In ages long past, Shang Ti, the supreme Emperor, created the Celestial Empire of Ti'en and Erenth here below. And then sat down upon his jade throne and occupied himself with the affairs of his court. The Courtiers of Shang Ti were of two kinds: the Hsien and the Huang. And Erenth here below was made of two places, The Wide Lands which lay before the Pillars of Heaven and extend from the Northern Rift to the Southern Sea; and the Sunset Lands which lay beyond, and from which much darkness and evil has come.
In the days when Erenth here below was still young, the Wide Lands were covered by snow and ice. The Huang were here from the foundations of the world and slept beneath the snow as the margons roamed the plains and were followed by the Ancestors of men.
The Huang are the spirits from the Celestial Empire of Ti'en who were joined to Erenth in ages long past and who remain for eternity bound to Erenth here below. It is they and their offspring that enliven rivers and wood and rocks and give purpose to those things which are thought to have them not. Over time, some of those Spirits have lost sight of their first duties and others have become corrupted in the doing of them and still others have been kindled to anger beyond reason. Still, these Spirits live and sometimes, though rarely, they are credited with aiding or resisting the actions of men.
In those days, while the Huang slept and the margons wandered in the Wide Lands which were covered in snow, the Sunset Lands were lush and beautiful and covered by great gardens of bamboo and lotus. The Sunset Lands were greatly coveted by the Hsien who fought over them bitterly, and ruled them from the darkness of their hearts and their children knew only conflict as a result. Each of the Hsien vied to be the August Sovereign over all that they saw, but they were not equal to the task and though they had been given the Mandate of Heaven, they failed.
The last of the August Sovereigns was the Empress of Dragons who exacted a terrible price upon Erenth here below. The noise of her depredations was like thunder heard upon the Wide Lands. The gardens of the Sunset Lands became stained red with blood. Then many pilgrims fled the Sunset Lands and came over the Pillars of Heaven bringing wickedness and wars with them to the land of the Huang.
The Korobokuru were a short people and found of metals and keepers of great beards. They were the first of those who came and troubled the Huang in their slumber. The Huang were disturbed but were not roused. So the Korobokuru wisely hid beyond the Northern Rift and troubled the Wide Lands no longer.
Then came the Shen, who are beautiful to behold, and lovers of music, but are pale of face and delicate unless stirred to vengeance. They were the second of those who came and sorely tested the Huang for the noise of their coming. But the Shen were also wise and hid themselves by the Southern Sea and lived in the quiet that they could manage.
Then came the Kala and their masters the Oni. The former are savage and mindless and love destruction and blood. The latter are cruel and scheming and seek to enslave all that they find. These too troubled the Huang who were finally roused and shook of the snow that covered them. They crushed the Kala and the Oni who fled back to the Pillars and hid in the caves and crevices that they could find there. They were forbidden by the Huang to step foot upon the Wide Lands.
Last came the Dragon Warlords of old, of which only the Four Brothers now remain. Having destroyed the Sunset Lands, they sought to build a Palace upon the peaks of the Pillars of Heaven. From this Palace they imagined that the Dragon Empress would survey the Wide Land as her next dominion. It was they who finally kindled the fury of the Huang and fully stirred them to fury. All the Wide Lands shook and the Huang rose and destroyed the Palace of the Dragon Warlords and slew them until they were no more.
In that manner, the Dragon Empress joined all the August Sovereigns before her. Together they have passed beyond all memory because they were recalled to the Celestial Palace of Ti'en, and live again in the court of Shang Ti, though they are now shamed and all authority has been taken from them. Their influence has waned and all that remains of those are the Four Brother Dragons of Ao, tamed by the Huang, and who spared their lives by swearing an oath to serve the Mandate of Heaven.
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