Land of Endless Sky

I see now why they call it the Land of Endless Sky. The sky truly seems to go on forever endlessly in every direction. It is a sight worthy of both wonder and fear. Here a person feels truly insignificant and also like the only person in all the world. No wonder the Tai-An family claims to rule the skies themselves. For it is hard to believe the sky truly exists anywhere else.

— Excerpt from the journal of a trader from Dolom as they journey to the Imperial City of Sky


The Land of Endless Sky is coalition of disparate tribes living a migratory life in the steppe on the continent of Zong-Di Shao. These people are united into one state by the Emperor Tai-An who resides in the Imperial City of Sky, an opulent city of learning known for its Imperial Academy.

Until recently, the Land of Endless Sky did not concern itself with the politics of other states, but now the Emperor is seeking an alliance with the Southern Empire by marrying his second daughter to Princess Amalina. With the Labyrinth newly opened up, people from the Land of Endless Sky are being sent to the Labyrinth by the Emperor in order to help the Southern Empire acquire the Crown of Horns in a bid to strengthen this alliance.

The Land of Endless Sky started as a group of disparate nomadic tribes scattered across the Western steppe, until one day they were united under the banner of The Great First Emperor Tai-An, who bound them together through both battles and treaties. Once the tribes were united, The Great First Emperor established the Imperial City to be their permanent residence. The other tribes were allowed to continue living their nomadic lives, but the city continued to grow into a great and decadent show of wealth of the Tai-An tribe. Other tribes continued their nomadic herding lifestyles, primarily herding horses, elk, and sheep.

The Land of Endless Sky is ultimately ruled by the Emperor who is advised by a series of ministers; each specialized in different sectors of the government. The ministers are trained at the Imperial Academy in the Imperial City, with most starting their training in the equivalent of their teenage years.

In order to maintain the connections between the Tai-An tribe in the Imperial City and the other tribes scattered across the Land of Endless Sky, each tribe is required to send a representative to live amongst the imperial court. Some of these representatives choose to train to become ministers, while others enjoy the decadence and social politics of court life.

The people of the Land of Endless Sky are first and foremost a nomadic people and warriors. Even in the Imperial City, where people live fairly settled lives, every single person must spend at least one year on the steppe traveling with their tribe when they come of age. Practically every child who is capable is trained to ride a horse or elk and shoot a bow. While the different tribes may be united as one people under the Tai-An Emperor, skirmishes do occur from time to time between tribes, especially when grazing territory is encroached upon, and almost every tribe is prepared to go to battle if the emperor calls upon them to do so.

As a nomadic people, the People of Sky highly value nature and view it with great reverence. This practice is more widely known as Za-Rin in other places, but to the People of Sky this is less a name for their beliefs and more of a word meant to encapsulate the deep sense of awe nature instils in them. Because of this connection to Za-Rin, The Land of Sky is one of the few places where Wildborn hold positions of political power. Whenever a Wildborn is found, they are given membership to the tribe that has found them, as well as the tribe name for their family name, and then brought to the Imperial City to be educated at the Imperial Academy.

In the Land of Endless Sky, it is also common for people to have multiple spouses. For the Emperor and other people with high social status, the first marriage is almost always a political marriage while all subsequent marriages can serve a variety of purposes.

Magic in the Land of Endless Sky is primarily Path of the Sun and Moon, both of which are taught and studied at the Imperial Academy. Path of the Sun is used by mages in mounted battle to throw fire and lighting at their opponents. Path of the Moon is used to supplement the diets of tribes who otherwise would not be in one place long enough to farm much food.

Starting Point: Characters from the Land of Endless Sky either live in the Imperial City of Sky or on the steppe, most likely living with a tribe. Practically all characters from the Land of Endless Sky will belong to a tribe unless they are a foreigner or have been banned from their original tribe. Where do you live and what is your tribe? If your character is not a part of a tribe, why?

In the World: Not many people will have encountered people from the Land of Endless Sky. They likely will have heard about the fierce martial prowess of the People of Sky or of the Imperial City's reputation as prolific area for art and scholarly thought. Now that the emperor has started building stronger political relations with the Southern Empire, the presence of people from the Land of Endless Sky is starting to be felt more by people across Thyslann.

Character Options and Suggestions: Characters of any species (except Slimefolk) can be found in the Land of Endless Sky. It is a unique place where Wildborn are commonly found in the upper ranks of the social hierarchy and are rare in the lower ranks of the social hierarchy since they are all offered an education at the Imperial Academy. The absolute highest ranks are largely Dragonblooded, as this is what the Tai-An family is, but they are not exclusively Dragonblooded. All magical paths can be taught, but the Paths of Sun and Moon are the most common as they are taught in the Imperial Academy. Most people from the Land of Endless Sky will have learned Frontlining or Support skills as part of their basic education. People living in the steppe are likely to have learned Pathfinding from living off the land and migrating with the seasons, as well as Crafting skills. People living in the Imperial City of Sky are likely to have learned Planning and Diplomacy skills if they are a minister or involved in the social politics of the Imperial Court. Those who studied at the Imperial Academy to become artists or scholars likely have learned Scholarship or Crafting.

Names in the Land of Endless Sky start with the family name. The personal name comes second. The family name is made up of two syllables separated by a hyphen, while the personal name is made up of two syllables with no hyphen. These syllables usually start with a consonant and end with a vowel sound, with some exceptions. Occasionally it can be just a vowel sound, and occasionally it can end with the -n or -ng consonant sound.

Examples:
Ka-Shi Aimei
Yi-Sing Suwen
Bei-Xi Talin

Clothing in the Land of Endless Sky tends to consist of many long flowy layers. The base layer tends to be a long tunic with splits up the side to allow for greater body movement and the ability to ride livestock. The other layers tend to be just as long and can vary more on if they open at the front, like a full jacket, tie on like a robe, have fully open sides with ties to keep it on, or have the side slits like the base layer. Movement is still highly prioritized.

On the steppe, these layers tend to be made of wool and leather. The layers tend to colorful but plain. Flowing sleeves are often tied up with a strip of fabric to keep them from getting in the way of a bow.

In the city, amongst the upper ranks of the social hierarchy, silk layers are common. These are also brightly colored, and detailed with incredibly intricate embroidery of the natural world. People do not tie their sleeves up as often as people from the steppe do, however, some embrace the style after their year living with their tribe.