[hider=Nation Sheet] [b]Name of your Nation:[/b] Empire of Ikagai [i]Will put flags up eventually[/i] [b]Type of Government:[/b] Absolute Monarchy [b]Demographics & Population:[/b] -Population 3.5 Million -Most Abundant Race: Oni -Second most abundant: Human -All other races are a minority [hr] [b]Governance & Politics:[/b] Ikagai operates under a clan based system. There are several clans with vested interests who all follow a recognized Emperor. The Emperor governs over all clans and all clans govern provinces provided to them by the Emperor. There are rivalries between the clans, but in their colonial conquests this is settled by who can garner more territory. The Emperor is selected by family, if the next in line of the ruling clan is not of age another Clan’s representative will be chosen. This is often a source of disagreement, however, it is decided by those closest to the gods and is often enough to quell unrest. [b]Culture & Society:[/b] Ikagai society is hierarchical. There are those at the bottom of the rung, the beggars, the inept, the impotent. Then there are those that contribute to the society, fishermen, merchants, farmers and such. Finally those at the top, the warriors, the aristocrats, the philosophers, and provincial governors. Above them all sits the Emperor wielding both martial and administrative power. It is important to understand that those in Ikagai society still hold their warrior culture close despite the modern times. They regard their armor as temples that protect ones body, they regard their weapons as extensions of themselves, they see dueling and fighting as a spiritual act of bonding between two souls. Furthermore, unlike other societies, they’ve held women as equals of men, mostly because of the physicality of oni women. In their past time these oni indulge themselves in martial ceremonies and past times. Duels of great spectacle, choreographed dances that depict battles of great clans, feasts that last for whole weeks. However, despite how backwards that may sound, they are hardworking industrialists that have recently begun the standardization of their armies. Their armor and their swords can never be replaced, but now the gun has become a prominent battlefield weapon and is lauded for its killing potential and its ease of use. [b]Magic & Technology:[/b] The Oni of Ikagai are very closely related to the element of fire, whether it be of their land, their god, or the manarite they've been exposed to, the people of Ikagai seem to have an affinity with fire magic. This is not to say that they aren't well versed in other forms of magic or elements, they are just naturally gifted towards using fire. That being said, a lot of their motifs and even their military technology is geared towards flames. They've mastered inlaying manarite into their technology creating some crude form of circuitry. However, it's not like anything we would see in our world. They use it to warm their houses, to make rivers flow, and detonate rock for mining. Different manarite circuits create different results, it is a natural evolution of magic circle techniques and rituals. However, it cannot be done everywhere and it is certainly not without its set of risks. Manarite exposure is still a problem for those that maintain or work around these circuits. When done incorrectly, manarite circuits can have unforeseen and often unintended effects. As such these things are not used in a large scale and is still very experimental in military use. [b]Military Overview:[/b] Their navy is average in strength and their ships are not very note-worthy of design. They heavily depend on the skill of their sailors and commanders at sea to produce results. They are regularly outpaced by nations who’ve refined their navies and have experimented further in newer, bolder tactics. Their armies over land is a different story. Armored, six foot oni armed with their traditional swords and their newer firearms. Admittedly their firearms are still unstandardized consisting of a mix of paper cartridge guns, needle rifles, and the newest breechloaders. Their artillery is of the breechloading variety, originally designed for their smaller ships, the large guns can lob high explosives into the air and rain hot iron over their targets. Their regular army doctrine differs from clan to clan, but the usual tactic is to close the distance on the enemy while shelling them with artillery. As the infantry get close enough, they let loose volley after volley in small formations, closing distance as they do. Once within ten paces of the enemy, they either equip bayonets or draw their swords and engage in melee where they have the upperhand. Mages in hand-to-hand are vital as they become a vanguard of any assault. They can erect barricades, spew flames, create mists and much more with a bit of manarite and a wave of their hand. Of course, it sounds easy, but combat mages are specialists and are in few numbers. Only a handful of them are attached to companies at a time and this is assuming the clan that fields them has them. [hr] [hider=What the Oni typically look like] [img]https://i.imgur.com/wfBzL7E.jpg[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/ja8Hdm3.jpg[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/lcKFS5O.jpg[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/r5Vu1XM.jpg[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/sQLbDEC.jpg[/img] [/hider] [/hider]