Songbai

Update needed This article should be updated to reflect canon changes noted in Tian Xia World Guide. The specific problem is: significant changes to government, history beyond renaming. Please help improve it if you can; the talk page might contain suggestions.

Songbai
Shokuro

(Nation)

Titles

Kingdom of Exiled Samurai

Alignment

Lawful neutral

Capital

Mukinami

Ruler

Shokuro Akatori

Government

Shogunate

Languages

Elven, Minkaian, Tien

Religions

Abadar, Daikitsu, General Susumu, Pharasma, Shizuru

Images of Shokuro

Source: Dragon Empires Gazetteer, pg(s). 38 (1E)
Tian Xia World Guide, pg(s). 200–207 (2E)

The Successor State of Songbai (pronounced soong-bye), sometimes called Shokuro (pronounced shoh-ku-roh), was once the breadbasket of Imperial Lung Wa but after the empire's demise, it fell to tyranny. Now it is ruled by Shokuro Akatori, an honourable samurai who rescued the former province from oppression.

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History

Under Lung Wa, the land that would become Songbai was until 6799 IC known as Qianlei, the "Thousand Tears" for its many rivers, and was the empire's breadbasket. Its people suffered terribly for it, being forced to work day and night to keep the food flowing. After the empire's collapse in 7106 IC, the leaders of its four provinces fought amongst each other for supremacy, until the land's once fertile fields were destroyed.

In its weakened state, the people of Songbai could not properly defend themselves when Lingshenese armies invaded soon thereafter. The victors forced the people back into the fields, inflicting terrible cruelties upon them to keep them in line. They eventually united behind Akatori, a banished Minkan samurai, in 7176 IC and drove the occupying armies back to Lingshen.

Geography

Songbai is still most famous for the fertility of its lands, and while it is no longer the breadbasket for fallen Lung Wa, it still provides food for much of Tian Xia and, in particular, neighbouring Lingshen.

Songbai lies almost in the heart of Tian Xia. To its south, it is bordered by its much larger, militarily superior neighbour Lingshen, while to its north are the elven nation of Jinin and the newly independent kingdom of Linvarre, formerly the Taldan colony of Amanandar. To its east are the haunted peaks of the Gossamer Mountains, marking its border with the terrible land of Shenmen, while to its west is the shallow Sea of Eels, which serves as the primary trade route over which Songbai's agricultural bounty flows out to the rest of the continent.

Government

Songbai is still ruled by the man who founded it, Shokuro Akatori. Akatori not only liberated the land but has proven to be a tactical genius with a brilliant eye for defence which has, so far, kept the neighbouring military kingdom of Lingshen at bay. Shokuro Akatori is supported by the Four Pillars, a group of four families who formerly ruled the provinces of Songbai. They help Akatori rule from the capital of Mukinami but they still sometimes struggle to put aside their former rivalries. Songbai is a fledgling nation still struggling with external threats and much of its military strength is expended protecting its borders. In the rural heartlands, far from the bustling cities, many smaller villages now find themselves dangerously undefended.