Kara-Tur

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Cover to the Kara-Tur Boxed Set.

Kara-Tur is a fantasy world created by Gary Gygax, David Cook and François Marcela-Froideval detailed in 1985's Oriental Adventures for the First Edition Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. Kara-Tur roughly corresponds to ancient East Asia in the real world, and many countries, places and peoples can find common ground with real life examples. It was later placed on the planet Toril, the planet of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, and lies east of Faerûn.

Various countries described in the set include:

Shou Lung (China)
T'u Lung (China)
Wa (Japan)
Kozakura (Japan)
Tabot (Tibet)
Koryo (Korea)
Ra-Khati (Nepal)
Bawa (Taiwan)
Horse-Plains (Mongolia)
Malatra (Laos/Vietnam)

[edit] Nations

[edit] Shou Lung

The vast human empire of Shou Lung is undoubtedly the most powerful nation on the face of Toril. The empire was started by a simple peasant known as Nung Fu, who was invested with the Emblems of Authority by the semi-legendary Nine Travelers (although it was his great grandson that would be the first Emperor of the Li Dynasty). The Empire of Shou Lung has the longest history in Kara-Tur second only to the Empire of Wa. It has had six dynasties so far starting with Li Dynasty (Dynasty of Might), Ho Dynasty (Dynasty of Peace), Hai Dynasty (Dynasty of the Oceans), Kao Dynasty (The High Dynasty), La Dynasty (Wax Dynasty) and the Kuo Dynasty (Dynasty of the Nation). With an immense population, vast territory, and governed by an efficient and generally honest bureaucracy the Shou could, with a great deal of effort, come to completely dominate the planet. That they do not is due to cultural rather than military or economic factors. The Shou have been expansionists in the past, but the current emperor finds more pleasure in knowledge and culture then military conquest. This tendency has been reinforced by the recent Horde invasion, which devastated many of the northwestern provinces, decimated the armed forces, and left the upper ranks of the Mandarinate in a leaderless shambles. During this time, large number refugees fled to the Unapproachable East in Faerun and settled in the Thesk region. The nation is thus still recovering from the upheavals. So, while this nation controls the largest military fleet in Realmspace, those vessels are employed in a strictly defensive role, rooting out pirates and acting as a counter to the fleets of Wa and the Elves.

The official head of the government is the Celestial Emperor, but in practice everyday affairs of state are handled by the Chancellor, who executes the Emperor's decrees, oversees the bureaucracy and controls the information that reaches the emperor's ears. The current Emperor is Kai Tsao Shou Chin. The Wu Jen is the Emperor's official court wizard, who advises the Emperor's policies with divinations and deals with magical threats. The government is composed of eight ministries: State, War, Magic, Faith, Sea, Agriculture, Public Works and State Security. It is a meritocratic system; every year the Civil Service Examination holds examinations to test candidates for government jobs. The Shou have always had a strong trading relation with Faerun. In fact certain regions in Faerun make a living solely on the imports from Shou Lung and many merchants, settlers, and diplomats have come to Faerun in search of new opportunities in the West and set up the Shou Expatriate region. The people of Shou frown upon slave trade, and anybody found guilty is put to death.

The main criminal organization in the country is the Tsui Tong (analog for the Triad) which is given a certain degree of freedom to operate within the semi-independent port city of Kai Shan due to the aid and support they gave the Emperor during the Black Cycle which brought Shou Lung back from the brink of ruin. There are no Imperial troops stationed in Kai Shan, nor are there any magistrates or town guard. The city's reputation is its greatest defense, though the Shou fleet would certainly counter any attempts by outsiders to invade the city, as it is technically still a part of Shou Lung, and surrounded by other Imperial territories. It is rumored that the Tsui have contacts with the Chainmen (though selling Shou citizens to slavers would surely bring the wrath of the Emperor down on the city, if discovered), the Tenth Pit, and even the Zhentarim of Faerun.

The Shou practice mainly two types of religion, "The Path of Enlightenment" (analog for Confucianism) and "The Way" (analog for Daoism). Majority of the people in Shou Lung practice The Path of Enlightenment where they worship the Celestial Emperor and the Nine Travelers and a whole host of lesser immortals called the Celestial Bureaucracy. Unlike the people of Faerun, devotion to single diety is rare in Shou Lung. The other religion, which is more popular in the southern regions, simply called "The Way" is more of a philosophy than a religion. It focuses on the enlightenment of the self rather than the worship of gods. Kana and her family are practitioners of "The Way".

Lying between Kara-Tur and Faerun is a Great Wall of stone. According to legend, a wu jen wizard was tasked by the emperor to find a way to keep the Tuigan hordes from raiding Shou Lung's northern provinces. The wu jen stole the Jade Mirror from the sea dragon Pao Hu Jen, whose body was thousands of kilometers long. The wu jen led the dragon on a chase along the border, and at a certain point stopped and held up the Jade Mirror to the dragon's eyes, which instantly turned him to stone. After his petrified body fell to the ground, the emperor had his engineers carve fortifications into it so that it could serve them as a defensive wall.

[edit] T'u Lung

T'u Lung has been a separate state from Shou Lung since breaking away from its northern neighbor nearly three centuries ago. It used to be the southern part of the Shou Lung Empire. Since the establishment of the Lui Dynasty (the Green Dynasty) and the founding of the T'u Lung Empire, Shou Lung and T'u Lung have officially been at war, although the conflicts have ebbed and flowed, of course, but the provinces along their borders have become deserted and ruined from the endemic warfare. There is currently a truce between the two nations.

Composed of six provinces T'u Lung is everything Shou Lung could become but is not. The provinces are ruled by hereditary nobles who pay as little attention to the T'u Emperor as they can get away with (although the real power rests with Empress Dowager Wai Locunni Eio). Taxes go unpaid, free men are enslaved, and criminals left free. The government is corrupt on all levels, though in some rare districts a local magistrate may be somewhat honest and honorable. Poverty runs rampant throughout the nation. Unless forced to unite by some outside force (in the past this has most often been an invading Shou army) the nobles of T'u Lung fight incessantly among themselves.

Many of the cities and towns are now in ruins, even those which have not been abandoned have many ruined buildings within their town limits. On the other hand, the nation's corrupt, ineffective government allows neogi, Chainmen, and pirate raids unheard of access. Only the random presence of powerful wu jen or shukenja in some of the smaller villages appear as potential dangers to raiders. The nation has a strong slave trade often capturing and selling Shou people to the Thayan Slavers in Faerun.

[edit] Wa

Emperor Kochi first claimed the island of Wa and started his empire when the Sacred Wand and the Moonlight Arrow, emblems of the Imperial office, were given to him by the Spirit of Wa. This was the first empire to be established in Kara-Tur. The island nation of Wa has much in common with Kozakura culturally, despite (or perhaps because of) the two nations' traditional rivalry but is mostly inhabited by non-human races such as the Hengeyokai. The Hengeyokai are humanoid animals which come in many forms such as rats, foxes, dogs and cats. Like Kozakura it is composed of a series of islands clustered around a large central island, Tsukishima. Over 80% of Wa is moutainous, the other 20% composes the strips of habitated land along the coasts. Wa is particularly cursed by nature, Typhoons and earthquakes are not uncommon, and many of Wa's volcanoes are still active.

Waan government is similar to that of Kozakura as well, there is an Emperor but his position is largely ceremonial, the real ruler of the nation is the Shogun, Matasuuri Nagahide. Unlike Kozakura, however, the Shogunate of Wa is strong and vital, in fact Wa is enjoying the longest period of peace of any nation in Kara-Tur. Peace has led to advancements in education and the arts, as well as a general increase in prosperity. The official religion of the country is a variation of The Path of Enlightenment. A rigid social system ensures domestic tranquility, distinct social classes are strictly adhered to, travel is monitored, and religion is regulated.

The nation is rather xenophobic and contact with foreign elements is forbidden. Foreign vessels are only allowed to dock at the port of Akkaido. Those who have adopted foreign customs and ways are oppressed, especially those who follow the imported Western deity, Chauntea. In fact, most officials will go out of their way to make life hard for foreigners while they stay there. The nations prosperity is limited to the upper classes, the peasants stagger under a dizzying array of obligations, rules, and taxes. Ironically, Wa has a good trade relation with Shou Lung, whom they were once at war with, and anyone from Wa is granted Shou citizenship if they can prove they have Shou ancestry since many Shou soldiers remained in Wa and intermarried with the locals after the Omi War. In fact, the famous Grey Blossom mercenaries of Wa were started by the Shou soldiers who decided to stay in Wa.

Ronin and out of work bushi have caused many problems since the Shogun's administrative reforms reduced the numbers of the nobility and soldiery to more reasonable levels. The Shogun has been considering setting up a colony on Garden for the express purpose of reducing the number of trouble makers in his realm. Like Kozakura, the main criminal organization is the Yakuza.

[edit] Kozakura

The island kingdom of Kozakura was founded by Emperor Miki late into the Omi Wars when the land was not yet "discovered" by the Shou and Wa nations. The land of Kozakura is inhabited by the humans and Koropokkuru (eastern Dwarves) and full of beautiful mountains, thick forests and sparkling seas. The majority of the inhabitants live on the main island of Shinkoku, but there are nearly a thousand islands surrounding it. Because Koropokkuru living in the empire are often treated as lower class citizens while the memories of subjugation from the humans during the forming of the empire is still fresh in the Koropokkuru's memories, many of the Koropokkuru live along the coasts, the central mountains far from human settlements. Powerful samurai rule the land, in theory their power devolves from the Emperor of the Jade Throne. For many years this has been a purely symbolic office, however, the real power has rested in the hands of the Shogun, the military commander of the nation. The nation is currently undergoing a civil war and has not had much contact with outsiders. The official religion is called The Eight Million Gods (analog for Shinto), which involves worship of a host of nature deities including a sun goddess and the Emperor of Kozakura who is believed to have descended from divine ancestry. There is also another popular religion called "The Way of Enlightenment", which is a variation of the "Path of Enlightenment" that was brought over by Shou priests and the name also serves as a cheap shot at their other rival Shou religion "The Way". The main criminal organization is called the Yakuza.

[edit] Tabot

The Tabot nation was formed during the "Year of Frost" when Ho Dynasty decreed that The Path of Enlightenment be the official and only religion in Shou Lung. Many monks and religious orders were persecuted in Shou Lung Empire and they fled to the mountains. The temple militias that fled there formed and alliance against the Shou and founded Tabot. The Shou attempted invasions well into the early Kai Dynasty but had little success due to the Crystalline Warriors of Ji that protected Tabot. Centuries later, the nobles of Tabot were overthorwn by a six year old boy called The High Lord of Oceans, and established Tabot's current government.

[edit] Koryo

The Kingdom of Koryo holds power over the entire penisula of Choson. The empire has it origins in the Kingdom of Silla. When the King of Silla attempted to launch an attack on their hated enemies the Kozakurans (whom tried to invade them in the past), his fleet was destroyed by a tsunami, which allowed one of his generals, Wanang Sun to dethrone him. Under Sun, he was able to unit all the factions in Choson and establish the Koryo Empire.

[edit] Horse-Plains

The barbarians of the Horse-Plain has tried countless times to invade their neighbors, the Shou and T'u Lung and have been successful on a few accounts, but their victories were often short lived. Recently though, Tuigan tribes successfully breeched the Great Wall of Stone and devastated many of the northwestern provinces of the Shou Empire. During this invasion, many Shou refugees fled to Faerun and settled in the Thesk region of the Unapproachable East. The Horde tribes were eventually driven out and Shou and have been focusing most of their military against further invasions.

[edit] Important Events

[edit] Omi War

During the Hai Dynasty in Shou when Wa pirates raided the Celestial Sea and Shou coast lines, the Shou Emperor was convinced that the Wa warlords had something to do with it. He demanded that the warlords cease and desist and swear fealty to him. Offended, the Wa Emperor refused and gave no reply to the Shou. Seeing no end to the raids and attacks by the pirates, the Shou Emperor amassed a fleet of 100,000 ships and set an invasion for Wa. Hearing of invasion, the Wa Emperor enlists the aid of a counselor named Nobunaga who prepares Wa’s defenses and sends the ninja master Fukio to infiltrate Shou.

Shou quickly captured the northern and southern Wa but the fortification of central Wa by Nobunaga proved stronger and central Wa avoided invasion. Many captured northern and southern Wa daimyos betrayed Nobunaga after their cities fell and aided the Shou generals.

The Shou Emperor, who was aboard the royal flagship, was assassinated by the ninja Fukio who was in disguise. However, Fukio was not able to escape and killed by the Emperor’s wu jen Rourke. The Emblems of Authority were recovered by Rourke but he was slain when he returned to the imperial palace. With no heir, many of the most powerful Shou generals returned to Shou and fought for power leaving only a handful to continue the invasion on Wa. The Shou leadership was thrown in despair and this period is known as the Black Cycle. With the greatly reduced number of troops, Wa was able to take back most of the provinces from Shou. Even though most Shou troops were driven back, they were never truly defeated and Wa was in a state of sporadic warfare. Some of the remaining Shou general continued with guerilla warfare while other, offered a truce to the Wa Emperor and were granted governorship over the territories they controlled. When a new Shou Emperor returned and tried to enlist his former generals, many of them decided to side with Wa throne than Shou. Even so, their resistance was futile since the remaining Wa daimyos were divided and suspicious of each other and the years of war had left Wa with no effective government. Shou soon took control of Wa.

When civil war erupted in Shou Lung between Shou with the T’u and the northern provinces of Shou were invaded by the Horse Barbarians, the remaining daimyos took advantage of this opportunity and under the united banner of Nitta Shogoro, they were able to finally drive out the Shou. The Shou conceded defeat and Wa is declared as an independent state. The two countries quickly reach and agreement to open ports to allow on trade between the two countries. The Grey Blossom regiment of Shou asked permission to remain in Wa since they had been stationed there for so long that they had gotten use to life there. The Shou and Wa Emperor granted them permission and they would become one of the most famous mercenary bands in Wa. But in under less than 5 years, the petty Wa warlords turned on each other and the Wa government was split into factions and plunges the island into 200 years of civil war before any type of stable government was established. Up to this day, the daimyos are divided but they provide a unified front against all foreigners.

[edit] Black Cycle

When the Shou Emperor was assassinated during the Omi War and there was no heir to the throne, the leadership of Shou fell into chaos. The southern area (now the Empire of T’u Lung), was marked by repeated invasions from southern barbarian tribes. Only a small number of cities that still had feudal lords in power maintained and resemblance of order. The most famous of these feudal families were the Yang and Wai clans, which would later play a big role in the Shou and T’u Lung civil war. The western lands also fell to the under the control of Copper Demons who ruled the land in brutal fashion. A criminal family from Kai Shan eventually seized control of the city and became semi-independent. The family later supported an adventurer name Wo Mai, who claimed to be a descendent of the empire’s founder, in recovering the Emblems of Authority and was crowned the new Emperor and establishes the Kao Dynasty. Because of the criminal family’s aid to Wo Mai, the city of Kai Shan to this days retains it’s semi-independence and the family grew into what is known today as the Triad or Tsui Tong. Wo Mai and the Seven Heroes and Seven Nonmen soon set forth for the western regions and ended the reign of the Copper Demons. They also soon defeated the last of the Barbarian tribes invading the southern regions and reestablished control. Also at this time, a secret organization called the Cult of the Black Panther were helping peasants that were displaced by the war between Imperial troops and the invading southern barbarians.

[edit] Uncountable Wars

The civil between the Shou and what would later be known as the T'u had its seeds planted way back when the First Li Dynasty was established. During that time, a secret organization known as the known as the Cult of the Black Panther, who claimed they were immortals who aided the Nine Travelers in ruling Kara-Tur when they were still humans made a claim that they were the rightful successors to the Nine Travelers. Because of their mystic powers, they gained more fear and reverence in the southern lands and the Shou Emperor. Led by the great General Wo Chan, Shou troops fought the Cult of the Black Panther in what would later be known as the battle of infinite darkness, and managed to destroy their temple in Durkon and finally end the resistance in the southern lands and finally established control over the area. The leader of the Cult was never found.

During the Black Cycle, the southern area of Shou Lung (now the Empire of T’u Lung), was marked by repeated invasions from southern barbarian tribes. Only a small number of cities that still had feudal lords in power maintained and resemblance of order. The most powerful of these feudal families were the Yang and Wai clans. Also during this time a secret cult known as the Cult of the Black Panther were helping families that were displaced by the war between the Imperial Army and the invading Barbarian tribes. Shortly after the Wa declaration of independence, the southern lands were plagued with screaming spirits that killed many incompetent and corrupt bureaucrats in what is now known as The Nights of Screaming Demons. Later investigations linked this event to the Cult. Soon, many key military positions in the army a filled by people from the southern lands. When the southern barbarians again attempted to invade, the Shou army made short work of the invading barbarians. After the death of the last Emperor of the Kao Dynasty and was succeed by his cousin who was weak and established the La Dynasty which was easily infiltrated by the Cult of the Black Panther who secretly ruled and manipulated the government from within. The Yang and Wai clans soon led a revolt against the corrupt northern bureaucrats and quickly established a power base in the south. At this point the nobles of the south consider themselves separate from the bureaucrats of the north, but still belonging to the same nation and serving under the emperor.

When two concubines of the last Emperor of the La Dynasty gave birth within hours of each other, he refused to name an heir knowing that if he did, his life would be in jeopardy. Years later he died before naming either of his sons as heir. The northern bureaucrats favored Shin Lu while the southern nobles favor Shin Gisen. War broke out between the north and the south. Shin Lu’s forces defeats Shin Gisen’s troops but are too weak to pursue. Shin Lu proclaimed himself the Emperor of Shou Lung and establishes the Kuo Dynasty. Shortly after Shin Ginsen proclaimed himself as the first emperor of the Lui Dynasty and established the T’u Lung Empire. In order to the repel the Shou troops Ginsen appealed to secret societies such as the Black Leopard Cult and granted them amnesty along with other organizations that were considered illegal in Shou Lung. For the next 250 years, Shou and T’u waged what is called as the Uncountable Wars.

[edit] The Great Hunt

When Wa was planning to expand its territory, they sent an invasion fleet with 1,000 ships to Kozakura led by Hidegari Iegusa. They Wa fleet was able to capture the southern tip of Shinoku with little trouble but could not advance further because of Kazakuran fortifications. The borders of the captured territory were raided constantly by Kazakuran troops. Both sides attempting to break the deadlock, the Kazakuran troops led by Honda no Mototsune launched a naval strike against the Wa ships and for days battles raged on the decks of 300 ships. In the end, Iegusa was killed and his army driven out of Shinoku. During this period, the non-humans in the captured areas rebelled against their Wa colonizers and established independence. They hunted down all Wa survivors and stragglers and exacted a violent revenge on them. They made it into a sport and this period eventually came to be known as the Great Hunt. When Motosune drove out the remaining Wa fleets, he tried to reestablish control in the southern areas. To his surprise, the people the area previously captured by the Wa forces refused to be reincorporated into the Kozakura Empire and insisted in being independent. Motosune massacred the village and reclaimed control over the southern areas.

[edit] Versions

Originally a stand-alone campaign setting, by 1988 it was combined by TSR with the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. In that year TSR released a boxed set with two books detailing the campaign setting and maps.

In 1989 a printing of Trail Maps for Kara-Tur appeared.

In 1990 the maps were again included in the Forgotten Realms Atlas. Later that year TSR gave the monsters for Kara-Tur a proper treatment for Second Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the Monstrous Compendium series.

After 1990 Kara-Tur was a mostly discarded campaign setting. With only a few mentions in cross-over products such as Spelljammer and Ravenloft, plus a few mentions in other Forgotten Realms products and Dragon Magazine articles.

With the release of Third Edition Dungeons & Dragons with new owners, Wizards of the Coast decided to do a proper treatment for Oriental Adventures. All the character classes, monsters, spells, weapons and feats were converted to Third edition format, but this time with the campaign world being Rokugan, the setting for AEG's Legend of the Five Rings.

The setting of Kara-Tur still exists on Toril and is often mentioned. Characters and artifacts from Kara-Tur sometimes show up in Faerûn, but beyond that there is little interaction between the continents.