OYASHIMA: YAMATAI 邪馬台国

[Islamadon 4565]

YAMATAI 邪馬台国

 

 

“As I look back upon my home of Yamatai, no longer as Shōgun but as a mere commonfolk, I cannot help but stand amazed as we rowed away. The Imperial City stretched miles and miles into the horizon, with walls upwards of a thousand feet tall. Even the blockade we rowed past only missed us due to their great size. It would take a hundred thousand men to breach that city. It was then, I admit my samurai, that the war was lost.” - Memoirs of the Deposed Shogun

 

Yamatai refers to one of two entities meaning “The Rich Autumn’s Island”. There is the island of Yamatai itself, one of the eight main islands in Oyashima and the seat of the Imperial clan and Shogunate. Then there is The City of Yamatai, a sprawling megalopolis that almost fully encapsulates the island. Many are drawn by the rich opulence of the architecture or the unheard of decadence of life in the inner walls but almost all are swept off by the swirling chaos of the City Typhoon.

 

 

It’s uncertain when the foundations of the megalopolis were first set as they predate the Imperial era and even the semi-mythical origins of the Tenjō era. It’s reported there was once an empire that stretched across the waters and would become known as The Empire of the Seas to us today but may have been named Yamatai itself. The empire is said that after an unknown catastrophic event it would sink into the sea forming the archipelago of Oyashima we know today. Some relics of the past remain however. Buried blackstone beneath the city’s cobble and ancient ship remains sunken beneath the waters surrounding Yamatai today are testament to what could have came before. Whether these were some kind of proto-Oyashiman or Yosei inhabitants before their migration no one can agree on. Historians date the city of Yamatai’s construction to the era of Emperor Heisei in contradiction to the belief of the Empire of the Seas narrative. During this era the city was a relatively rural, self-sustaining economy that relied heavily on fishing. With the fall of the Hou-Zi however, Emperor Heisei would gain control of the city and he was quoted saying “May we, the peoples of islands, control our fate and build ourselves a utopia. A beacon against the darkness that was the Hou-Zi.”

 

This dream created Yamatai today - a mega city encompassing almost the entirety of the island Yamatai itself. The city is documented to be divided into three layers that mark demographic changes of who is allowed to occupy what. The outer layer of the city is ever expanding and changing, made primarily of fishing platforms stretched out over the surrounding seas. This layer of the city is reserved typically for the poor commoner fishermen and for the approved gaijin. Little care for the well being of these people are given with the annual tsunamis typically making the unprepared here the first of their victims. Because of the squalor conditions of this layer, life is not valued highly and crime is abundant. Yakuza maintain some semblance of order within the communities they control with an iron fist as they fend off both yokai and those who want to take what they have. Often those with a dream of prospering in Yamatai find themselves trapped in the outer layer and made broken before ever being able to leave again.

 

The middle layer of the city is the image of Yamatai more often received by outside masses. This layer is intended for the more well to do citizens of the Empire descended from government officials, samurai or those favored by the Emperor or Shogun. The people of Yamatai have a unique fashion sense found primarily only amongst them where they often dress up in outlandish wear and color their hair from various choices across the rainbow spectrum. Even the pets kept by these citizens are exotic ranging from pet tigers to badlands reptilians. Surprisingly, many of the amenities within the middle layer are free - taken care of by the Imperial government. It is believed that a care-free life helps foster the creativity of Oyashima’s best without the trivial worries of expenses to bother them. Festivals are held monthly here with some lasting for the entire week. These festivals include the infamous Lunar New Year festivals, the Winter Solstice where people wear oni masks while out on a night of drinking, and festivals to Kais Ishikawa’s reconquest with reenactments of his more famous battles taking place. The overall happiness and safety of the people catered to here allows for them to experience minimal crime and typically what is seen trickles from those of the Outer Layer sneaking in.

 

 

At the Heart of Yamatai lies the Imperial Residence - Kogane Palace, and the seat of the Shogun - Arashi Castle. To those unaccustomed with the city center, it would appear as if it were a city within a city. The Palace district showcases a hedonist display of exaggerated wealth, an example being its molten gold rivers that flow through ornate canals. The Heart of Yamatai is strictly off-limits for commoners, Samurai and even most Daimyo; only the Shogun, the Emperor, their immediate families and most trusted retainers are permitted upon the grounds. Due to their centuries of isolation, the families (and branch families) who dwell within the Heart have developed reputations akin to that of Gods, and many within flaunt their power with abhorrent actions. It is not uncommon for a resident of the Heart to venture down into the lower levels of Yamatai and capture residents for entertainment or labor, effectively enslaving them. Too are those within the Heart so empowered that there have been many cases of them chopping down commoners for merely crossing their path, or sacrificing them as impromptu bridges upon the molten-gold canals.

 

The Imperial Clan’s power, in truth, is merely symbolic in the current era and true power lies with the Ishikawa Shogun. At the same time the Inferi Crisis ravaged the descendants of Arcas, an event known as the “Red Eclipse” overwhelmed Yamatai when Ishikawa Yorinobu murdered his brother and seized the seat of Shogun. Yokai spilled out across the Isles yet, bizarrely, the Heart of Yamatai was left unscathed even as the lower levels were terrorized by wretches of Iboku. Immediately following the event, many had sought to leave Yamatai but lacked the financial means to do so, often driving their focus to find means of smuggling their way from the megapolis rather than opposing the Shogun. Too have rumors begun to spread that slavery is no longer the norm for captured civilians, but instead fueling evil arts. Regardless, far more Oyashi dream of Yamatai’s glistening opportunity for success rather than the baseless rumors which surround its shadow. As Yamatai stabilizes, it continues to flourish as the center of government and culture for all of Oyashima. 

 

[TeawithFrisket 2665]

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