Sabu

What could be considered the capital of the Sea Elf lands, and was for a very long time, Sabu is easily the biggest out of the cities on the Kodno. It sits at the base of a great escarpment, wrapping around the foothills of the Ashi mountains and directing all rivers and trade down towards the city like a funnel. The surrounding hills are fertile and abundant, allowing the large population that the region supports. Sabu was once the capital of the old Emperors, and bears the infrastructure to prove it. Castles and other fortifications dot the region around the city, while its villages sprout into towns and other centres of trade and growth. The Sena clan governs Sabu, having a regal legacy stretching back some three millennia in the city. Their ancestors were the most recent Emperors, and they aspire to reclaim that legacy that was lost to them.

Politics

Sabu was once, for all intents and purposes, the centre of the Elf world. Its rulers have long been the Sena clan, and they made the city their capital upon seizing the seat of Emperor nearly 1600 years ago. Since that time, the Emperor has lost all power, having been toppled by a revolt of the great clans and losing his mandate to govern the Kodno. Despite this, the Sena still cling to the memory of their former prestige, styling themselves as Emperors and using the language and titles once reserved for the royal family. Their vassals feed this delusion, but it agitates and maddens the other clans, a sore spot in their interactions. The Sena have a significant power base surrounding Sabu, owing to the massive populations in the southwest and their long history of rule.

They are challenged across the rest of the Kodno by the great clans for dominance, seeking to subdue them and claim what is their birthright; the seat of Emperor. And yet they are still challenged from within, the drive for ambition and glory inherent in Elf society pushing their vassals to constantly rebel and press for ever greater renown for themselves. It is this ambition that most often occupies the attention of the Sena, and also where the great clans channel most of their aggression towards one another. Minor clans and vassals often do direct battle with one another, patronized by their lords, who use it to try and wrest territory and vassals away from one another. In this way the Sena are able to display their grand wealth and power, bringing to bear significant forces against their opponents. Their main rivals on the west coast are the Asuka in Uba, who dare to claim the title of Emperor for themselves.

Groups

Bakufu

The Sena is the ruling great clan, but they are far from the only political force in Sabu. They are surrounded and supported by a cabal of other noble lords, who in turn have their own regional vassals and clans beneath them. These lords form the nucleus of Sena power, adding their own weight to that of the lords of Sabu. They politic among themselves to be the greatest of the Sena's advisors, and yet they will drop all animosity to bar outsiders from their ranks. As a group, the Bakufu operate as a sort of council, advising and counselling the Sena rulers on a course of action. They also serve as enforcers of sorts, cracking down on dissident vassals and keeping the peace throughout the region. The Bakufu are a relic of the old reign of Emperors, and the Sena keep them as a reminder and a callback to the trappings of the past.

Landmarks

Personalities

Sena Kanako, Matriarch of Sena Clan, Mistress of Sabu

The Sena are the dominant clan in the central part of the Kodno. With a long history stretching back to ancient times, they have held supreme rule over the island at many points in its history. The last Emperor hailed from this clan, and a return to status has been their driving ambition for generations. Kanako’s suzerainty of her clan further makes them remarkable, being one of the most powerful women among the Elves. Ruling over Sabu with an iron fist, Kanako has pushed her clan’s boundaries to their limit, absorbing the realms of their neighbours and earning the respect and fealty of numerous smaller lords. A masterful diplomat, Kanako uses her skills to outwit her opponents. While technically not the clan’s head, that honour goes to her weak-willed husband Eiji, she is known to all as the true power in Sabu. Middle-aged for an Elf, Kanako is not especially beautiful or tall. She is a rather average woman, simply driven by tremendous will and a hunger for power. She has black hair that is kept tied up behind her head in the Sabu style. Her face is often emotionless, hiding her true motives behind a blank facade.

Ashikaga Hisao, Ashikaga Clan leader

The Bakufu is a fractious and spiteful council, eager to stab one another in the back at the earliest opportunity. And yet it consistently unites in the face of rivals, fearing it will lose its place of importance beneath the Sena Clan. The office comes with certain perks, namely a seat in court at Sabu and the ear of the Sena ruler, allowing them to push for their own agendas at the expense of the lesser clans in the region. Being so close to power makes its members forget their own limitations, occasionally throwing their weight too far and needing to be rescued by their fellow council members. One such of these members is Hisao of the Ashikaga clan, a haughty and heavy-set Elf whose family has been the lapdog of the Sena clan for practically their entire tenure of leadership in the city. The Ashikaga clan has recently, in the past century, had quite a fall from grace after an attempt to eliminate the Uba clan in the north. Their campaign was cut short by an unexpected coalition of the northern lords, and they suffered extensive losses in the exercise. Not only that, but their territory was greatly reduced in the exchange as well. Since then, Hisao has ruled his declining clan capriciously and without any sort of leadership. He is eager for an opportunity to renew his clan’s prestige, but unable to do so with his own limited resources.