It's still coming just taking awhile!

Not sure what you mean by Aether?

Aether (a.k.a Spirit, Void, Energy) was the classical element associated with the emptiness of space, and/or emotions, feelings and one's 'inner self'. I just wondered if you were planning on adding another species to accommodate this.

Aether is often excluded and it's association is with the center rather than the cardinal directions. While it is the inner self, I have seen emothions and feelings (along with art and beauty) more often associated with water. For example, in Jade Empire there are four Magic Styles based around the four elements except with ice replacing water, while Aether is represented by the very Chi through which these magics are used. Aether is always on a deeper level than the four material elements, so I would say that Aether fits best with the Great Mother, Herself. And possibly the Empress by extension.

Aether/Void/Spirit/Whatever you call it is one element, but it is the only spiritual element while the other four are physical. To expand my previous thought by adding it:

Earth = Zhuni
Water = Xerin
Air = Xenkorian
Fire = Etherians
Aether = The Zhu Empire (The whole of the Zhu Empire working in Harmony with nature and the Great Mother.)

Okay. You put that very well. Now, I have another challenge for you!

What about the Chinese element of Wood?

The two systems don't translate very easily, and I'm only particularly versed in the western elements.

As I understand it, however, the chinese elements are earth, metal, wood, fire and water. Is that Correct? It's been a while.

Anyway, those scholars & mystics who've attempted a direct corrolation tend to agree that the chinese significance of wood and metal are similar to the western earth and air, respectivly. While the western element of spirit is akin to the chinese conception of earth. Or something like that. I found it all a bit difficult when I was studying the chinese system to be perfectly honest.

Yep, the Chinese elements are confusing. I think there are several variations of the Chinese element system, some including air while others don't. The system went something like this, as I remember:

Water nourishes Wood
Wood fuels Fire
Fire creates Earth (ash)
Earth holds Water

That sounds pretty weird, I might be wrong. There is another system which includes Metal along with those.

I'm definitely interested in this. I'm really getting a Dynasty Warriors feeling from this so I'm just going to unapologetically be making a Xiahou Dun style badass general character. Unsure if he fights for the Empress or a rebel faction or what though. Probably an Etherian who uses martial arts to focus his race's natural fury into deadly clarity and smacks hordes of mooks left and right with sweeps of his blade.

That...sounds dangerous. What kind of magic will he use? (e.g. elemental manipulation, wards, strength boosts, regular Skyrim-like stuff etc.) Or will he rely solely on weapons?

I'm seeing him as a really pragmatic, no-nonsense kind of guy so his techniques as a magic user will be very battlefield-relevant; he's about martial arts as practical combat rather than martial arts as a dance or art form, meditation, spiritual expression etc that some of the other ones seem to work as. Probably a lot of buff spells - strength-boosting and so on. Maybe some direct damage or stuff that can augment allies, like the troops around him, but this main focus will be personal augmentation. Like I say, he's meant to be a Dynasty Warriors character, or a Dawn Solar Exalt. Have you seen how they fight?

Like I say, I'm basing him on Xiahou Dun. The story about that guy is he took an arrow to the eye, so he ripped the arrow - and the eye - out of his own head, took the eye and ATE IT to scare his enemies. He was known as the General Of Uplifting Might and The Colonel Who Breaks And Charges.

Yep...definitely powerful!

If you read a few posts back, you may know that my character will probably be a mainly water-manipulation-magic based Shaman, who relies totally on his, well, Chi I suppose, and doesn't carry weapons at all. He carries two scabbards filled with water instead of swords. Which is basically the opposite of your character. I will be interesting to find out if they will be enemies or friends :D

And Lekkuen, is there any kind of group or organisation amongst the Zhu (and/or all their sub-species) that are campaigning for equal rights for males? I know that they're not exactly oppressed, but they don't seem to be on the same level?.

Iluvatar said
Yep...definitely powerful!If you read a few posts back, you may know that my character will probably be a mainly water-magic based Shaman, which is basically the opposite of your character. I will be interesting to find out if they will be enemies or friends :DAnd Lekkuen, is there any kind of group or organisation amongst the Zhu (and/or all their sub-species) that are campaigning for equal rights for males? I know that they're not exactly oppressed, but they don't seem to be on the same level?.

I would question wether the modern concept of equality is applicable to an alien species such as this.

At the very least, from what I've read of the setting so far, I'm thinking that my character would see pleas for "equal rights" as unneeded and ultimately undermining of natural and spiritual harmony.

An ooc is up but my net keeps going down so it's not finished and the CS is not up.

As for your question there really isn't anything like that. Sure you might have some people who aren't fans of female focus but there is no traction in any movement

http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/14335/posts/ooc

there ya go. Will be adding the factions and stuff shortly, the net on my pc just came back long enough for me to add the CS

Okay then.

Will go and do my CS now *runs off*