Heavenly Valley
In the beginning,
Firna desired a land of his own, where he would remain separate from the other gods in his rule. He eventually settled on a cluster of large islands in the northeast where he began developing the land for his dragon children. Fearing that the dragons would prosper too greatly in solitude from the Risen, many of the other gods raised disputes against his plan. Firna placated them by taking a handful of each variety of Risen to populate the lands as well but still insisted that they would remain separated from their kin. The Father of Dragons filled the surrounding waters with great serpents to ward off intruders and began ruling over his kingdom in the early ages.
The nation grew to be known as Tennotani, the Heavenly Valley under the stars and watchful eyes of Firna. The dragons and Risen spread quickly and established multiple mixed clans throughout the great island. Both were possessed with innate greed and envy and began to feud with one another for territory and resources. Risen nature superseded any of Firna's original intentions as the majority refused to work in cooperation with one another. War quickly spread across the island nation outside of
Heiwashima, which remained in peace as it was cut off from the mainland. This eventually led to a recurring battle between clan leaders to establish a hierarchy between them.
Taiyo Tsuri, the heir to the Tsuri clan that had control over
Tsurimachi, was sent to one such battle in his father's stead as the elderly clan leader had grown gravely ill. Taiyo was a carefree
Ehrlen who preferred to spend his time fishing instead of seeing to clan affairs. Despite this, he had grown into a truly gifted warrior in his time. As he joined what would be the final battle between clan leaders, Taiyo brought his fishing pole with him instead of the customary sword. He stated that if he were to defeat all of the leaders here without a real weapon at his side that they would resign to him and cease the infighting throughout the nation. As each leader accepted, each one was struck down. Taiyo left the Tsuri clan and was given the name Taiyo Kawasemi for his efforts in battle, beginning his crusade of uniting the warring clans and becoming the first emperor of Tennotani.
Wars within the country have not been eliminated, only vastly reduced. There comes a point during the reign of almost any Emperor or Empress where unruly forces rise against the capital at
Onoshiro. In more recent years, however, a rising presence of demons on the mainland has united most settlements to rally together against a common enemy. deemons, referred to as Mononoke by the locals, have been stalking the roads at night and haunting villages in droves within the past century. The Mononoke has currently been growing in number every year despite the best efforts of the imperial military.
Of Clans and Culture
The clans of Tennotani have remained and thrived even after the establishment of the empire. While a handful of the major clans from the nation's founding have remained, most have split off into dozens of smaller, more devoted clans. Citizens of Tennotani get their last names from the clan that they belong to rather than their birth parents. While each clan is typically founded by a singular family, the bonds and members supersede blood relations. Many find the relationship they have with their clan to be far greater and more valuable than that of their actual family. Members can leave their clans, either by their own choice or by force, and can be brought into other clans by friends or acquaintances. Those without a clan will bear the last name of Nanashi, which is to have no name. Anyone identifying as a Nanashi is often looked down upon with prejudice and seen as being untrustworthy or holding little value.
Each of the clans identifies itself through a different focus on pride and talent throughout the family. Tsuri clan was known for having the greatest fisherman throughout Tennotani while the
Hashikko clan had the greatest swordsmiths and so on. The original major clans were all unique in their chosen fields but now, with the splitting and expansion of numerous new clans, many have overlapping areas. This has only led to further distancing and infighting amongst clans as they compete with one another to be able to claim the title of the greatest at what they do. Individuals belonging to a clan will be expected to represent their interests as experts in their chosen field, failing to live up to expectations will be treated as bringing dishonor to the clan.
Life throughout Tennotani is often just as varied as the numerous clans throughout the country. Each member of a clan is expected to work each day in furthering their craft or trade or at least assisting other clan members in doing so. It is common for groups of clan members to travel together between different cities to find settlements that will suit their needs best.
Fuyumachi in the frozen north is well-suited for ice fishers and beast tamers, Kudomonokuni in the great forest is always in need of arborists and woodworkers, and Heiwashima welcomes all within its peaceful borders. All honest and fruitful pursuits are encouraged within Tennotani.
Honor and duty are the two virtues that bind most of the citizenship together and go hand in hand with one another. It is seen as honorable to do one's duty to your clan and their pursuits and it is often one's duty to bring honor to the clan. Acting with pride and dignity, choosing the more challenging path, and taking care of the elderly and less fortunate are all natural goals for the people of Tennotani. Despite clan differences, and outside of any current conflicts, it is common to reach out and help others so long as it would not put too great a burden on oneself. The idea of karma has gone past a superstition into becoming a guiding path through life for the populace. Acts of good faith will be returned with good fortune. In return, however, acts of aggression or disrespect are often returned two-fold with karma being an excuse behind harsher deserved punishments.
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