Heian

Category:Countries
The Heian Shogunate is a large empire ruled by the military leadership and might of the Shogun. The head of state of the empire is the Emperor, but everyone knows that he does not control the army or makes the rules. A figurehead at best. The Shogunate is wide and diverse, but survived stably for nearly two hundred years off a caste system. 
This caste system was comprised of the Noble Lords, the Samurai warriors, the Artisans, the farmers, and finally the merchants, with mobility between the classes all but impossible. Merchants seen as the lowest of the low in the caste system. The Samurai even retain the right to kill a farmer or merchant for disrespecting them. Recently however, there has been much change as the caste system is straining as merchants are growing wealthier than the samurai warriors above them. The country has began trading with Mastaba's Glory in close relationship, and importing a new weapon that allows even lowly farmers and merchants to be as useful on the battlefield as the trained samurai warriors. With this change, the caste system is being forced to face its time as Samurai are losing their estates.
Many Samurai are taking their wealth and leaving abandoning their lords, seeing that their way have life is threatened. Others have taken up arms and are forming ronin bands to seek out revenge. Even more have decided to rebel against the shogunate to try to reclaim their glory. The empire lies in an age of turmoil as the changing of time has brought about the tools of industrialization.