**If a traveller is courageous enough to make the journey high into the mountains, to brave the deep chill of the northern winds, to skillfully navigate through treacherous passes, and lucky enough to dodge the omnipresent dangers, they may arrive at an almost inconspicuous formation of black rocks, a deceiving introduction to the might of Lightning Country. Founded in antiquity as a mining boom-town, the Village Built on Clouds derives its name from the first sight travellers see when being led by its children, a settlement built so far up it gives the illusion that it rests on clouds most days.**
Description - The military city state of Kumogakure-no-Sato is built on the nation’s southern-central mountain range, which is entirely divorced from the other mountain ranges and thus attracts speculation that it might have been formed by processes other than normal geological modeling. This theory is further spurred by the dangerous pathways and conveniently placed fortifications carved directly into the stone edifice of the mountains surrounding the village's entrance. The only access to and from the village is located within the Dragon Tooth Pass, where an opening was once blasted through stone in ancient times through means impossible to replicate today. Kumogakure's location was once a well kept secret until recent decades and continues to remain unmarked on official maps but one can often find a guide for the right price.
Guarded by towering mountains, the main infrastructure of the buzzing village lies among the clouds, past the diminutive ability of the naked eye and eternally watchful of the un-raveling events in the world below. Legend has it that the most recent, ground-level additions locate themselves on the recovered carcass of a titanic demonic beast that once rampaged through the lands only to be defeated by Raiden himself; but the tale does little to halt the progression of the commoner's daily life.
At the center of the village sits the Torre Celeste, the center of administerial supremacy and policy. The tower itself is constructed from an intricately masoned onyx-like mineral harvested from Dragon Tooth Path, specifically designed to reflect the multitude of stars at night and to stand prominently against the blue skies during the day. The doors, ornate with with the chiseled pictorial history of Cloud, are always open to the many plights of the subjects it serves.
Towards the north eastern region of Kumogakure lies a district known as the Nimbus Delactatio. This region is known as such for its more natural resources and areas for the local population to enjoy. The more well known areas in the district are the Ancient Forest and the Nimbus Springs, yet there are more places than just these. A Greenhouse maintained by the local Yamanaka Clan sits on the outskirts of the forest, a central location amongst a botanical gardens. Several stone paths cross natural streams on the outskirts of the forest and a large grassy field also offer many uses to natives and visitors alike.
Climate - The village's climate is best described as mild Boreal or Subartic. Kumogakure is known for having lengthy and frigid winters like most of northern Kaminari-no-Kuni, however, the mountains surrounding the village stave off all but the worst storms. Travel to and from the village slows to a crawl during the worst winter months. Spring, summer and fall are temperate and may only have handful of hot days. Rain is rare in the village, despite the lingering cloud cover that give the village it's name. The flora and fauna of Kumo has adapted well to it's climate and while not as diverse, is in abundance. The Ancient forest, a natural and fertile Taiga, is rich with life but the rest of Kumogakure has generally low agricultural potential due to the rocky and infertile soils.
Language - Most in Kumogakure speak the world's common language with little to no variation however many, especially those within old clans, also learn the ancient Kumogakurian language. The ancient language of Kumogakure was a regional dialect of a now extinct language of eidolons past. It survived its predecessor through cultural expansion and flourished during the advent of Cloud's militaristic conversion. Today there exists two dialects whose splits occurred around the same time for different purposes: The Vulgar Variant and the Classical Variant. One wishing to learn the language need look not further than Kumogakure's library as learning is open to all citizens of the country.
Village Population - Only about fifteen percent of Kumogakure-no-Sato's population are ninja trained, with the rest being largely civilians. Of those civilians, most are working-class citizens who see to the day to day needs of the village shinobi. The entire infrastructure of Kumogakure relies heavily on the common folk as opposed to being a full ninja class country. Here, chakra prowess is exceedingly rare when compared to other major nations such as the Fire Country. As such a great deal of the population in Kumogakure tie their roots back to trading clans over ninja clans, as only a trace few of those still remain. With that said, the 15% of citizens that claim the moniker “Ninja” are either the rare chakra powerhouse, combat genius, has a stubborn training ethic, or a mix of all three; and are not to be trifled with.
Clans - Kumogakure was known for her ancient clans, some of which stretch back hundreds of years to the founding of the village. These groups are diverse, with different inheritance laws, cultural practices and religions. With strength in numbers, the clans often have a greater political foothold over a single individual and in the past the ancient clans used this to keel an iron clad grasp on the title of Raikage. More on joining a clan here (link insert)
Ranks -
[*]Civilian -All members of the shinobi village under-go basic level training during childhood as a requirement of living in the village and reaping it's benefits such as access to top-tier Medical Shinobi ran hospitals and strict protective laws. They learn village protection procedures the basic theory of chakra and other skills useful and there are stringent requirements for anyone wishing to move to the village. With the medical prowess of medical shinobi it is rare to find any individual within the village incapable of passing a basic level physical. Training is generally administered during childhood in conjunction with schooling then followed up by propaganda and state-controlled news to keep citizens informed. (This rank can be held by NPCs only)
[*]Academy Student - A hundred children ranging from ages eight to thirteen enroll every year in the Shinobi Academy of Kumogakure. The sole admission criterion is that the child must show signs of the vanishingly rare ability to control the innate energy source from which all shinobi techniques originate: Chakra. Most new students have shinobi parents who have sent their children to satisfy the blood-tithe requirement, but a fair number come from the ranks of the non-shinobi of Kaminari-no-Kuni, their potential detected by the ranks of the Academy’s Chakra Screening Service (ACSS) who scour the country with the sole purpose of detecting and recruiting candidates. Whether voluntarily relinquished, purchased outright, or simply abducted, these children also add to the ranks of future potential shinobi.
The exact details of the shinobi academy student curriculum are a closely-guarded secret known only to the Academy Headmaster and his or her Assistant. What is known is that children undergo intensive training in all forms of warfare and are expected to master everything from hand-to-hand brawling to field command of entire armies. Simultaneously, they endure exposure to dangerous alchemical processes, absorption of mutagenic compounds, and neurophysiologic augmentation intended to speed and refine the development of their chakra systems, allowing them to utilize shinobi jutsu. The combination of these approaches makes academy students who pass their trials highly versatile and dangerous opponents against all adversaries they may encounter.
The way in which a student joins the academy often determines their early training. Members of clans or those with family within the village will often maintain a normal home-life outside the strenuous demands of the village. Those sent to Kumogakure, abducted or otherwise detained from beyond her borders who lack guardianship are moved into the Academy's dormitories until their graduation. Rarely a child of an affluent Kaminari lord with be pressured into shinobi life but those who are are usually well cared for monetarily by their parents.
[*]Genin/Anbu in Training/Mednin in Training - A student is already a formidable force by the time he or she graduates from the Academy and assumes the title of Genin. Although merely children or young teenagers for the most part, they are already considered a comparable fighting force to a company of non-shinobi military. Genin are expected to spend their time in preparation for their Chuunin trials; this is done by the performance of the simpler missions and regular training. It is in this stage that they learn to operate as an effective team with each other - a shinobi alone is a threat to a regiment, but a shinobi team is a threat to an entire army. Unlike most villages, Kumogakure also only pairs two Genins together under the eye of a Jounin. Each shinobi learns in this time to utilize everything they have, and not just simply focus on a single path of fighting. They are expected to also watch for the safety of Academy Students and Civilians within the village, and often find their first jobs through the Intelligence Service or Deathwatch. It is also during this stage that those with outstanding talents or, ironically, those who need to be intensively monitored, are often recruited as trainees by members of the ANBU or Medic Nin for the specialized training that those fields require.
[*]Chuunin/Anbu/Mednin - The Chuunin is the backbone of the village of Cloud. They are the first into any fight, and often the last to leave. They fulfill a wide variety of roles, from heavy weapons deployment to reconnaissance to advanced Genjutsu support in the field. It is said that one Chuunin alone is more than a match for a full brigade of soldiers, and combined, their firepower is enough to serve as a strong front for the village’s defense. Chuunin are in general, expected to participate in the missions that make the village money and prestige – often dangerous or high-pressure assignments that skirt the boundaries of international incident and acts of war. In addition, they are expected to help instruct and supervise the Genin of the village, stepping in if things become too dangerous or lives are at risk. These individuals usually occupy the directorships of the various divisions of the Main Branch, as they have the skill and time to do so, and because there are not enough Jounin who have the time.
[*]Jounin/Anbu Captain/Mednin Chief - The Jounin is a member of an elite brotherhood of powerful shinobi, few in number but great in might, who have fought, served, and survived against all odds to emerge as the pinnacle of the village’s strength. Out of an average academy class of one hundred individuals, less than one percent of those individuals, will survive to reach this level. Death, disability, aging, and also, for the most part, a simple desire to live as a normal human being, prevent the vast majority of shinobi from achieving this rank. Jounin often have forsaken family and friendships to become what they are; although they are respected and feared, few are loved. However, some form lasting partnerships during their times as a Genin and create a unique aspect to Kumogakure’s military: The Duo. A Duo are a pair of Jounin that have either managed to keep in touch throughout their whole career, or are two shinobi who’s preferred style of combat naturally supports each other. They are rare, with only a handful of them ever having been recorded throughout the entire history, but hold the power to shape the very landscape or silently remove entire villages if so ordered.
Current Cloud Leadership -
- [*]Raikage: Shinrya Kitsune
- [*]Main Branch Sennin: To be decided
- [*]ANBU Sennin: Kagami Miro
- [*]Medical Branch Sennin: Midori Futotta
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**With her sky soaring peaks and rich basin valleys, Kaminari is a great land of untapped adventure. Few traverse her length without then falling in love with all she has to offer.**
Map of Lightning Country
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Boundaries – Kaminari no Kuni is a peninsular nation bounded by the frozen waters and inhospitable islands of the Northern Sea to the North and West, the Sea of Kirigakure to the East, and Marsh and Bear Countries to the South. To the extreme northwest, a tiny sliver of perhaps a hundred kilometres of coastline is occupied by the independent Democratic Kagoshiman republic, and along the eastern seaboard of the country, the independent city state of Tenouza occupies one of the country’s southern natural ports and the surrounding lands around it.Map of Lightning Country
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Topography – The terrain is usually mountainous especially in the northern and eastern reaches The central part of the country is occupied by a large, fertile valley within which lies the country’s breadbasket. To the southwest until the border with Marsh Country, hills and rock faces dominate the scenery.
Cities and Population Centers – The country’s capitol city is Raiden no Me, or Raiden’s Eye, which is located in the central valley. Kelmura and Port Cirrus are much larger trade hubs which are located on the Northern and Southern coastlines to the country’s west. The city of Nikkei is East of Raiden no Me, and is the hub of many of the corporations and guilds that have arisen within the last fifty years.
Government and Military - The government is best described as Neo-Feudal. It is headed by the Shogun, a position officially chosen by a council of eleven Daimyo but typically handed down along hereditary lines. The Council of the Eleven Moons, headed by the Shogun’s Chancellor, are the Shogun’s top vassals and advisers, and beneath them are the lesser hereditary and ascended nobility. The nobles are divided into three classes: shinpan, relatives; fudai, those who were allies in any previous struggles; and tozama, who were neutral. Each Daimyo manages a domain granted by the Shogun; these domains are known as han, and are ranked in order of economic production. Each daimyo grants subdivisions of these regions to samurai lords, who are in charge of these small fiefs and maintain order within them.
The Imperial Army and Navy are the standing national military forces, commanded by the Shogun through his Marshal General and Grand Admiral, although individual Daimyo and lesser nobility typically maintain their own land (and sometimes local sea) forces to enforce order and repulse periodic land-grab attempts by their rivals. There is no official limit besides cost on the size of a noble’s private force, although to recruit truly large forces tends to place a noble under suspicion of plotting insurrection. The true expression of military power, however, resides in Kumogakure no Sato. A quasi-independent city-state whose sole purpose is the manufacture and training of human weapons of mass destruction, Kumo is typically apolitical, even if the Raikage is considered an honorary member of the Council of Eleven. If the Raikage willed it, Kumo could quickly crush the country itself – however to do so would inevitably make the village starve itself in the long run. Thus, a sometimes-uneasy relationship exists between Kumo, the Council of Eleven, the Shogun, and the lesser nobility.
Economy - The country's primary exports consist of marble, limestone, concrete, timber, iron and fine steel, copper, electrum, and quartz, as well as certain rare building stone and jewels. The country dabbles a bit in livestock such as dromedaries and sheep in the countryside but not as extravagant as its competitors. Due to the typically rocky nature of the ground, Lightning Country tends to import more food products and natural fibers than export, with the exception of seafood. Lightning Country's prolific coastal region exports both delicacies and massive, cheap shipments of a bland but popular fish. The coast also provides many fine natural ports, which boosts the nation's economy via trade and monitored, taxed routes. As with any Feudal-inspired state, the majority of its inhabitants are peasants at around 70% of the entire population, with 25% of the rest being a rapidly-growing merchant middle class and the rest the upper class and nobility, and a tiny sliver of that being the Shogun’s family and relatives.
Demographics – The majority of Kaminari no Kuni’s population belongs to a dominant ethnic majority that composes most of the population and exists across all social classes. However, there are other smaller ethnic groups such as the Kagoshimans, Tennouzans, and refugee groups from the recent Bear-March conflict that continue to eke out a living on the country’s Western border. As in any feudal system, discrimination and prejudice against minorities is a cultural and social norm, even if not actually codified into law.
Technology - The country utilizes several different types of energy sources for everyday citizens such as geothermal, electrical and wind energy. Most of the geothermal energy comes from harnessing the steam and heat from dormant volcanoes in the large mountain ranges. Also, the country burns fossil fuel as the primary source of electricity. Wind is not the main source of energy but during the winter and middle of the fall wind is used a backup source when burning fossil fuel is not exceedingly available. The country's primary method for communication is through letters either by messenger birds or professional couriers. Considering the ever growing population of lightning country, messengers are gradually becoming obsolete and being replaced by telegrams. It should be noted that telegrams are used for specific events like summon from the Daimyo or alerts to and from Kumogakure in extreme cases. In regards to Kumogakure no Sato, its inhabitants use messenger birds as their primary source of distant communication. The middle class travel through train or gas trolley. The cheapest way to travel is still using horses, donkeys or carriers but normally this is not used for extremely long distance unless there are financial issues. The upper class travel through trains, however, the charters are less crowded and congested. The primary transportation for offshore traveling is a typical sailboat or a large ship. General ships or boats run on either burning fuels or using wind turbines. For short travels, bikes and horses are used.
Myths/Religions - As a country, Kaminari no Kuni has no official state-mandated religion. Most individuals within the country tend to adhere to religious traditions derived from historical ancestor-reverence, with select famous historical figures and heroes being given special attention. Whether thought of as traditional "gods" or figures that bring luck or prosperity, there are a few who stand out, depending on one's location, class, and profession. Typically, the founding figure of the country, Raiden, is given elevated status by most. In Kumo in particular, there are a few notable individuals who a shinobi might mention for a blessing, such as Akyama Kin, Shinbatsu, Aion the Dawnbringer, or Kagetsu Kiyo.
Education - The country has its share of rich resources in the scholarly world. Raiden's Eye and the major cities boast institutions of higher learning that are typically reserved for the upper classes. Kumogakure no Sato is known for a large library that is free for most to access, provided they are able to tolerate the somewhat austere conditions within.
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