Tianji

Tianji (恬庴, Tiànjí) is a small but important nation just off the coast of Yanwen, controlling the entrance to the Sensumen Sea.

The Tianji Islands are small and relatively harmless, and have long been home to the Yú (漁; Yú Ng), a race of semi-nomadic fisherfolk. Unlike most of the mainland, the Yú maintain the ancient and traditional moiety system, used to determine kinship on the various islands. Each island is ruled by a council of oligarchs, the most senior members of each moiety, with their seconds-in-command standing nearby. The Yú take little pleasure in politics, preferring instead a simple life of fishing and trade. Unfortunately, perhaps, the islands’ practically untapped mineral resources have caught the interest of the bèi or Factions of Yanwen. More to the point, the person who controls Tianji also controls access to the Yan River from the ocean—something they are loath to grant to another nation.