The Sisterhood of Culinary Excellency and Perfection

Formerly known as the Serpent Sisterhood of Purity and   Grace to those who are in the know, the Sisterhood was established originally as a secret society devoted to avenging the loss of the Snake Minister's purity and grace.  The group believed that the Rabbit Minister had overstepped his bounds and taken from her her virtues when he had seen her naked without her wanting him to do so.

But later on, the sisterhood learned of the folly of their group's direction.  And after a failed attempt to assassinate the Rabbit Minister, discovered a much greater calling that needed their attention.  With the Tiger Minister's financial backing, the group vanished for a few months, only to reemerge as the Sisterhood of Culinary Excellency and Perfection.  The group now has spread to have Chapter Houses through out the lands and secretly functions as safe houses and resting points for the Tiger Minister and her allies.

One Chapter House recently was razed to the ground however, and the sister known as Li Tong has vanished.  There are rumors that Li Tong still lives and plans to avenge herself from whoever had attempted to burn her down with the building, an act which consumes her with obsession and individualism.

The Metal Minister

Qilin

The Metal Minister

The inhuman Elemental Minister named Qilin is a shadowy figure that seems to eternally wear a metal mask that shines like polished porcelain.  The thing serves as the Jade Emperor's advisor in many matters, even if he has been given a large area of territory consisting of portions of Xiangyang, Guiyang, Dalu and Daiking.

Educated people wonder however about why the Minister uses the name Qilin.  The Qilin is the term for a chimeric animal with several forms.  The first animal, a giraffe, sent as a gift to the Emperor was believed to be the Qilin.  Other paintings represent the Qilin as having scales.  Legend has the creature to be one of perfect good will and benevolence to all living things.

The Earth Minister

Garad Zhod

The Earth  Minister

The blue-skinned Earth Minister is said to be one of the strongest among the existing Elemental Ministers.  His Secret Arts is said to be capable of using the very earth as literal weapons against any opponents that stand against him.  Even more impressively, he has learned to channel his Secret Art to empower the crystal-tipped arrows he launches from his Mineral Bow to transmute them into even far more dangerous assaults. 

The holds no particular territory.  Instead, the Earth Minister is the right hand man of the Emperor himself and is said to travel through all territories freely as he searches for the betrayers of the Empire.   However, the Emperor has been quickly losing faith in his right hand man due to the fact he can't seem to locate and control his own daughter, Xiao Xian.

Ling Sui

Wife to the Rabbit Minister, Ling Sui was once merely a mercenary woman who sought to live the life of one of the Wulin.  Secrets last only for so long however, and it has been discovered she was once a daughter of the Bei Clan and has knowledge of their Clan's secret martial art, The Bei Fist.

Her loyalty to her husband is stronger than her feelings towards the Empire.  

Brain Demon

Strange and small, this misshapen figure was in charge of some kind of mining in the town of Xiang.  Skilled with an incredible mastery of Lightfoot and what the Snake Minister believes to be Metal Summons Martial Arts, the thing called Brain Demon has been imbalancing the Yang of all the workers to toil in what seems to be a mine located inside a Shadowland.

The Water Minister

Jeong Ji-won

The Water Minister

Beautiful and gentle, yet dangerous when irked, the Water Minister hails from a distant land even beyond the shores of Nippon.  Her use of water as both a form of medicine and a weapon is extremely fascinating, but when push comes to shove her ability to manipulate water even to the point of transforming it into razor-sharp ice keeps her well armed and deadly.

The Water Minister seems to also have an understanding of how to travel into the Shadowlands and in many ways seems determined to uncover more about the secrets that hide behind the Shadow.  Her territory includes portions of Daozhou, Xigang and Pingxiang.  

The Fire Minister

Ishikawa

The Fire Minister

Much to the horror of the Zodiac Ministers, the Jade Emperor has called for new Ministers to serve as his eyes and arms in all under heaven.  One of these new Ministers is the Fire Minister Ishikawa.  With a strange fascination towards the use of fireworks, the proud man from Nippon carries himself with a great amount of confidence in his abilities and power.  While seemingly skilled as well in the Martial Art of Holy Fire, the Minister has hinted at an understanding of less common Martial Arts that relate to fire as well.

Ishikawa watches over a large scope of territory in the eastern side of the Empire.  Portions of the City States of the Snake, Ram, Rabbit and the Dragon Minister have fallen under his purview.