a young hero emerged; he was the son of poor peasants and his name was Yi Hong. An Angel found out that the boy had the potential to be an unparalleled martial hero. The Heavenly Court provided him with the best teachers. Soon enough, he had become a legendary swordsman. He scored many victories against the underlings of the Dark Lord, yet his powers still couldn't compare to those of the Dark Lord.
Yi Hong thus went on a journey to find the mythical Flaming Medallion. The Flaming Medallion had been hidden somewhere in the Mountain of a Thousand Flames by Ma Yuan as he knew that if it fell into the wrong hands, its powers could shatter the entire world. Yi Hong managed to find the Medallion. He also used this chance to forge another magic weapon; he used the Holy Lava, the Stone of Supreme Power – which had been given to him by the Heavenly Emperor – and his own internal energy to forge the Heavenly Sword.
Armed with those two weapons, he faced in single combat the Dark Lord in a duel that is now the stuff of legends. Thousands of poets and singers, both Angels and mortal, have recounted this battle. Each time their swords clashed, an earthquake shook the entire human realm and demolished thousands of cities. Each time their internal energies clashed, mighty tsunamis rose, the ground cracked and tornadoes ravaged whole countries. Eventually, Yi Hong slew the Dark Lord after a duel lasting six days. The whole world lay in ruins in the aftermath of that duel but the Dark Lord and his evil forces had been defeated. After this duel, Yi Hong disappeared along with the Flaming Medallion and Heavenly Sword. No one knows what happened to him.
The Geography of the World
- The continent of Dalu
The world – or Dalu as it is most commonly called – is comprised of the Golden Realm, the Kingdom of Svargen and the Desert Lands. No one knows if there is more to this world – if there are other continents besides Dalu – for no one has dared to venture past the Great Ocean and the frozen lands of Svargen.
The Golden Realm
The Golden Realm is the largest empire in the civilized world. It cover almost the entirety of the continent of Dalu. It was established one thousand years ago when Cao Sui unified the Seven Warring States and brought unity to the civilized world. Cao Sui established a new capital in the North, called Heavenly City, in order to break with the traditions of the old warring states and create a blank slate for his empire.
The Cao Dynasty lorded over the Golden Realm for over five hundred years. The unification of the warring states meant that warfare was replaced by commerce and trade. Farmers could spend their days toiling the fields instead of fighting wars, leading to greater agricultural productivity. The combination of increased economic activity and agricultural production led to an increase in the population, which in turn allowed cities to expand and flourish. Unprecedented wealth flowed, not just in the state coffers but also in the pockets of the average civilian.
Alas, the Emperor and his Court grew decadent and corrupt. While the Emperors wasted their time in various meaningless pursues or in their harems, ambitious courtiers fought for influence. This regional governors began to exhort the peasants and merchants for increased taxes. Ambitious military commanders began to intervene in domestic politics, supporting or opposing politicians of the Imperial Court. The final nail in the coffin was a deadly plague that swept the Realm. Peasants began to rise up in revolts against the imperial government and the Realm fractured. It seemed as if the Realm would collapse back into the warlordism of the warring states of the past. Yet a man rose to the occasion.
The General of the Heavenly Legion – the elite 10,000-men strong body of the Imperial Army – Zhao Yang proclaimed that the Heavenly Emperor had visited him in his sleep and told him that due to his virtuousness the Golden Realm would be granted to him. Zhao Yang defeated both the armies of the Imperial Court and of the various rebel forces that had risen up. When he captured the Heavenly City, the Golden Realm was once more unified and at peace. Since then, the Zhao Dynasty has been ruling over the Golden Realm. In the first centuries of the dynasty, the Realm expanded through military conquest and the economy grew at a rapid race as commerce flowed once more and farmers could toil their land at peace.
But in recent years things have taken a sour turn. Factionalism in the court mean that court officials spend more time undermining each other than looking after state affairs. Military commanders have begun to intervene in domestic politics, expressing their explicit support or opposition to certain court officials. The Emperor is too concerned with his personal life, allowing Chancellor Jia Wanli to become the real ruler of the Realm. The Dukes have been given greater autonomy than ever before. Some say the Zhao Dynasty may follow the path of their Cao predecessors…
The Heavenly City
A grand metropolis with a population of over two million, it is the largest city in the entire world. It was founded by Emperor Cao Sui and dedicated to the Heavenly Emperor. It is surrounded by two thick walls reaching fifteen meters in height. It has paved streets, rich bazaars and a number of establishments such as inns and taverns. The harbors are famous for their beauty, storing capacity and crucial role in commerce. The biggest port is the White Marble Port, called such because of white marble statues – representing the God of War Ma Yuan and Hero Yi Hong fighting against their demonic adversaries – erected at the entrance of the port.
At the center of the Heavenly City is the Golden Palace. The palace acts as the administrative and military center of the city. It is divided by the rest of city through a deep moat filled by water and is equipped with a number of heavily fortified towers. The great red steel gates, the seemingly endless supply of guards, the grand statues of dragons and tigers all give the impression of supreme prowess. There is perhaps no other place in the entire world that better encapsulates the words 'autocracy' and 'awe'.
The North
The heartland of the Realm. It was in the North that the Seven Warring States rose. The cities of the North are ancient, older than the Golden Realm itself. The people are proud, conscious of their ancient heritage. The nobles of the North can trace their lineages back to the nobles of the Warring States. Scholars regularly visit the North, to pay their respects to the ancient temples and monuments dotting its landscape.
Yet the North has been decaying for centuries. It is no longer the economic center of the Realm. It is sparsely populated, and some of the ancient grand cities have been reduced to mere towns. Its aristocrats may have prestigious lineages, but their wealth pales when compared to that of their southern counterparts. Yet Northerners desperately cling to their past laurels of glory and refuse to accept their new reality.
The South
The South was populated by barbaric tribes in the times of the Warring States. Once the Golden Realm had been unified, the Emperors of the Cao Dynasty turned their gazes to the South and conquered it in a series of bloody wars that saw the mass extermination of the indigenous peoples.
As the land of the South is exceptionally suited to farming, colonizers from the North flowed south and soon the South became the economic center of the Realm. As agricultural production soared, the population exploded and the South became the most populous region of the Realm. Small colonial towns turned into grand cities with hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, attracting peoples of all kind; merchants, workers, fortune-seekers, mercenaries.
In the recent centuries, a new aristocratic class emerged in the South. It is comprised by big landowners and rich merchants. They lack the prestigious lineages of their Northern counterparts, but their wealth allows them to influence the politics of the Imperial Court.
The East
The East was colonized by the Golden Realm only in the past two centuries. Its soil is not as fertile as that of the South and its economy relies greatly on sea trade and fishing. Those fishing villages are plagued by piracy. Despite the best efforts of the Imperial Fleet, pirates launch attacks both on those villages and on nearby commercial vessels. Sometimes, because of their poverty, those fishing villages themselves turn to piracy in order to survive.
Deeper inland, the people rely on husbandry and forestry – though few dare to venture too far into the woods. It is said that the woods are home to magical creatures, the Elves. The Elves are supposed to be similar to human except for their pointed ears and longevity, yet no one has been able to verify those reports and it is considered a fairy tale. Yet what is known to be true is that those who venture deep into the woods disappear. Because of this reputation, the woods have attracted bandits who use them as their lair to escape from law, even at risk of disappearing themselves.
The Ocean
The Ocean is the largest body of water in Dalu. It allows for commerce between the East and the New Province, which has been proving profitable and has led many to a flourishing of private mercantile enterprises. However, it can also prove dangerous as there are plenty of pirate ships who raid merchant vessels and even Imperial vessels. The Golden Realm has in the past decades attempted to root out piracy, but its fleet has failed to do so; a combination of lack of naval tradition and lack of necessary funds.
The New Province
The New Province – called such because it was conquered only in the last century – is the latest acquisition of the Golden Realm. It was conquered in a bloody war against the Kingdom of Geowrofeth. That Kingdom had long been a thorn at the side of the Golden Realm. Geowrofeth, unlike the Golden Realm, was a feudalistic kingdom whose King relied heavily on a landed aristocracy. Following the Religion of the Eternal Fire, its armies had launched over the centuries a series of Holy Crusades against the Golden Realm.
Finally, one hundred years ago the Golden Realm launched a massive expedition to crush once and for all this nuance. In the decisive Battle of Kriafall, King Richard the Third was slain and the Geowrofethians were crushed. Since then, the New Province has been a core part of the Golden Realm.
Yet the integration has been slow. Most of the population is still comprised of Geowrofethians who dream of their past Kingdom and their glorious history. The Religion of the Eternal Fire – which worships Leontios, the God of Fire who sacrificed himself to save humanity from its sins, – is still popular among the populace. Nevertheless, the land is fertile and brings wealth to state coffers. Colonizers from the Golden Realm have also began flooding the New Province, providing reasonable hope that one day the ethnic makeup of the province will change.
The Grand Forts
Constructed fifty years ago on orders of Emperor Zhao Li, the Grand Forts are a series of fortification constructed along the border of the Golden Realm with the Kingdom of Svargen. Trapezoid-shaped and with thick stone walls that are eleven meters high, the Forts provide formidable protection. Over 100,000 troops are garrisoned in the Forts and are under the command of the General of the Forts.
Kingdom of Svargen
The Kingdom of Svargen is the only known realm populated by non-humans. It is populated by Dwarves, who are extremely short but also far more muscular and physically strong when compared to the average human. They also have far greater endurance than the average human and can last longer without food and water. Dwarves are known for their smithing, crafting and metalworking.
Despite the high mountains separating their Kingdom from the rest of Dalu, Dwarf warriors in the past had launched destructive raiding expeditions against the Kingdom of Geowrofeth and later the Golden Realm. They would loot and pillage mercilessly the cities and towns of what is now the New Province. But after the construction of the Grand Forts by the Golden Realm, those raids stopped. With the Golden Realm facing problems at home however, some Dwarves are calling for renewed raids against the Realm. King Harald VII is currently weighting all his options. Unlike the Golden Realm, the King of Svargen relies on a Council of Nobles to rule, comprised of prominent Dwarf aristocrats who have their own personal agendas.
The Kingdom is comprised of the Iron Mountains and the Frozen Lands.
The Iron Mountains
A series of mountains reaching an elevation of 4,000 meters, the Iron Mountains are called such because they are rich various ores such as metal, copper and gold. Dwarves have constructed a number of settlements deep inside the mountains. Those underground cities never see the light of the sun and their darkness makes them almost unbearable to humans.
The Dwarves of the Iron Mountains mainly work in mines constructed deep inside those mountains. Because of centuries of exploitation, some of those deep underground mines have been abandoned. Horror stories are being told of those mines: ‘spirits of undead’ are supposed to haunt them while those who’ve dared ventured inside them have never come out. Nevertheless, stories of treasures hidden deep inside those abandoned mines mean that both human and Dwarf adventurers try their luck exploring them.
The Frozen Lands
The Frozen Lands comprise the largest part of the Kingdom of Svargen. Temperature can fall as low as −55 °C (−67 °F). Fnjoskadalsa, capital of Svargen, is a monument to the tenacity of the Dwarves. A grand city surrounded by thick stone walls in the middle of the frozen expanse. The cold alone makes it unbearable for most non-Dwarves. In the middle of the city is the Skagafjoror Castle, which serves as the military and administrative center of the Kingdom.
The Forest of Death
The Forest of Death separates the Golden Realm from the Desert Lands. A bleak, brown landscape with ash covered trees, the air has the smell of sulfur and the land is covered with a thick layer of ash and slag. Legend has it that the forest was once bright and green but it had been burned down during the duel between Yi Hong and the Dark Lord Ye Guang. There is almost nothing here but the occasional travelers who travel to and from the Desert Lands and bandits.
The Desert Lands
A vast expanse of sand dunes, the Desert Lands is perhaps the most inhospitable region of Dalu. The temperature can reach 58°C (136 °F). It is mainly populated by nomads who traverse the sand dunes on their camels, the Faiheem. They follow the Religion of the Sun, which worships the Sun for giving life to the world.
The only town in the Desert Lands is Walaihan. With only a few thousand inhabitants, it does not compare to even small towns of the Golden Realm, but in the Desert Lands it is considered a grand metropolis. It is the center of trade and commerce in those lands, and allows for trade between the Faiheem tribes and the Golden Realm. Walaihan is under the rule of Emir Uthmaa Nal-Hashim.
The Golden Emperor and the Imperial Court
The Golden Emperor is the supreme ruler of the Golden Realm. He lords over the civilized world by the grace of the Heavenly Emperor. The current Golden Emperor is Zhao Qi. A handsome man in his late thirties, he used to be an energetic ruler who wanted to strengthen Imperial rule and put an end to Court factionalism. Unfortunately, his inability to make progress frustrated him. So when a most beautiful woman – perhaps the greatest beauty the world has ever seen – appeared in his Court, Concubine Mei Lin, the Emperor abandoned his state duties. Now he rarely deals with state affairs, preferring to remain secluded with Mei Lin.
Below the Emperor is the Chancellor. The Chancellor is always a eunuch, a precautionary measure to prevent the domination of the office by powerful political dynasties. The current Chancellor is Jia Wanli. The young eunuch, only in his late twenties, owes his rapid rise to his silver tongue that allowed him to befriend Concubine Mei Lin. The young eunuch made full use of his connections to rise through the ranks, on the way using his accumulated wealth to buy the loyalty of important men. With the Emperor listening closely to the advices given to him by Mei Lin, it was easy for Jia Wanli to become Chancellor. The man was shrewd and intelligent after all, seemed like a perfect man for the office.
Some courtiers thought Jia Wanli was only a lackey of the Concubine, an incompetent man who rose to power only thanks to the whims of the Emperor. But the cunning eunuch proved them wrong. He established a firm hold on government and executed a number of his opponents after a series of 'anti-corruption investigations'. Nevertheless, there are still many in the court who despite this upstart and wish to see him dead. They are organizing in secret their next moves.
The Chancellor heads the Six Departments and Six Ministries:
The Six Departments are:
- The Secretariat, responsible for drafting policies.
The Chancellery, responsible for reviewing policies.
The Department of State Affairs, responsible for implementing policies.
The Department of Palace, responsible for the upkeep of the imperial household.
The Department of Books, responsible for maintaining the Imperial Library.
The Department of Service, responsible for staffing the palace with eunuchs.
The Six Ministries are:
- Ministry of Personnel, in charge of appointments, promotions & demotions of officials and the granting of honorific titles.
Ministry of Rites, in charge of state ceremonies & rituals and the maintenance of palace protocol.
Ministry of Revenue, in charge of collecting taxes, handling state revenues and gathering census data.
Ministry of War, in charge of appointments, promotion & demotion of military officers, maintenance of military installations and equipment, supply of the military and leadership in times of war.
Ministry of Justice, in charge of the judicial and penal process.
Ministry of Works, in charge of government construction programs and maintenance of infrastructure.
The Imperial Court is comprised of the Ministers, the Directors (heading the Departments), the leading secretariats of the Ministries and Departments and the Noble Lords (prominent aristocrats, landowners and merchants who have been granted titles of nobility by the Imperial Court). The Court is convened at least three times a month, and debates domestic and foreign policy in relatively open manner. Courtiers can offer ideas and criticize the conduct of Ministers or Directors, but such criticisms must be well-grounded lest they incur the wrath of the Emperor (or the Chancellor).
The Dukes are the loyal vassals of the Golden Emperor. They replaced the Provincial Governors of the past: as the Realm had expanded to encompass much of Dalu, it became impossible to rule from the center, so the Emperor conferred both military and civil powers to Dukes, who rule their lands in a semi-autonomous manner. While in the past centuries the Dukes were under strict supervision by the Imperial Court and were not a hereditary office, in the last decades this has changed. The Dukes now have greater autonomy than ever before and the office has become hereditary in all but name. With the Imperial Court engrossed in infighting, it remains to be seen if some ambitious Duke may wish to use the instability to his advantage.
Martial Orders
Martial Orders are Sects whose members are trained in the way of Internal Energy (Qi). Qi is the vital energy which exists in all things. Qi is concentrated in one’s lower dantian, located three finger widths below and two finger widths behind the navel. Qi flows in one’s body through the meridians, a network of vessels. By drawing in Qi, through deep meditation and rhythmic breathing, one can cultivate and use internal energy.
There are many levels and stages of internal energy. Soul Formation is the first stage and has ten levels. It concerns the basics of internal energy; it allows one to perform peak physical acts, such as leaping to unbelievable heights, running with unnatural speed, gaining temporarily abnormal physical endurance and strengthening their attacks.
Next is Force Formation, which has five levels; it allows one to send invincible waves of internal energy at their enemies – pummeling them with it – and to create energy shields to protect themselves from such attacks.
Next is Power Formation, which has six levels. It allows one to manipulate elements of nature such a lightning, wind and water: to create powerful gusts of wind, balls of fire or water, or unleash waves of lightning.
Finally, there is the God Formation, which has only one level. That Formation had been mastered by only one mortal, the legendary hero Yi Hong. It allowed him to cause earthquakes, tsunamis and tornadoes. Since his disappearance, no one has been able to master that formation.
The Order of Heaven
The Order of Heaven is a religious order that worships the Heaven. It is led by a Grandmaster and a Council of Elders. The current Grandmaster is Xiao Cai: a venerable elder who is one hundred twenty-two years old, he is known for being pious, just and kind. He has reached the sixth level of Power Formation, the first one to reach that level in over two centuries. In the past few months, he has been in isolation however due to an illness and some worry that he might die, in which case the Council of Elders will have to elect a new Grandmaster.
The Order of Heaven is concerned with three tasks: worshipping the Heavenly Emperor and the Heavenly Court, training their students in swordsmanship, martial arts and Qi cultivation, and punishing the wicked and protecting the downtrodden. The Imperial Court retains ties with the Order of Heaven – which is independent from Realm authorities – and tolerates their ‘vigilante’ activities, though with the Imperial Court weakening in influence some Dukes have felt more confident taking steps against the Order, especially as its members have no qualms attacking ‘unjust’ and ‘corrupt’ officials.
The Order of Crane
The Order of Crane is a relatively new martial order, established in the past four decades in the East by the Hou Clan. It aims to provide protection to the fishing villages of the East from the marauding pirates. Their martial style is more aggressive when compared to that of the Order of Heaven. The Order is currently led by Hou Wei, a middle-aged man with a reputation for strictness but also for justice.
The Order of Fire
The Order of Fire is a sect of martial warriors from the New Province who worship the Religion of the Eternal Fire. It traces its origins to the Crusaders of Geowrofeth, who for centuries waged Holy Crusades against the Golden Realm. With the conquest of Geowrofeth by the Golden Realm and the establishment of the New Province a hundred years ago, the surviving crusaders formed the Order of Fire as a secret martial arts society to fight against the occupying forces. The Order is considered a criminal organization by the Imperial Court, and is known for attacking soldiers and officials of the Golden Realm as well as attacking the Order of Heaven. It is led by a mysterious Red Devil.
The Demonic Sect
The Demonic Sect is a secret cult/martial order that worships the Dark Lord Ye Guang and has vowed to find a way to bring him back to life. They oppose the Golden Realm and the Order of Heaven, and are nihilists who believe the world needs to be cleansed and rebuilt from the start so that the strong may survive and the impure and weak be exterminated. The Demonic disciples are known for practicing the forbidden Dark Heart art: they kill martial artists, take out their heart and devour it, which allows them to consume the Qi of their slain opponent. The Order is led by a mysterious Demon Lord.
Smaller Orders
Aside from the above mentioned important martial orders, there are countless of martial orders of lesser significance. Those include martial arts schools, mercenary bands, bandits and vigilante groups.
Extra Lore Created by Players
Note: This contains lore/backstories developed by the players. While you do not have to read all of them, it would be a good idea to read the lore concerning the region you want to join in.
Local Legend: The tale of Uthgard's magic sword (short version): 500 or so years ago, a vile demon called Yuga-Detothg plagued the people of Hasagove, he ate everyone's food, drank all the bear and mead and had sex with all the women and livestock and was generally an ass but nobody could do anything against him, because his skin was impervious to any weapon. One day a seer conjured a spirit from a part of hell that hated the part where Yuga came from and learned that a weapon quenched in hellish fire could in fact hurt Yuga. But where to get such a weapon, should one go to hell, to quench such a weapon oneself? Two great heroes tried and did not return. But then Uthgard came and he had heard of another village in the Mountains where a demon from the Dwarven lands lived, a creature called the Magmin and it's body was of stone and fire. Uthgard took a pickaxe and his sword, traveled to that Magmin, cracked it open with the pickaxe then thrust his sword into the lesser demon. And, as he withdrew it, the demons blood sticking to the blade flared up, as it was exposed to the air. Uthgard then returned to Hasagove and slew Yuga-Detothg with this sword.
On the Magic of North-Eastern Dalu: Ancient stories tell of mythical heroes, that were able to perform extraordinary deeds with the help of "magic". Coincidentally, the stories of this "old magic" feature common elements among both the Dwarves and the Humans of former Geowrofeth. Magic was divided into two arts: First, there was Galdr (dwarven; human: Galster or Galdor, by region), which was the classical "spell", "hex" or "witches curse". And secondly, there was Seidr (dwarven; human: Seith or Saiten, by region). However in the Human lands, the Faith of the Eternal Fire had persecuted these practices and over time they became forgotten by all but the most well-read sages and most superstitious storytellers in rural regions, where the Eternal Fire had been adopted more in a superficial way, overlaying but not eradicating the previous folk-religion. However under the Rule of the Golden Empire, the arts of Qi have been compared to the old tales of Seidr (a comparison that is actually very far-fetched and a strong historic misinterpretation of old Seidr but it (among other things) helped to introduce the Golden Empire's culture to the people of the New Province).
