Furusato

Empire of the Six Dragon Throne

A massive nation in the far east of Ithuan, this feudal and hierarchal society has evolved around the supernatural happenings in their land. Despite this they are a powerful and self sufficient people with a nation full of much contested resources. Among these resources the sea and rice fields, which are highly important sources of food and wealth to the people of this land.

Much as with the elder languages, Furusatoen is a complex set of symbols referred to as kanji that they use for both mundane and magical purposes. They are viewed with a degree of mystique by other kingdoms, as their culture has been drastically affected by the existence of a misty otherworld known as Reikai, or the Spirit World, where elemental magics mix with the strange conceptual nature of the mists to become kami and yōkai.

The Furusatoens are known to be wary of outsiders due to an inherent fear sparked by old stories of demons and yōkai in disguise. Furusatoens live on average, about as long as most other humans, though Onmyōji are often notable exceptions to this rule.

Training

Education

Furusatoens are taught based on their background and what they excel at. For example, a daft farmhand will almost never be trained as a scholar or a diplomat. Higher class members of society generally expect better educations and more options. However all Furusatoens are taught the different classes of society, some degree of proper etiquette, and of course, tales of the monsters and heroes of their strange land. These legends are considered vital to everyday life amongst the mist lands. For the more well-to-do classes, a Trial is considered a sign of a youth’s mastery of their trade. This takes forms such as a duel for a samurai, summoning a powerful kami, bringing back the head of a yōkai, or simply painting a beautiful piece of artistry for a rich family.

Combat

Furusato has a wealth of styles of combat, and is well recognized for the various disciplines of martial arts that are practiced by both warriors and commoners. The schools of combat, taught with both weapons and hand to hand were designed and taught by the enigmatic draconic spirits known as the Ryū. These styles of combat mimic and draw on the elements unique to each dragon; luck, shadow, sea, rain, snow, fire, earth, and moon.

However, better known is kendo, the art of the blade utilized by the premiere warrior class, the samurai. This disciplined and flowing combat style reflects the disciplined and dangerous nature of the samurai. They wield great influence in Furusatoen society, and although they’re not the only soldiers, they’re renowned as the most powerful and dangerous.

On the other end of the spectrum are the shinobi. These shadowy fighters are akin to mercenaries and vigilantes, and although some are viewed with begrudging respect, many are scoffed at for their unconventional tactics and use of trickery. However, this doesn’t change the fact that shinobi are dangerous and resourceful martial artists, trained in a variety of combat styles and employing both deceit and underhanded methods to strike fear into their enemies and accomplish their task. Though the least official fighters, and the least organized, shinobi are dangerous and widely recognized masters of assassination that are even occasionally hired by Furusatoen nobility.

Among the people of Furusato, few are viewed with the same level of awe and reverence as the onmyōji. These shamans practice martial arts and a strange form of magical crafting, creating the kanji marked talismans known as shikigami. These paper effigies are used to call spirits and power from the mists of Furusato. These summonings along with the close relationships between onmyōji divisions, and the Ryū leads to the traditional view of these shaman monks as holy men. Interestingly, this art is derived as a variant of the inksage arts, using ink made from supernatural ingredients to tap into magical energy and yield supernatural results.

In its various endeavors, Furusatoens utilize a number of unique weapons, from the blade spears known as yari or the polearm naginatas to traditional curved katana swords, or the massive ōdachi blades. These weapons developed to mesh with both Furusato’s feudal society and close-quarters architecture, and the strange emanations of Reikai. Other weapons used are the thrown blades known as shuriken, bladed fans, or even spiked clubs known as kanabō.

Along with their weapons, the armor donned by the samurai is rather unique, not just amongst humans, but even when compared to elves, dwarves, and fae. This armor consists of metal, often forged into smaller plates tied and woven together to create a protective barrier to swords and arrows. More specialized or expensive armors often feature more solid chest pieces, helmets bearing ornate crests on the forehead, wide flat armor on the shoulders, and even masks designed to be reminiscent of yōkai or an enraged shout worn over their nose and mouth. These armor sets bare the colors of the clan that the samurai serves or is a member of, leading to a distinctive appearance that uses the power and infamy of the family to boost the reputation of the warrior and vice-versa.

Medicine

Furusato is no stranger to herbal medicines, well known for their use of exotic teas, rare mushrooms, and ointments or balms to treat injuries. They have a particularly fascinating focus on pressure points, sometimes using needles stuck into particular muscle or nerve clusters to relieve physical and spiritual tension. Although they’re aware that this sort of practice is often off-putting to foreign observers.

They also practice more unusual medicinal practices, such as the burning of spiritual incense, the use of mild psychedelic or euphoric herbs to calm the mind, meditation, or even practices relating to ritual cleansing through the magic of the onmyōji.

However, of all their practices, one of the most popular is the use of hot springs to soothe physical and spiritual ills. The relaxing warmth combined with the steam and the convergence of various elements to cause the spring is regarded as incredibly healthy. As well, it’s also quite pleasant and comfortable, so it’s still widely used regardless of the validity of particular properties the springs are purported to have.

Daily Life

The people of Furusato recognize a large variety of unique professions, from papermakers, artists, scribes, weapon smiths, clothing designers, farmers, along with traders, and fishermen. Furusato is a land of many crafts, many of which are well regarded in the eyes of the people, and perform tasks that help the society as a whole.

Government

Furusato’s government is founded on a feudal hierarchal system that maintains social order within their society. In this particular system the military, particularly the samurai class wields a surprising amount of power.

The Emperor: The figurehead and ruler of the Furusatoen government, the Emperor of the Six Dragon Throne is viewed as a holy being, a mortal blessed by or descended from one blessed by all the Ryū who cede to them the authority to rule. The Emperor is the religious head of government, and they have almost complete final say in most matters

The Shogun: This powerful noble warlord is the military leader of Furusato. They and their clan not only have command over the Grand Imperial Army, the largest and often regarded as the most powerful fighting force in Furusato, but they also are in charge of maintaining order amongst the clans and nobles, along with performing more day-to-day government duties and policy. They are often near equal to the Emperor due to their control of the military, meaning they are the most active head of government.

The Daimyos: Feudal Lords who rule over provinces and are often the heads of powerful Samurai Clans, whether or not they’re actually warriors or simply bureaucrats. Daimyos control regions, using their armies to protect them, waging war on rivals to expand them, passing laws and decries that effect them, and collecting taxes a fair portion of which is paid to the capital and to the Shogun. In the absence of a successor to become Shogun or a dispute of power, Daimyos are often the primary candidates for such a position which means rivalries and political tensions between these powerful figures are at best, fairly tense.
Taishos: Samurai generals, Taishos command a large number of soldiers numbering in the hundreds or even the thousands, and answer to their Daimyo. These high ranking warriors are regarded as minor nobility and hold a fair degree of political and social power. Their armor is of the best quality, and they are fairly wealthy, though due to the demands of their position they rarely have an incredibly active social life.
Monogashira: Samurai commanders, monogashira coordinate both their own regiment of samurai, along with several others, and act as battlefield commanders, or acting as the overseer of an outpost or particular group of warriors. They are skilled, and are well paid, acting as high class citizens.
Kumigashira: Officers amongst the samurai, a kumigashira is entrusted command of a samurai regiment numbering around a few dozen. They are very skilled or long serving samurai who have proven themselves. kumigashira act as coordinators for their regiment of men, ensuring they are trained, disciplined, and performing their duties. Kumigashira are decently paid and are upper middle class citizens.
Kogashira: Senior samurai warriors, a kogashira acts as a direct agent of their regiment’s kumi or monogashira, helping lead and manage their group of soldiers. They are also often in charge of reporting the food, clothing, armament, and medical needs of those they oversee. In the absence of a higher officer, they can take point and lead the regiment if necessary. They are middle class citizens.
Samurai: Honored and respected warriors, the samurai are the highly trained elite warriors that Furusato is known for, fighting fearlessly and with ruthless efficiency, while this position gives them great social power, it also comes at a price, as despite their fabled skill and social status, samurai are only paid enough to be lower middle class citizens.
Onmyōji: While they serve more as spiritual advisors than political ones, the wisdom of the onmyōji has far more weight than one might expect based on their position within the hierarchy, and even the Emperor holds a good deal of respect for them.
Kachi: The militant foot soldiers, these warriors are the bulk of the Furusatoen army. While nowhere near as intimidating or as dangerous as a fully trained samurai warrior, they are less time intensive to train, and cost less to equip.
Peasants: The common citizens are well regarded in Furusato, and are seen as essential to the entire power structure, but they are expected to be highly respectful to those higher in the hierarchy. Farmers are seen as especially exemplary citizens, as due to the forests, mountains, snowy plains, and coasts of Furusato, supplying everyone food is an important task.
Artisans: The craftspeople of Furusato are seen as an essential but less glamorous part of society, and while those with great talent in the craft are highly sought after, many are simply paid to work with dozens of others in order to decorate a noble’s estate.
Merchants: Due to the nature of their craft, merchants are viewed as dishonest and unsavory, especially foreign ones, and are placed near the bottom of the hierarchy.
Foreigners: Due to myths and legends, foreigners are regarded with suspicion and sometimes fear, and have a difficult time assimilating into Furusatoen culture.
Criminals/Traitors: Those who bring dishonor and disgrace upon themselves or who bring shame to their name are regarded as the scum of the earth and don’t even have an official place within the hierarchy.

In Furusatoen society, samurai clans wield great power, as they establish themselves as protectors and leaders in their region, hence why many Daimyos are the leader of a powerful clan. Major changes to this structure occur through political intrigue through dishonoring ones rival, diminishing their power or hurting their image to cause a loss of favor, or actual armed conflict, although the latter hasn’t occurred on a major scale for nearly a century due to a disturbing rise in supernatural occurrences.

Religion & Holidays

The People of Furusato have a strong belief in spiritualism as well as Onmyōdo, the magical practices of the Onmyōji and Bushido, the system of honor and loyalty by which the Samurai abide. Unlike many religions however, they have a strong focus on the actions and importance of the living, rather than the afterlife. They believe it’s more important to act with the time you are given, then to concern yourself with what comes after. In addition they have a variety of celebrations relating to astral occurrences, spiritual days, times of year, and particularly the Ryū who many view as Gods.

The celebration of the New Year is very important to the Furusatoens, as it marks the change of their calendar, which corresponds to spiritual influences and mystical convergences. They associate this holiday heavily with the Ryū and in particular Kōun Ryū, the Luck Dragon. The Night Parade is likely to join in festivities, however, due to the signifigant presence of the Ryū, unlikely to make their presence known.

Another important holiday is the Emperor’s Birthday. This changes over time, but marks the day upon which the current Emperor of the Six Dragon Throne was born. It’s a holiday steeped in national pride and extravagance, with some provinces competing to impress the Emperor with gifts or celebrations.

Another Holiday are the Vernal Equinox Days, in memorial of ancestors. This holiday is encouraged by Onmyōji to placate the spirits, and by the government as a way of mourning deceased Emperors. It is unwise to stay out past nightfall however, as on the Vernal Equinoxes, the dreaded Hyakki Yagyō, the Night Parade of One Hundred Yōkai, is far more likely to manifest then on any other night.

Celebrations of the Moon are also traditional, inspiring small celebrations, dancing, and eating with larger groups of friends and family. They are to be held on clear days of the New, Full, and Half Moons. It is bad luck to hold such celebrations on unclear days, as the Night Parade marches on those nights.

Architecture

Traditionally, Furusatoen architecture involves woven floors, pathways of gravel or large, smooth pavers, concave sloping roof sides, and large arches. They use paper for barriers that they erect, and for symbolic entrances, which often slide rather than opening like doors elsewhere. They have a fondness for statues as well as symbology involving the direction buildings face, and how many sides they have. Chairs are not commonly used, and sitting on the floor or kneeling are more common practices. Buildings with multiple stories also tend to have open areas at the center with balcony-like floors along the sides leading to rooms, rather than building whole floors across the open areas.

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