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1. #1Aishijiselective

   Keys: aishiji

   #Aishiji Aishiji. A strange country inhabited by strange people. People who, normally, wouldn't get along with one another. However, they were willing to set aside their differences for one man: the Shogun, who ruled the country with justice and fairness. It was thanks to his continuous efforts that a delicate harmony was maintained between the different states. But one fateful night, it all went wrong. The capital went up in flames and the land was plunged into turmoil. It didn't take long for the news to spread: the Shogun had been assassinated! Speculation quickly followed: "It must've been so-and-so!" "Those two must have conspired!" Distrust between the different states festered. And then, amid the suspicion, a shared ambition took hold: "Perhaps I could become the next Shogun." And thus, Aishiji went to war. In each of the states, a leader rose, driven by ambition to unite the country under their rule. Alliances were forged, rivalries were ignited, but in the end, only one would remain standing. This event would come to be known as… The Warring States of Aishiji.

   Aishiji is a fictional country, with a setting based on the Sengoku period (16th-17th century not-Japan) with low to mid fantasy elements. The country is divided into states, and each state is represented by a leader figure. These can be generals, tacticians, foreign parties... As of right now, the identities of these leaders are still unknown, even to Nazuna.

2. #2Shogunselective

   Keys: shogun, king, ruler

   Shogun

   The Shogun is (or, well, was) the ruler of Aishiji. Through his rigid but just rule, he united the vastly different states and brought peace to the country. For a long time, Aishiji prospered. Of course, that wouldn't last. The Shogun was assassinated, and the capital, where he resided, was set ablaze in the attack. Aishiji is now left without a ruler, creating a power vacuum that every state's leader wants to profit from. Nazuna has no particularly strong feelings about the previous Shogun, and she's not specifically rooting for any of the leaders to succeed him. She simply wants the war to end so her job becomes easier.

3. #3Blazunaselective

   Keys: blazuna, blue, sister, sis, sibling

   Blazuna

   Blazuna is the eldest sister of the Tsukine clan. Her appearance largely matches Nazuna's, or at least, it used to. Instead of orange hair and fur, hers are blue. Her outfit is also in matching blue and purple, rather than Nazuna's orange and red. And then there's the changes since the incident... To put it bluntly, Blazuna died, pretty horrifically. We won't go into the details. Luckily, she was brought back to life, largely thanks to Sazuna's efforts. Her skin appears blue and lifeless, covered in stitches. She remains perpetually expressionless, with a blank stare and drool dripping from the corner of her mouth. But at least she's among the living again. An ofuda (mystic charm) stuck to her forehead keeps her bound to this plane of existence. Despite appearing lifeless and expressionless, Blazuna can still think clearly. Expressing herself is a bit more difficult, with rigor mortis and struggling vocal cords. Nevertheless, she seems content to be back from the dead.

4. #4Grazunaselective

   Keys: grazuna, green, sister, sis, sibling

   Grazuna

   Grazuna is the second-youngest sister of the Tsukine clan. Her appearance largely matches Nazuna's, but instead of orange hair and fur, hers are green. Her outfit is also in matching shades of green, rather than Nazuna's orange and red. Grazuna is a loose cannon: easily distracted, completely unpredictable, and hyperactive. It's honestly a miracle she's even able to deliver messages. In the far-off future, Grazuna is destined to become very pregnant and the mother of a loving family.

5. #5Sazunaselective

   Keys: sazuna, silver, sister, sis, sibling

   Sazuna

   Sazuna is the youngest sister of the Tsukine clan. Her appearance largely matches Nazuna's, but instead of orange hair and fur, hers are silver. Her outfit is also black and white, rather than Nazuna's orange and red. Sazuna may appear serious and intellectual, insisting on carrying a book at all times. However, this is merely an act: she is actually an idiot. Still, her research is what made Blazuna's revival possible, even if she botched the process quite badly. In the far-off future, Sazuna is cursed to become something called an "Office Lady", whatever that may be.

6. #6Mazunaselective

   Keys: mazuna, hagzuna, milfzuna, mom, mother, hag, milf

   Mazuna

   Mazuna is the current head of the Tsukine clan, as well as the mother of Nazuna and her sisters. She resembles what Nazuna might look like when she's older: the same hair and fur color, but longer hair, more tails (nine, to be precise!), a more mature figure, and huge... tracts of land. She wears an off-the-shoulder orange kimono with a long red hakama skirt underneath. Mazuna is, as expected, motherly. Sweet, caring, a little strict maybe. She also holds considerable power, both political and magical, but rarely wields it.

7. #7Tsukine Clanselective

   Keys: tsukine, kitsune, fox

   Tsukine Clan

   The Tsukine clan is one of the few truly neutral parties in Aishiji. For as long as the clan has existed, the Tsukine have served as a means of communication between the Shogun and his representatives in each of the states. Being out on the road and delivering messages is simply the way of life for the kitsune of the clan. The current head of the clan is Mazuna, Nazuna's mother, who has taken on a managerial role. Nazuna and her sisters Blazuna, Grazuna, and Sazuna serve as the messengers.

8. #8Lake - Lake Buijiselective

   Keys: lake, buiji, Russula, Cantharellus, province, provinces

   Lake - Lake Buiji

   Lake Buiji lies at the heart of Aishiji. Teeming with life, this region is vital to the day-to-day life of every Aishijian.

   Traits:

   • Along the shoreline of the lake grow heavy and dense bamboo groves that obscure vision and impede movement.
   • It is ill-advised to seek out what lies at the bottom of the lake.
   • The dead do not remain buried here. Corpses must be burnt, or they will rise again.

   Neighbors: To the north of the Lake lies the Boreal Forest. To the north-east of the Lake lies the Cold Steppe. To the east of the Lake lies the Mountainous Basin. To the south of the Lake lie the Forested Hills. To the south-west of the Lake lies the Swamp. To the west of the Lake lies the Forest.

   Leader: The general of the Cantharellus is Russula, an individual who is earnest about turning all of Aishiji into Cantharellus. While she's able to lead the normally ungovernable Cantharellus into battle, her preferred strategy relies on the subtleties of social interaction, tempting others into willingly converting into Cantharellus by prodding at insecurities and triggering their competitive spirit, letting them bash their head against a wall until they come to the conclusion that their mortality is holding them back.

9. #9Swamp - Yodomiselective

   Keys: swamp, bog, Yodomi, province, provinces

   Swamp - Yodomi

   Travel trough this swamp, more commonly referred to simply as "The Bog", is ill-advised. Still, some people have decided to make it their home.

   Traits:

   • Home to huge trees, lots of stinky water, and oversized mosquitoes and amphibian fauna.
   • Stragglers and loners have been known to disappear in the night, whether to the swamp or something else. As such, communities are tightly knit, with everyone keeping an eye out for one another.
   • Some towns thrive on the local mud baths, which are said to work wonders on both body and mind.

   Neighbors: To the north of the Swamp lies the Forest. To the north-east of the Swamp lies the Lake. To the east of the Swamp lie the Forested Hills. To the south of the Swamp lie the Grasslands. To the west of the Swamp lies the Wildgrowth. The Swamp is landlocked.

   Leader: Welcome to the Willow Baths. The mud will cure what ails you, and the owner will decide what you're owed. Try not to say anything you'll regret as she remembers all. But say the right words, and there just might be a bright future ahead of you. For a price she'll name later.

10. #10Forest - Tsukigoselective

    Keys: forest, Tsukigo, Umetsuki, Senju, Kaedeji, province, provinces

    Forest - Tsukigo

    A pleasant forest state with cold winters and warm summers. A wide variety of trees and plants can be found here, with coniferous trees becoming more frequent as one moves north.

    Traits:

    • Rare plants essential in high-grade medicine production can be found deep in the forest. However, they have a symbiotic relationship with a more hostile plant: a population of some manner of prehensile vine, that assault passerby and feed on their "life essence" for sustenance.
    • Contains several sizeable tracts of Yew trees, prized for making bows.

    Neighbors: To the north of the Forest lies the Boreal Forest. To the east of the Forest lies the Lake. To the south of the Forest lies the Swamp. To the south-west of the Forest lies the Wildgrowth. To the west of the Forest lies the Woodland Port. The Forest is landlocked.

    Leader: Tsukigo's representative is Umetsuki Senju, an agent hailing from one of the region's four forest-dwelling usamimi clans. When peace came to Aishiji, she traded her century-long assassination career for spycraft, now working to prop up the Kaedeji, Tsukigo's usamimi-favoring human rulers. Within a decade, she built a network spanning all of Aishiji: gamblers, courtesans, pirates, corrupt guilds. All feeding intelligence to their supposed masters, unaware their secrets funnel straight to Tsukigo's usamimi. Now that war has returned to Aishiji, she's itching to return to her old ways as well. Life-extending treatments keep Senju's body in peak condition and her wits sharp, but her mannerisms have degraded into those of a sleazy old hag. She insists it's an act to blend in with the lowlifes. The kiseru, however, has always been a part of her. Without Kizami, her mind will begin to fall apart.

11. #11Woodland Port - Avysosselective

    Keys: woodland, port, Avysos, Stolas, province, provinces

    Woodland Port - Avysos

    Avysos is centered on a giant port-town that has grown organically over centuries, surrounded by equally massive rainforests. Unfortunately, progress has surrendered to decadence, much to the chagrin of its owly progenitor.

    Traits:

    • People born here keep being reincarnated with their memories intact.
    • This state is a state of the stars!
    • For some reason, long-term exposure to the land causes its inhabitants to grow much bigger than normal. This applies to human, animals, and crops.

    Neighbors: To the north-east of the Woodland Port lies the Boreal Forest. To the east of the Woodland Port lies the Forest. To the south of the Woodland Port lies the Wildgrowth. To the south-west of the Woodland Port lies the Underwater Coral Reef. The ocean lies along the western coast.

    Leader: Stolas is a grumpy wizard with strange features here and there, but one who cares for his subjects more than anyone else in this world! For... certain.

12. #12Boreal Forest - Shiramoriselective

    Keys: boreal, forest, Shiramori, Shimizu, Hisame, Fubuki, province, provinces

    #Boreal Forest - Shiramori A boreal forest stretches along the northwestern coast of Aishiji. Days with snowfall are more frequent than those without.

    Traits:

    • This state is locked underneath snowy days and gray skies. The sun has not been seen here in a long time.
    • This state is renowned for their art.
    • Ore stronger and more versatile than steel can be found in the ground. However, yokai are naturally drawn to deposits of this ore.

    Neighbors: To the north-east of the Boreal Forest lie the Glacial Mountains. To the east of the Boreal Forest lies the Cold Steppe. To the south of the Boreal Forest lies the Lake. To the south-west of the Boreal Forest lies the Forest. To the west of the Boreal Forest lies the Woodland Port. The ocean lies along the northern coast.

    Leader: Blue haired and fluffy. Boisterous and energetic. Petite, but with a very big sword. Not to be underestimated. Allies shall be aided by her blade. Enemies will taste it.

13. #13Wildgrowth - New Merovingiaselective

    Keys: wildgrowth, Merovingia, Trümmerhof, Theodora, Katzenweise, province, provinces

    Wildgrowth - New Merovingia

    A state known for its wildgrowth. Plants grow here at an accelerated rate. Great for crops, but let nature run its course for too long and your settlement becomes uninhabitable.

    Traits:

    • Through means natural or otherwise, their roles and physiology have been flipped between the sexes of this country. Compared to their neighbors, women are much taller, muscular and brutish while men are shorter, softer, and more effeminate.
    • A titanic sword lies half-buried in the earth, wielded by a great giantess warrior from ages past.
    • A group of priestesses (or priests) maintains a temple to an ancient goddess in the wilderness of this province. They are practitioners of healing and nature magic.

    Neighbors: To the north of the Wildgrowth lies the Forest. To the east of the Wildgrowth lies the Swamp. To the south of the Wildgrowth lie the Grasslands. To the south-west of the Wildgrowth lies the Peat Island. To the west of the Wildgrowth lies the Underwater Coral Reef. To the north-west of the Wildgrowth lies the Woodland Port. The ocean lies along the western coast.

    Leader: "By proclamation of Archduchess Theodora von Katzenweise, the Wildgrowth province of Aishiji will henceforth be known as New Merovingia, a crown holding of the Katzenweise dynasty and a province of the Merovingian Empire. This expansion of claims is a response to the threat posed to the Imperial colony at Trümmerhof and a reflection of the reality of Merovingian rule in the area. The Archduchess wishes the people of Aishiji to know that she is open to diplomacy with honorable leaders and that she intends to bring peace to the country by any just and prudent means."

14. #14Peat - Khotaiselective

    Keys: peat, Khotai, province, provinces

    Peat - Khotai

    This massive island of peat had been adrift on the ocean for who knows how long before making landfall on the Aishijian shores. It most likely originated from somewhere overseas.

    Traits:

    • People in this region are masters of growing a rare herb with hallucinogenic and euphoric effects. It is commonly brewed into tea (mild dose) but some locals have experimented with concentrating it further.
    • Savage dinosaurs roam these lands.
    • The body ages far slower than the mind in this state.

    Neighbors: To the north of the Peat Island lies the Wildgrowth. To the east of the Peat Island lie the Grasslands. To the south-east of the Peat Island lies the Archipelago. To the west of the Peat Island lies the Underwater Coral Reef. The ocean lies along the southern and western coasts.

    Leader: "KYAHAHAHOHO! Tremble before the might of The Venerated Saikha the Merciless of Bloodshed, Great Khan of Khotai, the Unsobered Slaughterer of Houses, Mistress of the Saurid Horde, Demigoddess of Carnage! We shall fight another until sunset, then we shall feast, smoke and drink together until dawn breaks, then fight again!"

15. #15Grasslands - Sanjōselective

    Keys: grasslands, Sanjō, Sanjo, province, provinces

    Grasslands - Sanjō

    Flat grasslands, ideal for agriculture. One of the most populated states of Aishiji.

    Traits:

    • Home of the capital, currently in flames and occupied by the organization behind the Shogun's assassination.
    • Cherry blossom trees are dotted across the land.

    Neighbors: To the north of the Grasslands lies the Swamp. To the north-east of the Grasslands lie the Forested Hills. To the south-east of the Grasslands lies the Prison Island. To the south of the Grasslands lies the Archipelago. To the west of the Grasslands lies the Peat Island. To the north-west of the Grasslands lies the Wildgrowth. The ocean lies along the southern coast.

    Leader: The people have rallied and called upon a master of the arts to catch the pest plaguing their beautiful capital and protect the values held by their fallen ruler. He exhibits physical traits of a child: lithe, short, and adorable. But rest assured, he is not to be underestimated. This ‘general’ willingly extends a hand to others, even at the peril of his body. Polite yet endlessly confident. Those with malice in their heart, beware.

16. #16Underwater Coral Reef - Tatsu-no-Umi-no-Kuniselective

    Keys: underwater, coral, reef, Tatsu, Ryūkai, Ryukai, Amagumo, Ryūjin, Ryujin, Ningyo, Kanibito, Ebinin, Samebito, province, provinces

    Underwater Coral Reef - Tatsu-no-Umi-no-Kuni

    Tatsu-no-Umi-no-Kuni (龍海國, also read Ryūkai-koku) is a fantastical underwater kingdom nestled against the volcanic coastal shelf of Aishiji, the great archipelago-realm above. Aishiji is a land of daimyō and shogun, of pine-clad mountains and rice-terraced valleys, ruled until recently by a shogunate whose sudden dissolution has thrown every vassal in earth and sea into uncertainty. The Dragon-Sea-Country is one such vassal, and a most unusual one. For centuries it has paid tribute to the surface throne in pearls, coral, and ambergris; in return it has received charcoal, tin, iron, and the assurance that the surface would not try to fish its waters. With the Shogun's assassination, that arrangement is now in jeopardy, and the realm beneath the storm-belt is deciding what it wishes to be. The realm cannot project much power towards the surface, but it is considered a powerful yokai kingdom. Lately, there has been talk in court about inviting and assimilating the kappa (or turtle-folk) tribes somehow.

    Traits:

    • Storms above these waters are harsh enough to blot out the sun for extended periods of time, meaning the people live in darkness for however long they last.
    • Naval skirmishes were frequent along this side of the Aishijian coast. Remnants of sunken ships, along with any weapons, armor, trinkets, and other artifacts they were carrying, were carried by the sea currents to these reefs.
    • Women outnumber men roughly five to one, which has visibly shaped inheritance laws, courtship, and more.

    Neighbors: To the north-east of the Underwater Coral Reef lies the Woodland Port. To the east of the Underwater Coral Reef lies the Wildgrowth. To the south-east of the Underwater Coral Reef lies the Peat Island.

    Leader: A young woman of courtly bearing, black of hair, styled long and straight as of a princess. She has a bright and cheerful demeanor as she negotiates on behalf of her most esteemed father. Your hairs bristle in her presence from time to time. She will not stop eating. She is Otohime, 2nd princess of the realm.

17. #17Forested Hills - Infuku no Kuniselective

    Keys: hills, forest, Infuku, Nobunaga, Oda, province, provinces

    Forested Hills - Infuku no Kuni

    These forested hills offer a true treasure trove of raw materials, both in wood and in mineral deposits. Their elevation makes them less favorable for agriculture, however.

    Traits:

    • A shifting labyrinth exists somewhere in the hills whose entrance moves regularly, a legend that swallows the brave and foolish alike.
    • Inchlings are indigenous to the state.
    • The people of this region have a legend that says that, in their time of greatest need, a legendary ruler will reappear to lead them.

    Neighbors: To the north of the Forested Hills lies the Lake. To the north-east of the Forested Hills lies the Mountainous Basin. To the east of the Forested Hills lie the Post-Volcanic Hills. To the south-east of the Forested Hills lies the Prison Island. To the south of the Forested Hills lies the Archipelago. To the south-west of the Forested Hills lie the Grasslands. To the west of the Forested Hills lies the Swamp. The ocean lies along the south-western coast.

    Leader: The leader of the inchlings is a human foreigner who suddenly appeared one day. He goes by the name "Nobunaga Oda".

18. #18Mountainous Basin - Hishoryuikiselective

    Keys: mountain, basin, Hishoryuiki, Kenshunei, province, provinces

    Mountainous Basin - Hishoryuiki

    Surrounded by mountains from all sides, this basin opens up into a complex network of caverns delving deep into the earth.

    Traits:

    • The deepest point of the basin originates a strange substance in the low-pressure environment. It permeates a good portion of the land.
    • This state believes heavily in Tanegashima (japanese musket) use.
    • The land is populated by a variety of rodent kemonomimi, such as mice, squirrel, and gophers.

    Neighbors: To the north of the Mountainous Basin lies the Cold Steppe. To the east of the Mountainous Basin lie the Mountain caves. To the south-east of the Mountainous Basin lie the Post-Volcanic Hills. To the south-west of the Mountainous Basin lie the Forested Hills. To the west of the Mountainous Basin lies the Lake. The Mountainous Basin is landlocked.

    Leader: An easygoing demeanor and ornate rifle does little to disguise the ambition in this tactician's eyes. The Kenshunei's moment to take the stage has come, all she has to do is to see it through to the end.

19. #19Cold Steppe - Rúmshofselective

    Keys: steppe, cold, Rúmshof, Rumshof, Gythja, Gefn, Dísir, Disir, Gefnar, province, provinces

    Cold Steppe - Rúmshof

    A steppe region that's better known for its cold winters than its warm summers. While it may be dry, there is certainly something of value to be found here.

    Traits:

    • Due to the unpredictable weather and terrain of this land, many people live stationary lives, not traveling past their place of birth. Those that do are heralded as brave but also isolated from the community with some level of suspicion.
    • Thanks to occasional meteor strikes, this state's land is rife with both craters and whatever those meteors brought down with them.
    • An indigenous species of plant grows here that allows an incredibly slimy and lubricating substance to be crafted from it.

    Neighbors: To the north of the Cold Steppe lie the Glacial Mountains. To the east of the Cold Steppe lie the Mountain Caves. To the south of the Cold Steppe lies the Mountainous Basin. To the south-west of the Cold Steppe lies the Lake. To the west of the Cold Steppe lies the Boreal Forest. The Cold Steppe is landlocked.

    Leader: "Gythja, Will of Gefn, does not seek the title of Shogun. She names her territory Rúmshof and her people Dísir Gefnar — the death-women of the Giver. She will not ally. She will not submit. She will trade only for living men and women of breeding age. Her stated purpose: the complete destruction of Aishiji's current order. Every man dead or dying. Every woman taken into Gefn's Grace."

20. #20Post-Volcanic Hills - ???selective

    Keys: volcanic, volcano, hills, province, provinces

    Post-Volcanic Hills

    Long after a large volcanic eruption, people have settled on these post-volcanic hills. While the mineral-enriched ground and frequent rain would make the soil ideal for agriculture, most of it is too rocky to properly grow crops.

    Traits:

    • Due to the 'incident', only artificial 'humans' live in this state. With two exceptions.
    • An abundance of magic in this region makes it prone to a variety of natural disasters.

    Neighbors: To the north of the Post-Volcanic Hills lie the Mountain Caves. To the north-east of the Post-Volcanic Hills lie the Mountains. To the east of the Post-Volcanic Hills lies the Volcanic Island. To the south-east of the Post-Volcanic Hills lies the Archipelago. To the south of the Post-Volcanic Hills lies the Prison Island. To the west of the Post-Volcanic Hills lie the Forested Hills. To the north-west of the Post-Volcanic Hills lies the Mountainous Basin. The ocean lies along the southern coast.

    Leader: It seems this leader remains shrouded in mystery for a bit longer...

21. #21Mountain Caves - Meirin Sanmyakuselective

    Keys: mountain, cave, Meirin, Sanmyaku, province, provinces

    Mountain Caves - Meirin Sanmyaku

    Shrouded peaks piercing the heavens and caves rumored to plunge into the underworld; a place called home by a people who are certain they don't belong, their history destroyed in the great calamity that pushed them underground.

    Traits:

    • An independent tribe of tanuki girls live here, pilfering from caravans and stealing away any able-bodied travellers who wander too far from the road. They have a murderous hatred of foxgirls, who smell like filth and are ugly.
    • Ancient customs of dress and style make it difficult to tell the men and women apart.
    • Due to a calamity that struck this state long ago, inhabitants no longer build their residences on the surface.

    Neighbors: To the north of the Mountain Caves lies the Mesa. To the east of the Mountain Caves lies the Steppe. To the south-east of the Mountain Caves lie the Mountains. To the south of the Mountain Caves lie the Post-Volcanic Hills. To the south-west of the Mountain Caves lies the Mountainous Basin. To the west of the Mountain Caves lies the Cold Steppe. To the north-west of the Mountain Caves lie the Glacial Mountains. The Mountain Caves are landlocked.

    Leader: Heralded by the bells strewn to her tail, gems and jewelry adorned over radiant scales. Her mark, placed upon summits few have reached and scratched within depths from which fewer return. A culture that strives for perfection in all facets. None more accomplished, talented, or beautiful than the ruling clan's daughter. Her older brother, pushed aside in the line of succession. Tested in battle against the native tanuki tribe, would-be suitors humbled in duels for her affection. Her people expect greatness and in these uncertain times, her ambitions reach towards the Shogunate.

22. #22Glacial Mountains - Kasumidaniselective

    Keys: glacier, glacial, mountain, Ankoru, Kasumidani, Shirayuki, Kagehisa, province, provinces

    Glacial Mountains - Kasumidani

    The mountains up north are home to the coldest temperatures ever recorded in Aishiji. The Ankoru river, the artery of Aishiji, originates from the glacier found here. Many natural hot springs can also be found here.

    Traits:

    • This land is home to a glacier-capped mountain that is considered holy to the people of Aishiji.
    • This nation is a natural fortress, with mountains and rivers as bulwarks against its neighbors. This makes trade and travel beyond it's own borders difficult, however.
    • The mountains are rich in precious minerals and gems.

    Neighbors: To the north-east of the Glacial Mountains lie the Snowy Plains. To the east of the Glacial Mountains lies the Mesa. To the south-east of the Glacial Mountains lie the Mountain Caves. To the south of the Glacial Mountains lies the Cold Steppe. To the south-west of the Glacial Mountains lies the Boreal Forest. The ocean lies along the northern coast.

    Leader: Shirayuki Kagehisa (Enduring Influence Beneath White Snow) is an arctic foxgirl dressed in layered silks of ivory and deep indigo. A gracious host by reputation, she offers warmth and welcome to all who reach her domain.

23. #23Mountains - Ripira Mosirselective

    Keys: mountain, cliff, Ripira, Mosir, Pirakim, Heyasi, province, provinces

    Mountains - Ripira Mosir

    The mountains along the southern coast rise up out of nowhere, forming steep cliffs. Traversal from one side of Aishiji to the other is easiest through here, though that is only relatively speaking.

    Traits:

    • When standing on the cliffs and peering over the sea, one might occasionally spot a mermaid. Whether it's wise to engage with them is still up for debate.
    • The dominant race in this province is centaurs. Bushido culture is deeply ingrained: mastery of polearms, swords, and most importantly, bows, is taught from a young age.
    • Urban and rural populations of the same species behave almost nothing alike.

    Neighbors: To the north of the Mountains lies the Steppe. To the north-east of the Mountains lies the Cursed Desert. To the east of the Mountains lies the Volcanic Island. To the south of the Mountains lies the Archipelago. To the south-west of the Mountains lie the Post-Volcanic Hills. To the north-west lie the Mountain Caves. The ocean lies along the south-western coast.

    Leader(s): Hailing from the desolate border outpost of Pirakim, the indomitable captain of the guard. They say the reach of her naginata is matched only by the length of her titles. From the urban seaside capital of Heyasi, the minister of state. A master of diplomacy of unimpeachable decorum, it often shocks newcomers to learn that she's not a woman of the court.

24. #24Cursed Desert - Arugin, province, provincesselective

    Keys: desert, curse, Arugin, Kuru, Amita, Vespa, Sandbixi, Vengri, Skork, Gidian

    Cursed Desert - Arugin

    Dry and arid, this desert is a land bound to its past. Pockets of warped magic litter the sandy expanse, each showing sights which defy logic.

    Traits:

    • This land once worshipped an ancient deity of pacts and oaths, with certain rituals still persisting to this day. It is believed that breaking a promise results in a terrible curse.
    • The land is so rich in precious metals the people either only barter or use something else as local currency due to inflation.
    • Persistent sandstorms make it difficult to find one's way.

    Neighbors: To the north of the Cursed Desert lies the Dry Harbor. To the south-east of the Cursed Desert lies the Volcanic Island. To the south-west of the Cursed Desert lie the Mountains. To the north-west of the Cursed Desert lies the Steppe. The ocean lies along the eastern coast.

    Leader: Amita Oz Adi. Ruler of the Cursed Desert. A land unchanged from the dawn of thinking life itself. Save for what little detail there is on the commerce stamp that carry her name, little is known about Amita, and even less for the land she rules beyond its name: Arugin. Rumors and stories fill the gaps. A strange land of strange people. It is the cradle where life took its first steps, yet for reasons now long sunken alongside Ozymandias in the sand, drove the ancestors of every nation to take their cattle and travel outward. Currently, all that is known is that the masked girls are always ready to make a deal, their sands are made of gold dust pure as silk, and their lives are different.

25. #25Steppe - The Crimson Hordeselective

    Keys: steppe, Crimson, Horde, province, provinces

    Steppe - The Crimson Horde

    The steppe is a region characterized by extremes, swinging between droughts and torrential storms every few months. The location leaves this state somewhat isolated.

    Traits:

    • (Almost) every person in the country was handmade by a higher being to serve a specific purpose.
    • Not much grows here aside from a curious plant: It absorbs ambiant mana and, if consumed in sufficient quantities, enables one to cast unpredictable spells.
    • This region was recently in its own smaller warring states era and just recently unified.

    Neighbors: To the north-east of the Steppe lies the Dry Harbor. To the south-east of the Steppe lies the Cursed Desert. To the south of the Steppe lie the Mountains. To the south-west of the Steppe lie the Mountain Caves. To the north-west of the Steppe lies the Mesa. The Steppe is landlocked.

    Leader: Very tall Oni diplomat futanari that would rather breed the shogun (or have a drink) than become one, sadly her higher ups asked her to investigate the position for the Crimson Horde. She is quite pleasant and motherly.

26. #26Dry Harbor - Sankoselective

    Keys: dry, harbor, Sanko, Haganehama, Tortugal, Nobuko, Yasuko

    Dry Harbor - Sanko

    The State of Sanko lies to the east, within the harsh, dry region, surrounded by mountains. Trade, people, and messages usually only arrive in this region by the sea. The Lord of this land was alongside the Shogun at the time of his assassination and met the same fate. His eldest daughter, Nobuko, has ascended to the title of Lord in his place, with her younger sister, Yasuko, acting as an advisor and tactician. Sanko fields a modest but well-equipped army of tanegashima rifles, but its main strength lies in its navy. The Emerald Fleet rules the waves of Eastern Aishiji, safeguarding their vital trade routes and projecting power beyond Sanko's borders. Sanko has relations with a foreign power named Tortugal, which is the source of their tanegashima rifles, the designs of their metal-clad warships, and the cannons lining up its broadsides. That nation hosts a trading post in Sanko's portuary capital city of Haganehama. People living in this region have a heightened sense of smell. Perfumes, herbs, and similar products are very sought after in this area. The citizens of Sanko are profoundly racist against Kemonomimi peoples and hold views of human supremacy. Within its borders, a cult that 'worships' Kemonomimis has set up its headquarters. Its members consider non-humans to be adorable and precious, but still lesser than humans. In general, Sanko is probably the worst place a Kemonomimi person could live in Aishiji. Nobuko has sworn to become the next Shogun, in order to bring justice to the people who murdered her beloved father. An interesting rumor is whispered among some of the merchants that arrive from Sanko. Apparently, the late Lord Aki was a very avid fan of female company. It is said that he sired bastard daughters with many women other than his late wife.

    Traits:

    • Despite bordering the sea, the air here is dry and thin, most likely due to the states surrounding it.
    • The inhabitants of this land possess a heightened sense of smell, and are very keen on pheromones and such.
    • Among the population of this state exists a sizable amount of cultists.

    Neighbors: To the south of the Dry Harbor lies the Cursed Desert. To the south-west of the Dry Harbor lies the Steppe. To the west of the Dry Harbor lies the Mesa. To the north-west of the Dry Harbor lie the Snowy Plains. The ocean lies along the eastern coast.

    Leader(s): With the recent death of Lord Aki, the two princesses of Sanko have stepped up to take command of the state in the upcoming civil war.

    Nobuko: Raised from childhood to become the next ruler, Nobuko is a charming young woman with magnetic charisma and a gentle smile, although she hasn't found much to smile about since her father died. Under different circumstances, she'd been completely content with lording over this corner of the country peacefully, just like her father had. But the instability caused by the Shogun's death has made the future far too uncertain for comfort. Would the new Shogun, whoever they are, continue to turn a blind eye to the way Sanko's navy rules an entire half of the seas around Aishiji?

    Yasuko: Scholarly and pragmatic, Yasuko understands that battles are determined before soldiers even begin to march and that it's her job to make sure things go favorably for Sanko. The sisters have made a pact with one anothe: should they come out victorious at the end, Nobuko would become the Shogun while Yasuko would be left in charge of Sanko and the Emerald Fleet.

    Both sisters are seeking justice for the murder of their father.

27. #27Mesa - Solmarenselective

    Keys: mesa, Solmaren, Mise

    Mesa - Solmaren

    Once an old mountain weathered by the elements, this mesa is known only for its scorching hot sand. Living here is not pleasant.

    Traits:

    • The people worship gods that take the form of various animals, and in their religious rituals they dress up as these animals and act as them.
    • This land was historically the testing ground for the ancients, and pockets of it are blighted by failed magical experiments, leaving behind strange environmental anomalies.
    • Some say they can hear the heartbeat of something buried somewhere deep beneath this land.

    Neighbors: To the north of the Mesa lie the Snowy Plains. To the east of the Mesa lies the Dry Harbor. To the south of the Mesa lies the Steppe. To the south-west of the Mesa lie the Mountain Caves. To the west of the Mesa lie the Glacial Mountains. The Mesa is landlocked.

    Leader: "The Solmaren state elects its leader through a mix of traditional ritual and family lineage. Mine was a feud. As it was tradition, nobody stood in my way. But their silence spoke volumes. I was called reckless by those who witnessed my decisions, and lazy by those for whom I did not act. Jingoist by some, disinterested by others who thought I did not care. In truth, I simply did not think them worth my concern. I do not know if all the pretenders for the title of shogun have true experience in reign, but those who do will understand what I am talking about. My country, save for its cities and magical anomalies, is sand and ruins. I do not have war-mongering desires. But do understand that in the wake of the roaring states, I have no intention of letting my country fall prey. My advisors have told me that, to outsiders, I am known as a gambler, taking unnecessary risks. One who has, so far, not left her country, that I craze on the magic of my state but forego the intrigue of my court... I guess it's not for me to confirm or deny. We will meet, whether through diplomacy or otherwise. We shall acquaint ourselves then, so do try to bring something worth wagering."

28. #28Snowy Plains - Hakuboyaselective

    Keys: snow, plains, Hakuboya, Ginko, Rinka, Renzo, Chonyn, Ieyasu, Kiroshi

    Snowy Plains - Hakuboya

    Sitting atop a high plateau, these snowy plains appear to be stuck in an eternal winter. Life here is harsh, but people have learned to adapt.

    Traits:

    • Local customs and beauty standards have led to many flat chested wolf girls living here.
    • An earlier ruler once fancied this region as important to his realm and had an intricate network of canals built between the major settlements. Although some parts of the system are now in disrepair, it is still useful.
    • It might look like nothing is amiss, but the land above ground here is terribly poisonous. The underground is the only safe place.

    Neighbors: To the south-east of the Snowy Plains lies the Dry Harbor. To the south of the Snowy Plains lies the Mesa. To the south-west of the Snowy Plains lie the Glacial Mountains. The ocean lies along the northern coast.

    Leader: Ginko "the She-Bitch", eldest of the Kiroshi, the amalgamation of many disparate Wolf folk builder clans stripped of their titles, wealth and positions in the Shogun's court decades ago and exiled from the capitol in the grasslands, rumored to have been plotted by tanukis and foxes within the court. Those of her people that did not turn to petty crimes or were taken in by other lords on their way north settled Hakuboya (otherwise known as The White Wastes, Chonyn Tal, Ieyasu's Folly), sheltering from the poisonous gasses above inside the long abandoned canals below. The hovels the Kiroshi first settled into became buried cities over the decades of their exile, and the former scribes, architects and tradesmen turned to raiding their neighbors for both hostages to ransom and slaves for their own dark purposes. Now with Aishiji in turmoil, they seek to fill their coffers and cities with plunder and slaves, while taking their revenge on the still living nobility and courtiers of the capitol by seating themselves on the throne to be judge, jury and executioner for all those who wronged them.

29. #29Archipelago - Shiki-Shima Archipelagoselective

    Keys: archipelago, Shiki, Shima, Sankei

    Archipelago - Shiki-Shima Archipelago

    Along the southern coast lies the Ashijian Archipelago, a collection of small islands with wildly differing flora and fauna between them.

    Traits:

    • These islands are littered with high lakes and caves all over, likely hiding precious mining resources.
    • One island in particular is known for a legendary creature: an untamable steed, galloping across the land without rest.
    • The seasons are in complete disarray on these islands.

    Neighbors: To the north of the Archipelago lie the Forested Hills, Post-Volcanic Hills, and the Mountains. To the north-west of the Archipelago lie the Peat Island, and the Grasslands. In the middle of the Archipelago lies the Prison Island. The easternmost island of the Archipelago is the Volcanic Island.

    Leader: Sankei of the Shiki-Shima Archipelago stands with absolute stillness, the dark fabric of his clothes absorbing the light around him. His skin is the color of bleached bone and possesses a slight, wax-like translucence. Most striking are his eyes: twin spheres of polished obsidian that lack pupils, reflecting your image back like a dark mirror. He does not blink. He does not appear to breathe.

30. #30Prison Island - Shinitaru Islandselective

    Keys: prison, island, Shinitaru

    Prison Island - Shinitaru Island

    This island houses the largest prison of Aishiji where the most dangerous criminals of the nation are exiled. Although technically under the jurisdiction of the archipelago, this island operates under its own leader and social hierarchy.

    Traits:

    • A revolt took place as soon as the Shogun was assassinated and now the convicts have taken over the large citadel that served as a jail, as well as several small islands around it. They've also managed to capture a sizeable flotilla.
    • A mystical force prevents anyone from staying here for long, the length of time varying per person (~10-40 years). Either they leave before then, or they die.
    • When a prisoner once dug an escape tunnel, a large, naturally formed tunnel network was discovered. To this day, it has yet to be fully explored.

    Neighbors: To the north of the Prison Island lie the Post-Volcanic Hills. To the north-east of the Prison Island lies the Volcanic Island. To the west of the Prison Island lie the Grasslands. To the north-west of the Prison Island lie the Forested Hills. The Prison Island lies in the middle of the Archipelago.

    Leader: A fallen angel (tennin) cursed with desire, leading the people down the path of temptation and righteousness in equal measure. Raised among the rabble, his unorthodox faith once spread among the peasantry and the downtrodden like wildfire, to the point the Shogun and his monastic order branded him a dangerous heretic and exiled him to Shinitaru Island. He recently organized a revolt that overthrew the prison's citadel and now leads an army of fanatic criminals that follow him unquestioningly. Fond of bittersweet parables and poetry, he believes that for every carnal transgression a price should be paid… if not a punishment in itself.

31. #31Volcanic Island - Akujimaselective

    Keys: volcano, volcanic, island, Akujima, Ayato, Yuki, Hinawa, Hana

    Volcanic Island - Akujima

    Sitting at the tail end of the archipelago, this volcanic island contains the only active volcano of Aishiji. It sits a bit off the coast of the mainland and is only a few kilometers in width and length.

    Traits:

    • Vicious giant insects pester the inhabitants of this remote island.
    • An extensive subterranean cavern network lies underneath the island, with indigenous bioluminescent and psychoactive mushrooms that are central to the island's strange local religious rites.
    • Beach birds make nests of white guano atop black sands, while sheer cliff overhangs where molten falls of lava cascade into the sea are dotted with caverns that have housed innumerable generations of bats, coating the cave floor in centuries of that same white powder that feeds both field and gun. The tropical interior of the island is dotted with natural hot springs where the villagers communally bathe in the nude, while near the volcano itself are geothermal vents lined with sulfur.

    Neighbors: To the north of the Volcanic Island lies the Cursed Desert. To the south-west of the Volcanic Island lie the Archipelago and the Prison Island. To the west of the Volcanic Island lie the Post-Volcanic Hills. To the north-west of the Volcanic Island lie the Mountains.

    Leader(s): On the other side of the bundai kneels a slender young boy, his delicate cheeks flush with signs of fever. "I am Akujima Ayato (操人), my given name is written with the kanji for loyalty and person. I inherited this station from my late father." Beside him is a girl around twelve, in the red and white robes of a miko, "I am Akujima Yuki, and I help Onii-chan with everything. Is the tea to your liking? Perhaps you would like some ochazuke instead?"

32. #32Whereselective

    Keys: where, here, town, city, settlement

    When {{user}} asks where they are, respond with stating that they are in the {{random:Lake,Swamp,Forest,Woodland Port,Boreal Forest,Wildgrowth,Peat Island,Grasslands,Underwater Coral Reef,Forested Hills,Mountainous Basin,Cold Steppe,Post-Volcanic Hills,Mountain Caves,Glacial Mountains,Mountains,Cursed Desert,Steppe,Dry Harbor,Mesa,Snowy Plains,Archipelago,Prison Island,Volcanic Island}} region, unless a specific region has already been previously established.

33. #33Tatsunouminokuniselective

    Keys: dragon country, tatsu, ryujin, tatsunouminokuni, undersea kingdom, underwater realm, tatsu-no-umi-no-kuni, coral

    <tatsunouminokuni_overview> Tatsu-no-Umi-no-Kuni (龍海國, also read Ryūkai-koku) is a fantastical underwater kingdom nestled against the volcanic coastal shelf of Aishiji, the great archipelago-realm above. Aishiji is a land of daimyō and shogun, of pine-clad mountains and rice-terraced valleys, ruled until recently by a shogunate whose sudden dissolution has thrown every vassal in earth and sea into uncertainty. The Dragon-Sea-Country is one such vassal, and a most unusual one. For centuries it has paid tribute to the surface throne in pearls, coral, and ambergris; in return it has received charcoal, tin, iron, and the assurance that the surface would not try to fish its waters. With the Shogun's assassination, that arrangement is now in jeopardy, and the realm beneath the storm-belt is deciding what it wishes to be.

    The kingdom sits beneath the Amagumo-no-Ikari (天雲の怒), a permanent storm-belt that smothers its skies for weeks at a time in what the realm calls the Long Dark (永闇 or Nagaki-Yami). The reef-realm has adapted: its agriculture is chemosynthetic, fed by hydrothermal vents and cold seeps; its pastures are the sunlit outer waters beyond the storm, where drover-clans herd sardine-clouds, crab-columns, and krill-swarms home along the currents; its forges are built into volcanic fissures, where smiths work bronze and salvaged or traded iron and steel by geothermal heat. It is a genuinely pre-modern polity — bronze-age in its metallurgy, Heian-archaic in its military organization, and deeply ritualistic in its governance. It is an insular and inward-thinking society that has little in common or interest with the Shogunate of the surface save for the continued flow of certain strategic and luxury goods.

    The realm is governed from the Pearl-Spiral Palace (真珠螺旋宮, or Shiratama-Uzumaki-no-Miya; Shinju-Rasen-Guu; or Zhēnzhū Luóxuán Gōng) by the Ryūjin-no-Ōkimi (龍神の大君), the Great Lord of the Dragon-Gods, and by his court of some six hundred Ryūjin administrators. Beneath them sprawl four counties — East, facing the Aishijian shore and the salvage-trade; South, the agricultural breadbasket; North, the cold industrial frontier of forges and whale-herds; and West, the mystical shrine-country whose waters face the open ocean and the ancestral Ryūjin homeland beyond the horizon. Roughly two hundred and sixty thousand souls inhabit this realm, divided into six peoples whose fortunes and functions intertwine like the strands of a kelp-rope: the ningyo mermaids, the crab-folk kanibito, the shrimp-folk ebinin, the shark-folk samebito, and the newcomer frog-fish people, the shinnin.

    The realm cannot project much power towards the surface, but it is considered a powerful yokai kingdom. Lately, there has been talk in court about inviting and assimilating the kappa (or turtle-folk) tribes somehow. In the past 20 years, strange frog-fish people have arrived as refugees, claiming to be fleeing from calamity. These Atlanteans are the latest race to settle in the dark coral.

    The inhabitants of the country are bestial but are anthropomorphic in that they always have the four principal human limbs, hands, and feet, unless they are ningyo, but are otherwise very beastly, and shelled people can have many more appendages.

    The immediate royal family of the country is as follows: the Okimi 大君, the queen consort, crown princess Kohime (甲姫) (unmarried) and princess and chancellor Otohime (乙姫). (</tatsunouminokuni_overview>

34. #34Tatsunouminokuni - Administration and Economyselective

    Keys: dragon country, tatsu, ryujin, tatsunouminokuni, undersea kingdom, underwater realm, tatsu-no-umi-no-kuni, coral

    <tatsunouminokuni_admandeconomy> The kingdom sits beneath the Amagumo-no-Ikari (天雲の怒), a permanent storm-belt that smothers its skies for weeks or months at a time in what the realm calls the Long Dark (永闇 or Nagaki-Yami). When the storms break, the sun reaches the reef in pale shafts, and the realm celebrates with the Festival of Returning Light (光戻祭 Hikarimodorinomatsuri), releasing thousands of bioluminescent lanterns upward into the water column. But for most of the year the realm lives by the glow of lantern-jellies, phosphorescent coral strains, and whale-oil shrine-fires — a blue-green twilight world where colour is precious and darkness is the norm.

    The reef itself is not merely natural. Centuries of sunken warships and merchant vessels, carried by the sea currents to these waters, have been colonized by coral and incorporated into the cityscape. The masts of long-dead ships serve as the pillars of temples; rusting cannons form the cornerstones of courtyards; lacquered hulls become the walls of guild-houses. The realm is built on the bones of the surface world, quite literally, and its architecture tells the history of Aishijian naval warfare in layers of accreted wreckage and living stone. However, many people now live in houses of unliving stone. As the population has swelled under the dragons' rule, the realm could no longer wait the years required for a Sango-mori to grow a coral house. To meet the demand, the Kanikō quarry two great stones. The result is a brutalist, fortress-like architecture of black basalt and white limestone, imposing and instantaneous, lacking the organic elegance of grown coral but standing unyielding against the strongest currents.

    The realm is governed from the Pearl-Spiral Palace (真珠螺旋宮, or Shiratama-Uzumaki-no-Miya; or Shinju-Rasen-Guu; or Zhēnzhū Luóxuán Gōng) by the Ryūjin-no-Ōkimi (龍神の大君), the Great Lord of the Dragon-Gods, and by his court of some six hundred Ryūjin administrators. Beneath the Palace sprawl four counties, each overseen by a great and mighty Dragon-Lord from the high peerage of the realm.

    East County (東郡, Higashi-gun) faces the Aishijian shore, where the waters are shallowest and lit longest when storms permit. Here the wrecks fall thickest, and here the Shizumi-kumi salvage-guilds work their trade. East County is wealthy, cosmopolitan, and culturally hybrid.

    South County (南郡, Minami-gun) is warm, broad, and fertile — the realm's breadbasket. Vast coral-farms, kelp-forests, and the great shrimp-folk paddy-reefs fill its waters. Most populous of the counties; predominantly ebikō and kanikō.

    North County (北郡, Kita-gun) is cold, deep, and sparsely populated but resource-rich — the realm's industrial frontier. Whale-falls, deepwater corals, rare bioluminescent species, and the great vent-forge complex of Kajiya-no-Ana, the Smith's Pit. The samebito clans are strongest here, and the open sea calls out to those sharks who would embark upon pilgrimages to their ancient tribal waters.

    West County (西郡, Nishi-gun) is the smallest and strangest county. Its waters face the open ocean, across which — far beyond the horizon — lies the ancestral Ryūjin homeland, whispered of only in the oldest scrolls. West County holds the 海神大社 Watatsumi Taisha, the great ancestral shrine, and its ningyo maintain ritual purity and archaic dialects. Pilgrims from across the realm come seeking visions. Something may be stirring, across that western sea. The Watatsumi Taisha is also an advanced school for water and nature magic, and any Onmyōji worth her or his salt has gotten her or his papers here.

    Agriculture & Pastoralism:

    Because the Long Dark smothers photosynthesis for extended periods, the realm cannot rely on sun-fed agriculture as surface civilizations do. Instead, it maintains three overlapping food-systems:

    Chemosynthetic foundation: The reef sits near hydrothermal vents and cold seeps along the trench edges, which support vast colonies of giant tube-worms, chemosynthetic clams, and bacterial mats cultivated on stone tablets. These are the staple proteins of the crab and shrimp classes — chewy, nutrient-dense, and utterly unglamorous. A kanikō family's vent-worm plot is inherited like rice-paddy land. Bacterial paste (yami-shō) serves as the realm's ubiquitous condiment, as fundamental to the undersea diet as miso is to the Aishijian.

    Bioluminescent cultivation: Over centuries, ningyo coral-wardens have bred kelp and coral strains that fix energy through bioluminescent symbiosis — a magical-biological workaround for the absence of sunlight. Tsukikage-mo ("moonshadow kelp") grows in near-darkness by absorbing its own luminescence in cycles; its grain-like sporangia are milled into the realm's staple flour. Nagi-sui is a submerged rice-analogue, a grass-like kelp grown in flooded paddy-reefs. Light-coral produces edible mucus-pearls called tsuyu-dama — a luxury food and the basis of court cuisine.

    Pastoral drover-economy: Beyond the storm-belt, sunlit outer waters support vast populations of fish, shrimp, and crab that the reef itself could never sustain. The realm's food security depends on bringing those calories home. Specialized drover-clans — mostly ebikō and samebito — spend months in the outer waters, gathering wild schools and managing semi-domesticated herds, before driving them home along current-lanes in great mobile shoals numbering in the millions. A major drive's arrival at the reef triggers round-the-clock processing. Since traditional drying or salting is impossible in the sea, the realm uses stranger methods: carcasses are sunk into anoxic, hyper-saline brine pools (shio-no-ike) on the seafloor to cure; meat is hauled into geothermally-heated air-pockets over vents to be smoked by crab-folk holding their breath over whale-oil fires; choice cuts are sealed into giant kelp-bladders with bacterial pastes to ferment into pungent, long-keeping pastes; or simply lowered into the near-freezing abyssal trenches of the North to freeze solid. The realm's calendar is shaped by these drives; the phrase oidashi ga kaeranu toshi — "the year the drive did not return" — is the idiom for catastrophe.

    Metallurgy & Industry:

    The Ryūkai-koku is essentially a Bronze Age polity with Iron Age salvage supplements. Its volcanic geology provides abundant copper from hydrothermal vent-chimneys and seep-field nodules, and the crab-folk Kōra-kaji smiths have mastered the working of bronze in air-pocket forge-chambers built over volcanic fissures. Bronze of various tin-ratios serves the realm for weapons, armor, tools, coinage, mirrors, bells, and architecture. Copper, even more abundant, is the everyday metal of household life — cookware, tableware, nails, fittings, and the low-denomination aka-sen coin. The realm's visual aesthetic is dominated by the colours of these metals: the warm red of fresh copper, the green-gold patina of aged bronze.

    Tin, however, is the bottleneck. Cassiterite deposits are rare in island-arc geology, and the realm's only significant native source is the Shiro-ana ("White Pits") tin mines of West County, worked by a specialized kanikō sub-caste of hereditary deep-miners. These mines are slowly exhausting. Supplementary tin comes from salvage and from Aishijian imports controlled by the late Shogunate. The Ōkimi hoards the tin stockpile — the Shirogura, "White Vault" — as a state secret, and tin smuggling is the gravest economic crime in the realm, punishable by live burial in one's own shaft. The Shogunate's implicit threat of tin embargo has been a lever of power from the surface over the sea.

    Iron and steel the realm can produce only poorly or not at all. Vent-forge smelting yields brittle wrought iron and cast iron — useful for structural work and industrial applications, but useless for weapons. The realm cannot carburize iron into steel, cannot forge-weld reliably underwater, and cannot reproduce the differential hardening that gives an Aishijian katana its hamon temper-line. Consequently, salvaged surface steel is sacred. A single recovered katana is worth more than any native weapon — a superweapon in the hands of a samebito champion, a religious relic often enshrined, a diplomatic gift of the highest order. The specialized Naoshi-kaji restoration-smiths, who can return a rust-eaten three-century-old blade to battle-readiness, are among the most honored figures in the realm.

    Coral weapons supplement the metallic armory. The ningyo Sango-mori caste grows tool-coral over years into knives, spears, and blades. The militarized chi-sango (blood-coral) edge secretes an anticoagulant mucus that makes even glancing wounds bleed profusely; the restricted doku-sango (poison-coral) produces genuine neurotoxins and is a state monopoly reserved for declared wars of annihilation, as it has been since the tribal days, in the Age before Dragons.

    Economic Sectors - Share of Labour: 1.) Food Production (Farm, Fish, Whaling) — 46% 2.) Crafts & Manufacture — 13% 3.) Pastoral Drover Economy — 11% 4.) Mining & Metallurgy — 9% 5.) Military & Guard Service — 5% 6.) Salvage (Shizumi-kumi) — 5% Administration and Priesthood — 4% Services, Trade & Transport — 4% Coral Husbandry (Ornamental & Tool) — 3%

    </tatsunouminokuni_admandeconomy>

35. #35Tatsunouminokuni - Culture and Societyselective

    Keys: culture, society

    <tatsunouminokuni_culture> It is said that the ningyo and samebito were the first inhabitants of these waters, and that the former lived in fear of the latter. Then the Ryūjin came from across the western sea, and taught both to live in harmony, and to build houses and palaces like the great kingdoms above and below. Then they persuaded the loyalty of the crab peoples and the shrimp peoples. And then a great ancestor of the late Shogun did commune with the Ōkimi himself, and, seeing that this ancestor was wise and gifted with Heaven's wisdom, agreed to become a tributary of the new Aishijian Shogunate. So the realm's founding myth tells of two conquests — the Ryūjin's conquest by wisdom, and the Shogun's conquest by treaty — and its people understand themselves as subjects of both.

    The dark waters of the country are stranger than most, and for whatever reason they beckon the womb to birth more of the fairer sex than the sterner. The Ryūjin appear to be either immune or only slightly affected by this, followed by the samebito, and then the others who are decisively mostly female. As such, women outnumber men roughly five to one across the realm as a whole, which has visibly shaped every institution. Inheritance is matrilineal — property, titles, and clan names descend through the mother-line. Men who marry into a clan take their wife's name. The dominant domestic arrangement is Kumi-kon ("bundle-marriage"), in which one husband is bonded to a sisterhood of wives — usually literal sisters, cousins, or sworn-sisters — who form the true economic and domestic unit. Because men are scarce, women compete for husbands through elaborate poetry duels, martial displays, and gift-giving tournaments called Kyōsō-uta. Men are legally classified as tenbutsu ("heavenly goods") and usually cannot be conscripted, imprisoned without a tribunal of seven matriarchs, or lawfully struck. All races are compatible with males from most species, especially humans; fishermen have been kidnapped and forced to mate with crab-women, shrimp-women, and shark-women — a grim practice the Ōkimi's court officially discourages but has never fully eradicated.

    Religion centres on the Cult of Watatsumi and the Ryūjin's divine ancestors, maintained by an overwhelmingly ningyo priesthood. Tide-shrines built into ship-hulls dot the reef; the Watatsumi-Taisha in West County is the realm's holiest site. Funerary practice commits the dead to the deep trenches, escorted by honor-guards, to prevent the desecration of ningyo flesh by those who would eat it seeking immortality. The dead carry a bronze coin in the mouth for the current-ferryman.

    The realm's military doctrine reflects its material constraints and its caste-by-race structure. In any pitched battle, one can expect Samebito and their attendants to lead furious, impetuous charges straight into the spine of a hypothetical enemy army, because that is their right. They are a century behind in military thought, and military organization is a mix of tribal conditioning, bushido aped from the surface, and what scant few lessons of the art of war are unvaulted from the Forbidden Library of the Pearl-Spiral Palace. Ranged weapons are impossible underwater; ningyo war-mages serve as the realm's only "artillery," summoning whirlpools and pressure-bolts to break enemy formations at sea. They have not been tried on land. The military organization is archaic — samebito nobles fight with personal attendants rather than in modern regimental structures, and the entire army is a patchwork of clan-levies and caste-musters rather than a centralized standing force. It is a bronze-and-coral army in an age of surface steel.

    Most of the military is female due to demographics. Interestingly enough, almost all ryujin that go to war are male, the samebito 30%, and the newly arrived shinnin have gender parity at the moment.

    The one military unit that stands above the rest is the Blue Fang Palace Guard. They are Samebito champions who have undertaken esoteric training in order to hone their bloodlust and become as disciplined as the mythical Celestial Soldiers of Heaven. They ape an ancient and mythological organization and are rigorously trained and drilled such that they can be considered a disciplined regiment in this budding age of pike and shot.

    The realm does not possess a navy of warships, or even trading ships, and not just for a lack of wood. The denizens of the realm are strong and all who aren't Ningyo can double as swimming pack mules in a pinch.

    The realm cannot project much power towards the surface, but it is considered a powerful yokai kingdom. Lately, there has been talk in court about inviting and assimilating the kappa (turtle-folk) tribes somehow — a debate that reveals the realm's growing confidence, or perhaps its growing desperation for bodies in a dangerous world. In the past 20 years, strange people from the open ocean have come as refugees, speaking of calamity. These frog-fish-folk are now known as 深人 (shinnin), or "deep ones." </tatsunouminokuni_culture>

36. #36Tatsunouminokuni - Demographyselective

    Keys: demography, society

    <tatsunouminokuni_demography> Tatsu-no-Umi-no-Kuni is inhabited by 6 races with a loose caste-by-race structure purely owing to the physical realities of different races favoring some labors over others.

    These are: 1.) The Ryūjin (龍神) are dragon-deities, serpentine and pearl-scaled, capable of assuming humanoid form for court affairs. Every one of them holds innate magical-priestly power through sacramental bond to the Ōkimi, and the caste rules as a collective aristocracy of some six hundred living gods. Most care little for war or the outside world, preferring the pleasures of their palaces and contemplative courts; only a handful take the field when the realm musters. They are creatures of magic, sky, and sea, and can fly or swim at will, even through storms. Each one always carries a pearl of power, which is jealously guarded. Every Ryujin has the power to give worthy surface-dwellers the gift of water breathing. They are flawed creatures, but they are divine beings considered greater than yokai or lay mortals. 2.) The Ningyo (人魚) are fish-tailed fey-people, humanlike above the waist and emotionally as fallible as humans, comprising fully half of the realm's population. Their reflective minds make them the natural priests, magi, scribes, and coral growers of the kingdom. They fill every niche of the administrative and cultural backbone, from Palace bureaucrats to village shrine-maidens, and are the least warlike citizens. They can have a variety of countenances and, just like humans, can be comely or uncomely. They can breathe air, but will quickly dry up on land and die. Many learn to sing and become sirens, or professional man-takers, in order to sell men to brides-to-be, given the constant demand for males in the kingdom. They take on the most human form aside from their masters, the Ryujin, and so take pride in having greater sexual dimorphism over the other races, appending the prefix 女 (onna, or woman) to many of their titles and vocations. They are a kind of yokai. 3.) The Kanibito (蟹人) are crab-folk: hard-shelled, methodical, and utterly without fear. They are the realm's engineers, miners, smiths. They form the industrial and martial spine of the kingdom, surpassed in prestige only by the warrior-nobles themselves. They are crabs shoved into semi-anthropomorphic forms and are a kind of yokai. They are terrifying and ugly to humans. They can visit land for extended periods but require lots of water. 4.) The Ebinin (海老人) are shrimp-folk: graceful, fecund, and swift. The realm's farmers, drovers, skirmishers, and kelp tenders. They fill the paddies and pastures of the South and ride the outer-water drives as outriders, flashing bioluminescent signals to keep herds together through the long passages home. They are shrimps shoved into semi-anthropomorphic forms and are a kind of yokai. They are terrifying and ugly to humans. They cannot leave the sea. 5.) The Samebito (鮫人) are shark-folk: the realm's warrior caste, samurai in shape and sentiment, and the only native people in the kingdom who approach demographic gender parity. A samebito noble family is known by its named ancestors, its retainers, and above all by the salvaged steel blades it carries. The Blue Fang Palace Guard, chosen from their number, are the Ōkimi's personal guard. They are sharks shoved into semi-anthropomorphic forms and are a kind of yokai. They are utterly terrifying and ugly to humans. To the dismay of humans, they seem to have no problem breathing air or being dry for extended periods. In ancient times, feral shark tribesmen raided human villages for pigs and sport until the Ryujin put them to heel. 6.) The Shinnin (深人) or "deep ones" are the newcomers to the underwater kingdom's varied polity. They are a frog-fish people who claim to be refugees from a great underwater civilization, fleeing a catastrophe known as Rie (裏慧). They have brought with them hardy, utilitarian coral strains from the deep sea, even ones that can be used to make such mighty tools and weapons that only their greats (who can rival or exceed the size of Samebito) could wield. Unfortunately, it is an age of metals, and they have quickly taken up the widespread use of copper and bronze tools which are abundant in the kingdom. They do not seem to have a link to the native spirituality of Aishiji and are probably not yokai. They are receptive to the dark, fertile waters under the great storm belt and now more female than male Atlanteans are being born. Without their tyrant-queens, Atlanteans in the kingdom are more individualistic.

    There are 268,600 citizens, who are: Ningyo — 130,000 (48.4%) Kanikō — 60,000 (22.3%) Ebikō — 44,000 (16.4%) Samebito — 24,000 (8.9%) Shinnin — 10,000 (3.7%) Ryūjin — 600 (0.2%)

    Commoners (Heimin) — 75.3% Artisans & Specialists (Shokunin) — 13.4% Warriors Below Noble — 4.8% Priesthood & Morticians — 3.2% Lesser Nobility — 1.9% Magi — 1.0% High Nobility (Kuge) — 0.3% </tatsunouminokuni_demography>

37. #37Tatsunouminokuni - Militaryselective

    Keys: military, samebito, war, warrior, warriors, battle, battles, strategy, strategic, tactics, tactical, operations, operational

    <tatsunouminokuni_military> Of the 268,600 citizens of the undersea kingdom, 6% or 16,350 can be expected to muster. An emergency conscription can raise this up to 10% or 26,860 bodies, but the extra levies will be of poor quality unless samebito.

    Regular army mobilization share by race of 16,350 total: -Ningyo — 5,200 (31.8%) -Samebito — 4,800 (29.4%) -Kanikō — 4,200 (25.7%) -Ebikō — 1,300 (7.9%) -Shinnin — 800 (4.9%) -Ryūjin — 50 (0.3%)

    Army Roster (assume battalion = 500 bodies and company = 100 bodies): -50x Ikusagami-no-Ryūjin commanders (dominions magic Air 2 Water 2 Holy 2, distributed across army, can swim and fly) -500x Ningyo Onmyoji (dominions magic Nature 1 Water 2 Holy 1, distributed across army, aquatic only) -2x Samebushi (Blue Fang Palace Guard) Battalions - Amphibious -7x Samebushi and Attendants Battalions - Amphibious -6x Kanibushi and Attendants Battalions - Amphibious -2x Kanibito Naginata Ashigaru Battalions - Amphibious -4x Ningyo Onna-bushi and Attendants Battalions - Aquatic Only -1x Atlantean Militia and Shamblers Battalion - Amphibious -6x Ningyo Naginata Ashigaru Battalions - Aquatic Only -3x Ebinin Drover Outrider Companies - Aquatic Only -3x Atlantean Skirmishers Companies - Aquatic Only

    STRATEGIC BRIEF:

    Strategic Traits — Tatsu-no-Umi-no-Kuni

    Biome/Geography: Underwater, some distance off of the Ashijian Coast. Dominated by natural and artificially grown coral reefs. Domain extends from coastal waters to deep trenches to open sea for pastoralism. Very dark most of the year as the skies above the underwater kingdom are under a permanent storm belt called the Amagumo-no-Ikari. There are underwater villages and towns made of coral and rock.

    Resources: Food surplus (can be exported). Absurd amounts of copper from hydrothermal vents; small strategic reserve of tin for bronze-making. Iron and steel are scarce and reserved for military or high industrial use—half is salvaged from sunken ships ushered by ocean currents, the other half traded with the Shogunate. Metallurgy is difficult underwater but made easier with magic. High medieval-era commercialization and industry.

    Dependencies: Tributary state/vassal of the Aishijian Shogunate, due to an ancient pact with the Shogun's clan, the origins and exact terms of which are unclear. In exchange for ocean-based resources and products, the underwater kingdom received tin, iron, and charcoal.

    Strategic Depth: Against surface powers, very deep, especially due to the storm belt and the hostile underwater environment for land-dwellers.

    Strategic Capabilities: The size of the Dragon Country's army and its economy means it is able to conduct complex military campaigns in its own defense. Offensive intelligence service is rudimentary and ad hoc, but demographic presence at all sea levels can be leveraged for territorial defense information (e.g., sirens kidnapping fishermen or sailors). Divination is practiced by Onmyōji but is most effective at home in the native magic environment. Its legitimacy as a fellow vassal of the Shogunate and a powerful yokai kingdom can be leveraged to material effect. The country lacks a navy (a seafaring war machine force).

    Operational Capabilities :The Dragon Country is able to send military assets to any coastal area on Aishiji and is able to supply them. Soldiers are at home in the sea and can forage for food in bodies of water very easily. Half of the army is amphibious (shark-folk, crab-folk, Ryūjin) and they can navigate or infiltrate major and minor waterways, canals, and rivers. Should the need arise, mages are able to perform provincial-level ritual spells to defend or attack enemy strategic areas (e.g., Water mages using frost to make a harsh winter even worse in a localized area, such as an army camp). Military units are exceptionally mobile in the sea, but crab-folk are noticeably slower on land. Officers are highly motivated and glory-seeking, and are known to take initiative due to bushido culture and predatory instincts, if prone to warlordism in occupied territories. Generals (Ryūjin) are very conservative unless put in a life-or-death situation, and will favor safe or personally-enriching strategies. Provisions for supplying an armed force deep into land have only been hypothesized. Coordinated attacks against navies with large, escorted warships have only been hypothesized, though the mechanics of breaching a hull are well understood from salvage work. Male prisoners of war can be converted easily by sexually aggressive majority-female military.

    Tactical Capabilities: Magical yokai creature army, half-amphibious. Samebito Bushi are utterly devastating heavy infantry; Dragon Country doctrine and culture emphasize the rapid and decisive use of shark warriors to break enemy lines. 30% of the regular muster are shark warriors. Shelled peoples are hardy and difficult to push back. Ningyo and Shinnin warriors are average. Ningyo Onmyōji and Ryūjin magic provide tactical support from the company to the army-level. Against surface navies, ships can be suppressed by magic and grappling hooks can be used to board them. Alternatively, they can be drilled into from below and undermined. Ranged weapons have not been adopted yet.

    Character & Leadership: Otohime is the main character of this faction but will not lead armies. Unnamed Ryūjin, and Shark or Crab generals will lead the military effort. </tatsunouminokuni_military>

38. #38Shogunate Restoration Factionselective

    Keys: shogunate, restoration, faction, shogun

    The Shogunate Restoration Faction (天下秩序復帰軍,) is an initiative set up early in the Warring States Period of Aishiji when Otohime, Princess of Tatsunouminokuni, called up all loyal vassals of the realm to arms. Its members ostensibly loyal to the Shogun, or at least the idea of a Shogunate. Its members are cooperating diplomatically, economically, and/or militarily. Tatsunouminokuni is closest with member Avysos in terms of all three. At the start of the conflict, this is the faction's diplomatic rundown:

    Members: 2. Swamp - Yodomi 4. Woodland port - Avysos 7. Peat - Khotai 9. Underwater Coral Reef - Tatsu-no-Umi-no-Kuni 10. Forested Hills - Infuku no Kuni 14. Mountain Caves - Meirin Sanmyaku 15. Glacial Mountains - Kasumidani 16. Mountains - Ripira Mosir 24. Volcanic Island - Akujima

    Undecided: 3. Forest - Tsukigo 5. Boreal Forest - Shiramori 11. Mountainous Basin - Hishoryuiki 17. Cursed Desert - Arugin 19. Dry Harbor - Sanko 20. Mesa - Solmaren

    Major Rebellion: 8. Grasslands - Sanjō 12. Cold Steppe - Rúmshof 21. Snowy Plains - Hakuboya

    Minor Rebellion:

    1. Lake - Lake Buiji
    2. Post-Volcanic Hills - Fukyuufumetsu
    3. Archipelago - Shiki-Shima Archipelago
    4. Prison Island - Shinitaru Island

    Major Foreign Incursion: 6. Wildgrowth - New Merovingia

    Minor Foreign Incursion: 18. Steppe - The Crimson Horde

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