The Shozen Empire

Flag of The Shozen Empire

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## [Basic Info]

### Info:

The Shozen Empire is a large nation located within the snowy tundra within Kaltamore. Its people have lived there for many many generations however only within the last century has the natives been able to survive the blizzard to venture out into the rest of the world.

### Structure:

The Shozen Empire is lead by what once was the royal family (who are now mostly gone) who developed their leadership style into that of a military focused one where the main royal bloodline and the military are in power as opposed to all close bloodline relatives having power.

## [History]

### Brief History:

The people of the Shozen have been around for what may be millennia, only in the past century however did they develop the technology capable enough of withstanding the blizzard surrounding the main cities where they have now constructed many smaller villages in the tundra in hopes that there is more resources available to develop further. Most of these villages are unnamed and are not supervised by the Shogun as heavily as the cities, however there are appointed chiefs who watch over them to carry out the Shogun’s influence.

The Shozen Empire has a very fast paced society where everything flows, due to this atmosphere it is very hard for tourists to adjust so it is heavily discouraged to go there for long stays. Despite this it is a strong trading hub for many as the vast variety of resources available is desired by many nations, due to this many trade routes have been set up to make passing through the blizzard easier.

The Empire used to be very focused on war and claiming land, especially when it expanded past the tundra, the few villages and smaller nations near it were either defeated in battle or annexed by the empire to add to its size. The name of these nations are now long forgotten but there may be records of it within the capital.

### Present:

Nowadays the empire is a lot more peaceful with its current leader, Mitsuki, being more neutral to nations preferring to engage in trade or alliance rather than war. This is not to say that it’s battle prowess is gone as it’s military is constantly training to adapt with new technology and that it will not fall in battle. Despite the move towards more peace and communication with other nations, it is much more isolated than what it once was as the Shogun has heavy restrictions on movement in and out of its borders, leaving is heavily discouraged to the people and tourism is so difficult that it is not an industry.

### Annual events

Each year a festival occurs where many things are celebrated, including the royal family, the military and many Gods, it takes place not long after the new year spanning from January 27th until February 14th including Valentine’s day. Not all days are taken up by large events as Sunday’s are considered break days where events stop for normal life to continue for a day before resuming with the festivities. Fireworks are the main form of celebration with Valentine’s day being restricted to exclusively pink and red fireworks to match the atmosphere. There is a rule regarding when fireworks are allowed to begin being set off only when it turns dark until midnight to allow for rest. The only day where there is less celebration is February 2nd which is used more as a day of remembrance for those who died, this does not mean there is a negative mood as it is tradition to celebrate what people did in their lives as opposed to grieving. All citizens are required to take part in the festivities unless family members suffer from extreme illness or die where these families are allowed to focus on that.

## [Towns and Cities]

### Setsuhara:

The Capital where the Shogun resides. Built in between two mountains, it is said that the Gods paved the area for the people to flourish there leading to them to be safe from the blizzard by the towering twin peaks and the dense forests to the west of the capital.

Other than the barracks and embassies, only the Shogun’s castle is contained within the capital, long ago it once had other buildings and a shopping district within it but these were later removed to make room for embassies. The castle is primarily black with gold accents with slight purples on the castle itself. Inside the walls along with the castle there is a rather large bamboo farm that has been a part of the royal family’s possession for many years and is still well kept. There is also graves of the royal family along with those of many soldiers who died in battle, each year a day during the annual festival is dedicated in remembrance of these men. The castle itself contains dining rooms, several bedrooms (although many are unused), the Shogun’s office, a large library along with rooms dedicated to all the servants and all their roles.

North of it there is a large tear in the earth referred to as ‘The Earth’s Treasure’ where many commute to work as miners collecting the various minerals within its large caves, it is heavily well guarded as the danger is of large concern due to the sheer size of the opening along with developing it to be easier to traverse for the many miners.

### Minayama:

A large collection of mountains of varying heights, though very distant from the rest of This mountain is home to many people due to the large amount of houses build across the mountains, it also contains many shops and employment opportunities due to the high demand in minerals through trade so the mining industry thrives. It is the most well kept area in the empire other than the capital itself as safety is a large concern with such large drops.

[Yet to be Completed]

### Koshimo:

A long gone town north of all other towns and cities in the empire, it was a collection of buildings along with a central church all maintained below the surface to avoid the strong blizzard tundras. Although the community living there is long gone now, lost to time. It is assumed by the remains that cult-like activities took place there causing people to either leave dying in the cold or be killed in its caves.

[Yet to be Completed]

### Nojosaki:

A small farming town acquired from old ties to fallen nations. It is another key point of employment and trade due to its large output yearly, it is also quite dense in population due to its distance from the snow so its temperatures throughout the year are generally higher than the rest of the empires making it a lot easier to live in.

### In the Snow:

Along with the main cities there are a few small towns where those unable to afford the costs of living in luxurious cities reside fighting the cold daily. It is not recommended by the empire to resort to this due to its high risk so it is not looked after by the empire, however this also has its benefits as it is free from the negatives of living under the empires rule. Due to this it does lack its documentation of town names.