Preliminary Background

[Eanwulf]

Sometime circa 540 B.C.
During the Spring and Autumn Period there once lived a warrior-scholar of considerable merit whom sought to achieve Enlightenment. As such this most prestigious man spent the majority of his early years in pursuit of such illumination by scouring the Hundred Schools of Thought for any hints of its existence. Ironically, he quickly found himself growing greatly frustrated at the various means of attaining his rather personal goal.

In the beginning, the earnest man duly noted that there were countless approaches to achieving his said Enlightenment; the practices of Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism and Mohism being among the majority of them plus many, many others. The eager man also noted that each of these paths required a lifetime of dedication to achieve and that each region that he visited favored one of the aforementioned paths above the rest and even showed a strong reluctance in teaching those not originating from their homeland.

Surely this mundanely prideful means of stubbornness and variety of teachings - the man thought - did nothing but create a proverbial rift - if not rivalry among each of the practices; even despite each ones ultimate goal being that of the same thing. Surely such aggravation and confusion - the man likewise thought - was nothing short of detrimental to a person's achievement of such a goal as well.

In the end, the warrior-scholar of considerable merit ultimately found himself abandoning the pursuit of the Hundred Schools of Thought’s teachings in lieu of trying to start one of his own. Not however, without first having learned as much of the basic principles of attaining Enlightenment from the other schools as he could.

The core element of the man’s new teaching was that of finding a way to perfect the harmonic balance of one’s body, mind, and soul; the latter two being the most difficult to achieve given the current Realm's methods of training. The removal of preferential treatment and political rivalry - thought the man - was most assuredly the truest means of gaining a better understanding of one’s self, one’s surroundings, and one’s fellow man; thereby strengthening one’s mind and spirit tremendously.

As such, the man allowed his teachings to be learned by all those wishing to learn them regardless of their origins or beliefs.

The man’s following was minimal at best at first. In time, it would grow into what we now know as The Prophecies and Teachings of Zetan, better known to all as the Way of the Spiritual Warrior. These teachings would eventually become legend and this legend would spread the rumor about their Creator's beliefs being bound within the pages of a most sacred tome, locked away and guarded in secret; given naught but the simplest of names, the Book of Zetan.

In time, the rumor of the existence of this book and its origin would become a nearly forgotten myth as the founding fathers of the scholarly man's teachings lessened in number and scattered themselves to the Four Winds in order to protect the book's secrets. Still however, those followers who remained loyal and somehow managed to stay true to their predecessors' teachings, did so with pride and honor in their hearts and an invaluable lesson to bestow upon any other willing enough to try and learn it.

As to these eager souls in search of learning? Well, sufficient to say, they have a long road ahead of them and an equally invaluable lesson to learn as they practice the scholarly man's teachings and tread along his sodden and perilous-filled path of

[Eanwulf]

What Is The Iron Circle?
The Iron Circle is an organized group of semi-nomadic folk that is comprised of numerous smaller groups of people hailing from across the surrounding provinces. When combined, these smaller groups form one large group of people that periodically travels the realm from one location to the next in order to compete with one another in ritualistic combat along the margins of their society.

Founded in what feels like an eternity ago, the members of the Iron Circle are part of an collective group that is dedicated to perfecting each of their own personal styles of martial arts and the pursuit of Enlightenment.

The Circle itself is comprised of a series of "links" or lian tong. Each lian tong is a man who hails from one of the specific warring states' provinces and is the best representation of that region's most capable fighter and leader. In turn, the seven chosen lian tong comprise the governing body for the various families beneath them and are each held personally responsible for any of their kinsmen's actions - be they honorable or otherwise.

Collectively content to put aside the majority of their homelands' political and personal differences, these seven lian tong also strive to ensure that the Iron Circle remains strong in its beliefs and true to its original purpose: that being the promotion of unity among its members through the competitive practice and ritual of utilizing specially designed exhibitions as the means of understanding of one's self and their fellow man through the usage of martial arts.

The purpose of these trials and teachings is designed to help one achieve Spiritual Enlightenment by removing the shackles of constraint inflicted upon an individual by their homeland's various forms of prejudice and intolerance towards one another. It also provides the opportunity for those among the Iron Circle's ranks to be free of the persecutions suffered by an equally various amount of religious and political differences. In the end, the Iron Circle conveys a sense of equality among its people and those who compete with one another, do so truly as equals.

The head of the Iron Circle itself is called the wulin mengzhu. A master level martial artist and former lian tong themselves, the wulin mengzhu has not only proven himself to be the best combatant among his peers but their most capable leader as well. Guided by ancient laws and practices, the wulin mengzhu is expected to adhere to a pre-established code when governing his people. Some laws are harsh, others more lenient.

All however, are designed to protect and benefit the members of the Iron Circle equally.