The Heavens

The Celestial Governors Guard the Heavens, Protect Order, and Shower Blessings on those they Favor!

This will be the home of information about the gods!

Yunshan is the place in this world where the veil between the realm of spirits, and the realm of mortals is thinnest. Thus this land is filled with spirits, powerful and small who take great interest in the doings of those who live here. This very temple is protected by spirits. In fact most places here are. The spirits have powers to hold men who enter their domains to account. Each spirit has preferences, and can be either pleased or angered. In turn, a man who is wise will respect the spirits and practice the things which please them, and avoid that which angers them. The spirits will bring order and prosperity to such a mans life. You see, in Yunshan there is an order that binds all things together in a harmony of opposing forces, maintained through celestial laws and ancient agreements. In this way, our people live with a power and harmony that the barbarians of the west cannot attain.
But once long ago the spirits were wild and without discipline. They wared on one another until the Gods of the Tein Ming came to our heaven, and seeing that it was far more beautiful than any heaven they had ever visited, decided to stay. As they moved into heavenly Yunshan, so to did their noble people move into earthly Yunshan. The Earthly Tein Ming brought order to Yunshan, teaching it’s people how to live lives ordered by agreements and honor, and the gods of the Tein Ming pacified the wild spirits and bound them to celestial laws. Thus, for 1000 years it has been.

 

Now long ago a great evil was unleashed in the heavens by demons, and chaos rained there. All the gods broke out into war with one another. On earth, their was the Shu Ha rebellion, where the the hundred nations of the Tein Ming Empire went to war, first against their Emperor, and then against each other. This chaos on earth was mearly a mirror to the chaos in the heavens, as it always is. This time of darkness still continues in the wilderness of the barbarian west. There all holy places have been defiled and lost their magic, and always there is war and banditry.

But here in Yunshan, closest to the most high heaven, The ever wise, and ever reasonable god Shang Ti appointed 8 celestial governors to keep peace here while he left the world to find the ultimate wisdom. While the gods of other nations in this world fell into selfish wars and destroyed order everywhere on the earth, here in Yunshan, Shang Ti’s divine governors remained steadfast and protected this land. The Celestial governors are the chief gods who we praise, without which, Yunshan would be as steeped in blood and horror as the world you have come from.

Shui Khan is the God of Men, who taught man how to build cities and nations, and how to make all possible with orderly agreements and contracts. He is loved by men who rule because he is noble and admirable. He is loved by men who serve because he is Fair and just. He is loved by soldiers and heroes because he is brave, and an expert with his silver sword. He is loved by those who administer because he is organized and knows the laws. Also he is loved by common men of craft, for in any matter which involves skill, Shui Khan is sure to excel.

You see there Tsai Shen. He is the keeper of all forbidden lore. Deciding what secrets of magic shall be made known to whom. He is also charged as the protector of holy places. He watches over temples and shrines, and hidden places in the wild with secret powers. Should you cross over into the spirit world without permission, it is Tsai Shen and his minions who will always be a step behind or ahead of you, seeking to punish your transgression without mercy, for this is his duty, and he pursues it with an evil passion. As protector of forbidden places, and the gate keeper of secret magics, Tsai Shen guards the throne of Shang Ti while he is away. He is ever watchful of great spirits, rising mortals, and even the other governors, any who might claim the throne of Shang Ti for themselves. In truth, he himself would love to take the throne, but in his duty as protector of the most holy places, he is helpless to pursue this secret desire.

Before Shang Ti left he gave Tsai Shen a mighty weapon to enforce his role. A staff made of jade, that if thrust into the ground before an opponent, from the mightiest spirit to the lowliest beast, will so shake the ground where he stands that he will be shaken lose from his shadow, and thus forever flawed in spirit.
Next in our story is Bolin. He is god of the winds, the skys, and all weather. Bolin is a trickster, and masterful manipulator, Who betrayed the trust of Shang Ti and since he left, turned to banditry, and hatching plots among the other Celestial governors to turn them against one another. After Dinner I, or rather together we shall tale the tale of Bolin’s First betrayal of the celestial governors, and how this place came to be what it is…But let us now eat together