Azayashi

Structure

Within Azayashi, the highest ruler of the nations power structure is the High Diviner. The most ascendant member of the clergy, he who speaks for the Eternal Court and sits upon the Chrysanthemum throne stands as ruler of all things within the city-state. Yet even with prophetic guidance and infallible wisdom, the burden of rulership is far too much for one soul to bear. As such, multiple others are called upon by the diviners of Azayashi to help maintain order and allow the city to flourish. The diviners work alongside the merchants, the enclaves, and the warrior clans to help maintain the city's continued safety and progress.
Each of the various factions within Azayashi are in a constant struggle to hold influence over the High Diviner. The Merchants strive to see restrictions placed on their businesses loosened and tariffs waived. The enclaves, large communities of the Glittering Coasts other inhabitants like Loxodon and Tortles, seek increased autonomy from the throne on their personal affairs. Meanwhile the two warrior clans of Azayashi, the Senshi and the Ryoshi, are in a constant struggle for dominance over each other. The two clans have feuded for generations, and each have worked to undermine the other in the courtly intrigue involved in earning the favor of the High Diviner.
One member of each of these groups stands as an advisor to the High Diviner in matters of state, while the High Diviner himself stands as the singular and supreme authority on all manners of spirituality and faith. The merchants vote for one among their number to represent their interests, the enclaves send their most senior elder to provide wisdom, and the warrior clans are each represented by their respective leaders.

Culture

Azayashi is a cultural melting pot of people's who live along the Glittering Coast. The native Azayshin people make up the bulk of the population, while other cultures exist among the peoples of The Enclaves. Though the unique cultures of The Enclaves live in self-segregated communities, there is no animosity between them and the native Azayashin, and the two live together harmoniously.
The people of the city-state are pious and faithful, of course, and prayer takes a daily role in the lives of many who live there. A culture hard work and determination has helped the city prosper, and a harsh social stigma against deception has helped keep the people honest to one another. The city is also very welcoming of outsiders. However, those who manage to offend or upset another in Azayashi best be careful. The people in the city are known to be forgiving, but when something comes to pass that cannot be forgiven the Azayashin people are known to hold an intense grudge.

Assets

The bulk of Azayashi's wealth comes from the Glittering Sea that lies to the east. Under the azure waves of the sea lay a boundless bounty of fish which make up a large part of the diet if the city-state's people. Complimented by their cereal grains and small pastures, the staple foods of the nation are healthy, if a bit basic. But more important than fish, the Glittering Sea is home to a vast fortune of pearls that lay waiting under the waves. Pearls are highly valued by magic users across the world due to their easily enchanted nature, often used in the construction if magical foci and wands.
While the harvesting and export of pearls and fish makes up the backbone of the economy of the city-state, it is not the sole commodity it has to offer. Copper is mined in abundance from the mountains along the Glittering Coast, and fine silks are also produced by the Enclaves living within the city and sold for steep prices to foreign traders and wealthy aristocrats.
The cities military is made up solely of the two Warrior Clans, the Senshi and Ryoshi. The Senshi, or the Green Wardens, primarily guard the cities interior districts. The palace, temples, markets, and residential areas are all the dominion of the Green Wardens. The Ryoshi, or the Crimson Guard, protected the cities points of entry, like the gates, harbor, and neighborhoods outside the walls. The Ryoshi were also the ones tasked with dealing with any threats to the towns and villages within Azayashi's influence, should their militias be insufficient.

History

Azayashi was founded as a simple fishing village hundreds of years ago, built upon a natural bay that would lead to its steady growth. The village soon blossomed into a town, and then into a proper city, after which a monarch was crowned to rule over the new City-State. This Monarchy ruled with strict authority and, under its rulership, the city prospered. However after several generations of kings, disputes over territory and resources soon brought Azayashi into conflict with the other local villages and towns around it, and soon the other peoples of the Glittering Coast found themselves at war with the new nation.
The King of Azayashi, a young and brash monarch who inherited the wars from his father, made the fatal mistake that would end the war. Seeking lumber from the Great Kamikari Forest which the city neighbors, his desperation for resources found him angering the Elysians of the Eternal Temple as his lumber harvesting expeditions struck deeper and deeper into the Forest, eventually beginning to fell trees in their Sacred Glade. Some of these Celestial beings warned the King to cease his endeavor, and when refused, they turned to the Clergy of Azayashi, the Diviners.
Long had the Diviners served the Gods and Elysians both, as well as worked alongside their servants, the Kami. It was through the wishes of the Elysians that Azayashi soon erupted into a Civil War which saw the King be deposed and a new Theocratic state put in the place of the old Monarchy. This new authority put an end to the war against the other people's of the Glittering Coast and instead extended a peaceful hand of cooperation to their neighbors. The Sacred Glade no longer threatened, the Elysians returned to their Temple and left the nation, content.
This new change of power was not without its problems however, and wounds left to fester often become infected. Many who benefitted from the monarchs rule were left bitter and resentful of the Diviners and Elysians both. Coming together and branding themselves the Cult of the Dying Light, these men and women turned to Devil worship and Summoning in an effort to restore the life they had lost. This outrage resulted in a conflict known as The Summer War, which claimed many lives before ultimately ending with the cults few remaining members scattered and in hiding.
Since then the authority of the Diviners has been solidified, and few remain who doubt their wisdom. Still. Some question the legitimacy of the High Diviner who claims to speak on behalf of the Elysians, given their usual disinterest in the affairs of mortal nations.

Type

Geopolitical, City-state

Alternative Names

The Glittering City

Government System

Theocracy

Power Structure

Unitary state

Economic System

Traditional