Sin'Elione

The flag of Sin'Elione.

**Sin'Elione** (*sin-el-ee-OWN*) is a country in Tejiro.

## **Geography**

Sin'Elione shares a mountainous border with Tris'Alore, Tris'Thal to the west and Visaerie to the south. For the first two, dangerous paths into the mountains can guide daring adventurers - many die on these paths. No set path travels to Visaerie.

Passage to The Dravanian Empire is possible through travelling the Dravan River passing through the Ise Sea. A land border is shared with Hillgarden and Domhainn to the north through the Yōso Province.

The south of the country, protected by a wall of mountains from one side and an inland sea to other falls under the Kensei Province.

The capital city lies within the Te Province, a region filled with dense trees and wildlife. This area is mostly marshy, the Capital itself rested deep within the swamp.

### **Sucheon - Te Province**

* Sucheon: The Capital city of Sin'Elione, the largest city in Sin'Elione. It is considered a "Holy City" due to its proximity to Ise Jingu. While technically under the rule of King Myrin Kanashimi, The Shogunate currently controls it, and in tow, Sin'Elione. The city is built within a dense marsh-forest, the richer the people, the higher up their houses - nestled in the trees, with the poorer civilians living on stilted houses.
* Hironan: The Second largest city, Hironan boarders harsh mountains. Was once the home of the Te clan, before they moved to Sucheon. Several mining operations take place here and provide the country with limited resources for armour and weaponry.

### **Eren'lo - Yōso Province**

* Tsume: A small trading town, for the limited trade that does happen with the dwarves to the north. Mainly metals and gems etc that pass through from the dwarves while food such as rice and game travels upwards north.
* Hakamoto: This city is the capital of the Yōso province. As an often visited location by travellers from the north, this is a place filled with art, beautiful architecture and heavy focus on street-based activities, such as street side food, games etc.. It is also common for "celebrations" to take place, with festivals that appear more commonly than other locations in Sucheon.

### **Sylria - Kensei Province**

* Ries: A fairly small rice farming town, although smaller and weaker than normal capitals, this is the capital of the Kensei province.
* Oiyoshoro: A small mountain side village which forages through the thick forests and mountain sides for herbs.
* Kyoya: Resting at the further southern point of Sin'Elione, Kyoya was recently wiped off the map. Many suspect The Dravanian Empire. Used to be a town which lived through hunting the wild life around it. For 2/3 of the year it has some level of snow.

### **Ise Jingu**

The small island of Ise Jingu holds several structures that are cared for by the shinshoku. This is thought of as a holy place for many who worship The Wheel Pantheon. The Dravan River flows through the centre of the island.

Learn more about Ise Jingu here.

### **Unmei Mountain**

An recently active volcano which was responsible for several years of unrest, sitting to the south west of Sin'Elione. While Sin'Elione was fairly uneffected, those to the south were effected greatly.

Learn more about Unmei Mountain Here

## **Environment**

The environment of Sin'Elione is similar to the real world equivalent of mid to northern Japan, with some regions in almost constant winter, while others are swampy marshes or flat plains.

### **Fauna**

* Sylrian deer: With thicker, moss-tinted fur to survive the harsher winters, this beautiful deer is taller and thicker than an average deer. Has small fangs and large antlers.
* Sylrian rabbit: The fur of this rabbit is thick, blue tinted and extremely soft. Is often hunted to sell the pelts for fine clothing.

### **Flora**

* Everblossom tree: Similar to a sakura tree, this tree has thousands of small, delicate blossoms; however, there is a key difference. As the seasons change, the blossoms fall and regrow, their shade tinting with the current season. In winter they turn a shade of icy blue, autumn a deep red or orange, during summer they are a deep green and in spring they a very light white-green.
* Ashen bamboo: The core of this stick of bamboo glows with a faint orange, emitting a slight heat. The culm of the bamboo is a dark black colour and is much harder than normal bamboo found in the more northern sections of Sin'Elione. It is used for almost everything normal bamboo is used for, although it burns much slower and makes for better fire material. Along with this, the liquid within the bamboo is extracted to create portable heating bottles. Along with this it can function as a poison if consumed, temporarily stunning a creature, meaning hunters use it to trap their prey.
* Bamboo: not natural to the area, bamboo is a remnant of Sin'Eliones ancestors, being brought all the way from the north during the original migration of these elves.
* Shimmerleaf: Extremely rare, shimmerleaf has been spotted growing in some parts of the south of Sin'Elione. Purple with thin blue petals, its name comes from the fact it seems to great shimmering mirror images of itself to protect from predators. It is an ingredient used in Illusion potions, such as Invisibility.

## **Politics**

### **King**

Following the usual political system found within the majority of nations of the world, Sin'Elione is under the Absolute control of a king.

What the king says goes, and he is free to delegate tasks to anyone he sees fit to split work if they chose.

Many years ago, the king of Sin'Elione decided to create a new system, allowing them to retain control while giving someone the tower to run their country through a strong military presence.

### **Shogunate**

The shogunate is decided by which vassal - or daimyos - of the King owns the capital. This placed the Kage Clan under control of the first Shogunate, allowing them to act as the stand in king.

The current shogunate is under the Te clan, as they defeated the Kage Clan to take their seat as the owner of Sucheon. Along with being the Shogun, they are in turn appointed as the leader of the Clan Council. This council serves little purpose other than to provide advice. The leaders of each clan will gather during any hearings or decisions and discuss various plans of action. The shogun is under no obligation to listen to anything they say, they hold complete power over how the country shall act.

### **Clans**

The clans descend from the original Wood Elves who fled from the north, who had split into smaller groups and formed their homes. Within their clans there is a strict hierarchy. Each clan specialises in a specific training, the leaders commonly being some of the most skilled monks and fighters in the known world.

Three clans dominate the political landscape of Sin'Elione.

#### **Te**

Currently the most powerful clan, they take the seat as the Shogun of Sin'Elione. The Te clan own the two most powerful cities in Sin'Elione, giving them control of the highest population city as well as the main city for weapons and material production. This gives them a higher sway in a political landscape.

The Te clan are know for their ability to make just decisions as well as care for their own people, however they do not excel in foreign relations, believing that they should focus on their own country above all, maintaining control and prosperity over gathering allies or helping their neighbours.

The current leader of the clan is Drannor Te, an aging Wood Elven man. They stick to tradition, donning traditional gown and guiding themselves with grace within the courts. They are a charismatic leader and choose to listen to their council before making decisions on almost all occasions. Although they strive for peace and strength within their nation, they are still cautions that the other clans will look for any gap they can to attempt to assume power.

#### **Kensei**

The weakest of the current clans, the Kensei clan place pride on a strong and professional armed force. All under their power undertake a level of combat training as a child, those who are seen as great combatants are often given jobs of higher power and to be a solider is to become a hero of sorts to those in this clan.

The current leader is a young, Wood Elf man who recently defeated the previous leader of the clan in combat. Although powerful in combat and a great leader in many aspects, he is still greatly inexperienced and is often shot down during Council meetings. He envisions that one day he will rule over the land and form a great empire his ancestors would be proud of. He choses to wear warriors garb to council meetings, angering those who would wish for him to bend to the more traditional wear.

He seeks war and glory.

#### **Kage**

This is considered a "dead" clan.

Once the most powerful clan, they used their powers over the shadows to sneak and spy, gathering information to control the other clans through skulduggery and threats. Threats that they always followed through with. They ruled over Sin'Elione for some time before they were defeated, their clan dealt with swiftly. Some believe they were betrayed by their own.

There is but one survivor of this clan, a Half Wood Elf/Half Drow man. He is mistrusted by many and disliked by even more, however he is the last know "master of shadow", being capable of training Shadow Monks. While he is not a member of the council, he is placed under the control of the military forces of Sin'Elione - which has had many years experience training, organising and implementing.

His goals are unknown.

#### **Yōso**

This clan is considered to be the 2nd most powerful clan. They hold a strong emphasis on diplomacy, opposing the current leader, wishing to open their borders and to form a stronger alliance with their neighbours. This is evident through their more open trade with others.

During the recent years they have opened the domain they own - against the Shoguns requests - which has lead to a large influx of money and improved relations with neighbouring countries: Domhainn and

The Current leader is an Older Wood Elf Woman who ensures that they follow the traditions of the court and maintain a civil relationship with the other members of the council. They always strive to deal with all issues through diplomacy, deals and offers. They oppose the militaristic focus of the Kensei as they see it as nothing but an excuse to warmonger.

## **Demographics**

### **Population**

With a population of around 96,000 people, Sin'Elione is the 7th Largest Country on the continent of Tejiro.

Around 83% of the population is Rural, living on farms and supplying cities. The other 17% is Urban, living within cities and providing services.

Over time they have both influences cultures and have been influenced by cultures, their similarity in architecture and culture to the Ryujin Dominion being the main influencer and influencee.

While the vast majority of the population there are elven, there are centres of growth where non-elves are beginning to settle, with a small population of dwarves moving into cities such as Hakamoto and Tsume. Sin'Elione is the largest "mixing bowl", where a vast number of races gather, although there are heavy racial tensions with in the city - most of which is shared with the entirety of the country.

### **Language**

The official languages of Sin'Elione are Elven and Common (As judged by the MERLIN agreement), with 98% of the population speaking elven and 78% speaking Common.

### **Religion**

The Majority of the population worship The Wheel. Due to the regulation of religion no one openly worships other kinds of religions as they fear prosecution under the law.

Due to the recent creation of Sects of The Wheel, there has been a major crackdown on those who do not worship the wheel as a whole, although their sentences are much lighter than those of alternative religions.

## **Culture**

### **Housing and Architecture**

Following a traditional Elionian style, the majority of buildings have a hip and gable curved roofs, the walls are commonly made of woven bamboo or bark and plastered with s material similar to concrete created from earthern materials. Thick wooden beams hold the majority of the houses together.

### **Isolationism and Self-Sufficiency**

After years of being downtrodden and pushed from their original home, the Wood Elves decided that they can only trust their own.

After many years of working on the infrastructure of their lands they have become almost entirely self-sufficient, with outright trade between nations being somewhat shunned by the leading clans. The trade of Sin'Elionian made products are seen as above average and better than anything made elsewhere.

## **Military**

### **Ground Forces**

#### **Mercenaries**

Looking similar to that of the real world samurai, these soldiers are hired by the Shogun in order to enforce law on its people. With a strict code of honour they are bound to follow the laws of the land and provide security to those who would not seek to break the morals they hold.

Due to the recent prosperity however these Mercenaries have been struggling to maintain their jobs, with the majority of the rabble dealt with, they have perhaps done their job too well, bringing peace and order back to Sin'Elione, while also writing themselves out of a job.

Many are sticking to their code and simply becoming traders or farmers, while others are seeking about ways to stir up just enough chaos to ensure their next pay check.

#### **Spell Swords**

Making up the bulk of the non-mercenary army, Spell Swords are trained soldiers who possess magical talents and have learnt ways to use that potential while also donning medium armour and wielding a finely crafted sword.

The soldiers are loyal to their clan first and their shogun second, as they are raised to protect the clans. Both the clan and the shogun can order direct commands, however they will always respect the order of the former over the latter.

Agreements made between the Clan Council and The Shogunate has allowed for the military to be placed under the control of the Shogun during times of emergency, such as when war is being waged or during a rebellion.

#### **Elite Guard**

These are the best of the best within Sin'Elione, individuals with particularly powerful magical potential are taken by the the Shoguns government and train from a young age in many forms of combat, giving them extreme knowledge in combat. They are usually trained in many forms of combat, including all of the forms that are generally specifically kept per clan.

This allows these guards to be prepared for any occasion and to fulfil their main goal: protecting the shogun.

They wear heavier armour than usual soldiers, although depending on their specialisations they may use a range of weapons, armour and magic.

#### **Shadow Monks**

Originally trained under the now extinct Kage clan, shadow monks act as spies, scouts and couriers for the more important members of clans. After the discovery of their techniques, they have become less restricted and are now common place among all clans.

It is believed that the last remaining member of the clan, Daelen Kage, trains all modern Shadow Monks. As such he is considered the last True Master of this form.

Elite GuardMercenaryShadow Monk
### **Navy**

#### **Atakebune**

With little need for a Navy, Sin'Elione makes use of the Atakebune, a boat used mainly for transport but sporting slats in tall walls in order to use them as protection from artillery fire, while allowing for returning arrow fire.

These boats are powered by sails and by rowing and massively alternate in size, depending on their purpose. They Appear as though they are floating fortresses, build as if they are a small village on the top of a ship.

## **Religion**

As Sucheon is considered a Holy City of The Wheel, the country itself is very strict on its practise. They shun any other religion, out right banning those that deviate from the original message, as well as the religion of those who have spited them in the past, such as Jinlong and Orcish Totemism.

Himiko, an ancient wood elven traveller, is considered to have been a great prophet who spread the the world of The Wheel.

### **Banned Religions**

* The Wheel (Sanctus)

* The Wheel (Tenebris)

* Jinlong

* Orc Totemism

## **History**

### **Draconic Conflict and Nomadism (6600-6900, 1E)**

Originally resting within the lands now considered to be the "Ryujin Dominion", the ancestors of the current citizens of Sin'Elione were forced from their homes during several hundred years of constant warring. Few remember the reasons for this war, but hatred for Dragonborn is still ingrained into many.

Moving south they eventually migrated, over a long period of time, to where they currently reside, while ending the war which had caused many deaths on either side.

Despite being pushed out of their homes and losing all of their lands, their culture persisted. This is shown through the fairly similar architectural design to the Ryujin dominion as well as similarities in weaponry and naval designs.

### **Repopulation (6900, 1E - 200, 2E)**

Elves have a very low rate of growth. Their long age spans and solitary dementor often leads to them having few children and waiting a very long time in order to have them. The Elionian elves spent the majority of the rest of the First Era founding their towns and locating places they could populate to form a strong clan.

This lead to the first clan rising from the nomadic tribes which had travelled south. Splitting into groups with multiple leaders, they began to expand and claim regions for themselves. After many years of expansion, they eventually began to grow resentful of each other. Skirmishes took place between the clans as they vied for power.

Sucheon, a small village at around the time of 6900, 1E, become known as a Holy site, commonly considered the birthplace of The Wheel, as a young Shaman girl by the name of Himiko began to tell tales of visions and dreams in which the gods told her to tell the world of their might. She took off around the world, spreading he teachings until she came to rest on the Island of Ise Jingu.

### **The Kanashimi Period (300 - 700, 2E)**

Growing tired of the conflict, the leader of the Kanashimi clan, **Toross Kanashimi** decided that he would unite the old clans together and form one great nation. Through excessive military force he defeated those who would oppose him - through tactical prowess and larger forces.

After around 150 years of conquest, the young elven clan leader had finished his conquest, at the age of 350. He had achieved his goal of uniting the old clans, and declared himself to be the King of Sin'Elione, with the most prominent clans being created as his vassals. The capital was declared as Sucheon, Toross's home city.

After this, the political landscape was not exactly as Toross had planned. Constant rebellions, uprising and disagreements lead to a very unstable country.

Despite all this, he built a grand castle within the centre of Sin'Elione - to prove their strength. This fortress, like a large pearl among a sea of green, was named Seinaru Shiro (Shiro for short). This became the centre of all political dealings and was a great symbol of the power Toross held.

Guiding his country for almost 250 years, Toross died at a surprisingly young age - for a wood elf - at the age of 600. The crown passed onto his son, Myrin Kanashimi.

### **The Kings Disappearance (700-720, 2E)**

After Myrin rose to power, he fit well as a king. He was a good, charismatic leader and dogmatic. Many were loyal to him and followed his rulings. This is mainly due to his fathers strong unionising acts and suppression of all those against the active monarchy.

Myrin was deeply in love with his wife, **Vulen Kage**, who he treated as his closest advisor and spent many nights confiding in them.

After only 20 years of his reign he had a dramatic change. He appeared ill and weak, and grew to be quick to anger and arbitrary. Along with this, his wife was no longer seen around the castle. Soon after he created a meeting with his council and informed them that he was to leave for an unknown period of time.

During this meeting he informed the leaders of the clans of the Shogunate system he was to rely on, placing the Kage clan in control of Sucheon and establishing them as the Shogun. Since then, The king has not been seen.

### **The Clan War (720-800, 2E)**

The Kage Clan take their place as the temporary military rulers of Sin'Elione. The Kage Clan decided to take to extreme measures to stop any who would appose them, using their shadow monks to spy on the other clans. Using their spies they would hold people under their control through manipulation and threats, infuriating the clans in the process.

This led to The Clan War.

Quickly growing tired of constantly being watched and controlled by those they did not consider to be worthy of the power entrusted to them, an all out rebellion of each faction broke out.

Each major clan formed large armies and began their assaults of Sucheon, to take the capital; to do so would be to claim the seat of the Shogun. Converging on the city, each clan fought among each other as well as with the Kage Clan, as result of the hundreds of years of building tension among the clans.

Eventually, through a mixture of money, strength and luck, the Te clan rose above the others and broke into the city of Sucheon. This spelt death for the Kage Clan. Having been previously under heavy control - due to owning the arguably strongest city (in terms of economic power and armament production) - the Te Clan had not one drop of mercy for them.

Although they fought bravely, The Kage Clan was massacred by the Te Clan, with only one man left.

Heavily Scared and Wounded, the only son of The Kage Clans leader - a Half Wood Elf, Half Drow - was left to live, to serve as a proof of what shall happen if you are to fall into the same trap that his clan had once done. The remaining member, Daelen Kage, was taken in by The Te Clan and, despite their grudges, was allowed to complete his training in the Kage Clan arts, becoming the final master of his clan. As a sign of respect he was granted the place as top military leader, however he was not granted a seat on the Clan Council.

After the defeat of the other clans and with the victory of the Te Clan to claim Sucheon, they became the new Shogun. The Clan Council was created in order to keep the other major clans along side the shogun, in order to ensure that his judgement was kept balanced. This new method was used to ensure the values of each clan was equally presented, to avoid having such as powerful, one-sided rule by a clan, much like the one the Kages had ruled with.

This council, while it did not have the power to directly effect laws, provided a place for each clan to attempt the sway the Shogun or to enlighten them onto another way of thinking.

### **The Te Period (800-1035, 2E and Onwards)**

Once again, Sin'Elione was sent into a patch of unease.

Rebellions clans sought to rise up, thugs and thieves became common as regions devastated by war struggled for money. In order to deal with this spike in activity, a band of Mercenaries were hired by the Te Clan. This band held itself to a code of honour, wishing to bring themselves and their family the greatest honour by protecting their people and proving themselves in combat while also being bound by any one clan or country. They wished to stop all ill intent and bring peace and justice to the lands they were hired to fight for.

With a strong will and a new powerful sponsor, these mercenaries began to spread across Sin'Elione, dealing with uprisings, protecting the working citizens and providing help to those in need. Many joined them, some out of desperations, some trying to find somewhere to call home and some just wishing to use the code to better themselves. With this, the population of the mercenaries became almost entirely wood elven.

They proved to be extremely effective, bring crime rates to extreme lows and bringing control to discontent areas faster than almost any other army could.

With these issues out of the way, the Shogun wished to focus on rebuilding Sin'Elione. He wanted to build a a country that is capable of being entirely self sufficient, a country that could withstand the test of time without ever having to suffer as much as his people had before.

Currently, a period of Isolationism has washed over the country, external trading has been made extremely difficult and rare, along with the admittance of foreign visitors or those seeking to take residence within Sin'Elione. This has somewhat spurred racist ideologies and made the Wood Elven people blame their issues on others. Harkening back to when the Dragonborn had once pushed them out of their homes, they are determined to never let such a fate befall them again.

With this large focus on the country, with almost all money being fed back into building up provinces and rebuilding cities, the economy began to flurish and as such as been on a strong upwards climb for centuries.

Due to the high level of prosperity however, some mercenaries are beginning to feel as though they may soon lose their place. Many have given up the path of the sword in favour of becoming a merchant or farmer, however there are rumours that some may be attempting to rile up certain rebellious provinces or let some crime slide in order to ensure they will continue to be relevant and hired.

The tension between clans, although somewhat lessens, is still very much present within the current council, with each clan leader seeking any weakness they can exploit to gain more power.

## **Notable People**

* Daelen Kage: Last member of the Kage Clan, rumoured to have traded the lives of his family in order to secure a place on the council.
* Drannor Te: Current Shogun and head of the Te clan.
* Kikyo: A mean-spirited shrine maiden who was possessed by a strange creature.
* Mikohafu: The adopted daughter of The Shinshoku, believed by some to be the reincarnation of Himiko, an ancient prophet/missionary.
* Shinshoku: The religious head of The Wheel; runs Ise Jingu.
* Taelusra Kensei: Head of the Kensei clan and a member of the Clan Council. A headstrong and aggressive man.
* Vokis Yōso: Head of the Yōso clan and a member of the Clan Council. Is a kind and fair woman.