There’s a reason for these stories. They never happen on their own, or for no purpose. As well you know, legends and myths survive to serve our needs, to help and guide us, and perhaps to best explain the otherwise unknowable. The happenings depicted herein follow the collapse of the Han dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE). Considered by many the golden era of Chinese history, it spanned nearly four centuries. Regrettably, what started and flourished under exemplary rule became corrupted. Expectations and hopes aside, it disintegrated upon itself from within. Three great leaders emerged to contend for power and the divine right to revive the once empire. At first, each sought to preserve the Mandate of Heaven - establish legitimacy, and with that some semblance of continuity. There, they failed, and had no choice but to make do without. Culminating that tumultuous period, we know the empire came briefly under one rule. Then in a quick moment, like a precious vase carelessly mishandled, it shattered completely. From there, it reeled fragmented and hopeless for hundreds of years. A new blight of warlords and opportunists re-delivered the population to disunity, carnage, starvation, disease, indenture and destitution. Sadly, such things surround us even today. Stories from those times abound and have wound their way into the vaults of collective mythology. In them you will learn of heroes and heroines, and witness many wonders you have only imagined. You will encounter wizards and sages, immortals and emperors - and many, just like yourself, forced by hard circumstance to forget their pasts and undertake never anticipated new life stances and directions. Like carefully preserved trails, these heroic portrayals of sacrifice, loss, struggle, hope and achievement define our own essential natures. Well worn guideposts, they hint to where we head, and where we might end. Perhaps in time, these token tales and fragments may well become your maps as they have been for me. If that be so, I hope they will one day loose and guide your thoughts away from uncertainty and chaos, and head you firm and confident into life and freedom.
