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Have you ever heard about the Four Symbols from Chinese mythology? Four Symbols or Four Guardians, Four Gods, and Four Auspicious Beasts are four mythological creatures appearing among the Chinese constellations along the ecliptic, and viewed as the guardians of the four cardinal directions. The Azure Dragon of the East represents Wood, the Vermilion Bird of the South represents Fire, the White Tiger of the West represents Metal, and the Black Tortoise (or Black Warrior) of the North represents Water.
For this month, we would like to focus on mythological creatures and Asian mythology so if you are interested in both, this contest is the right one for you! Together with mythandlegend and SecretTreasures, we will host a small interactive story contest about the Four Symbols from Chinese Mythology.
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You are a warrior with talents so great, even the Four Auspicious Beasts have heard about your achievements. And so, they think you are the perfect person to complete a difficult quest. The rumors say that if you successfully conquer the quest from one of the four guardians, you will receive the greatest treasure known to mankind. Are you ready?
Each road leads to a different treasure. Choose one of the roads and accept your quest:
1: North Road: Black Tortoise
The North Road leads you to an underwater kingdom, where the Five-Colors Brush awaits. This artifact allows you to bring anything you draw with it to life. However, a malevolent creature haunts the depths of the ocean, guarding the artifact. It is none other than the Black Tortoise's counterpart, Qiongqi, the evil tortoise. Your task is to defeat Qiongqi to obtain the Five-Colors Brush.
2. East Road: Azure Dragon
The East Road leads you to a bamboo forest, rich with mysterious plants and animals. Although enchanting, the East Road harbors a secret. At the end of the road lies one of the most powerful weapons in the world, The Immortal-Thrashing Whip. In order to obtain it, you must defeat the Azure Dragon's counterpart, Hundun the dragon.
3. South Road: Vermillion Bird
The South Road is a troubled path, young warrior. The climate is so hot that not even water can satiate your thirst. At the end of the path, you see the legendary Fire-Tipped Spear, an artifact that allows you to create and manipulate fire. However, a dangerous beast guards this powerful item. In order to complete the quest, you must defeat the Vermillion Bird's evil counterpart, Taowu the bird, to obtain the Fire-Tipped Spear.
4. West Road: White Tiger
The West Road is an ominous path as it takes you to caves filled with iron and other precious metals. You'll notice rusty swords and shields on the ground, left by previous warriors who were unsuccessful in this quest. The Precious Sheet-Metal Rake sits at the end of the road, waiting to be wielded by a powerful warrior. With this artifact, you obtain the ability to control nature's plants. However, in order to obtain it, you must defeat the White Tiger's counterpart, Taotie, a tiger that feasts on the minerals of the caves.
Write a story on how you conquer the quest given by one of the Guardians. Be sure to tell us about which Guardian quest you choose. You are free to use any Asian mythological creatures in your story so long as it includes a battle with the Four Guardians' counterparts and the artifact mentioned in the quest. Are you up to the challenge?
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• Deadline: 23:59 PM GMT on September 30th
• Word count: less than 3000 words
• You have to choose one of the four guardians and write about the quest given by them.
• One entry per participant. You can publish your story as a separate book or in your existing short story collection.
• Entries must be submitted via this FORM (in in-line comment here or linked as external link below).
• You can share your entry in the comment section below for others to check out!
• For further reference on the mythology, feel free to check out APIFantasy's article about Chinese Mythology - Mythical Creatures or Wikipedia about the Four Symbols.
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Winner(s) will receive:
🐉 A shoutout from participating profiles
🐉 An unique sticker for your cover
🐉 A slot in our reading list if you are a stand alone
🐉 An interview if the winner(s) are up for it.
Disclaimer:
Please note this contest and its rules were created by the APIFantasy and mythandlegend team and is in no way affiliated with Wattpad Ambassadors or Wattpad HQ staff. We reserve the right to refuse entries that do not meet the criteria outlined in the Rules & Guidelines chapter or are triggering to our team. We are not obligated to provide feedback to all users, and any that we do provide is at our discretion.
Extensions will not be granted to ensure everyone is given an equal amount of time to complete and submit their entries. The decision of the judges is final and any abusive language directed towards the profile and its team will not be tolerated and will likely result in disqualification of your entry. Please review the guidelines carefully prior to submitting and send us a message if you have any questions or concerns you would like to raise.
