Desu Island Chain

The Desian national flag

The Desu Island Chain consists of nine islands, each of which constitutes a province. Each of these provinces is an entity unto itself, but they all owe fealty to the central province of Sheng. Here, in the center of the chain atop Mount Ichihama, the Emperor resides. The Emperor’s palace is a fantastic masterpiece crafted of stone, marble and jade. The imperial family has lived here for as long as the Desu Islands have existed as a unified nation.

For centuries, the Desian Empire was restricted to just these islands. It was forbidden to venture beyond them for fear that one would fall off the edge of Gilon. When the great explorer Marcus Sentir landed on Xiao in the year 1190, the Emperor was persuaded to allow a few ships beyond the Desu Islands. Exploration was slow coming for the Desians as many still feared the dangers of straying too far from known waters. It was not until the advent of reliable air travel that Desians truly started becoming part of the international community. Still, even then, most locals live their whole lives on the island they were born on with no interest in travelling anywhere else.

Magic is very prevalent among Desians. Shinto shrines throughout the islands provide magical training to those who worship their kami. Powerful masters of the mystical arts throughout the Desu Islands have formed magical dojos. There, prospective students can apply to learn under the masters, for a fee of course. These dojos tend to specialize in a particular types of magic, and each dojo believes itself to be the superior one. This leads to many duels between the schools, all of which are officially sanctioned and allowable as far as the government is concerned so long as both parties sign a death waiver and duel in an area where risk to the city is minimal.

   The Desu Islands have a long history of organized crime. While there are of course many ninja clans who take care of any number of assassinations, the biggest crime organization is the Yakuza. The Yakuza essentially control all crime in the Desu Islands, though they are not a single unified entity. Various branches of Yakuza often end up butting heads with one another, and this can sometimes become violent. Luckily the Yakuza have a very strict honor system that they live by so those not involved are never the casualties of these battles. With strict weapons restrictions in place throughout the country, they rarely resort to using firearms in these battles (this would call down the attention of the police), so that strongly prevents unintended casualties. Despite being a criminal organization, the Yakuza actually have a very good relationship with the police. The police acknowledge that the Yakuza keep crime from getting too out of hand and only tend to go after them when there is media pressure, or there is excessive use of firearms. Even then, the police are always sure to announce to the Yakuza boss involved that they will be coming and why. The boss then in turn prepares someone to be arrested in from of the media to save face for the police. They even provide boxes of evidence "proving" that man's guilt. Usually the person getting arrested is some low-level nobody who is being paid to get arrested, as opposed to anyone important.

While there certainly are people who have firearms, they are a rarity in the country, and extremely hard to get a hold of. Thus most criminals resort to blades or other simple weapons. Training in martial arts is extremely common, though respectable dojos refuse to teach to those they suspect will use their skills for criminal activities. Luckily for the criminals, there are plenty of dojos that aren't respectable.

Tattoos and body modifications are strongly associated with the Yakuza, so law-abiding citizens who get them usually take great pains to ensure they are not obvious. Many businesses simply refuse to serve people with openly visible tattoos or cyberware. While any business may have this kind of prejudice, it is most common at dojos and places where one might show more skin than usual, such as public baths, gyms and occasionally hospitals.

Racial prejudice is also quite strong in the country. 98% of the population is human and those humans see the other races as inferior. They are often denied government benefits and basic rights as the government believes that protections of the Desian constitution only apply to pure Desians. Foreigners and those of other races have no right to claim protection under the constitution. Even those with SINs are often treated as SINless, and are denied access to housing and other businesses.

Despite the apparent limitations of Desian society, there is a strong market for Shadowrunners. Non-humans actually end up making up a majority of Shadowrunners, simply because they have a lack of other jobs available to them. This in turn perpetuates the stereotype that other races are all criminals, and further cements the racism against them. Most eventually decide to leave the country, but for those who choose to stay, there are plenty of large companies about that are willing to steal from each other, but not willing to use their own people to do it. Many Yakuza groups are also a little less picky about those they take into their fold than the rest of polite society.

The Desu Islands consist of 9 islands called provinces. Each province functions as an autonomous country except they all swear fealty to the Emperor. Their only obligations to the Emperor are taxes and soldiers, should they be needed in a time of war. Outside of that, they are pretty much left to function on their own. If one were to tour the provinces, the only true similarity one would find between them is the Desian people. The laws, economy, culture and general feel of each one is completely different.

In alphabetical order, the provinces are Ayame, Daija, Hachi, Jia, Kairi, Lien, Makoto, Sheng, and Xiao.