RomanceOfTheHundredKingdoms\The Hundred Kingdoms
The Hundred Kingdoms
Chosaten
The Holy Kingdom of Chosaten lies at the northern edge of the Yellow Forest and is in fact neither holy nor truly a kingdom. There is the old bloodline of the priest-kings who traditionally are held to be of great spiritual power and to intercede with the ancestors on behalf of their people. But like his fathers and grandfathers before him the current 'ruler and high priest of all Chosaten', Priest-King Akewara holds no true power and is little more than a convenient figurehead for official ceremonies. Rulership lies in the hands of the High Council, a body composed of the representatives of the major clans with a token presence from the minor clans. These ruling families of Chosaten are between them in control of nearly all the nation's lands and wealth and are involved in a constant struggle for supremacy. The internal politics of the High Council are vicious and alliances can shift quickly. Currently the White Shield Alliance holds the majority and its leader Dao Tseng is the most powerful man in the country.
The common people of course don't care much, which of the great and powerful holds sway in the Council this year. They are more inwardly focused, polite, private and often suspicious of outlanders. Ancestor worship is widely spread in Chosaten which accounts in part for the priest-kings high popularity among the people despite his ineffectualness. There are few devout Immaculates and even fewer Immaculate monks in the kingdom, but they are accepted and sometimes even revered, though more on their personal merits and those of their faith. However despite the Immaculate Faith's insignificant influence there are ancient scriptures going back to the one of the early priest-kings that list Solars and Lunars among many others (such as redheaded and left-handed children) as harbingers of doom and catalysts of destruction. These are believed only by very few for they resemble the writings of a madman in places, but they have often provided useful pretexts for aggressive political moves within the families or even in the High Council.
In response to Nine Oaks's demands the High Council has 'suggested' to the priest-king that a delegation be sent to negotiate a better deal. Secretly several of the major clans have sent their own agents to try and make alternative arrangements to meet their quota of sacrifices while leaving their rivals burdened.
