Kai'Rin (/Ky-rin/)
History and Government
Kai'Rin is a nation which prefers to sleep, hidden away from the worries and hostilities of the greater world. Such is how the Kai'Rinese people have existed since the early ages, but their shells have recently been broken as they have been thrust into the capacity of a significant world power. The cause of this thrust is somewhat ironic for such a tranquil state: gunpowder. Kai'Rin had long made use of the substance for mining and fireworks, though the introduction of gunpowder to the world stage revolutionized industry across Eashavar. Aside from allowing more efficient resource extraction, it revamped the equipment of many militaries, and its explosive capacity helped tangentially spur the invention of other great industrial inventions (such as the Steam Engine). To these consequences, Kai'Rin maintains a distance, for its traditional people avoid the lure of industrialization and much prefer to personally care for their island homes. They have, however, enabled the rest of the world's growing addiction in exchange for ports and resources from Barisea. The sea-behemoth has become one of Kai'Rin's closest allies, and it is through their friendship that Kai'Rin has further opened itself to the world. The kingdom's benevolent Emperor listens closely to his people, from whom he is said to receive his mandate. While his position is hereditary, a long line of rulers has been taught to listen and to understand, making the monarch a uniquely favored king. The first Emperor - to whom many of the Kai'Rinese look up to - abolished the long-standing practice of slavery and serfdom immediately after his coronation, and the praises of his family line have been sung ever since. Indeed, Kai'Rin has managed to avoid much of the world's political turmoil because of the Emperor's popularity - even now, when the first is three millenia beneath the dirt. This island nation is also home to many Fey peoples, with many folk considering it a place whose sacredness is second only to The Rainy Country. While many Fey inhabit the main island (also called Kai'Rin), they make up a majority of the population on the Tsung-Tsi archipelago, where formal Kai'Rinese presence is mainly in the form of military garrisons. There, few civilian humans live, though the Fey welcome any who do decide to immigrate into their disparate communities across the isles. Furthermore, the twin isles of Maramia have become a notable Fey trader enclave. Originally, these islands were uninhabited and gifted to Kai'Rin by Barisea in exchange for trade treaties. They have since become an important trade center between the more-isolated main island and the outside world, an opportunity towards which the Fey have been especially eager to jump at. Two other islands constitute the Kai'Rinese territory: Taesu and the Isle of Song. Taesu is a relatively small space west of Tsung-Tsi which serves as the Emperor's personal estate (outside of his palace in Orakino). The whole island is essentially a personal city to the royal family, inhabited by none aside from their blood and their well-paid servants. The Isle of Song, on the other hand, is heavily populated, for it is a safe space for the Valsh peoples. The Kai'Rinese and Valsh have surprisingly favorable ties to each other because of the Emperor's watch over this island, as he admires the Valsh's dedication to their ancestral lore.Ancestor Worship
The human peoples of Kai'Rin largely follow the Prime Canon, though they augment their reverence for the deities with worship of their familial ancestors through the minor god Oshiro. The Kai'Rinese believe these ancestral spirits linger upon the Xan-Qing Slopes, though they are distinctly not undead for they have moved on to the Demi-Plane of Spirits in their afterlife (rather than the Demi-Plane of Graves). Instead, these spirits serve as guides and teachers. Fey (and other followers of the Green Way) often participate in this tradition, for it is not so different from viewing the deities themselves as ancestral teachers. In many ways, the Green Way and Prime Canon have thus blurred together throughout Kai'Rin; where distinctions remain, Fey and mortals both tolerate each other's views.Cities
Orakino
Orakino is the capital of Kai'Rin. It is where the Emperor holds court when he is not at home upon Taesu; it is also the site of his coronation chamber, the Ruby Room, and the Amethyst Chamber which previously served that purpose before becoming a tomb for an ancient evil. Kai'Rin is a relatively small city, having just under 100,000 residents, for the Kai'Rinese people prefer simpler, rural lives, much like their Fey counterparts. Still, it is a cultural center of great importance, and a regular destination for the trade ships of Maramia which bring in goods from afar.Geography
The main island of Kai'Rin is essentially all coastline, for the center of the isle is peaked by a broad mountain range known as the Xan-Qing Slopes. This range is considered holy to the Kai'Rinese people, and they regularly make pilgrimages up its slopes to pay homage to the long-dead ancestral spirits said to linger upon them. Fishing and farming villages dot the coastline, and there is typically always one within an hour's travel. The exception to this rule is on the eastern coast, where the lightly-wooded landscape turns into a full-on jungle which is known to islanders as the Paradisium. To the west, the archipelago of Tsung-Tsi is less reliable. Its mountains are flatter, and its coasts more regularly change, especially as they absorb the brunt of hurricanes and maelstroms which sweep in from the Sea of Songs. Taesu deals with similar issues, though it has constructed high walls which keep the high tide and heavy winds outside of its walls. Furthermore, the isle typically employs a garrison of Druids and Clerics of Jeth to protect it from such dangers, and Primalkin are especially valued for this job.Resources
Kai'Rin's primary export is blackpowder, for it was the first nation to discover the substance. While it tried to keep the recipe a secret, other nations have since created their own forms of the powder, and exports have dwindled as a result. Besides blackpowder Kai'Rin is an important exporter of spices and exotic foods, primarily sugar, nutmeg, oilgrass, coconuts, macadamias, ginseng and gingko. Gems and gold also flow from Kai'Rin, and jewelry fashioned by Kai'Rinese craftsmen is highly valued on the international market.Ethnicities
Aside from the vibrant Fey community of Kai'Rin, and its native people, the Valsh tribe thrives upon the Isle of Song. They are protected by the Emperor, and Kai'Rinese ships have historically helped to bring them to the isle from the mainland when their persecution was greatest.Diplomacy
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Notable Regiments
"The Harmonious Kingdom"
Adjectives: Kai'Rinese
National Animal: Serpent
National Instrument: Hurdy-Gurdy
Ethnicities: Kai'Rinese
Languages: Kai'Rinese, Human Common (Modern Gultic)
Capital: Orakino
Ruler: Emperor Hiraku Takenshi
Government: Hereditary Empire
Hallmarks: Gunpowder, rare spices, Fey harmony, ancestral veneration
Characteristics: Traditional, peaceful, curious, vibrant
National Animal: Serpent
National Instrument: Hurdy-Gurdy
Ethnicities: Kai'Rinese
Languages: Kai'Rinese, Human Common (Modern Gultic)
Capital: Orakino
Ruler: Emperor Hiraku Takenshi
Government: Hereditary Empire
Hallmarks: Gunpowder, rare spices, Fey harmony, ancestral veneration
Characteristics: Traditional, peaceful, curious, vibrant