"Honoo no tamashii, eien no chikara." (炎の魂、永遠の力)
—Cinohan motto, translating to "Soul of Fire, Eternal Power."

The Cinoh Shogunate (志之幕府) is an island nation in the heart of the Blood Sea. It is steeped in tradition and adorned with the elegance of ancient customs. Governed by the onilings of the Kagegojuu Family, this nation has a unique blend of mystique, honor, and disciplined rule. It replaced the Empire of Cinoh early into the third era.

Mostly situated on the mysterious Crateredge Island that borders the Cometfall Sea, the nation held back the demonic powers of the sea for centuries until the curse was lifted in 3E452. Since then, the nation has begun to expand into Akurisu Island to tap into its natural resources. It has two famous cities within Cinohshima, the capital Port Cinoh as well as the twin cities of Taiyo & Tsuki.

Starting in the second half of the 21st century, the island nation has finally created enough of a naval presence to stand up to its two gigantic neighbors, the Crimson Empire and the Lunar Collective.

While the Shōgun is always a Kagegojuu, they are accompanied by a regulatory body of five democratically elected leaders, creating the council of six:

• The Shogun (Currently Kagegojuu Aute)

• Master of Prayers (Currently Monk Kazeshi)

• Master of Coins (Currently Karuhazumi Mucha)

• Master of Laws (Currently)

• Master of Shields (Currently Urata Kanda)

• Master of Whispers (Currently)

The nation is divided into 6 regions:

• The Yukiba Chihō

• The Okuyama Chihō

• The Akira Chihō

• The Tongzhou Chihō

• The Tikizu Chihō

• The Akurisu Chihō

The shogunate has numerous traditions and customs passed down through generations. Tea ceremonies conducted with meticulous grace, kabuki theaters telling tales of valor and love, and the resonating melodies of ancient instruments embellish daily life. Honor and loyalty are revered virtues, and the samurai, clad in elaborate armor, serve as the protectors of the realm, sworn to uphold the code of the island.

Pirates are not the only criminal aspect of the Blood Sea, as the central position of Cinoh has led to organized crime of a different variety – The Yakuza clans. They are as influential as other noble houses, and many see no differentiation between the two sometimes. There are numerous families in and around Cinoh, spreading their influence towards the east back towards Xi-Di. While the Kagegojuu family rules as royalty essentially losing the original intent behind the Shogunate, some of these other noble families find themselves into positions of power as well. Some of the most influential Cinohan families are:

Kagegojuu Family. The ruling family took over the island hundreds of years ago with little to no bloodshed, owing to their diplomatic genius. The oniling family has been revered for generations, and are seen as the rightful shōguns of the land.

Aekai Family. Most of the yakuza families were in a state of relative peace under the Aekai Family. It was led by a graviturgy wizard nicknamed ‘Singularity’, who brought order to the criminal side of Cinoh. However, he recently disappeared, leading to a power vacuum in place of the Aekai.

Daimaō Family. After a fight for power and much in-fighting, a new yakuza clan rose up in Cinoh, named the Akumakai. Led by Onilings much like the Shogunate itself, the Daimaō seemed to control almost the entire island, and beyond into the Blood Sea as a whole. Ruled with an iron fist by their leader, Daimaō Damien, the Akumakai were viewed in a stellar public light. Some even considered them to be more competent than the Shogunate itself, as Damien’s influence spread deep into the political space of Cinoh. However, after his death during the events of the campaign, their influence has started to wane.

Sakurajima Family. Rumored to have been of Eterian descent, said to have settled in the Cinohan main land during the formation of the empire. Notable due to their lilac hair and deep purple eyes. Having high elf blood in their veins, they've been naturally talented in graceful combat through their swordsmanship and archery. They have been a loyal vassal house of the Kagegoju, and consistently provided "knighted" samurais to bolster the Cinohan armies, where they achieve high ranks almost always without fail.

Goals

The Shounate has historically focused on the unity of their own lands, and hadn't been expansionistic until the reformation of 3E452. Their isolationist practices have also been steadily reduced, as they are more open to trade and immigration than ever before.

The current Shogunate is trying to reclaim their lost status as a great naval power, building a larger navy to stand up against the Lunar and Crimson fleets. This is in part to avoid Aurian culture and politics to completely overwhelm their smaller nation. The Shogunate is also trying to colonize and tame the island of Akurisu, but the pace is still very slow.

Relationships

The Cinoh Shogunate maintains good trade relationships with almost all nations of Abmarah, as one of the major shipping routes of the world passes through Port Cinoh. They have an especially good trade relationship with the Aethian Dominion, the Kasaaqi Dynasty, and the Republic of Xi-Di.

The Shogunate is neutral in the conflict between the Crimson Empire and the Lunar Collective, and has had some tensions with the both of them regarding their naval territories. They are in the process of industrializing and building up their naval fleet to match the strength of these two neighbors.

Military

The Cinohan Military structure is as follows:

History

The Shōguns since the takeover in 3E109 have been:

The first people migrated to Crateredge Island from Xoenn around nine hundred years ago, a century after the cometfall, naming the island 'Cinohshima' after their intention to survive. Fearful of the cometfall sea, they made their villages on the coast opposite it. Six hundred years ago, the island was united into the 'Empire of Cinoh' under an eastern dragonborn emperor, Aomoya Altuk. His successor managed to conquer many nearby islands including modern day Tikius, but some say that setting foot on Achlys cursed the empire. The Aomoya family declined over the next three centuries, losing control over all the nearby islands. Three hundred years ago, the final Aomoya emperor, Aomoya Paskan, was a tyrant that led the empire into a famine. The Kagegojuu clan, a family of Onilings, rebelled against the empire and gained public and political support. In a relatively peaceful military takeover, Paskan stepped down as emperor and the empire was reformed into the Kagegojuu Shogunate in 3E109.

For many centuries, they effectively isolated the country from the influence of their neighbors to prevent Aurian ideologies and culture to permeate into CInoh. This isolation slowly declined over time, as Cinohan ideas and Aurian ideas started to intermingle starting in the 20th century.

In 3E452, after the assassination and death of the Shōgun Iwale as well as Prince Miyoshi, Princess Aite became the first female Shōgun of the Kagegojuu Shogunate and restructured the political leadership of the Kagegojuu Shogunate into the Cinoh Shogunate, creating the elected council of six. The nature took a more industralized and expansionist view, and soon intervented in the Siege of Tikius and claimed Makal island before the Crimsons could do it. Aite then changed the laws of succession to be equal-preference to let more women succeed to the throne.