Sheng

The Sheng are a semi-autonomous group within the Kingdom of Téoren, found mostly in the western coastal region. Although functioning legally as a Great House of Téoren, the Sheng are not a house or a family in the dynastic sense; in actuality they are more of an ethnic and cultural group. The name Sheng, when applied to this group is a slight misnomer, as Sheng itself technically refers only to the highest order of the unique caste system found in Sheng society.

History
The Sheng are the descendants of humans and elves from an ancient, far-flung western kingdom. (At least one elven Sheng progenitor is thought to still be living.) There are many theories attempting to explain the sudden spike in the normally rare inter-species breeding, but none have been confirmed. Shunned by their mother culture for their heritage, a sizable host of these half-elves sailed from their homeland c. 476 AF.

By 500 AF --long predating the eastern reclamation-- the group that would come to be known as the Sheng had settled along the western coast of Téoren, founding their capital city of Lun-Shan. By the time House Téo's explorers reached the western shores of ruined Téoren, the Sheng were already well-established and technologically advanced. Present at the first Assembly, the Sheng offered significant financial and material aid to the newly-forming realm in exchange for a high degree of autonomy and a permanent seat on the king's council.