Eldritch

The Twilight Empire

The ninth great powerTian Zhou

Beyond the seas of western Arnesse lies Tian Zhou, a realm of steppe, snowbound mountains, and shadowed forests, with a Blight looming in the north. Its emperors are anointed for skill and for their tie to the divine.

The middle of the map of Tian Zhou, showing the Northern Wood, Tengeriin, and the plains of the Midrealm.

The Empire

The Solar and Lunar Wardens, emperors and empresses chosen for ability over blood, have guided their people for centuries since the First Eclipse.

This page describes the empire as Arnesse knew it. The last section follows its envoys in the Annwyn.

The Twilight Empire is built on armies of bureaucrats as well as soldiers, and beneath them on hosts of farmers, craftspeople, and herders. One government struggles to keep its hold on hundreds of clans, each with its own history. Spirits live alongside farmers, scholars record the appearances of dragon-spirits, and the line between myth and fact is thin. In the north, the danger of an unstoppable advance hangs over the whole empire.

The Continent of Tian Zhou

The map shows the Midrealm at the center of the continent, with New Karashu near its heart. Tengeriin and the Northern Wood lie to the north, below the Orkhan Echoes and the frozen shore of the Saraal Uns. The Bronze Coast runs along the southwest. The map was still incomplete in October 2024, although it contains all of the major landmarks and cities.

The full map of the continent of Tian Zhou, a wide brown landmass with a band of mountains and dark forest across the north, a plain at the center, and scattered islands to the south.

A Note on Cultural Sensitivity

The Twilight Empire was written to evoke the cultural themes of ancient China and Mongolia within the low-fantasy, somewhat grim, pseudo-medieval world of Eldritch. Its creators drew on the folklore, history, and customs of those cultures, and they tried to avoid work that was contrived, derivative, or disrespectful. They also stated that they were willing to update the supplement when needed.

The creative team worked with James Mendez Hodes (jamesmendezhodes.com), a professional cultural consultant, to develop the Twilight Empire from touchstones in Asian history, religion, and folkways.

In the Annwyn

Word that a delegation from the Twilight Empire had reached Arnesse came in 765. King Giles II wanted nothing to do with it, and House Aragon agreed to host the visitors. A representative of the empire came to the Annwyn later that year.

The manors of the Twilight Empire near Mystvale lay in ruin by the fall of 766. In the summer of 767 the envoy Bao Kun of Tian Zhou fell beside Lady Obara Aragon. The other envoy, Tian Yu, was not seen again.

The Chronicle gives the full order of events.

Mist drifts through a dark line of evergreens above a brown meadow under a heavy sky.