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Ch'ing Tung Province

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Ch'ing Tung Province was a province of Shou Lung in Kara-Tur by the 14th century DR.[2] It was the third largest province in the empire.[5]

Geography[]

Forming much of the central western empire, the province was bordered in the north by the long Ch'ing Tung River, beyond which lay the salt plain of Ma' Yuan Province; in the east by the First Emperor's Canal and Second Emperor's Canal, which delineated the Sheng Ti and Hungtse Provinces, respectively; and in the south by the Upper Hungtse River and the Silver Road, as well as the Kao Shan and Wang Kuo Provinces.[2][6][7][8]

The land comprised drier sloping grasslands in the west that gradually evolved into fertile river basins in the north and south that flowed into the Ch'ing Tung and Hungtse Rivers, respectively.[2][5] Otherwise, the land was fairly uniform in character, marked only by several hilly areas, a couple quite sprawling,[5] and it was dotted by countless stands of trees.[2]

Geographical Features[]

Rivers & Canals
Ch'ing Tung River • First Emperor's Canal • Upper Hungtse River • Second Emperor's Canal

Trade[]

Most trade and travel in Ch'ing Tung Province was along the Silver Road and Hungtse River at the southern border. Eastward, it led to Wang Kuo Province and the imperial capital at Kuo Te' Lung, and westward it crossed into the Hordelands, and beyond it, Faerûn, though such a journey was a hazardous one.[2][6][7][8] In Ch'ing Tung, the Silver Road became known as the Golden Way.[9]

The province had an abundance of land suitable for grazing.[2]

It also boasted orchards of plums, from which they produced plum wine.[10]

History[]

This land was settled by numerous Shou farming clans in the time of the Li Dynasty (Shou Year 221 (−1029 DR) to Shou Year 580 (−670 DR)[11]), who were attracted by its fertile lands and the security against nomad raids from the Hordelands that was afforded by the erection of the Dragonwall centuries earlier. Among these clans were the Ch'ing, a people who'd been persecuted by the previous Hai Dynasty. Here, they would grow into the dominant ethnic group in the province, and second only to the people of Wang Kuo in all of Shou Lung.[2]

The noblewoman Lady Tien Shih of the House of Ch'ing Tung was courted by Prince Shin Lu while at the capital. In Shou Year 2312 (1062 DR), while Lu and Tien walked together in the Imperial Gardens, they were set upon by ninja assassins sent by his brother, Prince Shin Ginsen. At the fateful moment, Lady Tien dived in front of Prince Lu, taking the blade meant for him, saving his life at the cost of her own. Ultimately, the battle between the brothers culminated in civil war and the split of the empire into Shou Lung and T'u Lung three years later.[12]

In late Shou Year 2608 (1358 DR) or early Shou Year 2609 (1359 DR), increasing bandit activity along the Ningtang Road east of Yenching made travel dangerous and expensive. Thus, a local merchants guild hired the chanshi Zarwu Koi to protect their caravans. Exploring the western hills of Ching Tung and posing as a bandit himself, Zarwu found and joined the group, learning they were from Chukei Province and were journeying south to prey on travelers and tourists visiting the Komite in Suijeng. He killed them as they slept, took their heads back to the merchants guild, then journeyed to Mishan in order to travel down the Hungtse River and compete in the Komite himself.[13]

“
An army looks much larger when it's overrunning you. Those reports are exaggerated.
”
— General Ching Tung on the Tuigan, shortly before getting the chance to see for himself[14]

To repel Yamun Khahan's Grand Army of the Tuigan in the invasion of Shou Lung in the Shou Year 2609 (1359 DR), Minister Kwan Chan Sen led a 25,000-strong force of soldiers from Ch'ing Tung, Sheng Ti, and Chukei Provinces, to confront them whilst still in Ma' Yuan Province.[1][14] The Army of Ch'ing Tung numbered 10,000 soldiers and was commanded by an aged and over-confident first-degree general known as Ching Tung.[14][15] However, the Battle of the Sorghum Field on Tarsakh 30 ended in utter defeat for the Shou, with almost four-fifths of the army slain.[1][15] The survivors would escape to Taitung. As the Tuigan continued into Ma' Yuan, General Batu Min Ho enacted a scorched-earth tactic in Ma' Yuan and Ch'ing Tung, literally burning the grain fields and granaries to deny food to the invaders. After, Emperor Kai Tsao Shou Chin mustered the Army of the Northern Marches and appointed Batu to its command to repel the Tuigan. Ch'ing Tung Province would be the battlefield. Ch'ing Tung again contributed soldiers to its 100,000-strong Provincial Armies. Batu divided his forces, sending the noble-led Twenty-Five armies up the Kuan Postroad to Shou'Kuan as bait for the Tuigan while the Provincial Armies went around and up the Ch'ing Tung River to catch them unawares. His plan worked, more or less: the Tuigan captured Shou'Kuan on Eleasias 2 and were later besieged by the Provincial Armies. After twelve days of this, Yamun negotiated a peaceful departure on Eleasias 24 and his envoy met the emperor at Taitung; the Tuigan would quite the empire on Eleint 9.[1] When Batu met Yamun to offer his services, he offered a hundred casks of quality plum wine from Ch'ing Tung as a gift.[10]

In the aftermath of the war, many displaced Shou folk from Ch'ing Tung would go west and ultimately settled in Thesk, including the city of Telflamm.[16][note 1]

Culture[]

The Ch'ing people were often seen by outsiders as clannish and pushy, as well as adventurous to the point of recklessness. To the Ch'ing, however, these were practically compliments and they saw their land as the heart of the empire, if not the universe.[2] They were known for their adventurous explorers, folk with quick reactions and adaptability.[17]

They enjoyed their nightlife, often drinking in the wine shops until late and conversing on current affairs.[2]

Ch'ing cuisine was characterized by experimentation, with cooks regularly incorporating new foods such as meats and tropical fruits from southern Kara-Tur. A popular Ch'ing dish was a hot and spicy stewed snake with pineapple. In contrast, they hated lamb and mutton.[2]

The people spoke a provincial dialect of Kao te Shou, the official language of the empire,[3][4] with a recognizable accent. Tycho Arisaenn spoke Shou with this accent, having learned it from Ch'ing Tung Shou in Telflamm.[16][18] The arrogant Kuang Li Chien accused him of speaking Shou "like a lisping whore from Ch'ing Tung".[16]

Locations[]

The two major cities of Ch'ing Tung were Shou'Kuan at the heart of the province and Taitung, on the First Emperor's Canal, while Mi'Shan and To'Ming, two of Shou Lung's so-called River Cities sat on the Hungtse in the south. The back-country farming town of Shangtou was nevertheless renowned for its rice and tea.[2] The martial arts school of Loy Ho-dun lay amongst the hills north of Shangtou.[19]

Notable Locations[]

Cities
Mi'Shan • Shou'Kuan • Taitung • To'Ming
Towns
Shangtou
Roads
Ningtang Road • Kiafeng Highway • Kuan Postroad • Silver Road
Bridges
Bridge of Taitung • Falls Bridge • Tofing Bridge

Notable Inhabitants[]

Appendix[]

Notes[]

  1. ↑ While this is not directly stated in The Yellow Silk, it is well known that Shou refugees of the Tuigan invasion settled in Thesk. Since Ch'ing Tung was one of the provinces invaded and Kuang Li Chien automatically associates Tycho's Ch'ing Tung accent with Telflamm and Thesk, it stands to reason the refugees are from Ch'ing Tung and settled there.

Appearances[]

Adventures

Referenced only
Ronin Challenge

Novels & Short Stories

Dragonwall
Referenced only
The Yellow Silk • Realms of the Dragons: "Beer with a Fat Dragon"

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Curtis M. Scott (1991). Horde Campaign. (TSR, Inc), pp. 22–27. ISBN 1-56076-130-X.
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume I). (TSR, Inc), p. 11. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume I). (TSR, Inc), pp. 23–24. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Curtis Smith, Rick Swan (May 1990). Ronin Challenge. Edited by Jon Pickens, Steve Winter. (TSR, Inc.), p. 86. ISBN 0-88038-749-1.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Karen Wynn Fonstad (August 1990). The Forgotten Realms Atlas. (TSR, Inc), p. 13. ISBN 978-0880388573.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Maps). (TSR, Inc). ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Karen Wynn Fonstad (August 1990). The Forgotten Realms Atlas. (TSR, Inc), pp. 15, 20. ISBN 978-0880388573.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1  (1989). Kara-Tur Trail Map. (TSR, Inc). ISBN 0-88038-783-7.
  9. ↑ Don Bassingthwaite (February 2004). The Yellow Silk. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 5, p. 94. ISBN 0-7869-3152-3.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Troy Denning (August 1990). Dragonwall. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 17, p. 266. ISBN 0-8803-8919-2.
  11. ↑ Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 39, 41. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
  12. ↑ Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume I). (TSR, Inc), p. 32. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
  13. ↑ Curtis Smith, Rick Swan (May 1990). Ronin Challenge. Edited by Jon Pickens, Steve Winter. (TSR, Inc.), p. 8. ISBN 0-88038-749-1.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Troy Denning (August 1990). Dragonwall. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 1, pp. 2, 9, 12. ISBN 0-8803-8919-2.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Troy Denning (August 1990). Dragonwall. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 2, pp. 16–35. ISBN 0-8803-8919-2.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Don Bassingthwaite (February 2004). The Yellow Silk. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 1, p. 26. ISBN 0-7869-3152-3.
  17. ↑ James Wyatt (January 2004). “Kara-Tur: Ancestor Feats and Martial Arts Styles”. In Chris Thomasson ed. Dragon #315 (Paizo Publishing, LLC), p. 64.
  18. ↑ Don Bassingthwaite (October 2004). “Beer with a Fat Dragon”. In Philip Athans ed. Realms of the Dragons (Wizards of the Coast), p. 323. ISBN 978-0-7869-3394-5.
  19. ↑ Curtis Smith, Rick Swan (May 1990). Ronin Challenge. Edited by Jon Pickens, Steve Winter. (TSR, Inc.), p. 96. ISBN 0-88038-749-1.
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