Kotei Noshima

### Demography

66% Kyorian Human; 11% Ashrai; 8% Kitsune; 5% Kalian; 4% Shakra; 3% Trobold; 3% Coznakk races

### Nation or Kingdom

Kyorian Empire (culturally); Independent City State (officially)

## Summary

A relatively young settlement relative to much of the world, Kotei Noshima is the name of both the city and the island it calls home. The sole conquest of the Kyorian Empire's Dragon's Eye Fleet, Kotei Noshima rests on a fertile tropical island, which only escaped previous settlement due to its inconvenient location far from the rest of Coznakk, to say nothing of the infamous Kaiju-Runs of the Western Okori Ocean and the Black Abyss being all that lies to its west. With less than a fifth of the Dragon's Eye Fleet surviving the crossing of the Western Okori Ocean and no aid coming from Asra, the would-be conquerors of Coznakk instead turned their focus to day-to-day subsistence and making peace with their lot in the strange eastern world.

## Timeline of Notable Historic Events

* 3970 DY - The Earthshatter Quake causes the west face of Sora Noto to collapse, revealing the aerium formation at its core.
* 3973 DY - The Dragon's Eye Fleet is forced to settle permanently on Kotei Noshima following their disastrous crossing of the Western Okori Ocean.
* 3977 DY - Surviving non-Kyorian slaves and conscripts pressed into service by the The Dragon's Eye Fleet rally together as the Kowareta Kusari and rebel against harsh treatment.
* 3978 DY - The Dragon's Eye Fleet and Kowareta Kusari agree to peace in exchange for equal rights and treatment.
* 3981 DY - The Battle of Dragonspire puts an end to any lingering imperial ambitions of the residents of Kotei Noshima after heavy losses to the Pendaryian Church and the interdiction of a N'Ekaran Navy ironclad demonstrates the Kyorian Empire is not prepared for the conquest of Coznakk.
* 3985 DY - The Dragon's Eye Fleet reorganizes itself as the Ryuno Sento and Kotei Nokoe amidst growing concerns about the lack of additional support from the Kyorian Empire needed to maintain the Imperial power structure.
* 3989 DY - The N'Ekaran Union establishes formal diplomatic relations with Kotei Noshima.
* 4002 DY - Kotei Noshima agrees to normalize relations with Nazcara and permit the Church of the Many Divines a small presence, marking the formal end of hostilities with the Kyorian Empire on Coznakki soil and waters.
* 26 Maridan 4973 DY - Superstition holds that the Shinseina Sakura will give rise to a deity if it survives one thousand years on Kotei Noshima; this date marks exactly one thousand years.

## City Districts

### Sakura No-Oka

At the center of Kotei Noshima's original settlement lies a particularly special Revered Kyori Sakura, the Shinseina Sakura, the only one of its kind known to exist on Coznakk. This Asran cherry tree is considered sacred by the Humans of the Kyorian Empire, and the survival of Shinseina Sakura from a sapling brought by The Dragon's Eye Fleet has become a point of faith and hope for the residents of Kotei Noshima. Curiously, this faith has attracted a surprisingly vibrant Druidic following, not just among Noshimans but also from further beyond. As a result, the city district of Sakura No-Oka is treated as holy ground by Noshimans, its gardens and shrines tended carefully by the Kotei Nokoe priesthood, and, while there are no laws enforcing it, disturbing the tranquility and peace of the district is a swift path to retribution.

#### Points of Interest

##### Sakura's Song

One of the tallest man-made structures of Kotei Noshima, Sakura's Song is both temple and bell-tower for most of the city. The Sakura Bell at the summit of Sakura's Song can be heard clearly as a serene, ghostly tone for several miles, but is barely any louder than a hushed conversation even standing next to it as it is struck. The heart of Sakura's Song is a large gold and ruby idol of the Dragon Emperor's draconic form and the seat of the Kotei Nokoe's political and spiritual power.

##### Shinseina Sakura

The Revered Kyori Sakura planted by the Dragon's Eye Fleet immediately after coming ashore, Shinseina Sakura is the spiritual heart of Kotei Noshima. Tended to by the Circle of the Shinseina Sakura, the Shinseina Sakura has become imbued with so much spiritual energy as the focus of reverence that it has begun taking on magical properties. It's unclear if it is the belief in the Shinseina Sakura's divinity, an unseen Fey influence, or decades of exposure to constant and repeated Druidic magic that has infused this otherwise-normal tree with its ever-growing suite of abilities. A common belief among Noshimans is that if Shinseina Sakura endures for a thousand years, it will give rise to a god or goddess, though the superstition varies on whether it will blossom into a deity, give "birth" to a deity in fruit or flower form, or grant divinity to a worthy mortal or Immortal.

## Island Points of Interest

### Sora Noto (Tower of the Sky)

Perhaps the most visible and awe-inspiring feature of Kotei Noshima is the natural basalt tower at the heart of the island rising almost-vertically nearly two thousand feet above its base. Sora Noto was a notable landmark for passage through the West Cosm Barrier Islands since the time of the Gen Occupation, but it wasn't until the Earthshatter Quake of 3970 DY that its true value was revealed. The widespread damage of the Earthshatter Quake caused nearly half of the west face of Sora Noto to collapse and slough off, revealing a pillar of aerium running almost the entire distance from its base to its peak. The Kotei Nokoe claim that the dim but distantly-visible light of Sora Noto was the salvation of the Dragon's Eye Fleet from further disaster, as its glow lured them eastward instead of following their southward course that would have led them into another Kaiju-Run. With the emergence of Kotei Noshima as a stable island nation, the Kotei Nokoe guard Sora Noto as a sacred site and react violently to any efforts to mine the valuable aerium. In fact, to even reach the aerium formation would require penetrating the Temple of Sora Noto or scaling its walls and roof unnoticed.

## Active Organizations and Political Entities

### Circle of the Shinseina Sakura

-stub- Druidic-Monk caretakers the Shinseina Sakura

### Kotei Nokoe (Voice of the Emperor)

-stub- Religious leadership maintaining Kyorian traditions in Coznakk

### Ryuno Sento (Dragonspire Council)

-stub- Descendants of the Dragon's Eye Fleet leadership

### Tora-no Tsume (Tiger's Claw)

-stub- Noshiman pirates blurring the line between privateer and navy, officially disavowed by the Ryuno Sento and considered a criminal cartel, unofficially tolerated for the wealth and resources they bring the island