Background History

Rouran Invasions

The Rouran Invasions of Amahara occurred roughly two centuries ago. Amahara was ruled at the time by the Takamachi Shogunate, the second of the shogun dynasties since the overthrow of direct rule by the Apostles of Amahara. The military strength of the buddhist sects had reduced and the Grand Shrine of Amahara, while still nominally the spiritual leader over all of the domain, was at the nadir of its power. Prior to the invasions, the Rouran Empire had never been defeated and had conquered half the known world. The crown jewel of their empire was the supposedly invincible Middle Kingdom, the conquest of which shook civilisation itself to its foundations. Despite this fearsome reputation, the Takamachi shogun elected not to negotiate and mustered all available military forces to repel the invasion.

Rouran armies fought in a vastly different way compared to traditional Amaharan warfare, where individual samurai call out a worthy opponent by name and engage in single combat. Though heroism retained a place on the battlefield, the Amaharan military paradigm was irrevocably changed by contact with the Rouran hordes, introducing conscripted ashigaru to make up the numbers and the use of signals and tactics in the Rouran fashion. True generalship became vital alongside courage and a sharp sword. As the samurai clans were whittled away, both the Shinto sects centered around the Grand Shrine of Amahara and the various Buddhist sects remilitarised and played a greater role in the affairs of the domain. In the end, phenomenal storms blew away the Great Khan's fleets, mass death befell his armies, and the invasions were extinguished.

The invasions had great importance to the subsequent history of Amahara. Although ultimately victorious, the Takamachi clan suffered irreparable damage and its leadership received most of the blame for the early losses. They were replaced by the war hero Azuma Hatsunari, one of their own former subordinates, who received much of the credit for the later victories. More than just the Azuma clan advanced from the conflict; an entire generation of "young" clans consider themselves to have been founded during the war. Amahara's ruling class also became much more aware that an outside world existed beyond the peaceful trade relations and importation of Middle Kingdom culture that had taken place for centuries.

The other half of the credit for the victories went to the gods and the Shinto sects who interceded with them on behalf of the people of Amahara. The spiritual supremacy of the Amaharan domain and of the Apostle herself were confirmed. The shrine maidens of the various sects gained a greater share of temporal power throughout the realm, though the shogunate remained supreme. Along with awareness of the outside world came the awareness of outside gods as well, which Shinto had an obligation to recognise. Shinto emerged from the war with a militaristic spirit and already the spirit of expansion. Over the next two centuries, shrine maidens would trickle overseas on trading ships, establishing shrines in distant lands and sometimes bringing back tales of foreign places. The Buddhist sects also benefitted from increased prestige, wealth and power as its teachings of Zen and the esoteric arts spread, gaining particular traction amongst the samurai who sought personal enlightenment and martial supremacy.

Azuma Shogunate

The Azuma Shogunate is the reigning shogun dynasty of Amahara. Following precedent, it rules the domain from the traditional capital of Aki and made its mark by building a new palace in the vicinity of the Grand Shrine of Amahara, although actual administration was done from Ayanami Castle about a day's ride away. Having held the seat of power for some two centuries, the Azuma Shogunate has lasted longer than either of its predecessors, the Watatsuki and Takamachi shogunates. For the first century or so after the Rouran Invasions, the rule of the Azuma was firm as well as effective. This changed during the second century with the birth of twin brothers Yoshihichi and Yoshikira and circumstances that led later to dispute as to who was actually the firstborn. The decision of the shogun to split the family into two branches to accomodate the brothers proved to have enormous longterm repercussions. Within a generation, the clan was riven by an intractable rivalry that gradually impacted their military power and effectiveness. By the time of their final downfall, the two branches occupied the opposing north and south keeps of Ayanami Castle, with a nightingale floor around and between them.

Incident at Ayanami Castle

On the 16th day of the 8th month of the 5th year of Mukyu era, the entire households of both main branches of the Azuma clan were assassinated within Ayanami Castle despite the protection of the nightingale floor. Only two of the daughters may have survived and they are said to be missing. Speculation is still rife on who the culprit is though it is thought that only the head of one of the great ninja clans or a god could have accomplished such a thing. No one is sure yet, but immediate and bloody fighting has torn the remains of the clan apart, put the capital to flames and left a massive power vacuum in the rest of the country.

Annals of Power

The Samurai

The dominant power in the turmoil of Amaharan politics is the strength collectively held by the fighting samurai class. Although the wise daimyo makes it his business to be versed in administration and puts domestically competent deputies in important positions, the rule of the samurai is primarily based on force of arms backed by the holding of land in a complex net of feudal relations and clan loyalties. At the center of this web as a first among equals is the Azuma clan which holds the shogunate.

In theory, the Shogun is charged only with the conduct of military affairs on behalf of the domain's theocratic government and is subordinate to the Apostle and the high priestesses of the Grand Shrine of Amahara. In practice however, he holds all temporal reigns of power. In turn, all other clans in theory owe their loyalty to the Azuma Shogunate but the former have gradually been regaining leverage over the past century. The sudden implosion of the Azuma clan has thrown the clans almost entirely to their own devices.

Azuma (south)

Formerly occupied the south keep of Ayanami Castle.

Azuma (north)

Formerly occupied the north keep of Ayanami Castle.

Watatsuki

Formerly the holder of the first shogunate to rule from Aki. The Azuma clan is technically itself a branch of the Watatsuki.

Takamachi

Shinto

The shrine of the Apostle of Amahara. The Apostle is a girl selected by the Shinto clergy and to some extent ratified by Buddhist clergy through a complex set of astrological calculations. However actual power in this faction is held by the Grand Chamberlain who is usually a former apostle. The Grand Shrine of Amahara is the spiritual capital of all Amahara and the Shinto doctrine. Its doctrine proposes aggressive spread of Shinto which has so far largely occurred at the expense of the Ainu to the north. Because of the power of the Shogunate and the need to protect their wealth and powers, the shrine maidens do also pay attention and play a part in more worldly politics.

The Ninja Clans

Ninja Clans hold some hidden fortresses but mostly mingle with ordinary peasant or town life where they also hold some key monopolies. They deal in information and work for any side that pays them but are of course concerned with protecting themselves as well.

Buddhist Temples

The Buddhist Temples are arranged somewhat like the Shinto shrine system but have no generally agreed upon paramount leader. They do have greater sway with the samurai and don't clash with them as much owing to the greater adherence to the Buddhism of Buddhism-Shinto sliding scale among the samurai class.

Bandits

Bandits with a capital B are usually one way or another disenfranchised samurai. They have bands of supporting small b bandits. Although outlaws they are notable in that they know perfectly well how to fight, may hold sway with local lords, and will take proactive steps to protect their reigns if necessary. There is sometimes a sliding scale between Bandit and Lord in some locales. Some are pirates.

The Peasants

Peasants working the land are the primary sourcea of wealth for the samurai class. When beset by natural disasters, misfortune, or heavy taxation, even the low and downtrodden have the potential to rebel. Peasants will usually try to get some kind of support whether from neighbouring lords, clerics or someone else with military experience as they are otherwise usually fairly easy to put down. They do have to be put down however, and either way everyone suffers economically. As such, it is generally wise for lords to prevent, forestall, or subvert discontent before actual rebellions occur. It may in turn be possible to encourage them to occur in a rival's territory.

The Merchants

Merchants are technically ranked lower than peasants on the social ladder since they produce no actual goods themselves, but are generally able to make a much better living than peasants because they perform a necessary evil just as critical as working the land. Like peasants, merchants are a source of wealth to overlords and are likewise sometimes pushed to revolt. Merchants rebelling (or joining a rebellion) is rather more rare than the usual peasant rebellion but may be more dangerous due to the wealth they possess enabling them to hire ronin to their cause or sway the decisions of rivals with generous gifts.

Ainyuu

The Ainyuu catgirls dwell on the northernmost of the Amaharan isles, the bitterly cold land of Ezo to which they were driven centuries ago. Although the two sides share some roots, the Ainyuu are not by any means Amaharan and have absolutely no intention of bowing to Amaharan lords or economic dependency. Although their numbers are few and their lands generally poor, Ainyuu have significant home field advantages and are more likely to be conducting raids on the encroaching Amaharan settlements than to suffer reversals in their own territory. They are great foresters, have strong archery traditions and have access to a separate unit list to reflect this.

Sengoku Amahara

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