The False Monarchy of Kagano

[/b] Kagani
Capital: None (Nakano acts like one though)
Location: Island to the east of Gardenia
Neighbors: Oceans and Seas
Size: Smallest
Age: 7 Years[/ul]

Summary:
Kagano is a forested island to the east of the mainland. Within the dense trees and foliage live elves, beastkin called wata, and sprites. Kagano is based on feudal japan and earlier east Asian countries. Both the Kagani elves and Wata honor their families and their people. There is also a semblance bushido and martial arts within their societies. The Sprites of Kagano are similar to the yokai of Japanese legend. Both the Kagani Elves and Wata see them as spirits and deities of the physical world.

History:
Kagano’s history is a strange one. Mana has always been dense in the region. That has led to the birth of many sprites and elementals on the island. The Watans are humans that stumbled upon the island centuries ago and who were cursed by a now debated source (Each Wata tribe has its own story). The Kagani Elves washed up on the island within recent centuries, but quickly created a society on the island. There are three factions on the islands, and each would rather stick to themselves. And all three factions see the island as nothing more than ‘Home.’ As such, these three groups did not find the country of Kagano, and most of their people would debate whether the island has a name in the first place.

The name ‘Kagano’ sprung up a little more than a decade ago during a Gardenian expedition to the island. Knights and sailors from Gardenia arrived on the island in search of land and resources. What they found was an abundance of wood and three races that wanted nothing to do with them. Surely they could have attacked any of those three, but the Gardenians quickly realized they were outmatched by the Wata’s strength, the elves’ cunning and the sprite’s magic. Not looking to fight over lumber, the Gardenians quickly left.

It was one of the sailors of that expedition that coined the name Kagano for the island. Gardenian maps were updated to reflect that just seven years ago.

Geography:
Trees, lakes and mountains. That is all there is to see in Kagano. While there are some plateaus and other geographical phenomenon to experience, it is still mostly just trees, lakes and mountains.

Plants grow fast and large in Kagano. That is because of the mana in the air providing them life. Living alongside those plants are many wild animals and insects. Mostly undisturbed and also affected by the mana, they also tend grow to massive sizes compared to the Gardenian and Asnor counterparts.

The lakes of Kagano are their greatest landforms. Kagano has a large number of lakes and hot springs, and each acts like a pool of mana. That mana can have strange or beneficial effects on those that bath in them. The safer or restorative pools are turned into inns. Travelers are warned to stay away from the others, less they experience a horrible fate.

Politics:
Each of the three groups living on Kagano have their own political systems.

The Wata live as tribes in small towns. Each town has something called a ‘Sho.’ This person is seen as a living god, and treated as such. They have the power to decide what happens in the town, for good and for bad. Underneath the Sho are his or her selected officials that share a bit of their power. The Sho hold their position until death, and upon death their chosen will become the next Sho. If the previous Sho did not choose a successor, then their first born becomes the new Sho. If there is no first born, then most tribes have ceremonies that will decide the next Sho.

The Kagani Elves live in villages. The most respected individuals in these villages are the elders. To these elves, age means wisdom. Wisdom demands respect. There can be the most senile elder, and they will still be followed without question. It is because of this that the Kagani Elves tend to be fairly traditional in their way of life. Some villages will go so far as to exile anyone that talks about leaving the village or traveling the world because ‘that is not tradition.’

Similar to the Kagani elves, most sprite groups have elders. Those elders decide the rules. Those elders are fairly traditional.

Why is it that Kagano is listed as a Fake Monarchy? Is there someone that meets with the other countries to discuss their relations? These two questions are related.

There is someone that acts as a representative of Kagano. There is a village in Kagano called Nakano. The village acts like an inn. Anyone can come and stay the night. They can enjoy hot springs. They can eat. They can enjoy themselves. This is all for a small fee. It is a fee that is often waived.

The person that created this town is known as the Innkeeper. While her history is largely unknown, she is someone that is respected by all three of Kagano’s groups. When Gardenia demanded that Kagano send someone to represent their island in discussions with them and Asnor, it was this Innkeeper that arrived. Most Gardenian and Asni believe she is the Empress of Kagano. This is something that has not been corrected in the last seven years. Only those that show an interest in the island learn that there really is no leader of Kagano.

Common Classes:
Bushido and martial arts were created in Kagano. To become a samurai, monk or martial artist a character would have had to live in Kagano, or met someone that learned these arts while living in Kagano.

Shaman, spiritualist, witches and other magic users also makes sense. Kagano is filled with Mana, and so its inhabitants are constantly bathed in it. Surrounded by this mana, it is a lot easier to learn magic, or use it without realizing, compared to other countries and regions.

Some branches of the Hunters Guild have appeared on Kagano. They have recognized the skilled hunters among the Wata and Kagani elves and sought to recruit them.

Common Professions:
Apothecary, herbalist and hunters are the most common professions in Kagano.

The Kagani elves are skilled in creating cloth from insect or spider thread and plants.

The Wata are skilled in crafting with leather

Places of Interest:
Jusen Lake is a large lake in the middle of Kagano. Its immense amount of mana reacts with anyone that enters the waters. The lake’s effect change from person to person. For some it will transform them and for others it will heal them. In some terrible cases, a person entering the lake was engulfed in flames. Little is known about why the lake’s effects are random.

Near that lake are smaller lakes and ponds with magical effects. Unlike Jusen Lake, their effects are not random. Some will transform and others will heal or strengthen those that enter the water. Most of the restorative lakes, especially those with hot water, have been surrounded by villages.

Races and Species:
This has been covered in some detail already. There are:

Kagani Elves: Descendants of the Noble Elves that have washed up on Kagano’s shore. After absorbing the island’s mana over several generations, their skin has taken on multiple different colors, and their hair has become just as vibrant. They have also shrunk a little compared to their distant cousins. The average Kagani elf is up to 6 inches shorter than the average human. The life expectancy of Kagani Elves is anywhere between 80 – 200 years.

Wata: Descendants of humans who were cursed upon coming to Kagano many years ago. Other races refer to them as Beastkin due to their animalistic appearances. While the Wata resemble many different animals, they are all types of mammals. There are wolf people, tiger people, cheetah people, etc. There are no scales or hooves. However, Centaur have been spotted in Kagano from time to time. Most Wata would not consider them Wata though if they met (Even if their origins are the same).

Sprite: Fairies, pixies and nymphs. Think of them as a balls of mana with a soul. Technically, none of these creatures have a physical body. They are each able to use magic inherently, but susceptible to abilities that weaken magic. Fairies are the most human-like of those three groups. Pixies are smaller and more insect-like. Nymphs tend to be round balls of magic.

Spirits/Elementals: Ghosts that have absorbed magic, ghosts that have absorbed the desires of other creatures or mana that has manifested into a living creature. Spirits are ghostly looking whereas elementals will be composed of some element. They both can be highly intelligent, but most just respond to their surroundings.

Deities/Demons: Look the ‘The World’ page. The mana on the island lends to the creation of deities and demons.

Site Updates:
If there are any major Kagani updates, they will be placed here.
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