Amegakure

Amegakure [ Village Hidden in the Rain ] is a shinobi village nestled in the heart of the Rain Country. The Land of Rain is a landlocked country located south of the Land of Earth, west of the Land of Fire, and northeast of the Land of Wind. It is a small crossroads between three massive nations and, as a result, became a hub for trade and industry. The country has an average annual rainfall of over ten thousand millimeters so it is the wettest place in the world. Because of the torrential rainfall that batters the country constantly the only crops that grow reliably in the wet soil are berries, Taro, asparagus, and rice. These foods have historically been the staple of the local diet and are the cornerstone of their cuisine. The Land of Rain is plentiful in only raw materials such as steel, coal, iron, and copper. This allowed them to rapidly industrialize but their lack of substantially arable land prevented population growth. Amegakure's factories, mines, and processing plants supply the neighboring nations with a massive amount of industrial goods in trade. It is commonly joked about that the only reason Amegakure was never invaded for its resources was that the Fire, Earth, and Wind countries wanted to stay in the sunshine.

Amegakure is the only noteworthy population center in the Rain Country with most of it consisting of mining and factory towns. Amegakure itself has been nicknamed the "Jagged City" because of its network of massively tall and sharp metal spires topped by exposed wires. The Rain Country's conservative cultural expectations of industriousness and stoicism left little room for beautiful and luxurious architecture. Amegakure has a highly advanced gutter and cistern system that carries rainwater through the Three Tiers of Amegakure. Tier One is called the Sky Sector which consists of the higher floors of the towers which are interconnected by covered sky bridges to pass through the village while staying dry. This is where the rain collection system begins as it flows through the pipes into Tier Two. The Sky Sector is known as the wealthiest district because of the expensive residential units and government and commerce offices. This is the smallest sector by population. The Earth Sector is the street level where the gutters flow through before reaching the processing point in the third tier Cistern Sector. The Earth Sector is made up of covered and irrigated streets and is by far the largest sector by population. Indoor markets, neighborhoods, restaurants, and most village life, in general, take place in the Earth Sector. Finally, the Cistern Sector is the lowest level where the rain collects and is redirected into the enormous lake that surrounds Amegakure. It is below the street level and has by far the highest poverty and crime rate and is heavily policed.

## History & Notable Events

Historically, the village has produced very few shinobi and was led by a Prime Administrator who served the interests of the Rain Daimyo who traditionally led the village and country. With threats and trade exploitation by the neighboring major powers of Konohagakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure steadily grew to resent the shinobi way of life. In the modern history of the village, Amegakure readily joined the United Hidden Villages and stationed one of the primary UHV battalions. Amegakure's civilian population wanted the continent under UHV control to improve their dismal quality of life without the geopolitical pressure of the larger nations. When the UHV was defeated in the war to follow by Kumogakure's empire the Rain Country was forced into the empire. This time period is known by locals as the Decade of Shame where the empire used their labor and raw resources for further military expansion. The once-proud independent nation of workers was now under imperial occupation.

At the end of the Kogarashi World War, the empire maintained dominion over the Rain Country but was vastly undermanned compared to the initial occupation. The Empire successfully kept them pacified by conscription into the imperial army but imperial taxation waned in the Rain Country and independence was beginning to look like a possibility with greatly diminished imperial influence. In the immediately post-Kogarashi war time Amegakure experienced a population boom that was unprecedented. Skilled immigrants, as well as displaced peoples, flooded the country over the years. It is speculated by experts that the country's position between three massive countries made it the ideal place for such an immigration surge after the Kogarashi war. Eventually, Amegakure's population rivaled that of Konohagakure as well as Arashigakure respectively. This fringe imperial territory in the far west was becoming a substantial power as the Prime Administrator and Daimyo steadily regained control from the imperial governor.

Before the political will was mustered by the Prime Administrator for independence he and the Daimyo were assassinated by Satoshi Genburyuichirousuke, a rogue ninja of Arashigakure and a notorious pirate of the imperial seas. Using advanced technology he projected the Kotoamatsukami mangekyo sharingan genjutsu across the village. Fuuinjutsu was then used to maintain the genjutsu over the entire civilian population who had no shinobi skills over the long term. With Amegakure under his control, he declared himself the first Amekage and the Daimyo of the Rain Country. As Amekage, he established a technological and sealing system across the village to maintain the genjutsu-based stasis that was controlling the population into submission. Further illusory genjutsu were then projected to create false images. Illusory Yokai and dragons often circle the village. along with any other images that the Amekage desires. The images are often used for propaganda to buttress the initial hypnosis. The subtlety of the Kotoamatsukami's command allowed for civilians to act as they would normally but with an undying devotion to the Amekage. The majority of citizens of Amegakure worship the Amekage as a supreme leader and martial law is constantly enforced. Not all citizens, especially shinobi, were affected by this hypnosis, however. A rebellious presence is growing in the Cistern Sector. The Amekage has a brutal regime enforced by the police, the surveillance state, round-the-clock propaganda illusions, and especially KASA. Children in schools are taught obedience to Lord Amekage. The shinobi academy requires slaying one other student to qualify for graduation to genin. Reality itself is questioned by the genjutsu propaganda stream as outside information is filtered through the state. Insurgents are usually taken to the labor camps in the Rain Country to mine coal or dig for metals.

## Social Class System | The Three Sectors

As mentioned in the history section, Amegakure has a rigid structure for social classes based on the three sectors. Social class is tracked in village documents based on where residents are registered by zip code. The Amekage, ministers, and konin plus shinobi are considered to be a part of the Sky Sector.

### Sky Sector

The wealthiest citizens of Amegakure are in the Sky Sector class. They live in the tallest and most luxurious towers in the village. They use sky bridges to cross between skyscrapers and almost never go outside. This class is extremely privileged and are known for their debauchery. Decadent parties are thrown with excessive alcohol and drug use and human trafficking. Residents of the Sky Sector are the only ones who were not hypnotized by Satoshi's kotoamatsukami. They are also not under the effects of the Illusion Grid. Sky Sector children who join the academy are guaranteed not to die during their genin examination and always progress to genin. The Sky Sector fund and support the Amekage and his ministers' regime to keep the Earth Sector and Cistern Sector under their thumbs. Only the rare traitorous Sky Sector citizens are taken by KASA for hypnosis. Only 1% of Amegakure citizens are in the Sky Sector class.

### Earth Sector

The vast majority of citizens live in the Earth Sector at 89%. Their homes are modest and they live on the ground level in the village. The Earth Sector class comprises the middle-class workers who work in the shops, local businesses, factories, etc. Earth Sector citizens are constantly bombarded by the Illusion Grid and state propaganda while being constantly subject to surveillance and KASA monitoring. As a result, the Earth Sector is completely subservient to the state. Their children are sent to the shinobi academy and frequently die during genin graduation examinations and do so unquestioningly. Earth Sector citizens who question the system are constantly gathered by KASA for torture and hypnosis.

### Cistern Sector

Only 10% of the Amegakure population live in the Cistern Sector. These are the impoverished citizens who cannot afford housing above ground and instead live in hovels in the sewer canals. Most Cistern Sector residents who do work are paid very low wages to work in factories or maintain the sewage systems. This is also where the criminal underbelly of the village resides. Cistern Sector class citizens are subject to the Illusion Grid and surveillance while being constantly patrolled by the Amegakure Police Force who arrest criminals and those who resist the regime. Once arrested citizens are processed by the Constabulary some are sent to KASA for hypnosis.

## State Religion: Prophets of Yatagarasu

The Prophets of Yatagarasu is the religion that worships Yatagarasu, the king of the red-eyed crows of the Midnight Dreary Realm and they follow the beliefs of fatalism and prophecy. The Prophets of Yatagarasu were originally a rare cult that lasted for centuries before being spread by a crow sage and infamous pirate named Satoshi Genburyuichirousuke on an airship named the Prophet. The Prophet pirates eventually took control of Amegakure and made the Prophets of Yatagarasu the official state religion of the Rain. Followers of Yatagarasu are known as prophets and are charged to spread the belief that fate is inescapable and that the future is completely predetermined. Prophecies and lore are of great importance to Yatagarasu's faith as followers read apocryphal texts to decipher the future. Holy texts are contained within ancient crow-language scripts such as the crow contract scroll. The highest members of the cult are crow sages because sages are naturally capable of reading in the crow language. While the language can be taught, reading the texts to decipher prophecy is much more opaque to non-sages. Additionally, black flames such as Amaterasu are considered sacred and can also reveal messages of prophecy to sages that apply nature chakra to the fire. Crows and ravens are deeply respected and used as iconography in the cult. Yatagarasu is highly revered in this cult as the fallen messenger of the gods who now shares his knowledge with humanity. The prophets believe that Yatagarasu is a keeper of esoteric knowledge and a greater understanding of fate that other gods cannot obtain. Yatagarasu is the god of fate, prophecy, knowledge, memory, and controlled fire. He is also the patron of the Uchiha clan. Yatagarasu is the god of this religion because he ascended as a god in control of a separate universe with his corpeal form still residing as the boss of the Midnight Dreary Realm in the sage lands. As a result, Yatagarasu has two distinct forms. It is common for followers to not respect the gods Evergreen, Zelel, O-Inari, and Jashin and instead believe in Yatagarasu's word. Prophets such as Satoshi Genburyuichirousuke have asserted that in a universe where gods interfere in mortal affairs and also fall victim to fate themselves prove that free will is an illusion. No gods may be worshipped by prophets and as fatalism is the central philosophy no other sectarian beliefs are permitted (including Ninshu, Buddhism, and Daoism). The prophets have a priesthood, order of templars, and an inquisition. The cult has pockets of followers in the Uchiha clan and the Sharingan is viewed as a great power. Sacred items are lore texts in the crow language, black flames, crows, ravens, and jewelry adorned with crow feathers. Priests are expected to wear black robes during ritualistic crow lore reading ceremonies.

* There is no escaping fate among mortals or gods.
* Free will does not exist.
* Prophecies from Yatagarasu are absolute. Prophecies from others are flawed but can have elements of truth.
* Seek to understand the future in the crow lore and the black flames. Perform such rituals on a weekly basis.
* Keep natural energy and sage chakra pure. Forbidden seals and corrupted nature chakra are an abomination.
* Respect the crows and guard the Midnight Dreary Realm.
* Minor violations of the tenets such as faltering in prophecy reading rituals require [3] paragraphs of reading the crow lore.
* Severe infractions such as using forbidden seals, corrupting natural energy, betraying the crows, and violating the sanctity of the Midnight Dreary Realm require a baptism by black fire ritual to be performed. The baptism consists of immersing the body in black flame created by Yatagarasu, crow sage, or Uchiha. This causes immense, torturous pain with natural energy being used to preserve the body. The skin feels the searing heat that causes the muscles to shrivel from the heat causing the body to curve so severely that the bones fracture.

## Locations, Landmarks, and Facilities

### **The Illusion Grid**

The Illusion Grid is the network of technology that allows for the genjutsu cast by Satoshi to affect the entirety of Amegakure at once. The Grid would cease to function and the village would return to base reality in the event of Satoshi's death. Searchlights, cameras, projectors, audio, blaster weapons, and chakra stabilizers are in fixed points that cover every inch of the village. Not only do these technologies allow for genjutsu to appear anywhere they also promote the data gathering of the surveillance state. The illusory form of the village is remarkably similar to the regular village with only subtle differences. But the illusion grid does allow for the Amekage to seemingly bend reality to his will by creating grand illusions of weather changes, monsters, and projections of propaganda. The Grid also sustains the effects of Satoshi's initial casting of Kotoamatsukami on the village's civilians. This technology allows for a genjutsu-dominated village that is never questioned by the population whose intense hypnosis by Kotoamatsukami is sustained.

The Amegakure forehead protector has four vertical lines as its design but installed inside of it is the remote link to the Illusion Grid allowing the shinobi to see and participate in the illusions when the forehead protector is in their possession. Non-shinobi citizens do not need the remote link because they are already under the influence of the Grid via the Kotoamatsukami hypnosis. Badges identical to the forehead protectors are automatically given to visitors to link them into the Grid as well. When the badge or forehead protector is lost or abandoned the illusions persist for an additional three posts. They can also be easily replaced as they are supplied in public receptacles across Amegakure. When NPC civilians are interacted with they act normally and about their daily lives but are completely indoctrinated and will not accept opinions contrary to the Amekage.

### The Parasol Agency: KASA Headquarters

The Keepers of Amity, Security, and Allegiance (KASA) are Amegakure's unique special operations force that fills the role of ANBU in most villages. KASA is a covert secret police force that operates independently of the primary law enforcement agency. KASA focuses principally on loyally serving the Amekage's regime by repressing political dissidents and weakening political opposition. Their main methods of fulfilling their central purpose are capturing, interrogating, and imprisoning political dissidents but they will also carry out assassinations. KASA are the keepers of the illusion grid and see to its maintenance as well as use methods of hypnosis for the rare citizens who are able to resist the effects of the grid. KASA also organizes the work camps in the Rain Country where the most stubborn dissidents are sent to isolate them from other citizens and obtain free agricultural, mining, and lumber labor. Because of their key role in enforcing the regime, only the most loyal and elite shinobi applicants are accepted as KASA agents. KASA agents, as secret police, wear dark clothes as their uniform with masks with night vision goggles and rebreathers that distort their voices and help them breathe underwater. KASA agents also act as the personal security detail of the Amekage, his ministers, and other key members of the regime. KASA agents are trained as silent, precise, elite umbrella warriors and use umbrellas as their primary weapon because of its practical and covert nature. The stem of the umbrella can unsheathe to reveal a thin sword while the top of the umbrella is constructed from powerfully-reinforced folding sheet metal that can act as a shield. Additionally, the ribs of the umbrella have spring-loaded mechanisms for firing senbon.