The Morning Realms
A map, a history, some worldbuilding
I have, if nothing else, a very good sense of direction.
I can attribute this to many things—the fact that I started driving before the invention of GPS probably being the most formative—but I like to think it’s the hours I used to spend in the back seat of my parents’ car when I was a child, poring over Thomas Guides. I was always a voracious reader, but reading words in a moving car made me motion sick, so for the lack of anything else to spare my undiagnosed ADHD brain from the endless tedium of driving around LA’s freeways, I read the Thomas Guide.
I’ve always loved maps. Every summer and Thanksgiving, my father would pile us up in our 1995 Mazda MPV and drive us up from Pasadena to Sacramento to visit my grandparents, and one of our pre-trip rituals was plotting a course on a fresh new map of California purchased from the grocery store. There were always a couple of options for this eight-hour drive. We could take the 5,1 which was a major thoroughfare and we could stop to eat at Harris Ranch and Andersen Pea Soup along the way. But the problem with the 5 was that it was ugly, and frequently congested with traffic. Or we could take the more scenic 99, which was only a two-lane free way, but was generally free of cars and offered more interesting bits of Americana to sightsee along the way.
It’s funny; I’m not a visual writer, although I am a visual person. There are so many aspects of working with my publisher for which I’m incredibly grateful, but one of the bits for which I am the most grateful is how much visual input they allow me. I submitted sketches for Zhara’s cover (which they incorporated into the final composition), and even submitted a rough sketch of a map for the mapmaker to flesh out and make sense.
I will admit, I am one of those nerds who constantly flips back and forth between the map at the front of a book and any new place we visit in a story. I like to orient myself in a place, and I find I do that in my everyday life as well. Before I go anywhere, I almost always check to see where it is on Google Maps, how to get there, and where it is in relation to other landmarks, as well as cardinal direction.2 I am also one of those nerds who will devour every bit of extra information printed in appendices, including things like the history or culture of a city.
So, without further ado, here is some information about the world of the Morning Realms in Guardians of Dawn that I would put into appendices at the back of a book.
the morning realms 🌞
the land mass
The Morning Realms refers to a large land mass between the Shining Sea in the south, the Gunung mountain range to the west (and the Kimanaya Mountains—also called the Everwhites—separating the empire from the Kingdom of the Sindh in the southwest), the Azure Sea to the east, and the Frozen Wastes to the far north.
The Middle Kingdom (the middle of the empire)
The northern grasslands (also called the northern steppes) to the northeast
The Dzungri Basin (desert) to the northwest, and the uninhabited lands to the north of the basin
The Gunung MountainsThe Kimanayas (also called The Everwhites)
The Azure Isles in the Azure Sea
The Zanqi Plateau
The southern provinces south of the Silver River
The outermost west are the lands surrounding the Gunung Mountains, including the Zanqi Plateau north of the Kimanayas
lands outside the Morning Realms
The Five Sisters (also called the Vizcaya Archipelago) in the Shining Sea
The Kingdom of the Sindh to the southwest
The uninhabited lands north of the Dzungi Basin
The Frozen Wastes
the rivers, lakes, and inland bodies of water
The Frozen Wastes is a land of permafrost, composed of glaciers from which some minor rivers flow into the northern steppes. A cluster of six rivers—collectively called the Bitter Tears of the Frost—feeds the The Sweet Sea, the largest inland freshwater lake in the world. The Sweet Sea connects with the Bay of Dragons in the east via a river system called the Dragon’s Beard. Another river runs from the Sweet Sea to the Azure Strait called The Water Road. The Black River, the longest river in the north, runs from the Frozen Wastes east to the Azure Sea.
Running south from the Sweet Sea to the Shining Sea is the Infinite River. Running east from the glaciers in Gunung Mountains to meet up with the Infinite River is the Silver River. Also originating from Gunung Mountains further south is the Red River.
The Sweet Sea
The Bitter Tears of the Frost (also called The Tears)
The Black River
The Bay of Dragons
The Dragon’s Beard
The Water Road
The Infinite River
The Silver River (also just called The Silver)
The Red River
The Shining Sea
The Azure Sea
The Azure Strait
major cities and locations
Zanhei, capital of the south along the Infinite River just north of the Shining Sea
Mount Zanhei, a volcano upriver of Zanhei
Changxi, the ancient capital of the south, destroyed by Mount Zanhei exploding
Jingxi, a southern province to the east of Zanhei
Guanhei, a southern province along the Red River
Fengshou, the southernmost province
Shangnan, the southern province closest to the Kingdom of the Sindh
Urghud, the capital of the north along the Sweet Sea
The Imperial City, along in the Infinite River in the Middle Kingdom
Ngasa, the old capital of the outermost west, razed during the Just War
Mingnan, the southernmost border town along the Gunung Mountains
Kalantze, a refugee town in the middle of the Gunung foothills
Kasong, the capital of the Azure Isles
the provinces of the morning realms
the middle kingdom
Seat of Power: The Imperial City
Style of Governance: Direct rule by the Emperor
Ruler: The Sunburst Emperor
Style of Address: Their Imperial Majesty
The smallest of the five administrative divisions of the Morning Realms. Situated in the north-central part of the land, it is the seat of the Sunburst Throne and consists of the Imperial City and surrounding provinces. It is not, strictly speaking, a kingdom at all, but as the city and surrounding areas are under the direct rule of the Sunburst Emperor and not a provincial governor or other intermediary, the people of the Morning Realms have come to refer to this bit of land a “kingdom” in jest. It is the terminus of the Mulberry Road, and as such, is a large, metropolitan, and cosmopolitan hub, challenging the sea trade supremacy of the southern principalities, especially Zanhei.
Historically, citizens of the Middle Kingdom are considered proud, even a little arrogant, as their proximity to the ruling power of the land gives them a sense of (unearned) importance. Due to the changing of power over several millennia, they consider themselves the true stewards of the Sunburst Throne, while the person sitting on it is merely a temporary occupant. There have been many coup attempts by nobles from the Middle Kingdom throughout the ages, but no personal army could ever compete with the military might the emperor could command—the Glorious Ten Thousand, or those fearsome riders from the steppes just a couple hundred leagues to the north.
The only successful coup of the Sunburst Throne was carried out by the Warlord, or the general of the emperor’s northern horde.
the southern principalities
Seat of Power: Zanhei (current), Changxi (ancient)
Style of Governance: Principality, or prefectures ruled by princes, called wen
Ruler: A sovereign Prince or Princess, answerable to the Sunburst Throne
Style of Address: Their Highness
The southern part of the empire is formed of a loose confederacy of city-states and their surrounding lands. There are five principalities—called wen—along the southern coast, each ruled by a prince: Zanhei, Fengshou, Jingxi, Guanhei, and Shangnan. Of these five, Zanhei is the largest, richest, and most influential; not just in the southern provinces, but throughout all of the Morning Realms, as it controls the port at the mouth of the Infinite River, and consequently all the trade that flows in from the southern seas.
Prior to the unification of the Morning Realms under the banner of the Sunburst Warrior, the southern principalities were their own kingdoms with their own culture and customs different from those in the lands surrounding the Middle Kingdom. Southerners speak the common tongue with a pronounced lilt and musicality, and consider themselves more refined than their northern counterparts due to their exposure to international peoples and trade. There are many ethnic groups in the south, including the Buri, the Lalang, the Yue, and the many unnamed clans from the Vizcayo archipelago in the South Shining Sea, as well as travelers and immigrants from the kingdom of the Sindh, the desert dwellers of Dzungri basin, and the island nation of Dwana further to the west.
Southerners revel in the arts and the provinces have produced many renowned singers, dancers, poets, and other entertainers throughout the years. Everything is elevated to an art form in the south—everything from preparing tea to cooking to fencing to clothing. Each city-state is famous for a particular art form: poetry in Zanhei, music in Jingxi, painting in Guanhei, dancing and theater in Fengsho, although Shangnan also lays claim to theatrical supremacy. There are friendly wars waged every year about Fengsho (satirical, comedic) or Shangnan (elegant, tragic) styles and which is superior.
The southern parts of the empire tend to worship at the Mansions of the Immortals, although all faiths and religions are accepted there.
Rulers of the Five Southern Wen
Zanhei: Prince Wonhu
Guanhei: Prince Zhuque
Jingxi: Princess Durumi
Fengsho: Princess Haitun
Shangnan: Prince Fenhui
The Great Southern Wen
House Wonhu of the Resourceful Monkey
House Zhuque, cadet branch of House Wonhu
House Durumi of the Sagacious Crane
House Haitun of the Laughing Dolphin
House Fenhui, cadet branch of House Haitun
the outermost west
Seat of Power: Kalantze (current), Ngasa (ancient, fallen)
Style of Governance: Self-sufficiency
Ruler: None, each clan is answerable to their own rules and laws, although the Qirin Tulku is the spiritual and political leader of the region as a whole
Style of Address: Their Holiness
Not much is known about the Free Peoples, who occupy the part of the empire with the largest landmass. Mountainous terrain and the vast scale of Zanqi Plateau make this part of the realms difficult to traverse and map accurately, and so remains the most mysterious part of the known world. The west is populated by tribal groups who owe allegiance to no one but their spiritual leader, the Qirin Tulku, also known as the Unicorn King. The outermost west has always maintained some measure of independence from the imperial city, as its size makes it impossible for an army to conquer effectively. Culturally, the Free Peoples are incredibly varied, with different local gods and shamans, but the majority of them are adherents of the Great Wheel, a faith system brought from the Kingdom of the Sindh by the Sunburst Warrior.
the northern kangs, or the dukes of the north
Seat of Power: Urghud
Style of Governance: The Law of Might, direct rule as given by the people
Ruler: The Grand Kang, the leader of the Five Golden Families
Style of Address: Their Grace
Like the lands of the outermost west, the northern steppes are a harsh and forbidding climate, a vast grassland bordered by a desert to the west and a tundra to the north. Like the Free Peoples, the northerners originally oriented themselves by clan and family, which eventually expanded into kangs, headed by warlords who themselves were called kang. The Five Golden Families rule the north, and power has frequently passed between all of them. Northerners are governed by the Law of Might, in which the strongest, cleverest, and most blessed by the gods are deemed worthy to rule. The position of Grand Kang is given to the warrior who wins the Grand Game, a series of three trials—the Trial of Strength, the Trial of Wit, and the Trial of the Soul. Anyone may declare the Grand Game if they feel the current leader is corrupt.
Most northerners are a hardy, martially-inclined people and scoff at what they consider “soft” southern ways. Like the Free Peoples, most clans have their own local gods and shamans, but many believe in the eternal blue skies, the place to which all souls go when they have fulfilled their purpose in life.
The Five Golden Families
The red bear of the Gommun kang
The yellow wolf of the Maltak kang
The green horse of the Nuwage kang
The blue eagle of the Tzorig kang
The white spear of the Shulgin kang
the azures isles
Seat of Power: Kasong
Style of Governance: A council of sea barons
Ruler: A marquis or marquess, in a suzerainty with the mainland
Style of Address: Their Illustriousness
The eastern part of the empire is the smallest and scrappiest, comprised of an island archipelago with a small stake on the northeastern peninsula. They were once a great seafaring people with a vast number of ships who gained their wealth from raiding and piracy, but once they were conquered by the Mugungs, they became part of their armada. The most troublesome territories of the former Mugung Empire, they were in constant revolt, brought only to heel by the imperial magicians, who could control the wind and the waves.
The Azure Isles is where the philosophy of Do, or the Way, originated. Concepts of order and chaos, or Jun and Yan, made their way to the mainland to form the bedrock of many faiths today.
That’s all for now! Can you tell I like worldbuilding as a form of procrastination?
Please note: in California, we refer to our freeways as “The [Number],” a habit I have yet to break, even though I’ve now lived more than half my life on the East Coast.
And yes, I am one of those people who tends to give directions that include words like north, east of, west, and southern part.