Issan, Empire of the Setting Sun (Unknown)

[Asgatrave]

[Note: this is far from complete, still needs to be judged, and requires much more refining.]

http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/502462

"When the world is consumed in darkness, we will be the last beacon of light."    ~ 3rd Motto of Issan, spoken by Emperor Hyunhai ~

  The Empire of the Setting Sun (also commonly called Issan when referring to the lands controlled by the main government of the empire and ESS for short) has a long history twisted and united by the powers of the foreign entities imbued with a different form of magic unseen beyond the Unified Land of Shi'Urai, a Holy Land that links together various alternate realities.

  The ESS is a vast empire spreading from a small country in the far east, dotting even lands to the west.  Their influence is vast, but their name is practically unknown beyond the borders of the empire.  Nearly all of the empire consists of allied countries, kingdoms, and puppet states who share similar ideals or beliefs with the empire, but are not restrained by the government of Issan, meaning that these lands would remain concentrated on their own affairs and continue using their own names and coat-of-arms rather than that of Issan.  In order to spread the name of the empire, heroes and those with great potential are sent to other lands to spread the influence of the empire with their actions, though most of the deployed individuals don't realize they are being used in such a way.
  As a side-effect of the methods employed to spread the influence of the ESS and the freedoms retained by the various lands that have agreed to fight under the banner of Issan when prompted, revolts, coup d'états, and assassination attempts have become much more common outside of Issan due to lingering extremist beliefs and ambitious individuals of the "independent" lands.  Alongside the increased internal struggles, wars are still fought between lands that would fight under the banner of Issan.  The situation of the ESS has piqued the interest of countless intellectuals, and one famed scholar and general by the name of Siyves Haluum remarked, "An empire in chaos spreads its will across the world, consumed in internal strife and civil war with few absolutes.  They continue to shed each other's blood, despite their allegiances, and vie for power over each other!  ...And yet this empire is the home to countless heroes of all races, genders, and cultures.  An empire that will unite in a time of great need and aid each other in recovery when the fighting is done.  I believe that this empire is the expression of our souls.  A field to cultivate the true potential of all beings."

  The ESS found in the current world is a loose empire that suffers from constant power struggles and a general lack of unity when a great threat to the world is absent.  Wars are still waged and disputes roar rampant, but all of the Issanese emissaries are connected and their influences weave into the outer lands like a deep-rooted tree into stone.  When the time to unite comes, all the emissaries will know and initiate a call to arms against great threats, halting many wars and conflicts until the threat has been purged.  But just as they can unite territories, there is a common fear that they may just as easily destroy them.

http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/488933

  Generally, lands owned by the patriotic people of Issan are very well-developed in both culture and technology, but hold tightly to many traditional arts that tend to be less practical and difficult to maintain in an expanding society bombarded with different ideologies and threats.  Traditionally, structures tend to have domed roofs and are often connected to other buildings, creating large networks that unify their towns and cities with various traps set to defend the territories.  Yet each town and city is greatly influenced by their leader(s) and/or founder(s) along with the local environment, causing a great variation between different realms.

  The division of the ESS for our story is centered in Caphori, a realm within Iseyu.  Led by a foreigner who has won the hearts of many promising individuals, the foreigner has established a position in the lands of Iseyu and has called for many from the eastern lands and some natives to make a new home alongside him.  Architects, engineers, scientists, artists, craftsmen, warriors, mages... people of all professions have gathered under the foreigner's banner, creating their new home in a matter of days.  But this sudden rise to power and claim to land has angered many local lords- not only for their new competition, but also for the fact that the new land is filled with foreigners from so-called "barbaric lands."  There are also rumors that some of the local rulers oppose the new faction due to personal matters.
  The foreigner believes in creating a beautiful kingdom filled with a sort of understanding and unity between people: a sort of idealistic society.  Perhaps even a utopia... but both the foreigner and the people knew that such ideals cannot be achieved as long as hostility exists.  Every person is taught some form of combat in order to survive and perhaps even achieve victory.  Weapons, spells, devices, and even words are used by the people in order to fight.
  Believing in the will of the people under the foreigner's leadership but lacking trust of those who have political power, the foreigner carries absolute power over nearly all matters, but spends time listening to the people and visiting even the lowliest of individuals in his kingdom personally not as a noble, but as a friend.  Despite having such power, the foreigner holds a few select individuals in high regard and would often leave them to manage the lands during the foreigner's absence or inability to lead.

  The leader of the faction's Iseyu branch is an idealistic and capricious individual who behaves more like a philosopher and storyteller than a leader, but carries a mischievousness and cunning that has proven quite dangerous.  It can be said that the leader is also very selfish, but masks it under sincere virtues and care for others.  But it can also be said that the leader is a highly manipulative and devious individual, using the faults of others to control them and utilizing countless traps and secret passages to achieve various ends.  Despite the various rumors, the people remain loyal to their leader.

Let us see how history will unfold for this small kingdom in a hostile land, for a great tale may be weaved...

http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/548335

A scholar who studies different political powers had this to say about the Empire of the Setting Sun:
  The Empire of the Setting Sun seems to be a militaristic society that thrives off conflict and seems to be very effective at propaganda.  Their people tend to be very manipulative, but sincere and true to their virtues, making them very dangerous.  The empire does not seem to value the overall security of territories outside of the control of their central government, leaving those territories to fend for themselves during internal struggles, thus wars are constantly waged between territories within the empire.  Despite this, territories of the empire outside of the control of the central government are aided by the deployed Issanese emissaries and heroes.  In addition, the territories that are attacked by non-ESS forces will cease any conflict with other ESS territories and will often band together to repel the invading forces.  The empire seems to be very chaotic in nature, but the empire's ability to unify and have territories defend each other when necessary is curious and even suspicious.  There are even reported incidents where a war would end with little damage to civilian life and the winning force assisting in the restoration of the defeated as if the war was just a game between rivals.  It is also noted that the empire's borders are constantly changing with plenty of ESS territories that aren't publicly known, making a political mapping nearly impossible.
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Sub Faction Name: Masuhuei (Masu for short)
Faction Type: Kingdom

Positions:
Shi'Unsen (rank reserved for government-deployed Issanese):


Position Information:
A government-sent official used to spread influence to external territories.  When given the "voice of the people," a Shi'Unsen will often create a faction and begin leading people as either a guild master, head monk, or ruler.  The Shi'Unsen who take upon leadership positions are primarily assigned to spread the influence of the empire and to protect the people under their charge, but in no way are a permanent part of a faction, often leaving in pursuit of personal goals or duty.


Shi'Raigon (similar to the rank of trusted advisor):


Position Information:
Trusted individuals serving a Shi'Unsen.  These individuals carry out the will of the Shi'Unsen in his/her absence and assists the people and their master when needed.  If the Shi'Unsen should go missing, the Shi'Raigon are charged with leading in his/her stead.  The Shi'Raigon also tend to lead their own divisions such as magic research or military operations.  The Shi'Raigon often have several Shi'Kharus in their personal service for such work.


Shi'Kharu (ranked officials selected for their skills):


Position Information:
Officials appointed by either the Shi'Unsen or a Shi'Raigon for their skills and strength of virtue.  The Shi'Kharu will often choose to serve under the command of the Shi'Unsen and/or one or more Shi'Raigons.  Shi'Kharus who manage to serve under at least one commanding officer are often highly prized and respected individuals who often carry secrets of those who they serve under.  During times of emergencies or great projects, the Shi'Kharu are responsible for coordinating and managing the workforce while partaking in the work themselves.


Ie'Des (regular members):


Position Information:
The common people.  A versatile group of varying skills and abilities.  These individuals have shown promise and are deemed fit to live and serve the faction.  They are the primary workforce and are often visited by officials.


Nos'Des (probationary members):


Position Information:
The common people.  These people are observed and judged by the officials of a faction, but given chances to prove themselves.  They are not taught any special skills and do not own property in the faction.


Kuaissen (volunteers):


Position Information:
Temporary members.  These are people who aren't officially members of the kingdom, but assist or once assisted in its development and growth.  Volunteers are recorded in the royal logs (with permission) for display to the public.

[Syndraell]

A bit early to try to start a faction, isn't it?

[Redbark]

A bit early to try to start a faction, isn't it?

It is never too early

[Asgatrave]

Of course it's too early... but the voices... they urge me to press it!  It's not (completely) my fault!  Ahaha... besides, one can consider it as a warm-up of times to come and a way to set the bar for what is expected of me.  After all, "nothing dulls a blade like time, and the same goes for one's wit."  Heehee... my quote unless somebody can find it from someone else.  In which case, "dang it!  This must be how Hollywood feels about originality!"

On another note, I left enough holes in the faction to make it versatile enough to twist when necessary once the server is up, and back-up ideas are on the wings.  The faction is mostly filled with idealistic or loyal individuals who made a mutual decision for this, so I suppose this is also a sneak-peek.  I didn't think it would be right to keep it a secret since this is kind of a big thing... although, I'd really like to know what someone like James would think.  I can see myself asking him a lot of things...  ;D

[Dungeon_Lord]

Am willing to help

[Asgatrave]

Noted.  I'll be checking in on some of the other members who requested this and then I'll see if I can contact James and some of the others in power to see if we can get some sort of permission and establish some ground rules since the server is up, but it's still in its early stages.  This is a kingdom being built on the eastern part of the world far away from spawn, so there are a lot of problems that can occur.  I've seen two of the members and one that still keeps an eye out on the server status, so that's a total of four members confirmed.  There are 4 more that are still on the sidelines, though, but one is planning to come back when she gets Terraria again.