Ashimachi: Notable Factions
Government
Heavily inspired by early Unkai's culture and the focus of the Chains faith on structured hierarchy, the government of Ashimachi is organized much like a military: The Shogun presides over the Daimyō and Ue-shitsu, who preside over the Yihui and the municipal courts, who are generally the only political figures who interact directly with the populace.
In reality, with their laws and regulations strictly enforced by the paramilitary Order of Chains, rulership in Ashimachi takes the form of a theocratic monarchy led in earnest by a greedy and corrupt oligarchy with an ersatz parliament created to placate their subjects. It is the culmination of a thousand years of authoritarian government struggling to reconcile differences with a huge body of immigrants and temporary residents. The Shogun
While the Shogun is considered the top-ranked political figure in Ashimachi, his primary duty is to serve as leader of the Chains faith within his city-state: both presiding over the Order of Chains as Ashimachi's military and captaining the church's routine attempts to venture into the Deep Sea, also known as the Grand Expedition. While the Shogun is granted the power to single-handedly amend, ratify, or veto any provision or measure presented by the municipal or high court, that power has only been exercised a handful of times in the city's history.
The title is passed on by way of limited election: if the incumbent Shogun is alive and well then their vote is the only one needed to commit a transfer of power; if the Shogun is dead or otherwise incapacitated, the Ue-shitsu will vote amongst themselves. Since the time of the first Shogun, every candidate for the position has been a highly educated individual with devout beliefs in the Chains faith, at least some degree of magical aptitude, and strong martial skill.
The Shogun's Grand Expeditions have become a point of political contention in Ashimachi: while they are generally celebrated by the majority Chains faith, they present a tremendous draw on public funding. Throughout history the Grand Expeditions have made little progress in navigating the Sea beyond the Threshold, and several Shogun - along with dozens of prominent figures in Ashimachi - have perished making the attempt.
The Daimyō
For each district of the city, the Shogun nominates a number of Daimyō to abitrate judicial disputes at the head of the city's military courts. Captaining the judiciary branch of Ashimachi's government with teams of judges drawn from the top ranks of the Order, these individuals stand below the Ue-shitsu but above the Yihui in terms of hierarchy.
The Ue-shitsu
The Ue-shitsu are the oligarchical “high court” of Ashimachi, a non-elected body of government - many of whose members are descended from Unkaian aristocracy who followed their Shogun when he marched on the city in LN 62. For the first six centuries of Ashimachi's existence the Ue-shitsu were the sole body of government other than the Shogunate, but mounting pressure from a rapidly growing immigrant population nearly resulted in civil war in LN 644. As a result, the powers of the Ue-shitsu were significantly reduced and the Yihui was established to give the people of Ashimachi a hand in their own governance. In the modern day the Ue-shitsu handle nationwide legislation and foreign affairs and command the city’s treasury and purse, acting as a control point for the Yihui's endeavors. They have recouped some of their former power in the last century, securing the right to veto municipal legislation proposed by the Yihui whereas the Yihui cannot do the same against them.
The Yihui
Formed in LN645 following the aforementioned brush with civil war, the Yihui's jurisdiction includes organization and budgeting of local services, city planning, zoning, and managing religious affairs in the city-state. The latter is due to the Yihui being the only body of government - being fairly elected representatives of the people - which can be guaranteed to be at least partially non-partisan in such affairs. While the Yihui were fairly powerful when they were first conceived, their power has been dialed back over time. Which, curiously, went hand-in-hand with the increasing marginalization of the Dreamswallowers in Ashimachi. Public elections for seats in the Yihui take place every two years, and are hosted at Oyayubi Fortress for security reasons. One of the most significant power moves the Ue-shitsu has made since the Yihui's creation ratified the ability of the Ue-shitsu to disbar any member of the Yihui without vote or counsel.
The People's Party
Also known as the Populist party, this faction of the Yihui has grown immensely popular among the people of Ashimachi. Their leader, a Drachenkrone native named Johann Kreuger who immigrated to Ashimachi as a child, has been twice censured by the Ue-shitsu and yet thrice elected to different stations through a technicality.
Their popularity has only increased as over time as their platform - which argues for separation of the church and state (especially the military) and a ruler who actually engages in the politics of the country he leads - resonates with nearly every minority in the city-state. In short, the People's Party desires complete reform of Ashimachi's government, as well as taxing and limiting the reach of the corrupt aristocracy. This, understandably, sits poorly with the deeply entrenched Shogunate and Ue-shitsu. The Order of the Chains
The paramilitary municipal police force of Ashimachi, responsible for law enforcement as well as riot control and naval security. While they observe a typical rank structure with Gunsō (Sergeants), Chūi (Lieutenants), and Taichō (Captains), all serving under two Shochō (Chiefs), they are split into three categories of personnel:
The most common officers are called the Kei-cha, who serve as patrolmen and sailors. Their standard uniform consists of a short navy blue changfu style robe with fitted khaki linen breeches and knee-high black leather boots. A fine silver shoulder cord braided to look like a metal chain wraps around under the right epaulet of the robe, and a pom-less biretta is worn on the head, displaying a silver Order emblem.
Standard issue equipment for the Kei-cha includes manacles, a copy of the Book of Uniform Law, and an Ironwood truncheon with a knurled shaft. These are all hung from a heavy belt: once an actual length of chain, they have since evolved into iron plates riveted to a leather belt for practical reasons.
The Hei-Bing are a dedicated riot control team and the closest thing Ashimachi has to a standing army. Fielding Ironwood helmets, breastplates, bracers, and greaves with wooden shields and carrying short axes, they are trained first in mounted cavalry operations, then for close combat engagement, and finally in the use of magically enhanced equipment designed to defeat locks and doors.
For day to day operations they serve in the same capacity as the Kei-cha, wearing only their breastplates and axes with the rest of their equipment kept close at hand on a horse. For maritime operations they deploy as small teams on oar-powered patrol boats.
The most esteemed officers of the regular Order are the Ka-Ying, elite troops with magical aptitude who wear articulated Ironwood platemail and wield tremendous steel tetsubo and/or curved slashing swords. These officers are reserved for the protection of government officials and the Shogun himself, though the latter is more likely to be seen accompanied by one or more agents of the Chains Elite.
The Chains Elite is a small squad of former adventurers who have pledged themselves in service of the Shogun. Though they are so named, the Elite are not official members of the Order of Chains - made most obvious by the fact that they are allowed to dress, style, and generally carry themselves how they wish within reason. The only thing that identifies them as a member of the Elite is an enchanted tattoo of a silver chain, placed somewhere it can be displayed prominently such as the face, neck, hands, or forearms. These formidable fighters are typically hand-picked from the ranks of the Explorers' Guild, though previous Shoguns have been known to grant the title to adventurers unaffiliated with the Guild.
Religion
The Chains Faith
The official state religion of Ashimachi, the Chains Faith reflects strongly in the way the government and native citizens conduct themselves. The faith's central church is located in the lowest floors of the Zhengfu Pagoda, and while the government of Ashimachi generally avoids actively prosecuting followers of other religions, its existence as the sole center of Chains devotion on the Coast leads to fierce pride which affects day to day life for many of its permanent and temporary residents. For example, the municipal courts have been known to rule in favor of Chains devotees despite clear evidence to the contrary if the opposition involves a known practitioner of another faith. The Chosen of the Reef (see 'Denominations')
The Yunhainese, following the Dreamswallowers religion, were the original settlers of Wěitīng. Following the Unkaian Shogun's march on the city in LN62, the original population was at first peacefully integrated into the new Ashimachi society. However, as time went on, the militant government took greater and greater measures to demean and diminish their presence in the city. This finally culminated with the Shogun's sudden but inevitable betrayal following what was to be a mutually beneficial project that depended on Dreamswallower magic. Today, the few remaining practitioners of Mèngchī traditions do so in secret. Many are denizens of the various slum towns surrounding Ashimachi, most prominent among them all the village of Tailfeather. In the last decade the Chosen of the Reef, a radicalized sect of the Dreamswallowers religion, have engaged in open acts of terrorism against the populace of Ashimachi. Led by a mysterious individual known as The Birdcatcher, the Chosen of the Reef feel they have been pushed to a breaking point by a thousand years of marginalization and oppression by the Chains majority and seek to reclaim Ashimachi from them.
Other
The Explorer’s Guild
The Explorer's Guild was chartered in the second century LN by a brother and sister duo who were descendants of a Wěitīng noble family. After participating in three unsuccessful Chains expedition to find a path to the center of the Sea, they found the religiously-motivated crusades too single-minded for their tastes. Leveraging their family's riches and offering their own expertise as guides, Siwei and Anyan Liu created a secular institution dedicated to simply exploring the Coast. The fledgling Guild was an immediate success, rapidly attracting hundreds of aspiring heroes, scientists, and scholars to their ranks who desired to experience everything the Sea had to offer. In the modern day the Explorer's Guild enters would-be adventurers into a Coast-wide registry and sorts them by rank, interests, and capabilities. It provides guides for inexperienced travelers, leases out equipment and pack beasts, and most importantly takes record of everything each expedition discovers along its way. With this information at hand it can assist in organizing like-minded adventurers into teams, which then pursue requests posted on local Guild listings. These requests take many forms: simple fetch quests to retrieve uncommon or rare ingredients, escorting a group of archaeologists to the location of a rumored ruin so they can study it, or highly dangerous tasks such as hunting down violent beasts in the surrounding area. A ranking system was developed for requests to prevent unskilled or inexperienced adventurers from tackling assignments that are too difficult. The Guild is regarded as one of the best ways to make a name for oneself in the Eastern Coast and, though it was not the Liu siblings' intention when they first started it, contributed greatly to early knowledge of scientific and magical pursuits by providing a means for scholars to safely wade deeper into the Coast than they could on their own. The Explorer's Guild headquarters in Ashimachi works closely and openly with the Shielded Faith from Chamatkaar, much to the chagrin of the Chains-dominated church and government of Ashimachi. This arrangement is mutually beneficial, with the Shielded helping to keep powerful individuals in check while the Guild can at any time provide them with a literal registry of potential superpowered offenders. In spite of any soreness over the alliance, the Chains to this day are still attempting to find a way to the Center and so rely heavily on Explorer's Guild expertise when planning their grand expeditions. The Woodcutters
An ancient order of woodsmen, rangers, and harvestmen vital to the city for gathering mundane sources. The earliest recorded reference to the Woodcutters appears in a Yunhainese philosopher's musings on mankind's folly in entering the Sea, dating back to LN 15. The Woodcutters are easily identified by their preference for wearing bright colors and displaying (sometimes intentional) "wood scars," which occur when an injury is healed or a limb reattached using Weaver's Bean Paste.
While the Woodcutter order itself is mainly concerned with responsible harvesting of lumber and preservation of the natural landscape surrounding Ashimachi, they are occasionally called upon by the Yihui to assist in public works and other menial projects in the city.
The Greenclaws
A criminal organization known throughout Ashimachi, the Greenclaws are closely tied with the City of Reeds' bustling market scene and keep close watch over the various ports through which goods enter and leave the region. Though initially formed in Blacklock as a small militia dedicated to protecting the citizens of the city's surrounding townships - who were especially vulnerable due to low Order enforcement outside the capital city - they gradually lost sight of that goal over time and began to pursue less lawful endeavors.
While Ashimachi is considered an exceedingly lawful town, verging on a police state, Greenclaw thugs have had their cases dismissed many times throughout history - leading some to believe the city's government guilty of collusion with criminals at the cost of its people.
Additional Info
Ashimachi: Notable Factions
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