Kingdoms of the Sun

The Kingdoms of the Sun are the title given to the nation brought together by the Aurelian Minister on the largest island of the archipelago once known as the Indigo Chain. His idea was that the indeterminate number of the word "kingdoms" allowed for growth without loss of identity, and that the direct dedication of them to the Sun would give the people united cause. The Aurelian Minister was reactivated about 200 years ago by the forebears of Gilded Torch, in the city of Irontooth. At the time, Irontooth was a ruined city which harbored mortal refugees fleeing from the Fair Folk. The ancient palace, dating back to the First Age, acted as a protective influence, and the lords of the five Fair Folk kingdoms of the isle considered it a dangerous relic of the Lawgivers. Fair Folk would periodically prey upon the humans hiding in the ruined city, but they were inevitably driven away by the threat of calcification.

Two centuries ago, a handful of priests scavenging the ruins of the Irontooth managed to reactivate an orichalcum alloyed automaton they discovered. As the Aurelian Minister began a campaign against the Fair Folk of the isle, these scavenger scholars kept him in repair. An unfortunate early incident made them realize that the automaton believed itself to be a Solar, and would go mad when faced with arguments to the contrary. Embracing the power of the ancient Solar creation, these desperate wise men and women formed the heart of the reemergent priesthood on the isle and presented the Minister as one of the Chosen of the Unconquered Sun. As each of the Fair Folk lords of the island was deposed, a brave mortal who aided in the resistance was placed in control of the land and supported by the endorsement of the priests. Thus the five lordships of the Kingdoms of the Sun came to be, while the city of Irontooth was held apart as a holy capital. Over time, the continuing influence from the hateful local storm mothers drove each of these mortal lordships to become patriarchs even though many inland villages were more egalitarian.

Note: This is the central setting of the current focus of the Dark Waters chronicle.

Mandate of Heaven

This is the Mandate of Heaven profile of the Kingdoms of the Sun, as we determined it should be at the October 9, 2010 game session. Potentially, it should also have a few external bonus points, but we can work on that later.

Kingdoms of the Sun (Magnitude 4)

• Military 2, Culture 2, Government 3
• Compassion 2, Conviction 2, Temperance 3, Valor 4, Willpower 8
• Virtue Flaw: When times are hard, the people of the Kingdoms of the Sun tend to respond with violent xenophobia.
• Awareness 1, Craft 3 (Magitech +1), Integrity 2 (Anti-Fair Folk +1), Performance 2, Bureaucracy 3 (Domestic trade +1), Stealth 2, War 3 (Amphibious assault +1, Reserves +2), Investigation 1, Occult 2
• Bonus points: +1 Willpower (6), Specialties (6), +1 War (4), +1 Presence (4)

Related

• Exalted
• Dark Waters