An ornate scroll, plated within a case with golden-lotus detailing is delivered via Retainer, the individual in question coming to a kneel before Ishikawa Akihiko to deliver the piece. Only upon acceptance, would they rise and leave soon after. If they should choose to unravel the scroll, it'd reveal lotus-scented rice-paper, golden-edged stationery along the edges and the words in scrawling calligraphy.

By order of the Zhu,

Chen Wenping

By the authority of the Zhu, Chen Wenping, the Ishikawa Household has been gifted the right of nobility, under that of the Jade State of Yong Ping. Upon the receiving of this letter, the head of household Ishikawa Akihiko holds the tentative title of Danshaku. This title is hereditary and will pass onto one such Ishikawa Akihikos heir of the Household. From this point, you are given one Dragons week to come before me within the Senate room to accept and swear that of an oath. Upon this swearing of the Oath, you have the rights and privileges of nobility, alongside the duties and responsibilities that come with such a title.

May we, as the Jade State, ever prosper.

“No mud, no lotus.”

Chen Wenping, the third Patriarch of Yong Ping, The Zhu of the Jade State of Yong Ping, Gong and Patriarch of the Chen Household, former Chancellor, former Minister of Justice,.

陈  文平 

An ornate scroll, plated within a case with golden-lotus detailing is delivered via Retainer, the individual in question coming to a kneel before Ishikawa Akihiko to deliver the piece. Only upon acceptance, would they rise and leave soon after. If they should choose to unravel the scroll, it'd reveal lotus-scented rice-paper, golden-edged stationery along the edges and the words in scrawling calligraphy.

By order of the Zhu,

Chen Wenping

By the authority of the Zhu, Chen Wenping, the Ishikawa Household has been gifted the right of nobility, under that of the Jade State of Yong Ping. Upon the receiving of this letter, the head of household Ishikawa Akihiko holds the tentative title of Danshaku. This title is hereditary and will pass onto one such Ishikawa Akihikos heir of the Household. From this point, you are given one Dragons week to come before me within the Senate room to accept and swear that of an oath. Upon this swearing of the Oath, you have the rights and privileges of nobility, alongside the duties and responsibilities that come with such a title.

May we, as the Jade State, ever prosper.

“No mud, no lotus.”

Chen Wenping, the third Patriarch of Yong Ping, The Zhu of the Jade State of Yong Ping, Gong and Patriarch of the Chen Household, former Chancellor, former Minister of Justice,.

陈  文平 

An ornate scroll, plated within a case with golden-lotus detailing is delivered via Retainer, the individual in question coming to a kneel before Watanabe Akemi to deliver the piece. Only upon acceptance, would they rise and leave soon after. If they should choose to unravel the scroll, it'd reveal lotus-scented rice-paper, golden-edged stationery along the edges and the words in scrawling calligraphy.

By order of the Prosperous Zhu,

Chen Wenping

By the authority of the Zhu, Chen Wenping, the Watanabe Household has been gifted the right of nobility, under that of the Jade State of Yong Ping. Upon the receiving of this letter, the head of household Watanabe Akemi holds the tentative title of Shishaku. This title is hereditary and will pass onto one such Watanabe Akemi heir of the Household. From this point, you are given one Dragons week to come before me within the Senate room to accept and swear that of an oath. Upon this swearing of the Oath, you have the rights and privileges of nobility, alongside the duties and responsibilities that come with such a title.

May we, as the Jade State, ever prosper.

“No mud, no lotus.”

Chen Wenping, the third Patriarch of Yong Ping, The Zhu of the Jade State of Yong Ping, Gong and Patriarch of the Chen Household, former Chancellor, former Minister of Justice.

陈  文平

An ornate scroll, plated within a case with golden-lotus detailing is delivered via Retainer, the individual in question coming to a kneel before Tianrui Ren  to deliver the piece. Only upon acceptance, would they rise and leave soon after. If they should choose to unravel the scroll, it'd reveal lotus-scented rice-paper, golden-edged stationery along the edges and the words in scrawling calligraphy.

By order of the Zhu,

Chen Wenping

By the authority of the Zhu, Chen Wenping, the Tianrui household has been gifted the right of nobility, under that of the Jade State of Yong Ping. Upon the receiving of this letter, the head of household Tianrui Ren  holds the tentative title of Gong. This title is hereditary and will pass onto one such Tianrui Rens heir of the Household. From this point, you are given one Dragons week to come before me within the Senate room to accept and swear that of an oath. Upon this swearing of the Oath, you have the rights and privileges of nobility, alongside the duties and responsibilities that come with such a title.

May we, as the Jade State, ever prosper.

“No mud, no lotus.”

Chen Wenping, the third Patriarch of Yong Ping, The Zhu of the Jade State of Yong Ping, Gong and Patriarch of the Chen Household, former Chancellor, former Minister of Justice, and local playwright.

陈  文平 

An ornate scroll, plated within a case with golden-lotus detailing is delivered via Retainer, the individual in question coming to a kneel before Chen Wenping to deliver the piece. Only upon acceptance, would they rise and leave soon after. If they should choose to unravel the scroll, it'd reveal lotus-scented rice-paper, golden-edged stationery along the edges and the words in scrawling calligraphy.

authored and published in the year of 1851 from the Office of His Excellency, the Zhu of the Jade State of Yong Ping

To Chen Wenping,

By the authority and will of the Zhu of the Jade State of Yong Ping, Tianrui Ryu, the Chen Household is hereby officially elevated to a class of nobility within our borders. It is upon the receiving of this letter, that the head of the Household Chen, Wenping, is granted the tentative title of Gong. The aforementioned title is hereditary and upon the death of one such Chen Wenping the title will be enveloped with the blessing of the Zhu of the Jade State of Yong Ping, to the respective heir to the House of Chen,  unless further documentation is issued by the Zhu authoring otherwise. It is upon the receiving of this letter, that Wenping of House Chen is to seek an audience before His Excellency the Zhu of the Jade State of Yong Ping within the Jade Senate quarters to accept this elevation and swear an oath of loyalty and allegiance. Upon the swearing of the Oath, the rights and privileges of nobility, alongside the duties and responsibilities are bestowed upon the aforementioned individual.

No mud, no lotus.

    Signed,

    Tianrui Ryu, Patriarch and Zhu of the Jade State of Yong Ping

An ornate scroll, plated within a case with golden-lotus detailing is delivered via Retainer, the individual in question coming to a kneel before Li Xiuying to deliver the piece. Only upon acceptance, would they rise and leave soon after. If they should choose to unravel the scroll, it'd reveal lotus-scented rice-paper, golden-edged stationery along the edges and the words in scrawling calligraphy.

authored and published in the year of 1851 from the Office of His Excellency, the Zhu of the Jade State of Yong Ping

To Li Xiuying,

By the authority and will of the Zhu of the Jade State of Yong Ping, Tianrui Ryu, the Li Household is hereby officially elevated to a class of nobility within our borders.  It is upon the receiving of this letter, that the head of the Household Li, Xiuying, is granted the tentative title of Bo. The aforementioned title is stagnant and not inheritable and upon the death of one such Li Xiuying the title will be enveloped back to the Zhu, unless further documentation is issued by the Zhu authoring otherwise. It is upon the receiving of this letter, that Xiuying of House Li is to seek an audience before His Excellency the Zhu of the Jade State of Yong Ping within the Jade Senate quarters to accept this elevation and swear an oath of loyalty and allegiance. Upon the swearing of the Oath, the rights and privileges of nobility, alongside the duties and responsibilities are bestowed upon the aforementioned individual.

No mud, no lotus.

    Signed,

    Tianrui Ryu, Patriarch and Zhu of the Jade State of Yong Ping

"Energy can be directed, whether into murder or the arts, I generally prefer one over the other."

Néngliàng kěyǐ bèi yǐndǎo, wúlùn shì móushā háishì yìshù, wǒ tōngcháng gèng xǐhuān qízhōng yīgè.

能量可以被引導，無論是謀殺還是藝術，我通常更喜歡其中一個。

History

  The Chen family is one mainly consisting of those who practice that of art and theatrics, though with work have become Renowned Scholars and Government workers. Keeping this in mind, though, there are multiple branches to the family. Hailing from Ai-Zhou initially, a good majority of the family resides there, acting primarily as Scholars and dealing in the Arts. Upon the age of majority, those in the family were sent to Almaris in order to make a name for themselves, coming to establish their name within the Tai Ping district which had been founded in Talons Port during the year 10 SA of Almaris. They took up residence within an apartment, the first two to come down being Chen Wenping and Chen Yunya and began their work.

They fast made a name for themselves via work of the various arts they had learned back home, donning vibrant colors for a performance within the teahouse or wetting a quill for scrawling calligraphy for that of poetry. It didn't take long for things to go further, as just two Dragons months after they arrived to the district, what would come to be known as the Tai Ping Massacre began. It lasted for a Dragons year, where the original two worked with those of the district to set things back to normal and saved many lives in the process, bringing those of the district ever closer.

Respect had been earned through their actions during such a tragedy. Over thirty people had died, brutally slaughtered and left to hang, though the Chens were instrumental in keeping that number from going any higher. The people mourned and they vowed to do better. With the coming New Century festival, plans were made and enacted, allowing those of the district to hit it off with a bang. A Dragons year of festivities that brought them truly to the map of Almaris.

Shortly afterwards, they'd find themselves to have an influx of people to the district, fascinated by the culture. Alongside this, the duos younger sister would come down from Ai-Zhou to join them in their work, Chen Wenya. From mourning to festivities and now family, it didn't seem like things could get anymore chaotic but they could. A series of events followed that led to the district officially declaring their leave from Talons Port, where they set out in order to establish their own settlement.

The four families that'd come to be the founding families of Yong Ping were thus:

The Lis, the Tianruis, the Chens and the Watanabes.

Upon the founding of the settlement, a way of finding was created. Those who have done something great for the community and have earned their following would be brought in as a Minister, running the city and the populace. Henceforth, the two Chens, Chen Wenping and Chen Yunya had been asked to act the Minister of Justice and Minister of Interior.

The two worked hard, keeping steady to what they came to Almaris for initially and only further elevated the family in terms of respect and power, which allowed more of their family to come and settle with them from Ai-Zhou. The settlement only grew, the economy of Yong Ping flourishing and next to no criminal activity found within its borders. After talks had been had, it was declared the settlement would be growing to that of a nation. An impossible task for some but with the given time of two Dragons weeks, the funds were raised and the laws updated as the new city plans began in full.

Disaster struck. A tsunami hit the city, saved only by the grace of the Kami, Susanoos warning to the Chen families retainer, Chenno Gen-Heng. Having rushed to the temple, they held loved ones close as the tsunami came crashing down around them, destroying their years of work in all of a moment. But they were alive. Disaster funds from their own personal accounts went into the city, alongside various plans meant to protect the citizenry. And soon, the construction of the new city came fully, grand and prosperous and a cumulation of all of their work bled into the now nation thusfar.

In celebration, Chen Wenping went onto marry Twilight Narth, becoming that of Chen Wenping and Chen Twilight. With the marriage of Wenping, the branch within Ai-Zhou was no longer considered the main branch as he took over as Patriarch, his father then stepping down. The duo being the head of the household, the families power and influence only spread from there, as Chen Twilight become the Grand Secretariat, third only to the Zhu.

Which brings them to the current point in time with room to move onward.

Appearances

The Chens are mainly a Proto Elf based family, though adoption could be seen among the ranks. They often have dark hair, pinned neatly via hair ornaments or beads, alongside gray and/or blue eyes. Hanfus designed for flowing movement are worn, often with intricate detailing. Heights vary greatly among them.

More recently, through that of marriage, a new line had been introduced; leading to that of Dark Elf coloring and white hair that can be now found amongst the family.

Culture

A primarily Li-ren family, it had been revealed as of recent that through the marriage of a family member, some are part Hyeol-yeon. This allows them to further their ways of culture and religion, giving them a chance at something even better then current.

Religion

Religion within the family relies heavily on that of Shidoism. Frequent visits and donations to the temple are made, in hope of enlightenment and the full enjoyment of the Eightfold path. While they follow Shidoism, known only to the family and close friends is their following of the Yellow King. Seen as someone of great knowledge and a scholarly man of the arts, yellow has been integrated into the families ways, seen as an auspicious color with heavy debates of turning wedding Hanfus yellow to incorporate this. 

Arts

The various arts are something they all specialize in, though you’d find that they’d often pick two to focus on, allowing them better mastery. Traditional dance might be paired with the learning of the zither, calligraphy with that of the Erhu and so on. Many things are seen as an artform, murals and paintings being done or some of the more militaristic members learning martial arts. It’d depend heavily upon what branch of the family you’ve come from and what your parents urged you to do.

Family

The family itself grows by the day, more joining them from Ai-Zhou or those already there going onto marry and have children. They are a family that prides themselves on the work they've done, the history they have created and the name they have made for themselves. With a heavy hand in the economic play within the Jade State of Yong Ping, they are well off and not afraid to bask in the luxuries of life, while also sharing it with that of the Temple, State and Military.

THEME

BRIEF HISTORY

The family was founded by Hua Lian, the wife of a simple farmer under the rule of the Hou-Zi in the aftermath of the Li empire’s downfall, she was described as a fierce and strong woman humbled by the social structure of Li-Guo. When her husband was killed by the worst of their rulers, Hua Lian was one of the first to take up arms and aid in the joint uprising against the Hou-Zi. In her hate for their foreign rulers, she took up weaponsmithing to supply the rebel armies with quality broadswords, sabers, and spears. Her efforts in the uprising were realized, and at the beginning of the third era, was given the right to act as the matriarch of her own minor noble family with a name of her choice. The name she picked was ‘Wen’, to remind herself and all those born in the family of the importance of their culture, and their symbol was a red dragon to match her fierceness.

Over the next four hundred years after Wen Lian’s passing, the Wen family gradually lost influence and their numbers splintered, considered noble only by blood relation with the first Wen, yet treated no higher than middle-class citizens. They maintained great wealth through weaponsmithing, but their numbers dropped throughout the years, most becoming faraway wanderers. Only a few Wen were present to witness the second downfall of Li-Guo.
 

TRADITIONS AND PRACTICES

COMING OF AGE

The Coming of Age ceremony precedes the age of Wen Lian. A practice that was adopted by the matriarch's forefathers. Whose purpose was to introduce a matured individual to society. 

The ceremony encompasses three main rites: "The Naming", "The Painting," and "The Rising." All of which represent the three stages of the Soaring Dragon. The red dragon was picked by Wen Lian herself. 

THE FIVE ARTS

Originally ‘The Four Arts’, they are a set of skills compiled by Wen Lian’s sons, Wen Feng and Wen Wushi after the family was properly integrated into the lifestyle of aristocracy, an additional art was added later on by the descendent of Wen Feng decades later. The four arts were made to up Wen’s standings by presenting themselves as sophisticated among their peers, the fifth one was added out of financial necessity. The arts are taught either by the family elders or hired professionals, each given a minimum of 3 years to master the art before moving to another.

In the early decades of Wen’s nobility, youths start learning the arts at the early age of 5 until their coming of age ceremony. The Wen today treats this tradition as optional due to its importance diminishing when the Li-Ren empire fell. It is ideal to put a child in the path at the age of 5 still, but are not allowed to continue at the expense of the family after they reach the age of 20 and perform their coming of age ceremony, though some exceptions were made depending on the individual.

MEI-XU - THE WEN MARTIAL ART

Wen Mei, a prominent figure in the history of Wen, was the strongest among her family during her time. She joined as a soldier to Li-Guo and eventually rose to become a martial instructor in a very short time. Her fierceness in a fight was compared to the family’s eternal matriarch Wen Lian, even given the nickname of ‘The Dragon’s Flames’ by her family members. However, while her martial prowess was known by many, only one man by the name of Shi Xu managed to peer past her tough exterior and into her heart.

As soulmates, Wen Mei and Shi Xu went on to develop their kind of martial art that required two to perform, utilizing the coordination of the pair to maximize defense, offense, or a mix of the two.

Shi Xu died of disease shortly after their martial art was perfected, and Wen Mei in her grief, suicided. The patriarch of that time decided to immortalize the pair’s story by adopting the martial art they developed into Wen tradition and named it ‘Mei-Xu’.

BELIEFS

ETERNAL MATRIARCH WEN LIAN

Throughout the existence of Wen, multiple occasions lead to the loss of scrolls that detailed important events of Wen’s history, one of the notable ones was about the last years under Wen Lian’s matriarchy.

Started by the fifth generation patriarch, it is believed that Wen Lian did not die, and had attained immortality, taking back the familial name of her first husband and the form of a dragon before fully ascending, forever watching over her children from above.

It is because of this belief that none shall ever be above Hua Lian, and that she will always be sole and ‘Eternal Matriarch.’

ATTAINING IMMORTALITY

It is believed that just like their matriarch, a member can attain immortality as well, and to them, this has been proven multiple times through the still living Wen Ling, Wen Huaisang, Wen Chenmei, and Wen Ai, all of whom are over at least two hundred years of age with a youthful exterior.

The exact process of attaining immortality is unknown, but it is believed that mastering the five arts and martial art is the key to ascension.
 

PROFESSIONS

Weaponsmithing
The most common trade for a Wen to pick. Weaponsmithing has been the main source of income for the Wen family, some even take it further and create original weapon designs, such as the fan blade. Among the notable family members who practiced weaponsmithing are Wen Lian, the eternal matriarch, and Wen Kexing, the current Almarian patriarch.

Alchemy
The second most common trade, equally practiced by both the males and females of the family. Those that take on the profession are taught to make poultice, brew toxins, antitoxins, and anything else that is available. Among one of the notable alchemists in the family is Immortal Wen Ai, revered for her hand in medicine and is said to be capable of healing any wound, and curing any disease.

Despite weaponsmithing and alchemy being the most common professions practiced in the family, members adhere to nothing in particular, they are free to practice whatever they want, be it in medicine, blacksmithing, or other forms of arts. 
 

OOC DISCLAIMER

CULTURE

Introduction

The Watanabe Clan is an Oyashiman family with a rich culture, known for their rebellious attitudes. Due to relations with the Li-Ren family known as the Tianrui, the Watanabe strive to bring together the Oyashiman and Li-Ren peoples. Their primary goal is to protect the honor of those who earn their respect. 

As a note, this document is completely OOC, and unless you learn the things written through roleplay, your character would not be likely to know them just because you saw it on the forums. I just thought it would be a good way to show people some of what we do in Yong Ping, and help any future family members create their characters!

Traditions

Seijin-shiki (Coming of Age Ceremony)

When a Watanabe reaches 20 (give or take, due to how things tend to go), they must complete a trial by combat. Each matriarch of the Watanabe clan typically comes up with their own trials. The matriarch as of writing this document, Watanabe Setsuna, has not yet conducted a trial. However, trials are typically one of two things- a test of strength, or a test of courage.

All available Watanabe clan members attend the Seijin-shiki of another clan member. Outsiders are also invited to watch-- it’s somewhat of a novel event, wherever the Watanabe family goes.

Those that wish to prove themselves to the Watanabe family may also undergo the Seijin-shiki. This may be in order to marry a member of the family, to be adopted into the family, or to generally earn their respect. It’s not required for those that marry in or are adopted-- but they must have proved their worth in a way considered satisfactory to the current matriarch.

Each Watanabe clan member earns tattoos upon completing their trials. Tattoos are decided by the matriarch based on personality, and how they completed the trials, finished with a red character denoting their Watanabe Clan status. The tattoos are always large and noticeable; a small tattoo would never do, in this case. Many Watanabes know how to tattoo, in order to do so on other family members.

Familial Hierarchy

The Watanabe family always has a matriarch, or, less commonly, a patriarch of the family. There’s no particular reason for women having taken the mantle-- it simply seemed to happen over time. The men of the family were content to let the women handle the political and social sides of running the family, and therefore, the matriarch came to be the stronger leader in such situations. Men are more often literal warriors, focusing on physical strength. The matriarch is almost akin to a general of the militaristic ways of the Watanabes, leading them through battles in both day-to-day life and on the literal battlefield. The leader, regardless of gender, must prove themselves to be strong-willed, with masterful combative prowess. It’s typically the oldest living child of the family.

The current matriarch was chosen after the past matriarch, Watanabe Yui, elected to stay in Oyashima to live out a quiet life. The rest of the Watanabes came to Almaris in recent years. The current matriarch is Watanabe Setsuna, as of the time this document is written.

Fighting Styles

The Watanabe Clan tends to learn how to fight from a young age, and they definitely don’t do so with the path of an honorable samurai. Throwing dirt in the eyes, striking while the back is turned, and leaving spikes on the ground are all signature moves of Watanabes. Any child raised with the Watanabe family will know how to fight, and how to defend themselves.

Falconry

The Watanabe Clan is known for their soft spot for hunting birds. Hawks, in particular, are popular amongst them; they are often used to deliver messages.

Religion

The Watanabe Family tends to worship the kami of Taikyo-- specifically Kyojin, which can be read about here. 

Connection to the Tianrui (Li-Ren)

The Watanabes and Tianrui are connected by the marriage of Watanabe Keiko and Tianrui Song (brother to Tianrui Ren), the parents of Watanabe Setsuna, Miyako, Otoboshi, and Takahiro. After the unlikely pairing passed away due to disease, the families decided to put aside their differences, as was their wish. They strive for the harmony of their people, no matter the cost.