Water Country
History:
Even a few thousand years ago, when the archipelago was still inhabited by a number of independent tribes, disputes and fighting were accepted as part of daily life. The island lifestyle had allowed each tribe to develop their own unique customs, and when they clashed, it seemed that the common ocean god they prayed to could not prevent blood from being spilled. It was convenient for the peoples of the mainland not to intervene, because to do so would promise war with these violent islanders, and besides, who cared what happened over there, anyway? Their affairs were separated by a wide stretch of sea. As the centuries passed, the tribes eventually organized themselves into various mini-countries, with constant border disputes.
It wasn?t until roughly 250 years from the present that Sango Takeyari, the leader of the Kairyuu territory, decided to unite the islands under one name, hoping to promote peace instead of the killing that had been going on for so long. Calling the feudal lords of the other territories together onto the largest island of the archipelago, he asked for their help in constructing a confederacy. These leaders too, wished to see an end to the fighting, and after countless meetings, a government was created with the main island and the seven smaller ones surrounding it.
The confederacy was already on the verge of collapse two years later. One of the islands left, then another, and finally, Takeyari decided to take matters into his own hands. With admittedly underhanded tactics, he called the remaining leaders back under the pretense of an emergency meeting, and had them all slaughtered. A day later, assassins were sent to finish off the leaders? families.
When all was said and done, Takeyari re-named the confederacy Water Country, and proclaimed himself ruler of the territories that were left.
As expected, the new country was in deep turmoil economically and politically. To protect his new regime (and his life), Takeyari set up the Hidden Mist Village on the main island to train shinobi, and appointed his younger brother Kamasu as the First Mizukage.
For the next 200 years, Water Country was engulfed in civil war seven separate times, the most severe of which culminated in a mass murdering of people believed to have brought on these wars, mostly families with a history of raising warriors and especially those belonging to clans and bloodlines. Possibly the most famous fact from this dark era was the extinction of the water and ice-manipulating clan Hyousetsu.
Fortunately or not, the Hidden Mist Village did its job well, and foiled all attempts on the Water Lord?s life. Still, the situation in Water Country never improved, with each island-state battling one another, pausing only long enough to fend off pirate raids, the only reason in history for which the islanders had ever abandoned their differences.
Roughly 40 years ago, the Water Lord finally consented to accepting representatives from each island in order to hear their grievances and suggestions. Like his ancestor, Sango Kaiu had a vision of uniting the people of the islands, not just in name, but also in spirit. He was the first to acknowledge that the government?s iron grip had to be relaxed if the nation was to flourish. Six times a year, he and the representatives met at variable locations to discuss Water Country?s politics.
They haven?t had a civil war since.
Recovery from a tremendous history of war is slow, but the citizens of Mizu no Kuni have come a long way. There are practically no border disputes now, and families that have lived on their island for generations have even started to pick up and move to other islands. It would be foolish wishing to say that there is no longer any conflict, but the people are more content than they?ve ever been, under the gentle guidance of Sango Kaui.
Climate/Geography:
Water Country is comprised of six islands, with the largest referred to as the main island and five smaller ones surrounding it. It hosts a small tropical paradise that has a warm, sunny climate. The island is only bothered by two seasons ? wet and dry. The dry season starts from March to August. It is characterized by dry spells, heat waves and some tropical storms. However, heading towards the month of August, the weather becomes cooler. The wet season starts in September and is characterized with constant rain, cooler weather and a constant breeze.
The islands themselves are mostly lush tropical forests with occasional plots of land cleared for farming, surrounded by beautiful white sand beaches and the sea on all sides. A huge river system called Itonami Taiga runs from north to south of the main island. It webs out into 7 smaller rivers called the Nana Eda (Seven Branches). They are: Senshi (the Warrior), Biki (Beautiful Maiden), Shijo (the Child), UmiKami (God of the Sea), Ningyo (Mermaid), Kani (Crab), and Wanisame (the Shark). These 7 small rivers connect to the central river like branches to a tree and provide water to the rest of the island. Itonami Taiga cuts right through the famous Shiroizumi Lake in the center of the main island.
The islands? soil is rich and nourishes yams, rice, and several varieties of greens. The forest is filled with tropical fruit and the sea is teeming with fish. The Country of Water is, to the spectator?s eye, practically paradise.
Also see the Engi maps.
Villages:
The five smaller islands of Mizu no Kuni are dotted with innumerable villages, ranging from small fishing towns to thriving port cities. The main island is naturally split up into eight sections by the Nada Eda. Seven of these are/were occupied by especially noteworthy villages named after each river branch; the last is home to Mizugakure itself.
-- Senshitoshi of the southeastern region was destroyed in one of the civil wars, mainly because its very name (the Warrior Village) suggested that its inhabitants were extremely aggressive and helped fuel each new conflict as they came along. Today, nothing remains except several scars in the floor of the tropical forest, where the feudal lord?s mansion once stood.
-- Bikitoshi to the south is a pleasant fishing town, the most populated in the area. Its inhabitants live as their ancestors had and as their descendants will, making a humble living off catching and selling seafood.
-- Shijotoshi to the southwest is the capital of Water Country. All government buildings are located here, as well as the most prestigious schools of higher learning.
-- Umitoshi of the west region is a rich fishing/trading city. It is host to the port that receives boats coming from the mainland. This town is the economic center of Water Country, as well as the operating center for the nation?s powerful navy.
-- Ningyotoshi to the north houses Hirame Temple, where people can pay their respects to the God of the Sea. The temple was originally located in Umitoshi, but it was burned to the ground much like Senshitoshi during a war, and rebuilt here after the Water Lord noticed the thriving activity in its mother town and decided that all that money changing hands would interfere with the solemnity of praying at Hirame Temple.
-- Kanitoshi of the northeast region is sometimes called the ?Wild Town? because of its red-light district, the only one in all of Water Country. In addition, some of the best bars can be found here, and it is said that quite a bit of drug trafficking goes on, though law enforcement has been unable to confirm these rumors.
-- Wanisametoshi to the east has the highest population after Umitoshi and Shijotoshi, and is famous for being the hometown of some of the country?s best swordsmen. Even today, the city contains almost twenty schools of kenjutsu.
The Hidden Mist Village:
Kirigakure no Sato sits at the base of the mountains that encircle Shiroizumi Lake on the northeast side, comfortably nestled in an elbow branch of Nana Eda. It is hidden by the tropical forests and has only one official entrance, situated so that it faces away from water.
As the name suggests, Hidden Mist Village is blanketed in mist more than half the time, settling in during the morning, breaking before noon, and returning when night falls. The air is always damp and cool even during the dry season because of its proximity to water, so Mist inhabitants have learned to dress relatively warmly. They are not the least bit bothered by the mist, having lived beside and in it all their lives.
The village?s entrance is marked by a pair of twenty-foot tall wooden gates with a long horizontal beam for latching, and two shorter sentry towers on either side. The rest of the village is protected by a stockade with reinforcements every thirty yards, made of stone brought down from the mountains. As it is usually impossible to see much through the mist anyway, guards posted at the gate towers and the stockade towers are trained in the art of silent killing, relying more on their ears than their eyes.
Housing is simple and practical, with buildings made of wood and sitting on three-foot tall stilts in case the rivers overflow, as they tend to do during the wet season. The residential buildings lie in clustered districts scattered about the village, most of them housing single families though there are a few apartment complexes. In the market district, shop owners operate their businesses on the first floor and live on the upper levels. The Mizukage?s office is at the back of the village, closest to the mountains, an impressive seven-story building casting shadows across the road. Beside it, an enclosed area has been set aside for a cemetery and a memorial honoring those who died in combat.
In the ninja academy, shinobi-in-training take classes and battle one another in a specially built training area that has tropical forest, flat land, and a small manmade lake. There are targets available to tack onto the posts there, and sometimes the elder citizens of the village like to sit on the benches provided and watch the next generation practice.
Economy:
Not surprisingly, Water Country depends heavily on the sea. Most of the nation?s food comes from the ocean, and what they do not consume they trade to other places. They are especially proud of their pearl divers and coral sculptors, and recently some entrepreneurs have started up whaling businesses. Water Country also exports tropical wood and tropical fruit. Because farmland is limited, they must import other types of foods in order to provide the people with a healthier diet, namely starches and vegetables.
Water Country trades in several port cities, but the only Country that it has an official trading agreement with is the Earth Country. It is from Earth that Water gets its shipments of iron ore, and in return it provides Earth country with several exotic goods.
Culture:
People of Water Country are perseverant and do not easily succumb to hardship. How can they, after surviving this long against storms that prevent the men from fishing, threats of having their homes carried away by floods, pirate attacks as far back as written history can remember, and endless civil war? This leads to the stereotype that Water citizens are stubborn, sometimes violent in their struggle to accomplish what they want, and indeed, Water Country has a bad reputation of tackling their problems with the pen in the drawer and a sword in both hands.
Due to internal conflict, the inhabitants of the islands comprising Water Country have not mixed in very well, and from island to island one is able to note certain subtle differences in their dialects, preferred food, clothing style, art forms, etc., but if there is anything these diverse people share (besides hating pirates), it is a limitless respect for the sea.
Every autumn, they hold a nationwide celebration in honor of the God of the Sea. There are festivals in every major town; peasant villagers often journey together to the nearest town to join the parties. A few dozen seafood dishes are available to buy from morning to night, stands sell bottles of colored sand and shells to the children, people can view fun reenactments of popular folk myths by theatre groups, and in river towns, boat races are held. It?s a wonderful time to be alive, and for a week, the people allow themselves to forget about their bloody history.
Still, once the celebration has ended, Water?s citizens quickly remember how deeply rooted violence is to their lives. Kenjutsu is the most popular sport, though there are a few schools that teach not for sport but for actual combat. ?Real combat?, ie combat where someone can expect to be gravely injured or killed, is looked down on by the majority of Water?s inhabitants. Warrior types are feared and prejudiced by the common man, viewed as the ones who bring about war in the first place. Shinobi, too, but because they are controlled by the government, are not targeted quite as much.
Government:
Following a system started forty years ago, the Water Lord now meets six times a year with delegates from each of the smaller islands. Together, they create new laws, write rough drafts of new ones, discuss the effectiveness of existing laws, internal and external politics, the economy? Though the delegates have their say in how the government works, the Water Lord is responsible for about 75% of what goes on in the country. Though he does have a council of advisors, advising is the only thing they can do. Official word sent out from the capital on any subject must all be directly approved by the Water Lord first.
In Kirigakure, the Mizukage is advised by three village elders, but like the Water Lord?s council, the most they can do is give advice. Power in terms of controlling what goes on in the village lies solely with the Mizukage.
Special Forces:
The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist -- A group of the Mist's most elite Jounin swordsmen, carefully handpicked by the Mizukage. The seven of them usually complete high-ranked missions for the village, but they are also encouraged to take on a younger swordsman as a prot駩. However, this was indeed the past. Now this organization has split from the Water Country in terms of rebellion. They are S-Ranked criminals, feverishly hunted by Water Country and all elsewhere.
Hunter-nin -- Exactly what it sounds like. These elite warriors, of either Chuunin or Jounin rank, hunt down and kill renegade ninja, disposing of their bodies and bringing the head back to the village as proof. They are learned in human physiology and anatomy, and maintain anonymity by wearing decorated masks while on duty.
The Navy ? Only one out of every ten people in Water Country?s Navy are shinobi, but they are highly respected for their valuable knowledge of ninjutsu and genjutsu. All non-shinobi members of the Navy are trained in some form of kenjutsu, usually with the most experienced in a crew serving as captain. The Navy regularly patrols the sea surrounding Water Country?s islands, watching for pirates and smugglers, and they have outposts scattered all along the shoreline of the main island, with just a few on the smaller ones. Their numbers are four times greater than the army?s, and it is no idle statement that Water boasts the most powerful navy of all the shinobi countries.
Hidden Mist Village Divisions:
Medical Squads
- First Aid and Surveillance (Chuunin)
- Psychological Attention (Chuunin and Jounin)
- Surgery and Surveillance (Jounin)
- Critical Health Precautions (Jounin)
- Science and Health Department (Chuunin and Jounin)
Tutor Ranks
- Examiner/Proctor (Chuunin and Jounin)
- Individual Trainer (Chuunin and Jounin)
- Team Sensei (Jounin)
- Drill Master (Jounin)
- Elite Tutor (Jounin)
Administrative Divisions
- Team Organization and Review (Chuunin)
- Mission Planner (Chuunin)
- Information Specialist (Jounin)
- Messenger (Chuunin)
Non-classified Divisions
- Gate Guard (Chuunin)
- Cell Support (Chuunin and Jounin)
- Technique Research (Jounin)
- Torture and Interrogation (Jounin)
- Assassination (Chuunin and Jounin)
Specific Jounin Ranks
- Special Jounin
- Elite Jounin
Hunter Nin Squads
- Information Retrieval
- Target Retrieval
- Body Disposal
- Medical Support
Water Country Naval Ranks
See Navy info for details.
*These ranks may also be applied to non-shinobi.
Important People:
Water Lord -- Sango Kaiu
Mizukage (Water Shadow) ? Araiso Shuzamaru
Allies: None
Neutral: Sand, Stone, Cloud, Leaf, Grass, Sound
Enemies: Tea Country
Mist currently has no relations with Snow or Rain.
