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Steampunk Amahara is an RPG run by Mal. It is about running around in a steampunk world, looking for ancient loot, waking gods, defeating evil, possibly being evil, and such and such so on!
Steampunk Amahara is a period/fantasy/steampunk RPG run by Mal. It is about travelling a steampunk fantasy world, working for clan, country, science, or profit. Join those westerners in the game of imperialism, looking for ancient loot, awakening and enshrining gods, defeating evil, possibly being evil, and such and such so on!
 
==Not done. Don't read yet or you'll have to reread it.==


=Support Pages=
==Background==
==Background==
===History of Amahara===
[[Why Amahara is Not Japan]]<br>
====Mythic Era====
[[Basic Guide to Honorifics]]<br>
Long ago, at the beginning of time, the three creator goddesses summoned life, the universe, and everything into being in a fit of yuri. In the ages thereafter, gods and celestials toyed with the world freely and terrifying beasts struck terror in humans who hid behind fire by night and could scarcely carry on with their lives. The greatest human, Tatehaya, slew the monsters of the realm, accomplished the five impossible requests of Kaguya the Moon Princess and then went on to conquer the world. His final campaign was a war against the homeland of his wife, a war by the humans of the Earth against the celestials who dwelt on the Moon. The war saw him killed, the celestials extinguished, and the world shattered. The great flood washed all trace of civilisation away, leaving humanity a long age of rebuilding. In the end, the great land of Yamato was submerged beneath the seas, leaving only the lands closes to Heaven - Amahara.
[[A Brief History of Amahara]]<br>
[[Races in the World of Amahara]]<br>
[[Magic in the World of Amahara]]<br>


====Classical Era====
==Rules==
During the Classical Era, the religion of Shinto is developed from the superstitions and old shamanism of the Mythic Era. Amahara comes to be ruled by the Apostles, a line of sequentially selected empresses that are supposed to personally enshrine the two founders of Amahara.
[[Steampunk Amahara Rules]]<br>
[[Steampunk Amahara Characters]]<br>
[[Steampunk Amahara Character Creation]]<br>


====Medieval Amahara====
==Related Games==
The rather backwards and ineffectual classical government is overthrown by warlords. A series of five shogunates rules Amahara from 888 to 1848, interspersed with long periods of fighting.
[[Sengoku Amahara]] is a related game set in (mostly) the same world roughly 400 years in the past.<br>


====Yanari Shogunate====
=Introduction=
The Yanari Shogunate was the fifth and last shogun dynasty to rule Amahara, lasting out the last 200 years or so of the shogunate era.
The year is 1878 and the balance of power in the world has been upset. Propelled by the Steam Revolution, the nation states of Rose Europe have spread the arm of imperialism across the globe. Empires have crumbled; peoples conquered, indigenous tribes absorbed or wiped out. Their influence has even sunk into the mighty Middle Kingdom like a thousand knife cuts.  


====Bakumatsu====
Seeing the threat of the foreign devils for what it is, the people of Amahara briefly set aside their ancient class boundaries and overthrew the ruling Yanari Shogunate. After a thousand years of rule by the samurai class, political power was returned to the court of the Apostle. The Serene Restoration also ushered in an era of modernity and industrial development. And now, a whole generation has passed. The restored Dominion of Amahara has surged from the mire of backwardness to a prominent position in Lotus Asia. Joining new technologies and armaments with age old traditions, the rising power is ready to confront the foreigners as equals.
Foreign influences and weakness in the shogunate devolves into a massive civil war, propelling Amahara into the modern world. The current year is 1878


==Overview of Amahara==
No matter the beauty and tranquility of the garden, it is in the world that one must live.
Amahara is a large archipelago about the size and climate of Japan - in short it is mystic Japan. It has just recently gone through the equivalent of the Meiji Restoration.


===Religion===
=Overview of the Dominion of Amahara=
The religion of Amahara is Amahara Shinto, an aggressively proselytising form of Shinto believing in a vast pantheon of gods who govern every aspect of the world from weather and earthquakes to steam engines and the fine moving parts of clockwork. The new Dominion of Amahara sees itself as having a responsibility to spread this faith, most commonly by establishing and protecting countless small shrines all over the world and encouraging people to recognize the role of the kami in day to day life. It is inclusive rather than exclusive, which is part of its attraction, readily absorbing local gods, spirits, and folk heroes into the pantheon. It promises spiritual progression through reincarnation (especially after dying well) and does not treat many of the things other religions frown on (like alcohol or casual sex) as misdemeanors. Its main conflict with the Abrahamic faiths is in the doctrine of monotheism, resulting in Christian, Jewish and Muslim clerics dragged through the streets and lynched or beheaded. A recent imperial edict has declared all monotheistic religions illegal.
==Geography==
Amahara is split into two major portions - the Home Islands and Ryunan.


Amahara Shinto has multiple ranks of clergy based on their role in the service of the gods and attendant level of devotion. The most revered and respected lead highly regimented lives full of taboos, restrictions, vows of devotion, and ritual duties. In theory, their word is law as they speak for the gods themselves. The highest of these is the Dominion's head of state, the Apostle of Amahara, a girl periodically selected in the traditional manner, through the consultation of complex astrological tables and the analysis of shifting geomantic and meteorological patterns.
===Home Islands===
The Home Islands are a large, volcanic archipelago about the size and climate of real life Japan - in short, it is mystic Japan. Here, the Serene Restoration was quick and mostly peaceful with only a few rebellions and insurgencies that provided work for the new Dominion Army the Apostle's Musha Miko. The Home Islands have been undergoing rapid industrial revolution for the past quarter century. There are now railways, factories and modern weapons. Amahara has two capitals. The civil capital Kaikyo is the place from which actual administration is done and is what most foreigners think of as the "capital of Amahara". The true capital has always been Aki and it is where the Apostle resides. Since power has been restored to the apostolic court, some very high level decisions have again come to be made here. A high pressure train line connects these two and a few other major cities with more ordinary trains now snaking out all over the country. Enormous tunnel or bridge projects are planned or under construction to link the many islands.


===Mission===
===Ryunan===
*Learn about foreign ways if they are useful.
Ryunan is a mainland peninsula to the south - a sort of super mainland Ryukyu. Originally an honest colonial conquest of the Toyotomi Shogunate, connection to the land fell during the Yanari shogunate to which it never paid more than lip service of subservience. Amahara is busy trying to reassert its claim in the face of foreign powers but the civil war there was protracted and continues at a low level to this day. Ryunan is also more wild and the Amaharan ways not as entrenched. The spirits are more volatile and aware and may still remember the bloody, shamanistic ways of the natives before the Toyotomi invasion. The people here are independent minded and don't necessarily view the Home Islands as all ''that'' much more attractive than working with foreigners.  
*Awaken and enshrine spirits and kami in foreign lands.
*Recover artifacts and knowledge for the good of the state and academic progress.
*Do not piss off the foreigners too much.


==Character Creation==
On paper, this entire area is a concession to which foreigners have a great deal of freedom and trade, further weakening state power. However, the balance of ''actual'' power has shifted in Amahara's favor since the unequal treaties of the 1840's.
===Classes===
'''Shrine Maiden'''
:The only absolutely critical class for the game to start - there needs to be at least one, but hell, we could have nothing ''but'' shrine maidens we you like. Shrine Maidens are always female and start with Shinto Ritual as well as one other art that has Shinto Ritual as a prerequisite.


'''Ronin'''
==Religion==
:The end of the Yanari Shogunate also ended the distinctions and privileges of the samurai class. Yet, old traditions die hard and the numerous survivors of the Bakumatsu have continued to raise a whole generation in the old ways even if they no longer have much political power. (Note that the class is a game mechanic only - in reality many ronin have become soldiers or policemen.) In any event, they start with Close Combat and Bushido and are liable to be good melee fighters.
The religion of Amahara is Amahara Shinto, an aggressively proselytising form of Shinto believing in a vast pantheon of gods who govern every aspect of the world from weather and earthquakes to steam engines and the fine moving parts of clockwork. The new Dominion of Amahara sees itself as having a responsibility to spread this faith, most commonly by establishing and protecting countless small shrines all over the world and encouraging people to recognize the role of the kami in day to day life. It is inclusive rather than exclusive, which is part of its attraction, readily absorbing local gods, spirits, and folk heroes into the pantheon. It promises spiritual progression through reincarnation (especially after dying well) and does not treat many of the things other religions frown on (like alcohol or casual sex) as misdemeanors. Its main conflict with the Abrahamic faiths is in the doctrine of monotheism, resulting in Christian, Jewish and Muslim clerics dragged through the streets and lynched or beheaded.


'''Ninja'''
Amahara Shinto has multiple ranks of clergy based on their role in the service of the gods and attendant level of devotion. The most revered and respected lead highly regimented lives full of taboos, restrictions, vows of devotion, and ritual duties. In theory, their word is law as they speak for the gods themselves. The highest of these is the Dominion's head of state, the Apostle of Amahara, a girl periodically selected in the traditional manner, through the consultation of complex astrological tables and the analysis of shifting geomantic and meteorological patterns.
:While Amahara's governments have had to grapple with overabundant samurai at various times in the past, it has rarely found itself with enough ninja for all the dishonourable work that needs to be done in the name of honour.  


'''Soldier'''
==Your Mission==
:The common soldier hasn't really inherited the prestige of the samurai but they do have the whole Firearms thing going for them.
The party occupies a strange intersection of the Dominion of Amahara's foreign policy. You do not officially represent the government overseas of course, but are still seen as a face of the country. Your actions are considered to reflect on the social standing of Amahara amongst great powers that still see it as a kid to be bullied. Ideally you should respect the laws of foreigners where they hold sway (in order not to piss them off) but also assert and uphold the honor of the Apostle and the new government and show them a thing or two about not messing with us.


???
At the same time, knowing that foreign lands have numerous useful knowledges, you should bring those back. If you are a miko, then the mission also takes a religious tone. Even if they spend most of the time asleep, kami are everywhere and ought to be enshrined and the knowledge of their existence and their ways should be spread to people. Even if catholicism has a huge head start (more insurmountable than the technological and industrial gap, scholars observe), spreading Shinto is a responsibility of the Amaharan state. For contributing to these two major efforts, even though you do not represent the state or the apostolic court, the two will sponsor your travels to some degree.


===Arts===
*Learn about foreign ways if they are useful.
Each character has 2 class Arts which they start with and may choose y other additional Arts. Unless otherwise specified, having a relevant Art lowers the success threshold to 6 from various unpleasantly high numbers depending on how necessary training, knowledge and experience are for that task. It is hence a pretty good idea to make sure your starting Arts reflect what it is you want to do. Arts also have various other beneficial special effects that are always active.
*Awaken and enshrine spirits and kami in foreign lands.
*Recover artifacts, technology and knowledge for the good of the state and academic progress.
====Example Arts====
*Do not piss off the foreigners.
'''Animal Friendship'''
:The ability to make friends with animals and other creatures, and failing that to at least quickly make sense of their habits and behaviours. This extends to blatantly magical creatures of course.
 
'''Athletics'''
:A general proficiency to jumping, tumbling, climbing, swimming, and running around which adventurers into wild and forgotten lands are wont to often do.
 
'''Close Combat'''
:A general proficiency in fighting at close quarters.


'''Endure'''
=Others=
:Allows long term endurance, and to resist hits. In effect gives 5 additional hit points.


'''Firearms'''
==Homegrown Factions==
:This gives familiarity with firearms, allowing you to shoot at difficulty 6 as well as to maintain them.
'''Apostolic Court'''
:The religious leadership of Amahara with the Apostle of Amahara as the holy figurehead. Due to a general abolition of class boundaries since the revolution, the miko of the apostolic court are only one faction in the government. Nevertheless, compared to the shogunate era, the power of the Apostle has increased immensely. They are the most interested in the religious aspect of Amahara's place in the world.


'''Stealth'''
:Although the Apostle's position cannot be challenged, the most powerful member of this faction in practice is the Grand Chamberlain who is herself a "retired" Apostle. While the Grand Chamberlain is the most powerful person in Amahara, the temporal miko of the apostolic court who participate in the governance of the dominion are overall outnumbered by the samurai class (who are both progressive and conservative) and a newly risen class of powerful merchant-industrialists.
:Improves stealth, allowing a character to become all but invisible.  


'''Shinto Ritual'''
'''Industrialists'''
:Opens up the Arete stat and gives a solid background of training and knowledge in shinto rites, rituals and ceremonies.
:Progressive, rich and powerful, but they scoff at the old ways and religions or at least do not count them as important as bringing in technology and industrial progress.


'''Tracking'''
'''Old Guard'''
:Allows a user to follow tracks and trails.
:Most of these are members of the samurai class who negotiated the peaceful transfer of power during the Serene Revolution but still resent their lowered status to varying extents. Nevertheless their power is entrenched and they form the conservative voice in the government who oppose both the modernist side as well as their conservative counterparts in the apostolic court.


'''Ryunan Resistance Groups'''
:Many groups of basically Amaharan origin and structure who oppose the rule of the central government from the Home Islands. Their agendas vary but many trace their grievances right back to the shogunate era.


'''White Lotus Cult'''<br>
:A sinister and powerful cult that has spread throughout Lotus Asia. They are one of the participants of the Middle Kingdom's civil war.


'''Ritual Magic''' (req. Shinto Ritual)
'''Other Cults'''<br>
:Various Shinto or Buddhist offshoot sects considered too strange to be acceptable or simply pissed off the wrong miko. They have their own clerics. Due to being illegal and persecuted, they are mostly in Ryunan.


'''Kagura''' (req. Shinto Ritual ''and'' Close Combat ''and'' Athletics)
'''Communists'''<br>
:Kagura is the sacred unarmed combat form of the shrine maidens that evolved from the various ceremonial dances and rituals associated with the shinto religion. It is a highly acrobatic, striking martial art with an emphasis on flexibility, acrobatics, kicks and dodging. In the real world, its closest cousin would be capoeira. In addition to enhancing unarmed combat, it can strike immaterial targets.
:A global affliction that has spread from the former home islands of Britannia.


'''Spiritualism''' (req. Shinto Ritual)
'''Miao'''<br>
:This allows the summoning of spirits and the invocation of the kami to assist you. This type of magic still works in the homeland but its usefulness drops rapidly in other areas. In civilised areas, the kami find it difficult to manifest for any length of time if at all. In other places untouched by Amahara Shinto, they may behave in unexpected, even hostile ways and against the traditions and rituals that have long governed the norm of interaction between the worlds of gods and humans. Changing this situation by spreading Amahara Shinto is of course a primary directive of your mission.
:The collective designation for the bloodthirsty tribes who originally inhabited much of Ryunan and who have been driven into the cloud forests and jungles. They cause trouble for everybody else whenever the opportunity arrises.


===Stats===
==Lotus Asia==
You have z points to design your character. Any excess points can be saved for increase later.
'''Yan Dynasty'''
:The Middle Kingdom is the largest and most populous land empire in the world as well as the source of most overseas influence on Amahara in the classical and shogunate eras. Unlike Amahara, it never gained a lasting warrior tradition nor a particular penchant for religion (though its indigenous beliefs are broadly compatible with shinto principles). It has always been a state centered around civil and financial administration with both faith and military prestige as tertiary priorities. In contrast to shogunate Amahara, its dynastic transitions have tended to be swift, decisive affairs involving only a few sides and given the sheer might of the empire in the past, it hardly ever had outside rivals. After decades of foreign pressure, the mighty empire has collapsed into the mother of all civil wars which could well dictate the fate of the region if not the world depending on who wins and who is left alive at the end.


Level 1 - 1 CP<br>
==Rose Europe==
Level 2 - 3 CP<br>
'''Francia'''
Level 3 - 6 CP<br>
:The Francian Revolution began in 1793 with riots and civil disruption rocking the country against the excesses of the monarchy and its privileged class. The revolution gave birth briefly to the Francian Republic which was in turn toppled by 1800 by the rise of Napoleon who crowned himself emperor and then proceeded to make war on the rest of Rose Europe. He eventually destroyed, the original Britannian Empire in 1818. Francia then took over the lead in the industrial revolution and became the world's premier state power. It is currently ruled by Napoleon IV and its capital is Parys which might well be regarded as the center of the civilised and industrial world.
Level 4 - 10 CP<br>
Level 5 - 15 CP<br>
Level 6 - 21 CP<br>
Level 7 - 28 CP<br>
Level 8 - 36 CP<br>
Level 9 - 45 CP<br>
Level 10 - 55 CP<br>


In short, to improve a stat costs (current level + 1)
'''Karlsland'''
:A relatively large though only modestly populated country in the north of Rose Europe, the Republic of Karlsland has recently risen to become one of the leading challengers of Francian hegemony. It is a technologically advanced country and build some of the world's largest and swiftest airships. Its capital is Nidaros.


====Base Stats====
'''Danuby'''
'''Strength'''
:A country in the east of Rose Europe which has seen significant success in wars against its neighbours in recent years. It is seen by some as another challenger of Francia's dominance but others consider it a Francian ally.  
:A measure of overall physical potency. It is used alone for standing feats of muscle power or endurance and also adds directly to damage and soak. When attacking hand to hand, every point of Strength the attacker has over the defender subtracts one from the defender's Parry.


'''Dexterity'''
'''Ezpana'''
:Dexterity Man, Dexterity Man! Does all the things Dexterity can!
:


'''Wits'''
'''Uragos'''
:Mental speed and the ability to carry on thinking under pressure. When attacking hand to hand, every point of Wits the attacker has over the defender subtracts from the defender's Dodge.
:Uragos was another of the first global empires that emerged from the early period of Rose Europe's ascendancy. They were among the first foreigners to arrive in Amahara, contributing to both the rise and fall of Toyotomi and affecting the fortunes of many clans in the Sengoku Era. In modern times however, they are but a shadow of their former glory.


'''Intelligence'''
'''Rossiya'''
:Raw smarts. Is used for perception when reflexes don't really matter.
:A former state that took up a large part of eastern Rose Europe and had been starting to expand beyond it. Defeat by everyone else has utterly shattered the empire into component pieces.


'''Charisma'''
'''Catholic Church'''
:A measure of personal presence and the most common stat to which physical beauty is attached as a Speciality.
:The Vatican City is located centrally in Rose Europe, ensconced among a varied collection of very small states. The region has many major churches, reliquaries and large foreign communities that serve pilgrims. While tiny on the map, the Vatican has massive, global reach through its knighthoods and missionary orders. The beliefs of the Catholic Church in a single supreme God is inherently inimical to Shinto. Recently, the Pope excommunicated both the Yan Supreme Emperor and the Apostle of Amahara.


'''Resolve'''
==Jasmine Middle East==
:A measure of mental toughness and focus.
'''Caliphate'''
:The Caliphate is a large but loose alliance (more like a vague union of understanding really) of countries following the Islamic faith, which also refuse to honour the Eight Million Kami and are thus just as bad as the Catholics. However, the two also seem to fight each other a great deal.


====Derived Stats====
'''New Crusader States'''
Strength + Dexterity = '''???''' which is this number indicating your usual abilities in jumping, running and so on and is everyone's defense against gunfire. Having more Strength than the defender in hand to hand also subtracts from their Parry.


Dexterity + Wit gives '''Init''' which is added to your usual 1d10. Having more Wits than the defender in hand to hand also subtracts from their Dodge.
==Iris America==
 
'''New Britannia'''
Wits + Intelligence doesn't really give a stat but when someone "attacks" a problem with Wits ''and is already successful'', every point of Intelligence over the perpetrator adds threshold success.
:Was poised as the premier world power from the late 18th century until its home islands were conquered by the newly emerged Francian Empire. The New Britannian Empire is greatly weakened and has suffered losses the world over though it still controls many places and its language is in use in more. Its core areas are now located in Iris America, bordering the newly independent Alba Confederation and several colonies of other states.
 
Intelligence + Charisma also doesn't give a stat but every point of Intelligence a would-be manipulator has over her mark adds threshold success if the Charisma roll is successful.
 
Charisma + Resolve = This should totally do something or help in some way!
 
Resolve + Strength = Double it and that's how many hitpoints you have.
 
===Specialties===
You may also buy '''Specialties''', which give you additional dice in specific situations. Specialties are bought as stats and can be customised but as a rule need to be fairly specific. For example, Swording or Parrying are no good, but Kendo works. Dodging is too broad, but Diving for Cover is okay.
 
===Equipment===
====Weapons====
The only ones that matter, obviously.
 
'''Tanto'''
:A knife.
 
'''Katana'''
 
'''Naginata'''
 
'''Staff'''
 
'''Yumi'''
 
'''Derringer'''
:A derringer is a single-shot pistol that comes in a pair. They fire once each and don't do much damage, but are nevertheless a positive way to begin or end a fight.
 
'''Revolver'''
:A revolver normally fires once every other round.
 
'''Rifle'''
:A rifle is a slow weapon and typically has an init rating of -2 and takes two rounds after firing in order to load, prime, and be ready to fire again. However, it deals a fuckton of damage if it hits and has, as far as the game is concerned, unlimited range.
 
'''Bayonet'''
:This attachment makes a rifle also a very convincing melee weapon and is hence not free. After all, good heroines seldom openly mount a bayonet on the rifle slung to her back. The art of fighting hand-to-hand with a rifle - whether the bayonet is there or not - is a Skill called Jukendo.
 
==Rules==


'''Alba Confederation'''
:A former Britannian colony which broke off following its defeat in 1818.


==Others==
==Pirates==
===Homebrew Enemies===
'''Black Cloud Pirates'''
===Gaijin===
:A modest sized but high tech group of pirates operating from one or more airships capable of launching ornithopters. Recently sighted in the eastern skies off Lotus Asia. Its jolly roger is a white skull on a black cloud.
====Empire of Great Yan====
The nearby "Middle Kingdom" is the largest and most populous land empire in the world as well as the source of most overseas influence on Amahara in the classical and medieval eras. Unlike Amahara however, it never gained a lasting warrior tradition nor a particular penchant for religion (though its indigenous beliefs are broadly compatible with shinto principles). It has always been a state centered around civil and financial administration with both faith and military prestige as tertiary priorities. In contrast to Medieval Amahara, its dynastic transitions have tended to be swift, decisive affairs involving only a few sides and given the sheer might of the empire in the past, it hardly ever had outside rivals.


After decades of foreign pressure, the mighty empire has collapsed into the mother of all civil wars which could well dictate the fate of the region if not the world depending on who wins and who is left alive at the end.
=Known Artifacts=
'''Mysterious Box'''
:A mysterious wooden box containing something stolen from Amahara.


====New Francian Empire====
[[Category:Amahara]]
====Karlsland====
====The Catholic Church====

Latest revision as of 08:46, 10 September 2011

Steampunk Amahara is a period/fantasy/steampunk RPG run by Mal. It is about travelling a steampunk fantasy world, working for clan, country, science, or profit. Join those westerners in the game of imperialism, looking for ancient loot, awakening and enshrining gods, defeating evil, possibly being evil, and such and such so on!

Support Pages

Background

Why Amahara is Not Japan
Basic Guide to Honorifics
A Brief History of Amahara
Races in the World of Amahara
Magic in the World of Amahara

Rules

Steampunk Amahara Rules
Steampunk Amahara Characters
Steampunk Amahara Character Creation

Related Games

Sengoku Amahara is a related game set in (mostly) the same world roughly 400 years in the past.

Introduction

The year is 1878 and the balance of power in the world has been upset. Propelled by the Steam Revolution, the nation states of Rose Europe have spread the arm of imperialism across the globe. Empires have crumbled; peoples conquered, indigenous tribes absorbed or wiped out. Their influence has even sunk into the mighty Middle Kingdom like a thousand knife cuts.

Seeing the threat of the foreign devils for what it is, the people of Amahara briefly set aside their ancient class boundaries and overthrew the ruling Yanari Shogunate. After a thousand years of rule by the samurai class, political power was returned to the court of the Apostle. The Serene Restoration also ushered in an era of modernity and industrial development. And now, a whole generation has passed. The restored Dominion of Amahara has surged from the mire of backwardness to a prominent position in Lotus Asia. Joining new technologies and armaments with age old traditions, the rising power is ready to confront the foreigners as equals.

No matter the beauty and tranquility of the garden, it is in the world that one must live.

Overview of the Dominion of Amahara

Geography

Amahara is split into two major portions - the Home Islands and Ryunan.

Home Islands

The Home Islands are a large, volcanic archipelago about the size and climate of real life Japan - in short, it is mystic Japan. Here, the Serene Restoration was quick and mostly peaceful with only a few rebellions and insurgencies that provided work for the new Dominion Army the Apostle's Musha Miko. The Home Islands have been undergoing rapid industrial revolution for the past quarter century. There are now railways, factories and modern weapons. Amahara has two capitals. The civil capital Kaikyo is the place from which actual administration is done and is what most foreigners think of as the "capital of Amahara". The true capital has always been Aki and it is where the Apostle resides. Since power has been restored to the apostolic court, some very high level decisions have again come to be made here. A high pressure train line connects these two and a few other major cities with more ordinary trains now snaking out all over the country. Enormous tunnel or bridge projects are planned or under construction to link the many islands.

Ryunan

Ryunan is a mainland peninsula to the south - a sort of super mainland Ryukyu. Originally an honest colonial conquest of the Toyotomi Shogunate, connection to the land fell during the Yanari shogunate to which it never paid more than lip service of subservience. Amahara is busy trying to reassert its claim in the face of foreign powers but the civil war there was protracted and continues at a low level to this day. Ryunan is also more wild and the Amaharan ways not as entrenched. The spirits are more volatile and aware and may still remember the bloody, shamanistic ways of the natives before the Toyotomi invasion. The people here are independent minded and don't necessarily view the Home Islands as all that much more attractive than working with foreigners.

On paper, this entire area is a concession to which foreigners have a great deal of freedom and trade, further weakening state power. However, the balance of actual power has shifted in Amahara's favor since the unequal treaties of the 1840's.

Religion

The religion of Amahara is Amahara Shinto, an aggressively proselytising form of Shinto believing in a vast pantheon of gods who govern every aspect of the world from weather and earthquakes to steam engines and the fine moving parts of clockwork. The new Dominion of Amahara sees itself as having a responsibility to spread this faith, most commonly by establishing and protecting countless small shrines all over the world and encouraging people to recognize the role of the kami in day to day life. It is inclusive rather than exclusive, which is part of its attraction, readily absorbing local gods, spirits, and folk heroes into the pantheon. It promises spiritual progression through reincarnation (especially after dying well) and does not treat many of the things other religions frown on (like alcohol or casual sex) as misdemeanors. Its main conflict with the Abrahamic faiths is in the doctrine of monotheism, resulting in Christian, Jewish and Muslim clerics dragged through the streets and lynched or beheaded.

Amahara Shinto has multiple ranks of clergy based on their role in the service of the gods and attendant level of devotion. The most revered and respected lead highly regimented lives full of taboos, restrictions, vows of devotion, and ritual duties. In theory, their word is law as they speak for the gods themselves. The highest of these is the Dominion's head of state, the Apostle of Amahara, a girl periodically selected in the traditional manner, through the consultation of complex astrological tables and the analysis of shifting geomantic and meteorological patterns.

Your Mission

The party occupies a strange intersection of the Dominion of Amahara's foreign policy. You do not officially represent the government overseas of course, but are still seen as a face of the country. Your actions are considered to reflect on the social standing of Amahara amongst great powers that still see it as a kid to be bullied. Ideally you should respect the laws of foreigners where they hold sway (in order not to piss them off) but also assert and uphold the honor of the Apostle and the new government and show them a thing or two about not messing with us.

At the same time, knowing that foreign lands have numerous useful knowledges, you should bring those back. If you are a miko, then the mission also takes a religious tone. Even if they spend most of the time asleep, kami are everywhere and ought to be enshrined and the knowledge of their existence and their ways should be spread to people. Even if catholicism has a huge head start (more insurmountable than the technological and industrial gap, scholars observe), spreading Shinto is a responsibility of the Amaharan state. For contributing to these two major efforts, even though you do not represent the state or the apostolic court, the two will sponsor your travels to some degree.

  • Learn about foreign ways if they are useful.
  • Awaken and enshrine spirits and kami in foreign lands.
  • Recover artifacts, technology and knowledge for the good of the state and academic progress.
  • Do not piss off the foreigners.

Others

Homegrown Factions

Apostolic Court

The religious leadership of Amahara with the Apostle of Amahara as the holy figurehead. Due to a general abolition of class boundaries since the revolution, the miko of the apostolic court are only one faction in the government. Nevertheless, compared to the shogunate era, the power of the Apostle has increased immensely. They are the most interested in the religious aspect of Amahara's place in the world.
Although the Apostle's position cannot be challenged, the most powerful member of this faction in practice is the Grand Chamberlain who is herself a "retired" Apostle. While the Grand Chamberlain is the most powerful person in Amahara, the temporal miko of the apostolic court who participate in the governance of the dominion are overall outnumbered by the samurai class (who are both progressive and conservative) and a newly risen class of powerful merchant-industrialists.

Industrialists

Progressive, rich and powerful, but they scoff at the old ways and religions or at least do not count them as important as bringing in technology and industrial progress.

Old Guard

Most of these are members of the samurai class who negotiated the peaceful transfer of power during the Serene Revolution but still resent their lowered status to varying extents. Nevertheless their power is entrenched and they form the conservative voice in the government who oppose both the modernist side as well as their conservative counterparts in the apostolic court.

Ryunan Resistance Groups

Many groups of basically Amaharan origin and structure who oppose the rule of the central government from the Home Islands. Their agendas vary but many trace their grievances right back to the shogunate era.

White Lotus Cult

A sinister and powerful cult that has spread throughout Lotus Asia. They are one of the participants of the Middle Kingdom's civil war.

Other Cults

Various Shinto or Buddhist offshoot sects considered too strange to be acceptable or simply pissed off the wrong miko. They have their own clerics. Due to being illegal and persecuted, they are mostly in Ryunan.

Communists

A global affliction that has spread from the former home islands of Britannia.

Miao

The collective designation for the bloodthirsty tribes who originally inhabited much of Ryunan and who have been driven into the cloud forests and jungles. They cause trouble for everybody else whenever the opportunity arrises.

Lotus Asia

Yan Dynasty

The Middle Kingdom is the largest and most populous land empire in the world as well as the source of most overseas influence on Amahara in the classical and shogunate eras. Unlike Amahara, it never gained a lasting warrior tradition nor a particular penchant for religion (though its indigenous beliefs are broadly compatible with shinto principles). It has always been a state centered around civil and financial administration with both faith and military prestige as tertiary priorities. In contrast to shogunate Amahara, its dynastic transitions have tended to be swift, decisive affairs involving only a few sides and given the sheer might of the empire in the past, it hardly ever had outside rivals. After decades of foreign pressure, the mighty empire has collapsed into the mother of all civil wars which could well dictate the fate of the region if not the world depending on who wins and who is left alive at the end.

Rose Europe

Francia

The Francian Revolution began in 1793 with riots and civil disruption rocking the country against the excesses of the monarchy and its privileged class. The revolution gave birth briefly to the Francian Republic which was in turn toppled by 1800 by the rise of Napoleon who crowned himself emperor and then proceeded to make war on the rest of Rose Europe. He eventually destroyed, the original Britannian Empire in 1818. Francia then took over the lead in the industrial revolution and became the world's premier state power. It is currently ruled by Napoleon IV and its capital is Parys which might well be regarded as the center of the civilised and industrial world.

Karlsland

A relatively large though only modestly populated country in the north of Rose Europe, the Republic of Karlsland has recently risen to become one of the leading challengers of Francian hegemony. It is a technologically advanced country and build some of the world's largest and swiftest airships. Its capital is Nidaros.

Danuby

A country in the east of Rose Europe which has seen significant success in wars against its neighbours in recent years. It is seen by some as another challenger of Francia's dominance but others consider it a Francian ally.

Ezpana

Uragos

Uragos was another of the first global empires that emerged from the early period of Rose Europe's ascendancy. They were among the first foreigners to arrive in Amahara, contributing to both the rise and fall of Toyotomi and affecting the fortunes of many clans in the Sengoku Era. In modern times however, they are but a shadow of their former glory.

Rossiya

A former state that took up a large part of eastern Rose Europe and had been starting to expand beyond it. Defeat by everyone else has utterly shattered the empire into component pieces.

Catholic Church

The Vatican City is located centrally in Rose Europe, ensconced among a varied collection of very small states. The region has many major churches, reliquaries and large foreign communities that serve pilgrims. While tiny on the map, the Vatican has massive, global reach through its knighthoods and missionary orders. The beliefs of the Catholic Church in a single supreme God is inherently inimical to Shinto. Recently, the Pope excommunicated both the Yan Supreme Emperor and the Apostle of Amahara.

Jasmine Middle East

Caliphate

The Caliphate is a large but loose alliance (more like a vague union of understanding really) of countries following the Islamic faith, which also refuse to honour the Eight Million Kami and are thus just as bad as the Catholics. However, the two also seem to fight each other a great deal.

New Crusader States

Iris America

New Britannia

Was poised as the premier world power from the late 18th century until its home islands were conquered by the newly emerged Francian Empire. The New Britannian Empire is greatly weakened and has suffered losses the world over though it still controls many places and its language is in use in more. Its core areas are now located in Iris America, bordering the newly independent Alba Confederation and several colonies of other states.

Alba Confederation

A former Britannian colony which broke off following its defeat in 1818.

Pirates

Black Cloud Pirates

A modest sized but high tech group of pirates operating from one or more airships capable of launching ornithopters. Recently sighted in the eastern skies off Lotus Asia. Its jolly roger is a white skull on a black cloud.

Known Artifacts

Mysterious Box

A mysterious wooden box containing something stolen from Amahara.
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