Luanjian Province

The Province of the Sword

A section of land belonging to the Pressed Beyond The Veil-1R theme.

Wiki page not to be confused with Province of Luanjian, the coded +group for it.

Luanjian is the province located between the southernmost coastal region of Nerites and its central provinces. Its land is mostly mountainous and its underground rich in ores of all sorts, notably Jade (primarily red, but some white, green and black too) and iron. Temperature there is hot almost year-round, but the soil is not favorable for harvest.

Mining installations can be found every square mile, sometimes even more commonly, and it is not uncommon for villages to be built around them or even in them. Some of the more extreme constructions are installed directly on the sides of mountains, so as to make use of the land's layout.

The province owes its nickname to its founders, who were primarily warriors and knights. This has evolved into a tradition according to which all residents are expected to know how to wield a sword and defend themselves.

Luanjian does not have a history of warfare, but it is renowned for its Crimson Legion, an elite platoon of Fire-Aspected Terrestrial Exalted wielding finely crafted Red Jade artifacts.

Basic Stats

Capital: Fortress City Yongmin
Size: ~600,000 square miles (~1/10th of Russia)
Population: ~40 million, primarily mortals
Language: Old Realm (common), Flametongue (rare)
Primary Export: Armaments
Primary Import: Water
Economy: Unstable
Government: Monarchy (King/Queen, Council-Assisted)
Main Industry: Mining, Smithing
Banner: Three Crossed Blades In Twin Squares
Color: Red And Gold
Unemployment Rate: < 0.01%
Yearly Death Rate: ~25 per 1000 (mostly mortals)
Legal Age: 18 (16 for Exalted)

Authority Figures

Unyielding Rampart, as king, and Tender Whisper, as queen, have absolute authority over all matters within the province. More often than not however, Rampart prefers to play hero than tend to a province, and so Tender Whisper handles most of the work.

The Council of Swords is a group of twelve Dragon-Blooded randomly selected from the population every year or so, with a few elders who remain on it due to their proven wisdom. More often than not matters are handled by them. None of them have displayed signs of being corrupt or evil, at least not since Vicious Flame (see antagonists section) was taken off the council. The Council, admittedly, does not really like Rampart a whole lot too much, as it is far too often they find he filled paperwork for important matters without consulting anyone-- naming new generals, handing out large quantities of resources, creating new duchies within the province, these are all things he has done and gets away with because he's a Solar, and also the king, by law.

There is otherwise any number of standard authority figures, from rulers of smaller sections of the province to military leaders (even if there is little war to speak of except against organized bandits and the occasional antagonist force).

Technology

Luanjian is a primarily old fashioned province, dabbling very little in more modern inventions or in the wonders of the First Age. It embraces the simplicity of the sword and armor paradigm, or at least has until now. The capital city, Yongmin, has a functional steam locomotive system that goes around the entire city, but that is the extent of more modern technology that can be found there. Soldiers still use flame pieces (essentially flamethrower muskets) rather than firearms, rely on beasts to transport cargo (or themselves), and otherwise stick to a standard JRPG fantastic-medieval presentation.

Warstriders (giant robots) exist, primarily steel and Jade ones, but they are usually used to mine or transport cargo. The military might have a few fancy models available in a pinch, but you're better off relying on Exalted than on mechas if you need heavy muscle. Being a civilian Warstrider pilot is actually a fairly big honor, since they make mining and transportation a much safer field.

Laws

Life in Luanjian is fair for all, but it is not easy. As the province thrives on its rich underground and mountains, the mining industry is its largest, seconded only by the smithing industry. Many of the other provinces come to Luanjian for their metal needs, from weapons to structures. It is no surprise then that the most common professions are miner and blacksmith, neither of which are easy on the body. Fortunately, the training most residents receive with a blade tends to shape them to have strong bodies.

With mining and smithing being so common, there is never a shortage of work and it pays quite well. Those unable to perform those tasks fill the other necessary jobs around the province, leading to an exceptionally low unemployment rate. On the other hand, the mortality rate amongst the non-Exalted is quite high due to mining accidents. To make matters worse, water and food are mostly only available through imports, making them goods that while not rare are carefully monitored in the event of a shortage. The economy does fluctuate a lot, as there are times when the other provinces have no need for Luanjian's crafts.

In Luanjian, the law is firm but strictly against abuse of others. Criminals are not executed or imprisoned, they are put to work in the mines. Slavery itself is illegal, taking exception to criminals being reformed. The King and Queen have final say on everything, but are assisted by a council of twelve Terrestrials rotated every year and chosen amongst the common folks. Nobility is non-existent, social status typically equated to the notoriety of one's family business. The council has no social advantage beside a stable salary, while the King and Queen are considered above all whether they wish it or not.

Sorcery does not require a license to use in conjunction with the various smithing crafts, and the two are often found working in tandem. Using sorcery for anything else requires a license. Necromancy is illegal save for proper funeral rites.

Noteworthy Antagonists

Lord Vicious Flame, He Who Breathes Rebellion In The Scarlet Skies

Alternate Titles: Sorcerer Of The Emerald Circle, Descendant Of The Purest Breed And Steward Of The Eternal Throne, Aspirant To The Court Of Fire

Status: Alive Location: Unknown

Vicious Flame is a native of Luanjian, descendant of a nearly pure-breed line of Fire-Aspected Terrestrials whose duty was to manage the throne between the reincarnation cycles of the two Heavenly Monarchs who rule the province. Unfortunately, he did not take Unyielding Rampart and Tender Whisper's returns very well and disappeared into exile when he was thrown off the Council. A powerful sorcerer, he knows most of the Emerald Circle spells, but as a Terrestrial, can never hope to tap into the Sapphire Circle, making him bitter and jealous. He specializes in the summoning and binding of fire elementals, having an unique spell to summon them with less hassle. He prefers the company of Fire Butterflies and Amabosars, but employs a single Ifrit as his bodyguard. He is an exceptionally large ham.

NPCs

Amabosars: These humanoid fire elementals are tainted with the nature of the earth, making them lazy, hard to order around, slow, and not all that reliable. Fortunately, they embrace slavery and do not mind the easy life of being ordered to do things rather than have to take decisions.

Fire Butterflies: Butterflies of fire that can take a female human form, they are typically concubines and entertainers to those who can resist their heat and are exceptionally beautiful. They absolutely loathe beings more beautiful than they.

Fiery Heavenly Flower: A Fire Butterfly who has taken a liking to Silent Starfall, but who remains spellbound to Vicious Flame. She is intent on casting down whoever keeps Silent Starfall "engaged".

Twelve-Flames Scimitar: An Ifrit who, like all other ones, is merciful, honorable, duty-bound and extremely proud. He is sworn to protect Vicious Flame, who treats him with respect due to the reputation Ifrits have to be resourceful and well-established in the elemental hierarchy.

Notable Appearances

• Vicious Flame revealed his plan to take over the whole of the fire elementals by binding the Lesser Elemental Dragon of Fire to his will. He attracted attention to his Fire-Aspected Manse and had to destroy it to cover his escape from far too many Celestial Exalted and Unionites than he could handle.

• When he surfaced again, it was to reveal a Hundred-Forged Dragons, which he battled the gathered Union forces atop of. He withdrew, losing yet another Manse in the process, and the dragon was destroyed. (The Hundred-Forged Fire Manse now belongs to Amalthea and Ellestaria.)

Sub-Divisions

The Hundred-Forged Fire Manse

Though only one volcano in size, it is officially recognized as its own duchy, with Amalthea and Ellestaria acting as king and queen (or whatever titles they feel the need to use, the paperwork is pretty fuddled and gives them official leeway to make up their own titles.

Ariel's Duchy

A gift for her second birthday, Ariel was given a duchy to name and rule over. It is currently completely undefined until she decides to set things in stone OOCly.