The Grey Realms: The Celestial Empire

 The Celestial Empire of The Grey Realms

The Celestial Empire is a de facto successor state of the Imaskari, Suel, and (to a lesser extent) Bakluni Empires; though in many ways greater than any at their height...especially in land area controlled at it's own height. While the people were in ancient times subject to the two empires, there was a vast "no wizard's land" between them that the ways of the Wu-Jen developed from the native people that eventually led to the founding of the Celestial Empire.

The Celestial Empire is the "Kara Tur" of the Grey Realms; but it is a heavy mix of the Kara Tur boxed set alongside the land of Khitai from R.E. Howard's world of Hyboria. Its southern jungles and mountainous frozen deserts are both protector and obstacle to an empire that could have expanded much further than it ever has.

At one time at its height its knowledge spread far and wide, resulting in the "Monk Class" being spread to the lands of the Flanaess and to Faerûn. This is why there are Monks in both of those settings; but not in Ansalon (Greyhawk), Cerilia (Birthright), Zhakara (my spelling for Zakhara) and other lands in my world.

There is no Kozakura, Wa or Koryo in my Grey Realms; instead I chose to use the Oriental Adventures book to create an Empire of my own making much like Khitai. It is a heavy and obvious mix of Chinese (primarily) and Japanese culture (with Samurai as individual warriors instead of the massed ranks of Chinese historical armies)...but with a heavy mix of Khitain sorcery thrown in. While there are many Wu-Jen classed spell casters in the Celestial Empire, there are also traditional Magic-Users who "summon demons" to aid them. The two philosophies of magic do not get along well, with the Imperial Family (today!) favoring the ways of the Wu-Jen instead of the Sorcerers (Magic-Users).

The map below is a rough map of the maximum extent of the Celestial Empire (the hashed area) compared to the rough current borders of the Empire. While the Celestial Empire (called Tiāncháo by its own people in day to day life) does have an efficient bureaucracy, it still does not always have clearly defined borders in its outer provinces which ebb and flow over time. Mostly due to ambitious warlords or sorcerers regularly creating break away states which then must be reconquered when the usually somnolent Imperial Court decides to make an example of the upstart when a new Emperor or an aspiring General takes notice of them.

For the most part, the trade originating from Tiāncháo is much less than it could be; but the mountain passes leaving the area are rife with monsters of all kinds which leaves the land, despite its size, relatively isolated from the rest of the world.

I'm still working on a map for the area which absolutely does NOT have a "Great Wall" because the mountains around it act as a better wall than anything man/magic made (meaning it may be years before it is seen! lol); but roughly it is thus: