The Legend of the Mask

Five hundred years ago, there was war in Chū Nihon. At the time, there were three great empires. The greatest, whose capital was the great city of Yatakana Tochi, was powerful in a way that has not been seen before or since. The lands around it were covered in great fields of wheat, rice, and tea, as well as rich with trees that bore sweet fruit. Because of this, traders and travelers came from far and wide to purchase their food, and so the people of Yatakana Tochi became extremely wealthy. 

With the great riches brought by their control of the food, the finest minds of Yatakana Tochi's populace created arcane technologies. It is said that their boats and wagons pulled themselves,  with no input from laborers. Vast machines bigger than castles cooked food, built furniture, and crafted weapons without being touched by a single human being. With technologies that removed the need for unpleasant labor, many of Yatakana Tochi's citizens turned to art, creating a great variety of works of painting, writing, and theatre were made then. With plentiful food, no need to work, and much entertainment, the citizens of Yatakana Tochi lived in comfortable luxury.

But this luxury attracted the attention of a great evil. To the East of Yatakana Tochi was the Empire of Kuroi Tochi, ruled by a petty Emperor by the name of Imawashī. Imawashī himself was powerful, and his kingdom was full of mighty warriors, but the soil was too dry to grow food. Because of this, they had to purchase all of their food from Yatakana Tochi, which didn't leave them with enough money left to spend on innovation. While the residents of Kuroi Tochi were hard-working and intelligent, Emperor Imwashī wasn't happy. He saw his own empire as inferior, and his own people as lazy and unreliable. Fiery jealousy burned inside of Imawashī’s heart, and he vowed to one day have a kingdom as great as Yatakana Tochi.

One day, a traveling sorcerer, whose name is now lost to history, committed the folly of telling him about the Mask. Created by the combined might of the Order of the Twenty-Four Wizards, it granted a power so great it was practically absolute. One who put on the Mask would be able to raise mountains, control the hearts and minds of others, and change the very weather of Chū Nihon. To put on the Mask was to become God.

"Does such a thing really exist?," asked Imawashī.

"Yes, it does," answered the sorcerer. "I have it with me, as it happens"

The sorcerer was a member of the Order of the Twenty-Four Wizards that had helped to create the Mask, and had taken to the habit of wearing it on their pilgrimage through the lands of Chū Nihon. Being a longtime friend of Imawashī, they naïvely produced the Mask from a hidden pocket in their robes.

"Does it really have the power you claim it does?," asked Imawashī, eyeing the Mask.

"I would say I’m underselling it, actually," said the sorcerer.

At that moment, Imawashī knew what he had to do. He ripped the Mask from the sorcerer’s hand and placed it on his face. The Mask transformed Imawashī into a dark dragon, and within the hour, he had assembled the great might of his Imperial Army and marched on Yatakana Tochi. The city desperately tried to fight back, but they had grown fat and complacent in their excess and were quickly overrun. In his wrath, he razed the entire city to the ground, killing thousands of its residents.

In the city’s darkest hour, the same sorcerer who had given Imawashī the Mask rose up, rallying the last remaining forces of Yatakana Tochi for a final rout. The sorcerer themselves struck the decisive blow upon Imawashī, using a powerful spell to separate the Mask from his face. Before Imawashī could reclaim the Mask, it was spirited away by an unseen spirit and never seen again. Embarrassed and perhaps a bit regretful, Imawashī retreated to his sanctum in Kuroi Tochi, taking his army with him. But the damage had already been done. Yatakana Tochi was completely and utterly destroyed.

After the conflict, Imawashī and his armies were never seen outside of Kuroi Tochi again, though his spies and scouts can still be seen prowling the lands, searching in vain for the Mask so that he may regain his power. The people of Mizu Tochi, the great port empire to the West of Yatakana Tochi, were so fearful of Imawashī’s wrath that they left in their ships, setting a course for the great Western Sea and disappearing forever. Meanwhile, the last survivors of the assault built a small town, just a shadow of the city’s former self, and built a wall around it. Never again would the arts, technology, or food of Yatakana Tochi grace Chū Nihon.

Then, one hundred years after the Dark Massacre, a Soothsayer claimed that one day, a Chosen One would appear in Chū Nihon. The Chosen One would not be of this time or this world, but he would become the Keeper of the Mask, and he would take it back to the Order of the Twenty-Four Wizards, where those who created it could use their powerful magic to destroy it. With the Mask destroyed, Imawashī would eventually shrivel and die of old age, never able to muster enough power to fully conquer the land of Chū Nihon. 

The Soothsayer's prophecy was given four hundred years ago. The few people who still live in Chū Nihon have spread out, taking to small villages scattered about the empire's former territory, and none of them believe the prophecy if they've even heard of it. These villages are divided by dangerous forests and valleys filled with wolves, bears, and other evil creatures. It is a time of strife, poverty, and division, and what Chū Nihon most needs now is a hero…