This isn't an update it's an extra chapter. Below is information of every ruler that came before the Scarlet Emperor. I have mentioned some of the others, so I decided to write about them and ended writing about them all. I've also written a bit about some of the provinces.
I've also gone back and done some rewriting to my previous chapters, mostly for the sake of continuity. So what's in them should now match up with what's written here. But I'm also doing it because I felt I could improve it a little.
The rulers of the Asai Empire are absolute monarchs. They could have anyone they wanted executed no questions asked. The current ruler is (with his full title) Asami Ryuichi the Tenth, Emperor of the Asai Empire, Prince of Karn and Duke of Asai.
The Asami line has been unbroken since its founding, and most of the emperors have been succeed by their sons. A woman can inherit the throne if her father or brother has no sons. The age of maturity is fifteen in the Asai Empire.
Everyone in the empire speaks the same language, Karn is the exception because they still use both the common language and their own. The ancient languages are just now learned by some, mostly those involved in historical research.
Asami Ryuichi the First – King of the newly united kingdom of Asai. And the first to use the name Asami.
Asami Ryucihi the Second – AKA. The Father of the Empire. AKA Ryuichi the Great. History has painted him as the man who united the individual Kingdoms under his banner. However history is written by the winners or those that wish to flatter them, he didn't conquer the other eleven nations in his lifetime, but he was the man who sparked within the Asami the desire to bring the other eleven kingdoms under their rule. The twelve kingdoms went onto (though borders have somewhat changed) become the twelve provinces of the empire.
He's gained something of a cult following (Like that of Edward the confessor or Henry the Fifth), he's become something of a standard for those who came after him. Evoking his name or sprit resonates strongly with people. By the time of his death he had conquered four other kingdoms, more than any of his successors.
Asami Ryuichi the Third – Continued his father's work and added two other kingdoms to the Asai Empire, one by marriage and the other by conquest. He was married twice and had a son by each wife. He died of a hunting accident (though to this day it's still debated if it was an accident). His death brought with it the start of the first civil war, there were two claimants for the throne. The first was his son by his first wife the twenty year old Prince Ryuichi. The second was his fourteen year old son by his second wife Prince Ryuutarou, his claim was being fought by his mother the Dowager Empress Asami Mei. The civil war raged on for five years. Until Prince Ryuutarou died of food poisoning, his mother died from a heart attack upon hearing the news.
Asami Ryuichi the Fourth - During his reign he added two more kingdoms to the Asai. One of them was the Kingdom of Agaron, for five hundred years this kingdom was ruled by the Takaba family. The main branch of the royal family perished during the invasion, however the King's youngest brother and some members of the branch family escaped and fled west.
Asami Ryuichi the Fifth – He did not possess the martial prowess of his forefathers. But he was a great patron of the arts. A tradition carried on by those who come after him (art in all forms is powerful propaganda tool).
He was a real Lothario even by the standards of the Asami, and what he got up to was shocking. He had open air orgies with both male and female prostitutes, it was even rumoured that he had an incestuous affair with his youngest sister, but she committed suicide so no one knows the truth. He had more official mistresses (fifteen over the course of his reign) than any other king, and fathered at best guess around thirty illegitimate children. He had a private harem known as 'The Deer Park'
Ryuichi didn't enjoy the business of government so he left it all to his prime minster Taniyama Kazuya, this would go on to prove be a costly mistake. Taniyama built up his power and let friends and allies of his do the same. Ryuichi did nothing to stop him, as long as things got done he wasn't bothered. Taniyama grew so over inflated by his sense of power he came to believe that he would make a better emperor that Ryuichi. He planned a coup, the goal was to kill the emperor, secure his younger sister princess Ryuko and marry her. The coup was discovered but not before the emperor had been murder in his bath.
The execution of Taniyama was the first time that 'Death by the four winds' is recorded.
Asami Ryuko the First - AKA. 'The She Wolf of Asai'. The younger sister of Ryuichi the Fifth and the first women to rule in her own right. She inherited an empire that was in crisis. Her brother had been a reckless spender, the empire was financial trouble, nobles and officials had been allowed to line their pockets at the expense of the people, there was civil unrest and two of the provinces of the empire had openly rebelled.
She had the nobles and officials who had colluded with her brother and the former PM executed or exiled. And began reclaiming the money they owed to the treasury. She also brought the rebellious provinces back to heel, and put in place strategies to aid economic recovery. She was and is the only Empress who has ever lead her won troops into battle.
Her accession to the throne came at a critical time, the empire could have collapsed but she made sure that didn't happen. Ryuko portrayed herself as the righter of wrongs, a healer of divisions, and a loving mother to her people. Like Ryuichi the Second she does to have a cult following (Think of her in same vain as Elizabeth the First or Catherine the Great.). And now that is what most people see is image she chose to project ,and not so much the actual women.
The island nation of Karn became a vassal state of the empire during her reign. Karn is a large island south of the empire and not that long a journey from the province of Ouran. Karn had managed to resist to the invasion fleets of the empire, with its own formidable navy. Ryuko had her ships completely encircle the island, the plan was to besiege the island. When the prince of Karn died three years into the siege a deal was struck. Karn is a principality so Ryuko took the title 'Princess of Karn'. It's been a royal title ever since and every ruler of the empire has had the title Prince or Princess of Karn.
During her reign one further province was added to Asai Empire. The Duchy of Cartharnon was a buffer zone between the growing empire and the kingdom of Valaren. The old Duke died, and according to the terms of his will his lands would gone to the King of Valaren. Not liking the idea of Valaren gaining a foothold on the borders of the empire Ryuko simply annexed Cartharnon. And so the enmity between the two nations was born. It was the Valarens who named her 'The She Wolf of the Asai' (She Wolf is a term that was once used as an insult, mean unnatural women, a women who seeks power like a man.)
Asami Ryutarou the First – Found it hard to live up his mother's reputation. He spent most of his reign at war with Valaren.
Asami Ryutarou the Second – Died of blood poisoning. And was succeed by his twelve year old brother Ryuichi.
Asami Ryuichi the Sixth - A serious and scholarly boy, who developed a reputation for always keeping his counsel. It was very difficult to know what his thinking. Perhaps this was because he was a child emperor, and he knew that people would try to exploit him. When he was fifteen he reached his majority and began to rule in his own right.
It was he who developed the first organised spy and information network across the empire. This secret organisation was under the control of his chief intelligence officer (Whose name is not recorded), this individual answered only to the emperor and the PM. The system that he developed is still in operation to this day.
Ryuichi's great passion in life was building, and he encouraged the building of castles and forts as way of making a mark on the people and the landscape. His greatest project was the rebuilding of Dragon's Keep. Dragon's Keep is the name used both by the capital city and the primary residence of the Emperor. It sits on a volcanic crag overlooking the city, it's surrounded by four thick walls (Based on Edinburgh Castle.). He died before it was completed. Ryuichi also encouraged his people to move around the empire more and inter marriage between people of different provinces.
He also conquered the two last remaining kingdoms, one of them being Kessel. He died not long after the conquest of Kessel.
Asami Ryutarou the Third - Was the younger son of Ryuichi the Sixth (The elder son died in childhood). Known as the Lawmaker he spent his reign not only solidifying the empire but creating a standard set of laws. These laws came to be known as the Emperor's Law. He also built the first universities. And fully formalised the training and examination of civil servants. Encouraged literacy and opened the first public libraries.
Asami Ryuutarou the Forth – Was Emperor for only nine days. He was thrown from his horse and died from his injuries.
Asami Ryutarou the Fifth – Led an abortive campaign to invade Valaren.
Asami Ryutarou the Sixth – Had two daughters and abdicated to become a priest.
Asami Ryuko the Second - Was the eldest daughter of Ryuutarou the Sixth and succeed him after he abdicated. She was a peacemaker, who preferred diplomacy to warfare. She had a son called Ryuichi and daughter called Haruna.
The peace was broken when Valaren raiders began attacking the northern settlements. Ryuko used diplomacy and not force to resolve the situation, both sides in the end agreed to a peace treaty. And both sides made concessions, these concessions however were not popular in the empire, because the people wanted to spill the blood of the ancient enemy in revenge not parley with them. One part of the treaty was deeply unpopular, and that was the marriage of Princess Haruna to the Valaren heir Prince Nikolai Abartov. Three months after the wedding Prince Ryuichi's ship was caught in a storm and the ship was lost with all hands. Ryuko named her daughter's children her heirs.
Asami Ryuichi the Seventh - Was the nephew of Ryuko the Second. With his cousin dead and Princess Haruna in Valaren he began to push himself forward as the natural choice to be his aunt's successor, he even set up his own rival court. His hopes seemed dashed when his aunt named her unborn grandchildren as her heirs.
Just over two years later Haruna had returned to the Asai Empire. His husband was dead, they had no children, and so she returned home taking her place as heir apparent. Ryuichi and Haruna did not on, it was almost impossible for them to be in same room as each other. When Ryuichi proposed marriage Haruna laughed in his face, she went on to marry his rival the Duke of Cartharnon and have a son by him.
With Ryuko's death both proclaimed themselves ruler, and so began ten years of civil war. At the start Haruna had more support than him and won a several key victories. What turned the tables was a horrendous defeat for her forces outside the town of Freylin, her husband the Duke of Cartharnon was killed on the battle field. Haruna and her son were forced to take refuge in Freylin Castle. They were besieged by Ryuichi's troops for four months before they escaped. Both mother and son slipped out of the castle via a secret side passage, wearing white cloaks to camouflage themselves against the snow and walked to freedom.
Haruna's forces then suffered defeat after defeat. Many of her allies' switched sides, the end came when she and the last of her forces were besieged in the city of Adrica. Ryuichi with help from the pirate fleet of the Samehada took the city. And once again Haruna and her son fled, this time taking refuge in a temple of Kalour.
As long as Haruna and her son lived Ryuichi's reign would never be safe, they always be a rallying point for his opponents. But he couldn't kill them. The laws of Sanctuary kept them safe as long as they didn't leave the temple grounds. A year later Haruna was found murdered on the steps of the temple. This murder on holy ground sent shock waves throughout the empire. Ryuichi did everything he could to distance himself from the event. He tracked down the murderers and they were harshly punished, but the mud stuck.
He never married and named Haruna's son his heir.
Asami Ryukotsusei the First – He was the only child of Princess Asami Haruna. He created the imperial navy and the first standing imperial army. He also set a limit on how large the private armies of the nobility could be. And created the first law that dictated who could and who could not inherit the throne.
Asami Ryuichi the Eighth – AKA Ryuichi the Mad. He suffered repeated periods of insanity. During such times he would forget who he was, he would destroy his personal possessions and he would forget the people he knew. At one point he believed that he was made of glass. So his clothes had to be reinforced with metal poles. He also at one point believed a cushion was his infant son.
No one knows what caused his madness. One theory is that it was the result of a blow to head he suffered when he young, which caused him to remain unconscious for several hours, after that people started to notice personality changes. However some people have questioned this, and put forward the idea that he was simply disturbed from the beginning. There were several incidents in his youth which revealed a disturbed nature. For instance his mother one day entered his room when he was eleven years old to find him torturing a rat. When she asked him why he was doing this he said that the rat had committed a crime and was being punished for it.
He was cruel and he was a sadist things that he is documented to have done include strangling his wife's dog, kicking a concubine to death and the designing of a special kind of cell to hold prisoners in. Each cell could hold one person, they were very small and narrow, the rear wall was curved and the ceiling low. It made it impossible for an individual to sit or stand properly.
He had two sons and two daughters, but one daughter died in infancy. His only living daughter Misaki went on to marry the Duke of Kessel and they had a son called Amasawa Seiya.
Ryuichi's favourite method of torture/execution was impaling. He often participated in this bloody act himself. He eventually died after what was thought to be a cold turned out to be pneumonia.
Asami Ryuichi the Ninth – Got drunk and fell off the battlements of Dragon's Keep, the day after his coronation. Succeeded by his younger brother Ryuutarou.
Asami Ryuutarou the Seventh – AKA. The Winter Emperor. In his youth he was wastrel and a layabout, many despaired of the day that he would become emperor. But when he became emperor his personality completely changed, he put aside old friends and associates, and became serious and dedicated ruler. People couldn't decide if the reality of his situation had forced him to change, or if this was true personality all along.
He encouraged the upper nobility to look further afield for marriage partners, he suggested they look among foreign nobles and royalty, the nobles of Karn and to the lower ranks of the Asai nobility. He believed that his father's madness was because his parents were just too closely related (they were third and fourth cousins). The royal family and the families of the upper nobility (Dukes, Marquises, Earls and Viscounts.) are all related by blood and marriage.
It's somewhat ironic a man that who worked to introduce new blood into the noble clans of the empire, and who believed that no good came marrying cousin to cousin, would later suggest that his daughter should marry her half-brother. Ryuutarou led by example his first wife was one of the daughters of the king of Valaren, Princess Ekaterina Arbatov. The hope was that this marriage would help to foster good relations between the two nations. It would also unit the two dynasties. And both Ekaterina and Ryuutarou were determined to make this alliance work, even though it was a political marriage they came to love one another very much. But just two years later a pandemic swept the continent and Empress Ekaterina died.
Ryuutarou was a much more calculating and colder man after the Empress' death. They began to call him The Winter Emperor. He married again three years later. He wanted an heir, he didn't want to leave the crown to his nephew. For his new bride he selected Lady Higarashi Sakura. She was the daughter of the Duke of Agaron. The Dukes of Agaron are some of the wealthiest nobles in the land. And the marriage from a political point of view was successful, but less so personally and dynastically.
Ryuutarou and Ekaterina had been, friends, partners and lovers, Ryuutarou and Sakura were uneasy allies. It didn't help the situation that she was always working to promote the interests and advancement of her own family, often above greater good. Also to make matters worse Ryuutarou and Sakura were having no success in producing an heir.
Two years after they married Ryuutarou took two concubines (they were the daughters of two lower ranked nobles), in the hope of producing an heir. Children produced between a man and a concubine are according to law legitimate, so if these women had children one of them could inherit the throne. A year later both women were dead, the cause of death was unclear. Some say that the Empress had them murdered. Others say it was the emperor's sister Misaki Duchess of Kessel. Who was said to look forward to the day she would be referred to as 'Our Lady the Emperor's Mother' and to have suggested to her husband that their son upon ascension to the throne should change his name to Ryuichi. For four years the royal couple tried to have children to no avail, gossip began to circulate, about if the problem was with one or both them. It was in that year the emperor met a young women called Watanabe Rin.
Watanabe Rin came from the province of Asai, she was the daughter of a Gentlemen and cousin to a minor Lord. She came to Dragon's Keep as she had acquired a position as a Librarian in the Imperial Library and archive. Which happened to be within the palace grounds. So this is perhaps how Ryuutarou first noticed her, but how or if they actually met nobody knows. Watanabe was a bookish young women, she was not considered to be at all beautiful. She had strong angular features and bright red hair. But she was recognised to be formidably intelligent and history was her particular passion.
Ryuutarou took Rin as his official mistress. Rin didn't want to be anyone ones mistress but she was caught between a rock and a hard place. Her family were pressuring her and in the end they just handed her over to the emperor (she never forgave them and went onto cut all ties with her family). She had no say in the matter. Rin was disparaged by almost every quarter of the imperial court. Many whispered that she must have other talents because beauty was not her first virtue. The courtiers took to calling her 'The Red Bitch'. The truth is that most of the man and women that gossiped about her were jealous. The position of official mistress provided a great deal of intermit access to the monarch, it also provided the possibility of great power for a person, family or faction. The position itself had always until Watanabe came along been held by a member of the nobility. And Watanabe was a commoner.
But Rin did something that his wife and concubines didn't do, she gave Ryuutarou a son. She was a women who studied history and now her place in it was cemented. The night the boy was born was particularly auspicious, it was the same night and time that Ryuichi the Great was born and there was a meteor shower that night. Ryuutarou recognised his son, and perhaps it was these omens that led him to name the boy Asami Ryuichi. The birth of Ryuichi was considered to be proof that the emperor wasn't the one with the problem.
Four years later, after much trouble and heartache the empress gave birth to a daughter – Princess Asami Ryuko. Ryuutarou and Sakura did try to have more children but never did. Ryuutarou was desperate to ensure the succession. He did not believe that his daughter would be capable of managing the various factions all out to grab power, he did not believe that she was capable of ruling the empire. He believed that she didn't have the ruthless streak needed to run an empire. He could have named his nephew or one of his cousins as his heir but he didn't want to. Ryuutarou wanted the crown to remain within his line, and he was determined to avoid civil war. He put forward the suggestion that Ryuko and Ryuichi should marry when they came of age, but that was soundly rejected by all. So he took a step that no emperor had done, he had previously made Ryuichi the Prince of Karn, now he legitimized him.
Both Ryuutarou and his daughter died within weeks of one another. According to the terms of Ryuutarou's will Ryuichi would succeed Ryuko providing that she had no children. But there were enough people with a claim to the crown, and they were not about to let the bastard son of a common whore inherit the throne. Ryuutarou's will was ignored and the outcome was six years of civil war.
Asami Ryuichi the Tenth – AKA. The Bloody Bastard. AKA. The Scarlet Emperor. After his birth Ryuutarou freed Rin from her position as his mistress, he made her Lady Watanabe Rin and gave her an estate in Asai, which retired to with her son. Ryuutarou took a great interest in Ryuichi's upbringing and education, most of which Rin did herself. She very quickly discovered that her son had inherited her fierce intelligence and thirst for knowledge.
When he was six the emperor ordered that Ryuichi should have his own household. So he was sent to live in the in his own estate in the province of Ouran. He also gained his own emblem a red wyvern on a black ground (a wyvern looks like a dragon but it has two legs, and has wings were it forearms would be), when he became emperor his old emblem became the emblem of his personal guard and staff.
His soon endeared himself to his household, because he never lorded over anyone or abused his connection to the emperor to get what he wanted. It was also at this time he met two of his most faithful retainers - Kirishima Kei and Suoh Kazumi. They were the sons of two of Asami's tutors. Kirishima's father was a gentlemen and Suoh's father a knight, they were examples of the people that he would go onto befriend and court. Ryuichi and his mother were and are still close. They wrote to each very often, because they only saw each four or five times a year. And even less when at aged eleven Ryuichi was summoned to attend court.
When he left he knew he had to bring allies with him, so he brought members of his household with him including Suoh and Kirishima. At court he made enemies and allies alike. His biggest enemies were the Empress, her family and the Duke of Kessel. His chief ally among the upper nobles was the Duke of Ouran. He known the man since he was little, as he was a regular visitor at his home in Ouran. At first the Duke had a motive for befriending Ryuichi, he hoped to marry the boy to his youngest daughter. As royal blood does a family no harm even if it comes from the wrong side of the blanket. But over time he came to see Ryuichi's potential and what he could become. So the Duke vowed if that opportunity ever came he would help the boy. Some of the nobles of Asai also gravitated towards him.
Ryuicihi also garnered support in another quarter and that was from the distant Asami cousins (e.g. fourth, fifth, sixth cousins). Many of them came from the lower nobility, were in the armed forces and had minor positions at court. He became a rallying point them, especially among the boys and girls his own age who were pages, squires and low level clerks. He had no relationship with his half-sister, they were totally indifferent to each other.
When he was fifteen his father made him the Prince of Karn. It's a royal title it had been borne the reigning monarch for centuries. By giving it to his bastard this was seen as an indication of some of what was to come. Ryuchi made a great success of being Prince of Karn. He worked hard to not been seen as the foreigner but as one of them. And it worked, by the time he was seventeen the cause of nationalism died away. Though some who held onto that cause did believe that they should separate from the Asai Empire but Ryuichi should still remain prince.
It was during this time that the seventeen year old Ryuichi secretly married sixteen year old Mori Toshiko. Toshiko was the daughter of Mori Ryo, he was and still is the Admiral of the Fleet to Karn. The marriage had to be kept secret because certain factions of the empire would not be pleased to hear that Ryuichi had married. They would not hesitate to assassinate him and Toshiko, they could not risk him having children and producing a branch of the Asami that could rival Princess Ryuko and her future descendants for the throne. It may have been a love match or it may have been a way for Asami to cement the loyalty of one of the most powerful men and families in Karn. When asked about it Asami simply says that he was in love as much as one can be when you're seventeen. Though perhaps another explanation is that he didn't want any child of his born with the title of bastard. The marriage produced to two children – twins a boy and a girl. Who were named Ryuichi and Shizuka - Ryuzetsu (since Ryuichi is five minutes older than his sister he is next in line for the throne. If something happens to him his sister becomes heir and will use her middle name Ryuzetsu). Toshiko did not survive the twins' birth. It was only after he became emperor that he revealed his marriage and the existence of his children
When Ryuichi was eighteen his father legitimized him and wrote his will, and Ryuichi saw the writing on the wall. One of the first things he did was smuggle his mother out of Asai and to the safety of his estate in Ouran, so that no one could use her against him and later he had transported to Karn. Ryuko died a few days short of her fifteenth birthday and her father followed not long after. Rumours began to fly that Ryuichi had murdered his half-sister.
There two things that dictate who the succession should pass to, the first is the will of deceased monarch and the other is a law passed by Ryukotsusei the First. The law states that to inherit the throne you must be directly related to a member of the main branch of the imperial family. And that ancestor must be traceable within three generations. Ryuichi sailed from Karn to Ouran and at first wanted to go Dragon's Keep, but then decided against it because he had strong suspicion that if he went in he wouldn't come out alive. So he published his father's and had it distributed across the empire. At the same time he proclaimed himself emperor from Ouran. And so he allies flocked to his banner the province of Ouran came out for him, so did half of the nobles of Asai, the people of Karn and some factions of the armed forces. And from across the empire came those distant cousins who he had befriended years ago. They were now Knights, Lords, Barons, military officers and government officials. They bought men and supplies, those who had been in government brought their knowledge of logistics and administration.
Many of went against their families to follow the man who they knew to be the true emperor. (These men and women went onto form the basis of his government once he become emperor.)But even with all this Ryuichi's forces were small compared to some of his opponents. The main two were the Duke of Kessel and his son (Ryuutarou's sister's son) and the dowager Empress Sakura and her father (though her claim to throne didn't have a leg to stand on).
Ryuichi knew that numbers don't win battles but they do help, so if he was to win his tactics and strategies wouldn't not only have be superior but totally original. Asami Ryuichi began to gain a reputation for unpredictability and turning convention on its head. For example after a battle it was common practice to let important people live (nobility and officers) and ransom them back to their families. The common soldiers were usually killed or used a slave labour by the victor. What Ryuichi did was to imprison all officers and nobles that were captured at the end of a battle. He gave the ordinary soldiers a choice they could join him or leave and be free to go where they wished. He told them that his quarrel was not with them. That he knew that they didn't a war or even to fight. He said it was unjust to make them fight for something they didn't believe in. That he is their emperor and he has no desire to spill anymore of his people's blood. That this war was not of his making but of those who thought more of power than people. He told them to go home or to fight with him, to proclaim to those who abused their position and power that the people of the empire wanted to live united and in peace. He was their emperor, it was his duty to care for them, to ensure they lived in peace and safety. He would fight for their right to live in peace, he would lay down his life, his honour and his blood to return to them that right.
Needless to say a lot of enemy soldiers went over to his side. But he knew that he wouldn't win this war with just words, on the battlefield his was ferocious. And it was the aftermath of the battle of Kastrate that showed just how brutal he could be. It took six years of warfare, the execution of the Duke of Kessel and the suicide of the dowager empress for Ryuichi to achieve final victory. And so began the reign of Asami Ryuichi the Tenth – The Scarlet Emperor.
Information on the provinces and vassal states mentioned above:
Asai – The home of the Asami and in the south east of the empire. A heavily forested area even to this day. It's the third largest Province. It's the source of the best timber in the nation. The home of many rare medicinal plants and the weather is temperate. It also has the best and most prestigious medical school in the Empire. The second longest river (The Dracnon) in the land runs through it. The province also houses the imperial capital. Some of the very first roads in the whole nation were built here, giving people clear and accessible routes through the dense forests. One of the most famous locations in all the empire is here, and that is the cave in which the dragon Kyujin (ancestor of the Asami) lived in when he first arrived in the land. All Asami at some point in their lives make a pilgrimage to it. Provincial colours are green and black. The reigning monarch is the Duke or Duchess of the province. The symbol of the Asami is gold dragon on a black background.
Cartharnon - A rocky mountainous place, it's the largest of the provinces. Its landscape is similar to Kessel. It sits in the north east corner of the empire and has a large eastern coast line. It's a province that makes most of money in mining and metal work. Metals and jewels are exported along with weapons metal objects such as weapons, tools etc. It's accepted that the very best smiths are found in Cartharnon. The northern border of Cartharnon is extremely militarised because it is right next to the border of Valaren. The Kierik Mountain range doesn't stretch across it, so it has less natural protection. Provincial colours are grey and blue. The Tokura family are the incumbent dukes. The symbol of the Tokura family is a brown bear on a blue background.
Kessel - A small province in the North West and the smallest of the twelve. It hasn't always been as poor as it is now, bad governance and greedy nobles have ruined its finances. Most of the population are farmers both of crops and livestock. Like most of the other coastal provinces it has strong maritime tradition. And the port towns are prosperous, and that prosperity is flittering slowly to the rest of the province. It's pretty isolated as it has mountains to north and east, these are great natural defences, but have made it difficult to export out of the province. But Kessel has begun to export more than it did before, this is because the ports have been upgraded as part of the Emperor's reforms. The chief exports of Kessel are stone and wool. And the stone masons of Kessel are considered to be some of the best in the empire.
Kessel was where the Takabas fled to after the fall of Agaron. It was a loose of collection of tribes (and this is how most of the kingdoms used to be) it was the last kingdom created. The Takabas helped to bring the tribes together and acted as advisors to Kings of Kessel for many generations. However overtime their role dwindled, but this didn't bother them at all, they were just happy to be alive and flourishing.
The colours of Kessel are red and blue. The duchy is ruled by the Amasawa family, and their symbol is a red eagle on a white background.
Ouran – The most southern of the twelve provinces, and it has the warmest climate. Flat grass plains dominate the country, to the north the flat country does become hillier and in the south you'll find chalk cliffs that overlook the sea. Ouran is a land known for its Artists and many famous singers, painters, musicians etc. have hailed from here. It has the most famous school of the Arts in its provincial capital, it's something of a party town. If you want a good time there are numerous places to go, from the art galleries, to bars, to the brothels in the Rookery. But don't be fooled the people of Ouran may like a good time, but they are no pushovers. The province is famous for both its horses and its cavalry units. The cavalry units are from Ouran are widely accepted as the very best. People from all across the empire and beyond have bought horses from the breeders and trainers of Ouran.
The provincial colours are yellow and white. The duchy is ruled by the Honda family. The Honda family is the least related to the imperial family. The symbol of the Honda family is a white horse on a green background.
Agaron – The most central province and the largest. It's called the 'Breadbasket of the Empire' because it's home to the most fertile agricultural land in the empire. The two longest rivers in the empire run right through the entire province. They export a lot of produce. Agaron has often been perceived as throwing its weight to get what it wants, as some of the less agriculturally successful provinces have little choice but to import from it.
This province was once the kingdom of Agaron. And for some five hundred years it was ruled by the Takaba family. The provincial capital is built on top of the ruins of the royal palace. And throughout the country ruins and ancient statues can be found that date back to the reign of the Takabas. The last king of Agaron was Akihito the Fourth. Most of the family was killed, but those that remained fled as far west as they could get, in hope of escaping the Asami.
The colours of this province are yellow and green. The duchy is ruled by the Higarashi family. The family emblem is a red lion on yellow background.
Karn - Is a vassal state of the empire. It has a warm almost tropical climate. The waters around the island are filled with coral reefs and shifting sand banks. This was part of the reason the empire's invasion fleets failed to take the island, these natural features make this a treacherous place to navigate unless you really know the waters. The nation is the premium textiles producer in the empire, its silk is especially fine. Karn is a nation fiercely proud of his maritime history and traditions. The children of Karn learn to swim before they can walk. The country is also famous for its pearl divers, these men and women are internationally famous for their skills.
The Emperors and Empresses of the Asai may have the title Prince or Princess Karn, but not one of them has ever lived in it or set foot in it since the time of Ryuko the First. By the time Ryuutarou the Seventh came to throne the nationalist movement in Karn was beginning to gain momentum. When Ryuutarou passed the principality to his son Ryuichi many in Karn thought that it would make very little difference to their lives. But Ryuichi did something that they didn't expect, he came to live in Karn. He studied their culture, learnt their customs and learned their native language (he retained his original accent but that endeared him to them because they could tell that he went to pains to try and drop it, and copy theirs). Many of the reforms that he would later go on to implement as Emperor he first tested in Karn.
Karn does not have an aristocracy per sea like the rest of the empire. What they do have are twelve noble families who are accorded by the law of the empire the same rights and privileges as the upper nobility of the Asai empire. The day to day ruling of the Island is done by a Parliament, consisting of publicly elected individuals, as well as representatives from the twelve noble families.
Karn has better social mobility then the rest of the empire, it's also a more equal society because there is less distinction placed on birth and rank. In the empire men and women are considered equals, but there are some areas were women haven't reached the same heights as men e.g. the military and government. Where as in Karn men and women have completely equal opportunities in all fields.
The people of Karn adore the emperor and are unflinchingly loyal to him. They were some of the very first to declare for him when the civil war broke out. Their superior navy which was and still is headed by his father in law (and it was superior to the imperial one which was larger, had not seen much action in recent generations) was a great asset to him. For the first anniversary of Ryuichi becoming emperor, the people of Karn built a monument to him. They built a colossuses that stands on the hill over the capital city looking out over the sea. (Think of the colossuses of Rhodes) The fact the Emperor married a native of Karn bolstered his popularity, and so does the fact that he still spends time on the island.
The symbol of Karn is a blue sea serpent on a white background.