Joniatsu

Joniatsu is a continent that runs from the northern to southern hemispheres. It lies in between Torrovion on its West and (presumably) Faronne on its East. This positioning has given Joniatsu the moniker of 'The Eastern Continent' or 'The East'. While it is generally accepted that Faronne must be to it's East, no one has survived travel by sea that way. Besides some smaller kingdoms and free tribes it is almost entirely controlled by the Elven Metsun Dynasty.

Creation Myth
Long ago, in the ancient days, Hasegawa Sun ‘The Mother of us All’ was born from nothing. She existed in a primordial land of Ilradus that was not watched over by any others. Hasegawa, a mother at heart, yearned for children to watch over and protect. From herself she picked pieces, giving up her own body to create two sons, Zhu and Gyeong. With her children she began the planning of a glorious land they three would take care of. Gyeong and Zhu could not be brought to agreement over what they would control. They both believed the other should be subservient to him. Their mother went into a rage, her fists smashing the earth created the lands of Joniatsu, and her tears filled the Sapphire Sea as well as the rivers and lakes. Her children, seeing their mothers fury, decided to make an agreement. Zhu would take the land and Gyeong would take the seas. Hasegawa kept all else above them knowing that the winds dictate much of the ongoings of both and she could keep watch over her children.

Factions
There are a number of factions to be aware of on Joniatsu.

The Metsun Dynasty
The Metsun Dynasty holds a strong grip over the continent, spanning from the arid Askari desert to the edge of the frigid Outlands. War is non-existent but border skirmishes and tribal raiding do occur occasionally. The Metsun Dynasty has existed for several thousand years replacing previous dynasties that stood for just as long. Due to elves being the main leading race of these Dynasties, a dynasty spanning tens of thousands of years may only have gone through 20 or so generations of elves.

The Eternal Court
The empire is led by the ‘Eternal Court’, headed by the hereditary emperor/empress. The current head of the Court is Emperor Kazato born Iresu Metsun the 173rd Emperor of the Empire and the 45th Emperor of the Metsun Dynasty.

Hoshunes Council
Day to day governance is mostly led by the Hoshune who is the military head of the empire. Chosen by 4/5 of the Hoshune Council choosing one of their own. The current Hoshune is Shoshu Inirojomi

Lower Council
Made up of the top 120 (mostly) military leaders of the empire, choose from their own a ¾ majority, any replacements for the Hoshune Council that open up. The Lower Council is more dedicated to all aspects of life throughout the empire. Smaller sub-councils exist with groups of members that can be dedicated to a number of governance issues such as infrastructure and military or healthcare and foreign aid.

The Military
Members of the military at every level are respected more than the average citizen, but there is no level of the class structure where you are looked down upon. Non-Citizens will never be able to rise high in the military and are extremely rare to find at any level.

The Agrimancers (The Court of Plenty)
Druids, as the people of the lands of Torrovion and Farrone call them, act differently in Joniatsu. They are organized into a group of magic users called Agrimancers. They are responsible for feeding everyone of the empire. They use their natural abilities to quickly grow crops as well as keep stable weather. They care for all citizens and outsiders making sure all people don’t hunger or live in disease. Because of this high level of power they have a significant hold over the empire that competes even with the power of the Eternal Court or Hohsunes Council.

Order of the Divergent
The Order of the Divergent is a mysterious and ancient religious order located at the upper peaks of Maunto Temple. Very few adherents follow its path mainly because the abilities inherent to it are based on family lineage. It is not entirely known how their powers exhibit themselves but a marked child will discover that they can call forth an echo of themselves into the world. This echo acts as a mirror of themselves and allows them to act through it as a portal. The Order of the Divergent exists to give these children a place to learn how to control their powers and come to understand them. The life of their members is meant to culminate in a process known as The Convergence. This process is incredibly secretive, the little and scattered information that can be found indicates that it’s some type of internal struggle fought within oneself.

Geography
Joniatsu's most common geographical feature is flat grasslands. Some forests have been kept for preservation as well as religious purposes. The center of the continent is dominated by grasslands with some moderately sized mountain ranges being the source of many naturally formed rivers as well as some smaller forests. In the far north, a massive mountain range almost completely blocks off the frigid northern wastes called the Outlands. In the south, the arid Askari desert contains nomadic tribal warriors and petty kingdoms that have tamed it's inhospitable land.

Tuchiba Forest
Tuchiba Forest is the location of one of the few forest monasteries left on Joniatsu. They are a holdover from an earlier era of the continent when forests dominated more of the land. The forest is well taken care of by the Agrimancer order and Tuchiba itself is a massive monastery built into an old world tree.

The Scoured Ranges
On almost the entirety of the western coast there are tall and dark mountain ranges surrounded by black fields where little life grows. It's no longer known how or why these mountains formed, it happened in a much earlier age. The assumption is that it was the final act in an ancient war to stop an invading force. This is further supported by the fact that, on the western coast in small enclaves, Orc Clans settled villages here. Whether or not they were they were the impetus to raise the mountains are unknown. Orc history is short and not well kept, it's possible some mass exodus led them to colonize what would have been almost completely impossible for other races. They are able to survive by fishing in the sapphire sea, as well as some raiding against passing trade ships that stray too close.