The Empire of Haipan

BEING REBUILT

Founding:

Haipan as a single nation under one banner was founded after a unification war, sometimes referred to as “The Great Fire War”, in which a tribal noble by the name of “Sun Zukuya” unified the tribes under his banner during a military campaign, torching the ones that refused to align themselves with his interests. After the success of the hellish military campaign, Sun Zukuya ascended to become the First Emperor of a unified Haipan.

Governmental Structure:

The Current Government of Haipan is an imperial one, with the Emperor as the head of State and the nobility and civil service, running the majority of the country.

The centralised bureaucracy consists of the civil servants who deal with the taxation and distribution of government funds to the appropriate places within the nation. They lack any ability to influence the government in practise, but some nobles find their way in to the service to exact their influence.

The government proper is divided into several branches; The Daimyo (Or House of Lords), the War Council (Which only appears during times of external/international war), The Cabinet (Representatives of the different government departments) and Representatives of Faith and Magic.

All of the people within positions of power are appointed, the closest thing to an elected representative are the representatives of Faith and Magic, who are elected by members of their organizations.

Geography:

The Empire is made up of two islands separated by a two day boat journey. The primary island that plays host to the majority of the lords and the capital city is Izumi, as this is the island that the first emperor was born on and is the spring from which the current civilization comes from. The island on which the other major city and some smaller port areas is called the Island of Fall. Both islands have extinct volcanoes at their centres.

Settlements:

The two islands of the Empire have several settlements, the first of which is the Capital city: Utsunomiya.

The Capital city, Utsunomiya, resides at the very edge of the island, and  is divided into two almost separate cities, being build up a hill and along several inclines from sea-level upward. top the hills sit the noble squares and the more formal areas of the city. At the bottom of the great staircases that provide general access between the layers of the city, is the port and poorer districts which are almost a city unto themselves. The lower city is primarily built around the harbour, the upper city is centred around the different manors of the nobility and the Imperial Palace.

Interactions with other Countries:

Haipan has a minor trading relationship with the Dragon-Law but due to former hostilities they keep it minimal and to non-essential supplies.

Relations within the Northern Chain lack formality as many of the islands do not interact with one another at present.

Haipan lacks any other formal relationships with other nations at this time

History:

Under the rule of Sun Zukuya, the land went through a cultural revolution. This revolution led to an immense religious, artistic, and literary period in history. There was, for the first time in Haipan, an era of peace and prosperity. He set out the first government, a strong capital which trained the armies stationed at each of the lords of the towns and cities, providing a unified, stable kingdom. This also allowed for trade, provided under the guidance of the emperor.

His lineage kept on his legacy. The Zukuyan Dynasty has long found to be a strong government, but his later lineage, leading on to Chinsung Zukuya, accidentally broke the prosperity of the land. In an attempt to curry favor from the lords and nobles, he ceded military authority back to the local lords. While military generals come directly from the imperial capital, the armies were now supplied by the lords. In doing so, there was no unified military; petty territorial disputes and land grabs became the staple of these lords, locally called Daimyos.