A brief history of the Valley of Blades (Patreon)

In between a lot of my freelance work, I've been working on creating a backstory for Yue and playtesting the return of the Flame Emperor with my home group (they don't know it yet). Here's a bit of a teaser!

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THE AGE OF WARRING SOVEREIGNS

During the Age of Warring Sovereigns, the Valley of Blades was ravaged by conflict between rival warlords. This was a time of warring ambitions.

THE AGE OF THE FLAME EMPEROR

In the midst of the chaos, one person appeared and put a stop to the fighting - the self-proclaimed Yang the Flame Emperor. Using a manifested power called the Sapphire Flame, he violently conquered the Valley of Blades and created a unified empire. He ruled through violence and fear, becoming drunk with power and overcome by paranoia as he grew old.

THE HARMONIOUS RISE OF YUE

As the people suffered and the land fell into ruin, a hero of upright moral character named Xing staged a daring rebellion to overthrow the Flame Emperor. Knowing that hope and courage would not be enough to free the people from their wicked ruler, he sought the help of the legendary Gibbon Marquis, the master of Yugu ("Monkey Valley") and guardian of the nether world. Using a magical staff crafted from a branch of a plum tree and inlaid with three pieces of carved jade, Xing was able to perceive the location of Yugu to plead with the legendary snow-white monkey for aid. Together with the Gibbon Marquis and seven martial arts masters, Xing banished Yang into the darkness below and established a new empire known as Yue. Xing then took on the name Yuchang and was crowned King. Under this leadership, Yue became the forge of heroes and scholars; the home for those with an unbreakable spirit. To ensure that the Flame Emperor's prison could not be found, the Staff of Xing was broken into pieces and entrusted to the martial arts masters - who called themselves the Virtuous Confederacy. Stories of the Flame Emperor and the Staff of Xing would fade from the annals of history as Yue entered a five century period of prosperity.