Historia et Historiarum: Tian

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*Suggested to be read with own discretion (no spoilers but maybe more fun to read them in the actual novel)

*The plan is to create more of these kinds of info texts

*This will be updated in a non-timely manner

*Maps and concept art can be found on my Instagram @AlexanderCa0

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Tian is the great heaven of the three races with the world named Tian at its center. The three races, yunan, guis and feng huangs are all equal, though the yunan are by far the strongest, the feng huangs are blessed with immortality and the guis are the wisest. Every race has one or more gods representing them in the forbidden flying fortress.

The tian are all different, but they all believe in a healthy balance in life. Unlike the elves who seek perfection, the Tian seek balance and readily accept flaws if they can show that the flaw was because of obtaining balance in their lives.

The first god was an unknown being who created the yunan based on the initial beings that lived on the Tian world. Most believe this god was in fact a leviathan, not strong because of its size, but because of his divine might. This mighty god's name is unknown and even gender, but people just call it the jade dragon based on the legend it was a leviathan.

The legend of it is still known throughout the Tian world and the Tian heaven. The mighty leviathan killed 3000 mighty demons, protecting the original inhabitants of Tian from the demons. But unbeknownst to the mighty leviathan, a great demon also defeated 3000 mighty warriors of the original and lost race on the world of Tian.

When they finally met on the battlefield, the ones united mainland on the Tian world fractured into three evenly sized continents. After a year of non-stop fighting, the mighty god defeated and slew the great demon. The original beings had gone extinct leaving only the jade dragon to fly atop the desolate lands. The jade dragon created the Yunan, as the last of the original race gave their strength to the jade dragon and this divinity was used to mold the first Yunan into existence.

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Age of strife and the two brother gods, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei:

The Yunans created many states and went to war against each other during a time of chaos. Many leaders and warlords begged the Jade Dragon to bless their endeavors and help them, but the Jade Dragon remained aloof. However, the Jade Dragon took notice of two brothers who fought against all sides and used their strength to protect their people.

The Jade Dragon took on the form of a Yunan and called himself Liu Bei. The two brothers, the older named Guan Yu and the younger named Zhang Fei, were initially wary of Liu Bei as the Jade Dragon struggled to understand the world of his creations. Nevertheless, they took Liu Bei with them on their quest to end the war. Liu Bei was moved by the brothers' resolve and agreed to help them if they pledged their allegiance to him. Zhang Fei, with his quick temper, threatened Liu Bei, but Liu Bei replied, "We will help anyone who is worthy of it."

Liu Bei used his vast knowledge to aid the brothers instead of relying on his divine powers. Their efforts evolved from eliminating bandits to protecting a city from an army that sought to destroy it. Because of Liu Bei's contributions, Guan Yu offered for Liu Bei to become his older brother and Zhang Fei also wanted to join in. Under a peach tree, the three of them shared their divine powers with each other in a ceremony. As a result, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei became incredibly powerful, though they did not understand why they had the chance to gain a portion of their god's power.

At the height of the war, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei brought an end to the conflict as the final warlord was defeated and the entire Tian world was united under the Empire of Dawn. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei proclaimed Liu Bei as their emperor and denounced the Jade Dragon, but as they did so, Liu Bei revealed his true form. Furious at the revelation, Guan Yu renounced the Jade Dragon as his brother and claimed that he could have ended the war much earlier if he had wanted to.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei parted ways with the Jade Dragon and soon the Empire of Dawn collapsed, with war quickly ensuing. The two brothers tried to stop the wars once again, but even with their immense power, they were unable. Guan Yu realized that neither he nor his brother were aging anymore and realized they were no longer mortal. Outraged, the two brothers climbed the highest mountain to confront the Jade Dragon.

"You, who are so mighty and powerful, are nothing but as evil as the thieves and bandits who prey on the weak. For you had a chance to undo all this evil, but you chose not to," Guan Yu yelled at the Jade Dragon.

"And you, one so mighty as yourself, have you been able to stop the wars? I am mighty, but not so mighty that I can control the wills of my creations. It is my choice not to intervene, and it is their choice, the mortals' choice, to wage war and burn cities and crops. I gave you all the freedom to choose, as I created you so that there would be a concept of good and evil. This is how beings like yourselves are able to exist. Only through the existence of evil can good exist. Only through the free will and actions of beings like yourselves can we distinguish ourselves from the demons and servants of the winds of Pandora," explained the Jade Dragon.

Shocked and eventually persuaded by the Jade Dragon's argument, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei no longer wished to fight him. Instead, the Jade Dragon asked them to help him, to continue monitoring the mortal world of Tian and become the new gods of justice.

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The Feng Hunags and their god Zhang Fen, Gui and their god Gonggong

In a distant world, the Fenghuangs, majestic creatures resembling peacocks with iridescent plumage, lived peacefully until the arrival of ruthless golden elves. Their homeland ravaged, the Fenghuangs, immortal beings that transform as they age, fled to the world of Tian. As they settled in, their leader Zhang Fen struck a deal with the Yunans, sharing their knowledge of building gravity ships in exchange for sanctuary.

With the Fenghuangs' aid, the Yunans mastered travel between worlds on gravity ships and embarked on a campaign to war with neighboring worlds from the grip of demons and children of Pandora. The Fenghuangs turn to ash as they grow older and are reborn from embers every few years, retaining no memories of their past lives. When they are born they are just small hatchlings, but they grow fast and if one is to live past two centuries, they grow taller and grow hands.

The vases were zealously protected, for if the ashes were to be scattered, a Fenghuang would be lost forever. Given the rarity of new births, the Fenghuangs' determination to safeguard their kind was unwavering, as they stood vigilant against any threat to the continuation of their species

The Yunans encountered the Gui on the world of Tortosha and initially tried to subjugate them. The yunans saw the gui as primitive, only worthy of menial labor. For years the Gui were nothing more than slaves, seen beneath the Yunan.

However, when a massive Exima septime, arrived, the Yunans fled, leaving the Gui to fight the calamities on their own. Gonggong, the greatest warrior of the Gui, led them in the battle against the exima. The Jade Dragon, who was angry with the behavior of his children, the Yunans, showed humility to the Gui and promised to protect them. The Gui eventually became part of the Tian heaven.

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Houkong, Sun Wukong, and the war of the tails

Among these worlds, a fourth race had been discovered, the Houkong. These were monkey-like beings who believed in an easy life and lived in the world of Sonsu, which was blessed with endless springs and summers. As the Tian armies sailed on their velvet flying fortresses to the world, they were not met with any resistance. Instead, the Houkong laughed at them. They did not care about this Jade Dragon, nor did they fear him or his armies. They were protected by their god, Son Wukong, the mighty god of the Houkong.

As the gods of Tian felt insulted, they attacked the Houkong, only for Son Wukong to defeat them single-handedly and force them to leave. This then sparked the curiosity and ambitions of Son Wukong, who raised an army and sailed to Tian. He wished to become the ruler of the Tian heaven. This ambition was greatly enhanced by Son Wukong's carefree attitude towards demons, as he believed he was immune to their luring and deceitful ways.

He used demons, who held strong resentment towards the Jade Dragon, to equip and turn his easy-going people into mighty warriors. With his new army, he launched an invasion and war on the Tian heaven, which was later known as the War of the Tails. Millions perished, with Son Wukong infamously getting into one of the Tian gods' palaces and writing his name on the mighty throne.

Sun Wukong was eventually defeated and sealed by Erlang Shen, the mightiest of the Tian gods. He was sealed under a mountain, but slowly, the powerful god was forcing himself out. Than a a person known as Siddartha appered into the chambers of the jade dragon.

He wished to take Son Wukong of their hands so he might help him in his journey. The jade dragon accepted and Son Wukong was given to Siddhartha, placing a seal on him, forcing him into his servitude.

While Son Wukong was away the houkong, the people of Son Wukong had become crazed and almost everyone had become worshippers of demons and the winds of pandora. They had continued warring and the wars of the tails continued in many parts of the Tian heaven, though smaller in scale.

After a century away, Son Wukong returned to the forbidden flying fortress. Humbled after traveling with Siddartha he begged the jade dragon to help him to free his people and redeem them.

The jade dragon accepted and helped Son Wukong to drive the demons away. As a thank you, Son Wukong pledged to serve the jade dragon and be a loyal member of the Tian heaven.

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Erlang shen

During this war, a mighty warrior rose. Erlang Shen, also known as the Erlang God, was a god of the Tian heaven who rose to fame during the War of the Tails. He was a fierce warrior known for his strength and prowess in battle. He was said to have been born with three eyes and a golden armor, a gift from the Jade Dragon himself, as a sign of his destiny as a great warrior.

As the War of the Tails broke out, Erlang Shen was one of the first to answer the call to arms. He fought alongside the other gods of the Tian heaven against the Houkong, led by the ambitious Son Wukong. Despite the Houkong's power and cunning, Erlang Shen emerged victorious, single-handedly defeating Son Wukong and putting an end to the war.

Erlang Shen's deeds during the war earned him the respect and admiration of the Tian people, and he was hailed as a hero and a savior. As a reward for his service, the Jade Dragon granted him a place in the forbidden flying fortress, where he continues to serve as a protector of the Tian heaven.

Erlang Shen is often depicted, as holding a spear and riding on a golden hound. He is also known to have a third eye, which is said to give him the ability to see through deceit and lies, making him an effective guardian against demons and other malicious forces.

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War of the defeated

During the twilight years of the great Elven heavenly empire, it collided with Tian heaven. The war was bloody between the elves and Tian. For fifty years this war lasted and only ended when both the jade dragon and Sun Wukong and Thalos, the first elvish god met on the battlefield. The battle was a draw between the two world-shattering gods and both sides retreated back. Tian was not able to counterattack and had been weakened greatly, but as the Elven heavenly empire was about to resume fighting, the great civil war of kin erupted among the elves, which cause the death of Thalos at the climactic battle on Thalion.

The war had weakened the Jade dragon and he became even more withdrawn than he usually was. Soon as time went on, the Tian gods went to govern their own spheres of influence with only Guan Yu, staying at the side of the jade dragon at the now almost empty forbidden flying fortress.

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Invasion of the four heavenly kings

During the disappearance of the jade dragon, the four heavenly kings of the Youkai heaven invaded. Youkai were a race of beings that had become all children of pandora and made their heaven into a space for demons and other foul beings. The one leading this assault was Bishamon, the god of cursed weapons.

Bishamon, their mightiest warrior and god, slew Gonggong and caused massive destruction. During the battle of the falling mountains, Erlang Shen was defeated by Bishamon as well but was able to flee.

Bishamon, feeling victorious left, with the jade dragon never appearing on the battlefield.

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Many of the four races now eye at each other, worshipping only their own respected gods. Rumors even persist that the jade dragon didn't even exist at all or that the god they worship should become the new jade dragon.

The heaven, long divided, must unite. Long united, must divide