Five is a holy number.
There are five fingers on a healthy human hand. Five seasons in the year. The freezing season when the ground turns to iron and ice falls from the sky. The springing season, when the warm south wind blows life through the land and green springs anew. The rainy season, when black clouds darken the sky and water pours from them in endless silver threads twining together heaven and earth. The burning season, when the heat sears the days and the nights are filled with the sounds of short lived cicada. The bronzed season, when the trees turn their cloaks to gold and red and copper, then drop them to the earth when the freezing season comes again.
Five is a holy number. Five gods of old and five of new. The Old Gods were all but forgotten, no more than faceless monoliths lingering at the back of human memory, deposed and discarded.
In their places the New Gods reigned supreme. The Five Great Gods, the Throned Ones, the Many Colored Ones, or often just 'The Five'. The New Gods had many names and designations, their individual importance increasing or waning depending on which region of the Inner Empire you were in.
In the east, Lulin, The Kirin, God of Greenery and Life, held court. Known for his kindness and benevolence, many sought his blessing of health and longevity. The Green King.
To the north was Xuanhei, The Warrior, God of Battle and Death. His battle horn could be heard in the winds that ripped out of the northern tundra, calling the dead home.The Black Lord.
To the west was Baihu, The Tigress, Mistress of the Western Mountains, with metal teeth and claws fierce enough to catch the sun. The White Queen.
Along the southern coast, in the rich cities and jungles of the south, Zhuque, The Red Bird, was worshiped with song and dance and fire, the god of passion and love, beauty and art. The Red Duke.
And in the central regions, where all things originated, the great five clawed golden dragon, Jinyan, was revered as the father of agriculture, of writing, and the empire itself. The Golden Emperor.
Five is a holy number.
For centuries, The Five guided the empire, sheltered and protected it and kept the balance between humans and the mu'ren, the non-humans.
But, as in all good stories, a beautiful woman came along and changed everything.
Her name was Xiyu, or 'Fine Rain'. Some said she was mu'ren, others said she was human. Whatever she was, she was so beautiful that men and mu'ren alike would throw themselves at her feet, desperate just for the sweep of her eyes to touch them. Jinyan, the golden dragon, took one look and fell from his throne for her, when he had never fallen for anyone before. Some say he has not fallen for anyone since.
Enamored, the great Golden Dragon raised Xiyu up to be a goddess, a life giving rain goddess. Her supple steps would dance among the clouds, shaking the rain down onto the land below. She was beloved and praised by all. The Sixth God.
But there was more to this woman than met the eye.
Kind and gentle though she appeared, inwardly she was selfish and violent. She craved power. Not content with being a goddess among six, she wanted to be one above all. So she made a deal with a demon, a horrible monster by the name of Liu Zhua. The Golden Dragon in his wisdom had sealed away Liu Zhua, but Xiyu secretly sought out the monster in its prison. Together the beauty and the demon conspired to overthrow Jinyan and the other four gods.
But the Rain Goddess's plans were discovered. Some said it was Baihu, the White Tigress, who never really trusted Xiyu. Others said it was the Black Lord Xuanhei, God of Death, to whom no man can lie. One way or another, Xiyu's treachery was discovered. The other four gods confronted The Golden Emperor Jinyan, and forced him to act against Xiyu before she could carry out her coup.
But they were too late. Xiyu was one step ahead, and she released the monster Liu Zhua from its prison.
For five days and five nights the Five Gods battled Liu Zhua. When at last they triumphed, sealing the beast away once more, the northern plains where they had fought bore scars of their battle, great mountains and valleys carved into the land where there had been none before.
Cornered, Xiyu tried to resist, but Jinyan deprived her of the power he had given her and demanded she repent. She refused, knowing her pride was all that was left to her.
The other four gods urged Jinyan to kill Xiyu, but despite her treachery, he could not bring himself to do so. Instead, he sealed her in an ugly, deformed form, mimicking the monster she had betrayed him to, and cursed her to wander the kingdom for all eternity, reviled and hated wherever she went.
And thus it was the Five Gods returned to their original number. The sixth god was forgotten, her temples destroyed, her image erased, her followers scattered, and her name lost to time.
Five is a holy number. Six is not.
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