Magosong

The word 'Magosong' is an anglicized version of a Korean mythological fortress of the goddess Mago (마고성). When studying up on Korean mythology I found a creation story that was fairly interesting. I'll paraphrase it here:

Humans were created by the goddess Mago. Except in those days, we weren't human. We were something greater. All that humans ate was a milky liquid that poured out from the earth in Magosong.

However, as more and more people appeared, there wasn't enough of the milk to go around and some people began to starve.

One individual saw a strawberry, and ate it. And at that moment humans gained the ability to taste. However, by eating a living thing, humanity became cursed. Our words became heavy, our fingers claw like, and our voices raspy.

Here I need to go look up the rest of the information because my memory is hazy.

In the end, after many years of penance, humanity became what it is today. Not divine being, not monster, but something in between.

I really like this story as it's about the first creation story I've heard that has a 'Fall' followed by a little bit of redemption and reclamation of our divine heritage.

Yadda, yadda, yadda, what does all of this have to do with anything?

I greatly enjoy world-building, and as my own exercise I wanted to create a world based upon this Korean myth along with my own knowledge of history and mythology.

Neither monster, nor divine, but something in between.

Something about that really speaks to me, especially backed up with the knowledge that there was a period where humans really were monsters.

The Setting

The world is intended to be realistic, but with elements of the more fantastical and mythological. Gods, spirits, and communing with the elements for aid, and that kind of thing. Most likely I would start it off as a more insular country, and then possibly introduce the idea of outsiders later on.

Government

Some preliminary thoughts on how things may work. Right now it's a strange mixture of English, Far Eastern, and American.

Emperor - individual above all things who is the final decider on the policy and law of the country. He also has the power to declare new families and determine how many individuals will represent them in the Royal Court.

The Royal Court - A group of representatives from the various families of the country. Here is where laws are proposed, discussed, and then passed to the emperor for approval (similar to the United States Legislative -> Executive).

The Heavenly Court - The clergy of the country. An institution that cannot be directly controlled by the Emperor and the Royal Court.

So the Emperor appears to have total control of the Royal Court, as he has the power to select how much of a voice each family has, and can order family members out of the Court. However, at any time, the Royal or Heavenly Court can 'Question the Mandate of Heaven' (like a vote of no confidence in the current leadership).

From there, the Heavenly Court judges the Emperor to see if they still have the Mandate. Nothing happens if the Emperor is seen to have lost the Mandate, but Emperors tend not to last long when it is known that the heavens disapprove of them...