Dragon’s Gate And The World’s End - The Majesty of Jyulung
Hello, Chroniclers! This month we have a special treat for you. Jeremy, our developer, editor, and co-writer, has written a blog post to introduce you all to the region of Zoumung, one of the ten regions included in the Mappa Mundi - An Exploration + Ecology RPG rulebook. This post looks at Zoumung through the lens of one its core Monsters, Jyulung, the first Monster Jeremy and I ever discussed for the project. So, without further ado, let’s get into it!
Mappa Mundi is a game inspired by the power of real world myth and legend, with our continent of Evasu based on mediaeval Eurasia. Thus, it’s been infinitely important for us to feature Monsters that go beyond the Eurocentric mainstays that you normally see in fantasy tabletop roleplaying games. And even when we’re delving into a beast with lineage from other parts of the world - in this case, the Chinese dragon - we hope to inject our creations with a unique Three Sails Studios spin, living up to our motto of “the real world, done fantastically.”
I’d like to introduce all of you to Jyulung, the last remaining dragon of Zoumung, our China-inspired region.
Jyulung, the last dragon in Zoumung. Credit: Joel Kilpatrick (Three Sails Studios)
Chinese dragons - romanised as long in Mandarin or lung in Cantonese, and increasingly referred to as loong these days to differentiate them from their European peers - are beings who fill the mind with reverence. They often represent power over water, and when creating Jyulung, I took inspiration from the ancient tale of Dragon’s Gate, or longmen.
If you’re unfamiliar with Dragon's Gate, perhaps you’re familiar with Magikarp and Gyarados, two Pocket Monsters from a certain Nintendo franchise that’s included under Mappa Mundi’s inspirations. Ever wondered why Magikarp evolves into Gyarados when the meek fish is tossed into a waterfall? Because both of those monsters take inspiration from Chinese mythology, where the Dragon’s Gate is hidden at the peak of a waterfall at the border of Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces. According to these tales, any brave carp who swims upstream and jumps from the falls transforms into a dragon.
Jyulung is our take on this myth, and our fishy dragon was in fact one of the very first Monsters envisioned for Mappa Mundi. When George first brought me in to work on this project in August 2023, he told me of a vision he had for an Asian dragon’s head emerging from a waterfall at the edge of the world. More than a year later, I found myself drawing from my own memories of living in Taiwan and Hong Kong for most of my 20s (2010 to 2018, if you’re interested) as I pieced together the lore of Zoumung, finally bringing Jyulung and his homeland into fully realised form.
Zoumung is a land where Monsters have played major roles in influencing the politics, destiny, and flavour of the nation, much as how the supernatural creatures known as yaoguai are inseparable from many aspects of Chinese folklore. In this vein, Jyulung acts as an elusive yet revered being who lurks beneath the waters of our version of the Dragon’s Gate, which empties out into the eastern ocean and is seen by many as the world’s end. Born from the soul of a carp who dove from the waterfall and communed with Fate, Jyulung represents cultivation and resurrection. Pilgrims regularly hope to catch a glimpse of Jyulung’s splendour, hoping that the fish loong may reveal the tantalising secret of rebirth. Perhaps your brave party of Chroniclers may be among these pilgrims…which, incidentally, is the crux of an adventure I’m writing to coincide with the final release of Mappa Mundi.
As always, our artist Joel took my initial notes for Jyulung in a wondrous direction, crafting a design that’s reminiscent of the Chinese dragons we all know and love, but with that extra Three Sails Studio care and attention. I especially love the arms, which give me visions of Jyulung emerging from that waterfall, limbs crossed as he looms over the tiny travellers beneath him. And Joel’s final two-page spread showing our iconic Chroniclers bedazzled by Jyulung as the awe-inspiring loong bursts into the sky, turning time and space itself upside down with his majesty, drops my jaw whenever I stare at it. The world’s end never looked so grand.
Jyulung, Mappa Mundi Chroniclers, and the falls at the edge of the world. Credit: Joel Kilpatrick (Three Sails Studios)
As a half-Taiwanese person who spent a huge portion of young adulthood coming to terms with my heritage, I am very proud to bring Jyulung to life in this game. And the best part is that I’m even more excited about our other Zoumung Monsters. Trust me - the best is yet to come.
For now, though, bask in the beauty of the keeper of Dragon’s Gate, and ponder the pathways of Fate that lie just beyond the waterfall.
Jeremy, Mappa Mundi developer and co-writer
