Toggle search
Toggle menu
438
3K
82
59.1K
MassiveCraft Wiki
Toggle personal menu
Not logged in
Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits.

Sihai: Difference between revisions

From MassiveCraft Wiki
More actions
← Older edit
No edit summary
 
(78 intermediate revisions by 6 users not shown)
Line 2: Line 2:
|image = Newchiarty.png
|image = Newchiarty.png
|pronunciation = Seehai
|pronunciation = Seehai
|classification = [[Human]]
|classification = Human
|nicknames =  
|nicknames =  
*Lunars (derogatory)
*Dreamers (Derogatory)
*Moon People (derogatory)
*Stargazers (Praising)
*Wiseners (praising)
*Colossuskillers (Praising)
|languages = [[Wa’an]]
|languages = [[Wai-lan]]
|naming =  
|naming = See Language section
|distinction = Eastern Multi-Race Form Collective
|distinction = An Eastern Human race of loyal Dragon-worshipers who uphold their principles to the bitter end.
|maxage = 120 years
|maxage = 250
|eye = Varying per Dynasty
|eye = Varying per Kingdom
|hair = Varying per Dynasty
|hair = Varying per Kingdom
|skin = Varying per Dynasty
|skin = Varying per Kingdom
|}}
|}}
Sihai (Wa’an Script:ŦĨ̀ĦŨ̌Ĩ̀ Wa’co Script:Ksai'en'ra'ie'en pronounced:Xaiun-raeeyen), often also called “Easterners” or “Chi” by those lesser-educated [[Regalians]], are a collective of heritage-fused [[Races]] that hail from the mysterious lands of the Four Kingdoms, [[Dexai]] (Wa’an Script:ƕɞʪŨ̌Ĩ̀ Wa’co Script:Te'c'wa'ie'en pronounced:Tu-su-wa’yen). This homeland of the Sihai is seen as a world in and of itself in [[Aloria]] and has its own rich history; Dexai’s history spans thousands of years and runs in tandem, without seeking contact, with the history of the [[Allorn Empire]]. The Sihai, a race divided by numerous sub-races (defined as “Dynasties,” not to be confused with a historic dynasty) have only recently ventured into the world beyond their native homeland, driven by a combination of necessity, curiosity and lust for conquest. Fueled by the powers of the [[Aether]] and [[Naether]], the Sihai employ arts that are strange and absolutely foreign to the rest of the Alorians, and they profess a culture that is just as unique as their arts. Shy but curious of foreign contact, the Sihai have trickled into the major states of Aloria proper, bringing with them strange mysteries and eastern wisdoms as they spread the word of the [[Loong Dragons]], a quasi-religion fueled by the resurgence of [[Dragon]] and [[Void]] activity around the [[Regalian Empire]].  
To be Sihai is to know reason and calm, to uphold proper custom even when the world has gone mad, and to follow the word of the protector Loong, Dragons caught in slumber. They reward the special attention and protection the Loong give them with a rigid belief in their lessons, and wherever they go, hold to them with a stiff-backed resilience that would put the most stubborn Dwarf to shame. The Sihai adventure, trade, and lend aid to like-minded people, as staunch allies who can be counted on to keep their word at even the most difficult hour. Since the throne of their Sheng Emperor went quiet, they have begun to plot an increasingly unpredictable and open destiny for themselves, rising to the world stage for the first time in millennia and aspiring to make themselves known in far-away lands. One thing will always be certain: as long as the Dragons draw breath and the Demons can be cast from the walls, the Sihai will fight on.
{{TOC right}}
[[File:Cd58486d8b9784382aa7e3d4dd4e9b5a.jpg|260px|thumb|right|Many Sihai have intricate dragon-style tattoos, even among priests, especially among the warrior monks.]]
[[File:0a65a67b218ce2ba5d458dca1dca47ce.jpg|260px|thumb|right|Sihai gardens are palaces of tranquility and peace, and in particular high demand in Regalia.]]
[[File:64898d219d29def4bc018a4d99eb2fa8.png|260px|thumb|right|The Sihai use the starry night sky and dragons as frequent motifs for practically anything they make.]]
==Core Identity==
===The Zhong Kingdoms===
All playable Sihai are from the Zhong Kingdoms. While their homeland lies in the Sheng Empire, to which the Kingdoms owe nominal allegiance, communications slowly broke down before collapsing around 100 years ago. The Emperor’s black legions retreated, and the requests for tribute stopped, although the unmanned gold ships are still sent out of respect: only to be left untouched on the shore. Most Sihai understand that something has gone terribly wrong, but the Kingdoms’ governments presently still forbid sailing east to investigate, although this may change in the future. Each of the Zhong Kingdoms has its own characteristics and local sensibilities, although they are all part of the overarching Sihai culture.
====Beian====
The northern Beian Kingdom is set amidst frosty mountains reminiscent of [[Ellador]], and is home to the many monasteries of the Sihai, including the Great Temples where the Loong sleep. Under its white flag are the Sihai’s finest Primal Mages, Loong Priests, and healers. Beian Sihai are lithe and limber, and hold the Dragon Beishén as their patron. They are stereotyped as calm and soothing, attuned to a meditative mountain life of simple, honest work. The other Sihai see them as more selfless. The Beian Lunar Spirit is the Crane.
====Heiyan====
The western Heiyan Kingdom is geographically the largest, and commands the largest population. Its climate is just as diverse, ranging from open steppe to sprawling deserts. Under its green flag are the Sihai’s main body of engineers, craftsmen, and builders. Heiyan Sihai are tall, and hold the Dragon Ao-Jin as their patron. They are stereotyped as proud and boisterous, loving the spotlight, and making sure everyone sees their skill (just as much as they love helping others shine). The other Sihai see them as ambitious glory-hounds. The Hei-Yan Lunar Spirit is the Qilin, an elegant deer with a single horn.


==Sihai Language and Script==
====Jin-Lung====
The Sihai developed far away from the Allorn Empire - thus, as opposed to using the Elven Script that is present in most other races, the Sihai have their own alphabet (called the Wa’an Script). This script follows both the same 24 letter structure and grammar as Elven Script, but is difficult to translate as it assigns two to four letters per vowel or consonant, effectively creating an alphabet of syllables. In order to properly translate the Wa’an Script, [[Ailor]] scholars developed the Wa’Co Script, an artificial script made explicitly to adapt Wa’an Script into the Elven Alphabet. Despite this translation medium, the language and script remain incredibly difficult to learn for outsiders.
The eastern Jin-Lung Kingdom is calm and fertile, home to lazy river valleys and an abundant rice crop. Under its yellow flag are the famous Sihai crossbowmen, as well as many gardeners, farmers, and other workers of the land. Jin-Lung Sihai are visually diverse, and hold the Dragon Nishiliu as their patron. They are stereotyped as resourceful and dedicated, always solving problems, and always landing on their feet. The other Sihai call them ‘slippery’, not as an insult, but as praise for how quickly they find optimism. The Jin-Lung Lunar Spirit is the Peacock.
====Huo-Chang====
The southern Huo-Chang Kingdom is blasted and volcanic, a land which though rich in ore, yields little of value. Under its red flag march the hunters, strategists, smiths and swordsmen, the martial arm of the mostly peaceful Sihai people. Huo-Chang Sihai are broad and rough, and hold the Dragon Liu-Xing as their patron. They are stereotyped as reserved and stoic. The Huo-Chang Lunar Spirit is the Lá Wolf (IRL Tibetan Wolf), a loyal volcanic pack-hunter.
====Dexai====
The far western Dexai Republic sits atop a small island, the sole gate through the Jade Wall through which Westerners may enter. Under its blue flag are high artists, entertainers, merchants, and navigators, the pioneers of airships and trade-houses. Dexai was only settled heavily within the past 300 years, and so Dexai Sihai are a relatively new culture. The Dragon Xin-Shidai is their patron. They are stereotyped as gregarious people-pleasers who talk to anyone, and dress and act more western. Most Sihai in foreign lands are from Dexai. The Dexai Lunar Spirit is the Red Panda.
====Dragons====
The Loong, or White Sky Dragons, have dwelt among the Sihai since the beginning. They have chosen champions and emissaries from among them, lent them ancient knowledge, and encouraged them to progress and prosper at every turn. Although the Loong never demanded worship, their protection of the mortal Sihai, unique among Dragons, has earned them their undying loyalty and adoration. The Sihai can point to many times in history where the Loong have saved them from calamity, or guarded them like their own children. Thus, when the Loong send commands through the winding turns of dreams, they are quick to obey. No people is so loyal to Draconic thought as the Sihai are to the Loong, a fact only reinforced by their physical presence. Even as they slumber, their Great Temples remain open to religious pilgrims, and the works of the Dragons are all around them. This is further discussed in the Religion section.
====Akula====
When the Cataclysm was over in the west, massive amounts of Void Essence traveled east and started forming the Akula, massive Void infested beasts and monsters as tall as the towers of the Imperial Palace of Regalia that would rise out of the ocean and march on Dexai with the intent to destroy the Sihai lands. The Loong Dragons performed the Great Protection Ritual, which froze the seas around the Sihai lands into solid Jade, thus also creating the Jade Wall. By their final instructions before they entered their slumber, they instructed the Sihai to man the walls, and so the Sihai did. Ever since, every 5 years or so, waves of Akula besiege the Jade Wall, and the Sihai stand to defend, each Zhong Kingdom plus Dexai and the Sheng Empire sending their own specialized legions. After two hundred years, the Sheng Empire suddenly pulled back their Black Imperial Legions, and has not been heard from since, though the other Sihai nations still hold firm. The Jade Wall has not yet been broken, and Dexai still stands, however the ocean approach between the West and the Sihai lands remains dangerous, as Akula roam the area regardless of attacks on the Jade Wall. This ocean would later be called the Void Divide, stretching between [[Farahdeen]] and the East, requiring Celestial Navigators from the Sihai lands to safely cross and avoid the Akula hotspots. Combating, or sending supplies to combat the Akula is a major societal topic, even for Sihai in Regalia who routinely send supplies and aid home to help in the struggle. Equally, the Akula represent a business opportunity, as their flesh can be purified and is considered a dangerous delicacy, and their bodies produce a great deal of useful Alchemy ingredients.


The best way to translate Sihai and Wa'co is by using the translator tool we provide: https://www.massivecraft.com/massivetranslate
==Design==
===Mental Characteristics===
Sihai culture encourages politeness, cordiality, and a sense of respect towards all people. No disagreement, to the Sihai, is so severe as to break the peace over it. There will always be another day, another perspective, and another opportunity to handle the issue. For the most part, the Sihai are peaceful and very reserved, preferring to keep the goings-on of their lives to themselves. In a reflection of how their Kingdoms have mostly closed themselves off from the world, so too are most Sihai loath to let outsiders into the realm of their personal business, and go it alone on many things where a little bit of help could go a long way. This, their sense of personal pride and self-sufficiency, is both an asset which helps them stay strong through dark times, and a common personality flaw that can make gaining their trust infuriatingly difficult. In general, the Sihai dislike verbosity and flattery, believing them to be tools for con-artists, but have an appreciation for artfully wording things, in a way which can communicate a point with special beauty or personal understanding. Sihai gentleness should not be taken as an invitation to be pushy: Sihai keep many invisible lines in the sand, and a moment of overstepping boundaries can quickly ruin a carefully built friendship.
===Physical Characteristics===
The Sihai take from IRL East-Asian references. It is thus possible to confuse them with Asian-coded Ailor. In body shape, they occupy the same range as Ailor, but mostly shave their facial hair off unless they are from Huo-Chang. Sihai eye colors include jade greens and different dark shades of brown, but never gray or light brown. Their hair is almost universally black or dark brown, but there is some natural auburn among Sihai from specifically Jin-Lung. Skin tones cover the same range as Ailor, from the most common fair colors to more warm olive and brown, to sometimes even as dark as the [[Songaskia]]ns - who the Sihai also age at the same pace as, living longer than Ailor (up to 250 years.)
===Lunar Shift===
The Sihai possess so-called Lunar Shifts, the ability to take on animalistic traits in symbolism to certain patron animals of the different Kingdoms. These can manifest as Transformations either partly on specific body parts (such as only the arms or only the head), or wholly as anthropomorphic humanoid. While a wider range is allowed, the main ones include the Qilin, Red-Crowned Crane, Tibetan Wolf, and Crow. Lunar Shifts do not count as disguises, even if the Sihai in question would change so much as to become physically unrecognizable. A Shifted Sihai can never be confused for an Asha or any other similar Race, even if they can sometimes resemble them.
===Sihai in Regalia===
Sihai in Regalia are equally extremely integrated, and extremely segregated. There are Sihai populations of merchants or their descendants who have long accustomed themselves to Regalia and essentially live like Ailor, and then there are Sihai who are fresh off the boat from the far east, and have no clue where they landed. The State expects to be able to communicate and cooperate well with new Sihai citizens, but the reality is that things in Regalia are often so alien to the Sihai that a lot is lost in translation, and problems arise. Sihai who are new to Regalia often seek out Sihai who are already familiar, which is risky, as many of the more Regalia-inclined Sihai have gotten well connected with the Regalian criminal underworld, and may not have the best intentions. While Sihai can exist without any discrimination, there is always a level of distance between the Sihai and what happens around them. They are often in the middle of events, but end up feeling like spectators behind a large window, always involved but never quite invested.  


===Naming Customs===
==Heritage Traits==
Sihai Naming customs can be a bit strange to get familiar with for outsiders. Foremostly, it is important to understand that the Sihai always place their surname first when addressing others, themselves or just anyone. This is because a person is always “that family” or “that clan”, before they are individually identified. This comes from a long line of parental homage as well as pride in family traditions, meaning most members of a family consider themselves to be less individually important than the reputation of the family. That being said, there are Sihai who use their first name first, especially when in Regalian, in order to more effectively adapt to foreign customs. This tradition swap sometimes causes confusion both among the Sihai as well as westerners, as a universally-enforced standard only exists in the Sihai Empire, while in Regalia, for example, anything goes.  
When designing a Character, Proficiency Points allow for a limited Ability selection with Point Buy Packs. Heritage Traits adds free Packs and Mechanics on top of that to help with cultural themes. Free Packs grant Abilities usually, while Mechanics change the way a character functions in Roleplay through subtle, and usually out of Combat ways. In essence, Mechanics just add aesthetic flair that invest in the niche of each culture. Free Packs never raise Proficiency Points, but the character must be able to purchase them normally. (ex. if a character is a certain Affinity that locks them out of a category, they cannot take that specific free pack and must choose the alternative option.) If a Free Pack grants Magic of some type, that Magic can be of any Alignment the character can normally choose, or limited to a select alignment, which will always be written in the Free Pack description.  


A Sihai clan name is usually short, sometimes no longer than 3 syllables. For example, the name “Atu,” which becomes “Ie’de’an” in Wa’co, is three syllables. Another example, “Appi” which becomes “Ie’bae’bae’en” in Wa’co, is four syllables. Names are never written in Wa’co. Names are frequently simplified so that referring to people both in-person and elsewhere becomes simpler. This simplification requires a bit of getting used to, because there is no single right way to go about it (and thus Sihai name pronunciation can change fluidly from person to person).  
Mixed Heritage characters (i.e. characters born from two parents of different Cultures) may take one parent's 'Free Packs' and mix and match up to 5 Mechanics from both parents, although some Peoples cannot produce Mixed Heritage children (due to Magical/Fantasy reasons).  
===Free Packs===
* Sihai gain a pack from [[Cleric Point Buy]] for free, or choose one Pack from [[Athletic Point Buy]].
* Sihai gain a pack from [[Cleric Point Buy]] for free, or choose one Pack from [[Melee Point Buy]].


The first step to simplification is to remove the Wa’co apostrophes. The second step is just to make the name sound better by either removing consonants from the Wa’co syllables or shortening the vowel sounds. A list of examples:
===Mechanics===
* Sihai can telekinetically move, reshape, recolor, and restructure Jade with their mind. They can also turn any crystal-like substance or noble metal into Jade.
* Sihai can read the position of the stars anywhere telepathically, allowing them to know exactly where in the world they are at any time, even during daylight.
* Sihai can enter a trance-sleep, enveloping themselves in a hard shell of jade in a tranquil state, unable to be acted upon or to act, only freed with the touch of a friend.
* Sihai may receive calamity visions during pivotal choice moments in Staff Events (Private Message to DM to discuss opportunities) that may warn from bad decisions.
* Sihai weapons, when channeled with the powers of the Loong Dragons (out of Combat only) can cut through any material, including objects, doors, gates, but not solid walls.
==Language==
The Sihai speak a short-worded, tonal language called Wai-lan. Most have little accent in Common, but sometimes notes can linger. Wai-lan is based on Tang-era Middle Chinese, but modern standard (Putonghua/Mandarin) Chinese can be used for ease of translation. Some Wai-lan dialects can be represented by the pronunciation of Chinese loanwords in early Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese, but Chinese is most accurate. Wai-lan is written in real-world Chinese characters. Writing can be either vertical, read from top to bottom with columns going from right to left, or horizontal, written left to right.
===Naming Customs===
Generally speaking the provincial distribution of Sihai naming and culture goes like this, despite the province names all being in Wai-lan:
* Dexai is more Overseas (Malay/Singaporean/Indonesian) Chinese inspired.
* Huo-Chang is more Japanese inspired.
* Hei-yan is more Korean inspired.
* Beian is more Northern Chinese or Tibetan inspired.
* Jin-Lung is more Southern Chinese inspired.


* Atu in Wa’co Ie’de’an, is simplified to Iedean and then to I'd-en, pronounced as “ee’duh-uhn”.
But, generally speaking, a Sihai can belong to any cultural inspiration and be from any province. The Wai-lan language and Sihai court culture come from many millennia of Sheng rule which has largely displaced the customs of the native people who were there before the Sheng colonists, but never quite effaced everything, including languages and names. Only Wai-lan is listed mechanically and described solely because it would be difficult to coordinate having eight different incommunicable Sihai languages, but they exist, and players are free to discuss and improvise.
* Appi in Wa’co Ie’bae’bae’en, is simplified to Iebaebaeen and then to I’bae-b’en, pronounced as “ee’bae’b-uhn”.  
====Clan Names====
* Zalt in Wa’co Liang'ie'm'de, is simplified to Liangiemde, and then to Liang-i’de, pronounced as “Leeyang-ee’duh”.  
Sihai family names usually come from the list of the dominant 100 [[wikipedia: List of common Chinese surnames|Han Chinese]] family names, but can come from other applicable languages (see top of section) as well, though you should not mix and match. Unlike in other Cultures, where family is often unchangeable, Sihai are quick to merge families and adopt longtime friends as brothers. Sihai can also be expelled from families or choose to leave them if they do not see eye to eye, picking a new last name and separating.
* Koor in Wa’co Ge'ing'ing'nn, is simplified to Geingingnn, and then to Ging’ing, pronounced as “Djung-Uhn”.  
* Re in Wa’co is Nn’c, simplified to Nnc, and then to Nunchi, pronounced as “Nun-chuh”.  


First names are similar, but may either be extremely short and not need any simplification, or be really long and feature excessive amounts of simplification. What makes first names more complicated is that names can either be single syllables, or completely made up words in the Sihai language, as long as it phonetically makes sense to them. When a name has only a single syllable, a suffix is usually added to allow similarly named members of the same family to be differentiated. This is particularly useful because Sihai frequently name their children after their parents or venerated ancestors. Generally speaking however, Sihai names are made up of two syllables, while aristocratic Sihai prefer a longer name (but can also still use a shorter name for ease of use). As such a good list of first names is:
==Religion==
 
The Sihai are almost universally followers of [[Draconism]], believing from their point of view that they have a particularly good and special relationship with the Green Dragons under Severena. It is a matter of Sihai oral tradition that the first Sheng Emperor made a deal with the Dragons that is scarcely understood or even remembered in the modern day, but that whatever it is he promised, the Green Dragons have stuck around for the Sihai ever since and would do anything for them, seeing them as their children, and keeping the Sheng Emperor's line of descent as their head priests, or 'Matrons' from the wider Draconic point of view. Uniquely among Draconists, they also take the time to acknowledge and worship the lesser Dragons of Severena's clade, who they see as Gods in their own right. Even though they are more like siblings, each one is seen as a son of Severena, with all of them being male.
* Ing’bae
* Severena's Sihai name is Saaima. Her worship is explained on the Draconism page proper.
* Wa-Liang
* The first-born is Nishiliu the Pathfinder, who is a patron of craftsmen and those who create with their hands.
* Fe’c
* The second-born is Beishen the Allseer, who used to speak to Sihai in their dreams, and is now uniquely among Green Dragons awake and out in the world.
* Ku'ie
* The third-born is Liu-Xing the Skyfury, who is the patron of the Sihai warrior monks and soldiers in the field.
* See'ing'm
* The fourth-born is Ao-Jin the Futureteller, who is the weaver of fated thread and especially romantic relationships.
* Yqy’ing’an (simplified to Yquian)
* The fifth-born is Xin-Shidai the Welcomer, who is the patron of tradesmen, journeymen, and those who give hospitality.
* Yqy'ing'm'ing'fu'ing'nn (simplified to Yqing-fu)
* The sixth-born is Ao-Shun the Princeling, who is the patron of the Sheng Monarchy and autocracy and noblemen, missing since the Emperor's silence.
* Bae'ie'm'm'ie (simplified to Bai’mie)
* The seventh-born is Lüra the Loyalist, who is the patron of honor and duty and service, also missing since the Emperor's silence.
* Xx (lengthened to Xx-Riang, Riang meaning “adorable” or “cute” one)
* An (lengthened to An-Xia, Xia meaning “wise” or “elderly” one).
 
Generally speaking, creating a name for a Sihai character requires a bit of experimenting with the translator link we provided above. It is also not completely unheard of for Sihai to adopt an Ailor name in Regalia just to fit in or be easier to talk to. It is not super important that the names make absolute 100% sense according to the translator, rather, the translator should be used as a guideline, and the syllables taken and changed into whatever fits on your character name bar, and what you like. In the very worst case scenario, adopting actual Han Chinese names is acceptable, but should be avoided as much as possible, because barely any Han syllables are backwards compatible with Wa’co.
 
==Physical and Mental Characteristics==
[[File:MCMoon.png|260px|thumb|right|The Moon and other celestial bodies have great importance to the Sihai, both racially and culturally]]
The Sihai are a peculiar Race, as their physical states can shift (much like that of the [[Slizzar]]), but in a much, much more radical fashion. While all Sihai are born into a humanoid form resembling Ailor (with some alterations), they can freely move between other forms during periods of the lunar cycle. There are five official Sihai “Dynasties” (as these forms are called): the Ailor-like Common Dynasty, the Ailor-like War Dynasty, the bird-like Greater Dynasty, the ursine-like Frivolous Dynasty, and finally the canine-like New Dynasty. There is one unofficial sixth Dynasty, called the Dark Dynasty, but those who belong to this Dynasty don’t appear as it merely because of the lunar cycle. Rather, they were corrupted by the Naether forces to become twisted forms of any of the previous five official dynasties. Each Dynasty has a very distinct appearance, but underneath that appearance the personality and mentality of a Sihai remains largely the same. That being said, all of the Dynasty Forms do have a particular predisposition to a particular set of mannerisms and personality quirks, which manifest heavily in Sihai as they change forms. These instincts are not so strong that they can overrule a default personality, but are often strong enough to impart a small impact on their day-to-day behavior. These forms may also enhance already-present personality traits. Many Sihai stick to a single Dynasty form and never switch to another for the duration of their lives, while some others switch every month. No Sihai has to switch if they don’t want to, as the whole change is only prompted through a specific ritual. That being said, most Sihai tend to spend at least one month in a Dynasty Form before deciding that it isn’t for them. Sometimes, their personality resonates strongly with a particular Dynasty Form, and they retain this Form indefinitely, refusing to switch away, but others embrace the chaotic nature of constant changing and become a mixture of different traits and instincts. Below follows a list of the lunar phases and Dynasties:
 
*'''During a New Moon lunar phase''', any Sihai that is not a '''Common Dynasty Sihai''' can become one during the lunar ritual. Common Dynasty Sihai have a personality change emphasizing logic and calm reasoning.
*'''During a First Quarter lunar phase''', any Sihai that is not a '''War Dynasty Sihai''' can become one during the lunar ritual. War Dynasty Sihai have a personality change emphasizing ferocity, aggression and personal pride.
*'''During a Full Moon lunar phase''', any Sihai that is not a '''Greater Dynasty Sihai''' can become one during the lunar ritual. Greater Dynasty Sihai have a personality change emphasizing caution, but also wittiness and mentorship.
*'''During a Last Quarter lunar phase''', any Sihai that is not a '''Frivolous Dynasty Sihai''' can become one during the lunar ritual. Frivolous Dynasty Sihai have a personality change emphasizing affection and gregariousness, but also cowardice.
*'''During the final days of the Waning Crescent''' (just before the New Moon), any Sihai that is not a '''New Dynasty Sihai''' can become one during the lunar ritual. In the New Dynasty, there is no real personality instinct; Sihai of this Dynasty become a perfect reflection of their otherwise normal personality as a Common Dynasty Sihai.
*For ease of reference (and because lunar phases aren’t super consistent) we maintain the OOC understanding that New Moon is on the 1st of the month, First Quarter on the 7th, Full Moon on the 14th, Last Quarter on the 21st, and the final days of the Waning Crescent on the 26th or 27th. All Sihai children are always born on the 1st of the month, without fail. They are also always born as Common Dynasty, regardless of what form the parents were in either during conception or birthing. Sihai can reproduce with races outside of their own, but only while in the Common Dynasty form. Additionally, a Half-Sihai child born will not have any form-changing abilities, will take more after the non-Sihai parent, but will also inherit some trace physical features from the Common Dynasty. These features tend to disappear on the second generation.
 
While the physical characteristics of the Sihai race are varied depending on their Dynasty form, they all share a few common traits. First, a Sihai’s eye color, physical abnormalities, and bodily markings always remain consistent across all Dynasties. For example, a scar on a cheek will transfer across all forms, while tattoos will turn into fur patterns for the Frivolous and New Dynasties and colored feathers on the Greater Dynasty. Lost limbs and damaged body parts remain consistent, as do any diseases and afflictions (as Sihai can be affected by both [[Vampirism]] and [[Silvenism]]).
 
===Common Dynasty===
The Common Dynasty is a collection of the smaller historical Chi, Zen and Gai Dynasties which are all practically the same, thus referred to as the Common Dynasty. Note, it is thus possible to be of either Chi, Zen or Gai Dynasties, though there are no physical or mental differences between these Dynasties beyond cultural norms. As such, when identifying to foreigners or their own people, these Dynasty subspecies are simply referred to as the Common Dynasty. These Dynasties ruled the Sihai lands for the longest and are also the most numerous among the Sihai people, and are thus what many foreigners identify as a typical Sihai individual. The Common Dynasty Sihai are proportionally Ailor in build. They are, however, shorter than the Ailor, standing between 5 and a half feet to five feet and eight inches tall. Their skin tone is pale, though with warm undertones, while their eyes have epicanthic folds (giving them the appearance of real-world East Asians). The Common Dynasty always has black straight hair, minimal facial hair growth, and their eyes are shades of brown. Mentally, the Common Dynasties are considered intellectual and are stronger logical thinkers than most Humanoid races. They have a longer attention span and are excellent at working with numbers, but like Allar they have trouble grasping abstract thought. Those that favor the Common Dynasty as their main form are generally curious, scientific, and have a great love for rich culture.
 
===War Dynasty===
The War Dynasty is a collection of the smaller historical Huai, Huon, and Zuge Dynasties, which have only small physical differences between them. The War Dynasty people look visually the same as the Common Dynasty with their black hair, brown eyes and epicanthic eye folds, though they have different bodily proportions. The War Dynasty Sihai grow taller than the Common Dynasty, and reach up to a little over six feet tall. The War Dynasty appear universally more masculine; even the females, who can look intimidating and aggressive - all of which are temperaments that carry on in their personalities. Additionally, each of the three War Dynasties also has a special trait associated with them. The Huai Dynasty Sihai have a long, prehensile, monkey-like tail longer than the length of their legs. The Huon Dynasty Sihai have a similarly prehensile tail, though theirs is thicker, covered in lizard scales and range from gray to green in color. Finally, the Zuge Dynasty has no tail, but has far more aggressive facial hair and body hair presence than is normal for either War or Common Dynasties. Despite these small differences in appearance, the War Dynasties are all still just classified as a single War Dynasty because they also share numerous traits. All of them have a skin tone variation that ranges from the paler appearance that the Common Dynasties have, to skin tones more frequently seen among the [[Qadir]], while their hair color is always black. Those that favor the form of the War Dynasties as their main form have a jovial and excitable, but also aggressive temperament prone to violence. They frequently end up in fights and wish to outcompete one another, but also dominate the other Sihai Dynasties which they see as physically inferior.
 
===Frivolous Dynasty===
The Frivolous (Guo) Dynasty is sometimes called the Fat Dynasty, which is an insult borrowed from their short and uneventful rule over the Four Kingdoms. The Frivolous Dynasty, also referred to as the Guo Dynasty, have a humanoid bodies that are somewhat chubby - not necessarily because of large amounts of fat (though they tend to pack on fat very, very easily, which is a hazard for those spending too much time in this form) but rather because their body is covered in a thick carpet of red or orange fur. Their arms, hands, legs, and padded feet have a dark brown or black fur color, and their backs have rust-brown stripes. Their most curious visual feature is the fact that their head has a very bear-cat like appearance, with a short whiskered snout covered in patches of white fur, fluffy, pointy white ears, and two dark-brown stripes running from their brown eyes to their chin. The Guo Sihai furthermore have a very fluffy and extremely soft, silky tail about the length of their back, which has a slightly lighter fur color than the rest of their body, but also with deep rust-brown stripes that span from their back and across their tail. The Guo Sihai are practically always chubby and have a wide variety of heights. Those who favor the Frivolous Dynasty form tend to be somewhat cowardly and strive to avoid confrontation and conflict. They revel in games, rich food, drinking competitions and general fun and debauchery. They are a carefree kind which generally just want to make others (and, by extension, themselves) happier. They have a similar predisposition to intellect that the Common Dynasties have, but avert this capacity more to cultural arts and proficiency. Generally speaking, for a Guo, the more someone else relies on a Guo or puts expectations on them, the more likely the Guo is to procrastinate and become uncomfortable. Guo prefer to do their own thing at their own pace and do not tolerate meddling or others telling them how to live.
 
===Greater Dynasty===
The Greater Dynasty, is also referred to as the Lova Dynasty or the Scribe Dynasty. The Lova are covered from head to toe in a plumage of feathers, colored either white or beige (with diverse patterns of lighter or darker brown or black spots). Their head is not like that of a [[Human]], but rather that of an Owl with a beak, set with two dark brown, owl-like eyes. The Lova don’t have wings like actual owls (though their arms have many more feathers than the rest of their body and can thus give off the impression of being wing-like, as their hands are hidden under a thick layer of fluff). Their feet, while having the same yellow, scaly texture as avian legs, have a human shape. Those that favor the Greater Dynasty form tend to be the most reclusive of the Sihai and distrust outsiders - they are the reason why the Four Kingdoms remain closed to the outside world. Furthermore, the Lova Dynasty Sihai have perfect recall memory, meaning that from the moment they are in this form, they are able to remember everything in extreme fine detail, down to the dates, colors, smells, shapes and position of the sun, the moon, and the stars (though this ability disappears when they switch to another Dynasty). Those that favor this Dynasty tend to be more artistic, classy and elegant, yet also are very skittish and anxious of social contact, preferring the close proximity of a paint brush or book over strangers. This Dynasty is referred to as the Greater Dynasty because of the great leaps of knowledge and historical writing the Sihai gained from it, a period which was generally seen as a golden age.  
 
===New Dynasty===
The New Dynasty, or the Htai Dynasty, is the youngest Dynasty of the Sihai and the third animal-like Dynasty. The Htai Sihai can best be described as a furred combination between marsupials and canines. Their Body Build is agile and strong and their body covered in fur patterned with earthy or gray-tone colors. They have softer, lighter colors on their abdomens and thighs. They universally have horizontal black stripes on their backs that continue down their legs to their padded feet and across their tail, which dangles a little past their knees. Their head appears like that of a canine; either that of a Thylacine, a Gray Wolf, a Fennec fox, or a mixture. They have pointy ears and a variety of dark-patterned stripes in their faces. Some Female Htai Sihai may develop abdominal pouches of skin when they have given birth to infants, which are capable of carrying their infants around - they usually retract when their children become old enough to walk on their own or when they switch Dynasty. Those who favor this Dynasty as their main form tend to be more kind and forgiving, often to a fault, but their personalities are much more flexible than all other Sihai Dynasties; they can range from doglike and docile to passionate and aggressive depending on their development in their lives. While they have claws and canines sharper than that of any other Dynasty, many of them would be the last to use them; they would much rather make friends with anyone, but they can have a temper. Unlike the Guo, New Sihai like making friends for the sake of making friends but keep most of them at an arm’s length unless the relationship is particularly deep. Those who favor this Dynasty as their main form can however be very passionate about protecting others or their loved ones, and may as such adopt some stances of the War Sihai.
 
===Dark Dynasty===
The Dark Dynasty is not officially a Sihai Dynasty, as they have no historical date by which they ruled. Instead, the Dark Dynasty are Sihai from any of the other Dynasties, but have fallen under the influence of the Naether Corruption that bleeds from the South Well like a gaping wound. The Dark Sihai are considered lost by the other Sihai and behave more like rabid animals intent on killing or infecting all other Sihai regardless of their Dynasty. The Dark Dynasty Sihai can be recognized by their skins covered in black-tar like scales, empty eye sockets and complete lack of any body hair, nails or capacity for speech. In many ways, they appear as emaciated, charred burn victims. They are docile during the day and crawl around during the night, feasting on anything alive. The Dark Dynasty are the greatest threat to the Sihai in the Four Kingdoms. but are also an ongoing fascination of the Lova Dynasty (who are actively attempting to find ways to reverse the Naether Corruption in the Dark Dynasty’s bodies).
 
Note: Dark Dynasty Sihai are not a playable Race, they are more like a zombified corrupted person, and are only subject to Progressions.


===Half Sihai===
The Sihai also have a large, coordinated priesthood of monks. Called River Guards, they populate the temples which dot the Sihai lands, and are stereotyped as being stoic, meditative warriors. Some of them are Mundane, while others are Aegis type [[Archon]], based on specialization. Seeing River Guards in the West is rarer than in Sihai lands, but recent years have seen their numbers abroad swell quite a bit. Squadrons have been dispatched in the past by both Temple authorities and the Dragons themselves (through dreams) to help western Dragon Worshipers find their footing and protect the religion. Even though a Western posting is seen as less prestigious by the River Guards, it is no mark of shame to serve abroad.
Half Sihai are almost exclusively found in Regalia and states other than Dexai, due to the negative attitudes the Sihai of Dexai have towards other Races, and by extension Half-Sihai. Visually, Half-Sihai will mostly take on the physical characteristics of their non-Sihai parent, with a couple of exceptions. Half Sihai will always have epicanthic eye folds. Half Sihai tend to follow the height ranges of Sihai rather than their non-Sihai parent. They can take on more Sihai features depending, such as hair color, eye color, or skin tones, but will usually mostly take after their non-Sihai Parent. While Half-Sihai are exlcuded from Dexai, they are capable of easily living in most of the more accepting regions of the Regalian Empire, and often end up in the Capital City. Half Sihai have their own unique set of Racial Abilities.


==Summary of Racial Abilities==
==Families==
All Abilities are listed in detail on the [[Ability List]] Page. Additional rules applied to those Abilities are recorded in the table below. Aesthetics for Abilities may be dictated by the players, as long as the Ability Name is mentioned in the Emote, which is mandatory for Ability use. The following Abilities are what is considered a Racial Ability Set. Meaning, that none of these Abilities attribute Aberrant status to any individual, even if they are classified like they would. Only additional Abilities gained from outside of this Racial Ability Set can attribute Aberrant Status.
Sihai families reside under a so-called Patrimonial Estate (or in rare cases, a Matrimonial Estate), where a single family ruler is the lord and master of the household. This is usually the oldest male person alive in the family (and in rare cases, the oldest woman), though it is also possible for an older person to forgo the position to a younger generation and retire in the final few years of their lives. Sihai family leaders have complete authority, and as such, families can sometimes live under a fairly tyrannical authority that dictates who marries who, who lives where, and what purpose children will have in life. It is unthinkable to defy the will of one’s family elder(s) and high respect and obedience to parental figures is a cultural cornerstone. Houses are usually multi generational, and cousins may often live in the same house together, but have very strict separation rules. It is fairly uncommon for example for cousins to play together, unless the parents specifically gave permission beforehand, even if they live in the same house and are merely a hallway apart from one another. In general, Sihai homes are very quiet and tranquil places: the loud noises of running around and screaming are not permitted.
====Sihai====
===Childhood===
Sihai children live a disciplined life where strong expectations are dictated by parents, though that is not to say parents cannot be kind or caring to children in need. Sihai parents show some leeway for a child to adapt, but have the policy that if a child will eventually need to learn to swim by itself. Banishment of children who have failed to live up to parental expectations in teenage years are not unheard of, and without fail, most of these orphaned teenagers end up conscripted in the military or religious services. On the flip side, Sihai society does have an extremely active adoption service for children, teenagers, and even adults. Sihai Orphanages have extensive bureaucratic procedures, and a child who has lost their parents due to the Jade Wall would never be parentless for more than six months. Child services provided by the Zhong Kingdoms are also excellent, making sure that every child has a disciplined and caring parent. Adult adoption also occurs to a degree, but only when moving up in the world. For example, it is not possible for a peasant to adopt another peasant, however a noble may adopt a peasant to promote them into the world. It is even permitted for Sihai parents to adopt lower social ranks and make them their heirs, and for all intents and purposes, those adopted adult heirs are seen as full-blood relatives, including any offspring they produce. This occurs fairly commonly in noble families where the expectation of performance on the children is so severe that they often fail to meet them, resulting in their parents passing them over for more competent Sihai from the lower classes who show talents in need.
===Adulthood===
Sihai adulthood is primarily dictated by profession and field of service. Once someone has dedicated themselves to either a path within the bureaucracy or the military, it is very common to serve for life. This is because the power one holds within Sihai organizations is traditionally dictated by seniority, with leadership always composed of older men, and thus it is always advantageous to stay around longer where one has already committed instead of flipping around between roles. However, many ways of life leave much room for hobby work and other alternate interests, something especially visible in the great Sihai cities, where craftsman’s fairs draw people together in the most unexpected ways. It is not unusual to learn, for example, that a dour-looking soldier traditionally posted by the West Gate is also an avid writer of romantic fiction, nor any other combination of unrelated jobs and interests. While strong familial ties remain during adulthood, and regular communication with parents is expected, it is generally the case that Sihai move away from their childhood home to pursue work in their adult lives, and take up a pursuit entirely different from the one their family traditionally does.
===Romance & Gender Norms===
Sihai Romance is very rigid. They are strictly monogamous: adultery or even being flirtatious outside of wedlock is considered a grave betrayal, and has severe legal repercussions. Even in Dexai, a serial adulterer can be put to death for unfaithfulness, and in general, betraying or disgracing the family name is one of the greatest cultural errors one can commit. Polygamy is non-existent among the Sihai, and romantic relations usually rely on the male to make the first step and lead on the relationship while the female is expected to be passive. Same-sex relations do occur in Sihai society, and technically the Sihai are completely fine with them existing. However, because of the expectation of child-bearing for future generations, there can be an implicit homophobia in parents, because same-sex relations are often not very fruitful in producing offspring. Sihai gender norms are equally rigid. The Sihai do have masculine and feminine roles and are relatively patriarchal. Masculinity is generally seen as more 'responsible' and 'worthy' overall due to this patriarchal structure, leading to some romanticization of masculine women and women who live as men. It follows that certain roles, including the military, the priesthood, and undertaking, free the individual from gender expectations. A priest is a priest, not a woman: treated only according to station, even by the most socially conservative, because Sihai social conservatism comes primarily from obedience to station in hierarchy.
==Politics==
At the very top of Sihai society is the Sheng Emperor, who ruled from the Sheng Empire, the land where none may enter. Technically, the Zhong Kingdoms take all orders from the Sheng Emperor, however the Sheng Emperor has been silent for nearly a century, and as such, the second highest authority of the Zhong Kingdoms has taken over day to day instructions to the people, that being the Zhong Kings who are united in the Zhong Kings’ Council. Each Zhong Kingdom is represented by their King, while Dexai sends its President as Dexai functions more like a Republic. These all vote unanimously on changes, though as they are all inherently in favor of the Status Quo, barely any votes pass, and barely anything gets proposed. Below the Council are the Great Families, who engage in a lot more infighting than the Kings who are relatively peaceful. The Great Families often act as governors of regions or are just very wealthy magistrates or entrepreneurs, frequently with their own private army. They fight over big things like control of towns and resources, but may also fight over small things like a spilled tea cup or a finely woven silk dress. On an equivalent level to the Great Families are the Temples, which exercise their own authority from their high perches, and are not afraid of baring their teeth and sending out the warrior monks to defend themselves when challenged. Peasants who live in the authority of the Temples usually have a better life than the ones living under the governors, but there is a great deal of regional variance, because not all Great Families are obsessed with power and control, many of them wish to simply faithfully and loyally serve their King, and are seen as very competent administrators. Relations with the west are very complicated. The Sihai do acknowledge some level of need for western items. For example, Regalia produces far better telescopes and magnification glass than the Sihai do, and Regalian cartographical tools are far superior. Inversely, there is a very high demand for Sihai silks in the west, along with spices and even art. There is extremely minimal trade with the west, only allowed to pass through Dexai, and only under the strictest supervision, with every shipment being triple checked for any residual magic and the Sihai merchants frequently trying to under-provide or over-charge western merchants.
==Cultural Additions==
{| class="wikitable"  
{| class="wikitable"  
|- style="font-weight:bold; text-align:center; background-color:#c0c0c0;"
{| style="background-color:#4A8757; width: 85%;" align="center"
! Ability Name
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Ability Type
! style="background-color:#C9D8CC; width:170px;" | Image
! Ability Range
! colspan="2" style="background-color:#C9D8CC;" | Description
! Ability Description
|-
| style="background-color:#d3abaa;" | Moon Transform 1
| Constant Passive
| Self
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Moon Transform 1 | The Character is able to change Dynasties. On the first day of each month, they are able to declare themselves as part of a new Dynasty, changing visual details, Racial Abilities, and all information on their Character Application.
}}
|-
| style="background-color:#d3abaa;" | Moon Transform 2
| Constant Passive
| Self
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Moon Transform 2 | If Frivolous Dynasty, the Sihai can take on the visual characteristics of a humanoid Red Panda. If New Dynasty, the Sihai can take on canine visual characteristics. If Greater Dynasty, the Sihai can take on owl-like visual characteristics. All are described on their Race page.
}}
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#d3abaa;" | Armor Flux 1
| style="text-align:center; width:15%; background-color:#efefef;" |  
| Trigger Passive
[[File:Monh2.png|200px]]
| Self
| colspan="2" style="background-color:white;" |
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Armor Flux 1 | The user has a constant proportional Armor effect. This proportional armor inverts the amount of armor worn by the individual and optimizes mobility and agility. Simpler put, the less armor the user is wearing, the stronger their skin and body becomes. Wearing only a set of pants and shirt is the equivalent of their skin being as strong as Plate Armor, where-as wearing a set of actual Plate-armor causes the body to be as strong as if they were only wearing a set of pants and shirt (though they are of course still wearing armor). The protection effect is only skin deep, and blunt force trauma still translates like normal, as well as Artifacts of any make.
Gamiun, or Miun, are the heraldic sigils of Sihai collectives, Clans, Families, or Great Families. These sigils are used on a variety of things from door-knobs, hilts of weapons, print on silks, stamped on napkin rings, engraved on cabinet doors, etc. A Gamiun is essentially a stamp of ownership on an item belonging to a specific group of people, but also a symbol of pride worn by the individual to represent their collective. Distinguished individuals (nobles, ambassadors, government officials) often also possess their own personal sigils, which they use to sign documents alongside or in the place of a written signature. These personalized sigils are often very similar to their main collective sigil, with only minor alterations. Gamiun are often stylized in a way that is supposed to figuratively represent something about the bearer or their organization, and many take great pride in what the narrow intricacies of their personal design say about them. Gamiun are used across all Sihai subcultures, with preferences ranging from organic shapes, weapons, flowers, and depictions of the Stances and Dragons, to geometric shapes and weaving patterns.  
}}
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#d3abaa;" | Flux Shift 5
| style="text-align:center; width:15%; background-color:#efefef;" |  
| Mythic Shift
[[File:Sgs.png|200px]]
| Self
| colspan="2" style="background-color:white;" |
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Flux Shift 5 | This Ability does two things. Firstly, with this Ability, a Constant Passive is active for the user, that allows their clothes to perfectly resize and change to fit whatever Mythic or Racial Shift they engage in except if they would somehow become quadrupedal or no longer humanoid, while also returning magically after Shifting back from any such non-humanoid Shifts. Secondly, with this Ability, the user is able to magically change the color, shape, material and appearance as well as layering of their clothing and foot and head wear, including removing and adding new pieces on the fly. This Ability acts instantly and seamlessly with no Cooldown. This Ability cannot create or emulate armor or any tough materials that add extra armoring, and materials cannot consist out of rare materials that require Abilities or Progressions to produce.
Kiiyo or Miàn are the symbolic war paint of the Sihai. A Kiiyo is unique to each Sihai, as to the Sihai, a Kiiyo isn’t just a sign of “I am going to battle”, but rather “watch me as I die”. They are applied with the expectation that the warrior will not return from battle, and that their Kiiyo is their death mask that they will be buried or displayed with. Kiiyo change very little as a Sihai ages, and are applied shortly before battle either by friends or family or the Sihai themselves. It is a very solemn occasion, sometimes in complete silence, and sometimes with melancholic singing by the applicant while the warrior mentally prepares for battle. A Kiiyo can have many colors, and sometimes colors are chosen to reflect the descent of the Sihai from the Zhong Kingdoms, though white masks are just as common. The masks are inherently meant to invoke a sense of sadness, rage, or intimidate opponents. Kiiyo should not just be shown for fun, and never worn to public festivities unless they are specifically demanded for a cultural occasion, because while wearing one, the Sihai signifies they are ready to die, which is not a decision made lightly. They are extremely personal, and it may take quite some time for a Sihai to trust a person enough to show them such a personal aspect about themselves, as it is equivalent to showing someone one’s personal diary, or burial tomb in the West. After a victorious battle, and if still alive, the Sihai will ritually clean their face with spring water and a linen towel, after which the linen towel is burned or de-threaded and re-woven into a lantern which can be released into the night sky to symbolize letting go of their feelings. Some warriors of the Sihai have facial tattoos, but Kiiyo is used regardless.  
}}
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#d3abaa;" | Sorcery Skill 3
| style="text-align:center; width:15%; background-color:#efefef;" |  
| Constant Passive
[[File:Commonsih.png|200px]]
| Self
| colspan="2" style="background-color:white;" |
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Sorcery Skill 3 | The Character may purchase up to 3 Sorcery Abilities without being considered an Aberrant. These Abilities are still counterable like normal Sorcery Abilities. They receive 1 Sorcery Ability for free.
Sihai common clothing is simple yet refined. The waist is set high for both sexes, with the chest piece usually being white, but other pieces being of vibrant colors. Women wear a large colorful ribbon on the back of their dress that is folded twice over itself and left to hang. Men wear two smaller ribbons in the front that tuck underneath their high waist belt. For both sexes, the clothing is usually very puffy, comfortable, and covering, with high collars and barely any skin visible. Women's clothing usually has some form of flower, animal, or plant embroidery or pattern dyed into the fabric, while men's clothing may have dragon claws or scales as patterns on the fabric. A Gamiun is always visible on the waist and chest bindings, which are the ends of the fabric holding the whole ensemble together. Finally, men usually have a flap of fabric in the back that is longer than the skirt in the front, though it never touches the ground.  
}}
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#d3abaa;" | Weapon Song 1
| style="text-align:center; width:15%; background-color:#efefef;" |  
| Toggle Passive
[[File:Wealthysih.png|200px]]
| Emote Distance
| colspan="2" style="background-color:white;" |
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Weapon Song 1 | The user may activate Weapon Song 1 on any Melee Weapon that they are wielding in combat, causing it to levitate in the air, and allowing them to control it as if they were wielding it, except further removed from the actual weapon. This must be their own weapon, and not a weapon they’ve taken or stolen from another. The only thing this does, is create distance between the opponent and the user, thus allowing them more time to respond to moves the opponent makes. The weapon can still be parried and even knocked out of the user’s hand, as it is only displaced. The distance can however be anywhere in Emote Distance, as long as where it is levitating is within view.
Sihai wealthy clothing is often compared in opulence with Altalar clothing, and it certainly has similarities with Ithanian style also. Both men and women have wide flowing and voluminous fabrics that gently float in the wind as they move around. Women have large gold-plated decorations, usually in the shapes of leaves and lilies. They have a large flap of fabric in the front that usually has their Gamiun on it, while their long dress has patterns of clouds or waves on it. They wear a large wig which usually leans more to volume and height on one side over the other, decorated with silk flowers and golden dragon scales and hair pins. Men on the other hand have a tightly woven wool chest covering, with sleeves covered in dragon scale stitchings, and a similar but smaller dress with cloud patterns on it. Men’s sleeves are usually long (often appearing too long), so as to allow them to perform actions with their hands without revealing their fingers, or to use their sleeves as handkerchiefs to avoid touching the skin of others.  
}}
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#d3abaa;" | Inth Gift 3
| style="text-align:center; width:15%; background-color:#efefef;" |  
| Constant Passive
[[File:Militarsihy.png|200px]]
| Self
| colspan="2" style="background-color:white;" |
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Inth Gift 3 | The user has a perfect recall memory through a Memory Phylactery. This is not a physical object, but more a metaphysical abstract concept that causes the user to be immune to any memory alteration, or any Ability that would otherwise make them forget memories, or have them stored elsewhere, altered, added, or diminished. If any memory is forgotten, the user needs simply call upon the Memory Phylactery to restore the memory in full detail. Any Memory Sense I used on the user will result in more clear and perfect imagery than for anyone else.
Sihai military clothing can both be functional and ceremonial. Sihai armor is often seen as strange by the west because it makes use of a lot of symbolic shapes that most western warriors consider inconvenient in adrenaline fueled combat. This however underestimates the Sihai tactics of slow and meticulous warfare, where their heavier armor usually protects them from extended skirmish phases. Both men and women have tightly forged lamellar dragon-scale armor, and gloves with claws affixed. Women usually have decorative white feathers, while men have larger hardened leather spikes. Despite its bulky appearance, Sihai armor is actually quite light, as they favor many layers of lighter materials over single layers of steel armor. Padded leather and tightly stitched cotton are common, while the helmets always have Loong horns on them, a two pronged horn for men and a single horn for women.  
}}
|-
|}
====Half Sihai====
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="font-weight:bold; text-align:center; background-color:#c0c0c0;"
! Ability Name
! Ability Type
! Ability Range
! Ability Description
|-
| style="background-color:#d3abaa;" | Armor Flux 1
| Trigger Passive
| Self
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Armor Flux 1 | The user has a constant proportional Armor effect. This proportional armor inverts the amount of armor worn by the individual and optimizes mobility and agility. Simpler put, the less armor the user is wearing, the stronger their skin and body becomes. Wearing only a set of pants and shirt is the equivalent of their skin being as strong as Plate Armor, where-as wearing a set of actual Plate-armor causes the body to be as strong as if they were only wearing a set of pants and shirt (though they are of course still wearing armor). The protection effect is only skin deep, and blunt force trauma still translates like normal, as well as Artifacts of any make.
}}
|-
| style="background-color:#d3abaa;" | Flux Shift 5
| Mythic Shift
| Self
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Flux Shift 5 | This Ability does two things. Firstly, with this Ability, a Constant Passive is active for the user, that allows their clothes to perfectly resize and change to fit whatever Mythic or Racial Shift they engage in except if they would somehow become quadrupedal or no longer humanoid, while also returning magically after Shifting back from any such non-humanoid Shifts. Secondly, with this Ability, the user is able to magically change the color, shape, material and appearance as well as layering of their clothing and foot and head wear, including removing and adding new pieces on the fly. This Ability acts instantly and seamlessly with no Cooldown. This Ability cannot create or emulate armor or any tough materials that add extra armoring, and materials cannot consist out of rare materials that require Abilities or Progressions to produce.
}}
|-
| style="background-color:#d3abaa;" | Honed Skill 1
| Constant Passive
| Self
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Honed Skill 1 | Choose Metallurgy, Arcanology, or Linguistics. If at least 3 points are invested in the chosen Proficiency, choose a single 3 Proficiency costing “Pack” for free additionally. This Pack does not contribute to the maximum Packs possible for this Proficiency at max Point investment. If none of these are chosen, nothing is gained.
}}
|-
| style="background-color:#d3abaa;" | Weapon Song 1
| Toggle Passive
| Emote Distance
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Weapon Song 1 | The user may activate Weapon Song 1 on any Melee Weapon that they are wielding in combat, causing it to levitate in the air, and allowing them to control it as if they were wielding it, except further removed from the actual weapon. This must be their own weapon, and not a weapon they’ve taken or stolen from another. The only thing this does, is create distance between the opponent and the user, thus allowing them more time to respond to moves the opponent makes. The weapon can still be parried and even knocked out of the user’s hand, as it is only displaced. The distance can however be anywhere in Emote Distance, as long as where it is levitating is within view.
}}
|-
| style="background-color:#d3abaa;" | Inth Gift 3
| Constant Passive
| Self
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip:  Inth Gift 3 | The user has a perfect recall memory through a Memory Phylactery. This is not a physical object, but more a metaphysical abstract concept that causes the user to be immune to any memory alteration, or any Ability that would otherwise make them forget memories, or have them stored elsewhere, altered, added, or diminished. If any memory is forgotten, the user needs simply call upon the Memory Phylactery to restore the memory in full detail. Any Memory Sense I used on the user will result in more clear and perfect imagery than for anyone else.
}}
|-
|-
|}
|}


==History==
==History==
===Early Kingdoms Period===
The history of the Sihai is long and old: it goes back millennia, to before the fall of the [[Meraic Civilization]]. Their original homeland, the Sheng Empire, was formed from a peaceful union of families under the Zhuyin Dynasty—guided personally by the Sihai gods, the Dragons. Though it had contact with foreigners, first the Meraic and after them the [[Altalar]], it established quickly that the rest of the world was tainted. This had to do with the Demonic invasion that destroyed the Meraic, and the Magic the Altalar use in every part of life—the Dragon-worshiping sensibility of the Sihai leading them to see this as evil, and corruption. Centuries after first contact with the Altalar, the Sheng Sihai colonized continents west of their landmass, giving rise to the Zhong, or Middle, Kingdoms. At first just forts meant to bar the road east, these Kingdoms quickly became both heavily populated, and autonomous. They are five in number: Beian to the north, Heiyan to the west, Jin-Lung to the east, Huo-Chang to the south, and the west-most island of Dexai. Although they fought many wars between themselves, none ever ended conclusively.
[[File:Final_paladin_1.jpg|260px|thumb|right|The War Dynasty dress to intimidate, and fight to impress with great skill]]
Early Sihai history remains somewhat of a mystery, largely due to the non-existence of the Wa’an Script until the first Chi Dynasty. Historians believe the history of the Sihai people starts somewhere in 5000 BC, which in Sihai dating is roughly 200 AC (the Sihai abbreviation is for “After Creation,” not to be confused with the common Regalian historical term After Cataclysm). Sihai legend maintains that the Loong Dragons created the Sihai, gave them life and purpose, and planned the original structures of their society. The myth suggests the Loong taught the original Sihai their language, suggested they look up at the stars and the moon for guidance, and also guided the construction of the various dragon temples. In the earliest days of the Early Kingdoms Period, the Sihai were a singular race with no Dynasty Forms. All Sihai were of the Common Dynasty and the whole Race’s culture was consistent across the various kingdoms of their civilization. These kingdoms were the Ta’anku Kingdom in the south (commonly shortened to the Tan Kingdom), the Xx’en Kingdom in the north (commonly shortened to the Xxen Kingdom and pronounced as “Shen”), the Ge-ie’mie-en Kingdom in the east (commonly shortened to the Germien Kingdom and pronounced as Yurmee-yen), and the Ra'ie'm'ie'en Kingdom in the west (commonly shortened to the Ramien Kingdom and pronounced as Ramee-yen).
 
These Four Kingdoms formed the basis of the Sihai world, referred to as Xx'ie'm'de'ing'ing and pronounced as “Shur-ding-ung,” and kingdoms were all independent of one another. Each had their own ruling dynasties throughout the Early Kingdoms Period, none of which are particularly remembered through time. It is said that during the Early Kingdoms Period, life was hard but also very peaceful and simple. Later Dynasty eras often looked back favorably on the Early Kingdoms Period as a time when life was more in tune with the Loong Dragons and without court politics playing a role in everyday society. The Early Kingdoms Period would last roughly 800 years until around 4200 BC (or, in Sihai dating, 1000 After Creation). The event that occurred before the end of the Early Kingdoms Period is called the Xx’an’ha (pronounced as “Shan’hur”) in which it is said that the Loong Dragons came forth from the Temples to aid the people. All over the land, blackened creatures appeared and attacked the living, and the peaceful, pacifist Sihai had not developed any means for warfare or self defence over the centuries, given that the Loong Dragons always prevented any conflict.  
 
During the Xx’an’ha, the Loong Dragons blessed the Sihai people with the first Dynasty Form - the War Dynasty - to give the Sihai a fighting chance against the “blackened creatures” (of which there is no further description than just the name). With the lunar phase allowing the more diminutive Common Dynasty to become the War Dynasty, and with the knowledge of weapons granted by the Loong Dragons, the Sihai were able to repel the strange creatures from their land. The blessing of the Loong however, came at a cost. The introduction of warfare, martial skill, and death in Sihai lands caused a fundamental shift in attitude among some of the Sihai. Many of those Sihai who lunar shifted to the War Dynasty Form retained this form and proposed that conflict was a good way to expand their local Kingdoms. While previously the Kingdoms were independent but united against a common invading force of evil, now these Kingdoms were equipped with the military means and the know-how to fight each other in the absence of a common foe. The Loong Dragons, unable to bring battle against their own creation, returned to slumber in the Dragon Temples leaving the Sihai to their fate.
 
In the closing of the Early Kingdoms Period in the year 4174 BC, the wars between the Kingdoms reached a boiling point with the king of the Xxen kingdom conquering all the other kingdoms and unifying the Sihai lands into the Ksai'en'ra'ie'en (pronounced as Ksai’unra’ee-yen) Empire, founding the first Huai Dynasty.


===Huai Empire Period===
There was always a distinction between the Sheng mainland and the Zhong colonies. While they were considered one Sihai people (ignoring largely the people already living there who the Sihai assimilated, their languages eventually reduced to dialects of Wai-lan), the Zhong states were always treated as somewhat lesser with their citizens "not allowed to step their feet onto the soil of the Emperor's Domain on pain of death", even as hundreds of years passed and they developed gargantuan cities and centers of learning of their own, with even most of the Dragons moving west to dwell there rather than remain in the Sheng lands. It is important to remember always that the Sihai history is as long as the history of the Allorn Empire, if not longer because they had interactions with the Meraic, a fact the Sihai are very proud of and always cite as the opening salvo against Elven nationalists in a bar argument. Just because Sihai history is not as tumultuous as Elven history, and the Sihai did not imperialize and conquer and reshape their corner of the world through imperialistic expansion, does not mean that they did not have their own famous last stands, legends, heroes and tragedies. An example being the expulsion of the Allorn Ambassadors, when the Allorn dignitaries brought their dark magics ashore in an attempt to impress the Sheng Emperor on tour in Dexai with the number of nations they had subjugated to their will, resulting in him famously rebuking them for daring impose on the Son of Heaven and ordering them ejected.
The Huai Empire Period was extremely short lived in comparison to the other Dynasties that followed. Emperor Huai D’iem was the unifier of the Sihai lands, but died several years after taking the Loong Throne (as the official seat of Imperial rule would later be called). He was succeeded by his son Huai Ging-bae, who was murdered in less than a year later by his uncle Huai An’ring. The chaos of succession among the Huai Dynasty left little in terms of societal progress, and in general the Empire started regressing. The Loong remained silent, and as such, it was that the disgruntled army leaders under the leadership of general Huon Jae’i-ming started a rebellion from the south. The Huai Empire Period came to a crashing end a mere 5 years after the closing of the Early Kingdoms Period in 4169 BC, though scholars still classify this period as the earliest War Dynasty era, because it was considerably important for the future formation of the Sihai Empire.


===Huon Rebellions===
The geopolitical role of the Sihai was only shattered when the Altalar, far west, invited a Demonic invasion similar to the one that had ended the Meraic. Although the Altalar believed they had halted the Demons, the reality was that they had instead attempted to retreat into Sihai lands, and been caught by the Dragons there. The energies it took to drive them back saw the Dragons fall into slumber, although not before raising a great wall of jade to protect the Sihai people. Atop it, the white, green, yellow, red, and blue flags of the Kingdoms fought together, under the banner of the Sheng Emperor’s black legions. Although the Demons were repelled once, every few years they return, bearing towering deep-sea forms and crashing against the defenders. The Sihai have named these Akula, and continue to do battle with them to this day. Since the [[Cataclysm]], the Sihai have enjoyed relative stability, ruled by the gentle hand of the Zhong Kings’ Council of Five. In recent years, a personally led military mission by [[Regalian Emperor]] [[Cedromar]] has caused them to warm up to [[Regalia]]. And so their people, always a scarce sight in that country, have finally begun to turn up, on the heels of goodwill and the dream-given commands of their Dragons.
Following the collapse of the Sihai Empire of the Huai Dynasty and the beginning of the Huon Rebellions, the Sihai lands descended into utter chaos. Commoner rebellions occurred all across the lands and numerous War Dynasty army leaders staked their own claim to form their own kingdoms in some valley or mountain retreat. In the end, the Huai Empire shattered into no less than two dozen different small kingdoms; orders between the realms constantly shifted, while the only really stable realm that existed for a longer period of time was the Huon Dynasty claimant to the Sihai Empire. Huon Jae’i-ming was able to conquer most of the southern Tan Kingdom of the former Sihai Empire and re-proclaimed the Empire’s formation. That being said, he never truly conquered any of the other Four Kingdoms, leading the Tan Kingdom formed Sihai Empire to be a sizeable claimant to the Loong Throne at best.  


The lands beyond the Tan Kingdom were considered wastelands, and bandits, rogue armies and other criminal elements tyrannically ruled over the Common Dynasty locals. Huon Jae’i-ming tried numerous times to invade the lands of the bordering Kingdoms, but was repeatedly repulsed, sent back into the Tan Kingdom with losses far surpassing original expectations, or was otherwise unable to hold conquered territory for long. He eventually died of natural causes in 4139 BC, with his youngest son Huon Ing’de’ing succeeding to the claim of the Loong Throne. Huon Ing’de’ing was the first in a line of relatively incompetent and tyrannical Emperor-claimants. They would eventually lose control of the Tan Kingdom to the scheming of court advisors, all of whom were Common Dynasty Sihai.
==World View==
 
World View is optional content that helps give Sihai flavor and depth. When this section discusses ‘the Occult’, it is talking about non-Dragon Occult. The Sihai love Dragon Occult.
After several generations, in 4011 BC, the Common Dynasty advisors at court managed to outplay the Imperial Guard and War Dynasty generals by secluding the last Huon Emperor-claimant to the deep inner court where none but his closest trusted advisors could reach him. It has been long claimed that the last of the Huon Dynasty, Huon Su-unn-cha, died almost a decade before the end of the Huon Dynasty was announced, though another version recalls how Huon Su-unn-cha’s son Huon Pu’chen was placed on the throne as a five year old puppet Emperor. The schemes of the Common Dynasty Sihai (which in present times are commonly seen as a benevolent end the chaos in the Sihai lands) would eventually bear fruit; they eliminated several major warlords across the Four Kingdoms through guided rebellions of the lesser-physically capable Common Dynasty against their War Dynasty tyrants, by using their vastly outnumbered forces to crush War Dynasty opposition to their rise. The end of the Huon Rebellions Period was officially announced in 3990 BC, when the last Emperor was proclaimed dead, and Chi Liang-ra, one of the original conspirators who outplayed the War Dynasties, ascended to the throne.
* Sihai nod as a way of acknowledging a point someone else has made. It is the preferred way of showing that one is listening without throwing in one’s own words and interrupting a point before it has been fully formed.
 
* The Sihai have a complicated relationship with the Occult, beyond the normal dislike expected of Dragon Worshipers. They know it exists in the west, and believe that westerners are making a mistake by coexisting with it. But at the same time, they also think the west is currently relatively stable, and so any apprehension towards the Occult is mostly replaced with curiosity. The Sihai are generally not interested in becoming Occult themselves, but love hearing about Occult people’s stories and how they justify the moral weight of their Magic use to themselves in the context of the danger it poses.
===Chi Dynasty===
* Access to the Zhong Kingdoms is strictly forbidden for outsiders. In order to gain even a tiny bit of access, one requires a Dexai Passport, which is only given after 5 years of consecutive living in Dexai. Finally, in order to pass beyond the shipping gates of Dexai one must be Mundane or Dragon Occult. Any other Occult are quickly slain by the Jade Guardians, and anyone attempting to cross the Jade Sea on foot is quickly found by the Dragon-fly patrol craft.  
Under the rule of Chi Liang-ra, the Sihai Empire made a recovery. Many of the War Dynasty forces along with the repressed Common Dynasty forces welcomed the rule of law and sensibility back into the Empire, joining the Tan Kingdom’s forces often out of free will and not resisting their invasion. The Sihai Empire was formally re-united in 3980 BC with Emperor Chi Liang-ra officially taking back the Loong Throne and no longer being classified as a pretender. Under the closing years of Chi Liang-ra’s rule, much of the Empire’s damaged infrastructure was replaced and repaired and life slowly started returning to normal. By the time Chi Liang-ra died in 3964, he was celebrated as the best Sihai Emperor of all time, and would even later be regarded as one of the more praiseworthy Emperors who lived to serve the people and provided safety and stability by keeping the War Dynasties in check and the Common Dynasties happy.
* Because the Sihai lands are so hierarchy-driven, and because obedience to authority is drilled into the Sihai from a young age, adapting to Regalia's hierarchy always proves simple for the Sihai, and respect for the Emperor is easy to garner. The Sihai still fondly remember Emperor Cedromar's assistance to the most recent Akula attacks on the Jade Wall, and as such are generally pro Regalian Emperor, and in favor of good relations with the Regalian Empire, while having no trouble being loyal to Emperor [[Alexander I]] while in Regalia.  
 
* Despite the Sihai dislike of Magic, there is a single Occult-populated slum in one of Dexai’s poorer districts. It is so dingy that it makes Crookback look like a gentrified neighborhood, but it is the one place in Sihai civilization where non-Draconic Magic is pursued, behind the boundaries which it cannot cross.
His successors, unlike the Huon and Huai Dynasties, were equally moved by the plight of the common people by virtue of institutionalized court culture, and a sense of safety, security and benevolent rulership returned to the Empire. The Loong Dragons awoke from their slumber once more when chaos abaded, to uproarious celebration, and continued to guide the people in matters of art and culture. It was during the timespan between 3900 and 3600 BC that the Chi Dynasty saw a renaissance in music and art, and the government itself acted as patron to the new architects of Sihai society and culture. The Loong Throne was moved to the capital which sat in the center of the four Kingdoms, creating an Imperial district out of land ceded equally by all four Kingdoms. This city was called Da’rann, and the first Imperial Palace was built there in the old Kingdom style.  
* The Sihai are not especially fond of Half Sihai, not because of any kind of visual based racism, but because Half Sihai represent a member of Sihai society who has partially been lost to the traditions of a non-Sihai power. They get along decently in foreign lands, but Half Sihai tend to have issues integrating properly should they ever wish to return east.
 
* The Sihai have twins and triplets more often, and call them Twin and Three Moons respectively. They believe that either they will achieve great things through cooperation, or bring disaster to their family through infighting.
The Chi Dynasty ended in the most peaceful manner, in comparison to all other Dynasties that would invariably end because of chaos or violence. In 3524, the last Chi Dynasty Emperor Chi Lu’iem died peacefully in his sleep, never having sired any daughters or sons to succeed the throne. With the direct lineage dead, the throne passed to an extremely distant relative called Zen En’man who would go on to found the Zen Dynasty. By far the crowning memory of the Chi Dynasty was the development of the Wa’an Script and essentially giving the Sihai literacy, something that would be very important to their race in the millennia following.  
*The Sihai are very literate. Millennia of academic culture has led to everything from treatises on flora and fauna to historic annals enjoying high popularity. Common fiction genres include heroic novels about monks and young heroes fighting to uphold the world, tales of enlightenment through introspection, romantic poetry, and more. It’s a mark of fluency in Wai-lan to quote old books and proverbs in everyday speech, something that would-be language learners often struggle with.
 
*The Sihai prefer to paint the natural world. It’s considered an ill omen for something to look upon its reflection. For that reason, most Sihai only commission one self-portrait their entire lives, which says things about them through scattered details, and do their best not to look at it.
===Zen Dynasty===
*Sihai art is supposed to evoke the memory of a place in a viewer. It often brings an uncomfortable sense of deja vu to those who aren’t used to it. Many Sihai like to compare with each other what a particular art piece made them recall, making a game of forming judgments from comparisons.
[[File:Badwolfy.png|260px|thumb|right|The New Dynasty Sihai are very flexible, both mentally and physically.]]
*There is a Sihai jade-sculpture style which uses the same material as their [[Jadetech]]. It is always religiously charged, with depictions of the Loong front and center.
[[File:Rssnhex.png|260px|thumb|right|Especially when comparing them from the far ranges of the personality spectrum.]]
*The Sihai consider calligraphy a high art, and judge one another’s class and poise by handwriting quality. There are stereotypes about what a person’s brush-strokes say about them. It is common for Sihai artists abroad to make a few coins by entertaining wealthy foreigners with calligraphy of their ‘Sihai Names’, with the characters meant to reflect something in their personality.
The Zen Dynasty was founded by Zen En’man and was a peaceful continuation of Chi dynasty policy. During the Zen Dynasty, Sihai culture flourished with the beginnings of early pottery and sculpture. The old Chi Architecture era of style was quickly revised during the Zen Dynasty, with the development of the traditional curved roofs and wooden lattice construction. Zen En’man was succeeded by his son Zen Bae’ing’d’ing who built the Seven Great Roads of Xxan’deryen, greatly expanding the infrastructure of the Sihai Empire, connecting all the regional capitals with the government seat at the Loong Throne, and establishing roads to the slumbering Loong Temples that were nestled in the mountains of each of the Four Kingdoms.
*The Sihai enjoy a large number of rural sports, such as track races, boat races, hiking, weight-lifting, and pole-climbing. Wealthier Sihai might see these, and the tan one gets from playing them, as beneath them.
 
*Sihai martial arts blur the line between fighting for combat and fighting for pleasure. Many kickboxing styles don’t take themselves so seriously, and there are plenty of disciplines that are really just about staying healthy.
Zen Bae’ing’d’ing was succeeded by Zen See’yi and his three younger brothers, all in rapid succession due to an outbreak of plague in the capital during the 3500-3474 BC period, which severely decimated the capital’s population. During the succession of  Zen De’anyqy, the policy of the Rotating Heavens was established. Under the policy of the Rotating Heavens, the calendar year was divided into four different seasons along the Sihai Calendar (which is the same as the Ailor Calendar, except that the new year falls instead on the summer solstice). During lunar phases, the Imperial Court of the Sihai Empire would move from the capital along the Seven Great Roads to the outer palaces: large complexes, one built for each of the Four Kingdoms. They would then observe the Dynasty Form shifts among the court away from the capital. Naturally, because of the large processions of the Imperial Court moving practically every week, this policy would prove to be extremely expensive.
*There are also sword and spear-sparring styles which use light bamboo weapons, and permit full contact. They’ve achieved wide popularity as ways to train novices how to fight without potentially deadly injuries occurring during sparring.
 
*Every Sihai city or district has at least one fighting pit, where everyone from traveling monks to career soldiers can pitch their swords against one another. Group spars and even duels are seen as a team exercise, because spars are not real fights: always more about giving entertainment to those watching. The Sihai are perhaps the only culture that sees it this way.
It was another Zen Dynasty successor Zen En-ding who would outlaw the War Dynasty Shift in 2781 BC. During this period, the War Dynasty Sihai were declared barbarians and rebels to the crown if they refused to shift back to the Common Sihai Dynasty upon the next lunar phase. All across the Sihai Empire, pogroms were held against the War Dynasty Sihai, who could easily be distinguished because of their larger than normal features. Many of them went underground, retreating to cave systems in the northern mountains, and some even used the Loong Temples as a neutral ground to escape persecution. It was during the rule of the last Zen Emperors that War Dynasty Sihai were outlawed across the Empire, resulting in a sizeable rebellion movement eventually forming in 2511 BC. Under the leadership of one De’en Fei, a massive plan was hatched to exact revenge on the Imperial Family.
*There are many different beasts in the Zhong Kingdoms, ranging from six-legged man-eating tigers to stone [[Anui Lion]]s. Fantasy is the limit when it comes to the many creations of the Loong, and the Sihai landscape is home to a plethora of interesting and unusual creatures.
 
*Sihai cuisine is incredibly diverse. Focusing on freshness, it draws from the vast palate and spice list of the Four Kingdoms. Sihai food is commonly bite-ready: something that can be picked up and put in the mouth without extra preparation. But there are also many dishes fried in shallow-bottomed pans, soups prepared with fermented soy-paste stock, and a thousand different ways to prepare fish. The imagination is the limit.
It was thus a few years later in 2505 BC, that the War Dynasty Sihai enacted their revenge on the ruling family. During one of the cycles of the Rotating Heavens, the War Dynasty Sihai fell on the exposed Imperial procession on its way to the Southern Kingdom, murdering the entire Imperial Court. Further coordinated attacks against aristocratic families and regional governors across the Sihai Empire quickly annihilated the very upper classes of the Empire, throwing it into absolute turmoil as inept governors and local rulers tried to control the situation and reassert government authority. The unprepared Common Dynasty Sihai security forces were completely incapable of handling the situation.
*Sihai housing interiors are just as planned as the cities themselves. It’s considered luckiest to build floors in a series of five rooms per, and for each home to have only a single door in, and a moon-watching round glass window somewhere in the house atop a meditation mat. Sihai furniture is all very low-set, with cushions and boards instead of couches and tables. One kneels rather than sits.
 
*Sihai temple-architecture, built of plain wood, is designed to fade into the landscape. Surrounded by nature, it is supposed to evoke a sense of peace and isolation in a pilgrim. In contrast, the Great Temples of the Loong are awe-inspiring mountain fortresses, every pillar gilded, jade-graven maps of the cosmos spanning the roofs.
It was due to the timely grace of the Loong Dragons, who awoke prophetically from their slumber, that absolute disaster was averted among the Sihai. A powerful priest caste preacher by the name of Guo Ra’en-ming spearheaded a large effort to convince the Loong Dragons of the goodness of the Common Sihai and the evilness of the War Dynasty Sihai. He would further champion a cause for an even more aggressively peaceful Sihai society, which the Loong Dragons, swayed by Guo’s argument, eventually committed to under partial pressure of so many worshipers flocking to Guo’s designs. Much like the Loong had granted the Sihai the War Dynasty to fight a foe that would destroy them from without, the Loong now granted the Sihai the Frivolous Dynasty to fight the competition and mental anguish that could destroy them from within. All the War Dynasty Sihai in the land were transformed into Frivolous Dynasty Sihai against their will and confined to this form for the rest of their lives by the Loong Dragons, while Guo and his closest supporters were also made Frivolous Dynasty Sihai and the new de-facto ruling classes of the Imperial Court.
*The most prominent Sihai instrument is the seated zither, which are seen as the refined and melodic style of court ladies. There are also upright string instruments placed in the lap, played in plucked style or with a bow, and flutes, which are mournful, soft, and reedy. The string instruments carry the melody, while drums are always the backdrop. The Sihai see drums as having an aggressive, military quality: so songs which are romantic or idealistic have none, while anything ritual or in honor of the army is guaranteed to be driven by drum-beats.
 
*The free-thinking and inventive musicians of Dexai have organized themselves into the House of Instrumentation, a group which travels the world and Sihai-ifies foreign music into their own styles. They have a traditional friendship with Teledden musicians, with whom they compare and debate harp styles.
===Guo Dynasty===
* The Sihai are very respectful towards the military and soldier classes, even those of foreign nations. It is not uncommon for a Sihai to verbally thank soldiers for their service, often not knowing that Regalia has soldiers that are on permanent rotation who never see combat.  
The Guo Dynasty thus started on the notion that the Sihai wanted to forget the past and live in a state of tranquil happiness. The War Dynasty brought trouble wherever they went, and the Loong had given them a solution to end the bloodshed and forget their wrongdoings. Under the leadership of the Guo Dynasty, the Imperial Palace became ever more secluded, undoing the Rotating Heavens policy and neglecting the Seven Great Roads as Sihai society became lazy and more sedentary. Agricultural produce boomed during this era, resulting in an over-abundance of food and a huge population growth as a result of corresponding debauchery. New Sihai ales were developed and Sihai Cuisine reached its height, with each town hosting some sort of grand feast before the end of the week to celebrate the tranquil state of their society without the War Dynasty Sihai.
* The Sihai like the Unionist figures Emperor [[Allestrain I]], Empress [[Elia]], Arch-Chancellor [[Alexander the Giant]], and Duchess Leona. They have written a number of historical novels about them, many illustrated, and surprisingly often more accurate to detail than the Regalian accounts. The Sihai see these people as heroes, and use them to build a romantic image of the West, holding them up as the best Regalia has to offer.
 
===Holidays===
As time went by however, the Guo Dynasty would regress in terms of civil advancement. Much of the Zen and Chi developments in literature and architecture came to a halt, these arts ignored in favor of brewing and music and stage play. The Imperial Palace and the Loong Throne became dilapidated. Libraries built by the first Chi Emperors collapsed and the general lack of progress in society worried the Loong Dragons who continued to spectate from atop their mountain temples. Eventually they came to a consensus that Sihai society was becoming undeserving of the Loong Throne, like wayward children. Sihai society was turning into a self-pleasing rabble of self-pleasing sycophants who refused to do anything but party ravenously and postpone their problems perpetually.
Some Sihai holidays are listed for observance.
 
*Yuhai is a festival held on January 5th, when the Sihai hold that Demons are strongest, fueled by the solar eclipse. It is celebrated with elaborate ritualistic dance patterns led by Loong Priests around a multi-colored bonfire, and invoking prayer to the Dragons, that their dreams will not end and the world will persist.
The Loong Dragons made a rare one-time intervention, raising one of the few Common Sihai scholars that did raise concerns about the regression of Sihai society to become the new Emperor, forcing the last Guo Emperor to abdicate in 2111 BC; the cowardly Guo Emperor fittingly did so immediately, afraid of retribution from the Loong Dragons. With Lova Bae’c-pei-pei becoming the first Lova Dynasty Empress, the Loong Dragons reverted their pro-Frivolous Dynasty policy, creating the fourth Dynasty Form, that of the bird-like Greater dynasty. The Imperial court was flushed of the Frivolous Dynasty Sihai, replacing all their vacant positions (quite notably with a huge number of women in comparison to men who had previously controlled the court) with Greater Dynasty Sihai, who would usher in a golden age of philosophy and reason for the Sihai people.
*Mia-hang is a festival held from March 13th to 17th where the Sihai celebrate themselves and their own culture by being very visible and loud about it, going out of their way to refer to literary classics, appreciate music, and give everyone around them an earful about what makes their village unique.
 
*Faihan is a festival held on April 8th that celebrates the life and health of the Loong. Sihai households take care of their Loong altars on this day, and leave offerings before them.
===Lova Dynasty===
*Ra-hae is a festival held on June 11th that focuses on contributing to local charity and sheltering those in need. On this day, Sihai indulge in hospitality, offering drinks and kindness to strangers and hearing their stories.
With the rule of Lova Bae’c-pei-pei, the Imperial Court and all official state apparatusses were quickly and extremely efficiently restored to their former glory. It was Empress Lova Bae’c-pei-pei who also nullified the laws barring the existence of War Dynasty Sihai, believing in an ethical and more balanced approach to governing. She developed the new rotations of heaven policy, believing that true balance did not come from gratifying the nationalistic tendencies of the Sihai from the Four Kingdoms, but rather would come from gratifying the balance of Dynasty Forms in society. Indeed, in the decades following her decision, the rise of War Dynasty Sihai given a proper place in society calmed a lot of the tensions, and created a harmony in society where each of the Dynasties could fulfill the role they excelled at. The Common Dynasty tended the Empire’s structure, the War Dynasty preserved law and order, the Frivolous Dynasty provided for the people’s happiness, while the Greater Dynasty ruled all from above.
*Cente is a festival held from September 22nd to 25th that celebrates the purity and simplicity of creation, during which Sihai wear purely white robes and tend to don stylized, unpainted wooden masks that say something about them.
 
*Players are free to make up more themselves.
Lova Bae’c-pei-pei oversaw the great Winged Academy of Sihai Learning that would create educational lodges all over the Four Kingdoms. She founded the Ministries of the Loong, where Greater Dynasty Sihai worked tirelessly to proactively invent new governance mechanisms for the Empire. Two of these mechanisms, the Ministry for Literature and the Ministry for Agriculture, expanded the wealth of culture and food produce in the Empire by leaps and bounds. The great Chi Dynasty libraries were repaired and filled with thousands of volumes - not only of day-to-day life, but also great political works and ideological treatises. Philosophy became a major pastime for both the Common and Greater Dynasties, while the War and Frivolous Dynasties were content with their roles and lots in life - the acts of entertainment made the War Dynasties less aggressive, and the mutual protection provided made the Frivolous Dynasty Sihai feel more safe. It was this era under the rule of the Lova Dynasty that is generally considered to be the Golden Age of Sihai history, in which all were at harmony and peace with one another.
 
With peace would eventually come contentment, and with contentment would eventually come complacency. Complacency would eventually result in a weakness that allowed the War Dynasty to gain the upperhand. Being inherently cowardly, the Lova were unable to contain the War Dynasty’s ambitions, while the Common Dynasties were too absorbed with their recordkeeping and retrospection to look further into the future. It was during the latter 9th century before Cataclysm that the so called Warlord Era would start, in which the War Dynasty generals started aggressively playing court politics in local provinces. The Lova Empresses and Emperors remained on the throne for a longer period of time, and were respected and well loved, but often had no actual control over the soldiers or the generals and became nominal figure heads of cultural movements.
 
The Warlord era saw the increase of crime and graft even among the Common Dynasties. It is commonly believed they were coerced into engaging in state-wide corruption, but it is more closer to the truth that not every downfall of Sihai morals could be blamed on the War Dynasties; the Common Dynasties had plenty of vices of their own that emerged as soon as the Loong Dragons were no longer present to enforce societal virtues. With the decrease of religiosity - largely because no Loong Dragon had awoken for nearly 500 years to dispense wisdom - the general majority of the population even stopped believing in them as anything other than myth and legend. The priestly caste were appalled, but powerless to stop the coming Interlude Era.
 
===Interlude Era===
The Interlude Era is commonly perceived as the time frame between 900 BC and 600 BC in which there was no effective Imperial authority. While the Loong Throne was never empty, it was often occupied by a puppet or child Emperor or Empress from the Lova Dynasty. The Imperial court was flushed and replaced with a nearly-exclusively War Dynasty force, and generals started behaving like local lords. It is true that some lords remained very loyal to the crown, like generals Yai Te'ing'm and Ma See'ie. These two generals in particular fought a long and bloody campaign against the tyrant Zuge Te'ing'ha'ku, shortened to Zuge Tegu.
 
Zuge Tegu led a massive army that occupied the capital and started issuing Imperial edicts as if the Zuge clan ruled the Empire. It was the Yai and Ma clans that fought to restore the rightful Lova Imperial control, but perhaps they too realized that the rule of the Lova Dynasty was coming to an end. The temples were all but abandoned, books and scrolls from the great libraries were being burned for telling the wrong version of history on the crimes of the War Dynasties, and Sihai of their kind aggressively fostered a policy of trying to correct public opinion of them as the rightful rulers of the land rather than the ones who repeatedly tore it apart. The Yai clan and Ma clan were defeated at the battle Ranmieng, where the Zuge clan led a decisive victory over the coalition forces trying to push them out of the capital. With all opposition gone, Zuge Tegu proclaimed himself Emperor, discarding and executing the last royal Lova Dynasty members, and establishing his clan’s tyrannical dynasty.
 
===Zuge Dynasty===
If the Lova Dynasty was considered the most peaceful and glory era of the Sihai, the Zuge Dynasty’s rule can be considered one of the most damning and darkest chapters of Sihai history. Greater Dynasty Sihai across the land were outlawed, hunted by the War Dynasties for sport and using the Lunar cycle to become Greater Dynasty had also become outlawed on the punishment of death. In fact, War Dynasty soldiers were stationed in most cities and towns to observe an active curfew, but in an inverted manner. Instead of forcing the members of the public to stay at home during the hours of the moon’s presence, they were all forced to stand in the street during the night, to show their faces and make it impossible for them to perform the ritual needed to be of the Greater Dynasty. It is an often ignored fact that the War Dynasty could only perform these acts due to the collaboration of the Common Dynasties and the woeful ignorance of the Frivolous Dynasty, who were frequently on the receiving end of ridicule and mistreatment as barely part of their society.
 
Zuge Tegu was a vile Emperor who lived far beyond his life expectation. It is later claimed that in his enduring quest for immortality and permanent rule, he consorted with dark forces and called forth a disease of undeath onto the Imperial Sihai Court, turning all the courtiers into zombies and himself into their undead Emperor. While these rumors could never be verified because he never left the Imperial Quarters, supposedly his rule lasted from 600 BC until well into 300 BC. The event that would lead to the end of the rule of the Zuge clan however, was a relatively unexpected court administrator who somehow convinced many of the officers under Zuge leadership to rebel against their ruler. It is more commonly believed in modern times that this was an inevitability, because the tyranny of the Zuge clan also extended onto the other clans of the War Dynasties, and they nominally only went along with it out of fear for reprisals. The bureaucrat who overthrew Zuge’s rule came from the Gai family, named Gai Xx'ie'en'ku'ie, usually shortened to Gai Xxie.
 
===Gai Dynasty===
Gai Xxie’s rule was a very strange period for the Sihai and lasted from around 300 BC until around 200 BC, with the latter few decades seeing Xxie’s replacement by his youngest son Xx’en. During this period, the Sihai collectively attempted to purge from history the misery of the Zuge clan’s rule and pretend that its events did not happen. This often caused strange rituals where, for example, someone who had been isolated from ongoing events at court would arrive and try to understand what had occurred, only to be told that they were likely feeling ill and needed some herbal tea to feel better. This showcased the great predisposition for Sihai to try and forget about their problems rather than face them. This inner emptiness with regards to societal reconciliation however did have a positive outcome: the Loong temples were once more filled with the faithful calling on the Loong for guidance.
 
With these terrible memories fresh on the mind, the people clamored for spiritual guidance - this guidance would eventually come in the form of the Yellow Peace movement led by Liang’an Ku’c, who was at first a small-time preacher but eventually came to reach near-epic cult status among the faithful who came to the Loong Temples almost daily. Ku’c did not preach against the Gai Dynasty rule, or against any of the particular Dynasties. Rather, he preached for the need of full harmony in light of the Lunar Cycle. He preached that, because the Lunar Cycle was not yet complete or whole. He reasoned that while there wasn’t a fifth Dynasty that would make the Lunar Phases in harmony, society could also not be in harmony. This caused the people to call upon the moon and the Loong to guide them into true harmony and for the first time in centuries of absence. The Loong Dragons, called upon for the first time in centuries, awoke and traveled the land hearing the prayers of the people as they swam through the clouds like a procession of the gods.
 
It was eventually that they blessed the Sihai people with the final Lunar Cycle, that of the canine New Dynasty. It was here that the Loong finalized all the Dynasties in one, the capacity for intellect and studiousness, but also frivolity and laughter. The capacity for strong military discipline, but also the means for cowardice and reservedness. It was in the new Dynasty that the Loong imparted the ability to be all these things and none of these, and to have the choice to make for one’s self. Unlike with previous Lunar blessings however, the Loong did not force anyone into this Dynasty, instead offering merely the choice, before disappearing again for the last time to return to their slumber.
 
The transition from the last common Dynasty under Gai was remarkably peaceful. One of the War Dynasty clans, the Htai clan, is said by historians to have converted to the New Dynasty under the guidance of the Loong Dragons. The Htai negotiated with the Gai Dynasty to take over the Loong Throne, which the Gai willingly and eagerly handed over. It was made clear later that the Gai Dynasty had never considered themselves the true rulers of the Empire, but rather just temporary stewards until a more ethical and effective Dynasty could take over. The sudden rise of the Htai Dynasty was seen as something blessed by the Loong, as the Htai were the first to transform en-masse, throw off their old War Dynasty forms and clan-like structure. They even established a form of co-Emperorship, wherein the brothers of the first Htai Emperor, Htai Xx'en'bae, would rule the four Kingdoms while he remained in the central capital.
 
===Htai Dynasty===
The rule of the Htai Dynasty, despite the religious promises of Liang’an Ku’c, turned out to be far less pivotal than anticipated. Their rule was anticlimactically monotonous, but political scientists suggest this was exactly what the Sihai needed at the time: normality. After centuries and even millennia of explosive events and rule, the general unremarkable nature of the Htai Dynasty’s rule felt like a breath of fresh air. It was during this period that the Sihai people developed a famous saying: “All is fair and well on the throne, all is fair and well in the realm, and so there is enough breath to sigh”. For the first time, the concept of societal apathy became apparent. The Sihai people grew in population, and while advances in medicine, philosophy, and other arts and sciences were certainly made, many smaller communities felt more insular than ever before. Life simply continued without the prior prevailing philosophy of unity.
 
===The Naether Aetherium===
[[File:Gsgsgssasb.png|260px|thumb|right|The Loong Dragons can be seen on nearly all things produced by Sihai.]]
The most astonishing development that occurred in the last Htai Dynasty was the chain of events that eventually led to the Naether Aetherium. In 112 BC, the Sihai made contact with a Altalar ship that beached on the Sihai shores after having been blown far off course while on a slave raid. At first, the Sihai responded with apprehension to these strange creatures, as the realization that other races existed beyond the borders of their Empire was something that was not supported by religious doctrine. There were those who called for the immediate expulsion of outsiders and the closing of borders from any other barbarian Races, but the Altalar were entertained at the court of the Htai Dynasty nonetheless, albeit disturbed at first over having to show homage to an Emperor who, to the Altalar, was essentially a dog-man.
 
Still, the Altalar could recognize the richness of the Sihai Empire, and made the appropriate gestures to ensure good relations. It was through the Altalar that the Sihai learned of the world’s greater history, the [[Seraph]], and the other Races which were quickly classified as the barbarian races. Indeed, every slave Race the Altalar introduced in the Htai halls caused some form of revulsion, and quickly the Sihai speculated that the Loong did indeed bless the Sihai, but that somehow for the balance of the Lunar Cycles to be true, the Solar Cycles also produced broken Races on other places in the world. Indeed, the Altalar in return were intrigued by the fact that the Sihai had somehow existed without even acknowledging the destruction of the [[Meraic Civilization]] or noticing anything of prior Void Invasions.
 
It was through Altalar encouragement that the Sihai started experimenting with tearing the [[Veil]] and began actively approaching the subject of [[Magic]], something that had previously been right kept very secret and rigidly controlled in the Empire before. It is even said, though this cannot be verified, that the actual Naether Aetherium occurred because the Altalar interfered with superior Sihai scholars and [[Mages]], who supposedly had the experiment under control. Whatever happened, a massive magical explosion decimated part of the Southern Kingdom, creating a phenomenon known as the South Well; a magical occurence that would bleed what would later be called as Aether and Naether energies into the Sihai realm.
 
===Modern Era===
Modern Scholars have in fact speculated that the creation of the South Well caused a massive surge of magical energies into the world, and might have indirectly assisted in the Void Invasion in the Allorn Empire, hastening the collapse of the Veil. It is now also commonly believed that the western side of the world (as it is known where the [[Regalian Empire]] and Allorn Empire exist) was responsible for the connection with the Void and Exist, while the eastern side of the world (in which the Sihai Empire exists) was responsible for the connection with the Aether and the Naether, two distinct and separate dimensions like the Void and Exist.
 
This dimensional bridging has for all intents and purposes largely gone unnoticed in the west, even among the scholars and Mages, where only those focusing on Eastern Magic know of the Aether and Naether. Even fewer still are able to tap into their powers, due to the distance between the Sihai Empire and the Regalian Empire. Despite this, calamity struck the Sihai Empire in the wake of the Aether Naetherium - the explosion and subsequent creation of the Southern Well wiped out nearly the entire Southern Kingdom, and instead replaced it with a smouldering landscape filled with hellish beings that consumed the flesh of living. The Htai Dynasty was competent in leading the Sihai people in their defence against the onslaught of what they would later call the Dark Dynasty, but failed to effectively push them back and reclaim lost lands. The Southern Kingdom was eventually just closed off with a massive 200 foot tall wall, ironically built with Altalar magics. When the wall was completed, all Altalar were expelled from the Sihai Empire and the borders were largely closed, leaving only small, isolated western trading ports open to foreigners.
 
In modern times, the Sihai Empire continues to be ruled by the Htai Dynasty and remains relatively stable despite constant incursions of the Dark Dynasty all along the Great Wall border in the south. Explorers and daredevils frequently adventure into the darkness, some never to return, while others have brought back dark tales of macabre scenes and strange events that happened in a world that seemed entirely unlike their own. Many Sihai have fled the continent, expelled from the Southern Kingdom as it died, or have simply moved away from Sihai society to live in the west. The Sihai Empire remains immensely powerful, ruling over dozens of millions, but has become extremely isolationist, preferring not to be involved with whatever occurs in the distant West. The Loong Dragons remain isolated, slumbering in the Temples high in the mountains, priests preaching that one day they might again awake to solve the Aether Naetherium.
 
==Society==
Sihai Society is incredibly rigid, yet flexible based on the concept of Mandated Bureaucracy. Essentially, Sihai Society is orderly and uses numbers to validate most decisions. While they have a concept of aristocracy and the upper class, as well as a ruling hierarchy, the Mandated Bureaucracy Examinations which occur every year are used to pluck useful subjects out of the common people, presenting a means for poor individuals with skills to be moved up in society to perform ever more important tasks. As such, many families who exist in Sihai society thrive off a single highly educated member raising their entire clan or family up. Sihai Society, when compared to Ailor and Altalar society as such, is strictly aristocratic but has a strong meritocratic element to it that allows for more vertical ascension - as well as descenscion - in societal politics and fortunes.
 
Most Sihai live in large walled cities officially called Ing'de'en, or more commonly nicknamed Ingdi. These large cities feature a harmonious design, with districts built in such a way that all houses have a high window facing the moon’s trajectory, and also built in such a way that the main causeway from the front gate to the seat of governance at the center is aligned with the moon’s descent in preparation for the Lunar Festivals that frequently occur in Sihai Society. There are also smaller Temple settlements, coastal villages and hillside towns, though these smaller settlements generally exist to service the larger regional cities which dominate the provinces.
 
===Politics===
Sihai Politics is rigid and stable in comparison to the Regalian Empire’s constantly fluctuating political landscape. At the very base of society exist the farmers and the workers, who make up the majority of the Empire’s population, largely as the Common or Frivolous Sihai. New Sihai are also making a rise in this population group, but they remain rather rare. Above the common people exist the Administrators, such as scribes, task masters, collectors and record keepers. These in turn are managed by the Executor of the Government Office, who manages all the Administrators of a Region. Executors in turn are controlled by the Imperial Lecter, who rules usually from a Provincial city, though also does so in tandem with what can best be described as a Duke in the Sihai form. The Dukes do not formally control any people, but represent hereditary Imperial control in a region. Above these Dukes and Executors are the Governors who govern a so called Kingdom Sector. Above the Governors exist the Imperial College which is a set of ministers who manage the day to day running of the Empire, while at the very top sits the Emperor. Currently the Emperor of the Sihai Empire is Htai M'ing'ha'ku'see'c'ha, who is often also nicknamed Htai Mingcha, or the Hakusee or protector in the Sihai language. Htai Mingcha has ruled the Empire for over 30 years and, despite being only in his early 40’s, has proven to be a capable leader who defends the southern border well and sometimes even goes into battle himself.
 
===Culture===
Sihai Culture is extremely varied between the various Kingdoms, so it is hard to truly pin down a single cultural form or standard. The standard set out here-in is not an absolute, and should be seen more as a guideline than a strict set of rules in Sihai culture. Sihai food emphasizes elegant finger food with a strong reliance on presentation and freshness of produce. It can safely be said that, as long as one is not dealing with a criminal element, a Sihai will never present food that is not at its utmost quality and freshness, as to present unripe or expired food is seen as a heinous act of disrespect and callous disregard for one’s fellows in society. Sihai food is often made to be bite-ready, meaning it can simply be picked up and put in the mouth without any additional preparation, and is often brought together with five specific harmonious sauces meant for taste. These are the bitter-sweet, sweet-sour, sweet-spicy, bitter-salty, and spicy-sour sauces, of which the sweet-sour is particularly loved among the Sihai (and always finished first). Rice is a particular mainstay in Sihai cuisine. Steamed milk bread is often also eaten, and Sihai noodles are a great product that became an instant hit in Regalia. Sugary rice products are extremely popular among the Sihai, especially during festivals where See’cha is sold - a form of beaten rice cakes that are made less sticky on the outside due to a dusting of powdered sugar, colored with natural coloring spices, but retain their sweet and sticky rice-like flavor when eaten. Marshmallows, as they are called in Regalia, were also invented by the Sihai and popularized as some form of roast over a fire, something that became very popular among the younger generations of nobility. Tea is naturally also a product that hails from the Sihai lands, though it is not an exclusive product. Sihai tea tends to be more fruity than the traditional Altalar tea, which is more bitter in its nature, and the two frequently combat each other on the Regalian market for dominance, ebbing and flowing with the ever-fickle tastes of nobility. Sihai, despite being naturally terrible at holding their liquor (except for the Frivolous Sihai) have developed a number of world-famous sweet flavored liquors, as well as the infamous [[Frivolous Ale]], a special recipe of 44 ingredients that remain a mystery, but which always flows richly and is always popular at any foreign or domestic festivity.
[[File:SihaiScene.png|260px|thumb|right|The Sihai are a people who value natural landscapes and tranquility, but are not pacifists or easily trodden upon.]]
====Clothing and Recreation====
Sihai clothing is varied, but follows a number of core principles. Firstly, jewelry is seen as a form of unwanted vanity, so golden jewelry barely exists in Sihai society, especially because of their disdain for gold as a material. Instead, the Sihai have a strong history of facial make-up (even among the men), and thrive in creating beautifully elegant clothing. The fabric of a Sihai dress might be extravagant and colorful beyond words, but shaped in such a way to create an elegant shape that does not reveal much, nor cause too much movement when walking. Unlike Regalian fashion, Sihai fashion lacks embellishments such as frills, buttons or clasps and belts, using the fabric’s natural weight as well as folds and ties and knots to keep everything together. Decorations in the hair of women are often in the form of tassels and flowers, while men wear a simple headband or neckband. [[Jade]] earrings do exist, as well as Jade necklaces, but they are often only worn during special occasions (for IRL Sihai clothing reference, look up Ming Dynasty clothing). Clothing for the Sihai is never meant to be seductive or telling, but rather is meant to display one’s societal status, as well as one’s values, via the fabric embroidery and its display of symbols and patterns.
 
Sihai recreation is wide and varied, ranging from fishing to recreational pole climbing (attempting to climb a pole with just two rough shoes, a set of trousers and a cloth band), sports games and particularly Go, an abstract strategy board game for two players, commonly seen as the eastern version of Regalian chess. Sihai greatly appreciate recreation and love leaving the house to get it. Every Sihai society or community has some form of harmony garden in which there is a general understanding that no violence and trouble must besmirch the garden’s environment, so that everyone may come there and enjoy their free time in whatever manner they see fit. Such gardens frequently have vistas and seating areas where Sihai write or recite poetry, lecterns where they might philosophize, small seating areas in pavillions where women can be seen embroidering or men playing a game of Tsai’en’ka, a form of debating combat where the participants come up with increasingly more convoluted combat strategies and tactics to make-pretend war on a battlefield. Jogging is a practice that is also common among the simpler folk, while communal dancing is sometimes also done at the entrance square.
 
In the performance arts, the Sihai universally love Sihai opera. This includes the dramatic Lu-ra-ku opera, with its themes of death, love sickness, war and disaster, as well as the Lu-ra-ma opera, with its themes of comedy and healthy ridicule, as well as life lessons packaged in humor. The noteworthy point about these Sihai operas, however, is that they are almost universally performed as silent operas, where body language and emotive dancing is the key to conveying sentiments to an often very small crowd. As opposed to large theatres in Regalia, Sihai opera is done on a small stage either in private homes or in larger assembly rooms with crowds no larger than 20 or so. Crowds are frequently also enticed to respond vocally to the ongoing opera, wherein the opera actors prance around the stage wearing very dramatic looking masks and large colorful outfits.
 
====Sihai Festivals====
Sihai Festivals are performed during each Lunar Cycle as well as during the Emperor’s name-sake day, his coronation day, as well as several festivals to commemorate the lost and dead from the Southern Well. Sihai generally have some form of midnight celebration every month. Additionally, the Sihai have two major festival months that are observed in some form or another by every Sihai group, at home in the Sihai Empire and abroad. During one month of the year, the Sihai do not consume any food during the day and instead share large quantities of food with their neighbors and loved ones in extravagant feasts when the moon rises. This month is known as the C’en’te, in which the Sihai praise the Moon and its role as servant of the Loong in their grand design. This celebration carries over to Sihai dress and decoration - for the entire month of September, the Sihai wear nothing more than bright, elegant white robes, representing the white Loong Dragons, which are contrasted by brilliant and colorful masks resembling those worn in Sihai opera. They also decorate their houses and streets, draping them in sheets of billowing white silk and streamers with intricate designs.
 
The second major Sihai festival is celebrated from the first day of March through the vernal equinox (March 20). This festival, called Mieha-da, lauds the beauty of Sihai artistic and philosophical traditions and celebrates the relationships and hierarchy of the Sihai community. This month-long festival is filled with artistic celebrations of the Sihai Emperor and the imperial court, and large gatherings congregate in Sihai communities to create and display painted, carved or engraved works faithful to intricate Sihai artistic styles, and to engage heavily in communal activities like Tsai'en'ka debate or games of strategy like Go chess. Like C’en’te, Mieha-da also incorporates a heavy emphasis on food and decoration. Notably, there is a large focus on light, and the dozens and dozens of artistic lanterns hung throughout the street and in homes make Sihai districts sparkle.
 
====Artistic Beliefs====
Sihai art is often entirely Loong dominated, or has at least one physical or metaphorical representation of the Loong somewhere in it. Even Imperial portraits show a Loong as embroidery, or as a hat decoration, while still-life paintings of a pond may feature a Loong lurking in the reflection of the sky in the water, or a small Loong-like dragonfly sitting on one of the lilies in the pond. This has become an unspoken cultural rule in art, ranging from sculptures to woodcarving to painting; a Loong must always be present somehow and somewhere. Sihai Art is often described as simplistic in Regalian terms, but this is largely because of the Sihai value of beauty in simplicity - detail within the lines, not chaos in excess. The Sihai paint in such ways that most westerners cannot tell the characters apart from each other, while Sihai can recognize a world of difference. Sihai painted and fabric-embroidered panel screens are extremely popular in the Regalian Empire for their exoticism, while Sihai Silk embroidery is becoming ever more popular. Sihai Sculptures finally rarely ever showcase a real person. Among the Sihai, creating a sculpture of a person is said to bring them bad luck, as a reflection of themselves in another material might become a root cause of disharmony - after all, the world is not meant to perceive itself, and so it is a bad thing for Sihai to look directly upon themselves.
 
====Gender Roles and Marriage====
Sihai gender roles are practically invisible. Because their society is so fluid (as their members can seemingly change sub-race within short periods of time), most people end up being very gender blind. Women and men equally hold office in government institutions, and throughout history women have sat on the Loong throne just as frequently as men. However, women do tend to control most of the educational positions as well as intellectual offices, while men retain most of the bureaucratic and medicinal offices. These are some of the few sectors where Sihai see some gender preference. Sihai families are mostly monogamous, but it is not uncommon for a Sihai family to be polyamorous (a couple having a third spouse essentially), or for a man to have multiple different families, each operating separately. Unlike the rather adulterous nature of Regalians, however, this practice is socially acceptable in Sihai society and is only engaged in with the full consent of all individuals, including the children who are born after it is commenced. If a child at any point objects to a poly-marriage (as it is known in Sihai culture), the parents engage in a very insightful dialogue with the child. Sihai society is the only society that listens intently to its children and considers a child’s opinion to be just as valid as an adult’s when it concerns the sanctity of the home. Children are encouraged to experience all Lunar cycles early on, and are never pressured to choose the same as their parents. In return, children adore their parents and it is hard to find a broken home among the Sihai people. This love eventually translates to great veneration of elders, and care for elderly parents, with grandparents often living in the same house as their children and grandchildren.
 
Sihai, because of their flexible marriage understandings, have very loose views of same-sex marriage, or even interracial couples of the Sihai Dynasties. While the War Dynasty tend to be rather isolated from the rest and often prefer their own, Greater Dynasty in particular often choose partners that complement their personality, not just one of their own species. That being said, interracial relationships and even half breeds outside of the Sihai Dynasties is considered a great vulgarity among the Sihai. While there are Sihai outside of the Sihai Empire who adopt a much looser stance and might even indulge in having a relationship with for example an Ailor, strict Sihai doctrine dictates that all races created outside of the Sihai Empire are barbaric reflections of their own creation theory, and should as such not be interacted with on such a personal level. Half breeds are not allowed to enter the Sihai mainland, and any Sihai who has actively produced offspring is often shunned to the outer isles where foreigners are permitted.
 
====Social Conventions & Foreign Relations====
The Sihai are remarkably resistant to foreign missionaries or conversion. Because the divinity of their Loong Dragons has been shown to them in recorded history, they believe that they possess irrefutable evidence that their faith is the true faith. Abstract concepts of Unionism and Shambala are entirely incompatible with the Sihai mode of thinking, requiring some form of tangible evidence to accept something as true, or at least the very slightest measurement tool used to the effectiveness of a target’s divinity. It should therefore not surprise anyone that the Sihai put great emphasis on education. Indeed, the Sihai Empire is filled with great philosophical institutes that are far more advanced than the Regalian institutes. It is even believed by some tacticians in the Regalian Empire that the Sihai Empire’s combat strategies are far greater than what Regalian can muster, especially since their academies have existed for much longer, and their history for warfare is much older. As such, the western seaports of the Sihai Empire are a hotbed for espionage, not only Regalian, but also Altalar, Songaskian and [[Sendrassian]] agents move around trying to get any of the officials to share Eastern Knowledge.
 
Sihai greetings are far simpler than the more complicated Regalian greeting protocol, which is often also why the Sihai make mistakes with these protocols when trying to adapt to Regalian culture. The Sihai simply state “Lu’liang-ch’ing” which roughly translates to “Great deferential greetings to you from the Loong in the clouds”, but said in a single word. Physical contact between Sihai is strictly forbidden in public, and even in the house, those who are not intimate with one another never touch without the separation of a piece of cloth or handkerchief between two skin surfaces. This is also why women frequently have long sleeves, so that their hands are covered in a resting pose, allowing them to retain their modesty and reserved options. It is not so much that the Sihai are socially or emotionally repressed, it is simply that the extravagance of excessive emotional outbursts is seen as something barbaric and unclean, reminiscent of the War Dynasties excesses, but also behavior that leads to misunderstandings and misinterpretations. The Sihai remain a largely utilitarian race, that with the exception of the War Dynasties, relies on factual analysis to understand the world around them.
 
Sihai home decorations are one of the few things that are strictly dependent on the Dynasty in particular. For example, a Common Sihai will have a very structurally organized home with harmonious placing of the furniture according to the principles of the heavenly format. They prefer clean and geometric positioning of decorations, which are often very minimalistic, or extremely seasonal. For example, every Sihai house tends to have an alcove or some sort of wall hole of sorts that features a display representing the goodwill of the household. For the Common Sihai this is a wall scroll with incense, for the War Dynasty this is a weapon rack or a shield with banner, for the Frivolous Sihai this is a liquor cabinet, for the Greater Dynasty this is a rack of scrolls and scriptures, while for the New Dynasty, this can be any collection of great memorabilia of past events and cherished memories. War Dynasties in general feature more exaggerated features in their house, furniture with spiked decorations and lots of usage of the color red. The Frivolous Sihai are messy, often in direct opposition of the Common Sihai, while the Greater Sihai love the presence of floral display. The art of floral decoration, to speak a story or teach a life lesson through floral arrangements is a huge past-time activity for many Sihai, and the reason why in Regalia itself, the Sihai are the largest flowers and greenery buyers, even outshining the [[Yanar]] who are numerically in larger number.
 
==Religion==
Sihai Faith is surprisingly simple to express, despite likely being the oldest and nearly most-practiced faith in the world. It has remained largely unchanged for all time. At the very core exists the divine beings, the Loong Dragons. Loong Dragons appear as white snake-like Dragons without wings that glide and swim through the clouds as if in water with a great level of elegance and poise. The saying goes that the Loong Dragons created all life among the Sihai, and this can in large parts be said to be true, because the creation of the Lunar cycles has been directly witnessed by the Sihai people. The Loong exist in a cyclical manner for the Sihai, slumbering for centuries on end and only awakening whenever the Sihai people are in dire need. Why these Loong Dragons appear so sloth in comparison to other Dragons that once existed in the west is unknown, but some Regalian scholars have speculated that the Loong Dragons use a form of Magic that has since largely died out in the world, and that after performing their form of Magic that was once abundant they need long periods of rest to ensure they do not become strained.
 
The Sihai, however, believe that this is because the Loong are their creator-deities and do not take an active role in stewarding the daily lives of the people. Throughout history, great prophets have had the blessings of personal contact with the Dragons, but by and large, the Dragons do not acknowledge individuals and rather address the needs of the Sihai people as a whole when the time is right. As such, it should also not come as a surprise that the Sihai don’t engage in active prayer or worship of the Loong - rather, their faith is more praise than worship. The Sihai give thanks and offerings in the names of the Loong to thank them for creation, not to continue asking for their personal blessings. Most Sihai are not so naive as to believe that a Loong would ever care for the woes of a single Sihai, and that the Sihai were instead equipped with the means to use the Lunar Cycles to solve their own problems.
 
That said, the Loong continue to have a strong presence in Sihai symbolic culture, being present on things like clothing embroidery, paintings, architectural embellishments, song, dance, and even physical papier mache representations during festivals. A Sihai home is not complete without at least one Jade or [[Bronze]] altar of a Loong, often perched in a snake-like manner, with a few candles and incense nearby to give votive offerings. A Sihai will evoke verbal praise of the Loong when appropriate; however, unlike most other faiths, it is actually permitted for one to be critical of the Loong for their decisions - this act is not entirely heretical, though most refrain out of respect. The Sihai have a priestly caste that performs communal worship, usually to a larger statue representing the Loong, but this priestly caste has very little political or even social power in Sihai society - they are mostly delegated to roles that care for the dying, perform ritualistic blessings for births, act as mentors during ties of family tragedy, and as spiritual guides for those in want of one.
 
==Economy==
The Sihai Empire’s economy is vast and woefully incompatible with western economies. The Sihai coin is made of Jade, as opposed to the western [[Regal]], as [[Gold]] has very little value in Sihai society. Gold is considered a vulgar material that reflects too much - reflections, and especially mirrors, are seen as bad fortune among the Sihai because the world is not meant to be reflected and is only meant to exist unseen by itself. That said, the Sihai do use a faux-Gold material called [[Kai’tsen’ur]], which is an alloy containing a number of materials including Gold, resulting in a much more matte gold without reflections. The Sihai do not have an organized economic system like the Regalians do, largely functioning on a local barter system, but do have a very extensive tax system that would put the [[Regalian Bureaucracy]] to shame in terms of its effectiveness and number management. Vast sums of trade do transfer between the Sihai and the Regalians, but the Sihai import scientific knowledge and earth metals while the Regalians import Sihai art, spices and Jade. Trade occurs via small coastal island ports which are declared free-trade zones in which non Sihai may move about, though they must always refrain from entering the mainland or face summary execution. Only a single group of non-Sihai was ever allowed to enter the eastern lands, when Emperor [[Cedromar I]] led a small [[Unionist]] Holy War against the Dark Sihai in assistance of the Htai Emperor, a venture to improve relations and ensure the Sihai would not side with the Songaskians in the geo-political conflict in the west. This venture turned out to be a military failure, with less than 30% of the force returning, but it did improve relations between the Regalian and Sihai Empires, and brought back bales upon bales of rare materials and artefacts that gave the Regalian public a desire for exotic eastern goods. This is a phenomenon that is best described by the term Eastern Craze, something Sihai merchants quickly made use of, explaining the large presence of Sihai merchants in the Regalian capital. 
 
==Combat and Warfare==
The Sihai military is largely still controlled by the War Dynasty Sihai, though the New Dynasty Sihai have recently also started advancing in the ranks. Common Dynasty Sihai have become more popular after the introduction of cannons, stolen or adopted from the Regalian supply trains as they moved through Sihai lands during the military expedition. The Sihai military functions identically to the Regalian Empire’s, with standing armies based on state taxation bearing armor and weapons sourced from government-approved vendors. Ranks delineate a strict hierarchy which also enforces an equally-strict code of conduct and martial law. Outside of the rigid army structure, War Dynasty Sihai love exploring their own martial skills, and especially the New Dynasty Sihai love seeing the world beyond the Sihai Empire, and would not be uncommonly seen even in Regalian employ as mercenaries who are trying to explore the world.
 
====Eastern Blades====
The Sihai have a unique weapon type that is produced in the Sihai Empire but rarely exported. It is extremely unusual for a non-Sihai to have any Proficiency in the Eastern Blades Skill; not because it is impossible to learn, but simply because of the earlier-mentioned disdain the Sihai hold towards working closely with foreign barbarians - in particular, the War Dynasty Sihai closely guard the secrets to their weapons. The Eastern Blades can best be described as a longsword with a smaller off-hand grip - the main longsword bears a curved single-edged blade with a usually circular guard and a long grip to allow for two-handed wielding. The smaller weapon features a similar design, but is much smaller, sometimes even half the size of the longsword. As opposed to the western technique of wielding the longsword in one hand and the arming sword in another, eastern combat techniques dictate that the longsword should be wielded with both hands, while the smaller remains in its hilt on the hip-belt, allowing the wielder to strike out when the longsword is caught in a fixed position, or to suddenly change up the technique to surprise the opponent. Eastern blades are sometimes also found in antique stores sold as curiosity items, as their design is completely alien to western warriors. That being said, even swords which have been made hundreds of years ago retain their sharpness due to the expert forging of the Sihai master swordsmiths. Aside from these weapon curiosities however, the Sihai don’t have much military equipment that differs from that of the west. They are able to adapt to other weapons and fighting techniques quite well (especially the War Dynasty Sihai), and make very little use of shields or bows, preferring hook-spears, spears or cavalry.


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*Music is an incredibly contentious topic in Sihai society. Most of those serving in the Mandated Bureaucracy believe it to be a distraction and frequently introduce legislation against it. However, the Frivolous Sihai loathe not hearing some form of music daily, and the War Dynasty insist on combastic drums during their martial activities.  
* The Sihai have vehicles that travel across the petrified Jade Sea beyond the Jade Wall, but an often less discussed topic is Sihai airships. They do in fact have airships powered by Jadetech and other Primal Magics, and these airships put Regalian airships to shame with their enormous colossus-size length, though they move extremely slowly.
*Sihai architecture can look very foreign to Regalians with their large wind-screen covered windows and sometimes even round windows and doors. There is actually a street ordinance in Regalia that bans these round windows and doors, as some nobles have reported fainting at the sight of them.
* Most Sihai houses have a decorative Jade guardian at the front door, even in Regalia. Though, for the houses in Regalia, Sihai are not permitted extensive weaponry in inside their homes, so these guardian statues are often no bigger than an adult’s forearm, and have very limited mobility.  
*Regalians frequently ridicule Sihai as being interracial breeders, but Sihai are actually very reserved. Intimacy in marriage is not something that is done with terrible frequency, and most Sihai will become uncomfortable with the subject of intercourse when it is spoken about.  
* A [[Cearden]] Ailor businessman has taken the Sihai name of Liliao (a birth-name, curiously), and begun an aggressive marketing campaign for a brand of vanilla ice cream in the outer Dexai islands which has met with stunning success.


{{Races}}
{{Peoples}}
{{Accreditation
{{Accreditation
|Artists = MonMarty, Unbaed
|Artists = MonMarty
|Writers = MonMarty
|Writers = MonMarty, OkaDoka
|Processors = HydraLana, apath, Dosier
|Processors = FireFan96
}}
}}
 
[[category:Heritages]] [[Category:Human]]
[[category:Races]] [[category:Human Races]]

Latest revision as of 21:37, 28 September 2024

Sihai
Race
PronunciationSeehai
ClassificationHuman
Common Nicknames
  • Dreamers (Derogatory)
  • Stargazers (Praising)
  • Colossuskillers (Praising)
LanguagesWai-lan
Naming CustomsSee Language section
Racial Traits
DistinctionsAn Eastern Human race of loyal Dragon-worshipers who uphold their principles to the bitter end.
Maximum Age250
Eye ColorsVarying per Kingdom
Hair ColorsVarying per Kingdom
Skin TonesVarying per Kingdom

To be Sihai is to know reason and calm, to uphold proper custom even when the world has gone mad, and to follow the word of the protector Loong, Dragons caught in slumber. They reward the special attention and protection the Loong give them with a rigid belief in their lessons, and wherever they go, hold to them with a stiff-backed resilience that would put the most stubborn Dwarf to shame. The Sihai adventure, trade, and lend aid to like-minded people, as staunch allies who can be counted on to keep their word at even the most difficult hour. Since the throne of their Sheng Emperor went quiet, they have begun to plot an increasingly unpredictable and open destiny for themselves, rising to the world stage for the first time in millennia and aspiring to make themselves known in far-away lands. One thing will always be certain: as long as the Dragons draw breath and the Demons can be cast from the walls, the Sihai will fight on.

Many Sihai have intricate dragon-style tattoos, even among priests, especially among the warrior monks.
Sihai gardens are palaces of tranquility and peace, and in particular high demand in Regalia.
The Sihai use the starry night sky and dragons as frequent motifs for practically anything they make.

Core Identity

The Zhong Kingdoms

All playable Sihai are from the Zhong Kingdoms. While their homeland lies in the Sheng Empire, to which the Kingdoms owe nominal allegiance, communications slowly broke down before collapsing around 100 years ago. The Emperor’s black legions retreated, and the requests for tribute stopped, although the unmanned gold ships are still sent out of respect: only to be left untouched on the shore. Most Sihai understand that something has gone terribly wrong, but the Kingdoms’ governments presently still forbid sailing east to investigate, although this may change in the future. Each of the Zhong Kingdoms has its own characteristics and local sensibilities, although they are all part of the overarching Sihai culture.

Beian

The northern Beian Kingdom is set amidst frosty mountains reminiscent of Ellador, and is home to the many monasteries of the Sihai, including the Great Temples where the Loong sleep. Under its white flag are the Sihai’s finest Primal Mages, Loong Priests, and healers. Beian Sihai are lithe and limber, and hold the Dragon Beishén as their patron. They are stereotyped as calm and soothing, attuned to a meditative mountain life of simple, honest work. The other Sihai see them as more selfless. The Beian Lunar Spirit is the Crane.

Heiyan

The western Heiyan Kingdom is geographically the largest, and commands the largest population. Its climate is just as diverse, ranging from open steppe to sprawling deserts. Under its green flag are the Sihai’s main body of engineers, craftsmen, and builders. Heiyan Sihai are tall, and hold the Dragon Ao-Jin as their patron. They are stereotyped as proud and boisterous, loving the spotlight, and making sure everyone sees their skill (just as much as they love helping others shine). The other Sihai see them as ambitious glory-hounds. The Hei-Yan Lunar Spirit is the Qilin, an elegant deer with a single horn.

Jin-Lung

The eastern Jin-Lung Kingdom is calm and fertile, home to lazy river valleys and an abundant rice crop. Under its yellow flag are the famous Sihai crossbowmen, as well as many gardeners, farmers, and other workers of the land. Jin-Lung Sihai are visually diverse, and hold the Dragon Nishiliu as their patron. They are stereotyped as resourceful and dedicated, always solving problems, and always landing on their feet. The other Sihai call them ‘slippery’, not as an insult, but as praise for how quickly they find optimism. The Jin-Lung Lunar Spirit is the Peacock.

Huo-Chang

The southern Huo-Chang Kingdom is blasted and volcanic, a land which though rich in ore, yields little of value. Under its red flag march the hunters, strategists, smiths and swordsmen, the martial arm of the mostly peaceful Sihai people. Huo-Chang Sihai are broad and rough, and hold the Dragon Liu-Xing as their patron. They are stereotyped as reserved and stoic. The Huo-Chang Lunar Spirit is the Lá Wolf (IRL Tibetan Wolf), a loyal volcanic pack-hunter.

Dexai

The far western Dexai Republic sits atop a small island, the sole gate through the Jade Wall through which Westerners may enter. Under its blue flag are high artists, entertainers, merchants, and navigators, the pioneers of airships and trade-houses. Dexai was only settled heavily within the past 300 years, and so Dexai Sihai are a relatively new culture. The Dragon Xin-Shidai is their patron. They are stereotyped as gregarious people-pleasers who talk to anyone, and dress and act more western. Most Sihai in foreign lands are from Dexai. The Dexai Lunar Spirit is the Red Panda.

Dragons

The Loong, or White Sky Dragons, have dwelt among the Sihai since the beginning. They have chosen champions and emissaries from among them, lent them ancient knowledge, and encouraged them to progress and prosper at every turn. Although the Loong never demanded worship, their protection of the mortal Sihai, unique among Dragons, has earned them their undying loyalty and adoration. The Sihai can point to many times in history where the Loong have saved them from calamity, or guarded them like their own children. Thus, when the Loong send commands through the winding turns of dreams, they are quick to obey. No people is so loyal to Draconic thought as the Sihai are to the Loong, a fact only reinforced by their physical presence. Even as they slumber, their Great Temples remain open to religious pilgrims, and the works of the Dragons are all around them. This is further discussed in the Religion section.

Akula

When the Cataclysm was over in the west, massive amounts of Void Essence traveled east and started forming the Akula, massive Void infested beasts and monsters as tall as the towers of the Imperial Palace of Regalia that would rise out of the ocean and march on Dexai with the intent to destroy the Sihai lands. The Loong Dragons performed the Great Protection Ritual, which froze the seas around the Sihai lands into solid Jade, thus also creating the Jade Wall. By their final instructions before they entered their slumber, they instructed the Sihai to man the walls, and so the Sihai did. Ever since, every 5 years or so, waves of Akula besiege the Jade Wall, and the Sihai stand to defend, each Zhong Kingdom plus Dexai and the Sheng Empire sending their own specialized legions. After two hundred years, the Sheng Empire suddenly pulled back their Black Imperial Legions, and has not been heard from since, though the other Sihai nations still hold firm. The Jade Wall has not yet been broken, and Dexai still stands, however the ocean approach between the West and the Sihai lands remains dangerous, as Akula roam the area regardless of attacks on the Jade Wall. This ocean would later be called the Void Divide, stretching between Farahdeen and the East, requiring Celestial Navigators from the Sihai lands to safely cross and avoid the Akula hotspots. Combating, or sending supplies to combat the Akula is a major societal topic, even for Sihai in Regalia who routinely send supplies and aid home to help in the struggle. Equally, the Akula represent a business opportunity, as their flesh can be purified and is considered a dangerous delicacy, and their bodies produce a great deal of useful Alchemy ingredients.

Design

Mental Characteristics

Sihai culture encourages politeness, cordiality, and a sense of respect towards all people. No disagreement, to the Sihai, is so severe as to break the peace over it. There will always be another day, another perspective, and another opportunity to handle the issue. For the most part, the Sihai are peaceful and very reserved, preferring to keep the goings-on of their lives to themselves. In a reflection of how their Kingdoms have mostly closed themselves off from the world, so too are most Sihai loath to let outsiders into the realm of their personal business, and go it alone on many things where a little bit of help could go a long way. This, their sense of personal pride and self-sufficiency, is both an asset which helps them stay strong through dark times, and a common personality flaw that can make gaining their trust infuriatingly difficult. In general, the Sihai dislike verbosity and flattery, believing them to be tools for con-artists, but have an appreciation for artfully wording things, in a way which can communicate a point with special beauty or personal understanding. Sihai gentleness should not be taken as an invitation to be pushy: Sihai keep many invisible lines in the sand, and a moment of overstepping boundaries can quickly ruin a carefully built friendship.

Physical Characteristics

The Sihai take from IRL East-Asian references. It is thus possible to confuse them with Asian-coded Ailor. In body shape, they occupy the same range as Ailor, but mostly shave their facial hair off unless they are from Huo-Chang. Sihai eye colors include jade greens and different dark shades of brown, but never gray or light brown. Their hair is almost universally black or dark brown, but there is some natural auburn among Sihai from specifically Jin-Lung. Skin tones cover the same range as Ailor, from the most common fair colors to more warm olive and brown, to sometimes even as dark as the Songaskians - who the Sihai also age at the same pace as, living longer than Ailor (up to 250 years.)

Lunar Shift

The Sihai possess so-called Lunar Shifts, the ability to take on animalistic traits in symbolism to certain patron animals of the different Kingdoms. These can manifest as Transformations either partly on specific body parts (such as only the arms or only the head), or wholly as anthropomorphic humanoid. While a wider range is allowed, the main ones include the Qilin, Red-Crowned Crane, Tibetan Wolf, and Crow. Lunar Shifts do not count as disguises, even if the Sihai in question would change so much as to become physically unrecognizable. A Shifted Sihai can never be confused for an Asha or any other similar Race, even if they can sometimes resemble them.

Sihai in Regalia

Sihai in Regalia are equally extremely integrated, and extremely segregated. There are Sihai populations of merchants or their descendants who have long accustomed themselves to Regalia and essentially live like Ailor, and then there are Sihai who are fresh off the boat from the far east, and have no clue where they landed. The State expects to be able to communicate and cooperate well with new Sihai citizens, but the reality is that things in Regalia are often so alien to the Sihai that a lot is lost in translation, and problems arise. Sihai who are new to Regalia often seek out Sihai who are already familiar, which is risky, as many of the more Regalia-inclined Sihai have gotten well connected with the Regalian criminal underworld, and may not have the best intentions. While Sihai can exist without any discrimination, there is always a level of distance between the Sihai and what happens around them. They are often in the middle of events, but end up feeling like spectators behind a large window, always involved but never quite invested.

Heritage Traits

When designing a Character, Proficiency Points allow for a limited Ability selection with Point Buy Packs. Heritage Traits adds free Packs and Mechanics on top of that to help with cultural themes. Free Packs grant Abilities usually, while Mechanics change the way a character functions in Roleplay through subtle, and usually out of Combat ways. In essence, Mechanics just add aesthetic flair that invest in the niche of each culture. Free Packs never raise Proficiency Points, but the character must be able to purchase them normally. (ex. if a character is a certain Affinity that locks them out of a category, they cannot take that specific free pack and must choose the alternative option.) If a Free Pack grants Magic of some type, that Magic can be of any Alignment the character can normally choose, or limited to a select alignment, which will always be written in the Free Pack description.

Mixed Heritage characters (i.e. characters born from two parents of different Cultures) may take one parent's 'Free Packs' and mix and match up to 5 Mechanics from both parents, although some Peoples cannot produce Mixed Heritage children (due to Magical/Fantasy reasons).

Free Packs

Mechanics

  • Sihai can telekinetically move, reshape, recolor, and restructure Jade with their mind. They can also turn any crystal-like substance or noble metal into Jade.
  • Sihai can read the position of the stars anywhere telepathically, allowing them to know exactly where in the world they are at any time, even during daylight.
  • Sihai can enter a trance-sleep, enveloping themselves in a hard shell of jade in a tranquil state, unable to be acted upon or to act, only freed with the touch of a friend.
  • Sihai may receive calamity visions during pivotal choice moments in Staff Events (Private Message to DM to discuss opportunities) that may warn from bad decisions.
  • Sihai weapons, when channeled with the powers of the Loong Dragons (out of Combat only) can cut through any material, including objects, doors, gates, but not solid walls.

Language

The Sihai speak a short-worded, tonal language called Wai-lan. Most have little accent in Common, but sometimes notes can linger. Wai-lan is based on Tang-era Middle Chinese, but modern standard (Putonghua/Mandarin) Chinese can be used for ease of translation. Some Wai-lan dialects can be represented by the pronunciation of Chinese loanwords in early Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese, but Chinese is most accurate. Wai-lan is written in real-world Chinese characters. Writing can be either vertical, read from top to bottom with columns going from right to left, or horizontal, written left to right.

Naming Customs

Generally speaking the provincial distribution of Sihai naming and culture goes like this, despite the province names all being in Wai-lan:

  • Dexai is more Overseas (Malay/Singaporean/Indonesian) Chinese inspired.
  • Huo-Chang is more Japanese inspired.
  • Hei-yan is more Korean inspired.
  • Beian is more Northern Chinese or Tibetan inspired.
  • Jin-Lung is more Southern Chinese inspired.

But, generally speaking, a Sihai can belong to any cultural inspiration and be from any province. The Wai-lan language and Sihai court culture come from many millennia of Sheng rule which has largely displaced the customs of the native people who were there before the Sheng colonists, but never quite effaced everything, including languages and names. Only Wai-lan is listed mechanically and described solely because it would be difficult to coordinate having eight different incommunicable Sihai languages, but they exist, and players are free to discuss and improvise.

Clan Names

Sihai family names usually come from the list of the dominant 100 Han Chinese family names, but can come from other applicable languages (see top of section) as well, though you should not mix and match. Unlike in other Cultures, where family is often unchangeable, Sihai are quick to merge families and adopt longtime friends as brothers. Sihai can also be expelled from families or choose to leave them if they do not see eye to eye, picking a new last name and separating.

Religion

The Sihai are almost universally followers of Draconism, believing from their point of view that they have a particularly good and special relationship with the Green Dragons under Severena. It is a matter of Sihai oral tradition that the first Sheng Emperor made a deal with the Dragons that is scarcely understood or even remembered in the modern day, but that whatever it is he promised, the Green Dragons have stuck around for the Sihai ever since and would do anything for them, seeing them as their children, and keeping the Sheng Emperor's line of descent as their head priests, or 'Matrons' from the wider Draconic point of view. Uniquely among Draconists, they also take the time to acknowledge and worship the lesser Dragons of Severena's clade, who they see as Gods in their own right. Even though they are more like siblings, each one is seen as a son of Severena, with all of them being male.

  • Severena's Sihai name is Saaima. Her worship is explained on the Draconism page proper.
  • The first-born is Nishiliu the Pathfinder, who is a patron of craftsmen and those who create with their hands.
  • The second-born is Beishen the Allseer, who used to speak to Sihai in their dreams, and is now uniquely among Green Dragons awake and out in the world.
  • The third-born is Liu-Xing the Skyfury, who is the patron of the Sihai warrior monks and soldiers in the field.
  • The fourth-born is Ao-Jin the Futureteller, who is the weaver of fated thread and especially romantic relationships.
  • The fifth-born is Xin-Shidai the Welcomer, who is the patron of tradesmen, journeymen, and those who give hospitality.
  • The sixth-born is Ao-Shun the Princeling, who is the patron of the Sheng Monarchy and autocracy and noblemen, missing since the Emperor's silence.
  • The seventh-born is Lüra the Loyalist, who is the patron of honor and duty and service, also missing since the Emperor's silence.

The Sihai also have a large, coordinated priesthood of monks. Called River Guards, they populate the temples which dot the Sihai lands, and are stereotyped as being stoic, meditative warriors. Some of them are Mundane, while others are Aegis type Archon, based on specialization. Seeing River Guards in the West is rarer than in Sihai lands, but recent years have seen their numbers abroad swell quite a bit. Squadrons have been dispatched in the past by both Temple authorities and the Dragons themselves (through dreams) to help western Dragon Worshipers find their footing and protect the religion. Even though a Western posting is seen as less prestigious by the River Guards, it is no mark of shame to serve abroad.

Families

Sihai families reside under a so-called Patrimonial Estate (or in rare cases, a Matrimonial Estate), where a single family ruler is the lord and master of the household. This is usually the oldest male person alive in the family (and in rare cases, the oldest woman), though it is also possible for an older person to forgo the position to a younger generation and retire in the final few years of their lives. Sihai family leaders have complete authority, and as such, families can sometimes live under a fairly tyrannical authority that dictates who marries who, who lives where, and what purpose children will have in life. It is unthinkable to defy the will of one’s family elder(s) and high respect and obedience to parental figures is a cultural cornerstone. Houses are usually multi generational, and cousins may often live in the same house together, but have very strict separation rules. It is fairly uncommon for example for cousins to play together, unless the parents specifically gave permission beforehand, even if they live in the same house and are merely a hallway apart from one another. In general, Sihai homes are very quiet and tranquil places: the loud noises of running around and screaming are not permitted.

Childhood

Sihai children live a disciplined life where strong expectations are dictated by parents, though that is not to say parents cannot be kind or caring to children in need. Sihai parents show some leeway for a child to adapt, but have the policy that if a child will eventually need to learn to swim by itself. Banishment of children who have failed to live up to parental expectations in teenage years are not unheard of, and without fail, most of these orphaned teenagers end up conscripted in the military or religious services. On the flip side, Sihai society does have an extremely active adoption service for children, teenagers, and even adults. Sihai Orphanages have extensive bureaucratic procedures, and a child who has lost their parents due to the Jade Wall would never be parentless for more than six months. Child services provided by the Zhong Kingdoms are also excellent, making sure that every child has a disciplined and caring parent. Adult adoption also occurs to a degree, but only when moving up in the world. For example, it is not possible for a peasant to adopt another peasant, however a noble may adopt a peasant to promote them into the world. It is even permitted for Sihai parents to adopt lower social ranks and make them their heirs, and for all intents and purposes, those adopted adult heirs are seen as full-blood relatives, including any offspring they produce. This occurs fairly commonly in noble families where the expectation of performance on the children is so severe that they often fail to meet them, resulting in their parents passing them over for more competent Sihai from the lower classes who show talents in need.

Adulthood

Sihai adulthood is primarily dictated by profession and field of service. Once someone has dedicated themselves to either a path within the bureaucracy or the military, it is very common to serve for life. This is because the power one holds within Sihai organizations is traditionally dictated by seniority, with leadership always composed of older men, and thus it is always advantageous to stay around longer where one has already committed instead of flipping around between roles. However, many ways of life leave much room for hobby work and other alternate interests, something especially visible in the great Sihai cities, where craftsman’s fairs draw people together in the most unexpected ways. It is not unusual to learn, for example, that a dour-looking soldier traditionally posted by the West Gate is also an avid writer of romantic fiction, nor any other combination of unrelated jobs and interests. While strong familial ties remain during adulthood, and regular communication with parents is expected, it is generally the case that Sihai move away from their childhood home to pursue work in their adult lives, and take up a pursuit entirely different from the one their family traditionally does.

Romance & Gender Norms

Sihai Romance is very rigid. They are strictly monogamous: adultery or even being flirtatious outside of wedlock is considered a grave betrayal, and has severe legal repercussions. Even in Dexai, a serial adulterer can be put to death for unfaithfulness, and in general, betraying or disgracing the family name is one of the greatest cultural errors one can commit. Polygamy is non-existent among the Sihai, and romantic relations usually rely on the male to make the first step and lead on the relationship while the female is expected to be passive. Same-sex relations do occur in Sihai society, and technically the Sihai are completely fine with them existing. However, because of the expectation of child-bearing for future generations, there can be an implicit homophobia in parents, because same-sex relations are often not very fruitful in producing offspring. Sihai gender norms are equally rigid. The Sihai do have masculine and feminine roles and are relatively patriarchal. Masculinity is generally seen as more 'responsible' and 'worthy' overall due to this patriarchal structure, leading to some romanticization of masculine women and women who live as men. It follows that certain roles, including the military, the priesthood, and undertaking, free the individual from gender expectations. A priest is a priest, not a woman: treated only according to station, even by the most socially conservative, because Sihai social conservatism comes primarily from obedience to station in hierarchy.

Politics

At the very top of Sihai society is the Sheng Emperor, who ruled from the Sheng Empire, the land where none may enter. Technically, the Zhong Kingdoms take all orders from the Sheng Emperor, however the Sheng Emperor has been silent for nearly a century, and as such, the second highest authority of the Zhong Kingdoms has taken over day to day instructions to the people, that being the Zhong Kings who are united in the Zhong Kings’ Council. Each Zhong Kingdom is represented by their King, while Dexai sends its President as Dexai functions more like a Republic. These all vote unanimously on changes, though as they are all inherently in favor of the Status Quo, barely any votes pass, and barely anything gets proposed. Below the Council are the Great Families, who engage in a lot more infighting than the Kings who are relatively peaceful. The Great Families often act as governors of regions or are just very wealthy magistrates or entrepreneurs, frequently with their own private army. They fight over big things like control of towns and resources, but may also fight over small things like a spilled tea cup or a finely woven silk dress. On an equivalent level to the Great Families are the Temples, which exercise their own authority from their high perches, and are not afraid of baring their teeth and sending out the warrior monks to defend themselves when challenged. Peasants who live in the authority of the Temples usually have a better life than the ones living under the governors, but there is a great deal of regional variance, because not all Great Families are obsessed with power and control, many of them wish to simply faithfully and loyally serve their King, and are seen as very competent administrators. Relations with the west are very complicated. The Sihai do acknowledge some level of need for western items. For example, Regalia produces far better telescopes and magnification glass than the Sihai do, and Regalian cartographical tools are far superior. Inversely, there is a very high demand for Sihai silks in the west, along with spices and even art. There is extremely minimal trade with the west, only allowed to pass through Dexai, and only under the strictest supervision, with every shipment being triple checked for any residual magic and the Sihai merchants frequently trying to under-provide or over-charge western merchants.

Cultural Additions

Image Description

Gamiun, or Miun, are the heraldic sigils of Sihai collectives, Clans, Families, or Great Families. These sigils are used on a variety of things from door-knobs, hilts of weapons, print on silks, stamped on napkin rings, engraved on cabinet doors, etc. A Gamiun is essentially a stamp of ownership on an item belonging to a specific group of people, but also a symbol of pride worn by the individual to represent their collective. Distinguished individuals (nobles, ambassadors, government officials) often also possess their own personal sigils, which they use to sign documents alongside or in the place of a written signature. These personalized sigils are often very similar to their main collective sigil, with only minor alterations. Gamiun are often stylized in a way that is supposed to figuratively represent something about the bearer or their organization, and many take great pride in what the narrow intricacies of their personal design say about them. Gamiun are used across all Sihai subcultures, with preferences ranging from organic shapes, weapons, flowers, and depictions of the Stances and Dragons, to geometric shapes and weaving patterns.

Kiiyo or Miàn are the symbolic war paint of the Sihai. A Kiiyo is unique to each Sihai, as to the Sihai, a Kiiyo isn’t just a sign of “I am going to battle”, but rather “watch me as I die”. They are applied with the expectation that the warrior will not return from battle, and that their Kiiyo is their death mask that they will be buried or displayed with. Kiiyo change very little as a Sihai ages, and are applied shortly before battle either by friends or family or the Sihai themselves. It is a very solemn occasion, sometimes in complete silence, and sometimes with melancholic singing by the applicant while the warrior mentally prepares for battle. A Kiiyo can have many colors, and sometimes colors are chosen to reflect the descent of the Sihai from the Zhong Kingdoms, though white masks are just as common. The masks are inherently meant to invoke a sense of sadness, rage, or intimidate opponents. Kiiyo should not just be shown for fun, and never worn to public festivities unless they are specifically demanded for a cultural occasion, because while wearing one, the Sihai signifies they are ready to die, which is not a decision made lightly. They are extremely personal, and it may take quite some time for a Sihai to trust a person enough to show them such a personal aspect about themselves, as it is equivalent to showing someone one’s personal diary, or burial tomb in the West. After a victorious battle, and if still alive, the Sihai will ritually clean their face with spring water and a linen towel, after which the linen towel is burned or de-threaded and re-woven into a lantern which can be released into the night sky to symbolize letting go of their feelings. Some warriors of the Sihai have facial tattoos, but Kiiyo is used regardless.

Sihai common clothing is simple yet refined. The waist is set high for both sexes, with the chest piece usually being white, but other pieces being of vibrant colors. Women wear a large colorful ribbon on the back of their dress that is folded twice over itself and left to hang. Men wear two smaller ribbons in the front that tuck underneath their high waist belt. For both sexes, the clothing is usually very puffy, comfortable, and covering, with high collars and barely any skin visible. Women's clothing usually has some form of flower, animal, or plant embroidery or pattern dyed into the fabric, while men's clothing may have dragon claws or scales as patterns on the fabric. A Gamiun is always visible on the waist and chest bindings, which are the ends of the fabric holding the whole ensemble together. Finally, men usually have a flap of fabric in the back that is longer than the skirt in the front, though it never touches the ground.

Sihai wealthy clothing is often compared in opulence with Altalar clothing, and it certainly has similarities with Ithanian style also. Both men and women have wide flowing and voluminous fabrics that gently float in the wind as they move around. Women have large gold-plated decorations, usually in the shapes of leaves and lilies. They have a large flap of fabric in the front that usually has their Gamiun on it, while their long dress has patterns of clouds or waves on it. They wear a large wig which usually leans more to volume and height on one side over the other, decorated with silk flowers and golden dragon scales and hair pins. Men on the other hand have a tightly woven wool chest covering, with sleeves covered in dragon scale stitchings, and a similar but smaller dress with cloud patterns on it. Men’s sleeves are usually long (often appearing too long), so as to allow them to perform actions with their hands without revealing their fingers, or to use their sleeves as handkerchiefs to avoid touching the skin of others.

Sihai military clothing can both be functional and ceremonial. Sihai armor is often seen as strange by the west because it makes use of a lot of symbolic shapes that most western warriors consider inconvenient in adrenaline fueled combat. This however underestimates the Sihai tactics of slow and meticulous warfare, where their heavier armor usually protects them from extended skirmish phases. Both men and women have tightly forged lamellar dragon-scale armor, and gloves with claws affixed. Women usually have decorative white feathers, while men have larger hardened leather spikes. Despite its bulky appearance, Sihai armor is actually quite light, as they favor many layers of lighter materials over single layers of steel armor. Padded leather and tightly stitched cotton are common, while the helmets always have Loong horns on them, a two pronged horn for men and a single horn for women.

History

The history of the Sihai is long and old: it goes back millennia, to before the fall of the Meraic Civilization. Their original homeland, the Sheng Empire, was formed from a peaceful union of families under the Zhuyin Dynasty—guided personally by the Sihai gods, the Dragons. Though it had contact with foreigners, first the Meraic and after them the Altalar, it established quickly that the rest of the world was tainted. This had to do with the Demonic invasion that destroyed the Meraic, and the Magic the Altalar use in every part of life—the Dragon-worshiping sensibility of the Sihai leading them to see this as evil, and corruption. Centuries after first contact with the Altalar, the Sheng Sihai colonized continents west of their landmass, giving rise to the Zhong, or Middle, Kingdoms. At first just forts meant to bar the road east, these Kingdoms quickly became both heavily populated, and autonomous. They are five in number: Beian to the north, Heiyan to the west, Jin-Lung to the east, Huo-Chang to the south, and the west-most island of Dexai. Although they fought many wars between themselves, none ever ended conclusively.

There was always a distinction between the Sheng mainland and the Zhong colonies. While they were considered one Sihai people (ignoring largely the people already living there who the Sihai assimilated, their languages eventually reduced to dialects of Wai-lan), the Zhong states were always treated as somewhat lesser with their citizens "not allowed to step their feet onto the soil of the Emperor's Domain on pain of death", even as hundreds of years passed and they developed gargantuan cities and centers of learning of their own, with even most of the Dragons moving west to dwell there rather than remain in the Sheng lands. It is important to remember always that the Sihai history is as long as the history of the Allorn Empire, if not longer because they had interactions with the Meraic, a fact the Sihai are very proud of and always cite as the opening salvo against Elven nationalists in a bar argument. Just because Sihai history is not as tumultuous as Elven history, and the Sihai did not imperialize and conquer and reshape their corner of the world through imperialistic expansion, does not mean that they did not have their own famous last stands, legends, heroes and tragedies. An example being the expulsion of the Allorn Ambassadors, when the Allorn dignitaries brought their dark magics ashore in an attempt to impress the Sheng Emperor on tour in Dexai with the number of nations they had subjugated to their will, resulting in him famously rebuking them for daring impose on the Son of Heaven and ordering them ejected.

The geopolitical role of the Sihai was only shattered when the Altalar, far west, invited a Demonic invasion similar to the one that had ended the Meraic. Although the Altalar believed they had halted the Demons, the reality was that they had instead attempted to retreat into Sihai lands, and been caught by the Dragons there. The energies it took to drive them back saw the Dragons fall into slumber, although not before raising a great wall of jade to protect the Sihai people. Atop it, the white, green, yellow, red, and blue flags of the Kingdoms fought together, under the banner of the Sheng Emperor’s black legions. Although the Demons were repelled once, every few years they return, bearing towering deep-sea forms and crashing against the defenders. The Sihai have named these Akula, and continue to do battle with them to this day. Since the Cataclysm, the Sihai have enjoyed relative stability, ruled by the gentle hand of the Zhong Kings’ Council of Five. In recent years, a personally led military mission by Regalian Emperor Cedromar has caused them to warm up to Regalia. And so their people, always a scarce sight in that country, have finally begun to turn up, on the heels of goodwill and the dream-given commands of their Dragons.

World View

World View is optional content that helps give Sihai flavor and depth. When this section discusses ‘the Occult’, it is talking about non-Dragon Occult. The Sihai love Dragon Occult.

  • Sihai nod as a way of acknowledging a point someone else has made. It is the preferred way of showing that one is listening without throwing in one’s own words and interrupting a point before it has been fully formed.
  • The Sihai have a complicated relationship with the Occult, beyond the normal dislike expected of Dragon Worshipers. They know it exists in the west, and believe that westerners are making a mistake by coexisting with it. But at the same time, they also think the west is currently relatively stable, and so any apprehension towards the Occult is mostly replaced with curiosity. The Sihai are generally not interested in becoming Occult themselves, but love hearing about Occult people’s stories and how they justify the moral weight of their Magic use to themselves in the context of the danger it poses.
  • Access to the Zhong Kingdoms is strictly forbidden for outsiders. In order to gain even a tiny bit of access, one requires a Dexai Passport, which is only given after 5 years of consecutive living in Dexai. Finally, in order to pass beyond the shipping gates of Dexai one must be Mundane or Dragon Occult. Any other Occult are quickly slain by the Jade Guardians, and anyone attempting to cross the Jade Sea on foot is quickly found by the Dragon-fly patrol craft.
  • Because the Sihai lands are so hierarchy-driven, and because obedience to authority is drilled into the Sihai from a young age, adapting to Regalia's hierarchy always proves simple for the Sihai, and respect for the Emperor is easy to garner. The Sihai still fondly remember Emperor Cedromar's assistance to the most recent Akula attacks on the Jade Wall, and as such are generally pro Regalian Emperor, and in favor of good relations with the Regalian Empire, while having no trouble being loyal to Emperor Alexander I while in Regalia.
  • Despite the Sihai dislike of Magic, there is a single Occult-populated slum in one of Dexai’s poorer districts. It is so dingy that it makes Crookback look like a gentrified neighborhood, but it is the one place in Sihai civilization where non-Draconic Magic is pursued, behind the boundaries which it cannot cross.
  • The Sihai are not especially fond of Half Sihai, not because of any kind of visual based racism, but because Half Sihai represent a member of Sihai society who has partially been lost to the traditions of a non-Sihai power. They get along decently in foreign lands, but Half Sihai tend to have issues integrating properly should they ever wish to return east.
  • The Sihai have twins and triplets more often, and call them Twin and Three Moons respectively. They believe that either they will achieve great things through cooperation, or bring disaster to their family through infighting.
  • The Sihai are very literate. Millennia of academic culture has led to everything from treatises on flora and fauna to historic annals enjoying high popularity. Common fiction genres include heroic novels about monks and young heroes fighting to uphold the world, tales of enlightenment through introspection, romantic poetry, and more. It’s a mark of fluency in Wai-lan to quote old books and proverbs in everyday speech, something that would-be language learners often struggle with.
  • The Sihai prefer to paint the natural world. It’s considered an ill omen for something to look upon its reflection. For that reason, most Sihai only commission one self-portrait their entire lives, which says things about them through scattered details, and do their best not to look at it.
  • Sihai art is supposed to evoke the memory of a place in a viewer. It often brings an uncomfortable sense of deja vu to those who aren’t used to it. Many Sihai like to compare with each other what a particular art piece made them recall, making a game of forming judgments from comparisons.
  • There is a Sihai jade-sculpture style which uses the same material as their Jadetech. It is always religiously charged, with depictions of the Loong front and center.
  • The Sihai consider calligraphy a high art, and judge one another’s class and poise by handwriting quality. There are stereotypes about what a person’s brush-strokes say about them. It is common for Sihai artists abroad to make a few coins by entertaining wealthy foreigners with calligraphy of their ‘Sihai Names’, with the characters meant to reflect something in their personality.
  • The Sihai enjoy a large number of rural sports, such as track races, boat races, hiking, weight-lifting, and pole-climbing. Wealthier Sihai might see these, and the tan one gets from playing them, as beneath them.
  • Sihai martial arts blur the line between fighting for combat and fighting for pleasure. Many kickboxing styles don’t take themselves so seriously, and there are plenty of disciplines that are really just about staying healthy.
  • There are also sword and spear-sparring styles which use light bamboo weapons, and permit full contact. They’ve achieved wide popularity as ways to train novices how to fight without potentially deadly injuries occurring during sparring.
  • Every Sihai city or district has at least one fighting pit, where everyone from traveling monks to career soldiers can pitch their swords against one another. Group spars and even duels are seen as a team exercise, because spars are not real fights: always more about giving entertainment to those watching. The Sihai are perhaps the only culture that sees it this way.
  • There are many different beasts in the Zhong Kingdoms, ranging from six-legged man-eating tigers to stone Anui Lions. Fantasy is the limit when it comes to the many creations of the Loong, and the Sihai landscape is home to a plethora of interesting and unusual creatures.
  • Sihai cuisine is incredibly diverse. Focusing on freshness, it draws from the vast palate and spice list of the Four Kingdoms. Sihai food is commonly bite-ready: something that can be picked up and put in the mouth without extra preparation. But there are also many dishes fried in shallow-bottomed pans, soups prepared with fermented soy-paste stock, and a thousand different ways to prepare fish. The imagination is the limit.
  • Sihai housing interiors are just as planned as the cities themselves. It’s considered luckiest to build floors in a series of five rooms per, and for each home to have only a single door in, and a moon-watching round glass window somewhere in the house atop a meditation mat. Sihai furniture is all very low-set, with cushions and boards instead of couches and tables. One kneels rather than sits.
  • Sihai temple-architecture, built of plain wood, is designed to fade into the landscape. Surrounded by nature, it is supposed to evoke a sense of peace and isolation in a pilgrim. In contrast, the Great Temples of the Loong are awe-inspiring mountain fortresses, every pillar gilded, jade-graven maps of the cosmos spanning the roofs.
  • The most prominent Sihai instrument is the seated zither, which are seen as the refined and melodic style of court ladies. There are also upright string instruments placed in the lap, played in plucked style or with a bow, and flutes, which are mournful, soft, and reedy. The string instruments carry the melody, while drums are always the backdrop. The Sihai see drums as having an aggressive, military quality: so songs which are romantic or idealistic have none, while anything ritual or in honor of the army is guaranteed to be driven by drum-beats.
  • The free-thinking and inventive musicians of Dexai have organized themselves into the House of Instrumentation, a group which travels the world and Sihai-ifies foreign music into their own styles. They have a traditional friendship with Teledden musicians, with whom they compare and debate harp styles.
  • The Sihai are very respectful towards the military and soldier classes, even those of foreign nations. It is not uncommon for a Sihai to verbally thank soldiers for their service, often not knowing that Regalia has soldiers that are on permanent rotation who never see combat.
  • The Sihai like the Unionist figures Emperor Allestrain I, Empress Elia, Arch-Chancellor Alexander the Giant, and Duchess Leona. They have written a number of historical novels about them, many illustrated, and surprisingly often more accurate to detail than the Regalian accounts. The Sihai see these people as heroes, and use them to build a romantic image of the West, holding them up as the best Regalia has to offer.

Holidays

Some Sihai holidays are listed for observance.

  • Yuhai is a festival held on January 5th, when the Sihai hold that Demons are strongest, fueled by the solar eclipse. It is celebrated with elaborate ritualistic dance patterns led by Loong Priests around a multi-colored bonfire, and invoking prayer to the Dragons, that their dreams will not end and the world will persist.
  • Mia-hang is a festival held from March 13th to 17th where the Sihai celebrate themselves and their own culture by being very visible and loud about it, going out of their way to refer to literary classics, appreciate music, and give everyone around them an earful about what makes their village unique.
  • Faihan is a festival held on April 8th that celebrates the life and health of the Loong. Sihai households take care of their Loong altars on this day, and leave offerings before them.
  • Ra-hae is a festival held on June 11th that focuses on contributing to local charity and sheltering those in need. On this day, Sihai indulge in hospitality, offering drinks and kindness to strangers and hearing their stories.
  • Cente is a festival held from September 22nd to 25th that celebrates the purity and simplicity of creation, during which Sihai wear purely white robes and tend to don stylized, unpainted wooden masks that say something about them.
  • Players are free to make up more themselves.

Trivia

  • The Sihai have vehicles that travel across the petrified Jade Sea beyond the Jade Wall, but an often less discussed topic is Sihai airships. They do in fact have airships powered by Jadetech and other Primal Magics, and these airships put Regalian airships to shame with their enormous colossus-size length, though they move extremely slowly.
  • Most Sihai houses have a decorative Jade guardian at the front door, even in Regalia. Though, for the houses in Regalia, Sihai are not permitted extensive weaponry in inside their homes, so these guardian statues are often no bigger than an adult’s forearm, and have very limited mobility.
  • A Cearden Ailor businessman has taken the Sihai name of Liliao (a birth-name, curiously), and begun an aggressive marketing campaign for a brand of vanilla ice cream in the outer Dexai islands which has met with stunning success.
Peoples of Aloria
Central Peoples
• Ailor • Narim • Solvaan •
Northern Peoples
• Dwarves • Isldar • Sihndar • Urlan •
Eastern Peoples
• Skyborn • Sihai • Dragonkin •
Southern Peoples
• Allar • Bralona • Maraya • Slizzar •
Western Peoples
• Asha • Eronidas • Fin'ullen • Kathar • Lanlath • Maquixtl • Suvial • Yanar •
Accreditation
WritersMonMarty, OkaDoka
ArtistsMonMarty
ProcessorsFireFan96
Last EditorOkaDoka on 09/28/2024.
» Read more

Retrieved from "https://wiki.massivecraft.com/index.php?title=Sihai&oldid=52973"
Contents