Tsuji

Tsuji is a nation on the world of Jhembaz which belongs to the Silver Coalition. It is located in the midlayer of the world, by the side of the Terrace Seas. One of the oldest continually independent nations of Jhembaz, Tsuji has existed with more or less its current boundaries for almost two thousand years, and accordingly

Government

Tsuji has a somewhat unusual form of government; it is led by a hierarchy of ministerial councils that cover different aspects of life. Councils of broader purview oversee those of more specific remit; the Fabrile Council covers all types of artisanry and manufacture, while the the Weavers Council, the Tailors Council, and the Carpentry Council, among many others, deal with their specific crafts. In turn, the Weavers Council oversees a number of smaller councils that deal with weaving specific types of thread. This does not mean that broader councils can simply overrule the narrower; on the contrary, the narrower councils in principle have full dominion over their concerns, and the broader councils can only rule on matters that involve their broad purview as a whole, or intervene if there is a disagreement as to which of the narrower councils a particular matter best fits. In practice, it is easy enough to engineer such disagreement that the broader councils do tend to be more powerful than the narrower, and generally the broader a council's purview the more sway it holds.
The councils are not divided only by their subject, but also geographically; a single council cannot deal both with national concerns and with those of local communities. For that reason, each ministerial council actually comprises several levels: a national council, and two or three levels of local council that oversee specific regions. As with the administrative divisions, the local councils in principle have total control over their purviews, but the higher-level councils can step in for matters that span the territories of multiple local councils. At the national level, each council generally has between seven and fifteen members; the local councils are far more variable. Council members are elected by the general populace, though not every citizen can vote for every council; each citizen registers for up to three councils that they feel represent their main concerns, and votes only for those three councils, though they may change their registration up to once a year.
The broadest councils of the government, and the ones that are therefore the most influential, are the Administrative Council, which deals with the provision of public services; Agricultural Council, which deals with the growing and harvesting of food and other farmed goods; the Artistic Council, which deals with both the visual and the performing arts; the Defense Council, which deals with military and peacekeeping; the Fabrile Council, which deals with manufacture; the Goetic Council, which deals with magic; the Legatory Council, which deals with diplomacy and relationships both with other countries and between parties within the nation; and the Mercantile Council, which deals with financial matters. These councils are in practice all equals and all supreme in matters that accord with their purviews, and while that may not always hold exactly true, historically they have done a fair job of keeping each other balanced. For instance, if the defense council decides to try to seize power by force of arms, their coup can be blunted by the agricultural council's refusal to supply them with food, and the fabrile council with armaments and supplies. The administrative council may seem particularly ripe for exploitation, since it controls the electoral process, but so far it too has always been successfully held in check by the other councils. If there is one council that may at times hold disproportionate power, it is the mediatory council, a council under the purview of the legatory council that deals with arbitration between parties that refuse to come to agreement. If two of the top-level councils have an irreconcileable difference, it is the mediatory council that hears them out and makes a final decision, which gives them considerable power—or it would, were it not that for this very reason the top-level councils are quick to defer to each other and compromise, to avoid the mediatory council's gaining too much power.
Even if the councils themselves may be—in principle and mostly in practice—equal, that doesn't mean the same is true of all their members. Naturally, especially persuasive or resourceful council members may get their way more often than others. At the moment, generally considered among the most powerful councilors of Tsuji are Wungeni Kwa of the Legatory Council, Riji Moa of the Agricultural Council, and Woran Je of the Goetic Council.

Economy

The export that Tsuji is best known for is coffee; although it is not the only place on Jhembaz where coffee is grown, it is responsible for a large proportion of the world's coffee production, and it exports many special varities of coffee that are found nowhere else. Other significant agricultural exports include maize, apples, and various spices. In addition, there are some industries that Tsuji is especially known for. Tsujian artisans produce marvelous clockwork and a variety of ceramics of various appearance and properties, as well as medicinal preparations that are in demand throughout the world.
There are also magical developments in Tsuji that they export to other nations. Tsuji wizards have mastered fersion, the creation of spaces that are larger on the inside than on the outside, and export many magical containers and devices that make use of this principle. Tsuji also has many wizards talented with animation and with the creation of items that move on their own—some though not all of which are actually alive—and with illusions that affect all the senses.

People

Tsuji was originally settled by people of the Waran ethnicity, though over the many years the nation has existed it has seen much mingling and immigration and today the Waran remain a plurality but not a majority. It is a traditionalist land in many ways, however, and even many of those who move there of other origins take on Waran names and customs. Among Tsuji's nonhuman inhabitants, the most common are gurens, quirians, riai, olubans, and various types of paque. Tsuji of all genders traditionally dress in flowing robes, at least in public, though in their homes they may wear little more than loincloths.
The people of Tsuji are aware and appreciative of their long history, and love to retell many ancient tales and legends. Many make their own modifications or adaptations of these tales supplement them with original tales of their own; storytelling is a popular pursuit among the Tsuji, and something expected at nearly any social gathering. Tsujians also have an old and complex tradition of giftgiving, with different kinds of gifts signifying different relationships or emotions between the giver and the recipient, an elaborate "gift language" that Tsujians grow up with but that is often opaque to outsiders.

Religion

While in much of Jhembaz religion has been downplayed since the time of the Godtamers, Tsuji remains one of the most devoutly religious parts of the world. This does not mean, of course, that every individual Tsujian is religious, but the culture as a whole has a strong religious tradition. Aside from the hundreds of native gods worshipped there since the nation's founding, they have adopted many foreign gods abandoned elsewhere, and now have a complex pantheon said to have nine thousand gods—a number more poetic than literal; counting minor gods worshipped locally the Tsuji pantheon actually contains far more gods than that. Every Tsuji community of significant size has several temples, and every inn and public building will have at least a couple of shrines.
The Tsuji pantheon has no supreme god, but naturally there are some gods that are more famous and popular than others. Among the best known of the Tsuji gods are Aho, god of mysteries; Chena, goddess of agriculture; Hira, goddess of the hearth; Huruma, goddess of health; Juru, god of journeys; Moroma, god of water; Tsita, god of craftsmanship; and Wara, goddess of integrity.