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 Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 2:41 am
The Ninja Class
Silent as shadows and masters of deception, the ninja is easily the most expected foe a lord should face but also an attacker one is never completely prepared for. They are more than just assassins, as rumor says that they are, and seem to be cloaked in mystery and intrigue.
exclaim Thread Guide: exclaim
arrow History (collected from the scrolls of the 6 clans)
arrow Rankings and Explanations
arrow Skills Guide
arrow Weapons and Tools
arrow Jutsu Guide
arrow Clan Guide
arrow Terminology
arrow The 10 Shinobi of Legend
arrow Mysticism
arrow Etc.
idea Updates!
~ None yet! Just posted!
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 2:49 am
exclaim History :i:
ninja Forthcoming when you least expect it... ninja
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 2:57 am
Rankings
Lord Shinobi/ Lady Kunoichi or Lady Shinobi
Jonin (Toshi)
Jiki Deshi
Chuunin/ Kanto Kusha
Genin/ Onna Ryoshi
Rankings Explanations:
Lord Shinobi/ Lady Kunoichi: There is only one of each and they are collectively the two strongest ninja in existance. Their titles are partially hereditary and strongly dependent on several factors- their chi strength, their attunement with nature, their ability to fight, their wisdom, and their leadership skills. The titles are also political in nature, as the 6 shinobi families have these two chosen from their pools of Jiki Deshi and Toshi and sometimes are the Jonin themselves. In a way, they are the ambassadors from the clans and usually retain a few Jiki Deshi of their own. The two of this rank accompany the royal family of Higashi and serve as their protectors in the shadow.
Jonin: There are only 6 of these as they are the clan heads of each of the 6 families. These titles are hereditary or elective, depending on the clan. Most often, the title is passed onto a Jonin's child but in some clans, the Jonin is chosen if none has been named by the former Jonin or by an election of the Jiki Deshi and Toshi. Within the clan, they hold political office and conduct much business with nobles, mostly with the lord whose land the clan resides on. They are pillars of strength in their ninja community and as such, are role models and spiritual leaders. Combat-wise, it is said that only another Jonin can defeat a Jonin and very rarely are these warriors deployed to battle.
Toshi: Equivalent in Jonin in skill but lower in rank within the clan, the Toshi are the champions of each clan. There can be any number of these in the clan but it is a hard rank to attain.
Jiki Deshi: Disciples of the Jonin, they are the skilled ninja who are like the captains under the general and teachers of the clan. To hold the rank of Jiki Deshi means you are an expert in your field and several others. While most missions are carried out by the Chuunin and Kanto Kusha, sometimes a Jiki Deshi will accompany them for added attack power or expertise. It is not easy to become a Jiki Deshi but through diligence in training and skill, one could attain this much sought-after title. Some ninja refer to them as saints and sometimes Jiki Deshi and Jonin are worshipped in life and death.
Chuunin/ Kanto Kusha: The primary squad leaders and mission fulfillers within the clan. Most missions are handled by this class of ninja. To attain this rank is to prove to the clan that one is a fully matured ninja. While strong in and of themselves, they prove a decent challenge to any samurai they come across.
Genin/ Onna Ryoshi: To be a Genin or Onna Ryoshi is to be in the training stage of becoming a ninja and a sign within the clan that one is on their way to becoming an adult. The few ninja who do not pass their genin training, give up, or do not choose to become shinobi are of the houbai class, explained below. Much is expected of a genin and the genin must be willing to put 110% into their training. Their training is derived directly from the Jiki Deshi, their friends, and their family.
Teams:
Iryouchiimu: The medical teams. Consisting of Chuunin and Genin and lead by a Jiki Deshi or two, every ninja clan has these specialist units who are deployed with the ratio of 1 medic to every 3 ninja in the team. They are not just doctors either, they can and will fight if necessary.
Kyuugohan: The relief squads. These are teams that are created to aid another ninja team at the drop of a hat. Only the Teshigahara clan has a standing Kyuugohan consisting of 2 teams of 5 individuals who are always on call should another ninja clan or their own ninja need help.
RENBU (Renkenjutsushi Buntai): A group of Chuunin lead by a Jiki Deshi who specialize in science to advance the clans. Every clan has one of these units. The RENBU of each clan are fiercely protective of their secrets and creations and usually try to outwit one another though some information sharing about subjects like medicine does go on.
SABU (Sasumata Buntai): A collection of Jiki Deshi and Chuunin from each clan whose sole purpose is to hunt down traitors and muhonin. Rank minimum: Chuunin/Kanto Kusha
SOUBU (Sousajin Buntai): A collection of Chuunin headed up by a Jiki Deshi within each clan whose specialty is investigations into crimes. Not every clan has one of these teams and the clans that do are usually tied to a feudal lord. Their duty is not only the investigation of crime, but it's discovery, prevention, and destruction.
TOTAI (Tokubetsukougekitai or Tokkoutai): The suicide teams. A nickname to a group of Jiki Deshi from all 6 clans and consisting of 12 members at most. These ninja are the ones that are not limited to just this squad and are usually sent on the most suicidal of missions. Origins of the term are explained in the ninja history.
Special classifications:
Houbai (associate): Born into the clan or adopted in through marriage or child adoption, these people are the one's who either chose not to be ninja, cannot become ninja, or gave up in the training. In each clan, the members of this clan are treated by the association they have to the clan and as such, the term houbai is not an insult in must cases. The houbai wife of a Jiki Deshi is treated with great respect whereas the lazy houbai son of a Jonin is looked down on and disgraced. Within some clans, it may be used as an insult though and again, how the term is used determines it's meaning or intent. Like the word "s**t" or "b***h".
Muhonin (traitor ninja): To abandon one's clan is an automatic death sentence. The clans do not bother to send Chuunin after these ninja, instead sending whole teams of Jiki Deshi to kill the renegade on the spot. Sometimes, other ninja clans will send their Jiki Deshi to aid the clan whose member is on the lam.
Renkenjutsushi (Alchemists): These are the alchemists and poison masters of the clan. Their sole purpose is the creation, construction, and study of natural materials and their application to ninja arts. They are resposible for making medicine, weapons (like blinding powder), and poisons that do different things. Truly a formidable group, they are armed with science rather than martial skills and are never deployed into missions and the like. Most of their experiments are carried out on criminals that the local lords supply.
Takasho (Falconer): Mostly a word used for someone who uses birds in their modus operandi but usually applied to people who keep hawks and falcons as partners.
Toshi (Champion): The clan's champion. Equivalent of a Jonin in strength and easily able to take on several Jiki Deshi at once, the title of Toshi is given to very few and the Lord and Lady Shinobi are often chosen from the Toshi pool. The be the clan's champion is to be recognized by the clan as the equivalent of the Jonin in terms of strength, wisdom, and leadership. Some refer to the Toshi as Jonin that go into battle. A maximum of three per clan is imposed but there is usually one per clan. Often, the Toshi are the ones who succeed the Jonin. Sort of like Crown Princes and Princesses.
(Not yet complete)
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 3:02 am
Skills Guide
ninja Formal list of jutsu and weapons available to each ranking coming soon... when you least expect it of course. ninja
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 3:06 am
Weapons and Tools Guide
Weapons:
Ashiko- Foot claws
Bisento- Wide bladed halberd
Bo- Wooden staff
Chigiriki- Staff and chain
Feruzue- Staff with concealed chain
Gekigan- Ball and chain
Hakkakubo- Eight sided staff
Hanbo- Three foot staff
Hari- Throwing needles
Ittaken- Flat throwing blade
Jitte- Iron truncheon a.k.a. a sai
Kakute- Spiked ring
Kamayari- Hook bladed spear
Konsaibo- Heavy studded staff
Kunai- Wedge blade
Kusarigama- Sickle and weighted chain
Kyoketsu shayoge- Rope knife
Magari yari- Trident
Maru kugi- Round throwing spike
Metsubishi- Blinding powder
Muchi kusari- Chain whip
Nagedeppo- Hand grenade
Nagegama- Small sickle on long chain
Nagimaki- Straight bladed halberd
Naginata- Curve bladed halberd
Nekote- Cats claws
Nichogama- Twin sickles
O-fukidake- Long blowgun
O-kusari- Long chain
Sankaku yari- Triangular bladed spear
Saya- Sword scabbard
Shuriken- Throwing blade
Tanto- Dagger
Tekagi- Hand claws
Tessen- Iron fan
Tetsubishi- Spiked caltrops
Torashuko- Tiger claws
Tora yari- Tigerfork spear
Torinoko- Flash bomb
Torinoko- Flash bomb
Tsuchiboko- Mace
Uchine- Throwing arrow
Umebi- Land mine
Ya- Arrow, projectile
Yumi- Bow
Tools:
Doku- Poison
Geta- Wooden clogs
Kaginawa- Rope and hook
Nage tebukuro- Battle gloves
Nawa bashigo- Rope ladder
Orimono bashigo- Web ladder - multi rope net used to form a nest high up in treetops
Saku- Skeleton key
Shinobi kumade- Ninja climbing pole with a rake-like hook at one end
Shinobi yoroi- Body armor
Sune- Shin guards
Takekan- Bamboo breathing tube
Tataminomi- Large prybar
Tetsukagi- Iron lockpicks
Toami- Net
Torinawa- Silken cord
(Subject to change! New items added whenever I feel like it!)
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 6:01 am
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 6:08 am
The 6 Shinobi Uji
Asahizawa (Fire)
Founded by Shinken, this clan is passionate like the fire their clan is associated with. Whatever they do, they throw themselves ardently into. On the flip side, they also reflect Fire's ability to destroy totally and utterly. For them, to slay an enemy is not to take his life, but to erase any trace that he ever existed. Not a clan you would want to make an enemy of.
Hoshikawa (Water)
Founded by Kan and O-chiba, the Hoshikawa are the living embodiments of shinobi philosophy and spirituality.
O-Fujishima (Light)
Founded by Kasa, this clan specializes in disguise and dormant operatives. They are a small clan but are the most visible of the ninja clans. While not openly shinobi, they tend to occupy holy positions within various temples.
Takemori (Earth)
Founded by Ishito
Teshigahara (Darkness)
Founded by Akuma no Jubei
Tsukioka (Air)
Founded by Obakeken, ninja of this Air-worshipping clan are very swift and nearly impossible to capture.
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 6:14 am
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 6:19 am
The 10 Shinobi of Legend
Akuma no Jubei
(The Demon Jubei)
The origins of this fierce and almost demonic warrior are rumored to have been from Hyphos, his line descending from some of the Dark tribes of the land. While looking Higashi in origin, subtle differences in his eyes and facial structure, down to his body frame and shape, and skin tone hinted at his Dark heritage. His skin was dark and ashy, his eyes a glittering grey and his hair a pale, pale shade of white so it appeared almost translucent. He stood at a height of 6'1 and seemed to be constructed solely of muscle and malice.
While not a stupid man, Jubei was not the sharpest shuriken on the string either. In relation to the other Legendary Shinobi, he didn't really get along with them but he did appreciate their efforts to create the perfect assassin and establish the ninja. As such, he lent his strength to them
and assisted Kenshi in the refining and perfection of ninja weapons combat. Mostly, he was a guinea pig for Kenshi as the man seemed to be incapable of dying.
His greatest rival and nemesis came in the form of a man that he could even land a single hit on and who seemed to be able to vanish into nothingness better than Obakeken. A strange man named Mugei Mumei that Jubei lost every single time to.
Ishito
(Stone Sword)
Kan
(Intuition)
Kasa
(Umbrella)
Kenshi
Mokuso
Mugei Mumei
O-chiba
Obakeken
Shinken
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 6:21 am
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 6:24 am
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Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 9:12 am
PLEASE EXCUSE ME WHILE I STEAL SOME SPACE
The Katsushika are a elemental bloodline ninja clan of the southeasternmost Higashi, the island of fire. Thanks to a centuries-old vendetta against the occupants of the nearest island, , they have become extremely adept in the arts of warfare and are very good fighters, not to mention the best assassins Gaia has ever known. They are also often referred to simply as the Kat-ka, which in fact is a simple abbreviation. They are charged with the sole duty of guarding the royal Kaikou bloodline of the East.
Appearance: The native Katsushika lean towards the slim and short, with wiry muscles covering their slight frames. However, as several of the mercenary schools of Gaia pay a great deal of money to have their students educated there, it is possible to find people from all over Gaia on this tiny island, and many a mix. Granted, a good third are usually corpses, but still. Few but the native Kat-ka can successfully withstand the enviroment of the territory in which they live.
Aside from the other details, the Kat-ka also have a rather tanned skin tone, due to the heat of the environment they have lived in for so long. Also, they are able to withstand heat better than other humans because of living in a land where the primary means of occupation is through forging and smithying.
Hair is often of a light color, rarely dark, and being born with pure white hair isn't a very uncommon thing among the Kat-ka. The Katsushika tend to have short hair, as longer hair is easier to be spotted and easier to tangle in something, which is not of advantage for a ninja. However, some have invented rather ingenious ways to put their hair, to either keep it concealed or to conceal weapons and suchlike within. Many is the time that an unsuspecting assailant has met a dagger in the gut as the attacked Kat-ka quickly pulled a knife from the confines of his/her hair.
Coat of Arms/Sign: The coat of arms varies for each of the sects of the Kat-ka:
The Nightsons
The most representative Coat of Arms for the Kat-ka is the one of the Nightsons, a violet moon over a black rose. The rose itself is over a dark red flame textured background to symbolize their way of coming to their home in the fires - through the plague of Nyermersys that killed many of their retreating people. The rose is prickly and bent to the right, and along with the violet moon, symbolizes the Nightson sect. The entire symbol is contained within a wavy-sided circle, which has two layers, an inner, grey layer, and an outer black layer. Both are outlined with white. The rose and moon are replaced when used by different orders. The Nightson sign is also seen as the "official" Katsushika coat of arms, though it's only the one of the main order/sect of this clan.
The Korenjaans
The Korenjaan Coat of Arms is that of a black silhouette of a moonblade, sticking straight out of the flame background, splotches of red on various parts of the blade. The blade is titled diagonally to the right slightly, not far from sticking straight up. Due to foreshortening because of the bird's-eye-view of the picture, not much of the sword is visible.
The Stormsons
The Stormson Coat of Arms shows instead of a blood-red flame background a blood-red watery one. A black fish-scale lies on top of this watery visage, covering most of the picture.
The Greendeaths
The Greendeath Coat of Arms depicts a variety of different herbs and bottles strewn all over the background, a dark green gaseous substance slightly emerging from one of the overturned bottles.
The Echiilianni
The Echiilianni Coat of Arms is the similar to the Korenjaan one, except that instead of a moonblade, it has the double-side moonblade as its sign, and it is lying flat on the ground, rather than sticking out. The entire sword is a bright red silhouette. The sword lies diagonally from the bottom left of the image to the top right.
The Flamepriests
Last is the Flamepriest Coat of Arms, which depicts a spirit hanging ominously over the bloody flame background. This shadow has its hands outstretched, as if it were trying to suck the very life out of the viewer.
Territory: Most of the fire island of Higashi and a tiny portion of the water island are under the control of the Katsushika, but no mapmaker could ever pin the boundaries down; they change almost every day.
The island of fire itself is filled with mostly dormant volcanoes. They are not the tallest of the mountains of Gaia, but are impressive none the less in their sheer width. What they lack in height is definately made up for with their immense girth. It is a land seldom travelled, and even more seldom survived. There are rich rumours and myths that surround this dangerous place..
People: Thanks to having centuries to perfect their skills, the Katsushika are experts at all the various arts of infiltration, assassination, stealth... One of the few survivors of the brutal "student exchange" system between Hyphos and fire island, Galos Scarknife, said that the greatest assassin of the West would be no more than a foot soldier in the ranks of the Nightsons.
Katsushika assassins are very valuable, and it costs quite a lot to hire one, due to their superior skills in the shadowy arts. However, their work is unmatched, by any other group in all of Gaia. Though in a head-to-head duel, a more highly trained warrior will usually win, on exception with Echiliani masters, Kat-ka will triumph if they can use shadows and darkness to their advantage, hiding and sneaking about to deliver a fatal stab to the heart by slipping a thin dagger or moonblade through the ribs, or a quick slit to the jugular of the throat.
The Katsushika are one of the best ninja clans, and unofficially and undisputedly the scariest.
Religion: The Katsushika have a religion which reflects the importance of fire in their lives. The worship of the Fire Elemental is the only remnant of the culture they initially came from, all other "Gods" are simply tolerated. Unique in their belief is especially that nowhere else the element of fire is seen so eminently good as here.
Housing: Anything mobile. The typical Katsushika lives in a tent-esque structure called a carryhome, so named because of the fact that this three-person structure can be carried on one's back, while the other two in the group can carry weapons and rations.
Towns are something that are there one day and gone the next. The Katsushika rarely stay in any one place for too long, and even their largest buildings are designed to be able to be taken apart for traveling. As with most everything of the Katsushika, the buildings are earthern hued, to allow them to blend in with the mountainous range in which they are set against.
Clothing: Despite the heat, Katsushika are taken to wearing tight camouflaging clothing, knowing that the more clothes that are worn, the greater the chance of detection is.
The camouflage that the Katsushika wear depends on their general location, but is generally pure white. When nearer to forests, the Kat-ka are known to put black splotches on their clothing, to better allow them to blend in with both forest and snow. Tight-fitting white masks are also a common article of clothing worn by Kat-ka, both being warm and helpful for concealment.
Diet: If it's edible, Katsushika will eat it. From regular fish to chicken to even squirrel, the Katsushika don't discriminate. Galos, in his memoirs, wrote that the first thing every student learned to kill on fire island was their gag reflex.
Regular meals of the Kat-ka are most often fish, as those are the main and one of the only natural resource available on their continent.
Weapons: From poisons to throwing stars to the unique Moonblades to the deadly double-bladed of the latter, the Katsushika excel in this area. Below are a few:
The Nightooth
A small throwing dagger, unique in that it has a groove running along the center, perfect for applying a "sticky" poison. This groove is also used for throwing, on the side opposite of the intoxicated side. The dagger is shaped like a pear, though thinner than many a knife, especially at the center where the grooves are. The weapon is balanced around the lower portion of the grooves, just above the handle, directly center of the dagger to keep its air capabilities at their peak. These do not have a guard, and the handle is flat and has a series of four holes through it in a line from the blade to the end. These daggers can be completely bisected - both sides are exactly the same in design. This is a favored weapon of the Echiilianni.
The Seastar
No Stormson would be caught dead without at least three of these throwing stars, and they are standard issue for nearly all the orders. Seastars can have either three, four, or five spikes. Also, the Nightsons and Korenjah often use a type of Seastar that is in the shape of a sharp-edged disk, known as a Moonstar. Each Seastar besides the Moonstar has a single hole in the center, and is incredibly thin. Like the throwing daggers, they can always be bisected, as no Seastar is different on one side than it is on the other, to allow air superiority when thrown. Seastar tips are usually coated with tyrsam, the water-activated poison, though they can be coated with other poisons as well.
The Armoured Fan
The Armoured Fan is a weapon that consists of metal plates, each containing a sharp edge, that slide together so that it may be folded or unfolded with the snap of the rest, making it a small, compact defense weapon. The Fan is a weapon used more often as an actual weapon by the Kat-ka than most any other people, and the Katsushika have excelled in its usages as an assassin's weapon, and many of their lighter support orders commonly carry this weapon. The orders that commonly apply this weapon to field use are the Greendeaths, Flamepriests, and Nightsons.
The Moonblade
Modeled after the legendary sword given to Kasumar by Korenjah, these are possibly the most feared blades to the Gaian population. Slightly curved, slim, and exceedingly sharp, these blades are a match for any ever produced by the forges of Hyphos, and better than most.
The Double-sided Moonblade
A true horror upon the battlefield, these 4 feet+ weapons are longer than even flamberges, and much faster and sharper. They are simply two Moonblades connected at the end of the handles into one weapon. Used a lot like a quarterstaff, except that the grip area is extremely small. These weapons are often commented on being more dangerous to the user than to the opponent, as only the most skilled master can fight without injuring himself from the blade on the other end. Slower than a Moonblade, but faster than many two-handed weapons, these are a terror upon the battlefield, even if they are rarely seen. Many doubt their existence, but those who know of these frightening weapons know them to be the most dangerous weapon available, even more so than the already feared Moonblade. While not stealthy or easily concealed like many other Kat-ka weapons, these are their most dangerous, in more ways than one. This weapon is used only by the most skilled members of the Echiilianni order - the leader of the sect himself, and those who wish to try and replace him.
Orders. There are six orders of the Katsushika society, each dedicated to a particular service.
The Korenjaans
The "True" Kat-ka. The Korenjaans are nearly invisible at night, and often the only sign one has been on a location (besides the dead target) is the violet crescent on the murder weapon. The Korenjaan moonblades are feared even beyond their home islands.
The Korenjaans are the most heavily trained in the arts of stealth and subterfuge, and masters of those fields. Where an Echiilianni will charge in to slaughter and a flamepriest will quietly chant a spell, the Korenjaans are already behind the enemy lines mopping up foe after foe as they sleep. A common interpretation of the Korenjaans by other cultures is, "You will never see it coming. Just SLASH! and you're dead!"
The Stormsons
Veterans of past battles with the water island, these Kat-ka ply the seas, harassing shipping and destroying transports. They are master survivalists, capable of living at sea for months on a mere longboat. Known to some western Gaians as the Black Wave Pirates.
While not as skilled in combat as the Echiilianni, Nightsons, or Korenjaans, the Stromsons can hold their own in battle when they enter it. This they do quite frequently upon the open seas. Their main skill, however, lies in ship-to-ship combat.
The Greendeaths
Mostly female, they are masters of poisons and healing, of plants and animals, and they are the greatest "support" troops of the Katsushika. Several of these have found their way to Hyphos, rumored among them the heroine Lyla. The Greendeaths are less commonly known as the Katsushika clerics/druids, though they are more on the lines of being both, and not either as well.
A sample of the potent powers of these would be deadly poisonous gases that are contained within larger moonstars that open up upon impact with any solid thing. Upon opening, the gases spill out into the surrounding area, where they choke, suffocate, and burn the lungs of their victims. The Greendeaths have also developed different varieties of these gases, many being invisible to the eye and some have other diverse effects, such as inducing sleep.
The Echiilianni
This small sect's followers are more vicious than the Korenjaans, and a great deal more violent. They are masters of combat, and it is only to these that the Korenjaans defer on the battlefield. While none deny their prowess, even among these cold killers the Echiilianni are given a wide berth.
The Echiilianni are the most powerful of all the Kat-ka orders in combat, and can hold their own, if not do better than any fully-trained warrior of another culture. While not as heavily trained in the arts of stealth as the other sects, they still possess more knowledge of the shadows than another culture's warrior.
Some have referred to the Echiilianni as beasts, because, like animals, they are kept held back until the need to release them forth to cause chaos and disorder. In full combat states, this sect has sometimes been known to actually turn on their own in the need to kill.
The Nightsons
The elite of the Katsushika, the Nightsons are adept in all of the areas of Katsushika lore, and are always personally trained by the Master of the Six Orders. They are fully devoted followers of the Fire Elemental, and believe most devoutly in their mission to protect the Royal bloodline of Higashi.
Excelled in combat by only the Korenjaans and Echiilianni, the Nightsons more than make up for this in their knowledge of all the arts of the Katsushika. They can tell lore and history, dabble in magical and herbal arts, and enter into combat and assassinations. The Nightsons have an expansive knowledge of all the arts of the Katsushika. All Nightsons are chosen to be Nightsons by their abilities in their original sect, and only the best from each sect are given a position as Nightson. The Nightsons are chosen from the losers of the governmental competitions, for each that competed, though may not have won, are known for their skills by having managed to even enter the competition, and thus are acceptable for the Nightson sect. After being chosen, each Nightson is then trained in all the arts of the other sects. Generally the Nightsons stay away from combat, as their numbers are small and are needed for other matters.
The Nightsons are the primary leaders of the Katsushika, and are represented by a greater number in the Council than the other sects.
The Flamepriests
The mages of the Katsushika, are also, thanks to Korenjah, endowed with the clerical gift of fire, the art of manipulating flame. Flamepriests are, in a change from the human norm, valued members of the Katsushika society, and are treated equally to the other sects. They are both feared and honored, as the art of flame is quite a scary thing to behold - seeing a figure clothed in white suddenly unleashing a gigantic ball of flames at his foe.
Those who dabble in flame arts learn how to use the heat around them, to attack with fire, and have the frightening knowledge to turn the very air around an individual into explosive heat that has the power to literally destroy the one whom they have attacked.
The flame arts are also very comical, however, and is one of the Katsushika forms of entertainment - playing with the flames, turning them into dancing figures and reenacting tales. Only the caster needs knowledge of the play in order to perform it correctly with the fire.
While the Katsushika are usually not sexist, the chronicler notes that the Flamepriests, Echiilianni, and Greendeaths are predominantly female. The reasons for this are as of yet unknown, though it is rumored that Katsushika women are more potent magi, in the fields of the Flamepriests and Greendeaths, however, why they are more common place in the Echiilianni sect is a mystery, perhaps because Echiilan is female as well. The Katsushika refuse to let any knowledge out of this, or do not know it themselves.
Government: Quite simple- The strongest among the Nightsons is the leader of the Katsushika, the Master Assassin. The leaders and representatives of the other five sects form a Council that selects the Master Assassin, and also acts as an advisory body to the Master Assassin. These are given the respective titles of the Moon, Storm, Vengeance, Black Rose, and Shadow.
In general, each sect is given a host of representatives, along with the leader of that sect, that decide what to do on issues that occur within the Katsushika society. The Nightsons have the most representatives at ten, and the Shadow has the next highest at seven. In order of amount, the Moon have five, Vengeance and Storm have four, and Black Rose has only one.
Each representative is in the Council for up to six years before required to step down, however, representatives may leave whenever they want after serving one year. A representative's family is given an easy life, where they are required to do nothing, during the course of the representative's term.
Election of each representative is determined in a gladiator-type match of sorts, where each representative must undergo an intense competition of their sect. The Korenjaans have a competition of stealth and assassination tactics, the Stormsons have a bout on ship-to-ship combat, each representative is given a 3 ship large fleet, the Greendeaths on healing and clerical skills, the Nightsons on knowledge of Katsushika lore, and the Flamepriests on magic skills. The Echiilianni have only one representative, that being the leader of their sect. He is chosen by combat amongst the most skilled of his sect. Each wield a double-sided moonblade, and whoever survives the massive free-for-all is declared leader of the Echiilianni sect.
Production/Trade: Fire island, not being bale to tap into it's fullest potential due to the sulfur, the Katsushikai have only one sure thing to trade: Knowledge. They exchange students with some of the finest mercenary guilds, so as to both spread the Katsushika over Gaia and receive vast amounts of bartered goods. Very profitable.
Transportation-wise, the only port city that communes with fire island is . All ships that make their way to and from the Katsushika island come from this city. Except, of course, for secret Stormson convoys that, when needed, transport various military leaders and armies through their own routes. Though the Katsushika have never entered war on the main continent, they are prepared to should the need arise, and are known to send ambassadors to many Gaian governments to ascertain their value as allies or enemies. These ambassadors are also commonly spies, and in their time spent with these governments, work out on finding every weakness that their clan could exploit should it need to.
Natural Resources: These mountains are filled with raw minerals. It is just difficult to mine the area for long due to the noxious fumes. Iron is the most abundant mineral to be found in the foothills. Obsidian is quite common a ways further in and is highly valued for use in artistic crafts of the Katsushikai. Gold is also found here, though not in large amounts. Silver and gemstones have not been found yet, but that might just be due to the fact that much of the area cannot be mined due to the sulfur content.
Holidays, Festivals and Observances: Not being the most celebratory people, the Katsushikai have only one true holiday, the Day of Kasumar. On this day the hero's band attacked the fortress of Dzulmir, and finally showed the Hiding that they could fight back against the water tribe. In celebration and memory, on this day the Katsushikai re-enact the attack and, in general, party.
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