[hider=The Empire of Oyama][center][img]http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/althistory/images/6/6d/Flag_of_the_Japanese_Emperor.svg/revision/latest?cb=20130417002507[/img]

[hr][h1]EMPIRE of OYAMA[/h1]
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[i]"Ours is a story of changing seasons; our people have thrived and whimpered. Now in this cold, cold winter night we stand rigorously; the spirit of Oyama as inexhaustible as it is rigorous. But even as winter destroys, takes away the bountiful life of the world, it is integral in the rise of something greater. Even now that our people is at its lowest, we stand glorious. Even when all fire has been extinguished, the last flame will be Oyama, and we will revive the world!" - [b]Taiyo Kaga, during the reunification of the 20 Clans.[/b][/i][/center]

[h2]TYPE[/h2]
The Empire of Oyama, often referred to as Oyama, is not a holding but a nation. It holds great culture of foreign, dead concepts and virtues. But even as it is a nation, it is no ordinary nation. What holds it together in these changing times is not borders but the rigorous, undying efforts of great men and women; of great warriors. To some this may seem odd, that a nation has to work ceaselessly to even exist, but when your nation is forced into nomadic life during the time of a great apocalypse, few saw any other alternative. Now they have lived nomadically, divided, and weak for many centuries. Their weakness was not in their power, or their warriors, but their division. Even a great sword can be destroyed with a single touch, provided it is sufficiently cracked; Oyama was cracked to the brink after they fled from the Solar Empire which once occupied much of the west, but they are now whole again. The reunification of the Oyaman people under the Sun has just occured, and the Western Sun shines bright. Oyama will manifest its destiny; the golden sun promised them the world, so they shall have it now.

[h2]CULTURE[/h2]

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[i]A typical Oyaman caravan.[/i][/center]

Oyama is a nation of foreign, alien culture, when looked upon from by the Easterlings. First and foremost a warrior's culture, but great civility and education dominates what should logically be a lawless wasteland. The great clans of Oyama have all very different cultural ancestry and lineage, but the permeating thought is the survival of tradition. Art and poetry, wisdom and wit, all prized aspects of their culture, the people of Oyama entertain themselves not in blood games or in horrific brawls, neither do they spend their money whimsically on gambling or tavern life, instead they play games of wit and smarts, duels where clashing of swords is substituted by the clashing of ideas. With the death of the fabled Solar Empire during the War in Heaven, Oyama, a crown province of the Empire, was forced to exodus. Over the journey to new homes, countless millions died, and many took their lives in spite of promised future. Strenght is priced beyond simply convenience; it is a necessity. The life of a warrior of the sand does not suit this noble warrior's people, but it is a life of which they were forced to adopt. Too weak to invade the east, and impossible to live in the west, they settled the Draor Chor Reaches and have adopted an odd lifestyle of living in mobile palaces and cities built on the back of domesticated wild life. These mobile structures can range in size and scale, with the biggest being the Imperial "City" of Yamano, which is built on the back of a rare breed of Oro, which can most simplest be described as a gigantic form of pack animal. The people of Oyama are indeed a strange ensamble, spiritual yet skeptical, warriors of mind and body yet without the desire to wield their blade at every possible convenience. 

Still, if one were to simplify Oyaman culture into a sentence, I suppose it would be this: Oyama is an alien people of warriors; warriors of necessity. What I mean is that Oyama is a warrior's nation, where the power of each soldier is amplified by the desire, duty, and honour of their past. But these warriors are not exclusively soldiers, they are warriors of mind and of body, personifications of necessity. The people of Oyama are wise, so they sharpen their swords, but they'd rather be blissful, so they could sharpen their minds. There are still few within Oyama whom hold their ancient warrior traditions alive, and they became the Great Clans. Chief amongst them are the Kaga, whom hold the Shogunate.

[h2]DESCRIPTION[/h2]

[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/nrPOZkP.jpg[/img]

[i]The present Solar Empress during a reconnaissance mission to the Republican border.[/i][/center]

The Empire of Oyama is a nomadic nation which inhabits the vast reaches of Draor Chor, but it's origin reaches into the Shattered Western lands. The people of Oyama were once part of a great nation known as the Great Solar Empire, a nation which was founded and ultimately destroyed in the west. It was a nation in which the Emperor of the Sun had not only the Sun's blessing, but also the power to manifest his desires upon the world. Its armies were vast and its influence was massive, but its people were benevolent and wise, but not ignorant enough to discard the blade. It held onto its rigid existence in the world through authority and respect amongst its equal neighbours, and made itself known throughout the world through innovation and enlightened ideas. 

Its culture was one of great quality. So great a culture was that of the nation under the golden sun, that it was not afraid of foreign influence, but welcomed it greatly. The Solar Emperors were wise men of both old and young age, and did not discriminate. Its warriors were noble and just, and did not thrust the sword upon those whom had deserved no greater harm than defeat. Prisoners were therefore kindly treated, and innocents were spared. Refugees flooded to the nation, but it welcomed their integration, and allowed them equal opportunity and freedom within its illustrious and expansive borders. 

One of these refugees would become the first of the Oyama, and the Oyama would then come to ascend into the very core of the Solar Empire. Upon the death of the first Solar Dynasty, the nation was thrown into chaos. It's once gold-paved streets reduced to broken cobble. After a hundred years of ceaseless war, and the cowardly influence of alien powers, the Solar Empire was later unified when the King of Oyama, Yamato, rose into the heavens, and recieved the blessing of the Sun. The Golden Sun had told him, [i]"Ye are my sons and daughters, ye people of Oyama. Ye deserve the world, so I shall give it unto ye"[/i]. The people of Oyama then manifested their destiny and ascended from nothing into everything, unifying all the shattered nations under the Sun into one Great Solar Empire. From then on, the power of Oyama could not be questioned, and the newly reformed and reunified Solar Empire could not be conquered, nor could it be defeated.

Thousands of years of peace was however raptured when cataclysm laid waste to the world, and the west was forever destroyed henceforth onwards. The people of Oyama were able to escape, escape in all the frivolity expected from former Emperors and royals now turned into refugees. The golden lifeline survives still, however. The lineage of Yamato lives on in the present Solar Empress, whom is seen as the icon of her people, the power of her lineage still very apparent even almost a thousand years after the destruction of the greatest nation amongst man. However prestige cannot be measured in times of war and strife, or so the present warrior-elite of Oyama believe. The nation is presently governed by 20 Great Clans, Kaga of which is Chief amongst them, and holder of the Oyaman Shogunate. The 20 Great Clans organize and administrate the numerous Imperial Hordes, but most importantly, they direct defensive and offensive efforts. They organize raids, raids of which are done in absolute necessity, and plan future conquests of the Easterlings from within the Great House of Yamano, also known as the Imperial Palace.

[h2]LAWS[/h2]
The life of Oyama is a dangerous one, seemingly always walking side-by-side with annihilation and destruction. Only in recent times, the last few years in fact, has order been restored to the once great nation of Oyama. As Taiyo-no-Kami exclaimed, "We shall be great again", and so they have attempted to become. One thing that remained the same, however, is the laws and systems of the Empire of Oyama, and more importantly, the importance of the Shogunate.

The nation is governed by the Way of the Warrior, sometimes referred to as the Way of the Samurai, and the reason for such is simple. The way, or laws, of the warrior, have always applied for warriors since the rise of the first solar empire. But due to the Imperial Necessity which occupies Oyamas present state of social affairs, most people are considered warriors, with only those too young to fight, or those too old to properly wield their blade, remaining within the Ie, or house, of the Caravans (The Ie is the name of the structure on the back of each pack animal). All criminal acts are solved individually, but through regional courts. These courts can decide on any punishment, but they have to chose amongst one of the punishments available for each path. These punishments are decided upon by the Triumvirs. Most punishments are the same, no matter which path, but depend on severity.

Therefore, due to the divide, there are three laws which govern the nation and three warlords which govern the laws. The laws are often referred to as the Three Solar Paths, and their governing warlords are known as the Triumvirs of Yamano. The first solar path is the Path of Youth. These laws include sections such as "respect those whom are elder" and "learn, for the life of the desert is dangerous and full of evil". The Path of Youth focuses on diligence and respect, loyalty and dedication. To break these laws is an affront to the nation, although the punishment is far more lenient than any of the other paths, but can extend to upwards of death.

The Path of the Warrior, the Way of the Warrior, or the Way of the Samurai, is the path which governs over all whom have graduated from their youth, which means that the moment your might and mettle as a warrior is recognized, you will ascend to these rules and doctrines. The laws of the warrior are mostly moral, such as "they whom have no blade have done ye no wrong" as well as "fulfil your duty until death, only death may set you free from obligation". 

The last path, the Path of the Old, is a path which applies for those who have grown too old, too weak, to wield their blade for the betterment of the nation. Instead, they are told to wield their wisdom for the betterment of the people. "wise are ye, so teach others wisdom", "discipline those whom know not wrong from right", and "obliged are ye whom know much, obliged to help those whom require aid" are all excerpts from a few of the tenants of the Path of the Old.

[h2]MILITARY[/h2]

[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/hQhfzjV.jpg[/img]

[i]An artist's personification of the Solar Decree of Imperial Necessity.[/i][/center]

Oyama is a nation which is governed by the Solar Decree of the 86th Emperor of the Sun, it states: "When times are dark, fret not the winter sun. It may bring the snow, the death of nations, but when times are dark, rally to the strongest men amongst ye. They will be your guide". The Solar Decree is called "Imperial Necessity" and demands the adaptation of its people during times of crisis. This means that any abled body must learn the ways of the sword, every capable blacksmith must forge for the sake of the nation, every carpenter must act for the betterment of the people. The strong, in turn, are obliged to govern and rule the country before all else, forced to forsaken family and ambition. The strong amongst the Oyama are known as the Great Clans, of which there are twenty. These twenty clans trace their lineage through countless generations of warriors, even during their time in the Solar Empire, and have been relied upon to rule and govern Oyama, but most importantly, to rally them together. 

Ever since the arrival of the Great Horde to the Draor Chor Reaches several hundred years in the past, the Great Clans had forsaken their sacred duties of protecting the Solar Empress, sometimes speaking of the Imperial Family since the cataclysm as a meager "branch family" of the pure solar lineage. In turn, due to conflicting with the ways of the warrior, the Imperial Horde excommunicated them into the furthest depths of the reaches. So it remained, more and more clans diverging from the Imperial Horde as time went on. In the end, during the reign of Taiyo's father as Shogun, only the Kaga clan remained.

[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/DETaiv2.jpg[/img]

[i]The Way of the Warrior is a doctrine of which governs the people of Oyama, for everyone is a warrior in these dark times.[/i][/center]

Even though everyone is forced to become a warrior during times of necessity, the Empire of Oyama employs strict regulation of warfare and how it is performed. By the age of 12, the Art of War is a necessary educational instrument amongst the future generation of warriors, same applies for countless other literary works. By the age of 16, one is expected to have mastered one sword style of the several hundred different ones found within the Seven Star Sword Doctrines, and by the age of 18, one is forced to slay a beast of the desert to prove their worth. Soldiers amongst the Oyama are called Samurai, so effectively everyone is a Samurai. Loyalty and duty are cornerstones of that lifestyle, but their ability as warriors is fathomless. Once one has slayed a beast of the desert, one becomes a Samurai, and are typically gifted the Imperial Medallion, which is supposed to extend the Stellar protection of the Imperial Family unto its people. Samurai are warriors of many skills, and are typically capable of wielding not only multiple weapons effectively at the same time, but also overcoming overwhelming military odds.

Due to various reasons, mainly domestic security, the times where military actions have ranged beyond the protection of the caravans are few. Due to the nature of aging, the warriors of Oyama grow fewer, and thanks to maturity, the Samurai of Oyama grow even fewer in size. Most soldiers are employed in the defense of the caravans and trade routes because they're simply subpar in the Shogun's eyes, with only a retinue of 10 000 contributing to the entire offensive power of Oyama. Although these 10 000 warriors are beyond any other warriors of their supposed equal, for these warriors are the Shogun's own, and study his own warpath. Though they are called the Shogun's Own, they are not necessarily lead by the Silver Sun. Instead they are often lead by one of the Silver Triumvirs of Yamano; powerful Daimyo, otherwise known was warlords, who have devoted their life to Taiyo-no-Kami's philosophy of war.

[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/XNCmjrd.jpg[/img]

[i]"To Wage War under the Sun", a book authored by Taiyo-no-Kami, is the military guide to warfare under the Shogun's military.[/i][/center]

+ [i][b]"War is like the equilibrium between sun and moon; harmonious. Without darkness life would have overgrown, and without light life would have never existed. War is necessary for the bud of life to grow beautiful, but balance between loss and gain is vital."[/b][/i] - The Shogun's Own, a warband of ten thousand of the mightiest warriors of Oyama, adhere to Taiyo-no-Kami's teachings. As mentioned above, the warpath of Taiyo is a meticulous one, and is decided less by ambition and prize, but more on the ability and power of his people. He is aware of their skills and their ability, and therefore he is aware of the enemy that he is able to defeat, no war is won through ambition, and therefore the Shogun's Own horde fights only when it wants. Through cavalry they are maneuverable; like the wind, they are everywhere yet nowhere. They strike with precision and overwhelming power, they hit the enemy with the impact of a falling star, yet as quickly they disappear into the distance. The condition and severity of Oyama demand the survival of its warriors, and as such the Samurai use decisive and precise strikes to win wars with haste and precision.

+ "[b][i]The Way of the Samurai is a demanding one, with few capable of bearing the burden of a great warrior. I know first hand the weight of the Sun in the desert, the overpowering burden of carrying it onto new dawn. We are few, therefore we must wage war with our minds, not our brawn; like the cobra we must seem powerful even in defeat. Like the viper we must strike rapid and swiftly. And lastly, like the Python, we must crush our enemies and starve their resistance. We are few, but our power is amplified a thousand fold.[/i][/b]" - Proper Samurai in the nation of Oyama are of few number and high demand. Their abilities must extend past four sword styles, and they must be able to use any weapon. Their training is constant, and no warrior is ever at their peak, with their skill in a constant state of improvement. Only age may set the warrior's soul free from their shackles of duty, but seldom does age show on these great warriors of the Dune Sea. The Samurai must therefore be strong, to overpower the numerical advantage of the seemingly overpowering obstacle of the Eastern strongholds of both the Republic and the Empire. Each soldier must be capable enough to accurately slice water as it falls from the heavens, and each warrior must be capable of overcoming overwhelming odds. Most importantly, each warrior must fight until death, for only in death does duty end.

+ "[b][i]Do not underestimate the power of mobility. Even the wind may seem trivial, but it spreads disease and death without equal. We must be like the wind, we must spread the disease of which the Easterlings cannot conquer, a threat that they cannot quell. We must conquer and establish, uproot and plant a new seed of civilization. To do this, to revive the root of the Solar Empire, we must be swift and decisive. A good horse is worth a hundred men, and a good Samurai on a good horse is worth an army.[/i][/b]" - The power of cavalry cannot be overstated, but its superiority is not guaranteed. Spears can destroy any cavalry charge, and hail of arrows can destroy any immobile force. Therefore one must know the battlefield, and that is what the Shogun's Own have learned to do. The hierarchy and the system of the Shogun's Own is strict, but its stratagems are in constant motion. Horses and Samurai are often used to great effect through the medium of horse archery. Though the beauty of the Samurai is not in their singular doctrines, but in their liquified behaviour. One could compare the Shogun's Own, and the military doctrines of the Shogun himself, to be like the seasons; all of them beautiful, but all of them specialized. One must know what to do during the seasons, and therefore the Shogun's Own must know what to do when their tactics do not succeed. The constant, ceaseless motion of the Samurai's tactics and military thinking allows them great versatility on the battlefield, but it requires great leaders. The generals of the Shogun's Own are therefore nigh-irreplacable.

+ "[b][i]The power of the bow is forgotten in this age of might and magic. A proper bow, crafted by the best carpenters of Yamano, can be worth more than any mage when put in the right hands. But a Samurai should not be led into a tunnel, their minds must be open. War is order and chaos, we must be the balance; to create order when there is chaos, and to become chaos when there is order. Therefore we must adapt, and therefore no Samurai should favour no single weapon, be it sword or bow; spear or javelin.[/i][/b]" - Force amplification is a specialty of which the Samurai have learned to master in their times of desperation in the desert, and that concept has been expanded upon further by the Shogun's own teachings on the matter. A proper Samurai does not wield a single weapon, but several, each for their own aspect of the battle. One must be able to adapt to the constant flow of the battle, and a Samurai is someone who is not only capable of adapting, but of overcoming seemingly unbeatable obstacles.

[hr][center][h1]THE WESTERN SUN DAWNS[/h1][/center]
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