Puyo is the homeland of one of my player's characters. He had a basic character concept and asked me to give him a homeland. Since Puyo has never been define in Exalted, and we're playing in the Scavenger lands. I thought flesh it out.
Puyo is a small aristocratic city-state on the western edge of the Hundred Kingdoms. The land was shattered when the Empress unleashed the powers of the Imperial War Manse. Craggy bluffs and ragged canyons mar the gently rolling steppe country.
Puyo
Puyo is a small aristocratic city-state on the western edge of the Hundred Kingdoms. The land was shattered when the Empress unleashed the powers of the Imperial War Manse. Craggy bluffs and ragged canyons mar the gently rolling steppe country.
Puyo is ruled from a small city that bears the same name perched on a series of bluffs jutting up from a deep cleft in the earth. High-arched stone bridges link the city to the surrounding countryside. The palaces of the clans are built from cut stone atop the bluffs.
Puyo is ruled by the Triarchy, three princes selected from the leading aristocratic families. When one prince dies, the other princes choose a successor. In order to preserve the Triarchy, the three princes never meet in one place at the same time.
The people of Puyo are descended from the Marukani clans that conquered the region. As in the plains of Marukan, the people of Puyo lead a semi-nomadic pastoral lifestyle, herding horses and traveling between range towns. The clans are lead by an aristocracy of elite chivalric cataphracti who support the great princes in times of war. The aristocracy form the backbone of the government and military. There are over a dozen clans with nearly twice that many smaller named families. At any time six to seven of them are in ascendancy. Over the centuries, clans have split, merged, and died.
The Clans
The Bu are the eldest clan, the first to discover the rich metal deposits beneath the steppe canyons, and formed the first Triarchy. The clan has waned since Puyo's founding, but the current head of the clan is the newest of the current Triarchs.
The Ha are considered Puyo's second clan, and are currently the wealthiest. For the last three generation, the Ha clan has consistently held one of the seats of the triarchy. They're heavily involved in foreign trade and relations with the Confederation of Rivers. Until her recent assassination, the daughter of the current Ha Triarch was the ambassador to the confederation.
The Ir are a smaller clan tied known for a strong tradition of military services. Many sons and daughters of Ir serve in the Triarchs' Guard Their wealth is is horses and they are seen as blessed by Hiparkes.
Trade and War
The shattered lands of Puyo give it easy access to mineral deposits, include silver, tin, and jade. The location of the mines are highly secretive, known only to the princes. The princes share the wealth garnered from the mines through regular donatives. Puyo maintains important trade partnerships with Lookshy and Marukan. A treaty with Lookshy guarantees that all jade from Puyo be sold to Lookshy in exchange for defense. Like Marukan, Puyo trade their horses and hides to the settled peoples around them.
| Wealth of the Earth Only the princes of the Triarchy know the true origins of Puyo's mineral wealth. The ancestors of the Bu clan discovered an artifact that allowed them to command spirits of the earth to deliver the wealth buried beneath the land. They found the artifact in a temple exposed by newly torn canyons. |
Puyo had a non-aggregation pact and trade partnership with Thorns until the invasion of RY 752. Puyo was early to answer the call to war against Thorns and the Realm. The main columns of the invasion bypassed Puyo, but the kingdom suffered many raids and skirmishes along the boarders. The cavalry of Puyo fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the war, including the decisive Battle or Mishaka.
The clans of Puyo have a longstanding rivalry with the sorcerer princes of Varsi. The sorcerers have long coveted the wealth of Puyo. Raids are common along the board of the two kingdoms and skirmishes are not unheard of.
Gods and Religion
The Immaculate Order has a strong following in Puyo, though worship for Sunipa, War God of the East, Hiparkes, God of Horses and Riders, and other local deities persists. The Triarchy has no official position on religious matters, funding Immaculate Shines and festivals to the local gods.
Hiparkes' Star
These rare five-petaled, star-shaped blossoms grace the steppe of Marukan and Puyo. Legend says the flowers grow where Hiparkes has left hoof-prints as he races across the open country. Other legends say the flowers spring from where Hiparkes spills his seed after rutting with the mares of the great steppe herds. In either case, the flowers are seen as a sign of favor by the divine stallion and they are a common gift between young lovers.
Hiparkes' Star
These rare five-petaled, star-shaped blossoms grace the steppe of Marukan and Puyo. Legend says the flowers grow where Hiparkes has left hoof-prints as he races across the open country. Other legends say the flowers spring from where Hiparkes spills his seed after rutting with the mares of the great steppe herds. In either case, the flowers are seen as a sign of favor by the divine stallion and they are a common gift between young lovers.
