Ba Xin (Shard Ne'Vaal Supplement)
Ba Xin is a large nation that covers much of continent. It is considered home to the oldest living civilization with roots from the Astral Period, with an accrued population that is one of the largest in the world.
People[edit]
An impressive population of dwarves and elves mingled in Ba Xin, along with dragonborn, goliaths, and a minority of humans. 63 tribes of dwarves once lived in Ba Xin, populating every area of the country.
Notable Places[edit]
Ba Xin's size affords it a plethora of varied terrains as landmarks, not even counting historic sites of great beauty. Many of these locations have since been warped or changed in some way after the Gorge. Historic castles and such have been abandoned, their splendor lost. Great bastions of riches have been repurposed into dens for refugees and even bandits.
Religion[edit]
The local religion in Ba Xin is called the Celestial River Pantheon. The primary god is Gudrama, the male aspect of Yue. This aspect is a golden figure whom the emperor draws his legitimacy from. Yue is secondary to Gudrama, seen as separate from her masculine aspect. Under her and Gudrama are the Nine Court Sages. Four of these sages represent energies and the associated element or concept: Guzheng of sky and ephemerality, Ditu of earth and recurrence, Yiru of water and change, and Dishang of lightning and calamity. They are safeguards of the supposed river which ran through the Material Realm, carrying the dead to their place in the cosmos, and then bring about nourishment for the souls in the living and the natural world. The other five of the sages were the ferrymen of the river, and represented as stars. Their names are conveyed in the titles of the Five Stars who serve under the Emperor.
- Celestial River Pantheon
| Deity | Alignment | Domains |
| Gudrama | Lawful Neutral | |
| Yue | Chaotic Neutral | Arcana, Moon |
| Yiru | ||
| Guzheng | ||
| Ditu | ||
| Dishang | Lawful Good | Storm, Strength |
| Riverlord | ||
| White Scholar | ||
| Eternal Ten Thousand | ||
| Blade Saint | ||
| Fierce Tiger |
Culture and Society[edit]
Following the Age of Flies, Ba Xin was divided into five kingdoms which warred for supremacy of the land. They were formerly all Tyrakians, but the loose confederacy in the area allowed them to forge a unique mess of cultures. These minority groups waged war from 500 to 400 BG, after which the Wang kingdom took charge, having defeated the Gong, He, Jing, and Liang kingdoms. while the Wang established a centralized government, there remains a diverse body of culture across all of Ba Xin due to the liberal rules on individual matters.
Relations, Logic, and Law[edit]
The basis for Ba Xin societal norms is tiered into relations (qing, 情), logic or reason (li, 理), and law (fa, 法). Relations, being emotions and interactions that happen between people, is the highest of these three values. Relationships are the foremost thing people will act on. Such examples include the instinct of mothers to protect their young, as well as obligations people have to help their neighbors and treat one another with respect. It is crucial to Ba Xin culture that people understand no person exists as an isolated being and that everyone is in the same boat in the end. This fosters a strong natural tendency to rear generations towards cohesion and cooperation rather than arrogance.
Logic and reason are the second most important values. How one thinks on facts and reasons using available information is not only a basic skill, but considered a sign of intelligence. These values all take precedence of the rule of law in Ba Xin, which is considered to be the weakest force of impetus. People will usually act based on their relations and thinking rather than obey simply what a law tells them to do. As such, Ba Xin's tiered values show an understanding of a large amount of populations: people will generally do what they feel like for others, and act based on how they think, rather than follow a law that runs contradictory. Thus, instilling the previous two values will aid in creating a more harmonious society when making law as the final step.
Governance[edit]
Ba Xin is ruled by an imperial court headed by the emperor. The emperor is surrounded by five generals who make up his entourage. While they are called generals, they do not focus only in battle expertise.
- The Emperor
- The Five Stars
The core of Ba Xin rule is centered in a region known as Wuxing (五星), or "Five Stars," of which there are five provinces. The five generals each hail from one of the provinces, which are the "stars." The imperial court itself is located in the Baixing province, also known as the Platinum Province. Each of the generals occupies a certain niche within the emperor's court, but their roles have been known to change and are not specific to any region. While they have these specializations, each general is trained to be able to temporarily take over the functions of another should the need arise. This makes them overall a very versatile force.
- The Riverlord (河主):
- The White Robed Scholar (白袍书生):
- The Saint of the Blade (剑聖):
- The Eternal Ten Thousand (永恒十万):
- The Fierce Tiger (猛虎):
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