Editing Autia (section)

====Napan====
''Described as "populated by powerful beasts and their weak men" (though they do have human ninjas). Basically all your Japanese fantasy tropes wrapped into one nation with particular focus on anything that would appeal to furries and other such folk. Allied to the Shahdom and once supplied most of the navy for the alliance.''

The mountainous island between the biggest island and the mainland. Is populated by Powerful Beasts and their weak men. The land is called Napan.

Legends tell of the beasts of Napan awakening their true selves, and gaining untold powers, by falling in love.

Many men have ventured to this land. Some to gain might, and others to find what they were missing.

The beasts vary wildly, generally large animals with mild departures from their normal counterparts. Napites are not a unified state, the cultures differ depending majorly on which beast tribe they serve. They spend most of their time working against clans that serve other beast tribes, and even clans with-in the same tribe might betray each-other to gain additional favour from their mistress and masters.

The ninja clans of Napan are a brutal society of assassins, but in the snowy winter months they volunteer their time as ski patrol and plowmen to clear the the roads of their beloved country for the benefit of civilian travel. Jobu, the Profane Beheader became a national hero when, on a particularly harsh year of blizzards, he took it upon himself to plow the imperial road free from one end of the country to the other in a scant three weeks of continuous marching until finally collapsing dead at the gate of the bustling port city Shimuzukuzimuze. A festival in that city is held every year in his name but there are also assassin themed gift shops year 'round run by the clans.

People:

The inhabitants of Napan are known as Napanese, a term which can refer to both the native humans, or the "spirit animals", a diverse race of shapeshifters that can take on many forms.

The native humans are a Jinsanic race, though they can be distinguished by the fact that they have finer features and paler skin then their closest neighbors, believed to be a sign that almost all of them have at least a bit of spirit blood in their veins. The people of Ercaenmedi are believed to be their closest relatives, though history does not record how the Ercaenmedians ended up so far from their homeland.

The spirit animals are believed by many to be a form of fey, through the Napanese don't distinguish between fey, demons, and dead souls, seeing all as spirit worlders. Each spirit animal has one humanoid form and one animal form they can switch between. The animal form sometimes just looks like an animal, but most are larger than their normal animal equivalent. Some humanoid forms can pass for human, but most retain animal feature, and in some cases only have the upper body (or much more rarely just the lower body) of a human. There are thousands of "breeds" of spirit animals, some of which have fewer than a dozen members, but there is never any risk of a breed dying out, spirit animals can mate with any other form of spirit animal, and sometimes one of the rarer breeds won't show up on the lineage again for generations. When a spirit animal mates with a human, the children are usually human, and the grandchildren almost always are, though some non-human traits may continue for generations.

Spirit animals aren't the only fey living in Napan, many others can also be found here like harpies, fey goblins, fey dragon breeds, nymphs, sprites, oni, and several forms of giant.

Napan attracts many immigrants and visitors, particularly from its neighbors and parts of the Nantic States.

Religion:

Napan has a complex religion with thousands of acknowledged gods and other powerful spirits, though some of the more powerful ones are recognizable as gods worshipped by outsiders. The most popular gods are; Go-Hana (mother goddess, love, lust, beauty, fertility, fashion, creation, music, magic, sex), Okamiokami (father god, self-reliance, self-improvement, trickery, rage, male seduction sex), Reinboyunikon (less evil version of Deadicorn, strength, dominance, ambition, power, freedom, dark magic, male virility, sex), and Hoippuredi (less evil version of Gogotha, pain, manipulation, female seduction, creativity, betrayal, loss, sex).

It is often noted that Go-Hana and Okamiokami are worshipped in a fairly similar manner to in Ercaenmedi, which is often seen as proof of the strong ties between these peoples.

It is also often noted that the top four gods in Napan (plus many of the minor ones) are in some way associated with sexual activity. Taboos are far more lax than in other parts of Autia, mostly thanks to the semi-animal nature of its dominant inhabitants.

Aside from the main gods, many in Napan see it as "cute" to choose obscure gods like Grumpypoo, Itch-Monger, or Ballsack and Sackball as their personal patron deity.

Magic:

The spirit animals all have innate magical powers, though some are more powerful than others. It is possible to expand these powers with training and academic study, though many don't bother. The Napanese humans also usually have high innate magical potential, and some can use powerful magic intuitively, though most require training. There are few types of magic that aren't practiced on Napan, though necromancy (except summoning non-corporal spirits), dark aether manipulation, mind control, reckless demonic magic, and flesh molding are all frowned upon.

Spirit animals typically have far more innate magical potential than Napanese humans, allowing them to fill a dominant role in Napaese society despite their lesser numbers.

The innate magical potential of Napanese spirit animals and humans decreases the further they get from Napan.

Military:

Napan's standing army is really nothing but a bunch of bureaucrats that enforce laws and recruit militias when needed. Powerful magic users and martial arts academies are always willing to due their patriotic duty when asked, though a lot of minor issues are dealt with by free-lance bounty hunters known as monster hunters instead.

The standing navy is more powerful, and handles the threat of external invasion. The wooden sailing ships of the Napanese may seem bulky, primitive, and overly ornamental, but they are heavy enchanted, and typically carry many powerful spell casters.

Martial arts academies teaching a wide range of martial traditions (of varying practicality) are common in Napan. Some, like the ninja clans and sword mages, have lots of battlefield potential, while others are used more to help focus emotions and improve physical condition.

Most militias have access to gunpowder weapons, but mastering such devices is seen as more of a necessity than a talent to be proud of.

Napan lacks an air force. Certain types of spirit animal (particularly those with a dragon form) are dangerous in the air, as are friendly harpy tribes and true dragons, though unfortunately all of these beings are notoriously fickle and risk adverse.

History:

Napan was once home to the capital of the Jinsan Empire, but lost its status as the Empire split into several warring factions. It split off to form its own independent state, but was drawn partially into the orbit of the Shahdom through a series of marriage alliances and treaties, becoming a so-called "Sister State". Although the Sister State system has largely collapsed in modern times, it still maintains close ties to the Shahdom and Rig'Nood due to linkages in the royal families in each of these nations.

For the most part, Napan is a fairly isolationist state, though it sometimes uses its navy to protect its "Sister States"; the Shahdom and Rig'Nood, such as during the disasterous Walker War when The Union, Alkor, and Kornheiseria ganged up on Rig'Nood and the Shahdom after a minor conflict between an Iron Crown monastry and a Rig'Nood tribe escalated.

Pirates based in the Bridge Islands sometimes raid the island, but it is generally rare for hostile powers to set foot here, aside from two failed invasions by the Union.

Economy:

Napan is a lush, magical nation where all the necessities of life are abundant. The spirit animals dominate politically and economically, and have a hierarchy based mostly on age, magical ability, and breed. Most spirit animal breeds can live for centuries, during which time many become skilled artisans, bureaucrats, performers, mages, politicians, and martial artists. High status spirit animals typically have large numbers of students, servants, and a harem of willing mates seeking wealth, power, knowledge, or who are genuinely infatuated. These hanger-ons are mostly humans, but some lesser spirit animals as well. Those who have learned sufficient skill from their masters often branch off to set up independent operations elsewhere, though it is rare for a human to achieve the level of mastery required to join the upper class. At the bottom of the social order are outcasts seen as too socially inept or ugly to become servants. But even these individuals usually live comfortably due to the charity of others and/or participating in the grey economy.

Napan is self-sufficient, but sometimes trades high quality luxury goods and enchanted gear for top end technology and foreign novelty items.