Plain Pillow

"Whosoever sits here shall not have comfort or vanity on their mind."

— Sokenzan Shu-On, the Sage Emperor

The Plain Pillow is the seat of the ruling Shōgun (Divine Veto-Bearer) of The Commonwealth of Marai. It is as it sounds: a plain, white pillow, which has been the seat of every Shōgun since the first: Sokenzan Shu-On the Sage Emperor.

When a clan is voted to be granted Divine Veto over the Commonwealth Council, they choose a Shōgun to be the face of their leadership and sit the Pillow. The person chosen does not necessarily have to be the clan's Chief Kannushi, for example if the Chief prefers to stay in the field during war. The Shōgun is sometimes called the "Sitter of the Plain Pillow". Leaders perceived to be chosen only as pleasing figureheads, instead of actual decision-makers, may be perjoritavely called "pillow warmers" (presumably where no Empyreal samurai can hear).

Origin Story

It is said that when an advisor suggested the First Emperor have a throne reflective of the majesty of the title, the Emperor stormed off angrily. He lead his advisor out of the palace, weaving a path through the city streets to a humble inn in the nearby peasant quarter, owned by a family known by Shu-On's informats to be honest people. Here, the Emperor purchased a pillow from one of their rooms (paying well beyond what it was worth) and promptly exited, returning to the Empyreal Palace with his advisor still following, now in visible confusion. At the head of the Hall of the Realms, he threw the pillow to the floor. "Whosoever sits here," Shu-On declared, "shall not have comfort or vanity on their mind." The Plain Pillow represents the stark honesty and incorruptibility the Sage Emperor desired in the Commonwealth's future leaders.

Sokenzan Shu-On, the Sage Emperor.

Item type

Unique Artifact