Juin society has a loose caste system, in which all men are expected to be proficient fighters while also exploring other academic and technical specializations. Women are to care for the home, which also entitles them to learn limited self-defense. Many women choose to serve as nurses or do administrative duties. The Juin king rules over the country as a whole, and the continent is further divided into seven regions, which are each over seen by a Regeant. Juin laws are strict, and contact by ordinary citizens with the outside world is both forbidden and unwanted. If ambassadors do venture out to other nations, they are usually accompanied by a sizeable military escort. Juins are deeply unwelcoming towards outsiders, and Juin Fighting Patrols often intercept anyone who comes within a 25 mile radius of their shores. Juins are clannish, and any Juin who leaves the island is often forbidden to return. On other continents, people who keep too much to themselves and act grouchy are taunted as being "Juin."
Of the fifty million Juins around today, about 7.5 million are enlisted in the regular army. Each region is required to have one "Regen" of one million soldiers, which is further divided into ten divisions. The region that includes the capital does not have a regular army, but is guarded by 500,000 Royal Guards. A standard Juin Fighting Group, the basic unit of the military, consists of eight men. Military technology is built around the basic fighter, and takes advantage of the race's innate ability to control ki. They invented kinetic armor, consisting of a chestplate, energy storage unit, and special gloves that are capable of absorbing ki energy, as well as hiding the user's emitted power. They wear a bracer on each arm which holds emitters for an energy shield and a baraka energy blade. Their guns are ki powered also, and the weilder inputs energy as he put his hands on the grip. This equipment amplifies energy, to ensure powerful output with minimal loss of ki by the wielder. Therefore, soldiers can use normal ki attacks indefinately without becoming exhausted like normal fighters.
Juin characters will usually be found only as NPCs. Therefore, characters who approach the island or fight against them may expect to be on the receiving end of a couple of auto-hits and cheap shots (This just keeps it interesting ;-) ). Juin characters may also be dealt out to experienced players who prove their RPing prowess. When approaching the Juin Continent, make sure that your first post has you out to sea. This is because anyone approaching their nation will be intercepted by one of the numerous Juin Flying Patrols who protect their borders.
Their history is a long and sad one, and it extends to long before even their most primitive ancestors could remember.
Then one day their world was turned upside down. For years, there were constant sightings of lights in the sky and strange stars that had never been seen before. Many of their priests took it as a bad omen, which, two centuries later, would prove to be true. The lights they saw were alien explorers from Earth and many other planets. For years they secretly studied Eden from above, marvelling at its paradisical climates and its perfect atmosphere, before finally touching their spaceships down on Eden's soil. They came in peace and the Juins welcomed the human visitors with open arms. The Juins were so awestruck by their shining metallic ships and wonderous technology that they considered these visitors to be messengers from heaven. From that day on, humans poured onto their planet by the shipload. On Eden's vast unspoiled soil, it seemed like there was more than enough room for both races to coexist peacefully.
However, as the years wore on, the humans' technology lost its magic luster. The Juins awe faded away once they understood where these aliens really came from and how their machines operated. A few Juins, disillusioned to the idea that the humans weren't heavenly messengers after all, labelled them as invaders instead. After the first century of colonization, it was clear that they passed a point of no return. The first generations of colonists passed on, leaving a large population of Eden-born humans. This next generation didn't know any other home planet but Eden, and the population was far too large to move anyway. Conflicts began to arise in certain areas over land and resources. Deep tension formed between the colonists' disdain for the "primitive savages" and the Juins' resentment for their "unwanted intruders." Further conflict arose within the Juin cultures themselves. Some adapted the the new human ways of living, while others maintained their old traditions. Many tried to have it both ways, adapting what suited them while maintaining what they had that they thought was better. The spectrum of affection for humans ranged from complete love to utter hatred.
War broke out. Both the Juins and the Humans claimed that they had a legitimate right to defend themselves against the other and the threat of disease. They agreed that there was no way they could live together peaceably, and they fought over which side would control the choicest land on the planet. Both sides utilized unmerciless biological weapons, killing millions on both sides. The native Juins severely outnumbered the colonists, allowing them to score many early victories in the war's opening years. But the humans' advanced technology: their lasers, firearms, and control of space quickly turned the tide. Juin light armor was useless against bullets and laser blasts, and their reliance on ki blasts and beams quickly wore them out, so that they were too fatigued to fight battles lasting more than a few hours. Human spaceships barraged them with fire from above twenty-four hours a day, forcing them to seek shelter in caves and forests. Tens of millions of Juins and Humans died every month, with the Juins on the losing end.
Then a young warrior by the name of Shin Robert emerged. He was a shepherd and a fighter of extrordinary strength. Legends said that he wore a bear cloak over his head and painted his skin grey like a strong stone. His eyes, frozen blue, struck paralyzing fear in the hearts of his enemies. He could fire beams that reached into space to destroy orbiting ships with little effort. He charged into battle without fear, driving through enemy lines and slaying his enemies by the hundreds. He carried no weapons with him, but his hands glowed bright white and took the form of bear's claws. The human soldiers told horrific tales of how Shin Robert would simply run through them, not appearing to touch anyone, and suddenly droves of men would literally fall to pieces. They said he could impale his fingers through his victims' chests, drawing no blood or gore, but stripping their soul straight from their bodies, killing them instantly. Shin Robert found victory at every turn. No man, tank, or battleship could stand and face him. His warriors rallied around him, pledging their bodies to his protection, declaring themselves to be his eternal bodyguards. While he fought, they surrounded him with shields and mopped up anyone still living after his fury had past. The tables turned again in the Juins' favor.
But Shin Robert was a warrior and not a leader. The armies screamed for him to become a general, but he turned them down every time. He was a humble man who felt he didn't know enough about how to run an army, and he prefered to stay on the battlefield, where he felt he could make the most difference. Other generals, humbled by his warrior's spirit, felt compelled to follow his example. They led their armies from the front and not from behind the lines. Unfortunately, while their minds were far brighter than the great Shin Robert's, they lacked his strength. As the years passed, many were killed while leading their men into battle, leaving the army in the hands of men far less competent. After a period of unyielding Juin victories, they began to be routed again.
Seeing the new Generals who were leading him were far more incompetant than he was, Shin Robert finally had them slain. Years of warfare finally gave him the experience and knowledge he needed to lead the Juins successfully into battle himself. But by this time, the damage the foolish generals caused was irrepairable. He knew he was fighting a losing war, and all he was doing was stalling for time. Even the humans stopped calling the conflict a war; it was now known as "The Juin Relocation Campaign."
Shin Robert and the remnant of the Juin army were cornered on the plains of the Great Continent. They dug in and burrowed in holes underground to hide from the enemy battlefleet looming in the atmosphere above. In his heart, he would rather fight to the death than surrender, and his men felt the same, but the rest of their race did not have the same heart. So he lured the Human armies into one final battle on the Wind Plains, where his army held the key point defending the main Juin camp. He knew that once his men fell, the humans could easily surround the rest of the camp and force them to surrender. He and his men could die, the humans could have their victory, and the rest of his race could survive to live peacefully on a "quarantined reservation."
This final clash is known as the Battle of Leilah's Field. Shin Robert chose the day of battle to be one when low clouds blanketed the sky, neutralizing the threat of aerial bombardment. He used the rolling hills to hide his army's position, and the Juins fortified their camps so well that the Humans could not approach them except for one weak point. At this one point, only a few units blocked the way to entering the Juins' impassable ring, where the civilians were camped inside, and where the rear flanks of the Juin defenses were exposed, ensuring complete victory-- but those few units were Shin Robert's. The Great Hero struck first. He sent out half of his force to attack the enemy's main camp, where, after an hour of fierce fighting, they retreated. Thinking that the Juins were on their heels and that the weak point was now further weakened by half, the Humans eagerly charged after them-- straight into Shin Robert's trap. He suddenly appeared at the Juin front line and his remaining men charged over the surrounding hills, slaughtering the pursuing forces. More Human Forces flooded into the chokepoint believing that they would eventually breakthrough, but Shin Robert tore apart any man who came his way. Then suddenly the clouds broke open. The blue sky revealed itself from behind its dark veil. Fire rained down from the ships above, blowing away Shin Robert's forces, who were already facing overwhelming odds on the ground. Shin Robert watched his men die around him as he fought on, using his Burning Touch to rip the souls out of his enemies. A few Juin reinforcements arrived to aid him, but many sat still either because they believed he was immortal and could never fall, or because they feared he would fall at any moment and so they stayed back to fortify their own positions instead. Eventually, the Great Shin Robert collapsed from exhaustion. His enemies overwhelmed him and stabbed him to death with bayonets. Their fear for him was so grave, that they couldn't feel sure he was dead until his corpse was unrecognizable. The day was lost and the humans flooded into the Juin camp. Fearing for the lives of their women and children in the camp, the remaining defenders gave up without a fight. Shin Robert's plan succeeded precisely as he had foreseen.
When they landed on this continent, they were given enough food and supplies to last for one year. The Allies agreed that they would continue to send supplies for the next five years, but after that, the Juins were on their own. The Allied leaders realized that the Juins probably would not survive, but it was the will of the people, which they reluctantly had to carry out. At first, with crushed spirits, without hope, and without the heroes who once inspired them through the Great War, many laid on the beach and waited for death. Amongst the rows of the prone and hopeless, one man stood up, and he became the first King of Juin. This man rallied the people to build shelters and to work together for their survival. The Juins were a proud race and they refused to simply die off of the pages of history.
Eventually, they used their mystical ki abilities to terraform portions of the land from barren deserts into lush forests. They found springs, food, and learned how to survive in their new home. When the final supply ship arrived in the fifth year, the Juin stormed the ship like pirates, tore the supplies from the holds, and shoved the men back to the edge of their decks, not allowing them to even set foot on their self-built paradise. The ships turned around to never return again. When those sailors arrived back in their home port, they spoke of the paradise that was once a wasteland, and the powerful Juin King who tamed the land. They recounted how his guards forced the ship's captain to bow to the new ruler, and how the King forbid any human ship from ever visiting their continent again. The humans happily obliged, and they left the Juins alone and isolated on their continent from that day forth.
At the center of this new militaristic culture was Shin Robert. The story of his last stand at Leilah's field became their most widely spoken legend. His exploits were so great that they needed no exaggeration, as often happens as legends progress through the years. The Juins worshipped him as a Demi-God, and they erected monuments in his name. His name was considered so sacred that the First King made it illegal for parent to give it to their child. The Juins believed that one day the Gods would restore his life, so that he could lead them to victory once again. To this day, a special unoccupied bedroom even grander than the King's is set aside for him.
The Juins experienced unabated growth and prosperity for the next two hundred hundred years. Their population, once considered on the brink of extinction, slowly grew back to fifty million. Under the rule of eight successive kings, the Juins overcame the harsh land through strict military discipline. As their population grew, so did their armed forces. While only a percentage of the people were enlisted in the regular army, every citizen was required to go through two years of rigorous military training, and semi-annual "militia" drills were required in every town. Everyone in Juin is considered part of the "National Home Guard." The Juins also worked hard to educate their children-- mainly to produce intelligent soldiers-- and the cirriculum naturally included a wide share of nationalist propaganda.
Today's Juins hardly resemble those from three centuries earlier. Their weapons, technology, and isolationist nature stand sharply against the peaceful, primitive, welcoming people who once freely roamed Eden's paradisical lands.