Gozen

The Gozen Shogunate is a largely-military feudal nation situated in the central-west of Shantania, west of the plains which are called home to the Rigans, and closer to Lestalia than Caynea. They are experts in large-scale warfare; it is said that their soldiers are required to master five different weapons before being allowed into the front lines.

Gozen's name actually comes from Tomoe Gozen, a female samurai warrior from 12th Century Japan.

The Shogun

There is no single power that governs the entire nation, but each city is governed by a Shogun, and alliances between Shogun may vary at any given moment. Gozen has never been truly unified, so their political affairs are largely contained within the country, and they have had little conflict with other nations as a result, but they are also somewhat xenophobic, and tend not to look kindly upon foreigners.

The Lands of Gozen

Gozen is home to twenty cities, five of which are major hubs governed by a Shogun, and the other fifteen constantly change ownership as a result of rivalry between Shogun. While city-to-city conflict is rarely violent, it is also not unusual to see formations of soldiers guarding city borders.

Order and Class

Gozen's entire social structure is centered around the Six Orders; military "enlistment" occurs at birth. Even if a person does not fight, and does not train for battle, their efforts are said to be for the good of the military (in particular, farmers and other workers). Therefore, one's Order does not solely dictate their role in society. A Gozenjin's profession is both their Order and their Class. Order is the actual standing in society and dictates authority, while Class dictates their job both in times of peace and of war.

The First Order

The First Order consists entirely of the Shogun and their immediate families. A Shogun is expected to display Strength In All Things, but especially military might; that said, Gozen's leaders almost never wage war on other countries, so opportunities to prove or disprove the might of a current Shogun often involve protracted battles with other Shogun. That said, Shogun are more likely to die of old age than in battle. The Shogun's Order and Class are one and the same. There is no de facto leader of Gozen, and no power higher than a Shogun. A Shogun holds power over their city, while other Cities are each appointed a Shogun themselves. Shogun are expected to work together where matters of national importance are concerned; in truth, feuds between rival Shogun are frequent and bloody.

Historically, those inducted into the First Order do not tend to leave it; however, there is one documented instance of one Shogun's eldest son being banished into the Sixth Order and forced to live out his days as a farm hand.

The Second Order

Immediately below the Shogun are their advisors, generals, and tacticians. While Gozen is not particularly political, politicians generally find themselves in the Second Order as well. Advisors are concerned with bigger-picture matters. If a Shogun is deciding whether to go to war, he consults an Advisor first. Generals handle the next level lower; if a Shogun wants to invade another city, the General determines which direction they invade from. Tacticians organize units, and it is their job to put the right unit in the right place, pairing strengths to weaknesses and ensuring that units are sent to places where they would have an advantage.

The Third Order

Below the Second Order are the legionnaires, captains, and leaders who are expected to go into battle alongside their men. Legionnaires primarily command infantry units, Captains command mounted cavalry, Master Marksmen command archers, and Holy Knights command a combination of these forces.

• Holy Knight Sir Atma of the Ragged Cloth is a captain of the Third Order.

The Fourth Order

Primarily Lieutenants of Third Order captains; squad leaders of groups of soldiers of no more than twenty men apiece. The Fourth Order also encompasses Shrine Keepers, both male and female, whose duty is to uphold the purity and respect of shrines to the Yousei.

• Yenta is a Fourth Order lieutenant.

The Fifth Order

Ordinary soldiers and other enlisted men. The Fifth Order makes up the vast majority of Gozenjin.

The Sixth Order

Non-combatants such as farmers, child-bearers, and others who are not training for battle.

The "Seventh" Order

Only an "order" by virtue of its name, those said to be of the Seventh Order are Gozen's criminals and undesirables, especially foreigners. To be demoted to the Seventh Order is akin to being shunned by the entire Shogunate, and most would rather be banished from the country than be "of the Seventh." Note that the social structure is still referred to as "the Six Orders" - such is Gozen's distaste for the Seventh.

The Tenets of Gozen

Regardless of one's standing with the Six Orders, a Gozenjin is expected to follow the Tenets precisely.

• Strength in All Things - A Gozenjin is without weakness. To reveal a weakness, even among trusted friends, is to betray oneself. It is better to have died fighting than to have refused a march for fear of defeat.
• Respect to All Orders - Instructions given by a higher Order are to be followed, without question, to the best of one's ability. Suggestions given within one's own Order are to be listened to and considered. Gozenjin of lower Orders are not to be belittled, for it is just as easy to climb an Order as it is to fall.
• Devotion to All Deeds - One must put as much effort into sweeping a porch as into fighting a battle. All tasks are struggles. All deeds are worthy.

Shogun's Mandates

While most morality is handled by the teachings of the various Yousei, there are other situations where morality is governed by a Shogun's Mandate. There are over one hundred such Mandates, and their jurisdictions vary by which Shogun issued them, and which city is currently under which Shogun's dominion. The Mandates, needless to say, can be extremely confusing to low Orders and foreigners, but higher Orders who are loyal to one specific Shogun tend not to have any problem comprehending or enforcing their Mandates.

Religion and Spirituality

Gozen's religion is almost the only thing that truly unifies the nation. Though it does not follow gods, per se, Gozenjin believe that nature is maintained - but not directly controlled - by Yousei, or fairies, of various elements or natural affinities. Gozenjin visit shrines dedicated to individual Yousei that are located in each city. The Yousei play a surprisingly large role in inter-city relations, as each city has a different shrine dedicated to a different Yousei. It is encouraged to specifically seek out and either pray or donate possessions to the shrine of a specific Yousei depending on one's situations and needs. Most Gozenjin feel that it is a waste to constantly pray or donate to the same Yousei repeatedly, and it is discouraged to donate Kanka, as Yousei do not have any use for currency, though some shrines are willing to ignore this if they are in need of repairs or resources. (Rumor has it there is a shrine whose Yousei enjoys receiving Mekake Kanka for "high services" - this rumor may have spawned from that shrine's maiden being a bit of a nymphomaniac.)

While Yousei are acknowledged to not be visible to ordinary Gozenjin, old legends speak of Yousei who would appear before a person in grave need.

Regarding Holy Knights

The Third Order of Gozen contains a Class known as Holy Knight. Though Gozen religion does not necessarily encourage war and fighting, due to its negative effect on nature, the Holy Knight is said to be a defender of the land just as much as a defender of their city. To become a Holy Knight, one must make a pilgrimage across Gozen to pray before every shrine. Legend has it that, upon completion of the pilgrimage, one is visited in their sleep by the Yousei to which they are the most attuned, who bestows upon them the responsibility required to manage an army capable of defending nature from those who would despoil it.

Economy

Since Gozen does not engage in trade with other countries, their economy more closely resembles that of a communist system. One's placement in an Order does not have any basis in one's possessions and assets, but the strength of their character and their prowess in battle. Therefore, a successful merchant will not necessarily be in a higher Order than a less successful one. However, since it is not within the small nation's capacity to physically distribute shares of all resources to every Gozenjin, resources are allocated in the form of wooden tokens, called Kanka. When a Gozenjin is wanting for food or supplies, their Kanka may be brought to storehouses to exchange for what goods they are specifically granted.

Kanka are made of a specific kind of palm wood that only grows in Gozen and surrounding areas, specially inscribed with the denomination needed, and stamped using a rare ink by a copy of the Shogun's Hanko - a special stamp bearing the Shogun's family crest, of which copies are only possessed by the Shogun and their Second Order currencier.

The system assumes that every Gozenjin's needs are the same, so everybody in an Order receives the same allotment of each Kanka. However, those who provide services and resources may wind up with an excess of one token and not enough of another. Trading Kanka is neither forbidden nor expressly allowed under the Shogun's Mandates, and most of the time, higher Orders will be willing to look the other way when trades occur, unless a Gozenjin is flagrantly abusing the system and winding up with far more tokens than they should.

For the aforementioned reasons, merchants (both foreign and Gozenjin) are not seen in a positive light. If a merchant does business with a Gozenjin, they are seen as depriving the people of their Kanka, and Gozen of its resources. Merchants are not always seen as evil; a merchant may seek penance for their deeds by immediately spending their Kanka on a service. Therefore, a merchant who sells food to a Gozenjin in exchange for Kanka, then spends the Kanka on a weapon or tool to take out of the country, is seen as wrong; a merchant who spends their Kanka to stay at an inn, or to receive companionship from a Gozenjin attendant, is seen as good and just.

Denominations of Kanka

Rather unlike typical currency, the different Kanka denominations do not represent different values, but specific resources. Though all are made from the same type of palm wood, the inscription differs between denominations, as does the color of ink. Inks used are difficult to refine, rare, and above all else, appear black to the naked eye, which makes it difficult to counterfeit a Kanka.

For all but Zatta Kanka, a resource does not cost greater or lesser amounts of tokens, but rather, depending on the value of the item being exchanged, one Kanka grants more or less of that item. So while one Hyourou generally pays for one typical meal for one person, fancier dishes will have smaller portion sizes. Also, the value of one Kanka differs based on one's Order; the portion size of one Hyourou ranges from meager (for Sixth Orders) to generous (Third Orders) to extravagant (Second and First). Should the Shogun wish to order a bowl of unadorned rice with one Hyourou, they would receive the largest bowl available, within the ability of the vendor in question. Should the restaurant not offer a larger bowl, and the Shogun demands something larger, the Shogun would be considered to be acting out of line.

• Hyourou Kanka - Food/meal token. A Gozenjin is issued eighteen a week, allowing for three meals a day for six days, and one day of fasting. Most Gozenjin opt to skip a meal every other day so that the seventh day is not spent mealless.
• Kajiya Kanka - Smithy token. Gozenjin in lower Orders are issued one a month, while those of the Fourth and Third Orders are given more. Kajiya are spent to purchase new tools, weapons, armor, or to pay for one day worth of service and repair work on an existing piece. Higher Orders are given higher priority for smithy work.
• Mekake Kanka - High service token. Fifth and Sixth Orders are not issued any of these, and distribution to Fourth Orders is very rare. They are spent primarily on hiring of personal companions, or to not mince words, prostitutes. Yes, Gozen has a specific currency for prostitution.
  • The big problem with the existence of this token is that it is *only* good for use on personal companions. Therefore, prostitutes, courtesans, dancers, and midwives wind up with a significant excess of these Kanka that they can do almost nothing with. Some cities have plans in place where companions may exchange their excessive Mekake for other Kanka of their choice, while others will simply convert them to Zatta Kanka, but not all city governments offer this luxury to their "high servicers."
  • The high services are the only things that cannot be directly purchased with the all-encompassing Zatta Kanka, by Shogun's Mandate.
• Enjo Kanka - Low service token. Doctors, masseuses, farm hands and other forms of hired help that do not involve direct manufacture of a product are paid for with an Enjo Kanka. Low Orders may only see one Enjo per month, while Third and Second orders may get one every week.
• Zatta Kanka - Miscellaneous token. The most frequently issued Kanka, Zatta is a catch-all token that can pay for almost anything in Gozen within reason. Personal companions do not accept Zatta (as this is forbidden by Shogun's Mandate), and values for things ordinarily paid for with specific other Kanka tend to be inflated severely when Zatta come into the picture.