女人 Nyonin: Reign of the Empress [Fantasy Story Set in Female Dominated Japan]

[Miss Nyx]

I knew you'd get sucked in Lmao!!!

Yeah I blame youuuuuuu entirely, you and my cracked out creation crazy muse! I don’t know what she’s on. 😂 Setting is epic though as is the cast. I’ll make time.

[Rainbae]

Working on a character sheet right now! Love the world and the concept. Will PM you it once it's done

[Deathnote]

Would it be possible to play as a man who’s already entirely mad and grew up in the wild?  Over time, he slowly but surely regains his sanity.

[Mediocre Author]

Would it be possible to play as a man who’s already entirely mad and grew up in the wild?  Over time, he slowly but surely regains his sanity.

Oh wow 😳 
That's an original and interesting concept! 

PM me and let's discuss it! 

[shengami]

Hehe, Black Cat was certainly an anime.

@Mediocre Author 

Couple setting questions:

Since it has been 200 years since the mysterious illness and bands of wild men roam the wilderness still...

How does that work?

Alongside the fact that there still seems to be a small number of sane men.

Is the natural birthrate for men low for some unknown/known reason? Do men still contract the illness sometimes? Like, if they are fighting against wild men and are wounded/bitten/etc, do they contract the illness or is there a natural immunity in sane populations now? And how are there still wild men? Who's out there breeding them? OR are they functionally immortal now? Just being curious. It's not like this is still in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the patriarchy, but it's 200 years on now. If the population of sane men bounced back after a generation or two, how did things continue under matriarchal conditions? A curious person wants to know.

[Miss Nyx]

Hehe, Black Cat was certainly an anime.

@Mediocre Author

Couple setting questions:

Since it has been 200 years since the mysterious illness and bands of wild men roam the wilderness still...

How does that work?

Alongside the fact that there still seems to be a small number of sane men.

Is the natural birthrate for men low for some unknown/known reason? Do men still contract the illness sometimes? Like, if they are fighting against wild men and are wounded/bitten/etc, do they contract the illness or is there a natural immunity in sane populations now? And how are there still wild men? Who's out there breeding them? OR are they functionally immortal now? Just being curious. It's not like this is still in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the patriarchy, but it's 200 years on now. If the population of sane men bounced back after a generation or two, how did things continue under matriarchal conditions? A curious person wants to know.

Seriously all fantastic questions shen. I been wondering myself if the male to female ratio rebalanced… (or would be, but maybe the men are still susceptible to turning into feral insane monsters?) Hence their continued population of the forests? 🤔😅 Pure speculation naturally.

[shengami]

Seriously all fantastic questions shen. I been wondering myself if the male to female ratio rebalanced… (or would be, but maybe the men are still susceptible to turning into feral insane monsters?) Hence their continued population of the forests? 🤔😅 Pure speculation naturally.

Thanks. And nice to see you Nyx. The potential cast here is starting to be almost as enticing as the setting!

[Miss Nyx]

Thanks. And nice to see you Nyx. The potential cast here is starting to be almost as enticing as the setting!

I agree entirely, it’s fantastic to see you here! Love your gigantic lady, what a fabulous concept. 🥰 I see Aethy’s about as well? Ohhhh yes, I anticipate this’ll be a fantastic game.

[Aethyrium]

I see Aethy’s about as well?

Lil ol' me? I may have done a thing.

[Miss Nyx]

Lil ol' me? I may have done a thing.

An awesome thing, your brain babies never disappoint! The whole stoic warrior with a secretive fun side will be glorious to witness. 🤩

It’s looking like Koko-chan’s got a lot of badass women to learn a few things from. My doors open if anyone wants to talk connects or plots!

[shengami]

See, now... everyone is willing to say 'my door's open' and I've witnessed that devolve into the pizza conversation.

Whatta you wnat?

Iunno, whatta you want?

Iunno!

So, yanno? Be the solution you seek, yeah? So, here's some ideas.

Takemi-chan has a spot open. She's been an active soldier in the daimyo's forces for a handful of years now. In her history, I have her as being a bit on the shy side. However, I want her to be less so by the game start. That's the spot that's open. A friend or friends. Even a lover. Maybe both? I am also open to someone being a 'sister' either one of her younger siblings or a oath-sister. But even if they are NPCs, she'll have close friends who draw her out and have made her more confident recently. Because that's where I want her at.

So:
Osana ( @Lynnette ) As a fellow Samurai in service to the Nanbu, they might be comrades and have fought side by side? Takemi might even like that Osana doesn't come from a bushi family but a family of artisans. Sparring partners?

Ichiro ( @AndyZ ) Oofdah! I don't think there's much connection possible. But nothing's impossible.

Shiori ( @Aethyrium ) Shiori is another bushi sworn to the Nanbu? The history is neat but a little hard to make ends of. Heh. But, again, if she serves in the Nanbu military, they might know one another as warriors, friends, comrades. Could definitely see a rivalry as they both seem to be proud of their prowess? But in very different styles.

Tsukiko ( @Miss Nyx ) She's not a warrior per se. But Takemi is religious/superstitious. Especially concerning Raijin. So she might find herself drawn to a miko. Plus, she's traveled in a world where that is rare, so... that could be a point of connection.

There. I did a thing!

[Miss Nyx]

@shengami I like the way you think! I love this approach, it’s my usual go to as well when jumping into small groups, hasn’t failed yet! I’ll DM you my thoughts on Tsukiko and Takemi.

[Lynnette]

Oooo! Many new exciting characters!

Hehe, Black Cat was certainly an anime.

Couple setting questions:

Since it has been 200 years since the mysterious illness and bands of wild men roam the wilderness still...

How does that work?

Alongside the fact that there still seems to be a small number of sane men.

Is the natural birthrate for men low for some unknown/known reason? Do men still contract the illness sometimes? Like, if they are fighting against wild men and are wounded/bitten/etc, do they contract the illness or is there a natural immunity in sane populations now? And how are there still wild men? Who's out there breeding them? OR are they functionally immortal now? Just being curious. It's not like this is still in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the patriarchy, but it's 200 years on now. If the population of sane men bounced back after a generation or two, how did things continue under matriarchal conditions? A curious person wants to know.

Figured I'd drop some of my own thoughts on the matter - I'm not the GM, so it's just thoughts, but;

Assuming that the men can still contact the illness, it would put them in the commodity-category, as presented by M. Traditionally, women weren't warriors because they were valuable for repopulation. Even if a faction had nearly all their men killed, they could effectively repopulate the number of men as long as not every single man was killed. Hence the typical "Women and children first!" that to an extent still exists today. It creates an interesting balance between "The men of society can perform these tasks better... But we need to be careful so we don't lose too many." However, not everyone can live in defended cities, where the disease might be less rampant? We don't know how it spreads, but assuming it is something that comes from the wild, then those who live rurally, either due to work or because the family can't relocate to the cities, would still produce madmen.
In terms of maintaining the patriarchy, following the earlier thread of speculation it could be a matter of population balance. Or a case of "We do all the dangerous tasks, it's only natural that we rule as well!" Rulers historically haven't been fond of giving up their power, I'd assume there would be laws put in place to prevent an uprising as well. Type "Men are not allowed to possess weapon unless granted permission from the Daimyo."

Considering the difficulty it would create to repopulate after losing a large number of women, I'd assume most families are expected to produce a lot of children. When you're using the half (or greater) of your population that is effectively the brakes when it comes to repopulating for war, I'd expect a lot of pressure to pop out children as much as you can, for as long as you can, as long as your job isn't seen as important enough to moderate it. I'd expect a lot of child/youth labor as a consequence of this, which was common at the time anyway. Probably not the most dangerous jobs, but artisans and the like would probably be pretty young, and drift out of the working population once they reach maturity.

Osana ( @Lynnette ) As a fellow Samurai in service to the Nanbu, they might be comrades and have fought side by side? Takemi might even like that Osana doesn't come from a bushi family but a family of artisans. Sparring partners?

I like that. Relatively equally aged, wildly different upbringings, but still some common threads. Both sparring partners and history of shared combat I think makes perfect sense. I could see Osana gravitating towards someone like Takemi due to her strength. Being keenly aware that her strength is her own biggest weakness, it would make perfect sense for her to seek out someone who is much stronger than herself, to try to pick up on how they train. In exchange, I figure Osana would offer up teaching on other subjects, be it theory like arithmetics and calligraphy, or more practical things, like diving for food. While I can't see her teaching away everything, she'd offer up enough that it'd be another way to get food in a survival situation.

Ichiro ( @AndyZ ) - I do see some possible threads here. I could imagine Osana approaching him early in her tenure as a samurai, before she'd properly accepted it, wishing to engage sexually and hopefully get impregnated so she'd no longer be considered able to partake in warfare. I could even see the two of them getting relatively close to doing it, but ultimately deciding that it was too big of a risk on Osana's part, being ousted as a defector instead. In later years, she's come around to the idea of being a retainer to the daimyo, so I could see her being thankful that they ultimately decided that it was a dumb idea. Heck, could be that they even tried, but didn't manage before someone else did and suffered the consequences of it, leading to the unanimous decision that "nope, not worth it".

Shiori ( @Aethyrium ) - It's a bit too early in the day perhaps, because I'm stumbling a bit with reading her story. I do some interesting interaction between their strengths though, being relatively similar yet very different as well. I could see some amusing interactions balancing between their individual approaches, between relying on cunning and charisma.

Tsukiko ( @Miss Nyx ) - I do see some common threads between the characters, like neither being raised to be warriors. Different reasons for finally ending up there, but both share the wish of practicing their own crafts, and were intent on doing so until they were made to serve under the Daimyo. Of course, wildly different backgrounds, but it is at least some common ground that could be explored. Both in terms of adjusting to the new lifestyle, and sharing the occasional thought of what they could be doing instead. 

[Mediocre Author]

Since it has been 200 years since the mysterious illness and bands of wild men roam the wilderness still...

How does that work?

Alongside the fact that there still seems to be a small number of sane men.

Is the natural birthrate for men low for some unknown/known reason? Do men still contract the illness sometimes? Like, if they are fighting against wild men and are wounded/bitten/etc, do they contract the illness or is there a natural immunity in sane populations now? And how are there still wild men? Who's out there breeding them? OR are they functionally immortal now? Just being curious. It's not like this is still in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the patriarchy, but it's 200 years on now. If the population of sane men bounced back after a generation or two, how did things continue under matriarchal conditions? A curious person wants to know.

Awesome questions! So I'll tell you the answers to some of these questions are known, and the answer to others are not. I'll answer the ones that would be common knowledge, your characters will have to discover the rest through play.

The birthrate for males has slightly declined over the past 2 centuries, but not enough to cause the sort of number discrepancies that currently exist throughout the land.

Males still contract the illness, most often as children. Early symptoms include intense bruising of the tongue and gums, and muss or blood discharge from the eyes. When the symptoms develop in a boy, he is quarantined away from other males. If the illness persists, the child is either killed or cast out of the village to die from exposure. The laws governing the treatment of the infected varies by province, and they is set by the local Daimyo; although  keeping fully infected, insane men within towns or villages has been banned by the Shogunate and the Empress. 

Boys who contract the illness and then recover tend to be unusually healthy and resilient, and it is considered a great mark of quality to have done so.

Over the previous 100 years, it has been noticed that it is rare for men to become infected once they hit puberty, although it is not entirely unheard of. The idea that men can contract the illness through exposure or bites. scratches, etc is held by some, although it is also considered a superstition by others.

The number of Kyōjin who currently live within the wilds is unknown, as is the manner in which they have persisted. They do not seem to be immortal, although no one knows for sure. Madmen have been observed eating grass, leaves, and all sort of inedible things, although it is not understood why. It has been surmised that a portion of the men who roam the outlands are boys who somehow survived their exile from society, although the numbers do not seem to properly equate.


@Lynette: Those were all awesome conjectures, and not too terribly far from the truth. Well done.


In other notes, I love the way you guys are already plotting and planning connections. Just remember that the final roster of players hasn't been chosen yet, so don't go crazy with the planning, just in case slots runs out. This game is not technically "first-come/first-serve", and I don't want anyone to be crushed if we run out of room. That said, I am loving the interest.

[Juggtacular]

I already have a rough idea for my guy Yojimbo, an African foreigner who was brought to Japan in a cultural and economic trade. Im still recovering from surgery and a hospital stay so I may be slow getting started but im 100% onboard.

[Mediocre Author]

I already have a rough idea for my guy Yojimbo, an African foreigner who was brought to Japan in a cultural and economic trade. Im still recovering from surgery and a hospital stay so I may be slow getting started but im 100% onboard.

Love it! And the fact that it has historical precedence makes it even better. 😁

For the record, "Yojimbo" is normally a title/job rather than a name, but I very much like the idea that a foreign bodyguard might take the name of their occupation as their given name, since presumably it would be difficult to pronounce their original name. 

"Hey, nice to meet you. My name is Truck Driver." 😂

[Juggtacular]

Love it! And the fact that it has historical precedence makes it even better. 😁

For the record, "Yojimbo" is normally a title/job rather than a name, but I very much like the idea that a foreign bodyguard might take the name of their occupation as their given name, since presumably it would be difficult to pronounce their original name.

"Hey, nice to meet you. My name is Truck Driver." 😂

Oh I know. Im workshopping his actual name. But as you said, his real name is African so he uses that to make things easier.

[AndyZ]

Oh I know. Im workshopping his actual name. But as you said, his real name is African so he uses that to make things easier.

It's also possible that people call him a variant of his name that translates into kanji.

As I understand kanji, every syllable ends in one of five vowels, like mah, mee, moo, may, moh.  If a name doesn't have that, it'd be added.  Often it's a faint u sound at the end, not as pronounced as you'd expect of "moo" but you get the idea.

I found this to give some examples and hope it helps:

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

https://youtu.be/5CWPiL6cO5M

If you find a specific African name you like, there may already be a pronunciation guide to be found online.

Still waking up so I'll give others a better reply when I'm focused, but I figured this would help immediately.

[AndyZ]

I plan on putting in a full rework and proper writeup of Ichiro today, but I still have to figure out a good third power.  I may go with healing, where he has a decent amount of ki and can transfer it to others to heal them at the cost of wearing himself out.  That may or may not work hand in hand with how he has his own rapid healing or might be a separate power.

@shengami I see a couple possibilities.  If I was someone in power and wanted to show a position of strength, I might have a male nearby just for an event as well as the strongest woman warrior I could get, so maybe they met at some sort of political event.  Ichiro would definitely flirt and marvel at her strength, but I doubt that would go anywhere.

It could also be that Takemi saved his life from a sudden assassin rushing in with intent to deprive the Nanbu Clan of a virile male.

@Lynnette I can very easily see them having tried.  Ichiro would definitely flirt, and your profile mentions that most of Osana's familiarity comes from women, meaning she's likely had at least one male encounter.  A third option might even be that there was kissing and petting but no P-V penetration.  However, whatever Osana chose, Ichiro would respect, and he'd keep quiet about it to others so that Osana wouldn't lose face.

@Aethyrium If you're good with it, I like the idea that our characters have met and that Ichiro has gotten to see Shiori's playful side at least once.  It may only have been in a private conversation or just catching a moment when humor broke out from the usual stoic focus of a warrior.  Stuff like intimacy would likewise be up to you but seems far less likely.

@Miss Nyx This is something similar to what I've tossed to another, but how do you like the idea that Tsukiko has rescued Ichiro from an assassination attempt by poisoning thanks to her future sight?  Maybe she had a dream of him drinking tea with water from the Sanzu River, and it turned out that his tea had been poisoned.  How she would stop the event is up to you, but he'd listen to a called warning.

Did I miss anyone?

[Aethyrium]

Haha, yeah, I was afraid that Shiori's history might be difficult to track as written. Fortunately, I prepared a translation guide! The story is told in four parts of her life, each column representing a part. It summarizes as this:

Shiori was born to a clan that had two houses, a greater and a lesser, and she was of the lesser. Her destiny was to be in service to her birth-double of the greater house. This clan was the enemy on the Nanbu clan, and eventually they came to destroy them - and succeeded. Nanbu Megumi (the Daimyo of our current time) still found Shiori and sparred her, and not only that but took her in.

Shiori was taken back to the Nanbu clan and treated as Megumi's daughter, placed among her others. This second section of the story just tells that Shiori found a new life and grew from childhood into adolescence in this new place as one of them.

As a young adult, Megumi saw something in Shiori and decided to have her trained as a samurai. This is the third chapter of her life. She was trained hard, and it changed her. At some point along the way, she started to falter and began to question her own worth and place in the world and her origin. Megumi set her straight and tasked her with the duty to protect the Nanbu. Shirori took this and used it to excel at what she was doing, to come out on top of her training.

The final chapter talks about her adulthood. She was sent to deal with the enemies of the Nanbu and gained recognition and fame for that, eventually proving herself so loyal that she was put into a position of being the Daimyo's honor guard - a personal blade, the Daimyo's "fist", so to speak, which is where she now serves. She was bound to serve Megumi, and then the family, in this role, and in return fully accepted into the clan and allowed to pursue and build her legacy within it.

Which brings us to modern times/game start. Hopefully that helps clear up what she's about / sparks more ideas for folks. ^^

I'll get back to your ideas - @shengami, @Lynette, @AndyZ - later this evening when I've got a couple more minutes than just popping in. But if this changes anything/inspires more, feel free, I'll check that too!

[ThatGuy285]

Hi, room for one more? I have only skimmed through the details and characters so far so may have missed if this is an idea already taken I will adjust accordingly. I think of making a shinobi/agent of the reigning Empress or shogun in charge, maybe play around with her loyalty as technically she is an agent for hire and her true allegiance is hidden.

[AndyZ]

Toyamato Ichiro

Full Name: Toyamato Ichiro
Attributes: Brawn Average, Speed Average, Cunning Average, and Charisma Excel.
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 130 lbs.
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
General Description:
Personality:
History:

Weapons & skills

Abilities: Your character can have 3 special abilities which border on inhuman feats. This world is low-magic, so all abilities should be disguised as natural talent. Techniques such as Ki, Chakra, or Breath manipulation are all good examples. This is not a superhero game, and overpowered characters will have to be toned down in order to be accepted. If you  have any questions, feel free to ask.

• Weapon: A katana along with a bow and arrows.
• Rapid healing: Ichiro can heal in hours a wound that might be outright fatal or even take weeks of medical care.
• Feign Death: Ichiro can slow his breathing and metabolism so as to appear to be dead.  More than once, he's had to use this tactic to feign committing seppuku when he would otherwise have been captured.
• Ki Transfer:Ichiro can pass on his ki with physical contact (clothing/armor counts) to someone who is wounded.  Doing so tires him a little for a single person and keeps him from healing as quickly.  Healing a second person exhausts him.

I plan on doing a better rewrite of the history and all but I'm just not feeling it today.  Hopefully tomorrow.

[Mediocre Author]

Hi, room for one more? I have only skimmed through the details and characters so far so may have missed if this is an idea already taken I will adjust accordingly. I think of making a shinobi/agent of the reigning Empress or shogun in charge, maybe play around with her loyalty as technically she is an agent for hire and her true allegiance is hidden.

I'm in the process of making the final roster now. I won't stop you from making a character sheet, but there's an above average chance that we won't have room. I'm sorry. I wanna play with all of you, but I just can't run a game that large.

[Mediocre Author]

Alright, so from the inception of this game, I knew that I'd probably need help making things go smoothly, so I asked @Aethyrium to help out as Co-GM. 

She and I will drop the final roster before very long.

If anyone doesn't make the cut, I apologize. Perhaps we can play in other games together in the future. 😊

[AndyZ]

Wow, that was quick.  Okay, I'll get to work on Ichiro.