Minzoku
People & Places
Minzokan Territory
Capital: Xien La, the Imperial City. The Emperor's estate lies on an island in the mouth of the Jirogawa river, the great river that bisects the Imperial City. Known as the 'Land of the Misty North' thanks to a proliferation of hot springs that keep the land much warmer than it would otherwise be.
Language: Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese.
Naming Conventions: Family Name, Given Name.
Ex: Nakagawa Hoshi.
Government: Imperial Dynasty.
Current Ruler: Emperor, 2nd son of the last Emperor, sent to oversee the new colony.
Politics: Rule dictated by the Emperor, enforced by officers and upper class families vying for favor.
Exports: Silk, liquors, rice.
Imports: Herd animals.
Currency: Fine gems and trade goods. Formerly jade, though as deposits are more rare in the new world the Emperor is said to be considering other options.
Geography: Forested taiga lowlands to the north transitioning through hilly plains to the northern edge of the Oami great redwood forests to the southeast.
Climate: Cool northern climate, warmer than would otherwise be expected due to the numerous hot springs.
Physical Appearance: Olive skin, dark hair, from dark brown to black with blue tinge, almond shaped dark eyes, slightly shorter than normal stature. Men's hair may be worn in several different fashions, with facial hair a matter of personal preference. Women's hair was formerly exclusively long, though many first born female children have taken to cutting their hair short as a sign of their place as protector of their family.
Clothing Styles: Layered clothes, usually of a formal style, though laborers often wear more functional clothing.
Personal Hygiene: Natural hot springs used for regular bathing and washing.
Diet: Seafood, rice, rice wine, some fruit wines.
Cultural Taboos: Handling dead bodies of those who are not relatives. Preparing the bodies of relatives is a sign of respect. Handling the bodies of those who are not relatives is sometimes seen as disrespectful and likely to invoke the spirit's wrath.
Proper Greeting: Varies greatly depending upon the perceived difference in social standing, with the depth of a bow being a good indicator of a person's level of respect.
Recreational Activities: Weaving, gambling (though it is frowned upon by proper society), games of strategy, fishing.
Arts/Architecture: Arches, tiered buildings, brush painting and flower arranging for the upper class.
Family Structure: Family is held in high regard, to dishonor your family can lead to exile. It has become the habit for the eldest child to be trained to defend the family while the second child is raised to take over the family's position. This has led to a resurgence in martial arts school, particularly those focused on bodyguarding and female students, such as the Onna-bugeisha who commonly train with the naginata.
Social Structure: The family is all important, second only to one's duty to the Emperor.
Marriage: Marriages usually arranged by families, marriage for love possible if the families can be convinced. Divorce very rare, usually requiring some grievous offense or dishonor by one member of the couple.
Sexuality: Homosexual relationships are generally frowned upon, largely as they do not contribute to the family legacy. Prostitution is largely a matter of class. Geisha at lower class establishments are whores in all but name. Middle class geishas are expected to be skilled entertainers, though sex is likely. Upper class establishments are focused on entertainment. It is a sign of a lack of refinement if sex actually occurs at a formal entertainment establishment.
Education: Teaching by one's neighbors, tutors being common for wealthier families.
Common Methods of Transport: Foot, rickshaw, horses being largely reserved for long distance messengers and transportation.
Legal System and Punishments: Judgement is passed by magistrates, with punishments carried out immediately. Long term prison sentences are rare, with serious criminals often being branded and forced into hard labor.
Military: Families often have a weapon's master to train members of the household. The Emperor maintains a small force of troops, though technically all houses owe their allegiance to the Emperor and as such their troops are his to command. Warriors tend towards blades, though some prefer spears. Maces and hammers are seen as the crude weapons of monsters. Armor is simple padding for peasantry, with more layered armor for guards and great armor for the new wealth able to possess such artifacts.
Religion: Shintoism with reincarnation, Kojiki, the Record of Ancient Matters, contains the history of the people and prayers to the ancestors and the gods. Prayers are made at shrines and temples, usually before festivals, with regular short prayers and small offerings made during one's daily business.
It is said a great disturbance in the spirit realm is responsible for the Long Dark, though no specific being or beings have been blamed.
Burial Rituals: Cremation, with the ashes typically interred in a family shrine. Should an entire family, or the last member of a family, die, their ashes would be scattered to the wind at the mouth of a river.
Animals of Significance: Most animals honored in their own way. Foxes are honored as clever, though potentially tricksy, creatures.
Practice of Divination: Pyromancy using oracle bones, painting questions on an animal bone and holding it into a fire and then divining the future or the answers to questions from how the bones crack.
View of Magic: To be so close to the spirits is a blessing, though it tends to drive those touched so to oddities and peculiarities.
View of other cultures:
Skenden: An uncivilized people with little appreciation for culture, they do possess their own sort of honor and loyalty to family.
Oami: A properly reverent people, even if they do not seek to build a place in the world.
Dascean: A people who know the proper structure of the world, even if they constantly bicker over it.
Ta Atoua: A well ordered people, though they treat those beneath them with harshly, and they lack an appreciation for the finer things in life.
Ash-Sh'b: A curious people, with a proper faith and appreciation for art, but a wildness that often brings them to trouble.
Free Isles: No respect. Thankfully they are far enough away that we are rarely bothered by them.
Language: Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese.
Naming Conventions: Family Name, Given Name.
Ex: Nakagawa Hoshi.
Government: Imperial Dynasty.
Current Ruler: Emperor, 2nd son of the last Emperor, sent to oversee the new colony.
Politics: Rule dictated by the Emperor, enforced by officers and upper class families vying for favor.
Exports: Silk, liquors, rice.
Imports: Herd animals.
Currency: Fine gems and trade goods. Formerly jade, though as deposits are more rare in the new world the Emperor is said to be considering other options.
Geography: Forested taiga lowlands to the north transitioning through hilly plains to the northern edge of the Oami great redwood forests to the southeast.
Climate: Cool northern climate, warmer than would otherwise be expected due to the numerous hot springs.
Physical Appearance: Olive skin, dark hair, from dark brown to black with blue tinge, almond shaped dark eyes, slightly shorter than normal stature. Men's hair may be worn in several different fashions, with facial hair a matter of personal preference. Women's hair was formerly exclusively long, though many first born female children have taken to cutting their hair short as a sign of their place as protector of their family.
Clothing Styles: Layered clothes, usually of a formal style, though laborers often wear more functional clothing.
Personal Hygiene: Natural hot springs used for regular bathing and washing.
Diet: Seafood, rice, rice wine, some fruit wines.
Cultural Taboos: Handling dead bodies of those who are not relatives. Preparing the bodies of relatives is a sign of respect. Handling the bodies of those who are not relatives is sometimes seen as disrespectful and likely to invoke the spirit's wrath.
Proper Greeting: Varies greatly depending upon the perceived difference in social standing, with the depth of a bow being a good indicator of a person's level of respect.
Recreational Activities: Weaving, gambling (though it is frowned upon by proper society), games of strategy, fishing.
Arts/Architecture: Arches, tiered buildings, brush painting and flower arranging for the upper class.
Family Structure: Family is held in high regard, to dishonor your family can lead to exile. It has become the habit for the eldest child to be trained to defend the family while the second child is raised to take over the family's position. This has led to a resurgence in martial arts school, particularly those focused on bodyguarding and female students, such as the Onna-bugeisha who commonly train with the naginata.
Social Structure: The family is all important, second only to one's duty to the Emperor.
Marriage: Marriages usually arranged by families, marriage for love possible if the families can be convinced. Divorce very rare, usually requiring some grievous offense or dishonor by one member of the couple.
Sexuality: Homosexual relationships are generally frowned upon, largely as they do not contribute to the family legacy. Prostitution is largely a matter of class. Geisha at lower class establishments are whores in all but name. Middle class geishas are expected to be skilled entertainers, though sex is likely. Upper class establishments are focused on entertainment. It is a sign of a lack of refinement if sex actually occurs at a formal entertainment establishment.
Education: Teaching by one's neighbors, tutors being common for wealthier families.
Common Methods of Transport: Foot, rickshaw, horses being largely reserved for long distance messengers and transportation.
Legal System and Punishments: Judgement is passed by magistrates, with punishments carried out immediately. Long term prison sentences are rare, with serious criminals often being branded and forced into hard labor.
Military: Families often have a weapon's master to train members of the household. The Emperor maintains a small force of troops, though technically all houses owe their allegiance to the Emperor and as such their troops are his to command. Warriors tend towards blades, though some prefer spears. Maces and hammers are seen as the crude weapons of monsters. Armor is simple padding for peasantry, with more layered armor for guards and great armor for the new wealth able to possess such artifacts.
Religion: Shintoism with reincarnation, Kojiki, the Record of Ancient Matters, contains the history of the people and prayers to the ancestors and the gods. Prayers are made at shrines and temples, usually before festivals, with regular short prayers and small offerings made during one's daily business.
It is said a great disturbance in the spirit realm is responsible for the Long Dark, though no specific being or beings have been blamed.
Burial Rituals: Cremation, with the ashes typically interred in a family shrine. Should an entire family, or the last member of a family, die, their ashes would be scattered to the wind at the mouth of a river.
Animals of Significance: Most animals honored in their own way. Foxes are honored as clever, though potentially tricksy, creatures.
Practice of Divination: Pyromancy using oracle bones, painting questions on an animal bone and holding it into a fire and then divining the future or the answers to questions from how the bones crack.
View of Magic: To be so close to the spirits is a blessing, though it tends to drive those touched so to oddities and peculiarities.
View of other cultures:
Skenden: An uncivilized people with little appreciation for culture, they do possess their own sort of honor and loyalty to family.
Oami: A properly reverent people, even if they do not seek to build a place in the world.
Dascean: A people who know the proper structure of the world, even if they constantly bicker over it.
Ta Atoua: A well ordered people, though they treat those beneath them with harshly, and they lack an appreciation for the finer things in life.
Ash-Sh'b: A curious people, with a proper faith and appreciation for art, but a wildness that often brings them to trouble.
Free Isles: No respect. Thankfully they are far enough away that we are rarely bothered by them.