Mandate

Original

a long, long time ago before the world existed, the king dragon of the void opened his eyes and realized he existed.

he was surrounded by nothingness and he realized that time was passing by. thus he created his first son, the black warrior of the north. with his first son at his side, the king dragon of the void realized the now human concept of family. he wished to protect his family and desired a home to house his son-- he realized wood to build his house from and metal to hold it together. thus he created his second son and his first daughter: the white tiger of the west and the azure dragon of the east. they built their house with the bare of their hands. the king dragon of the void realized the earth upon which he built his home and created himself another son, the yellow dragon of the center. to keep his family warm, the king dragon realized fire and brought his final son into existence, the vermillion bird of the south.

the azure dragon of the east created life on the earth that her father realized. the white tiger of the west created mountains from the quakes he forced from the surface. the black warrior of the north carved rivers into the terrain-- formed great oceans and rainstorms. and the vermillion bird of the south allowed these things to happen in such a way that things were good. his blessing permitted the chaos of the land to thrive instead of destroy.

the yellow dragon of the center, however, challenged his father's rule. he argued that the earth was the center of all things and all things centered around the earth. he argued that the void was nothingness.

the king dragon of the void realized the death of his son and realized the existence of the underworld where the yellow dragon would remain for the rest of time. he bestowed the gifts of the yellow dragon of the center upon himself so that no balance would be destroyed and he realized his family into the sky, to a palace that he built there from his very own breath so they wouldn't hear the cries of the son and the brother that could not be.

this is how life, death, the earth, and the heavens came to be.

mandate is about all these things and the court that rules them.

----

It is the modern day in the city of Shanghai.

The city is bustling, brimming with people. District to district is glitz, glamour, and money. Bars, restaurants, hotels, all dressed in a veneer of polished marble and plated gold.

But under all this is a struggle for power and at the top of this mountain of ethereal bodies is the Prince of the city-- a ruler who has received the mandate of heaven in the absence of a true emperor of China. They influence politics in Shanghai and across the country, reign over the triads that gnash their teeth at their feet, and decide what will and will not be in this realm of man.

In this world of betrayal and lies, are you deserving of this Mandate of Heaven?

Will you be the one the King Dragon calls when the Prince falls dead?