[fieldbox="Akiyama Hideki, #FF7C78, solid, 5, Book Antiqua"]
Name: Akiyama Hideki (surname comes first)
Age: 23
Appearance: (as pictured)
Occupation: Assistant Royal Treasurer
Formal Title: Sixth-born Prince of the Akiyama Dynasty
Five Words That Describe Your Character: Delicate. Proper. Agreeable. Inventive. Scholarly.
Notable Skills:
Bookworm - Hideki spent much of his young life with his nose buried in books, and as a consequence has knowledge on quite of number of varied topics, though not all of that knowledge is necessarily useful.
Fancy Bowmanship - Practiced as more of a sport rather than for conventional warfare, he's quite skilled with the shortbow, able to hit distant targets with decent accuracy.
Siege Engineer - While not particularly concerned with battles and the like, Hideki does have a keen interest in the artillery related sphere of combat, particularly the inner workings of catapults, arbalests and whatnot that comprise weapons of such destructive power.
Cultural Knowledge - Unlike many in his country, the prince also has an interest in the other cultures of Iskiela, taking any opportunity he can to read up on the customs, rituals, religions and such of the various nations that make up the continent.
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[fieldbox="Nation 7 - Takaman Empire, #FF7C78, solid, 5, Book Antiqua"]
Nation Number and Name: #7 - The Takama Empire
Capital City: Kiridoshi (in ancient times was known as Crownsmeet)
System of Government: Feudal Monarchy. The country is divided into seven prefectures, each ruled by their own lord, all of whom swear allegiance to the emperor. The separate lords may choose to rule their territories however they wish, provided they pay tribute to the emperor and that their actions are seen as justifiably done in the name of furthering the empire's causes.
While the lords make decisions in their own territories, the emperor's will is given priority over all. He (or she in some rare cases) will choose the overall direction the country, and will ultimately be the one who makes the larger decisions, such as going to war or not. He/she still presides over other matters, but genuinely delegates the smaller dealings to their advisors. When the emperor dies, their most capable son, not necessarily the oldest, will be chosen to succeed them.
The current reigning emperor is Akiyama Hideo, head of the Akiyama dynasty and father to Hideki as well as five other sons. While Hideo rules his domain with an iron fist, he is considered neither unfair nor unjust, and can be persuaded using the right diplomatic approach. Appeals to honor and reason will make for a particularly effective strategy, as the emperor considers himself a rational man and during the many years of his rule has yet to prove otherwise.
Basic Terrain and Weather: Hilly and mountainous, for the most part. There are a few fertile valleys that the peasantry have put to use as their growing fields, and in the north east there's a modest source of timber in the oak forests that lines the Nidoshai peninsula, as well as Okuma Isle. The Takamans experience hot summers, and mild winters, with snowfall being a rare occurrence unless you find yourself traversing the mountains that keep the empire mostly contained from the northern nations of Iskiela.
Trade Specialization: Iron and copper are abundant in the hills, as well as other secondary metals. Takaman smiths are said to be the best in the world, and while some might contest the superiority of their (thousand times folded) steel, their weaponry is nonetheless considered popular around the continent, with many lords and ladies of renown commissioning the Takaman smiths to forge them an exquisite blade.
Not quite an export per se, but the Takamans are also known for their well trained military, and lords will often hire their men out to other nations to deal with whatever problems they may require a disciplined group of soldiers for, usually putting down rebellions or dealing with would-be bandit kings. In times of peace, this allows the warriors to keep their combat instincts sharp while earning gold and glory for their respective lords, and by extension their emperor.
Notable or Interesting Facts: There are two distinct ethnic groups in the Takaman Empire; those they call the Hillborn, who are true natives of the land; and the other, known as the Seaborn, who arrived in a massive fleet that conquered the ancestral home of the aforementioned hillborn and brought the Mountain Kings to their knees. While this occurred several centuries ago, those who are hillborn are generally seen as second class citizens, despite the fact that over the years the two ethnic groups have interbred to the point where there are very few pure blooded seaborn left.
People born in other parts of the continent are considered hillborn as well, even if they're of vastly different ethnic backgrounds. The term has come to be a pejorative for non-seaborn more than anything else, and while their xenophobic tendencies have dwindled in recent years, the Takamans (particularly nobility) still consider the hillborn to be inferior, though it varies from person to person.
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