Continuity/Sho History
Kou and Kou-an
Kou was only 15 when he rose to power in Ryujii, but he new he was destined to unite his people.[1] And in 1046 RC, Emperor Kou had done just that.[2] Iiwah he took by force, invading with a massive fleet; Chiran-Tou he took by peace, marrying the daughter of its ruler and moving his throne there. [1] Some time later, Empress Kou-an, great granddaughter of the Emperor Kou, ascended to the Throne of the Sho Empire at 15, like Kou.[3]
We have a few crucial bits of information here that can help us approximate when Kou-an ruled: Kou's age, the date Kou united Sho, and Kou-an's age when she took the throne.
The following three tables assume that Kou was 15 years old when he united the Sho people, and fill in the generations between Kou and Kou-an assuming gaps of 15, 30, and 45 years:
Short generational gap (children at 15)
| Roulean Year | Event |
| 1,031 RC | Kou is born. |
| 1,046 RC | Kou is 15, rises to power in Ryujii, unites Sho. |
| 1,046 - 1,047 RC | Kou's child is born. |
| 1,061 - 1,062 RC | Kou's child is 15. |
| 1,061 - 1,063 RC | Kou's grandchild is born. |
| 1,076 - 1,078 RC | Kou's grandchild is 15. |
| 1,076 - 1,079 RC | Kou's great-grandchild, Kou-an, is born. |
| 1,091 - 1,094 RC | Kou-an ascends to the throne at 15. |
Medium generational gap (children at 30)
| Roulean Year | Event |
| 1,031 RC | Kou is born. |
| 1,046 RC | Kou is 15, rises to power in Ryujii, unites Sho. |
| 1,061 RC | Kou is 30. |
| 1,061 - 1,062 RC | Kou's child is born. |
| 1,091 - 1,092 RC | Kou's child is 30. |
| 1,091 - 1,093 RC | Kou's grandchild is born. |
| 1,121 - 1,123 RC | Kou's grandchild is 30. |
| 1,121 - 1,124 RC | Kou's great-grandchild, Kou-an, is born. |
| 1,136 - 1,139 RC | Kou-an ascends to the throne at 15. |
Long generational gap (children at 45)
| Roulean Year | Event |
| 1,031 RC | Kou is born. |
| 1,046 RC | Kou is 15, rises to power in Ryujii, unites Sho. |
| 1,076 RC | Kou is 45. |
| 1,076 - 1,077 RC | Kou's child is born. |
| 1,121 - 1,122 RC | Kou's child is 45. |
| 1,121 - 1,123 RC | Kou's grandchild is born. |
| 1,166 - 1,168 RC | Kou's grandchild is 45. |
| 1,166 - 1,169 RC | Kou's great-grandchild, Kou-an, is born. |
| 1,181 - 1,184 RC | Kou-an ascends to the throne at 15. |
It seems a bit implausible that Kou ascended to the throne of Ryujii at 15, and within the same year took Iiwah by force, and Chiran by marriage. A more reasonable length of time would be that, while he became ruler of Ryujii at 15, he did not unit all of Sho until he was 30. The following three tables keep that in mind, and again assume generation gaps of 15, 30, and 45 years:
Short generational gap (children at 15)
| Roulean Year | Event |
| 1,016 RC | Kou is born. |
| 1,031 RC | Kou is 15, rises to power in Ryujii. |
| 1,031 - 1,032 RC | Kou's child is born. |
| 1,046 RC | Kou is 30, unites Sho. |
| 1,046 - 1,047 RC | Kou's child is 15. |
| 1,046 - 1,048 RC | Kou's grandchild is born. |
| 1,061 - 1,063 RC | Kou's grandchild is 15. |
| 1,061 - 1,064 RC | Kou's great-grandchild, Kou-an, is born. |
| 1,076 - 1,079 RC | Kou-an ascends to the throne at 15. |
Medium generational gap (children at 30)
| Roulean Year | Event |
| 1,016 RC | Kou is born. |
| 1,031 RC | Kou is 15, rises to power in Ryujii. |
| 1,046 RC | Kou is 30, unites Sho. |
| 1,046 - 1,047 RC | Kou's child is born. |
| 1,076 - 1,077 RC | Kou's child is 30. |
| 1,076 - 1,078 RC | Kou's grandchild is born. |
| 1,106 - 1,108 RC | Kou's grandchild is 30. |
| 1,106 - 1,109 RC | Kou's great-grandchild, Kou-an, is born. |
| 1,121 - 1,124 RC | Kou-an ascends to the throne at 15. |
Long generational gap (children at 45)
| Roulean Year | Event |
| 1,016 RC | Kou is born. |
| 1,031 RC | Kou is 15, rises to power in Ryujii. |
| 1,046 RC | Kou is 30, unites Sho. |
| 1,061 RC | Kou is 45. |
| 1,061 - 1,062 RC | Kou's child is born. |
| 1,106 - 1,107 RC | Kou's child is 45. |
| 1,106 - 1,108 RC | Kou's grandchild is born. |
| 1,151 - 1,153 RC | Kou's grandchild is 45. |
| 1,151 - 1,154 RC | Kou's great-grandchild, Kou-an, is born. |
| 1,166 - 1,169 RC | Kou-an ascends to the throne at 15. |
So, the date ranges we have for when Kou-an possibly ascended to the throne are:
- 1,076 - 1,079 RC (Kou is 30 when Sho is united, 15 year generational gap)
- 1,091 - 1,094 RC (Kou is 15 when Sho is united, 15 year generational gap)
- 1,121 - 1,124 RC (Kou is 30 when Sho is united, 30 year generational gap)
- 1,136 - 1,139 RC (Kou is 15 when Sho is united, 30 year generational gap)
- 1,166 - 1,169 RC (Kou is 30 when Sho is united, 45 year generational gap)
- 1,181 - 1,184 RC (Kou is 15 when Sho is united, 45 year generational gap)
This gives us a possible range of 1,076 - 1,184 RC, which is quite a range. That being said, the range of 1,121 - 1,124 RC is the most plausible, since it was unlikely Kou accomplished all he did at 15, and 30 years is an average human generational gap. We could give this a little bit of padding, to account for some shorter or longer generations, and conclude that the probable date range for Kou-an's ascension to be around 1,115 to 1,130 RC.