Legacy of the Tyrant (TWS)

You are Xiao Shui, the Prince of Water. Traditionally, you wouldn't technically be the sole king of the realm at all. Your rule should only cover Winter, followed by the Prince of Wood ruling during Spring, the Prince of Fire ruling during Summer, and the Prince of Metal ruling during Fall. The fact that you command the armies of the realm is similarly out of place. While each seasonal ruler did have their own forces, the Prince of Earth was the marshal of the land and overall commander in times of war. The Prince of Earth traditionally also oversaw the days in which power was transferred from one Prince to the next, but it was something of a holiday and not a period in which actual administration or legislation were expected to be altered. Their role was more martial, overall, and they were typically seen as the neutral arbitrator should the seasonal princes start to squabble.

The Metal family was the first to be destroyed by the Tyrant, with one promising noble betraying them all to ignominious defeat. The other clans were targeted one at a time, until all traces of the existing rulers were wiped out. You alone remained in hiding, a minor scion of a once great clan, but only one part of the true royalty of the kingdom. It was seen as a fortuitous sign that the Tyrant's fall coincided with the first day of Winter, and you were brought to the forefront and given the authority to rule by a welcoming populace. The timing does seem ideal, as you now have an entire season to seek out a Prince of Wood - or, perhaps, consolidate power for yourself.

Your people were considered scholarly among the Tiers, with knowledge of alchemy and medicine being particularly widespread. Doctors and healers came to your land to study, and under the Tyrant many of your people left to teach others across the land. Prior to the utilitarianism imposed by her rule, however, the most prestigious pursuit was not spreading the knowledge of medicine that was already known, but instead seeking out new discoveries. Most prestigious of all was the pursuit of immortality, and masters of medicine who managed to elongate the span of their lives and those of their royal patrons were showered with rewards for their work. Many of these Ancient Masters, as they were called, were considered the foremost mages of the realm. They were also known to be loyal to the old ways, and so they, too, were culled by the Tyrant when she conquered your land.

The greatest damage done by the Tyrant, however, was not simply the execution of the foremost mages. It was the destruction of the Ministry of the Way. An organization that served both as the religious heart of the kingdom and its greatest school of sorcery, it taught righteousness and power in equal measures. Students seeking to learn magical lore also had to learn humility, and the philosophy of applying the power they earned for the good of the people. The Ministers assisted the warriors of the five elements in fighting the Tyrant's armies, working with each clan in turn even as they failed to unify as one. For their dedication, they were utterly destroyed. Now, only the ascetics and wanderers remain of the land's once great spellcasters. While much of the other learning of your land remains, only the ministry taught the Way, and its teachings were expunged unless you can find old records in the ruins of their schools.