**If a traveler 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 travelers saw when being led by its children, a settlement built so far up it gives the illusion that it rests on clouds most days.**
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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.
Slightly left of the village center sits the Torre Empirea, the center of the administrative hub of the entire Lightning Country. Each of the five interconnected skyscrapers serve their own purpose. The central tower handles Kumogakurean business, and houses the Main Branch offices known as The Legation; The outer towers house the administrative apparatus that's required to operate the entire country. This includes one of the towers being used solely by nobility and their staff. The buildings themselves are made in a recent architectural style known as Art Deco, and the interiors decorated likewise. The doors 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 - About fourty 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 was once 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, most 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
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.
- Academy Student - Throughout the land of Kaminari no Kuni people share a relationship with both technology and the once rare innate power of Chakra. Once a land barren of any chakra users, the shinobi village of Kumogakure used to go by drastic measures to keep their ranks full of capable soldiers able to fend of the grand and strange while leaving the mundane to the Shoganate that ruled the country below. Bribing, blood-debts, and even kidnapping were not uncommon methods past the Cloud Shinobi as they hunted for the rare few capable of actually molding chakra. Then a war wracked the lands of Kumo worst than ever before, destroying the old ruling order and revealed the reason why chakra was such a scarcity before ushering in a new democratic order of nobles and commonweal overseen by the Raikage. Now nearly every person throughout Kaminari no Kuni can boast the ability to control chakra. Some far more than others, and these select few children are generally found by a special test every child goes through once they reach the age of eight in order to receive the free education the government offers.Around five-hundred children ranging from the ages of eight to thirteen enroll every year in the Shinobi Academy of Kumogakure. Among those five-hundred, about half fail from the strict curriculum, half of that half end up severely crippled, and every year, at least twenty-five students die. The exact details of the shinobi academy student curriculum are a closely-guarded secret. 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. The combination of these approaches makes academy students who survive their trials highly versatile and dangerous opponents against all adversaries they may encounter. This is done to uphold a certain reputation the Cloud Shinobi have, now able to fully weed out the weak from the truly gifted in order to continue pushing the ideals of the recently elected government and keep a strict order to their country.
- 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: Ryuu Rei
- ANBU Sennin: Kagami Miro
- Medical Branch Sennin: Midori Futotta
**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
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 kilometers 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
Boundaries
Climate
The climate of Lightning Country is mostly long and cold during the winter. The average temperatures are around the in the low -40s to high 20s F. As with most northern continental climates, it snows quite often in especially during the late nights and early morning. The temperature mellows down in the mid-afternoon where the sun usually shines over most of the country. However, the temperatures are still cold enough that wearing warm clothing is imperative. The temperature begins to rise as the seasons approach the fall where the temperatures increase to the low 60's to mid 70's. During the fall, the sun is up for most of the day but the frequent brisk winds travels from up north down to the south. As the sun heats up most of the icy mountain ranges, lightning country experiences some showers. Between the winter and fall there are mild and rainy seasons. Thunderstorms occur but not often. During the early summer, it seldom rains but most of the time the temperature is warm. Average temperatures are comfortable ranging from mid 70's to high 80's.Topography
The terrain is usually mountainous especially in the northern and eastern reaches. 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. 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 Kumogakure, replacing Raiden no Me, or Raiden’s Eye, which was located in the central valley; which is now just a major city. The size of Kumogakure has also nearly doubled since becoming the nation’s capital, building further in and around the mountain. Kelmura and Port Cirrus are large trade hubs which are located on the Northern and Southern coastlines to the country’s west. The city of Nikkei has attached to the east of Raiden no Me, and is the hub of many of the corporations and guilds.Government and Military
The government is best described as Neo Democratic. It is headed by the Raikage, a position officially given from Raikage to Raikage successor, but in the event a successor isn't chosen and a new Raikage is needed, it is then chosen by a council of three separate political parties. Seven Daimyo of the Old Age, surviving nobles from the age of the Daiyamo that are granted their seats along the lines of hereditary selection. The Council of Kumo, a group of about ten retired shinobi of Chuunin Rank and above. Then finally, but not least, the Representatives of the Laymen whom are a group of twenty politicians from all parts of Lightning representing the common folk who have little to no use of the Chakra abilities or nobility.The Kumogakure Army and Navy are the standing national military forces, commanded by the Raikage through their Three Sennins, who belay orders to their Generals. The Main Branch controls the Army and holds partial control over the Navy, while ANBU controls specialized forces in the Army and a majority of the Navy. Medical has an overall control over both with exception to specialized forces but holds no generals and must first get a major decision past through at least the Generals of either force. The military that protects the lands and seas are all filled with shinobi of about Genin Level or below, or at least militants who have some small manor of control over Chakra. While many people apply to become shinobi, or are swept up from the test to enter the country’s free schooling, only about fifty children per year ever become full fledged shinobi in service to Kumogakure - the rest are transferred to the lower rungs of the military on land and sea. That said, there is still a secondary ladder of ascension for any soldier who couldn’t cut it as a ninja and being a part of the military industrial complex is still a lucrative position for most families.
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. The majority of its inhabitants are peasants at around 65% of the entire population, with 30% of the rest being a rapidly-growing merchant middle class and the rest the upper class. Nobility has seen a hit since the death of the Shogun and their power now only resides with the Seven Daiyamo. The peasant population is also starting to claw their way up from the dirt with the advanced opportunities being offered from their new government, but is still slow going with a number of small revolutionary pockets popping up.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, but recently telephones are becoming exceedingly popular as a faster means of communication; though only middle to upper class can afford them. In regards to Kumogakure no Sato, its inhabitants still use messenger birds as their primary source of distant communication due to the built in privacy of well trained birds. 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 privately owned vehicles and 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. Technology itself saw a recent boom after the new government took over and chakra was no longer scarce between the commons. The Television was recently introduced as well as a way to report news rapidly from the local areas. It’s already starting to evolve a small entertainment industry, and a major news source known as Kumogakure Weekly gives the entire populace the biggest country updates every Friday.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 other major cities boast institutions of higher learning that were once typically reserved for the upper classes, but are now offered freely to anyone willing to take a Chakra Level Test to determine if they can take on the challenge of Kumogakure’s Academy; which is now seen as a prestigious institute and a chance at changing a family’s entire social standing. Kumogakure no Sato is also 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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