The Ursidae Dynasties
The Central Breadbasket Vassal Country of the Imperium
Map of the Dynasties
Structure
See The Eastern Imperium for info on the organizational, societal, and noble structure of the country.
Demography and Population
The Population of the Ursidae Dynasties is primarily peasantry, commoners, and military men. They are divided into "Dynasties", of which they are dozens upon dozens similar to the Noble Houses of the Noble Lands, but there are primarily 9 ruling Dynasties to which all smaller houses belong to. These Dynasties are ruled by a Daimyo, who command all lesser houses that make up their lands and who report exclusively to the Shogunate and to the mighty Shogun themselves...these Daimyos are responsible for governing the large swathes of land owned by their respective dynasties and for enforcing the laws of the Shogun and their Shogunate upon their closest advisors, the smaller lords of their Dynasty, and all the way down to the lowly commoners working for the Dynasty across its holdings.
Each of the Dynasties rules a separate swath of the Country and its land, where local lords rule fiefs that are governed by greater lords of a Dynasty all the way up to the mighty Daimyo who sits atop the Dynasty as its ultimate ruler. Each fiefdom can have a variable number of citizens or workers who live within it, from a small fief of a hundred or so to massive fiefs comprised of a hierarchical structure of lords, each controlling hundreds upon hundreds of workers and lesser lords.
The birth rate is higher in the Ursidae Dynasties than it is in the Noble Lands thanks to the plentiful resources and desire of the middle-class and the ruling Dynasties alike to produce heirs to their legacies and to simply produce more children. The death rate is higher thanks to the near-constant skirmishing and infighting that occurs between the various dynasties and their lesser houses, as well as the more chaotic nature of the lands the country holds.
Territories
The Ursidae Dynasties holds much of the central, fertile lands of the Eastern Imperium, and though they were once the ancient ancestral lands of the tribes of old, they have since been conquered and assimilated beneath the banner of Tamamo-No-Mae and her empire.
Now, the Ursidae Dynasties exist as a collection of smaller territories united beneath the banner of a central Shogun, who leads the nation and unites the 9 Dynasties that make up the country. Each of these 9 Dynasties has a central House that rules that given Dynasty, with hundreds of numerous sub-houses and vassal-houses making up the larger portion of that Dynasty's powerbase. Each Dynasty is ruled by a Daimyo, who runs both the Head House and the entire Dynasty, and there is always a ruling Dynasty that controls the capital city of the country, Ursune. The Daimyo of this ruling dynasty holds the position of Shogun, and rules the entire Peasant lands while his home dynasty is given exclusive rights to rule over the capital city and all its holdings as a divine symbol of their right to rule.
The list of the nine Dynasties that make up the country are listed below, along with their capital and their current Daimyo:
The Targutai Dynasty(Ruling Dynasty)
Daimyo: Targutai Shao Dynasty Capital: QuantouThe Tokugawa Dynasty
Daimyo: Tokugawa Nobukatsu Dynasty Capital: YahasunaoThe Matsushima Dynasty
Daimyo: Matushima Katsumoto Dynasty Capital: AskatoriThe Sawashiro Dynasty
Daimyo: Sawashiro Yasutake Dynasty Capital: EnhamaThe Okimoto Dynasty
Daimyo: Okimoto Shinobu Dynasty Capital: OkumoroThe Itoh Dynasty
Daimyo: Itoh Kenji Dynasty Capital: ShigataThe Han-Ying Dynasty
Daimyo: Han-Ying Chen Dynasty Capital: HaesuThe Zhihao Dynasty
Daimyo: Zhihao Yun Dynasty Capital: XuhouThe Guiying Dynasty
Daimyo: Guiying Mei Dynasty Capital: Baoyang
Military
The Ursidae Dynasties have an extensive and massive Military, with each of the 9 central dynasties commanding a large military force comprised of Generals, Samurai, and countless other soldiers trained and conscripted from the vassals that serve them...and with each of these Dynasties rallied beneath the banner of the Shogun and the Shogunate, the Dynasties as a country command a truly fearsome military force. Each of the 9 central dynasties as well as each of the smaller vassal houses and dynasties that serve them have a myriad of different fighting techniques and infantry, and this variety gives the military of the Dynasties a large amount of battlefield flexibility.
Technological Level
The Ursidae Dynasties are peerless in military technology, and thanks to special metalworking techniques expertly forged blades and armor are widely available and distributed across the country even to the common folk, as they are each given Military Training and taught how to use weapons and wear armor.
Religion
Much like all other Vassal territories and countries of the Eastern Imperium, the Ursidae Dynasties main and central religion is the worship of their Goddess Tamamo-No-Mae, The Kitsune Queen. The Dynasties allows other religions within its borders...though only those on a list of "approved" religions, with all others being outlawed and illegal.
Foreign Relations
Being the entry point for westerners traveling through the Shattered Corridor seeking to come to the Eastern Imperium as well as bordering the Noble Lands, containing the smaller nation of Malhara in the World Spine Mountains and bordering the great desert expanse to the south, the Ursidae Dynasties maintain relations with a number of foreign powers. They maintain tense but stable relations with the Noble Lands, who they consider to be stuck-up and haughty annoyances, and are relatively welcoming to outsiders entering their country through the Shattered Corridor, who they often give introductory classes and lessons on how to live and survive in the Eastern Imperium.
They are at constant odds with the country of Malhara in the World Spine Mountains, and despite Malhara's status as another Vassal Country of the Eastern Imperium, the tendency of Malhara to abduct the citizens of the Dynasty to forcibly conscript into their armies and citizenry often enrages the Dynasties, and sparks wars and skirmishes between the two powers.
They are tasked with the conquest of the great southern Desert, and as such have tense relations with the tribes and creature that live there. They have only just encountered the odd Pyramid city of Khnum in recent years, and have only just begun diplomatic relations with the nation and its reclusive Pharaoh, Rezzliax.
Agriculture & Industry
The Ursidae Dynasties are most well-known for their endless fields of grain and other crops, and supply a vast majority of the Imperium's food. Their mines are also legendarily rich and valuable, which are often fought over by local fiefs and warlords for the right to control the mineral wealth that lies below. They have a booming animal husbandry industry, and train, domesticate, and raise all manner of powerful animals that serve as both food, transport, or mounts of war for the Imperium.
Trade & Transport
The roads of the Ursidae Dynasties are not as fanciful or as flawlessly maintained as those of the Noble Lands, but the large caravans and wagon trains that form the arteries and veins of the Country travel across well-laid roads that link the holdings of the 9 dynasties together. Local fortresses and outposts are common along these roads, and the ruling lord and his military are each responsible for assuring the safety of travelers through their domain.
Education
Unlike The Noble Lands, only those of high status or wealth are afforded an education within the Dynasties...commoners and the average citizens of the country are not given any education generally aside from Military Training, and as such they often lead simpler lives than their northern peers. Literacy isn't incredibly common amongst the common folk, and only the lords and daimyos and those of high status are given educations and taught of history and other topics.
For the Shogun, and For Tamamo
Founding Date
Year 119, Age of Warring States(Year 1408 Universal Timeline Date(UTD))
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Alternative Names
The Dynasties, The Southern Imperium, The South
Demonym
Ursidian
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Currency
The main form of currency within the Imperium is the Foxnote, a form of paper currency. They are often exchanged with gold coins on a 1:1 ratio. Several dominations of Foxnotes exist to relate to different coinage.
Major Exports
Food, Spices, Military Power, Ores/Minerals
Major Imports
Jewelry/Luxuries, Cloths/Silks
Legislative Body
The Ursidae Dynasties are led by a Shogun, each of whom maintains a Shogunate(Council) of his peers to advise him on matters of state and matters of the day, but ultimate Legislative Power rests solely on the mighty shoulders of the Shogun and the Shogun alone, whose will and decrees forms the laws and rules of the entire Ursidae Dynasties.
The Shogun is a being often likened to Tamamo-No-Mae in relation to the power and status they hold within the Dynasties...for good reason. It is only to Tamamo-No-Mae who the Shogun is beholden to, and it is their responsibility to run the Dynasties according to the will of Tamamo-No-Mae and in such a way that her will is satisfied and her laws are carried out...but otherwise, the Shogun is given free reign to run the Dynasties as they desire so long as the laws of Tamamo are satisfied.
Judicial Body
As the Shogun declares the laws and rules that dictate the day to day function of the Dynasties, it is also with the Shogun with whom ultimate Judicial power rests, alongside his Shogunate who tend to handle most minutiae and things beneath their lord's concern. As the Shogun declares laws, it is the Shogunate formed from the Shogun's will that carries out and decides upon the interpretation of their lord's commands...and from the dictations of the Shogunate these interpretations are disseminated to the various Dynasties throughout the country, where the Daimyo of those 9 mighty Dynasties enforce such laws within the confines of their fiefs and holdings.
The Shogunate is said to convene with the Kitsune Council once a month and sometimes less or more often, to sync up and normalize on matters of state...as they as organizations are said to be on par with each other and equal in terms of power, it is important they keep in contact.
Official State Religion
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
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