NIPPON: LAND OF THE RISING SUN SOCIETY Written by Andrew R Fawcett for www.criticalhit.co.uk FOREIGN RELATIONS Before delving into Nippon proper it is probably a good idea to give an idea of how Nippon’s foreign relations. Basically-speaking Nippon is not a very open society and distrusts all foreigners, save those from Cathay perhaps, and all Old Worlders are viewed as hairy savages. When Shogun Yoritomo Ieysau rose to power, and re-united the warring states of Nippon, he imposed certain restrictions on foreigners as well as restricting his own people from leaving the island. Most foreigners are confined to sealed off areas in whichever city they are occupying and dealings with them is often conducted by lower class characters, such as merchants. Below is a list of some of the countries that Nippon has dealings with. THE EMPIRE There have been very few dealings with the Empire and few Imperial merchant ships have ever made the long and arduous journey to the Far East. However, the Empire is anxious to change this not least because of Marienburg’s enviable position with Nippon and the Far East as a whole. They do not want to be barred from the riches of the Far East as they are from Lustria, although this has more to do with Marienburg’s alliance with Ulthuan than anything else. Emperor Karl-Franz therefore sent a diplomatic mission to Nippon in order to cement some kind of an alliance or treaty. Unfortunately progress has been painfully slow as they try to get to grips with Nippon customs. The fact that they are confined to sealed off foreign quarters in the capital of Hyudo also possess problems as many days can go by without any meetings with Nipponese officials and what is more is that the translators present at all of the meetings are Marienburgoise Clerics of Haendryk. It is rumoured that they are economical with the truth when relaying back to the Nipponese what the Imperials want and can give in return. However, the Imperials have been successful in converting a few people to the cult of Sigmar both in and outside the city. Sigmar’s appeal to the new converts is one of strength and unity and they view him as another kami or god. With dozens of Nipponese Sigmarites created maybe the Empire can make some gains? ESTALIA Estalia, especially the great seaport of Magritta, is in competition with Marienburg when it comes to securing trade with the Far East. This has even amounted to clashes in the Ind Ocean between Estalian ships and those of Marienburg. As these incidences are very embarrassing both sides have conveniently chosen to brush them under the carpet. The Estalians haven’t been as successful as the Marienburgers in their dealings with Nippon but they occupy a bit of the merchant quarters in the port of Tokaido. The Marienburgers are unhappy with their presence and rumour has it that both sides are seeking to sabotage each other’s trade. MARIENBURG The most important Old World trading partner is Marienburg. It was Marienburg who introduced firearms into Nippon some twenty years ago and one of the merchant houses, the den Euwe, has an heir married to a daimyo’s daughter Lady Katsi Okumoto. It is not presumptuous to say that Marienburg has a firm foothold on Nippon. Although they are, like the Imperials, confined to sealed off quarters of Hyudo for most of the time, they also occupy a small island just off the port city called Dejim. The tiny island is complete with its own set of quays so that ships can anchor there and if anything the island is a piece of Marienburg transported some seven thousand miles across the globe. The Marienburgers were given the island when they first came to Nippon to keep their influences away from the populous as the Jinto priests viewed them with distain because they were merchants. But on Dejim the Marienburgers are free to do as they please although the Shogun isn’t without his eyes and ears there, as a shrine to Jinto attended by several priests testifies along with the fishermen who often moor their boats on the island. The Marienburgers, while they are happy to join them in their religious ceremonies, do not trust them. Nippon itself has a little community in the city of Marienburg. It was there quite a few years before the present Shogun made it harder for people to leave his island. While he was opposed to it at first Yoritomo has grown used to the arrangement. TILEA The Doge of Remas has managed to secure some trade with Nippon. Marienburg and the Tilean City-states have reasonably good relations with each other but not with Estalia and the Remans especially do not like Estalia having a foothold in Tokaido. But Reman efforts are mostly turned to preventing their Tilean rivals from benefiting from Nipponese trade. Of course Marienburg is turning a blind eye to this as it keeps the other Tilean city-states away. ULTHUAN High Elves used to live in several of the cities of Nippon pre-Incursions of Chaos, but when Tor Elithis was attacked by the forces of Chaos the vast majority of the Elves left to defend it. Small communities lived on in some of the cities but over the subsequent years they gradually left. Most chose to go back to Ulthuan but those who did not decided to go to the Gates of Calith and reinforce the garrison there against sporadic attacks from Chaos armies. To this day that is where they remain. The High Elves are welcome in Nippon although they are often feared. The Phoenix King, although he would like to regain Tor Elithis, is more concerned with keeping his island territories in the vast ocean between Cathay and the southern tip of the Southlands which are: the Fortress of Dawn, Tower of Stars, Tor Elasor and the Tower of the Sun. In truth, King Finubar is not too bothered about Nippon and sees the Kingdoms of Ind and Cathay as more valuable. However, this has not prevented High Elf clippers from exploring the ocean east of Nippon, as in the past, though long ago, the Dark Elves of Naggaroth sailed a Black Ark from the western New World to the coast of Cathay. Fortunately the Black Ark was destroyed therefore preventing a probable Druchii invasion. OTHER ORIENTAL COUNTRIES CATHAY Nippon has always been in the shadow of the mighty trade powerhouse called Imperial Cathay. The Cathayans are known to be unimaginably wealthy and cultured and their ships can frequently be seen plying the waters of the Sea of Nippon and docking at ports throughout the island. Cathay has always had an influence over Nippon from thousands of years ago when primitives raided the western shores to exporting elements of their educational system and even some of their religious beliefs. THE KINGDOMS OF IND The Rajahs and Moghul Kings of Ind view Cathay as more important to them than Nippon. Ind is a powerful and wealthy nation of nations itself and has little need to travel the distance to Nippon and doesn' t particularly see the island as a lucrative trading block. Furthermore they are too busy waging war on each other to have much of an influence over the lives of the Nipponese. NIPPON SOCIETY There are two classes in Nippon (three if you include the despised outcasts), the buke and the heimin (the religious orders are also explained in this section even though they constitute neither class but are considered of equal rank as the buke). The buke are the military aristocracy and effectively represent both the noble and warrior class. They came to supplant the ancient kuge (the imperial nobility) centuries ago in bloody civil wars. The heimin are the commoners and ordinary people of Nippon, which, amazingly enough, include such respectable people as merchants. They represent the largest class and they have very little rights other than to obey the powerful buke. THE BUKE The buke is the military aristocracy of Nippon and is the highest class in the country (equivalent to Old Worlder upper class and nobility). They are the undisputed rulers of Nippon. Within the buke class comes the ranks of: the shogun and the bakufu, the daimyo, the samurai, the hatamoto, the gokenin and various other members of the bushi (Nippon's warrior caste, but outside administrative government). THE EMPEROR “If the people only possess tools of culture and devote themselves exclusively to agriculture, they and their descendants will prosper. The good of the people is the object of this order which is fundamental to the peace and security of the country and the happiness of the people.” -Emperor Takagura addressing the Imperial court. Despite the fact that the Imperial Seat has lost much of its power over the last few centuries it is still nevertheless very powerful. It is the Emperor who formerly accepts a new shogunate although it is not as if he can refuse. He is also the first Jinto priest of Nippon, the official Nipponese religion, on account of the Imperial Family being descended from the Sun God Hiruko. So his duties are not only secular but also religious as he officiates in many religious ceremonies throughout the year. But really the true power in Nippon is held by the Shogun. Although the Emperor does have an army of his own it is really just for self-defence and many of its commanders are loyal to the Shogun. True, they are loyal to the Emperor as well but when it comes down to it the Shogun is the master of Nippon.