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#Post#: 1369--------------------------------------------------
The Tenzan Shogunate and the Journey to the West
By: guest7 Date: June 13, 2016, 5:05 pm
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In the time before time, when Bryntin the Goddess-draegon still
roamed the world, the Kramvil spread far across Kernow. Then
came the Great War against Chaos, and the destruction of ninety
percent of all Kramvil. Now, most people in Kernow know only of
the scattered few that dwell on the Lizard Peninsula. However,
there are stories and legends that tell of a single clan of
Kramvil, delivered at the height of the war against Chaos and
borne on the back of Bryntin to a linked chain of islands that
dwell below the rising sun. The Kramvil of Kernow neither
confirm nor deny these rumours, but it has been noticed in
Chaosgate that there has recently been a selection of visitors
who come and go like the silent wind: strange Kramvil in robes
or elaborate armour, carrying swords and daggers of a design
unfamiliar to the people of Kernow. Now at last the truth may be
told...
THE TENZAN SHOGUNATE
The Kramvil delivered from the War against Chaos thrived in
their new land, although they faced many challenges: small
raiding parties of demons pursued them even here, and the land
was full of strange new creatures, but the Kramvil overcame
these challenges and built a great new capital at a place known
in the somewhat unwieldy tongue used by the descendants of the
first clan as Fujikama. It was in this spot that a Kramvil clan
leader received a vision directly from Bryntin, telling him that
the Kramvil of the islands must wait and bide their time, as
they were not yet meant to reveal their existence to the world.
The name of this illuminate is lost to history, but the Kramvil
remember him as Kai Tenryu, the first Emperor of Fujikama and of
the direct bloodline of Bryntin. (Whether this claim of descent
from a god has any basis in reality is debatable, but to the
Kramvil of the islands, this is immaterial. The Emperor is
always regarded as a descendant of the Kramvil 's goddess.) The
Empire established by Kai Tenryu, known as the Tenzan Shogunate,
has stood ever since. There have been civil wars, and Fujikama
has not always been safe for the Emperor to occupy, but the
Empire remains a solid and prosperous state at present.
THE WARRING CLANS PERIOD
Around a thousand years ago, an insurrection erupted in the
province of Hinata. Over the years clans of Beastkin, some
belonging to the Kath subgroup (known to the island Kramvil as
the Nekojin) and others being foxlings skilled in illusionary
sorcery (the Kitsunyoji) had come to the islands of the Kramvil.
They were largely welcomed by the Emperor and his court, as the
Kramvil have never been a populous race, and extra subjects were
always welcome. The single concession that the Nekojin and
Kitsunyoji had to adhere to was that the Kramvil were the first
among equals. However, there were some among the Beastkin who
resented their status as bondsmen, while there were also those
Kramvil who hated the idea of sharing their islands with
"Warmbloods". And so, one day, the leader of the powerful Raiju
clan, Oboro Nobusuga, marched on Fujikama. Heavy casualties were
suffered on both sides, and, as the other Kramvil clans picked
sides (not to mention the Beastkin largely acting as renegades
and attacking both factions) it seemed as if the Kramvil had
been spared the Chaos War only to extinguish themselves in civil
war. It took the arrival of another clan from the North Island,
the shadowy hired assassins and spies of the Murakumo Clan, to
tip the balance. As Nobusuga's generals and allies started being
assassinated in a variety of gruesome and inventive ways,
support for the rebel warlord quickly eroded. Nobusuga was
captured by the Emperor's forces, but due to his bravery in the
final battle, he was permitted to commit ritual suicide rather
than be executed.
CULTURE AND CUSTOMS
The culture of the island Kramvil is reasonably obscure and
convoluted to the outsider. Bizarre and intricate etiquette
operates at all levels of society, and a citizen who has been
slighted has the legal right to instantly execute the person
responsible (if he is of a lower class) or at least challenge
him to a duel of honour (if he is of the same or a higher
class.)
At the top of the social pile is the Emperor, currently Emperor
Kai Donryu XIV. Regarded as a descendant of the line of Bryntin,
the Emperor has total authority. If he tells you "Jump", the
correct response is "Into what mud?". In theory, the Emperor's
line has been unbroken since the days of Kai Tenryu. In
practice, there have been several times when an Emperor has been
too weak or mentally unstable to rule. This happened most
notably 1400 years ago, when Emperor Kai Soryu IV's only son
was widely regarded as too stupid to take the throne. A
compromise was reached by marrying the powerful warlord Ito
Tokawa to one of the retiring Emperor's daughters.
The next social step down are the Daimyad. Powerful feudal
lords, they maintain their power partly by force of arms, partly
by currying favour with the Emperor and partly by playing off
the other Daimyad against each other.
Each Daimyad is served by a cadre of Haiken, or swordsmen. These
warriors are also cultured nobility, with such esoteric
interests as poetry and gardening, but anyone who has seen them
fight will be unable to dismiss them as weak or effete. Trained
to wield the slightly curved single -edged swords of the island
Kramvil almost from hatching, the finest Haiken are capable of
beheading an enemy before he has even registered the Kramvil 's
sword leaving it's sheath. The rank of Haiken is also the
highest likely to be reached by a female Kramvil. Although
valued as fighters on a par with the males, there have been very
few female Daimyad through history (Probably the most notable
being Murasame Shikuba, author of the epic poem "The Teachings
of Eight -and-a-half Tails.") and not a single Empress.
At the bottom of the pile are, as always, the peasants. The life
of a peasant in this society is a tough one, but also a
reasonably content one. The intricate code of honour followed by
the nobility, the code of Tatakae-do, instructs that a lord's
vassals are his responsibility to care for. A harsh master may
even be overthrown by a peasant's council petitioning the
Emperor. On the flip side, however, the slightly strange laws of
the island Kramvil state that any help that can be given to a
Haiken or Daimyad is the peasants legal obligation. This even
extends to being used as a target for sword testing.
There are two other groups that do not fit into the main
structure of society. These are the Shirayuki maidens and the
assassins of the Murakumo Clan.
THE SHIRAYUKI MAIDENS
The Shirayuki maidens are a caste of the Island Kramvil that mix
the jobs of priestesses and healers. Despite their name, the
maidens do include male members, although they rarely attain
high rank. Certainly the Amatsui, the leaders of this cadre, are
all female.
The shrines of this organisation are not unlike small castles in
their own right, and include training rooms where the
priestesses may practice their unique style of self-defense.
Self-defense techniques are required by the priestesses as the
various Daimyad often request their presence in battle as
diviners and combat medics. (Uniquely among the subjects of the
local Daimyad though, they have the right to veto any
involvement in a battle should it "go against the will of
Bryntin".) As such, each Shirayuki maiden is trained in use of
the traditional island recurve bow, and also in unarmed combat.
The position of a leader, or Amatsui, in the Shirayuki
maidenhood, is probably the highest position possible for a
female of the island Kramvil to attain. They are regarded as
wise counselors and occupy a niche in society that is at least
equal to a Daimyad, and more probably second only to the Emperor
and his family.
THE MURAKUMO CLAN
The Murakumo Clan are a clan of highly trained mercenaries
specialising in assassination and espionage. Little is known
about them, even by the other island Kramvil, and they are
often used as bogeymen to scare unruly hatchlings.
Operating outside the conventional codes of warfare, and not
bound by the tenets of Tatakae-do, the Murakumo are regarded as
cowardly and honourless by most Daimyad, and despised as even
lower than the peasants. However, it is a foolish commander that
would dismiss their effectiveness in battle, and an even bigger
fool that would let his code of honour get in the way of
victory. In practice, most Daimyad are more than happy to employ
members of the Murakumo Clan to eliminate troublesome rivals, as
long as it is done discreetly and nothing can be traced back to
them.
The Murakumo Clan are rumoured by many to be wizards, although
this is of doubtful provenance. While skilled at mixing potions,
especially various types of poison, and masters of stealth, it
is doubtful if they have any true sorcerous ability. They are
also said to accept female Kramvil of great ability into their
highest ranks, and even to recruit from the ranks of the Nekojin
and Kitsunyoji, furthering their reputation for
untrustworthiness.
(OOC note: I just saw Marcus's huge essay on the Empire before
writing this. Well, if it's currently a massive free-for-all on
background for the world outside Kernow, I hope this explains
just why I have a lizard ninja as a character, besides the fact
that lizard ninjas are f@£#awesome, gruddamnit! If you want to
change it eventually, then I won't be upset (much!), but
anything you like from this history is all yours for the
taking.)
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