History[]
| TRIGGER WARNING The content on this page contains strong language and may touch on very sensitive, potentially highly graphic and/ or disturbing topics. Proceed with serious caution or do not continue reading this page. |
Origins(Ningen Era)[]
The Nije Family were originally a family of poor farmers who eventually fell in debt to the tyrannical Emperor Yazhong after Komyo Nije stole one of the emperor's pigs to feed her family. Her 'heinous crime' would lead to her entire family being enslaved. Over the next many generations, the Nije family became poorer and poorer. Kazuko Nije, Komyo's descendant would have a son, who they named Jinzin, who grew up to despise the Ningen Empire and Emperor Yoroh, Yazhong's successor.
When Jinzin was sixteen, he planned a coup of Ito's Palace, though the coup ended up failing as the emperor's Silver Cadre foresaw it and warned Yoroh, who's forces ambushed Jinzin and the coup forces. In the ambush, many members of the coup forces were killed, though Jinzin and his family were spared, as Yoroh wished to make an example out of him. However, they all managed to break free and fled Ito to the borders of the Morcaracalalando Empire, where they would build a small village for themselves and their supporters. Their village would be close to a Dragon Taskforce base and the base of the- at the time, Hunushitai tribe. Upon the Hunushitai tribe's efforts to subjugate Jinzin's supporters, he defeated the tribal leaders in combat, and the tribe would pledge loyalty to Jinzin and be re-organised into the Toshi clan.
The Founding the Nije Clan[]
With the help of the Toshi clan, the village would grow into the city of Hasu No Tera, and as more people flocked to join, and slowly a military was building up, Jinzin founded the militaristic Nije clan, and quickly allied with the Toshi clan and neighbouring Dragoni clan, and trade with both became abundant and the clan was prospering. Jinzin would later fall for and marry a Dragon-lady named Jemmai, and after she drank the Sensan Tea to become human, the two would have a son, who they named Itoku. However, Jemmai would be cursed after a decade of rule, and Jinzin fell into a deep depression, not caring when Itoku married Jasmine Haisho and had a son, named Kohei.
However, when Itoku was murdered, Jasmine disappeared, and Kohei was taken to the mountains by his cousin, Asakazu, he lost it, a became a cruel, merciless dictator, blaming the clan for his losses. Some time afterwards, Jinzin died to what was presumed to be a freak accident, and Kohei returned to take the throne alongside his wife, Kiyo.
Wars With the Hu-Fung Clan[]
Kohei's rule would be largely undocumented, as well as the rule of his granddaughter, Koken Nije, which marked the first rule of a woman in the clan. During Koken's rule, the territory of the Hu-Fung Clan expanded into Hasu No Tera, where they built an outpost, Koken would order her warriors to kill all the Hu-Fung soldiers in the outpost. In retaliation, Lord Haruto Megano-Hu-Fung led a quick attack on Hasu No Tera, and Koken was assassinated, and her son, Akiyo succeeded her and plotted an attack on Akaru-sa No Kodomo.
Unknown to Akiyo, his daughter, Aika, was in a secret relationship with Arakan Hu-Fung, Haruto's son, and warned the Hu-Fung Clan of her father's plans. The Hu-Fung Clan attacked the Nije Clan before the latter could do anything. Akiyo was killed, having only ruled for a few months. As such, his son, Eiko became the next leader while Aika left the clan and eloped with Arakan, and was disowned by her brother, while Arakan was disowned by his family. Eiko would later officially declare war on the Hu-Fung clan, organising the assassination of Haruto and his wife/cousin, Aiko. As Haruto's second child and heir, Nagita took the throne under the supervision of a regent and the war continued. Once the war had lasted nearly fifteen years, Fumetsu Hu-Fung was killed by the Aishi clan, and a war between the Hu-Fung and Aishi broke out, the Hu-Fung clan began to back off, and Nagita eventually signed a peace treaty with Eiko.
Nearly a decade later, the Tundrian Queendom's leader, the Royal Queen Sajai Nyili ordered the clans to leave their lands, as her council was fed up with their presence, and threatened to bring the whole force of her nation down onto them. Lord Ozuru would abide by the queen's orders, and left along with the many other clans, including the Hu-Fung's, to the other side of the continent. Soon the citizens of the clans began to set up a town, and Ozuru saw it as the perfect way to establish a new empire.
However, while Ozuru and his ally clans wished to rule supreme over the settlers, Lord Suki Hu-Fung wanted the clans to unify, and break tradition and the 神聖血液 down. This caused conflict, and soon Ozuru declared war on Suki, as he wanted him gone. However, Suki would be exposed by his wife, Mike-Hua, as a member of the Hiroshi clan, a rebel group within the Hu-Fung clan, and was chased out by the Hu-Fungs, and Suki's second-cousin, Liong would succeed him, and assassinated Ozuru, along with Ozuru's daughter, Risa, and her husband/cousin, Namiyo. After the death of his older sister and father, Raidon Nije took his father's place, and ordered the deaths of Liong's children, Rokuro and Kyoshi Hu-Fung, though his assassin was detained, allowing Liong's youngest daughter, Noriko to survive the murders of her older siblings.
The war would continue for many more years until Raidon would force the Liong and his clan out of the settlement after all of the Hu-Fung's allies abandoned them. Afterwards, Raidon and his allies exerted complete control over the settlement, and the few neighbouring human villages, declared himself the Emperor over all of it, abolishing the clan and instead made it an absolute monarchy for his city-state. While the Nije Family ruled supreme over the city, there were several regions in the city that the Namontak, Toshi, Dragoni, Gaizhon, and Lotu families would rule and oversee the laws of. Although Raidon and the Nije clan had won the war, the Wei-Lu clan, minor allies for the Hu-Fung's would refuse to leave, and Raidon along with Lord Shigetsu Toshi took their armies and brutally destroyed the entire Wei-Lu Clan, killing every single member in the clan and Wei-Lu family, eradicating the Wei-Lu bloodline.
Rule of the Fujioka Dynasty & Elemental Rebellion[]
The 'Fujioka Period' or 'Fujioka Dynasty' was a period that the descendants of Fujioka Nije, Raidon's son, who took the throne upon Raidon's death, ruled as the emperors. Fujioka would marry his second cousin, Nadeshiko. Together they had three daughters, Kiyumi, Kofuyu, and Natsumi. During this time, the empire was in shambles, as after Raidon's death, the other ruling families started to become more independent, and the many villages owned by the Nije Family were also breaking away. Fujioka was very ill, and the court was mostly controlled by his wife, Nadeshiko, who, upon her husband's death, assumed the position of Empress, as she was his cousin, though would then hand the throne to her daughter, Kiyumi, who took a new name 'Kaika', and Nadeshiko become Empress-dowager. Empress Kaika would be murdered by rogue Elemental Masters, and Kofuyu, Kaika's younger sister, took the throne. At the time, Natsumi was travelling the countryside, and she would be abducted by the rogue Elementals and taken to Bunrakuken Fortress and held for ransom. With very little money, as taxes were halted by rebels. Nadeshiko and Kofuyu rounded up a large group of soldiers and went to Bunrakuken Fortress by boat, as they didn't want to travel through the Oni-infested Azumamaro Forest, which surrounded the fortress. However, Bandits who worked for the elementals ambushed the forces. Initially, Nadeshiko, Kofuyu, and Kofuyu's five-year-old son, Crown Prince Sorai tried to escape and were close to, but they were all exposed by the Master-at-Arms, who surrendered. Nadeshiko, Kofuyu, and Sorai would be capsized, and all drowned. Natsumi would also later be executed.
Back in the city, Kofuyu's seven-year-old son, Eisaku would be crowned Emperor, though due to his age, a regent would be instilled for him. His regent, Hibiki Toshi would pull the strings within the court, and ruled the empire, at the same time that Czarina Lisica was trying to take Ninjago City and its surrounding cities and villages, and though she took most of its villages, its cities and Ninjago City itself remain protected. failed each time. By the time Eisaku's was married to Lord Hibiki's daughter, Princess Nagisa, the Morcaracalalando Empire had collapsed and the Medleonian Empire was spreading across the continent resulting in the Great War. During Eisaku's rule, the emperor and Hibiki decided to ban the mention of the war, as to prevent a panic. Eisaku and Nagisa would later have two sons, Princes Atsunari and Narikatsu, however, both were killed by assassins from King Fiyue, and Atsunari's son, Chouhiko was taken in by Eisaku and Nagisa. After Eisaku's death at the age of 98, Chouhiko took the throne as Emperor, alongside his wife, Empress Hakucho, and Nagisa was elevated to the position of Grand Empress-dowager, before passing away two years later. After the war was over following King Ji Shil's ascent to the Medleonian throne, the empire if Imperial Ninjago was spreading across the continent, under the regimes of Dragon Emperors Yajirushi and Taiji WongYi.
After having his son, Rei (I), the Ninjago City-state was growing to overshadow the Ninjago Imperials and the empire of Dragon Emperor Taiji. Rei would marry Kaiyo Tamura, and the two had a son named Nobukutsu, planning on putting him on the throne after himself. However, Rei's sister, Nui was favoured in Chouhiko and Hakucho's court, eventually being made Crown Princess, therefore preventing Nobukutsu from taking the throne. With the constant threat of Taiji, no one suspected Rei of treachery. He made a deal with Taiji, and on the day of a banquet hosted by his father, he ordered his servants to kill all the guests and his family- excluding Kaiyo and Nobukutsu-- He would allow Taiji's forces into the city, allowing the Ninjago Imperials to rule the city, and bowed before Dragon Emperor Taiji, who crowned Rei 'King' and governor of Ninjago City. This marked the end of the Fujioka Period.
Rule of Nobukutsu Nije & Rei Nije II[]
After Taiji passed and the central Iwanai government was left collapsing from corruption, Ninjago City and many other city-states would be freed and re-established themselves a such. Since Rei's imprisonment for conspiring against Eisaku and Nagisa, Nobukutsu took the throne and married a woman named Hirari Sakakibara, of the wealthy and esteemed Takahashi Clan. They would have a son, named Go-Rei, or Rei II, named after his grandfather. Nobukutsu's rule would be largely uneventful, mostly managing the corruption in various sections of the government, which had flourished under Taiji's regime. Nobukutsu died at fifty-two, and Go-Rei took the throne, while Hirari became Empress-dowager.
Rei was a tyrant, who was corrupt and killed anyone who stood in his way, including his grandmother, having no care for the affairs of the government allowing corruption to take root in the other noble families. Rei had a unique fascination with the dark arts and would stumble across an ancient scroll that spoke of a great treasure the Oni left in their Temple before they died out. Rei became determined to find this 'treasure' and forced every single one of his servants to dig underneath the Temple of Resurrection. The servants dug so much that they created a labyrinth of tunnels underneath the palace. They did find the 'treasure', it was just a mask, or so they thought...
Rei would later be assassinated by his illegitimate son, Taiyo, who subsequently made himself emperor, enforcing very biased and sexist beliefs onto the city and family.
大きな脂肪戦争 (Ōkina shibō sensō) War[]
During the reign of the incapable Emperor Kuniharu Nije, he gave away most of his power to ministers and his advisors, in pursuit of leisure, and as modernisation efforts in Iwanai and the other city-states never occurred in Ninjago City. When Kuniharu fell ill, his wife, Natsumi(II) became Empress-regent and would try to take power back for the Nije family. However, the other members of the royal court had grown powerful, and upon Kuniharu's death, Lord Mitsuharu Gaizhon of Gaizhon House would take the throne for themselves, and locked Natsumi up along with her children, Nadoko, Akimasa, and Kouyoshi.
Eventually, Lord Mitsuharu Gaizhon would be assassinated, and the Gaizhon's were put in their place by Nadoko, who took the throne as Empress, though since she was infertile she declared her brother the heir.
Rule of Empress Nadoko Nije[]
Nadoko's rule marked the height of imperial power in Ninjago City-state. She spread the empire into Iwanai territory, taking advantage of the revolution and economic decline in Imperial Ninjago. Her very imperialistic views and ambitions during a time where the concept of an 'empire' was disliked by all, after the Great War. For these reasons, she would be painted as a tyrant in history, though this wasn't that case.
Nadoko would pass multiple laws that would modernise the government, giving the people a voice in matters, though the royalty of the city, including her family, opposed this, believing the people were impure, uneducated peasants, and wanted them to be very much mouldable, and she would be dethroned by her brother, Akimasa, and his wife, Murasaki. After being dethroned she would be locked in a room by her brother, and forced to commit suicide by poisoning.
Fall of the Royal House[]
Throughout Akimasa's rule, the modernising reforms instituted by Nadoko were delayed for traditions, which Akimasa were very fond of. Akimasa and Murasaki would later have a son, whom of which they named Akiaro, and he would be raised in a very disciplined and traditional household, taught to be a firm leader, and prevent reforms. Akiaro took the throne in 1950, later going through with an arranged marriage with a woman named Hiroko Dragoni. The two would have two children, Hiromitzu and Ashisaka. Akiaro would raise his children in the same traditional household. Ashisaka would ultimately run away, stealing the Empress' diadem.
Years later, Kyrano, the Master-at-Arms would be murdered, and sometime later, Akiaro discovered that Hiroko's blood curse, the Serpens Curse. He banished Hiroko out of anger, and Hiroko would be disowned by her family, who tried to reclaim their favour in Akiaro's court. After both Hiroko and Ashisaka were gone, Akiaro became neglectful and psychologically abusive. He became much more strict towards Hiromitzu, nearly having him executed after he was found to be dating Yokata Kabuto, the heiress to Kabuto Corp. However, before such a thing could go through, Akiaro died of a heart attack, and Hiromitzu would be cleaned up to become the emperor. Hiromitzu would finally usher in the industrial revolution, welcoming in Medleonian inventors into the city, making friends with King Seung Shil, King Ji's successor. Despite disliking tradition and many aspects, he kept most of them in place, as he wanted to keep the noble families fond of his rule. One change he did do was pass a law allowing people to marry outside of the royal houses.
Hiromitzu and Yokata later had a daughter, Sazia, though, after surviving cancer, Yokata became infertile, having never produced a male heir to the throne. Due to Yokata's fragile health and political affairs within the royal house, they never paid much mind to Sazia, which would become very damaging to her as a child. In 1999, one year after Sazia was born, Dragon Emperor Wo-Howen WongYi subjugated Ninjago City-state as part of his new dynastic empire. Initially, Hiromitzu rejected all of Wo-Howen's threats, until the Imperial Ninjago army had nearly every member of the noble families assassinated, only leaving the heads of Toshi House and Hiromitzu and his family. By that time, he decided to sign over all his political power to Wo-Howen, instead of becoming a complete figurehead and became very private, rarely making public appearances. Eventually, Wo-Howen's regime collapsed and the people formed a Democratic Government for them, and therefore prevented the Nije Family form obtaining political power, still keeping them as figureheads.
Sons of Garmadon[]
As of the Great Devourer's rampage, Hiromitzu and Yokata adopted a girl name Harumi Chang, who lost her parents in the rampage. However, she became jaded and upset with her life as a princess, and often confided her problems to the Master-at-Arms, Hutchins Namontak. Though since females couldn't take the throne, they were initially going to marry Sazia off to Kisho Toshi, the head of Toshi House, though later they swapped Sazia out for Harumi. leading to Sazia believing her parents didn't care for her. Sometime later, Hiromitzu would adopt a boy named Rito Umi, whom of which he proclaimed his heir to Nije House so that the royal line could continue. One day, when Sazia was sneaking out, she met a woman who introduced herself as the Quiet One and initiated Sazia into her gang. And the two would work to plot an attack on the palace, to secure the Oni Mask of Deception. When it came time for the attack, Sazia planted blast-sap under the guise of Hutchins, though made sure to frame Kisho for it. After Hiromitzu, Yokata, Rito, and Hutchins would be killed, while Harumi escaped with Lloyd, though ultimately the mask would be stolen by Ultra Violet.
Sazia would be very conflicted about her involvement with her parent's deaths, though nonetheless. she went along with Lily's plan to resurrect Garmadon. Though the Royal Palace would be mostly destroyed, the Temple of Resurrection would remain intact, as well as the Gardens and watchtowers. Once all the masks would be found, the ritual would be performed, and Garmadon was brought back from the dead.
Once Garmadon was defeated, Sazia would be placed in Kryptarium Prison, and due to Harumi's death prior, no one was able to marry Kisho, so he ascended the throne with his sister as the empress, and she ruled alongside him.
Traditions & Beliefs[]
Conservatism[]
The Nije Family were always very traditional, almost to a fault. They were always against relationships outside of the Royal Court, possible punishments including exile and imprisonment. They are also notably against those who were not heterosexual going as far to disown non-cishet members of the family and erasing them from the family tree. While the Hu-Fung Family broke blood purity by leaking Tamamo blood into their veins the Nije Family remained in pure status, they also forced incestuous relationships upon members of the family for the sake of 'blood purity'.
Female Leadership[]
While the Nije family weren't originally against female leadership, it was only more common for the eldest son to be heir, while his wife ruled beside him. However, as the beliefs of different emperors varied, more sexist policies were instilled on the house. It was common, that a past Emperors' widow would be granted the position of Empress-dowager upon her son or daughter's ascent to the throne. Being Empress-dowager often allowed said empress to have a lot of power and influence over the emperor's decisions.
How to Dress[]
The Nije Family has very strict rules on how the family is presented to the public. For women, it was customary to wear a floor-length kimono with an obi around her waist and an uchikake coat, with black and gold tabi shoes, and a white collared cape. For all women, it is tradition to wear white face-paint on their face with red paint and black eyeliner on their eyes. During their teenage years, girls within the Nije family will bleach their hair white. Before the disappearance of Ashisaka Nije, the Empress always wore the Empress' Diadem, which was fashioned for the first Empress Jemmai.
Men within the Royal Family also have very strict rules on how they are to dress when they are in public. In ancient times, men wore a kimono adorned with the family crest, a haori, with black or dark grey pants with tabi shoes. Traditionally, they also wore red face paint above their eyes. However, in modern times they dress in a modernised gi top with an obi, with dark grey or black pants, and do not wear any makeup.
How to Act[]
From an early age, Princesses are taught to be a model student from the Empress. They are to only speak when spoken too and are instructed to be modest and formal when in the company of the Emperor or any other member of the Royal Court.
Much in the same way, Princes become a model student to the Emperor at a young age, though usually the heir is given much more privilege than the others. Men are taught how to be proud and just leaders, as most, if not all will most likely get a job in the Royal Court when they are older.
The Royal Nije Line[]
The Lotus Throne is the throne in which the Emperor is crowned on and where the Emperor's heir is chosen. If the ruling Emperor has no children then a nephew can rule. Princes can be deemed ineligible to rule if they commit a crime against the Family name or they 'mix' their pure blood.
Known Leaders/Consorts[]
Nije Clan[]
- Emperor Jinzin Nije - Known as 'The First Emperor'
- Empress(consort) Jemmai Nije - Known as 'The First Empress'
- Emperor Itoku Nije
- Empress(consort) Jasmine Nije(nee Haisho)
- Emperor Kohei Nije
- Empress(consort) Kiyo [unknown surname]
- Empress Koken Nije
- Emperor(consort) Kuniyoshi Yakauji
- Emperor Akiyo Nije
- Emperor Eiko Nije
- Emperor Ozuru Nije
- Empress Akira Nije(nee Lotu)
Nije Royal House[]
- Emperor Raidon Nije
- Emperor Fujioka Nije
- Empress-consort/Empress/Empress-dowager Nadeshiko Nije
- Empress Kiyumi/Kaika Nije
- Empress Kofuyu Nije
- Emperor Eisaku Nije
- Empress-consort/Grand Empress-dowager Nagisa Nije(nee Toshi)
- Emperor Chouhiko Nije
- Empress-consort Hakucho Nije(nee Lotu)
- Emperor Rei Nije (I)
- Empress-consort Kaiyo Nije(nee Tamura)
- Emperor Nobukutsu Nije
- Empress-consort/Empress-dowager Hirari Nije(nee Sakakibara)
- Emperor Rei Nije (II)
- Emperor Taiyo Nije
- Empress Rin Nije(nee Toshi)
- Emperor Kuniharu Nije
- Empress Natsumi Nije II
- Empress Nadoko Nije
- Emperor Akimasa Nije
- Empress Murasaki Nije(nee Gaizhon)
- Emperor Akiaro Nije
- Empress(consort) Hiroko Nije(nee Dragoni)
- Emperor Hiromitzu Nije
- Empress Yokata Nije(nee Kabuto)