The Mughal are second only to the Xiang in their glorious history. For centuries their people lived a nomadic existence upon the rocky and dry steppes of the Eastern lands, raising herds of goats and horses. For generations, the Mughal horses were bred for endurance and discipline. Combined with a clan system that rewarded discipline, loyalty to one's bloodline, and a premium value upon skills at arms, the Mughal horde was poised to explode beyond their ancestral lands and into the already ancient Xiang Empire. Sometime before Rain of Fire, the date already lost in antiquity, they did exactly that, overwhelming the Xiang defenders with all their ingenious defenses and engineering feats. The impregnable walls of the Shining City were thrown down despite incredible casualties to the Mughal horde, known at that time as the Shining Horde. However, while the Xiang failed to defend themselves by force of arms, they slowly began to win cultural victories. The Mughal conquerors did not slaugher or plunder, instead viewing the cities and lands as their own. The royal courts and universities were allowed to function, and government was virtually unchanged except for reporting to the Mughal overlords. The Mughal did not abandon their nomadic ways, nor their hard lifestyle, but did allow the finest cultural and academic facets of the Xiang to thrive even more than under old imperial rule. Slowly through time, the two peoples began to merge, until the Mughal people became the warrior caste governing society, while the Xiang provided specialized advisors, troops, and rumors often claim even sorcerors. The fabled library of Xian is rumored to contain books detailing magical knowledge lost in the Rain of Fire, and it is often said that the Mughal Khan has a Xiang sorceror as an advisor. The typical Mughal warrior wears leather and furs to protect against the cold, and always sleeps in his armor of studded hide or brigandine. Always on the travel, the Mughal warrior always keeps his saber or mace handy, and all Mughal learn to shoot from horseback as children. Their distinctive fur caps and legendary discipline make them the envy of armies all over Aengvold. Equally appealing are their near limitless numbers. The North and South both whisper of the countless Eastern hordes that were repelled only several years ago.

Rumored to be the most ancient of civilizations on Aengvold, the Xiang were ancient when the Northern and Southern people just began to crawl out of barbarism. No one knows how long their mighty empire lasted before the Rain of Fire. Sometime before the Rain of Fire, the Mughal Hordes sucessfully attacked and conquered it, but in the process conquered themselves. The Xian also possess an incredibly large population, surpassing even the Mughal. The Xian are typically very patient, having absorbed some of the patience of their Empire. A story once claimed that a Xian Emperor who was insulted by Nihon prince did nothing, instead chooseing to wait. Every year his advisors would clamor for the Emperor to make war, claiming that the King's face was insulted. The King merely chose to wait. Decades passed, and the matter was almost forgotten. However, one day, that same prince lay dying of old age, and then the Emperor struck forth the might of his Middle Empire. Conquering the province in a day, the Emperor forced the dying prince to witness his own sons beheaded and his daughters hanged, thus ending his line forever. Many claim the dying Nihon prince thanked the Emperor for the gift of death afterwards. Centuries of enlightenment and disdain have caused the Xian to look down upon all others not within their glorious empire, which has lasted at least two thousand years. To the Xian, their Empire is truely the center of the world, hence the name the Middle Empire. While the Mughal provide the armed might of the Empire, it is the Xian who are the mind and soul. Ever since the ruling Mughal learned Xian ways, the two peoples have worked as one. The Xian are the most educated people on Aengvold, and possess a fabulous wealth of knowledge preserved before the Rain of Fire. The typical Xian warrior wears a coat of brigandine with studded rivets, and carries either the curved war swords or the straight edged Sheng-Chi swords. The Xian also invented the crossbow, and their imperial crossbowmen are incredibly potent when combined with the Mughal horsemen.

This ancient land was separated from the Empire far before the Rain of Fire. It wasn't until the burning impacts that that water that protected these people from the Empire was burned away and they were reunited. Reknowned for the quality of their weapons, the Nihon are proud warriors as well. In a rare case of grace, the Xian allowed the Nihon to join their Empire on their own terms, and they now serve as shock troops in the Imperial army. The Nihon have always warred among themselves, seeking to crown one of their own the war leader of their land. However, battle on an island breeds different tactics than those available with the full might of a continent, and the Nihon wisely decided to avoid fighting the full might of the Empire. The Nihon had little metal, and so what little they had was used to form swords of quality, rivaling the White Steel of the North, or the Rippled Steel of the South. Armor was usually woven or braided out of specially prepared and laquered slats of wood or bamboo. Shields were unheard of, and the Nihon often fight with two-handed swords, polearms, or use two weapons at the same time. They Nihon are also surprisingly adept at using horses, and have many more mounted warriors than the Xian, although obviously far less than the numberless Mughal horde. While different from the Xian, and still remembering the cold treatment they received from the Emperor, the Nihon have a strict code of ethics, and their warriors are utterly dependable once they give their oath of servitude. With the might of the Mughal hordes, and the unbreakable oath of the Nihon clans, the Xian and their Empire are poised to strike anywhere and expand their ancient empire once again.