Methamura Shogunate

## Description:

The Methamura Shogunate is a moderately-sized nation on the western coast of the westernmost island of the Continent of Pilbo. The nation was founded during the early to mid-1700's A.D. as a solution for the increasing number of Asian refugees arriving from beyond the continent's borders as a result of shipwrecks and doomed attempts at exploration. The country is known most for its accepting nature, racially equal society, and stark resemblance to feudal Japan.

Due to the nation's location on the Continent of Pilbo, no one beyond Pilbo's borders know of the Shogunate. Those who do live on Pilbo are usually very familiar with the Shogunate, mostly for their very unique aesthetic and cultural preferences when compared to many other groups that inhabit the continent.

### Organization:

#### Population: ~7,500 citizens

Founded In: 1757 A.D.

The Methamura Shogunate operates in a manner that reflects feudal Japan, where many of the humans of the country can draw their heritage; the nation is run by a Shogun, who receives tithes and rules over his Daimyos, or local warlords, that rule over provinces (sometimes referred to as a prefecture) as local kings. Daimyos manage the local affairs and pay tribute to the current Shogun; while every province is led by a Daimyo, smaller individual villages, towns, cities, or regions may be led by other Daimyo of identical or different Clans to the ruling Daimyo of the province. Many other ranks of assistants, managers, and subordinates exist as part of the highly ceremonial courts of Shogunate nobility. However, like in feudal Japan, the Shogun's throne is perpetually in limbo, as every Daimyo and clan fights for the seat; if a Shogun lacks a strong heir upon their death, the country descends into brutal civil war to determine the strongest clan, and therefore the clan rightfully allowed to act as the Shogun. As a result, Shoguns will give their clan preferential treatment, groom an heir to be the best leader they can, and do whatever it takes to make sure their clan is the strongest so as to facilitate the defense of the Shogun title when the current Shogun dies. Regardless of current leadership, the Shogunate uses the Mon as its currency, the same currency used for most of feudal Japan's history; 4000 mon = 16 shu = 4 bu = 1 ryo. The ryō is equivalent to gold coins, the bu equivalent to silver, and the shu equivalent to copper; mon are considered like individual cents in the currencies of other nations and are worth very little individually, but still considered valuable by peasants who earn very little after paying their tithes. While there is no official equivalent to platinum currency, the trade of chunks of jade is seen as roughly equivalent due to the high price of the precious green stone and its innate magical properties.

#### Provinces:

1. Satsuse:
2. Sagagawa: The largest coastal province of the Shogunate responsible for a large percent of the Shogunate's trade with foreign powers, particularly those states to the south of the Shogunate, and is home to a majority of the Shogunate's largest cities. Sagagawa Prefecture is led by Clan Tsutsui's Daimyo Nobutame Tsutsui.
3. Yoro: Controlled by Clan Servingblade, Yoro Prefecture has some of the lowest crime rates in the Shogunate due to the Dwarves' stark dedication to maintaining their honor and safety; like in many other Dwarf-controlled regions of the Continent of Pilbo, Yoro Prefecture favors Dwarves and bars most non-Dwarves from entering the sprawling subterranean Strongholds. Yoro Prefecture is led by Daimyo Saneyasu Servingblade.
4. Shirodo:
5. Mikagato: The smallest prefecture in the Shogunate currently managed by Clan Asai, a clan of Elves; the province is predominantly human, but sports the largest Elf population in the Shogunate. Due to the province's shared borders with the Parthanan Dominion, Clan Asai's loyalties are frequently tested to ensure that they are not falling under the thumb of their Elven neighbors; despite this constant scrutiny, Clan Asai's ties to the Dominion continue to grow. The Mikagato province is led by Daimyo Tokiharu Asai.
6. Shikane:
7. Kohega: The northernmost province within the Shogunate responsible for protecting most of the nation's northern borders from invasion by the neighboring Lizardfolk, Elves, or the Hebijan, a Wad-Thet group trained in the ways of the ninja. Kohega Prefecture is led by Clan Takano's Daimyo Sukekata Takano.

The Shogunate is one of the most diverse nations on the Continent of Pilbo, and its mixture of cultures and languages reflects this; the most common language is Japanese, followed by Spanish, followed by Mandarin and Elvish, then Dwarvish and Korean, and lastly some other miscellaneous languages. The Shogunate's official state language is Japanese, reflected in its signs and official documents.

While the Shogun leads the nation and his Daimyos lead the provinces, the Clan structure of each samurai family also influences who will become a Diamyo; the caste system of the Shogunate (see below) is relatively fluid compared to the social structures of other cultures in Pilbo, and allows anyone to rise and fall through the castes over the course of a single lifetime. If an individual is granted the rank of samurai by a Daimyo, that person is not given control over their own Clan, and instead becomes a Ronin (Clanless, Daimyo-less samurai) or is assimilated into the Clan of their Daimyo; only if the Shogun grants an individual the title of samurai does the individual start a new Clan of their own. Seniority within a Clan dictates one's authority, although it does not directly translate to political power; elder members often retire from their positions and become advisors, tutors, mentors, or take on an entirely new profession while their younger Clan members take up their mantle. Infighting within Clans is just as brutal and bloodthirsty as civil wars over the position of Shogun, and no one in a Shogunate samurai Clan can ever feel truly safe; despite this state of constant infighting, the people of the Shogunate rarely make these negative intentions known to anyone directly, and will always prioritize foreign threats or wider affairs over personal squabbles or ambitions for the good of the Clan or nation as a whole. Samurai are identified by their carrying of a pair of swords (katana and wakizashi) on their hip; while traditional Japanese samurai carried a katana and tanto (broadsword and knife), the samurai of the Shogunate wield a broadsword and shortsword for more utility, often using the wakizashi as a hacking weapon to cleave through the thick jungle foliage or defend against the ferocious predators that stalk the dense forests. These special weapons denote the person's rank as a samurai and act as a badge of office; ordinary people are forbidden from carrying a pair of samurai weapons under penalty of death, although most people own weapons of some kind. In an area so thoroughly coated in magic and the paranormal, the social hierarchy of the Shogunate has, over time, adjusted to grant the community's spiritual leaders and primary practitioners of magic a greater degree of authority, placing them alongside the noble samurai in terms of political status; monks do not receive the recognition or privileges of samurai, but are still treated with great respect and their advice sought after by many.

#### Social Castes:

1. Shogun
2. Daimyo & Leading Nobility of Clans
3. Samurai & Monks
4. Peasants
5. Artisans/Craftsmen
6. Merchants
7. Untouchables

The Methamura Shogunate wages wars primarily on local Lizardfolk tribes as a way of expanding their territory, but focus a majority of its collective effort on maintaining internal stability and improving the economy.

The Shogunate maintains positive relations with the JPCU; the Shogunate acts as an easy point of infiltration for JPCU informants and works to discourage its citizens from investigating means of escape from Pilbo, offering said citizens a pleasant and prosperous new life instead. These measures were put in place by the JPCU; unconfirmed rumors claim that the entirety of the Shogunate, and much of its leadership, are actually JPCU Agents that work to sabotage attempts to flee the continent from the inside and keep tabs on local groups.

#### Clans:

1. Clan Takano: The ruling Clan of the Kohega Province responsible for defending the Shogunate's northern border; considered some of the strongest single combatants in the Shogunate and the best military tacticians in the Shogunate.
2. Clan Tsutsui: The ruling Clan of Sagagawa Prefecture most known for its economic and logistical skills.
3. Clan Asai: The ruling Clan of High Elves responsible for leading Mikagato Prefecture; rumored to be in the pocket of High Elf nobles from the neighboring Parthanan Dominion.
4. Clan Kyo: A small High Elf Clan responsible for controlling the important border town of Shiyokaga, which sits along the edge of the Mikagato Province and Shikane Prefecture, Clan Kyo is responsible for defending that southern main road from potential invasion from Shikane Province at all costs.
5. Clan Servingblade: The ruling clan of Dwarves responsible for leading Yoro Prefecture with their iron fist.

#### Races of the Shogunate:

Many of the nonhuman inhabitants of the Shogunate exist in capacities different from their counterparts found elsewhere in the world, with different variations, systems of belief, roles, and associations with a great number of the races found in the Shogunate. The Shogunate is considered one of the most racially diverse and accepting nation states in Pilbo.

1. Humans
#### Sub-Groups and Factions:

##### Ronin:

Independent samurai who lack a Clan or Daimyo are called "Ronin," and work as mercenaries, travelling the countryside selling their violent services to whomever is willing to pay. Ronin companies are quite common in the Shogunate, mostly due to the flexibility with which someone may become a samurai, and are hired by people from all walks of life to do odd jobs and help individuals and communities alike; despite being generally positive forces, Ronin can also be troublemakers, drunkards, or even bandits. Ronin are leader-less for a reason, and sometimes that reason is not one an employer would care to know, and almost all Ronin have some dark memories or past wrongdoing. Ronin companies can range from a single person to hundreds of men and women working under a single leader, working together as a large band on as many different jobs as there are warriors in the group; in addition, Ronin companies may operate more like the Guilds of other regions of Pilbo, and acting as a central authority amongst a disparate series of smaller groups rather than a single united force. Ronin often travel beyond the Shogunate's borders at some point in their career to sell their services elsewhere, although most do not remain beyond their homeland's borders any longer than they need to.

##### Monastic Orders/Monk Schools:

The Shogunate's Shindo faith system makes room for all sorts of different monastic traditions and local branches of belief, and this has led to the development of hundreds of monk schools, each with their own ways of achieving Enlightenment or power, often manifesting as magic. Some monastic traditions are small, others massive; some are reserved only for members of certain races, and others accept members from all peoples and places. The monastic traditions are as numerous and varied as the Shogunate's myriad Yokai, but one thing often remains consistent between them all - monks are often excellent combatants, even if they prefer to avoid using violence, and will likely be more than capable of dispatching a group of others in self defense. Like Ronin and samurai, monks are often hired or allied with local Daimyos or the Shogun to work as mentors, advisors, tutors, and soldiers.

A well-known but secretive monastic order within the Shogunate, known as [NAME], is comprised entirely of Wood Elves who have sworn their lives to the protection of the kami who inhabit all of nature.

##### Ninja Schools:

Besides the many Clans of Samurai that call the Shogunate home, there also exist another breed of mercenary that stalks the night, blamed for all kinds of suspicious or sudden deaths across the land - the Ninja Schools. Shinobi are magic-using assassins, spies, warriors, poisoners, and bounty hunters, each of whom learned their special and forbidden craft from one (or more) of the Ninja Schools. Old and powerful academies or monasteries, some of which were previously Monk Schools before their practices were deemed illegal by the Shogunate, Ninja Schools educate volunteers or brainwashed prisoners in the ways of assassination and stealth, disguise and infiltration, or one of the many variations available; these organizations operate in total secrecy and mystery, hidden far from the prying eyes of the Shogunate's samurai Clans, and conduct their business for anyone who can afford their steep prices.

### Equipment:

The Methamura Shogunate maintains a level of technology equivalent to feudal Japan; katanas, samurai, and horses are the primary means by which war is won, and modern commodities like electricity or firearms are entirely absent. The Shogunate does have access to firearms, but has banned them for use by infantry/cavalry units as a way of preserving the ancient way of life; artillery units using cannons, and cannon-armed warships are used by the Shogunate despite the nation's dislike of gunpowder-based weapons.

The Shogunate maintains a high level of magical ability, employing mastercraft blacksmiths and weaponsmiths to forge enchanted blades, has one of the densest populations of temples and other religious sites in the Continent, is full of Japanese spirits and paranormal entities, etc. The Shogunate looks down upon combat-based magic as cowardly, and refuses to employ warmages in most military forces; monks and other holy men, paranormal entities, and magic weapons/armor are frequently used by all Clans within the Shogunate. Magic within the Shogunate exists in many forms, some not found in other parts of Pilbo; forms of magic include ancestral, script-based, tattoo-based, Chi-based, enchanting (artificing), soul/spirit-based, and divine.

The Shogunate rarely wages war with organized foes beyond the nation's borders, and instead finds itself most commonly fighting internally; war is waged using the honor-bound methods of feudal Japan, making use of samurai as the noble commanders of militia or mercenary forces. Ronin mercenaries travel the countryside, fighting for whomever is willing to pay their high prices, and the elusive ninja make use of dishonorable tactics and underhanded strategies to sabotage and assassinate from the shadows. War is seen as a way of life, waging it an art, and dying in battle as the preferred way to perish.

### Religion:

The Shogunate, being a refuge for all races and peoples across the Continent of Pilbo and beyond, lacks an established religion; while no Shogun has declared it an established religion, an overwhelming majority of the Shogunate practices Shindo, a branch of Shinto and Bushido established when the shipwrecked Japanese sailors adapted their spiritual beliefs to their new homeland. Despite the majority of its citizens belonging to a religion found outside of Pilbo's borders, hundreds of religions are practiced within the Shogunate's borders.

Religion within the Shogunate is intrinsically linked to the region's supernatural elements and its use of magic; the many religious groups and monks often have their own means of achieving some degree of supernatural ability, and many are either used by the Daimyos as soldiers or killed by the Daimyos for being too dangerous or polluted by evil.