Iwagakure

is in [Insert Place]. Iwagakure has a Kage as its leader like the other villages. The leader is known as the Tsuchikage and the most recent has been Inu Endo.



Topography
Iwagakure has always been located on the face of the bluffs overlooking the great sea, in the gulf of Tsuchi no Kuni. The village of Iwagakure is said to have a view of 100 miles. Located immediately below the capital city Maruishi, Iwagakure is carved into the cliff face and deep into the terrain below the city of Maruishi. The only way to reach Iwagakure is a steep climb or a dramatic fall from the city above, one wrong step and a clumsy person could fall to their death on the rocks and crashing waves a few hundred feet below. Tall graceful towers that reach down several stories rather than up, the architecture is quite unique as the building look like they are upside down. Staircases wrap around the buildings, made of the same carved sandstone. Their water source is the sea and a waterfall that escapes from a river that bisects Maruishi and showers over the front of the village in the spring and in the summer is reduced to a trickle but enough water comes from between the stone in small collection pools to serve their purposes.

The interior of Iwa homes is rather spartan, few homely pleasures are afforded even in the most luxurious of homes. A place to rest, eat, bathe and worship the Gods is all that is desired by most Iwa shinobi. Their altars found in their homes are used to pay respect to their ancestors are likely the most decorative piece in their domicile, made from various minerals and melted bits of cloth, metal or other item that held significance to an ancestor are molded into intricate patterns that would seem impossible for such a simple people to manufacture. These altars often had incenses burning at dawn and dusk. Their bed is made of feathers stored in a soft sack that is more comfortable than it looks with several animal-skin blankets of varying thicknesses and types that are used at different points during the year. Their eating area is a small clean space that looks like a traditional table at any Japanese home, only made of pure stone carved from the floor. Simple yet elegant in design. Most of their time is not spent at home, rather it is spent on the cliff side - their love for heights, jumping, falling or even flying in a limited capacity that is actually gliding are the entertainment pastimes of the Iwa people.

Government
Iwagakure is led by the Tsuchikage. The title of Tsuchikage is most often bestowed upon the strongest person in the village at the time of the previous Tsuchikage's passing. While the physical strength of a Tsuchikage wanes in age, it is believed that they remain one of the most capable fighters in the village up until the point of their death. For the most part it is often one of the children of the Tsuchikage that takes on the role of Kageship since the Tuschikage often takes the most powerful woman he can find in the village and makes her his own. Occasionally the Tsuchikage role is held by a woman as none are barred from the role and in one case a thirteen year old prodigy became the Kage. The passage of kageship is determined by combat the night after the death of the former Tsuchikage. All interested participants are allowed to join but combat is considered to be dangerous, although death is not encouraged it is not outright discouraged. Many shinobis take the head of their rivals as trophies that they perform the burial rites on after their coronation.

The advisers (Sennin) of the Tsuchikage have the greatest authority in the village. Often the Kage is known for their brawn rather than their brain, the advisers on the other hand, are often the weakest but also most intelligent of their people. Their role is often laughable by a community that respects strength, but often these wise men have skills of their own. There are 3 Sennin: one is a religious leader - often skilled in shamanism and often the cause of great miracles (often the result of medical jutsu or genjutsu). Another is a tactician - a person who has shown an uncanny ability to evade attacks by those significantly stronger than him/her and complete missions without the use of brawn. Though a leader of shinobi colloquially referred to as "The Guardians", most would call this Sennin the Spy Sennin for their ability to discover and learn information that nobody else can to later use against them. Finally a delegate - a representative of Iwagakure that is versed in foreign ways enough to communicate between Iwagakure and the various villages of Tsuchi no Kuni. Although this final person is not a powerful person in regards to jutsus or unsavory techniques, they understand the intricacies of cultures entirely foreign to those of Iwagakure. This role is often a role that a person is groomed for from youth, often an attractive young boy or girl who shows little promise in the shinobi arts. Their authority is often greatest because their word often sways the ambition of the Tsuchikage.

Important shinobi aside, there is also a small true council made up mostly of village elders considered too old and feeble to fight any longer. Their experience is considered to still be of use as the mind typically goes long after the body has withered away. They have no actual power in Iwagakure but are often found congregating near the Temple of the Circle of Five. They often answer questions, give opinions on best-practices and bore others with long stories that often start with "when I was your age..." Foreign diplomats also on occasion help to fill out the village council.

History
A community set in tradition, the citizens are a proud and stoic people with a profound sense of independence, honor and oral tradition. They are not a cruel people although other cultures may see them as such because they believe that hardships and pain are divine quests set before them to overcome to become a better person, warrior, family figure and of course bring them closer to teleos, or better termed "completeness." Although the village of Iwagakure was always interrelated to the nation of Tsuchi no Kuni as a whole and specifically to Maruishi, the capital of Tsuchi no Kuni and physically the neighbor of Maruishi; they were always considered to be separate entities. The lands held by Iwagakure were the stones of the bluff overlooking the great sea. Maruishi sat on the top of the bluff, almost like an umbrella above Iwagakure. This space would have been unused if it was not for Iwagakure, it was steep, uneven and unsafe. There was no farm space so their residence immediately below the capital city held little consequence to the governing bodies of Maruishi or TSuchi no Kuni. In fact, Iwagakure and Maruishi enjoyed a symbiotic relationship where Iwagakure served as the military force and physical might of the Tsuchi no Kuni empire and in exchange the people of Iwagakure enjoyed compensation for the efforts many Iwagakurians saw as their sacred duty in order to reach teleos.

Due to the high risk of death and the value placed on large families, the ranks of Iwa youth grew exponentially over the years but their overall population remained stable. The violent nature of their vocation cut many Iwa lives short, their reproductive rate often was high but it often only kept up to their death rates. Certain traits seemed to be bred into the next generation as death, death seemed to cut short the lives of the gentler shinobi so their seed was never passed on. Neighboring cities, especially their closest neighbor grew uneasy with the climbing numbers of what they saw as vile, barbaric and violent people. With the recent discovery of antibiotics, a non-invasive treatment to a common cause of death after a near mortal injury, the life expectancy of the average shinobi increased by nearly a decade and with that an increased number of birthing years. With the culture of the Iwa being common knowledge, many speculated that the Iwa-nin would not remain inert forever.

The Iwa-nin were a pious people, but their dedication to old gods was abandoned generations ago in the rest of Tsuchi no Kuni. This difference in religion was a source of contempt between peoples. Rumors of Iwanins worshiping their "pagan devils," defiling their livestock and women became common tales. To say that all of the rumors were untrue would be a lie, but often the quantity and circumstances were greatly exaggerated or so it has been chronicled in Iwa historical texts. The denizens of Tsuchi no Kuni were a hypocritical people, despite the ire felt by the citizens of Tsuchi no Kuni they continued to employ the shinobi of Iwa on various missions that ranged from escorting goods to assassinating rivals. In addition, the proximity of the villages Maruishi and Iwagakure continued. Maruishi needed the frequent and sometimes immediate services of the Iwa-shinobi for tasks that ranged from emergencies such as fires to domestic disturbances and the maintenance of order in the civilian city.

Lying below even Iwagakure is the village of Arcadia. Home to a people alien and inhuman by conventional means, Arcadia always existed as a lost world of sorts. From the eerily pale to the deathly blackened, sporting hair and eye colors of every color of the rainbow, it would be easy to see why references to Arcadia in general tend to be lacking of a concrete manner. However for all of the mystery and lore surrounding them, the people of Arcadia have kept a more devout path than their Iwagakurian brethren and on occasion have had to remind those above about the mandate of heaven. Very mistrusting of those in Maruishi, natural born Arcadians did and still do on occasion visit the world above and from that many half-breeds entered the historical text but their primary trading and political ties lie and have always been with Iwagakure as they have a ceremonial council and no standing army of their own.

Religion
Iwagakurians pray to the Old Gods, once the Gods of all of Tsuchi no Kuni, may have lost their love for the ancient gods. The Circle of Five, represents the unbreakable cycle not only between the elements but also time, life, death, strength and ascension. The goal of a believer is to reach teleos, or better termed "completeness" which is a representation of physical and mental perfection. This is in part why battle and hardship is savored by many Iwagakurians because these challenges and hardships to overcome would make them stronger and more capable. By reaching teleos it is believed that they would ascend to god-like power, have control over the elements and time and be able to rewrite the fates of their loved ones and ancestors. Their religion is a central focus of their life, blame for limitations is often attributed to failures in past lives, the transgressions of ancestors or even the curses of rivals which takes the blame off of a current person's short-comings in the eyes of their peers but also makes life difficult for the individual. perceived slights, failures, shortcomings or lack of progression in one's life may cause their kin or future self in another life suffering.

Burial Practices
Since all things occur in cycles, upon death the body must be returned to the elements for the spirit to remain free. This occurs when the body is returned to all of the elements: fire, earth, wind, water and lightning. This is accomplished by lighting a funeral pyre where the fire takes back what is theirs, the air takes the smoke which is theirs. The ashes are then thrown into the water on a stormy night where the water takes back what belongs to it, the sea floor would be the earth that which the body returns. The storm is needed so that the soul can find its way into the heavens, it is said that the soul rides a lightning bolt giving back -- the final spark of energy that tied the soul to earth is represented by lightning. Many families claim to see their loved one in the distance riding a distant bolt of lightning back to the heavens. Because of this death is not necessarily something to be feared although it is something to be avoided because the family line must be maintained and be strong so that a person could be returned from the spirit world to live again and try to reach teleos in their next life.

Failure to burn the body and to follow these practices to believed to have dire consequences. The soul would be bound to the earth for as long as the elements have not been returned as this world and the spirit realm world remains out of balance. Some souls become vengeful and would take out their displeasure on family members, causing sickness, infertility or bad luck. It is also said to be a grave insult to refuse burial rites to anyone, even criminals. Human puppetry and the paths of a rikudou sennin are considered to be taboo and the worst perversions a person can do. Those caught doing such would be sentenced to their most heinous form of death "athanatos" which equates to death without death -- most similar to the paths of a rikudou sennin but never used in battle. This is believed to be a way to prevent the worst offenders from reincarnating.

Marriage Practices
Marriage between Iwa shinobi differs from that of civilized nations because the concept is more than welcomed. Even with the harshness of society, family is one of the biggest and most valued forms of life. Marriage is most sacred, and having children with another binds the two that have conjoined permanently. Even something as simple as a kiss could bind two souls together. However, it goes for any gender. As sexuality and expression are again, open and embraced. Love of life is something to be duly noted with Iwagakurians. However, in rare cases sometimes natives have been known to take multiple partners and bonds. "One cannot have too many bonds~"

Birthing Practices
The women of Iwagakure prefer to give birth alone in silence as to give reverence to the 'Gods'. Sometimes the father of the child is present and maybe a family Shaman, but no others. They do trust shamans which are in many ways similar medical practitioners that are said to be capable of communicating with the spirit world and use potions and various herbal remedies to treat ailments. In cases where birthing is complicated they may seek the assistance of a shaman. The placenta is "buried" like a dead body is -- through fire, smoke, sea, mud and lightning. The placenta is the body the soul was carried in and it needs to be returned so that the woman remains fertile and can continue to bear children.


 * Shamans: These are spiritually-guided medics. Rather than relying on their chakra, they rely on the powers bestowed onto them by the spirit world. Energy is always finite in supply and as such it is still in all ways identical to Medics as represented mechanically on NC in terms of chakra, only these people refer to it as spiritual energies.

   Medical Practices
Medical nin are uncommon mostly, but modern medicine is still practiced, though in many ways shunned but definitely not outlawed. Iwa-nin are wary of medics or those that profess an understanding of the workings of the human body because their research of the human anatomy and physiology is limited. Dissecting a human body would be disrespectful of the dead and would possibly slow their transition into the other world if something was misplaced. Similarly with surgery, the parts removed need to be returned to the elements in their entirety to ensure that they would not be trapped in this world. These concerns among others have limited the advances of medicine in Iwagakure, but they do put their faith in shamans who pray to the Old Gods for favors, perform sacrifices, have visions of the spirit world and use various herbs and remedies to treat a variety of ailments. To say that the efforts of shamans is entirely ineffective would be inaccurate but the death rate of infants and small children is worse in Iwa in comparison to any other part of the known world likely due to the lack of medical care the children receive short of chants and roots. Though with all that being said, if everything a Shaman can do fails to work, normally a practitioner of modern Medicine will be brought in to help with ailments and sicknesses.