Soryen Culture

Soryen Culture: Life of Sword and Honor

No blade carries the weight of an entire nation's honor, culture, and respect as a Soryen sword. The legendary nation of swordsmen in Honorblade, the Soryen nation stands as one of the oldest nations in Honorblade with their tribes dating back to the Age of Thunderheart. Honorbound in every facet of their lives, the grace and fearlessness of a Soryen is unmistakable and oftentimes unbelievable. Forged from violent beginnings when corrupted celestial gods tyrannized and destroyed mortal they deemed insignificant, a Soryen code of honor carried the warriors through their wars and rebellions against the gods with dignity in themselves in a world that deemed them insects. It is the same honor code that ripped away their fear of death as an honorable life guaranteed an honorable afterlife in the eyes of the Soryen. Bound by blade and honor, the Soryen nation stands as one of the titans of Honorblade with their legendary steel only matched by their lust for vengeful combat.
The Blades of the North: The Senarai
The Soryen nation is located in the realm of Honorblade. East of the Xanru Empire, the ancestral continent of the Soryens is called the Senarai located between the Sea of Smoke and the Adexian Ocean. The Senarai is a bountiful land of nature forged and blessed by the powerful Shina nature gods of the Soryen pantheon. The northern region called the Nisento region is the frigid crown of the Senarai with its coasts not too far from Eis. The southern region called the Kasena region is home to the nation's famous Isenkai ports and lighthouses. The east is called the Hitami region and considered by many Soryens as the ancestral home of the ancient Soryens with their architecture and dialect reflecting their age. Finally, the most famous of the Senarai regions is the west called the Soryen region. Carrying the namesake of the entire nation, the Soryen region is the seat of power for the entire nation and the center of their liberation from the tyrannical Thunderheart Prismian. It was in the Soryen region where the first empress, Empress Adexia Kaze, ascended to divinity solidifying the region as holy.
Land Forged in Lightning and Steel
The Senarai continent was carved from the ancient celestial battles of the native nature gods and goddesses called the Shina. The Shina deities composed of Shinamera of Lightning, Izuna of the Mountains, Mizura of the Sea, and Hikaganen of the Sun would wage apocalyptic war for the supreme authority of reigning as the chief deity of the warrior race. In their cataclysmic war, the land was carved in the wounds of their war: the Izuna Mountains, the Mizura River, the Torenshii lightning temples, and the bleached forests of the Hikaganen are all creations of vengeful and ambitious deities who aspired to be the master of the realm. Eventually, the Shina deities formed a fragile holy armistice realizing continued war would spell the destruction of the land and people they wished to guide. Instead, the Shina left the decision to the mortals on who would be the most revered of the 4 Shina deities. With their influence so heavily entwined with the land, sea, and sky in the Senarai, magic and wonder are always in full bloom in the Senarai. From the ancient stone Izuna golems who guard the old passages to her castles within the mountains or the lightning dragons of the Shinamera who test all those who dare ascend Mt. Shirashi, nature is alive in the Senarai fueled by angry gods.
Islands of Steel, Sword, and Spirit
The Senarai continent is blessed with an abundance of steel and iron ore which has formed the foundation of the legendary blades that they are famed for. With much of their steel coming from the Izuna Mountains, the Soryen comprises nearly 70% of all steel produced in Honorblade with Izuna steel seen as a prized commodity. With abundant steel mines christened by their mountain goddess, the Soryen Steel trade is responsible for much of their fortune and continues to be seen as the best steel in all of the realms Anim. After steel, Soryen Tohoku wood is prized for their dazzling bark that absorbs and scintillates light. The same wood that makes the legendary Sunwind Festival of Tohoku, wood from the Tohoku forests are believed to be blessed by the Sun God Hikaganen and guarded by the goddess of the hunt, Amira. Expensive and rare, Tohoku wood is rarely bought by money but traded for similar divine commodities from other countries.
Masters of Hikaragan (Crucible) - Unity of the Shina
Soryens are the ancient traders, merchants, and forgers of the blade in Honorblade. With a history written in blood and war, the Soryen warriors of old were artisans and architects of weapons capable of cutting celestial armor. The crucible is a holy temple to the Soryens; a sanctified shrine of fire, steel, and lighting where the blades that would carve and slice fate would be born from. Called the Hikaragan, the crucible is where all the four Shina deities put aside their vengeful bloodlust against one another and unite to give the mortals the sacred ability to forge divine steel. Izuna gives the holy steel from which the blessed blades will be forged from. Shinamera provides the lightning with which the unbreakable steel can be molded. Hikaganen’s holy sunlight cleanses the steel of malicious impurities. Mizura’s waters cool and temper the fiery metal into its final form. While the Shina will continue to wage celestial war until the final days of Shizumoru, the Hikaragan Crucibles will stand as forges of steel and unity where all Soryens can witness that peace is possible among the immortal spirits of nature.
The Five Hikaragan Masters of the Soryen
With forging and metallurgy a central pillar to both Soryen commerce, history, and religion, forgers are revered as divine artisans of the gods. Ritualistic training both mentally and physically breaking is required to be considered a Soryen forger; the legacy of war and the expectation to create perfect blades in the name of the Shina weigh heavy on the forger as the quality of their blades will mark their name in history. Incompetent forgers do not last long in the Soryen for a broken or dull blade can result in the exile of the forger from Soryen lands. At worst, if a warrior’s blade shatters during combat and they are killed, the forger of the blade will be executed as sacrifice and penance for their insult to one most sacred arts of the Soryen that resulted in the death of a warrior. However, skilled forgers are sometimes revered as saints of the gods themselves. The Hikaragan Masters, the greatest forgers of the Soryen, are the saints of steel for their legendary craftsmanship. Believed to be blessed by each of the Shina deities directly in one way or another, the Hikaragan Masters are the only mortals allowed to touch the holy Soryen Steel ore that is believed to be made from the blood of the Mountain Goddess Izuna Shina. The five Hikaragan Masters are:
Raiken Ketara (F) - Ketara Blade Clan
Katsuragi Oharu (F) - Shinazuya Blade Clan
Sasaki Yatamo (M) - Shinazuya Blade Clan
Tazawa Shoichi (M) - Shinzuya Blade Clan
Yanagida Kazuko (M) - Azuren Blade Clan


Religion - The Shinakana - Gods of Steel and Storm
The Four Immortals - The Shina
The Soryen Empire follows the Shinakana Pantheon consisting of four major deities of nature called the Shina. These cosmic beings are seen as the primordial creators of the universe as well as emperors and empresses of nature. The world bends to the will of these four deities and much of Soryen rituals, sacred temples, and culture is centered around the reverence of one of the four Shina. While the Shina are the masters of the universe, they are also seen as the harbingers of the apocalypse as each Shina is bound by ambition to become the most revered deity of the pantheon resulting in frequent clashes in the mortal and celestial realm between rival denominations. Ultimately, the Soryen’s believe apocalypse will arrive with the final battle between the lightning god Shinamera and the mountain goddess Izuna in a cosmic war called Shizumoru where the victor will remake the world anew. The four Shina Gods are:
Shinamera - God of Lightning, Thunder, and Storms
Izuna - Goddess of the Mountain and Steel
Hikaganen - Dragon God of the Sun
Mizura - Goddess of the Ocean


The Shinakana religion is one of hunter and prey; celestials hunt one another to consume their divine essence to ascend the ladder from lowly Kana to Shina at the very top. The Shina are seen as the apex deities with each having been known to have slaughtered thousands of lesser Kana to defend their throne as master of the universe. In a culture obsessed with the warrior’s code and strength overcoming all, the Shina are lords. All Soryen warriors pray for guidance and protection. Each major Shina rules dominion over a certain aspect of Soryen ideology serving as shepherd of the tenet; Shinamera is the heart of warriors code of victory or death, Izuna’s tenets consist of mercy and dignity, Hikaganen’s teaches forbearance, and Mizura shows mortals the proper ways of displaying respect as well as teaching how to punish those who disrespect. Hundreds of temples dedicated to Shina worship exist in every biome imaginable from the tallest peaks of the Izuna mountains to the deep depths of the Adexian Ocean with their followers devoted to becoming closer to the element of their respective Shina. While the Shina are related by cosmic birth, it is simpler to see each Shina as a denomination with their own religious text and rituals. Regardless of the Shina they worship, the Soryens look to the skies, seas, and mountains for the guidance of their lords.

The Exalted Kana - Sankana
Below the Four Shina lords are the Exalted Kana called the Sankana. The Sankana, originally born as the lesser Kana gods, proved their power to the Shina by defeating and consuming other Kana in order to ascend higher in the pantheon. Eventually, these exceptional Kana reached the thrones of the original Shina deities and challenged the lords of nature for their place as masters of the cosmos. The powerful Kana would be swiftly defeated by the primordial lords of creation whose powers and existence eclipsed the Kana exponentially. However, instead of consuming the Kana, the Shina gods were left impressed by their strength, tenacity, and fearlessness even in the face of death. For representing what it meant to be a Soryen god, the Shina transformed these Kana into the Sankana - exalted gods blessed by the Shina to reign over certain dominions in the name of their Shina. The four Sankana along with their Shina superior are:
Amira - Goddess of the Hunt - Shinamera Shina
Sanarozu - God of the Forest - Mizura Shina
Kangasen - God of the Moon - Hikaganen Shina
Amenoshiki - Goddess of Death - Izuna Shina

The Sankana are worshipped along with their Shina superior among nearly all Soryens throughout their history. The Shina, despite the supreme cosmic lords of nature, are rarely directly worshipped but rather through their Sankana are the Shina prayed to similar to a vassal/master hierarchy. In the celestial realm, the Sankana are both revered and hated: once lesser Kana, the Sankana are prime targets for ambitious Kana to kill and consume in hopes of taking their place as the knighted by the Shina. Thus, the Sankana are challenged endlessly for their position but have proven near impossible to defeat with each victory only getting them stronger. Murmurs amongst some speak of certain Sankana gathering strength to usurp their lordly Shina once again, but even the Sankana know: there will be no mercy for a second battle.
The Ambitious Prey - Kana
At the bottom of the celestial food chain in the Shinakana are the lesser gods known as the Kana. The Kana are nature spirits given physical form either through time, magic, or sheer ambition. In a land charged with magic such as the Soryen, it is common for nature itself to gain sentience after enough time or reverence. A rock worshipped as holy may manifest as a golem or stone spirit called Sutona; a ritualistic flame dance may give birth to a violent Hikana flame spirit; an old road may even turn into a Kana given the mortals revere it. There are thousands of Kana that roam the mortal and celestial realm of Anim and all exist for one purpose: ascend the pantheon to the throne of Shina. A Kana, while immortal, is born into a cruel world of gods where powerful celestials constantly battle each other to consume their divine essence and grow fat with power. Survival is earned with every Kana hunting or hiding to live another day. Lesser Kana will be eaten and destroyed while the stronger spirits will grow and challenge more powerful Kana often resulting in destructive battles in the Soryen. Eventually, a Kana aims to challenge the exalted Sankana for their seat under the four Shina but some Kana dream of becoming the apex god: a Shina.

The Saints of Steel - Kanajin
Existing in the Shinakana Pantheon is the Kanajin - Soryen mortals canonized as saints for their divine deeds. Mortals who exemplify a tenet of the Shina or Sankana, bring victory to the Soryen, or sacrifice themselves for the good of the nation or gods are sometimes christened by a higher god to a life or afterlife of Soryen glory. The Kanajin are extremely rare but those who exist and have existed stand as icons of Soryen glory with their names revered as divine. Many of the Kanajin were canonized posthumously with many earning their place in divinity from their sacrifice such as the last Ketara Bladequeen Kazunari Ketara and her daughter Kamane Ketara who were canonized as Kanajin by the mountain Shina Izuna for their sacrifice and mercy in the face of treachery. Among the rare Kanajin who are alive include the Iron Princess and Hikaragan Raiken Ketara who exposed the demonic corruption of her father ultimately defeating the former Hikaragan to become the matriarch and divine forger of the Soryen. With her arm cursed and transformed into pure iron by her corrupted father, Raiken would continue her divine duty as a forger of Soryen blades going as far as using her iron arm as a forging hammer and tong. The Mountain Shina Izuna would bless Raiken for her valor and devotion to the sacred art of forging by making her a living Kanajin, the only Hikaragan with the title and only one of two living mortals carrying the divine title of Kanajin.

The Holy Blades - The Five Razenken
The most sacred holy artifacts of the Shinakana pantheon are the five Soryen Steel blades known as the Razenken or the Razenblades. As the world was being shaped by the raging Shina gods, The God of Lightning Shinamera and the Mountain Goddess Izuna battled to the death for the right to be called god or goddess of the Senarai. As the Shinamera struck the mountain Shina with his vicious lightning, Izuna’s divine blood would spill onto the mortal realm giving birth to the legendary mountains that would be named after her. Her blood would also create the rarest metal known to the realm of Anim: Soryen Steel. Soryen steel, with its trademark crimson color, is believed to have originated from the very blood of the Izuna Shina. The ore hides deep within the heart the Izuna Mountains ranges fabled to be guarded by titans of stone, fierce abyssal dragons, and ancient warriors of the Viryuu Yamatsuren who will let no soul lay hand on the very blood of the divine mother of the mountain. Viryuu, the Great Kana of the Mountains, would create 5 holy blades under the guidance of the Izuna Shina that would save the Soryen in its darkest hour as prophesied in the Seinaryu Codex. The Soryen Steel Blades would be called The Razenblades. Due to their divinity, the Razenblades are integral in the Soryen religion with the Seinaryu christening them as the saviors of the nation. Further, forged from the blood of the goddess, the Razenblades house souls within their steel. These souls are considered a manifestation of the ideology of the Soryen. Passionate, powerful, and sometimes violent, the Razenblade spirits will be the ultimate judge in deciding who will learn their true name, marking them worthy of wielding them. The Five Razenken are as follows:
Tsurasane - Bladed Light - The Princess of the Shadow Palace
Saga - Pridebreaker - The Hunter of the Demonic Towers
Ryusenikana - Edge of Stars - The Twilight Traveler
Hatanamori - Crimson Pennant - The Final Flag
Izunata - Phantom of the Storm - The Atonement

Considered the greatest blades ever created in Anim, the Razenken fulfilled their prophecy already during the Thunderheart War when the Five Razenblades were wielded to kill the Prismian tyrant Thunderheart. However, after the liberation from celestial tyrants, all the Razenken were lost to time amidst the bloody recovery of a nation that was nearly wiped out. Eventually, Tsurasane would be found once again by the Soryen Empress Kazunari Ketara and Saga centuries later by her descendant Kyra Ketara. The remaining three: Ryusenikana, Hatanamori, and Izunata, have yet to be found.

The Demon Blade of the Ketara - Tsurasane
Despite the Five Razenken held in the highest of divinity for their birth from the blood of a goddess, one blade is feared more than it is revered: Tsurasane - Bladed Light. The first blade forged from the blood of Izuna, the Raging God of Shinamera blessed the blade for its immaculate beauty. Created by a goddess and loved by the Raging God himself, a malignant ego grew within the crimson steel of Tsurasane. The soul within the blade believed itself to be the most radiant and beautiful in all of the cosmos but there was one thing that festered a vengeful legacy within the vindictive Tsurasane - light. Churches were dedicated to it. Gods were born and named in its glory. The mortals rejoiced in its advent. Light. Tsurasane hated the golden beams of radiance from the Hikaganen Sun seeing how it was the center of joy for the universe. In her vengeance, Tsurasane used her divinity to enslave light.
Tsurasane’s malice and jealousy gave the blade its fearsome and legendary power of transforming any light reflected on it into lightspeed blades of death. Where once mortals and gods celebrated the sight of the light, Tsurasane twisted the life giving radiance into lightspeed death. Anything caught in Tsurasane’s corrupted light would see the eternal darkness of death. Light was now feared just as Tsurasane wanted. However, it was not enough for the jealous blade. Tsurasane wanted to become light; the center of a universe where anyone not in her glory would die in darkness. Using her divine steel and cosmic blessing, Tsurasane would accomplish her vengeful wish: becoming the reference of light itself. The realm would darken. An eternal night would rule the heavens. Tsurasane would sit in the throne at the heart of the sky as the universe’s new bringer of radiance. The Demon Queen of Bladed Light.
The gods would not stand her revolt. The Shina Deities, including her own mother Izuna Shina, would forge a holy sheathe that would imprison Tsurasane in a palace of shadow where she could never terrorize the light of the cosmos. Constructed by the Four Shina Deities in unity, the sheathe would be created using the four holy elements of the Shina: Izuna Steel, Mizura Stormsoul, Hikaganen Lumenite, and Shinamera Lightning. The sheathe would be named Ketara meaning Forbearance in the Raikenkai. However, the Shina demanded a mortal to tame the Demon Queen of Bladed Light as a testament to the valor of mortals. However, the fearsome legacy of the Demon of Bladed Light would lay silent nearly all of the Blade Clans to the challenge of the Shina except for one: the Seterana Blade Clan.
Kazunari Seterana, a survivor of the Thunderheart War and the former wielder of Tsurasane, would take the challenge of the Shina to tame the vanity of Tsurasane. Taking the Ketara sheathe, Kazunari would enter Tsurasane’s palace of light where she sat as the queen of all that is radiant. The demonic spirit of pride would scoff at the thought of a mortal sent by cowardly gods who could break the chains she had over the light. Kazunari remained unfazed and challenged the goddess of vanity to battle within her dark palace outside the realm of time. Eventually, Kazunari would defeat Tsurasane using her own pride against her. The Demon of Bladed Light's arrogance came from her belief that she was light itself and her presence would illuminate anything in her glory. Kazunari beguiled the Demon Blade’s pride by claiming her sheathe could never be illuminated by Tsurasane’s cursed light. The Demon Blade could not resist the mortal’s insult and unleashed her fury upon Kazunari ripping her body, leaving her famous scars. Once Tsurasane unleashed her light into the sheathe, the darkness of the gods would chain the demon in an unbreakable shadow. The sheathe was now forever bound to Tsurasane, imprisoning her within the divine steel in a palace of shadow. Returning victorious, the Shina would bestow Anim’s most powerful and dangerous blade to the only clan that proved they could tame its legendary fury: the Seterana. In honor of their victory, the Seterana would be renamed the Ketara Blade Clan.
Tsurasane, Anim’s most powerful and corrupted blade, now rests as a Ketara clan heirloom that is passed down generation after generation. Controlled and bound, the Princess of the Shadow Palace sits in her dark castle amidst the bodies of those she's cut down in the name of her pride. Her body made of shadow, long crimson hair, and a wind fan to conceal a beauty she believes should rule the universe, Tsurasane waits for her Ketara wardens to briefly unleash her into the realm of light where she can hunt the radiance. The Demon of the Ketara Clan is the most feared of all Soryen lore with her smile within her dark sheath hungry for light for all of eternity.
Religious Texts - The Seinaryu: Divine Guidance of Warrior Gods
The Soryen people look towards the holy codices known as the Seinaryu. The land of the Soryen was born during an age of cataclysm when the banished Infinian race of Prismians had annexed the realm after being defeated by the Prime Gods. The Senarai was a battleground between the Prismians, Dragons, and the Shina Deities for supremacy over the land. The Soryen mortals, allying with their Shina lords, would be bestowed codices from their gods to learn how to kill their celestial tyrants. Called the Seinaryu, the Soryen holy text are four sets of ancient scrolls created by the Shina Gods each with the secrets to combat the celestial that terrorized the land. The Seinaryu are as follows:
The Meirakan - The Scrolls of Shinamera
The Venokan - The Scrolls of Izuna
The Hinarokan - The Scrolls of Hikaganen
The Sanragokan - The Scrolls of Mizura

Each codex is believed to be guarded by their respective Yamatsuren, divine warriors trained by the elemental Sankana gods fabled to be the apex of mortal warriors sworn to protect the artifacts of the gods. Their temples are secrets only known to the heads of each Blade Clan called the Seiga and head priests or priestesses of each Shina denominations. The Seinaryu outline the respective Shina deity’s honor code from which all souls who swear to it must abide by or face divine retribution. Each codex is often referred to by the Shina who wrote it, i.e. the Izuna Seinaryu refers to the holy codex belonging to the Izuna Shina. The Seinaryu is a critical foundation for Soryen culture and tradition with its ancient texts outlining arcane secrets needed to vanquish celestials from the mortal plane, teach mortals the sword style of their ruling Shina, and ultimately instill the iron tradition of honor before death that would greatly shape the legend of the Soryen people.
Denominations - The Four Kosan
With four major Shina deities, four religious denominations of the Shinakana religion would rise. Simple in their purpose but complex and unique in their traditions, each denomination would worship one of the Shina deities. Called the Kosan, a Soryen is often baptized into their Kosan based on either the ruling Shina or Blade Clan of their region, or from hereditary traditions. Regardless, the four Kosan of the Soryen are:
The Shinamera Kosan
The Izuna Kosan
The Hikaga Kosan
The Mizura Kosan

Each Kosan is hierarchical in their chain of authority with a head priest or priestess called the Daimo (priest) or Daimara (priestess) seen as the heads of the Shina Kosan. The Shina Daimo and Daimara are highly revered and believed to be in communion with the Shina deities themselves making their word both honored and feared. The path to becoming a Daimo or Daimara is based on holy service, piety, and tenure. Only the Daimo or Daimara are allowed into the sacred Yamatsuren Temples of the Shina Seinaryu where their Shina’s very scripture is guarded. Through the Daimo and Daimara knowledge and translation of the Seinaryu, the Kosan are taught how to worship their Shina as well as the tenets their primal lord demands from them.

Values - Fear Nothing and Steel Bound Honor
Cruel Fearlessness - Flashpoint of Vengeance
Only one principle stands as most sacred: fearlessness. Since their inception, death was a looming reality for the Soryen tribes present everyday in celestial monsters that viewed them as insignificant hurdles to destroy. Cruel, heartless, and merciless gods would torture the early Soryens in their own land for the sake of entertainment and amusement before they were exterminated. This cruelty forged an unbreakable spirit of vengeance and fearlessness in the culture of the Soryen. Warriors of ages past needed to show no compassion for the heavenly tyrants who would smell it as weakness and exploit it. The Blade Lords of the ancient Senarai needed to chill their humanity to a cold steeled edge to focus on survival. Happiness was irrelevant. Generosity was as useful as a dull and cracked blade. Mercy was the weakness in the steel. The gods had shown them no quarter; the Soryens would retaliate by losing their humanity in a flashpoint of vengeance.
The rage of the ancient Soryens during the Thunderheart War never left the warrior race and was ingrained as a tenet of fearlessness every war must abide by to be seen as a true member of their Blade Clan. A Soryen warrior must never fear death, never retreat, and never show mercy to their sworn enemy or else be seen as a weak link in the chain of warriors. Amongst all the countries and cultures in Anim, Soryen fearlessness is legendary with tales of Soryen swordsmen displaying near soulless responses to even the most horrid of monsters or dire situations. The steel eyed warriors of the Soryen seem numb to emotions displaying no reactions to pain, blood, or gore. General Honorus, celestial founder of the Orinus Republic, famously described his battle with Soryens as, “a duel with a man made of metal. Every cut. Every broken bone. Every fallen around him. Nothing could make it blink; it just stared at me like a blood covered statue.” To a Soryen, even the gods could not make them tremble; what hope do mortals have?
This culture of fearlessness is primarily instilled early in the life of a Soryen through brutal and often traumatizing trials meant to temper the soul as a killing machine. Young Soryens who are bound to the life of a warrior, whether through inscription or lineage, are taught as early as the age of 5 how to kill. As the child grows, so does the cruelty of the trials. The child will be subjected to grueling physical trials, pit against wild animals, and forced to fight other children all for the purpose of molding them into the fearless killing machines of ages past. Among the most controversial of all rituals is the Ritual of Endurance. When the child reaches the age of 15, the young warrior must be trained to never fear pain. An elder warrior of their Blade Clan will break their left or right arm. The young warrior is expected to not make a sound, shed a tear, or move an inch. If the young Soryen even flinches, they will fail the ritual and must wait until the arm is healed again only to break it once again. Once the warrior loses their fear and conquers the pain will they be considered true Soryen warriors of the Blade Clan.
As time passed and the realm of Anim was rid of the celestial tyrants, the world would consider the ancient traditions of the Soryen as barbaric and cruel. Thess and Xanru, racial cousins of the Soryens, would denounce the Soryen way of life as a violation of basic rights. The World Council of Honorblade would also condemn the Soryens especially the Ritual of Endurance as barbaric act of torture and sanction the ancient warrior empire until the ritual was dissolved. The Soryens did not listen. Razen after Razen. Razena after Razena. The kings and queens of the Soryen Empire would refuse to change their ancient traditions citing the illustrious warriors whom Honorblade owes for saving the realm from evil. It was only until the 57th Razena of the Shin Kuranase, Empress Harbor Adexania Kaze, would she ban the Ritual of Endurance and other cruel acts of torture on the young calling it rituals a “relic of a dead era with its purpose only inflcting pain, not foster bravery. A blade tempered too long will only break easier than steel cared for with patience.”
Despite the 57th Razena’s decree, the Soryen still practice what is the most rigorous training for their warriors. With their martial knowledge originating from ancestors who used to fight gods and dragons, the Soryens continue their tradition of fearlessness.
For the Blade Clan
Unity and honor to one’s Karuna (Blade Clan) is a major pillar of Soryen culture and guiding principle that often tempers their legendary vengeance. With their history tracing back to five clans who defied the odds to defeat the gods themselves, a sense of pride and respect to one’s elders, lineage, and Karuna is paramount. In keeping the respect of one’s elders and Karuna, the Soryen’s believe the integrity of the nation will never falter. Every warrior will never fight for him or herself but rather for a greater purpose often connected with their community whether it is their family name or Karuna. Selfish desires and ambitions do not last long in the Soryen with such individuals either ostracized, exiled, or at worst, killed for sullying one of the most sacred pillars of tradition.
Honor to one’s Blade Clan is seen as the most important of all traditions. The stories of a warrior’s Karuna always about surviving when fate had seemed to doom them to death. Brave sacrifices of grandfathers and grandmothers. Defiant stands against evil even when death was the consequence. An iron will of strength and grace even in a world who’s gods hated them. The legends and stories of one’s ancestors bloom a pride that fuels the warriors of the Soryen to continue their noble legends in their own right and continue the tradition of heroism all beginning with having an appreciation for their Blade Clan. Parents teach their children to always give thanks to their ancestors by visiting their graves. Elders teach the youth to never back down from fear or else they shame the spirits of the heroes who came before them. Society instills the tenet that their life is not worth destroying the name and honor of their history and every warrior should be proud to be given the chance to give their life for their Karuna.
With this mind, the Soryens’ honor code often balances their wrath. Honor always comes before selfish vengeance. A warrior is taught that they are ultimately the instrument of a neverending story of heroes with their actions serving as the pen. A selfish killing will only result in the shame being attributed to their family. An out of line insult festered by anger will only be seen as a reflection of their lineage. A break in traditions will be seen as disrespect to the ancient Karuna that gave them the gift of being born in a world clean of vengeful gods. A Soryen will never break their Karuna Honor Code. Those who desecrate the Karuna Honor Code will be exiled or killed as an act of atonement.

Acceptance Through Valor
The gates of the Soryen nation are open to all that can wield a blade and prove their valor in combat. Soryen culture sees beyond race or ethnicity with one’s skill and courage determining whether a foreigner is accepted amongst the warrior nation. A foreigner wishing citizenship and a new life in the Soryen nation will need to head to one of the Kanara Temples located in major regional cities such as Adexia, Hinamata, or Kanarushino. The foreigner will plead their case to the regional marshal council called the Kafuyu literally meaning “Bell Guardians'” in reference to the ceremonial bells of the capital city gates often rung during attacks or when the imperial family visit the city. The Regional Kafuyu govern nearly all the affairs within their region including the acceptance of the foreigners into Soryen life. Each Kafuyu Marshal are veteran warriors chosen by the region’s ruling Seiga for their valor and experience in combat. A foreigner looking for sanctuary or a new home in the Soryen must prove their strength or worth to the nation to the Kafuyu. If the foreigner is able bodied, combat is the only way to earn their entry. The Kafuyu will have the foreigner participate in combat trials meant to test their strength with each Kafuyu’s trial differing from another’s with some pitting foreigners against each other for the prize of citizenship. Occupation or race is irrelevant; soldier, merchant, doctor, or teacher, all must face trial by combat to earn the seal of the Kafuyu. After the trial, the marshal council will decide the fate of the foreigner. If satisfied, the foreigner will be recognized as a Nisori or “thunder child”. In the eyes of society, the Nisori are children regardless of age until they pass their right of passage called the Trial of the Kanara. If the Kafuyu Marshals are dissatisfied, they will deport the newcomer from Soryen shores.


Political Structure- Adhering to Traditional Warriors
Power - The Razen and Razena - Monarchy Crowned by Blades
The Soryen Nation is a traditional monarchy ruled by Razen (Bladeking) or Razena (Bladequeen). In the Age of Thunderheart, the nation was nearly torn apart by a bloody civil war between 100 Blade Clans all fighting to prove their way of life was the Soryen way. However, with only 5 Blade Clans surviving the celestial war, the Soryens decided to instill a single voice who would lead the remaining Blade Clans to unity. Adexia Kaze, the first renowned general of the Soryen army, would gain the favor of the Shina deities for her valor and prowess in combat during the Thunderheart War. The Shina Lords would ascend Adexia Kaze to Kanajin, a living saint of war blessed by the gods for her legend on the battlefield. This was enough for the 5 Blade Clans to crown Adexia Kaze, and the Kaze Blade Clan, as royalty by divine mandate. Thus, more than 95% of the Razens and the Razenas are from the Kaze Blade Clan with notable exceptions happening due to historical circumstances.
The Razen and the Razena are the lords of warriors. Standing as the de facto leader of the nation by virtue of the divine birth, the emperors and empresses command and move the nation at their whim. However, their power is kept in check by three major governing bodies: the Karunase, Kafuyu, and the Shindara.
The Karunase consists of the Five Seigas, or lords, of the Blade Clans. Ranking just below the royal family among the chain of power, the Seigas are the voices of the five cardinal families. The Razen or Razena is expected to listen and abide by the advice of these elders as oftentimes the Seigas are older and wiser than the emperor or empress. While the crown makes the final call, tradition demands the crown to take in consideration the will of the Karunase as it is believed they are the will of the warriors of the nation.
The Kafuyu, or Marshal Captains, are the governing individuals of the capital cities of each region in the Senarai. The Kafuyu Council often deals with all local and international affairs of the Soryen and are seen as the local authorities of a major region. With their experience and knowledge of the nation’s needs in everyday life, the Razen or Razena are expected to listen to the Kafuyu as they are believed to be the voice of the common people
The Shindara, or Stormseers, consists of the major Daimo or Daimara of each Kosan denomination. Believed to be in direct communion with Shinkana deities of the Senarai, the Shindara are expected to give the Razen or Razena divine guidance straight from the voice of the gods.
With the consultation of the Karunase, Kafuyu, and Shindara, the Razen or Razena moves with the will of the nation and heavens in their hands. All respect and bow in the presence of the divine warrior of the Soryen nation as dragons and Yamatsuren often follow as their vanguard. While the imperial city of Adexia was once the seat of power and Kenar Bastion during the Ten Nights of Death, Venome Castle in Hitami City is now recognized as the seat of the imperial family beginning with the 56th Razena Shinra Adexania Kaze.
In the event a Razen or Razena attempts to take absolute control of the Soryen, the Karunase are allowed to defy and ultimately kill the tyrant. In this case, the Seiga of the Kaze will take their place as the new leader. However, the Karunase is not immune to usurping a sitting Razen or Razena. The 56th Seiga of the Kaze Karuna, Shinra Adexania Kaze, would convince the Karunase that her father, 55th Razen Miasan Kaze, was sympathetic to the demonic Sinalan legion and an instrument of the Didaxian Comet that slaughtered thousands of Soryens in its undead fog. Ultimately, Seiga Shinra would convince the Karunase to turn on the Razen in a civil war called the Shinraten Insurrection. Seiga Shinra would kill her father to take the throne as the Razena of the Shin Karunase.
The Chain of Authority in the Soryen is as follows beginning with the highest to lowest:
Razen or Razena
Karunase
Shindara
Regional Kafuyu

Blade Clans - The Five Ruling Families
The life of a Soryen begins far before they’re born. Ranking above even their gender, the most important aspect of a new Soryen is which Blade Clan they are sworn to. To every Soryen, they will live and die for their Blade Clan without a second’s hesitation .
During the Age of Thunderheart, the Senarai continent was home to 100 unique Soryen tribes of Blade Clans called Karuna. With numerous Blade Clans each with their own traditions and religious beliefs, the chaos between Blade Clans was as deadly as their war with the Celestials. A Blade Clan sees itself as a band of warriors sworn to either a Kana, Shina, or their own mortal tenets of honor that are unbreakable. In the early ages of the Soryen, clashing traditions and honor codes lead to violent clashes between Blade Clans who believed their honor code was the true code of warriors for the nation. Then, the Thunderheart War happened.
The Thunderheart War exterminated 95 of the 100 Blade Clans of the Senarai amasssing a grim death toll of over half a million. Broken steel and death were all that remained at the end of the battle between mortals and gods with a nation scarred in the horrors that had transpired. After the Thunderheart War, the five surviving Blade Clans swore to unity and honor for one another as well as agreed to instill a leader who could guide all the Blade Clans to form a better nation. It was after the horrors of the Thunderheart War was the Soryen nation truly born under five banners of sorrow and steel.
The Soryen Nation consists of five major tribes that make the Shin Karunase, or the “Great Sword Covenant”. These five clans are the last surviving tribes of the ancient Soryen with their history dating nearly two thousand years. The Five Blade Clans of the Shin Karunase are:
The Kaze Karuna
The Ketara Karuna
The Shinazuya Karuna
The Azuren Karuna
The Sarato Karuna

Each Blade Clan holds dominion over a region of the Senaria Continent with their head families seen as the lords of their respective realm. The regional dominions for each Blade Clan are as follows:
The Kaze Karuna - Western Soryen Region
The Ketara Karuna - Eastern Hitami Region
The Shinazuya Karuna - Northern Nisento Region
The Azuren Karuna - Southern Kasena Region
The Sarato Region - The Central Nisento Region

Each Blade Clan is led by a clan leader called the Seiga. The Seiga is a hereditary position only available to the namesake family of each Blade Clan with its authority only superseded by the Razen or Razena. The Seiga is seen as the leader of all warriors within the Blade Clan and the pinnacle of Soryen swordsmanship. The Seiga’s word is law within his or her Blade Clan with insubordination met with swift death.
After the bloodbath that was the Thunderheart War, the five Blade Clans agreed to instill a leader that would unite all the Blade Clans to prosperity. Despite their tendency to settle disputes of power with combat, the remaining Blade Clans wanted to avoid any more bloodshed after the massacre of their nation. The remaining clans would look towards history and divinity for their answer and would settle on the Kaze Clan to be heirs of the mantle emperor or empress of the nation. The canonization of Adexia Kaze to the Kana of Warriors would set a precedent for the oldest tribe of the Soryen to rule as the imperial family of the Shin Kuranase. Thus, a Razen (Bladeking) or Bladequeen (Razena) would be the warrior monarchs that would be tasked with the greatest burden of all: unite and lead the nation of the greatest warriors the realm of Anim had ever seen. A nation of god killers. A land of warring deities. The Five Seiga Lords. A world eager to pick apart the arcane legacy of the magical steel. The Razen or Razena of the Shin Kuranase would bear the greatest weight of responsibility with incompetence punished by death.
Now unified under a Bladeking or Bladequeen, the Soryen monarchy has emerged as one of the most powerful voices of Honoblade. One only needs to look at the history of past Razen or Razenas to see the power at the hands of the leader of the Soryen Nation. However, despite the legacy of the 56 monarchs of the Soryen, the nation of warriors have continued to accomplish their dream of a unified nation of steel and honor.
Bloodlines Determine Social Standing - The Karunajin
While a warrior from another nation or from any Blade Clan can ascend to a Soryen warrior, bloodlines form an unbreakable ceiling; a soul that is not from the five eldest families of the Soryen can never rise above: the Karunajin.
By birthright, the members of the original families who created the five Blade Clans of the Soryen are seen as near royalty. Kaze. Ketara. Shinazuya. Sarato. Azuren. The warriors bearing the name of these five cardinal clans walk with the utmost authority amongst the people of the land. While any warrior can rise in legend in the Soryen nation, their legend will always be seen as a tribute to the cardinal family they are sworn to. From the Daimo, Seigas, and even the Divine Yamatsuren, all must be sworn to one of these five families. History and legends have decorated these names into immortality with warriors such as Raiko Ketara, Emperor Shoku Kaze, and the Titan Amara Shinazuya have reinforced the belief that the five cardinal families are divine and blessed by the Shina deities.
Respect, servitude, and sacrifice are expected from all warriors sworn to a Blade Clan. Children are taught early on to respect the “Karunajin” or “Bladewarriors” referring to the members of the cardinal family. The youth are taught of the legends of past matriarchs and patriarchs of these original families to further enforce the absolute authority of the Karunajin. Disrespect to any of the Karunajin is seen as an extreme offense to Soryen tradition with death possible depending on the decree of the offended Karunajin. All must bow in the presence of the Karunajin. All warriors must fight and be willing to die for their Karunajin. The voices of the Karunajin will move the waves, clouds, and mountains of the land.
Those born into the five cardinal families of the Soryen are expected to be the perfect image of what it means to be part of the eldest clans of the land. The young are expected to live a life of combat and bring glory to their name. All are taught the illustrious history of their namesake that they must continue. Every move and mistake is magnified to the extreme to those bearing the Karunajin name. The weight of the nation's history will always force one of two ends to the members of the Karunajin: either they rise to legend or are shamed into obscurity for staining the name of the Karunajin.

Culture
The Trial of the Kanara - Rite of Passage
The act of proving oneself to family, elders, gods, and ultimately themselves is a crucial rite in Soryen culture. Back in the days when dragons ruled the skies and exiled gods hunted for new places to rule, life was short and Soryens needed to make the most of their unforgiving reality. This meant every single person, from largest to smallest and youngest to oldest, needed to be useful. The ancient and violent Senarai was merciless with powerful Kana celestials and fire breathing dragons quickly able to destroy anything it deemed weak and prey. This bred a culture of proving oneself as strong and efficient; a powerful chain link in the fragile cradle of Soryen life. In the eyes of a Soryen, an adult is not measured by age but by efficiency since this was the metric that determined their survival. The unit of measuring a Soryen's worth was slaying a dragon.
The dragon. The ancient lords of sky and fire made their rule known in the early eras of the Senarai and all of Honorblade. Nearly every civilization in Anim has stories of mortals battling these mystical masters of ruin for survival and the Soryen was no different. The ancient dragons of the Senarai was the Soryens' first test of survival with the draconic legions and the Soryen mortals ultimately competing to exist. The Soryens would need to learn how to kill a beast that was stronger, faster, and more cruel than they could ever be. That is when they turned to the gods.
The Shina Lords would give the Soryens the steel and knowledge to kill the dragons that threatened them. Ironically, it was the Shina deities themselves who were responsible for the dragons in the first place with many of them creations of the Raging God Shinamera. Whether Shinamera created the dragons as a test or amusement is uncertain, but the ancient Soryens would complete the trials of the Shina deities to earn the right to learn their knowledge and steel. And learn they did.
The Soryens, once armed with divine knowledge, hunted the dragons to near extinction. The power balance was reversed and the mortals had become the apex predators. Strong, brave, and disciplined warriors would cleanse the land of its terrors and this would be the birth of their rite of passage: the Kanara.
The Kanara, translating to "Revolt", was the Soryens' mark of adulthood. Once a warrior killed a dragon, it was custom to line the bottom and sides of their eyes with its mystical blood. The tradition was taught by the Shina deities as an act of respect to the dragons who were slayed since they too were part of the dance of nature everyone plays a part in. Warriors returning to their village bearing the Kanara mark were seen as completing their dues to the nation by protecting it. While the dragons are nearly gone, the Kanara Ritual endured
A Soryen, regardless of age, will never be seen as an adult until they complete the Trial of the Kanara. Until then, they will be seen as a Nisori or "Thunderchild". A Nisori is seen as a mark of shame especially on a person of able body and age. It labels the Soryen as useful as a child and thus they will be seen as such. Partnership and friendships will be impossible since no one will want to associate with the social stigma. Employment will be virtually impossible. Worst of all, a Blade Clan may disown any Soryen who stay as Nisori for too long out of fear of harboring the inefficient and weak. To save themselves from this exiled fate, the Trial of the Kanara must be completed ideally before the age of 20.
The Trial of the Kanara is a test of worth, ingenuity, and courage. As was the tradition of the past, the Kanara mark is a symbol of valor, strength, and worth to one's community proudly displayed in the fiery dragon blood around their eyes. However, the dragons which warriors slayed as proof are nearly extinct with the few left either ancient and powerful or allies with the Soryen. Instead, the ritual consists of a pilgrimage to the summit of the Karia-Kame mountain within the Izuna Mountain Ranges. The path is brutal and dangerous with the mountains home to some of the most ancient creatures of the Senarai. At the summit will be waiting a Torenshii-Zura or Storm Priest/Priestess. The Torenshii-Zura will baptize the Soryen in Sandou paint, a substitute for the dragon blood, to mark them as an adult. Only the Karunajin are baptized with holy draconic blood. Afterwards, the Soryen is seen as a true member of Soryen society
Alone or with a group. In a week or 5 years. There are no limits with the Trial of the Kanara except to get it done. The Kanara is the cornerstone of Soryen culture. It merges history, solidarity, and power into one bright mark around the eyes. Bloodbound to the warrior spirit that burns and booms within all Soryens, the Kanara stands as a memory of the power all Thunderborn have earned as birthright. A Soryen without the Kanara is not a Soryen, as goes the mantra of the Kaze
Respecting Nature - A Kana in All of Us
Nature has been and always will be a divine force in Soryen mythology. One only needs to look at their fiery and chaotic past to see why the culture has grown to respect and fear the natural and supernatural world. However, an appreciation for nature stems much deeper than just a product of fear from their past. Divinity and nature are one in the same with Soryen gods, the personification of the world itself. With their existence, the world is incredibly magical, incredibly powerful, but also incredibly fragile, susceptible to decay and death if mortals do not take care of it. Even the Shina Deities, the kings and queens of the realm, waged celestial war against one another for the reward for being the object of worship from the mortals. Gods and mortals. The natural and supernatural. Everything is affected by another and needs one another to survive. Without the guidance of the gods, mortals would die in a harsh world filled with creatures bigger and stronger than them. Similarly, the Shinkana grow strong from the prayers and admiration of mortals which allow them to live in eternity. Everyone and everything takes part in nature.
Despite their wrath and fury, Soryens are amongst the most ecologically conscious and environmentally friendly civilization in all of Honorblade. Respecting nature is not some altruistic courtesy of lofty thought, it is a physical mandate from tradition and divinity with immediate consequences. From a divine standpoint, the Shinkana are physical manifestations of nature. The millennial trees like the Rezamoto Forest. The titan Izuna Mountains that watch the land in silence. The warming sunlight and gentle moonlight that mark the day and night. All of these forces come from real individuals that govern these aspects of nature. Whether mighty Shina or lowly Kana, every leaf is the body of being trying to live on. Every ray of light a gift from the Sun Dragon. The silver moonlight acting as the path for the dead to find peace. Soryens understand this and respect every aspect of nature to show their appreciation for the higher powers above them. Disrespecting the natural lords of the realm leads to immediate and harsh consequences ranging from raging to storms to an afterlife of misery. To the Soryens, nature is driven by real individuals with as much emotion as themselves.
From a traditional standpoint, the Soryen nation has always turned to their natural world for salvation and guidance. Traditional celestial beings such as the Exen Kirin or Angels from the Kagami Pantheon abandoned them. The people only had the trees, sun, and moon to learn and understand from. From learning how to forage for survival to using the lightning itself to forge weapons, nature was a magnificent if not brutal teacher to the Soryens and one they didn't need to look for like in the case of the Exens. A Soryen could learn as much or little on how to live and thrive from the world around them only limited by their own motivation. The answer was always in the wind, one only had to listen for it.
With tradition and divinity creating a culture of natural appreciation, Soryen culture is filled with colorful and exotic rituals of giving thanks to the world around them. While to some it may come as strange, it is not uncommon to see Soryens speak to trees, rivers, or even sun in plain conversation. Some will sing songs or dance in their honor with no ritual more famous than the Tohome Sunwind Dance that honors all of the Sankana in a week-long pilgrimage filled with music and dance that crosses all sacred natural sites in the Senarai. Magic is heavily regulated especially those that can terraform, destroy, or alter nature in any way as they are seen as heretical. Shrines are abundant throughout the nation, often even found in the most inconspicuous of places for the purpose of honoring Shina, Sankana, or the Kana of the region. Even at the highest levels of power, the Shindara Priests and Priestesses act as the liaisons of the natural gods for the imperial family for the purpose of giving the Razen or Razena the chance to listen to nature.
At the heart of their devotion is the belief that respecting nature in life will give them a peaceful afterlife. Amenoshiki, the Sankana of the Moon and Death, is believed to carry the souls of the dead to heaven within her moonlight. A celestial pathway to nirvana only earned by a lifetime of respect to the world around them. When a Soryen dies, the worthy souls who proved brave and respectful will be allowed to walk Amenoshiki's moonlight to meet the Shina Deities themselves. There, among the presence of the creation, the soul will be reincarnated as an immortal Raikana; a spirit of nature guarded by the Sankana. Within the sparkling seas of Maren-Sanra of the Mizurashina, the glittering mountains of the Izunashina, or the skies of clouds of the Hikaganen Shina, a soul will enjoy an immortal life of bliss as a the very nature spirit they once respected in life. Unlike many other religions, the Soryens believe heaven literally is the sacred forests and rivers that gild their land filled with the holy Raikana who proved their worth in life to earn peace in their afterlife. Thus, taking care of the world around them also means taking care of the afterlife they hope to be a part of one day.
A common saying captures the divine unity that drives many Soryens in their quest for spiritual peace: there is a Kana in all of us.
Honor Thy Ancestor
The dead are always watching. While this may be a frightening thought for some, the Soryens believe it is a guiding principle that fosters discipline and tradition. According to the Soryens, when a person dies their soul is taken to the Shina Deities by Amenoshiki's moonlight where they will be reincarnated as an immortal Raikana to live in peace assuming the person lived a just life. Thus, many families contain gardens called Nakuhana, meaning Death Flowers, specifically for the purpose of giving their departed loved one's a place to live and enjoy when they become Raikana. Many believe the departed acts like a guardian spirit to watch over the family or village. For this reason, Soryen culture places great emphasis on honoring the dead. From visiting,maintaining, or improving a family's Nakuhana does the spirit stay happy. A village hero may have their Nakuhana enshrined as a landmark making the grounds sacred. Regardless, the people of life are expected to thank and take care of their dead out of respect and honor.
The tradition of honoring the dead is even more important when it involves the passing of a great warrior. Warriors who walk Amenoshiki's moonlight will be reincarnated as a Kenkana, or Bladekana. Bladekanas are powerful spirits of warriors who often live within the legendary weapons or armor they once owned in life. Bladekanas are revered to ward evil Kana or demons from terrorizing a town or location with the belief the warrior's very spirit will emerge to fight. Soryens take extreme care in honoring these noble spirits by making their weapons or armor heirlooms which will watch over the family for generations. Further, Soryens will often train in front of their Bladekana in an act of appreciation and hopes that the heroic spirit will offer them advice. Unlike the Nakuhana gardens, the shrines of the Bladekana are always extravagant and elaborate with no expense spared to honor their legacy. No greater example of a reverence for the Bladekana can be found than the Ketara Kazunari Nakuhana in the forests of Hitami. A massive cemetery spanning hundreds of acres decorates the Sakura forests of the Ketara ancestral land in marble graves of warriors past all guarded by the skeleton of a dragon. Below rests the greatest Bladekana of all of Soryen history, Kazunari Ketara. The Second Razena of the Shin Kuranase and the warrior who imprisoned the demon of light Tsurasane to her Izuna Steel blade, the immortal spirit of Kazunari Ketara lives in the armor she wore during her legendary duel with the demon standing vigil against the demonic blade. Next to her stands the armor of her great grandson Kaiten Ketara who returned Tsurasane to the Ketara Nakuhana after it was lost. While the location of the legendary garden is a Ketara family secret, hundreds of thousands pay tribute to the vigil of the most revered Bladekanas of the Soryen by planting Sakura trees in the Hitami forests. The Ketara Kazunari Nakuhana stands as one of Anims largest necropolises and testament to a culture's respect for life beyond.
The Law of Retribution
Soryen law is brutally simple: evil will be repaid with evil. Like a land bearing the scorched scars of an inferno, the romanticization of vengeance in Soryen culture is a product of their tragic past. Hated and killed for merely existing, centuries of fighting heartless enemies has left the Soryen mindset with a thirst to exact revenge on whoever wrongs them or their family. The Soryen judicial system is structured in ascending levels of martial courts all leading to the Kuranase who stand as the Supreme Court. However, whether from the Peasant Court to the Kuranase, one principle drives all of Soryen justice: the Law of Retribution.
The Law of Retribution is simple in its dreadful logic:
“Justice will be done by the Bloody Mirror of the blade. Evil will be paid with evil. Death will be repaid with death. No law will stand higher than the Price of Retribution.”
The Law of Retribution is the driving mantra of the Seinaryu holy codices for all the Shina Deities. The ancient gods of the Soryen were not benevolent but vengeful celestials who viewed one another as immortal enemies for the throne of God or Goddess. This culture of revenge would mold Soryen justice to a simple bloody logic of equivalence: a crime will be absolved by doing upon the perpetrator the same crime regardless of how gruesome it was. An arsonist burned down your home? You are entitled to burn down his home. A heated duel resulted in you losing your eye? You are entitled to gauge the eye of your wrongdoer. Your family was murdered? You have the right and it is expected you kill the murderer’s closest kin as penance. To the Soryens, the gods are watching closely to see if their mantra of vengeance and equilibrium is upheld. Failing to exact the vengeance mandated by the Shina will result in condemnation and possible execution as was the fate of the Soryen’s greatest warrior, Second Razena Kazunari Ketara.
Sakai Shinazuya, the son of Nijo Shinazuya and heir to the mantle of Seiga, would brutally murder Empress Kazunari’s daughter Princess Kamane Ketara in a bout of vengeful love. The crime would send ripples across the nation and threaten civil war with the murder of a princess never seen before. The Azuren, Kaze, and Sarato Seigas demanded blood: the head of Nijo’s only daughter, Isana Shinazuya, as penance for the crime. The Law of Retribution was invoked and the gods were watching. However, Empress Kazunari would defy the gods and refuse to kill Isana on grounds of cruelty famously saying: “The venom of the empire is the corrupted honor known as cruelty. Only forgiveness will truly spread our wings.” It was the first time a sitting Razena would openly break the Law of Retribution. The price was grim: death for defying the Shina. Empress Kazunari Ketara would be beheaded in the Hitami Forest the same day. No one, not even the imperial family, would defile the vengeance of the gods with the folly of mercy. Death will be done with death.
The Law of Retribution goes further than just the words of ancient gods to summon the wrath of the Shina themselves to aid in their quest for revenge. A Soryen who has passed the Kanara Trial can invoke the Law of Retribution against a sworn enemy and begin the divine hunt. The requirements to invoke such a wrath is clear:
The Soryen must be a Kanara Warrior The Soryen must have taken a life The crime must involve the death or desecration of family or ancestor The crime, if left unpunished, would be seen as heresy by the Shina
If all requirements are met, Shinamera’s storms will gather above the warrior and strike them with divine lightning. The warrior will bear the Mark of the Viraza or Mark of the Invoker. Their sworn enemy, regardless of location or plane of existence, will be branded with the Mark of the Hatasen or Mark of the Chained. By the will of the Shina, the Invoker and Chained will be bound to fight one another as an act of justice. The Invoker and Chained will sense each other’s presence in the world to aid them in meeting and settling the divine battle. Death is the only acceptable outcome; one must die and stand victor if battle occurs. The Law of Retribution was famously invoked by Siega Kyra Ketara upon Theron Arkham who used Extinguished magic to steal her father Kaiten Ketara’s voice. The warrior princess called upon Shinamera to mark her as a hunter of vengeance against the man who defiled her ancestor and waged her life to exact vengeance. Theron would be marked as her Chained, bound by fate to meet her in combat. Eventually, Kyra would exact her vengeance on Theron during the Inferno of Hinamata where Arkham forces would attempt to steal the Razenken Tsurasane from the Ketara Nakuhana in the year 779 AV. Kyra would meet Theron in combat while in view of her father’s and great grandmother Kazunari Ketara’s graves for the vengeance owed to her family. Kyra would kill and decapitate Theron, father of Amber Arkham, to satisfy the Law of Retribution of Theron nearly destroying her father’s soul.
Invoking the Law of Retribution as Kyra Ketara did in 779AV is extremely rare standing as an example of how ingrained the idea of revenge is instilled in Soryen mentality and divinity. The Law of Retribution is often seen in much more tamer forms amidst commerce and politics. Fairness and equity among trade and governing all trace their roots as a derivative of the idea that acting selfish or malicious will invoke the wrath of the ancient law. In this sense, Soryens society operates under the shadow of sleeping fury that everyone is capable of awakening, providing reins and guidance to social behavior that would otherwise summon the divine words of vengeance. Abuse of the Law of Retribution ranks among the worst of heretical crimes as it is seen as a mortal attempting to exploit the instrument of the gods with death almost always the punishment. Thus, a Soryen is careful to utter the divine decree of vengeance and will only do so when the crime justifies the audience of the Shina.
There are no more fearsome words in the Soryen language than those that will turn the heads of the Shina Lords. Words armed with celestial malice and bloodthirst. Words that have ended an entire era. Words that will stay in Soryen history forever.
“I invoke the Law of Retribution”