Fall of the Celestial Ministry [Lore]

[EdwinLi.1284]

Finally got to finishing the End of the Celestial Ministry to get the lore behind why they fell before current Cantha and it is a bit interesting how in a certain way the rise of Orr had a certain effect on them.

While corruption and bad decisions did lead to their fall, it all began with the Zhaiten flood disaster which lead to a snowball effect.

 

Curious how do you all feel about this lore?

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The Fall of the Celestial Ministry: The Ministry of Water

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Compiled and researched by Hui Jung as part of the Ministry of Archives literature collection on the Zhaitan Disaster.

When speaking with the descendant of Minister Nai, Mok Ju, I was left contemplating the potency of power within the Celestial Ministry's bloodline(s); it remains one of the lingering, burning questions in my research (which I suspect might also explain their prolonged lives).

Minister Nai was "just." As one can infer, the Ministry of Water controlled the elaborate canals that lined Old Kaineng; he controlled the entirety of the city's water system (which, as we've now observed, posed a great number of ethical complications). To our knowledge, he didn't use those abilities to control the waters of Cantha in the same way that say, Minister Tao controlled the air. But while he was less prone to accepting bribes, they did adjust taxes at harsh intervals.

After the Zhaitan Disaster, Nai almost immediately stepped down from his position. He cited a "lack of relevancy," and thought that there was little room for the Celestial Ministries in a revitalized Cantha. He opened a flower shop in the heart of New Kaineng that his descendants still run today.

Nai's known descendant refused to comment on the minister's death.

 

 

 

The Fall of the Celestial Ministry: The Ministry of Earth

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Compiled and researched by Hui Jung as part of the Ministry of Archives literature collection on the Zhaitan Disaster.

Getting information on Minister Jaisan and the Ministry of Earth has proven to be just as complex as digging up information of Zal's whereabouts; Jaisan't living descendants have all but chased me and my researchers away.

From what I've gathered, Minister Jaisan hung on to power as long as he could. Rather than disbanding, the Ministry of Earth eventually became what we know today as the Ministry of Urban Planning (though Jaisan passed from "heart attack"—or so the medical records say—shortly after that transition). Even to this day, members of his family still work for the Ministry, and for that reason, I will not name them here.

When approached for comment, "Xiaobo" (whose surname remains a mystery) refused to comment on his ancestor's vestige. This particular descendant has been displaced from the family for quite some time, and I will continue to pursue his side of this complex narrative.

 

 

The Fall of the Celestial Ministry: The Ministry of Air

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Compiled and researched by Hui Jung as part of the Ministry of Archives literature collection on the Zhaitan Disaster.

Prior to the collapse of the Celestial Ministry, long before the Zhaitan Disaster plagued our shores, the Ministry of Air oversaw trade and shipping; their control of winds gave them a firm grip on most water-bound travel, despite being in the direct contention with the Ministry of Water over control of the harbors in Old Kaineng.

It wasn't until after the Zhaitan Disaster that Minister Tao was revealed to be a high-ranking official of the Am Fah. She took bribes from ship captains, usually giving those carrying valuable cargo higher priority in docking permits (and though harder to prove, better wind direction for swift travel). Although the Am Fah disbanded after the Zhaitan Disaster when most of their ranks were killed in the Undercity Massacre, Emperor Bitgaram and Empress Haebaragi both made great efforts in working to "cleanse" the new city of Old Kaineng's...problematic history. Minister Tao was arrested shortly after the reveal. Her family was exiled (and still resent her actions today).

Given her...age at the time of arrest, Tao's sentence was short-lived. She died in her cell in Shing Jea a few weeks after her arrival. Cause of death is still unknown, but one medical report described her as appearing suddenly "drained of all life" and that her blood had been "replaced with sand."

 

 

The Fall of the Celestial Ministry: The Ministry of Fire

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Compiled and researched by Hui Jung as part of the Ministry of Archives literature collection on the Zhaitan Disaster.

The writing of this chapter does come at an insignificant personal expense to the author; and I now realize that I haven't introduced myself yet. I am Hui Jung, a researcher from the Ministry of Archives and a direct descendant of Minister Zal. He was, we believe, my great-great-great-grandfather.

Following the Zhaitan Disaster and Emperor Kyobok's death, support for the Ministry of Purity was beginning to crumble. As efforts to rebuild the nation furthered, so did the Minister Yeongi's adamance that Cantha remain secluded (another view that was falling out of fashion). After a series of violent outbreaks, the empress officially disbanded the Ministry of Purity. Through related investigations, it was revealed that Zal, too, was one of Yeongi's biggest supporters. A mentor to the young minister, even.

When information of Zal's association with the Ministry of Purity spread, he immediately went into hiding. My family wasn't exiled like Tao's descendants, since Purist beliefs weren't as universally contested as the gang-related violence between the Am Fah and Jade Brotherhood. Rather...Zal became a whisper. A memory that Cantha didn't want to remember.

Zal's whereabouts are still a mystery to us. After he went into hiding, so did all knowledge of his existence. One thing has been made clear, though, largely in thanks to a collection of...peculiar documents recovered from the ruins by my associates: the power of the Celestials continued to run through the veins of the original ministers until their dying breaths. Although there is very little reading on the Celestial Blessing, given Zal, Tao, Jaisan, and Nai's prolonged life spans, I can only assume that such a role gave them certain...privileges.

 

[Jimbru.6014]

I just finished this a few days ago myself. What I got out of it basically is that Cantha was already engaged in a period of "culture wars"  when the Zhaitan Disaster happened. The consequences of the disaster gave a push to the societal change that was already in progress, leading to the falls of both the Celestial Ministry and the Ministry of Purity.

What I find interesting is that only two of the Ministers (Earth and Air) are specifically stated to be dead, both with mysterious causes of death. The implied possibility is that Nai, the Minister of Water, and particularly Zal, who was both the Minister of Fire and a Purist, might still be alive somewhere thanks to the Celestial Blessing. And of course, the Purists already exist as a social and military force. So there's you a future plot hook: Zal returns at the head of a Purist army, and Nai emerges to help stop him. The nations lived together in harmony, then everything changed when the Fire Ministry attacked...