Hoshido

Hoshido (白夜王国 Byakuya Ōkoku lit. Byakuya Kingdom also called the White Night Kingdom in the Japanese version) is a nation in the eastern half of the continent in Fire Emblem Fates.

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The Kingdom of Hoshido was founded by humans loyal to the Dawn Dragon, who granted them land and its blood so they could harness the Dragon's Vein. The Hoshidan capital encircles Castle Shirasagi, home of the royal family. Hoshido is located east of Nohr and the Bottomless Canyon, and north of Izumo and Mokushu. At least two tribes, the Wind Tribe and the Kitsune, make their homes within Hoshidan territory. Pegasi and Kinshi can only be found in Hoshido.

In contrast to the barren, blighted lands of Nohr, Hoshido benefits from fair, sunny weather, resulting in plentiful food supplies, to the point where there is more than enough to feed the the combined populations of both Hoshido and Nohr. This bounty means almost no one in Hoshido wants for anything, and crime is rare. The Hoshidan monarchs rule fairly and justly, and are loved by their people.

The line of succession seems to favor the men of the royal family, regardless of who is older sibling or not. In case of death or defection of the all male members, the crown goes to the oldest sister, and if either sibling is too young to rule, the queen-mother succeeds the king as the ruling monarch.

History
Relations between Hoshido and its rival Nohr were long fraught with tension, as Nohr envied Hoshido's bountiful lands. Mikoto arrived at Hoshido after escaping Valla with her newborn child, the Avatar. Mikoto met the king of Hoshido, Sumeragi, while she was secretly traveling to Hoshido before Valla's destruction, and soon after Ikona's death, married him. Sumeragi had four children from his first wife; Ryoma, Hinoka, Takumi, and Sakura. During a trip to Cheve with his first son and step-child, Sumeragi was killed by Nohrian soldiers and the Avatar was kidnapped. Without a king, Mikoto became the new Queen of Hoshido. Some time after, Hoshido kidnapped the adopted princess of Nohr, Azura, in order to trade her back for the Avatar. With Nohr unwilling to agree to the trade, Azura was then set to live in Hoshido, and the people were ordered to treat her like a Hoshidan princess by Mikoto.

Over the following years, Nohr and Hoshido frequently skirmished, with all-out war prevented only by a magical barrier crafted by Queen Mikoto; the barrier caused any Nohrian soldiers who crossed it to lose their will to fight. To counter this, Nohr's mages created the Faceless, constructs of flesh who lacked souls and free will, allowing them to retain their aggression beyond the barrier and attack Hoshido. However, the Faceless lacked the intelligence and coordination of a human army, limiting the damage they could inflict. Once Mikoto died, the barrier was destroyed, letting war between Hoshido and Nohr break out.

Notable locations

 * Castle Shirasagi
 * Great Wall of Suzanoh
 * Fort Jinya

Royalty

 * Avatar - Prince/Princess of Hoshido and the third eldest child of the royal family.
 * Azura - Princess of Nohr. Adopted princess.
 * Ryoma - Avatar's elder brother and the eldest Hoshidan royal child. A Swordmaster who wields the Raijinto, a lightning-wreathed katana.
 * Hinoka - Avatar's elder sister. A Sky Knight.
 * Takumi - Avatar's younger brother. An Archer who wields the Fujin Yumi, a wind-wreathed bow.
 * Sakura - Avatar's younger sister and the youngest Hoshidan royal child. A Shrine Maiden.
 * Mikoto - The queen of Hoshido and the Avatar's mother.
 * Sumeragi - The late king of Hoshido.
 * Ikona - King Sumeragi's first wife, late queen of Hoshido and mother of the Hoshidan siblings.

Retainers

 * Hana - A Samurai who proclaims that she is Lady Sakura's 'most trusted subordinate'.
 * Subaki - A Sky Knight in service of Sakura.
 * Saizo - A red-haired Ninja in service of Ryoma. Kaze's older twin brother.
 * Orochi - A female Diviner who works for the castle.
 * Kaze - A green-haired Ninja. Saizo's younger twin brother.
 * Oboro - A female Spear Fighter and Takumi's subordinate.
 * Kagero - A female Ninja in service of Ryoma.
 * Hinata - A Samurai serving under Takumi.
 * Azama - A Monk serving Hinoka.
 * Setsuna - A female Archer and subordinate of Hinoka.

Other Hoshidans

 * Mozu - A female Villager.
 * Reina - A female Kinshi Knight and subordinate of Mikoto.
 * Yukimura - A male Mechanist and Hoshido's tactician.
 * Shura - A male Adventurer who formerly lived in Kohga.
 * Rinkah - A female Oni Savage from the Fire Clan.
 * Fuga - Chieftain of the Wind Tribe.
 * Hayato - A male Diviner from the Wind Tribe.
 * Kaden - A male Kitsune from a remote area in Hoshido.
 * Kumagera - A soft hearted Assassin sent to kill King Garon.
 * Haitaka - Proud General who occupied Fort Dragonfall.
 * Kotaro - The Daimyo of Mokushu.
 * Emma - A female Sky Knight who debuted in Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher).
 * Yuzu - A female Samurai who debuted in Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher).

Etymology
Byakuya literally means white night in Japanese.

Hoshido is possibly a combination of Hoshi meaning star or Shiro meaning white in Japanese and bushido, the samurai code of chivalry, to match the Japan theme of the country.

Trivia

 * Hoshido is based on feudal Japan, most primarily the Sengoku and Edo Periods, evident in its aesthetic and cultural style. There are also trace elements of Hoshido deriving from China, as the Great Wall of Suzanoh shares its name with the real-life Great Wall of China, while the design of Fort Jinya is inspired by the Temple of Heaven in the Chinese capital, Beijing.
 * In-game, cherry blossoms represent Hoshido.
 * Hoshido appears to favor a patriarchal succession, as Hinoka states that she did not believe she would receive the crown as both her brothers were ahead of her in line for the throne.
 * Hoshido is the smaller nation between itself and Nohr.

Gallery
Hoshido Hoshido