Despite the vastness of their armies and the power of their servants the Thunders did not stifle completely the spirit of the people, there was resistance to their rule and it was called the Open Hand.
Formed from scholars, monks, martial artists, renegade priests and ronin, the Open Hand fought a secret war against the armies of the Thunders. They lived free in the wildest parts of the shard far from the control of the Thunders, hunted constantly by the army; others dwelled within the courts themselves living double lives, loyal courtier by day, conspirator by night.
Other groups which remained active within the shard included the numerous tongs, triads and criminal fraternities. These groups sometimes worked with the Thunders and sometimes were persecuted by the Thunders depending on the political climate at the time.
After the defeat of the 'Thunders' or Emperors as they had become known in 1811, the people of the Five Thunders were thrown into complete disarray. Their cities and farms lay in ruins and bandits roamed the lands. Lacking either the infrastructure or appropriate skilled labour, starvation and disease threatened to overrun the survivors of the War with the other Shards. The Open Hand were the people's saviours, stepping out of the shadows and working to rebuild the Five Thunders.
When the Dark Monarch forces invaded in 1812, those in positions of authority were slain and the newly formed Magistrates Council executed. Those of the Open Hand who survived this purging were forced to resume their previous roles, resisting from the wild places once more...