The Province of Shu

[…]South-west of the bay of Kaiutschou there is a mountain by the edge of the sea, shaped like a tower, and hence known as Tower Mountain. On the mountain there is an old temple with the image of a goddess, who is known as the Old Mother of Tower Mountain. Behind the temple is a great cave where, in former times, some talking foxes used to live. They would even come out and seat themselves on the point of a steep rock by the wayside.
- The Travels of Master Kong

Shu, heart of the Empire. Shu is a land of mountains shrouded in mists, of small farming villages thriving in the fertile floodplain of the Yellow River, of immortals and enlightened philosophers dispensing wisdom, and of the great schools of martial arts that raised the Empire's most famous warriors.

The land of Shu is fertile, and its peasants are the most content in the Empire. The rich soil allows them to live comfortable lives, and it is not unusual for some to earn enough to move into the merchant class or even the Imperial Bureaucracy. The wealth of the land has allowed innovation and Imperial Culture to flourish. Shu is renowned for its artists, writers, sorcerers and martial artists.

The people of Shu often affect baggy outfits that do not restrict their movements, many of them patterned after the outfits of the local martial arts schools. The wealthy classes in the cities can be seen in fine silks, richly dyed in unusual fashions.

Ao Liang is the largest city in Shu, although many would be hard-pressed to refer to it as such. It is the most beautiful city in the Empire, with hundreds of exquisitely-tended gardens, tea houses, schools and temples. Through its streets walk the greatest of philosophers shoulder-to-shoulder with masters of the martial arts.

Ao Liang is also famous as the seat of the Bookhunters. The vaults under their headquarters are filled with works deemed a threat to the stability of the Empire. Everything from manuals of forbidden styles, to grimoires on evil spirits, to paintings of the Emperor in compromising situations are kept under lock and key and warded by powerful spells.

Nestled in the heart of Shu, the Valley of Fruit and Flowers is the closest one can get to Heaven while remaining in the Empire. The great physician An Kaineng spent a decade cataloguing the plants that were found in the valley, and discovered the cures for dozens of ailments.

Despite, or maybe because of, its richness, the Valley is almost impossible to reach; surrounded by leagues of swampland and wilderness that has remained impenetrable to all but a select few. It is said that to reach the Valley one must first possess the favour of Heaven itself.

Older than the Empire, the Twelve Great Schools are the most storied martial arts academies in the world. Their students fill the pages of histories and legends. The sounds of students hard at practice can be heard throughout the surrounding valleys, and it is not uncommon for martial artists from far and wide to visit the schools and study at the feet of the masters of the Schools.

The College of Exorcists is the headquarters of the Imperial Priesthood's more martial arm. They are tasked with defending the Empire from ghosts, demons, and all manner of undead. Many a poor peasant has made the pilgrimage to the College in search of a cure for a curse, or an exorcism to remove a troublesome ancestor spirit.

Deep beneath the College, it is said, lies a gate to Hell itself that the monks have been tasked with guarding since time immemorial.

The Duchess of Shu is renowned throughout the Empire for her mastery of Chi. Her court is filled with similarly skilled martial artists, craftsmen, sorcerers, and foreign potentates. The Duchess is heavily involved in the welfare of Shu, and she often takes a personal interest in the lives of her subjects.

In a cave in the side of the Mountain of Grey Mist dwells Pai Zu, the Immortal, as he has done since time immemorial. He has seen the Empire rise and fall and rise again. He knows the secrets of immortality, and of guarding his body from lightning, fire and flood. He has mastered thirty-six transformations. To become his disciple is seen as one of the highest of honours, but it is not without cost.

Master An is the head of the Virtuous Willow school. Once a wandering hero of great renown, he retired to a teach a younger generation after his partner Jade Petal Wen was killed in their battle with the villainous Three-Poison Zhen.