Chunming (T'u Lung)

Chunming was a city in the Ausa Province of T'u Lung.

Geography
It stood on the southwestern shore of Sunob Bay, below the Straits of Va'shung, and at the foot of the hills of E'sang Yi. From Chunming, a road ran southwest through the hill country to the E'do Formal Gardens near Chempka and thence to wider T'u Lung. The Nugha tribes had dwelt among these hills since time immemorial.

Northwest of Chunming was a clear plain used for agriculture, beyond which lay more of the hills. Tracks led to the farming communities of Horuju, Shokwa, Kurutax, Tu' Lu'an, Kangsun, Tsengdo, and Ansuwan. Beyond this lay more of the E'sang Yi Hills.

Government
Chunming was a part of the Shin District in the Ausa Province of T'u Lung. From his castle west of Chunming, Shin So Tang administered the district named for his family. Believing the reigning Wai clan were usurpers, he had long plotted against them and the emperor.

Trade
Chunming pepper wine was a product of Chunming.

History
Around 2603 (1353 DR), a merchant of Chunming, Mah Tehwa, made a deal with a hu hsien dwelling in the hills, O-me-sa. Tehwa promised his own daughter, Mah Su-liang, to the fox-man when she reached the age of 15 in exchange for prosperity in his business, via the hu hsien's reward spells. Although he suspected O-me-sa wanted his daughter for a wicked purpose, Tehwa hardly cared. A deal such as this was already a crime punishable by death by torture.

In the month of Ju of 2607 (1357 DR), Emperor Wai Gada Sinzu was poisoned via chunming pepper wine served to him. Surviving after a grave illness, he accused the Shin clan and demanded the heads of their leaders. However, the Shin clan received warning and escaped into the hills of E'sang Yi. It was rumored they were allied with the Nugha tribesmen, and neither could be found. By Imperial edict, a reward of 15,000 ch'ien was offered to any who could locate and capture the Shins. Incidentally, two months later, in Kao, Nugha riders seized the Ye T'sau Well in the hills of E'sang Yi and forbade anyone to take water there. A posse of 100 warriors from Chunming and Ausa mustered and went to reclaim the well, but the tribesmen vanished before they arrived.

In 2608 (1358 DR), the elderly Prince Wan desired the then-14-year-old Su-liang of Chunming and Tehwa arranged a marriage between them, in exchange for higher station and lucrative trade concessions. He then schemed to cheat O-me-sa and cover his own crimes by passing off a slave girl, Kui-lo, as his daughter to the hu hsien. However, when O-me-sa requested her on her 15 birthday, a twist of fate saw Su-liang go to O-me-sa's emissary anyway. Thus, Tehwa sought adventurers in the Inn of a Thousand Swords to retrieve her. The matter eventually ended in Tehwa's deserved death and the cancellation of any marriage contracts.

Notable Locations

 * The Inn of a Thousand Swords
 * The House of Mah, a large and modest house close to the southwestern city gate

Appearances

 * Dungeon #27: "Bride For A Fox"