LA T'ien Ch'i, Barbarian Kings

The Celestial Empire is crumbling. Constant invasions from the barbaric khans have all but destroyed the Imperial Bureaucracy. The Imperial family has been replaced by Barbarian Kings. The Imperial Guard is no more and the cavalry of old has been replaced by skilled barbarian horsemen. Ancestral worship is popular once more and priest-mages of barbarian heritage who lead the Ancestor Cult are replacing the priests of the Bureaucracy. With the displacement of the eunuchs from power, conscription has fallen out of use.

"T'ien Ch'i is obviously influenced by China…. Chinese history is rich and there is plenty to draw upon. Daoism and its five elements, inner alchemy, and quest for longevity inspired the Masters of the Way as did the T'ien Shih—celestial master—of institutional Daoism convert into the Celestial Master of T'ien Ch'i. Heroes come in plenty in the Chinese tales and the Seven Immortals are all interesting figures. Sun Wukong and his friends are perhaps even more so. There is plenty of stuff to expand on should I or a merry modder find the time. Finally, T'ien Ch'i has been inspired by movies from Hong Kong, China, and Korea." – Illwinter

If you are considering picking this nation to play, what should you know?

Magic Access	Alt. Access	Unit Summary	Core Abilities	Buildings
2 (Rare 3) 2 2 2 (Rare 3) 2 2 1 (Rare 2) 1	Heroes 12 11232 222	Cavalry Heavy Infantry Archers	Mobile Archer Immortal Heroes	Standard Fortresses

Capitol Gems: 1111

• Celestial Chastisement (Evocation 5)
  3
  A gem-less version of Control, inficts some damage and then takes control of the target. Only works against Magic Beings. A lot of good units are Magic Beings.

• Internal Alchemy (Alteration 5)
  21 and 10
  Reduces the caster's age by 15 years but has a chance to give the caster insanity.

• Sword of the Five Elements (Construction 3)
  11 and 22
  Grants the user Reinvigoration and a lot of Attack and Defense. Useful on a Mage to protect himself and reduce Fatigue; because of the low price, you could mass-produce them to give to all of your Communion mages. Other weapons have better DPS effects.
• Armor of the Five Elements (Construction 3)
  11 and 22
  Light but high-PROT armor that grants +4 HP plus minor resistance to Fire, Shock, Cold, and Magic. It's useful on thugs since the resistances it provides offer some survivability against a broad array of thug-killers (Incinerate, Lightning Bolt, Frozen Heart, Mind Burn, etc.).

See Magic Access. These guides supplement the summaries at the top.

No easy access to any of the major boosters.

No recruitable access. The hero, Lu Tung-Pin - Immortal has 1.

Highest Starting: 2 Ancestor Guide (1 in 4) or Celestial Master (1 in 5)

Tome of High Power Unique
21 Celestial Master (1 in 5) +
22 The hero, Li T'ieh-Kuai - Master With The Iron Crutch

Highest Starting: 2 Celestial Master or Master of the Way (1 in 5)

Trident from Beyond Unique
22 Celestial Master (1 in 5) +

Contact Naiad
21 Celestial Master (1 in 5) +
Naiad has 3

Highest Starting: 2 Ancestor Smith

The Tome of Gaia Unique
21 Ancestor Smith (1 in 4) + or
12 Spirit Master (1 in 4) +

Highest Starting: 2 Celestial Master (1 in 5)

Coin of Meteoritic Iron
21 Ancestor Smith (1 in 4) +

Tome of High Power Unique
21 Celestial Master (1 in 5) +

Golem Construction
21 Ancestor Smith (1 in 4) +
Golem has 2

Ether Gate
11 Ancestor Smith (1 in 4), Spirit Master (1 in 4), or Ancestor Guide (1 in 4) +
Ether Lord has 3 in 4 chance of 3 or 1 in 4 of 4

Highest Starting: 2 Ancestor Guide, Ancestor Smith (1 in 4), or Spirit Master (1 in 4)

Highest Starting: 2 Spirit Master

Contact Naiad
21 Celestial Master (1 in 5) +
Naiad has 3

The Tome of Gaia Unique
21 Ancestor Smith (1 in 4) + or
12 Spirit Master (1 in 4) +

Moonvine Bracelet
12 Spirit Master (1 in 4) +

Highest Starting: 1 Celestial Master (1 in 5) or Master of the Way (1 in 5)

No national access.

Ether Gate
11 Ancestor Smith (1 in 4), Spirit Master (1 in 4), or Ancestor Guide (1 in 4) +
Ether Lord has 1 in 4 of 1

Contact Lamia Queen
22 Spirit Master (1 in 4) +
Lamia Queen has a 7 in 16 chance of at least 1

Awaken Treelord Limited Amount
2 Spirit Master +
Treelord has a 1 in 3 chance of 1

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Nations
Early Ages	Arcoscephale • Ermor • Ulm • Pyrène, • Marverni • Sauromatia • T'ien Ch'i • Machaka • Mictlan • Abysia • Caelum • C'tis • Pangaea • Agartha • Tir na n'Og • Fomoria • Vanheim • Helheim • Niefelheim • Muspelheim • Rus • Kailasa • Lanka • Yomi • Hinnom • Ur • Berytos • Xibalba • Mekone • Ubar • Atlantis • R'lyeh • Pelagia • Oceania • Therodos
Middle Ages	Arcoscephale • Ermor • Sceleria • Pythium • Man • Eriu • Ulm • Pyrène • Marignon • Mictlan • T'ien Ch'i • Machaka • Agartha • Abysia • Caelum • C'tis • Pangaea • Asphodel • Vanheim • Jotunheim • Nidavangr • Vanarus • Bandar Log • Shinuyama • Ashdod • Uruk • Nazca • Xibalba • Phlegra • Phaeacia • Ind • Na'ba • Atlantis • R'lyeh • Pelagia • Oceania • Ys
Late Ages	Arcoscephale • Pythium • Lemuria • Man • Ulm • Marignon • Mictlan • T'ien Ch'i • Jomon • Agartha • Abysia • Caelum • C'tis • Pangaea • Midgård • Utgård • Bogarus • Patala • Gath • Ragha • Xibalba • Phlegra • Vaettiheim • Feminie • Piconye • Andramania • Pyrène • Atlantis • R'lyeh • Erytheia