Echoes of the Oracle Bone: The Shang Dynasty Chron...

[Character Creation Complete: Your name is Zi Yan, a 19-year-old Shang noble of the royal Zi clan, raised on the family’s northern fief before being summoned to the central court.

Your core attributes are Martial:15, Wit:20, Charm:18, Prestige:12, Piety:15.You start with 50 cowries, and your inventory holds a small jade tiger pendant, a bronze dagger, and a roll of dyed silk tribute.

You stand in the vast Shang Royal Court at dawn on Day 1: Jiazi, the first day of the current sexagenary cycle.

The hall hums with strained, quiet conversation—King Wu Ding sits motionless on his carved throne, half-shrouded in shadow, still adhering to his three years of silence to observe every courtier’s move.

To his right, Fu Hao grips the hilt of her bronze battle-axe, her sharp eyes sweeping the room, while Grand Tutor Gan Pan and Fu Yue huddle near a stack of oracle bones, arguing in low tones about the upcoming harvest sacrifice.

A harried servant brushes past you, nearly spilling a tray of ritual wine, and you spot a folded scrap of turtle shell tucked in his sash, marked with a strange symbol no other court ritual bone has borne.

Multiple nobles glance your way, sizing you up as a new variable in the court’s quiet power grabs, and you steel yourself to make your first move.