<span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: andale mono;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 24pt;">Setting Info </span><br/>{Created and written by Godfang (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?action=profile;u=4513)}</span><br/><br/><br/>Beyond Ea, Far to the south of the Emerald Skies and across the great expanse of open skies known as Solonar’s Rift, lies a great continent, far bigger than any island in the Northern Hemispheres. Here, multiple nations, races and cultures intermingled to create the Land of Genkai. It is a land of ancient powers and in it, the Primal force of Magic runs strongly.<br/><br/>The nations of Genkai can be considered primitive in terms of technological advancement when compared to those of the Northern world and yet they posses so much more in terms of culture and mysticism. The power of Magic, in it’s many forms and shape, is a much bigger part of Genkai civilizations as opposed to their Northern counterpart which has begun to shy away from the arcane forces in favor of science.<br/><br/>While there are no central ruling power in Genkai, four nations are universally recognized as guardians of the land, each one holding power over territories in one of the four cardinal directions. The Onis of Nivan in the South, the Hokusho clans in the east, the Hanjin empire in the north and the Inooe tribes in the west. A fifth power that acts as mediators for these major powers are the Shanhu Ren, an underwater race that lives in the great blue lake of Genkai and rules over the rivers that separates each nation.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: andale mono;"><strong>The Hokusho Clans</strong></span></span><br/>The Hokusho were descended from a line of warlords with a very rigid structure of society and clearly defined gender roles. Each Clans owe allegiance to the Shogun, the appointed military leader of the entire clan. The Role of Shogun is not hereditary and is only given to the finest General of the clan.<br/><br/>The warrior of the Clans are known as Kabuto Musha and they don armors with designs like those of the great stag beetles that roams their land. Indeed, these creatures have been domesticated and are valued highly by the Clans for their endurance and strength. The beetles are used as both beasts of burdens and battle mounts, depending on it’s type and size. Men in the Hokusho Clans are trained to handle the beast and have grown a close affinity with them as a result.<br/><br/>By tradition, only women may study magic in the Clans and only men are allowed to wield swords. This gender exclusivity has sometimes lead to a family raising their heir as a different gender. If a family of warriors cannot produce a male heir, then one of their daughter will cut their hair and take on the role of a man. Though such an occurrence is rare, it shows how much the Hokusho Clans adhere to their tradition.<br/>The Clans rule over a wide expanse of plains and hills in the East Regions of Genkai. The land itself is fertile and consists almost exclusively of humans. Each clan rules over a specific spread of land. Sometimes, disputes arise between these clans and war is inevitable, with the vanquished Clan’s territory being absorbed by the victor.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: andale mono;"><strong>The Oni Kingdom of Nivan</strong></span></span><br/>Arguably the mightiest of the four nations, the Oni Kingdom of Nivan once threatened to conquer all of Genkai. Onis are gigantic, brutish creatures that can easily tear a man limb from limb. Their diet consisted of mountain animals, fish, and at one time, humans. Long lived and powerful, an Oni can grow to be hundreds of years old.<br/><br/>Before the Oni Kingdom of Nivan was formed, Onis live in small groups that would descend to the plains in search of Food. They would also kidnap women, for Onis are always born male and therefore they rely on rape to maintain their numbers. This led to a war with both the Inooe tribes as well as the Hokusho Clans, a war that lasted many years and saw the rivers turn red.<br/><br/>Distressed by the chaos, the Shanhu Rens decided to step in and stop the war with guile where strength of arms have failed. So it was they sent the Courtesan known as the Red Siren, considered at that time to be the most beautiful woman in the world. The Red Siren would then seduce the most powerful of Oni warlord, a titanic being of pure violence and chaos. As is often the case, beauty conquered the beast and in his infatuation, the Warlord soon devoted himself to the Shahu Ren courtesan. By her demand, he fought other Onis to stop the war.<br/><br/>Soon, only a handful of Onis remained. It would be easy for the Red Siren to manipulate them into commiting self-genocide but something moved her. Despite her orders, she began to care for the Oni, seeing in them a potential for change. She taught them how to speak the tongue of men, how to build and how to create, she gave each Oni a name and established her lover as the first King of Oni. In a matter of years, she managed to broker peace and end the war.<br/><br/>Now, centuries later, it’s almost impossible to recognize the Oni from their ancestors. They have been uplifted from beings of carnage into a proud race of warriors. From the offsprings of the Red Siren and the Oni King, a new race was born. The blood of the Red Siren and the Oni King runs strong in them and for the first time, this union created the first female Onis and a new race of Half-Onis<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: andale mono;"><strong>The Inooe Tribes</strong> </span></span><br/>Within the lush forests of Western Genkai, a variety of races live in harmony. From the humble Tanuki to the Graceful, long limbed Akiyu and the deceptive Kitsunes. these people live in peace with nature and with others. They worship the spirits of Genkai in all it’s form and believe that everything in the world have their own spirits.<br/><br/>The tribes have no formal form of government, but in times of dire need, the elders of each tribe would gather to talk about the matter. Therefore, the elders are truly the one with any semblance of authority in the tribes.<br/><br/>Among the humans of Genkai, some choose to abandon life in the cities to live in the Spirit Forests for while such a life is bereft of the comfort of civilization, the lure of a peaceful, spiritual life far from the hustle and bustle of large cities is too hard to resist.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: andale mono;"><strong>Hanjin Empire</strong></span></span><br/>The first nation to come into contact with the Northern world, Hanjin has absorbed a great deal of influence from the Royals. They are the first to adopt Firearms as well as modern medicine into their culture. Within the last few years, Hanjin has grown at a rapid pace, modernizing many aspects of it’s culture, from it’s education to it’s military.<br/><br/>Originally a small empire along the northern rivers of Genkai, the Hanjin Emperor had little Military powers compared to it’s warlike neighbours to the East. The arrival of foreigners from beyond the Northern skies however turned the Hanjin Empire into a powerhouse of their own. They traded with the northerners, who are eager to learn about Genkai and are willing to sell modern technologies such as guns, in return for cultural artifacts and gold. Now, the Hanjins make up for their small numbers by using modern weaponries found nowhere else in Genkai.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: andale mono;"><strong>Shanhu Ren</strong></span></span><br/>The Lake dwellers are perhaps the most ancient of the Races of Genkai. They are a graceful and highly cultured people. It is said that it is they who taught humans how to read and how to sing. They live peacefully under the waves and never resort to violence when dealing with their neighbours (who could not attack them even if they wanted to, since the Shanhu Rens live deep under the surface).<br/><br/>Over the years, the Shanhu Ren has acted as mediators to the four great powers of Genkai. The Inooe to the West. The Hanjins to the North, the Hokusho to the East and the Oni to the south. They have helped and hindered each race just enough to keep the balance and make sure that not one of them are able to secure supremacy.<br/><br/>Living in coral palaces in the floor of the great lake that divides Genkai into four lands, the Shanhu Rens are native to the water, but they are also able to live outside of it. They are famed for their minstrels and courtesans, many of which resides in port towns of land-dwelling races.