Treasures

Many wondrous treasures exist within Chi'in and the lands beyond. Below are a selection of some of the most powerful artifacts.

Passed from the August Personage of Jade to Emperor Song Gi, the Imperial Seal is the earthly sign of Heaven's mandate. Proclamations marked by the seal are binding to all bureaucrats under Heaven. It is well attested that the Seal cannot long be retained by anyone who lacks the favor of the Jade Emperor.

Depsite being no more than a rumour in old texts, many still hunt for the tomb of the First Emperor for it is said to be a wonder worthy of the birth of Chi'in. Within are lakes of mercury filled by a dozen shallow rivers of liquid metal, and upon the ceilings the stars are diamonds in the constellations of the past. Tales are told too of the great terracotta army that stands guard over Song Gi, waiting for the call to arms that will never come. Ten-thousand warriors in the infantry alone, cavalry by the score and the likenesses of the heroes of the dusk of the Three Kingdoms.

But what need has a dead man of such things? Each tomb hunter has a different tale to tell to explain such extravagance. The most common legend is that the First Emperor planned to extend his rule to Hell itself and the soldiers are, like Hell money, intended for the next life. A wild few claim that the soldiers are not offering from the past but for the future, and that Emperor Song will return to save the empire he founded.

The mummified left hand of the Monkey King, lost somewhere in the jungles of the South. Legend has it that it grants the wishes of anyone who holds it, but they come with a terrible cost.

Philosopher Fong was the greatest exorcist who ever lived, and his power lives on in the tools he used to bind the Ogre of Zhu's Crossing: the copper coins with which to blind, the iron stake with which to pin, the golden chain with which to bind, and the silver spade that dug a hole so deep the Ogre could not hope to climb out even if he toiled for a thousand thousand years. The Tools were kept by the College of Exorcists until its sacking by Lustful Lao and his bandits. Lao met his end at the hands of Magistrate Rank 5 Xianxi, and tales tell of the terrible battle between them and of the dread unearthly power Lao wielded. Xianxi's fate remains unknown, but legend tells he boarded a ship bound for the East and none in the Empire ever heard from him or the Tools again.

Built for the king of the last oasis in the West from crudely carved and mismatched wood (which is precious in those parts), the throne had four long poles that reached for the skies at each corner. It is said that an eagle was chained to the base of each post and meat at the top and in attempting to reach the food the eagles carried the throne aloft. Scholars scoff at this claim - 'Eagles lack the strength' - and point instead to the strange runes that are recorded to have run along the poles.

The truth is now lost. The tributary king presented it to the reigning Empress when he descended in confusion upon the roof of the Imperial Palace, which did not save him from execution for collapsing said roof upon the royal bedchamber. The Empress deemed the throne ugly and it was lost generations ago in the Royal Storehouse.

The Moon Rabbit brews the elixir of immortality for the Moon Goddess, Chang'e. As she stirs the elixir some of the contents splashes out onto her fur, which keeps the Moon Rabbit immortal too. Sometimes Moon Rabbit bounds down to earth during the day to bring messages from Chang'e; during one of these visits it is said that a hunter caught Moon Rabbit and gave her freedom in exchange for her fur. The fur was made into a pair of slippers which keeps the wearer young and are proof against any sickness. However if the wearer ever jumps then the slippers will carry them up to the moon.

During the War of Jade, when the wealth of Chi'in was poured into the coffers of the mercenaries of Chi'in, there emerged a man so evil that Hell could only process a small fraction of his sins. Bloodthirsty Leng's heart was carved out of him by Empress Shen Sui, and was lacquered and placed in the vaults of the College of Exorcists, for such evil cannot be left unchecked. It is said that the heart is so heavy with sin that whosoever holds it becomes invisible to the eyes of the divine, so disgusted are they by its aura that they turn their face away from its wielder.

It is said that long ago the Empire had a Navy superior to any other lead by master of the seas Admiral Zheng He. It boasted 44 ships which were 450 ft long with 4 decks and 9 masts, capable of carrying hundreds of people and vast amounts of cargo. Their end came when Zheng He returned from a long voyage to find a new Emperor on the throne. His hostility towards Zheng He lead him to decommission the treasure ships on the grounds they were too expensive to run for the Treasury and they were ordered to be destroyed far out in the ocean. In anger Zheng He burned all documentation relating to the ships so that they could never be built again.

Despite tales of their destruction it is said that ships larger than any known to current seafarers have been seen floating through the fog when the moon is high and stories of the ghostly, solitary vessels can be heard in many dock-side drinking establishments.