Clan Wars

The clan wars was an era in the Islands of Senkyou which lasted from 436 to 1543 AE. The period was full of bloodshed and involved an escalation of power and conflict between the many clans of Senkyou. Warriors known as kitsuja define the era with their unmatched prowess in subterfuge and in unique aetherial arts known as kitsuju. Many are glad that this era of bloodshed is finally over, but there are always those who wish to relive the days of glory defined by this period.

Background Information

From 378 to 411 AE the kitsune peoples of the Senkyou Islands started forming into various clans. The mighty leaders of these clans were known as kakenage, and were usually elected from the clan's strongest and most powerful warriors. By the year 423 AE some of the kakenage were growing restless for a conflict, aspiring to conquer all of Senkyou for themselves. In the year 436 AE the Kokoroshi Clan launched an all out assault on the Temarai Clan. Their allies were dragged into the conflict, and before long an all out war had erupted.

History

Rise of the Kitsuja

After the war had begun, the kitsune of the Senkyou Islands started developing a fighting style which was different then their exodian forebearers. A kitsune's superior agility and senses made them ideal for highly acrobatic combat, while also utilizing the magic they had an inherent gift for. These highly acrobatic warriors were masters of agility and subterfuge, and became known as kitsuja. The kitsuja used a variety of weapons, but also relied heavily on kitsuju, a special branch of magic which they had developed. Kitsuju basically consisted of almost every kind of elemental magic, but also utilized spells with the ability to manipulate the perception of a target.

As kitsuja started to dominate the battlefield, the clans invested into building academies to train future generations. Combat techniques were constantly being refined and perfected after each battle, further developing into distinct styles unique to individual families among a clan. There would be many periods of intermittent peace followed by intense bloodshed in the early years of the clan wars, lasting from 436 to 759 AE. All the clans at this point solely consisted of kitsune, but this would change in time.

An Escalation of Conflict

In the year 760 AE there was an influx of human migrants from an unknown empire flooding into the Senkyou Islands. The migrants were integrated into the preexisting kitsune clans, and brought with them advanced knowledge of metallurgy and chemistry. Many of them became artisans and craftsmen, expanding towns and improving the performance of weapons and armor. At the time it was thought humans did not possess the necessary agility and senses to become kitsuja, but this rigid view would change as kitsune numbers started to drop from constant warfare. Kitsuja academies started accepting humans into their classes, and quickly learned they made excellent kitsuja.

Human kitsuja compensated for their lack of natural agility and senses with more powerful kitsuju, which they often used to augment their abilities and match the prowess of their kitsune opponents. Combat during the middle of the clan wars period (760 to 1240 AE) was full of spectacular feats of acrobatics, innovative kitsuju, and clever veils of deception. The number of kitsune dropped in proportion to the increasing number of human kitsuja as time went on, ultimately resulting in the arrival of the late clan wars era. Despite the decline of the kitsune race, this period of the clan wars had the longest periods of peace. These lengthy pauses in conflict gave the clans time to rebuild their forces and repair their towns and villages.

The Late Clan Wars Era

The late clans wars era (1240 to 1543 AE) was a period of unrivaled destruction and bloodshed. Human kitsuja were able to cast far more powerful kitsuju then their kitsune brethren, resulting in far more casualties in a shorter period of time. Centuries of constant warfare had erased countless kitsune bloodlines along with their unique kitsuju, and in the end there were only humans to elect to the position of kakenage. By the time this period arrived, almost every clan was ruled by a human kakenage. There were also a large number of human casualties, in fact over half of the total population in the Senkyou Islands was killed off during this period of the clan wars.

Many of the clans wished to end the war, but none had the might to stop the unending cycle of hatred which had been started. This would change when a young man from the Temarai Clan known as Temarai Kusanaga was elected to the position of kakenage. He laid the foundations of an alliance with the Zakushima, Senju, and Amorai clans, and launched strategic battles against the Kokoroshi Clan and their allies. His tactics proved to be ingenious, and he succeeded in killing the kakenage of the Kokoroshi Clan and forcing all other opposing clans to stand down and agree to a truce.

Fall of the Kitsuja

In the year 1543 AE, Temarai Kusanaga hosted a meeting with all the kakenage of the Senkyou Islands. He had stopped the clan responsible for continuing the cycle of war which had plagued Senkyou for many centuries, and was now worthy to be dubbed the ruler of all Senkyou. He made every kakenage move their family to the city of Temarai, where they would reside within Kusanaga's personal court. He did this to ensure that there would be no more wars between the clans, thus ending the clan wars. He also banned the use of kitsuju, stating that kitsuja are the reason the clan wars lasted for so long. Most kitsuja were forced to take up a different occupation because of this. The peace which the clans had achieved would not last forever, but one thing would be for certain. There would be no more clan wars or kitsuja.

Effects

The clan wars saw the development of unique combat styles and cultural traditions. While the ban on kitsuju caused many of these unique styles to fade into obscurity, some remain to this day. The clans of Senkyou were forced to develop forces which didn't depend on kitsuju, and thus invented new combat styles which focused on standard weapons rather then magic. Most of the kitsune were wiped out during the clan wars, but a few managed to survive. These few survivors were of the servant class and became servants to the kakenage and several samurai families. The rise of the samurai social class would not begin until after the clan wars (1587 AE).

Assorted Info

• Kitsune were far better at creating illusions using kitsuju then humans, giving them the upper hand in battle on many occasions.
• When human migrants first arrived in Senkyou there was tension between the two separate cultures, but this was resolved in less then a century.
• Some kitsuju techniques have been secretly passed on to future generations.