🏯 || Zaishin City & Land of Iron Info Thread [Read First]

[Kondo Kaicho]

Central Zaishin City is divided into the Four Quarters of the Sun with the Shogun's castle in the very center. The outskirts of the city are not within the inner walled quarters but are still considered to be in the city proper. The majority of the city's population live outside of the quarters and the inner walls and closer to the outer walls. It is a heavily guarded city with a feudalistic societal system and nobility. Samurai and noble clans live in the inner walls while the workers live beyond the walls.

The world of ninja exist on only one part of the world. On the other side, cross grand mountain ranges, resides the land of the samurai. Although they grew with combat which rivals and in some cases mimics ninjutsu, the way of the samurai exist beyond the scope of that of the shinobi. Their central base is located in Zaishin, city located within the land of iron. The land is known for having abundance in natural resources, which allowed samurai to develop faster than most societies.

The society of Zaishin is centered around the five major clans; the Seinaru Enjo clan, the Seiryu clan, the Mahofu clan, the Raiu clan, and the Hogosha clan. Every one hundred years the clans gather together to decide the next clan to govern the land for the next one hundred years. Anyone not born into the five chosen clans are designated as second class citizens. It is possible for samurai not of the clans to become prominent enough to earn land or prestige. Recent political pushes have been designed to better wedge the tension between the commoner and the royal. As a whole, however, all Samurai listen to the head of the clan whose clan is in charge. Their word is law, and anyone of that clan is treated as royalty amongst the royalty.

The Samurai’s primary opposition does not come from man, but from spirit. Indeed, it is the force of the yokai which has governed the militaristic rise of the Samurai nation. While the Samurai were content to live within their own space, an unforeseen force has cause the nation to come into contact with the ninja world. How will these two forces collide with each other? Will it be like oil and water, or like truth and justice? Time tells all tales, and the Samurai have stories to tell.

Five years ago, the samurai experienced an uprise in Yokai activity due to a strange phenomenon which occurred in the ninja lands. This caused tension between the clans, mainly the head clan of the Raiu, and the Seiryu clan. After years of tension, the Seiryu clan head attacked the head of the Raiu, and as a consequence the Seiryu clan, as well as all people affiliated with them, have left the city. Anyone who is affiliated with them within the city are either arrested or on the run. In addition, all Seiryu clan members have a bounty on their head for 15k ryo.  

[Kondo Kaicho]

The bushido code is a strict code of conduct that the samurai class that places honor above life itself. One must hold themselves to these tenants each day and reflect upon them. If a samurai is found to be violating the code, it is common for one to commit seppuku if it is an egregious act. Those who demonstrate these qualities and undergo rigorous training are bestowed the title 'Samurai'.

▰▰▰ Classes and Samurai:
Since Samurai did not grow up along the ninja way, the way that they view various forms of ninja combat is at times at odds with how shinobi adapt to the world. For this reason, a breakdown of various ninja styles and combat scenarios are provided below.

▰ Ninjutsu: Samurai are designed primarily to fight with weapons. Because of this, samurai which fight exclusively with ninjutsu are uncommon, but not unheard of. Samurai are more likely to find ways to perform their ninjutsu without the need of handseals. This class is seen in equal use amongst commoners and the royalty.

▰ Taijutsu: Since Yokai often are able to take brunt attacks well, samurai typically do not train much in taijutsu. However, it is not unheard of for samurai to take to hand to hand combat when weapons fail them. It is for that reason that samurai who focus in taijutsu are not common, but not uncommon either. This class is more likely to be seen among commoner than royalty.

▰ Genjutsu: Genjutsu is seen as a detriment to the Samurai way of life. The idea of creating false images designed to exploit a person’s weakness is seen more as the power of the yokai, and that humans should not meddle with it. Despite this, genjutsu is the primary power of the Mahofu clan, so there is reluctance in its acceptance. This class is either exclusively seen among commoners or among the Mahofu clan. It could be theoretically possible for any of the five houses to have genjutsu samurai, but it would be seen as a great dishonor to focus on this style of combat.

▰ Bukijutsu: The most common class. Because two of the five major clans specialize in buki based combat, bukijutsu is the most common class to see within the samurai warriors. It is so common htat it is said that every samurai within Zaishin has at least one style that they base their way of life around. This class is common among commoners and royalty.

▰ Jack: A commoner exclusive class. Any member of the five clans without access to their bloodline potentials are shunned from royalty and sentenced to live among the commoners. This class is seen as a disgrace among the royals.

▰ Bloodline: A mixed bag of common and uncommon. While it is not uncommon for ninja of the five royal clans to excel in their bloodlines, the commoner bloodlines also are seen to be use in the battle against the Yokai. This class is seen amongst the commoners and the royals.

▰ Medical: A valued but rare class. Because of the Samurai’s limited understanding of ninjutsu, it is uncommon for them to be fluent in medical. It is for this reason that commoners who excel in medical can often find easier strides into prestige. This class is seen amongst commoners and royals, but more common among commoners.

▰ Scholars: Another valued but rare class. The class’s potential of sensory is useful for the hunting of Yokai, while the sealing potential can be used to protect locations from harm. Because of the research dedicated for this class, scholars are more common amongst royalty. Commoners can still be scholars, however.

▰ Tamers: A class common amongst commoners and royalty. The idea of raising beast is prominent among samurai on the account of having additional reinforcements against the yokai. Pets of samurai are typically animals large in size. Certain tamers have even worked to tame yokai spirits.

▰ Puppeteers: A new kind of combat form to samurai. Puppetry was recently introduced by the first confrontations with ninja kind. It is for this reason that the class is amongst the rarest among samurai. However, because the puppet tools have been shown to be useful for combating Yokai, there is a rising boon to their popularity. It is currently a class more common amongst commoner than royalty.

▰ Performer: Because of the traditional format of the Samurai army, performers are encouraged in order to increase the morale of the military. Performers are often seen as expected to perform services other than music, some of which are more explicit in nature. It is for that reason that performers are typically either seen from children, (royal or otherwise) who would not be expected of the more adult task (this is actually illegal by the laws of Zaishin), or commoners who do not mind selling their bodies.  

[Mattysandwich]

▰▰▰ The Yokai & The Golden Dragon
▰ The natural enemy of the Samurai are the Yokai. The Yokai are creatures of chakra merged from the excess chakra of man and god. They take the pervert forms of humans and their natural fears. The yokai feast on chakra and primarily attack through the illusionary force of genjutsu. Further readings on the types of Yokai can be found here.

▰ Because the world of samurai exist outside of ninja, there are currently no demons within the land of samurai. However, sage chakra, as well as the perversion of forbidden seals, have been discovered along Zaishin. The most promising way to obtain power among the samurai, however, is by the decree of the golden dragon through the practice of ninshuu. A breakdown of that system can be found here.