Puppet Nation Jistav

Puppet Nation Jistav (傀儡国ジスターヴ) is the country formerly under Demon Lord Clayman's control. Jistav is a mountainous region consisting of scarce vegetation and valleys. Initially a recreation of the Ultra-Sorcery Kingdom of the Elves built by Kagali, it was later divided into two separate territories for both Kagali and Clayman but was later successfully merged under Clayman's reign, after the defeat of its founder. Clayman gradually expanded the territory since Kagali's defeat, however, following his death, Jistav stopped existing as a single nation and was temporarily delegated to Rimuru Tempest before being annexed by Milim Nava as one of her new dominions due to Rimuru's refusal to take over that territory.

Background
In the distant past, the Ultra-Sorcery Kingdom of the Elves flourished in prosperity. However, their own folly led to their demise when they incurred the wrath of Milim Nava, resulting in their swift destruction overnight. The surviving elves dispersed and took different paths. Fleeing from the Chaos Dragon, they sought refuge with their elven ancestors. Some with power ventured into the wilderness, establishing new kingdoms. Others chose to live reclusive lives, far away from civilization. Among them was Kagali.

Kagali, who would later become a Demon Lord, managed to escape the wrath of Milim and was among the few remaining members of the elven royal family. She sought sanctuary in a distant land and set about building a nation reminiscent of her birthplace. Drawing upon her memories of elven magic and technology, Kagali recreated a fraction of her people's glorious past, culminating in the construction of the fortress city and capital known as Amrita. Her greatest accomplishment lay in preserving elven technology and recreating physical copies.

Several hundred years ago, Kagali confronted the self-proclaimed Demon Lord Leon Cromwell. Her defeat at his hands led to the downfall of Amrita, and Clayman's castle was erected atop the ruins to deter thieves from plundering any remaining treasures. Nonetheless, Amrita's automated defenses remained operational, ready to fulfill their purpose if necessary. Following Kagali's defeat, her subordinates willingly submitted to Clayman, and her territories were passed on to him. Clayman ruled over the region until his eventual demise. The other Demon Lords did not object to this decision, as it was part of Kagali's precautionary plan, preparing Clayman in advance to assume the role of successor.

As time passed, Clayman steadily expanded Jistav's territory, emerging as a formidable force among the Ten Great Demon Lords.

Clayman's Castle
Clayman's Castle (クレイマンの城) is the castle that acted as Clayman's primary base and residence, originally belonged to Kagali when she was the ruler of Jistav. Upon her death at Leon Cromwell's hands, Clayman soon took over the castle in her stead.

The castle itself acted as Clayman's primary power base and headquarters, where he plotted out his operations and held meetings with his associates, including the members of the Moderate Harlequin Alliance and other Demon Lords.

The castle's exterior can be described as somewhat ancient, but no less monumental. The enormous palace had enough space to contain all the Dark Elves. The sturdy marble walls are fully decorated with harmonious ornamentation, accentuated by large windows with stained glass, moldings, and wrought iron. Windows on the high-pitched roofs are complemented by graceful canopies. The perimeter of the castle is lined with towers connected by arched viaducts made in the same monumental style and constructed of the same materials, nevertheless the castle town-dwellings for Majins was not present. The castle, as well as the neighboring towers, possess iconic expressive gothic spires on their tops.

In the meantime, while the castle's exterior had a character aimed closer to restraint, the interior was opulent, replete and festooned with a variety of frescoes, gold inlays, exotic furniture, collection of artwork, rare magic items, brought in from around the world.

The paragons of luxury can be found in Clayman's Personal Office and Conference Room. Clayman's Personal Office is a spacious and opulent room adorned with intricate and lavish decor. It boasts a large window covered by luxurious boysenberry curtains with gold trim, allowing natural light to illuminate the office. The floor is adorned with a plush cerise-colored carpet. As Clayman's workplace, the office features a lavishly upholstered lavender throne, an exquisite desk adorned with gold ornaments, and an aubergine sofa accompanied by a small round table, where a bucket with wine is displayed. On the desk, there is a greenish magic table lamp, while all the papers and documents are conveniently concealed in Clayman's spatial sub-space. Adjacent to the desk stands a table holding a Crystal Ball, a communication tool that also allows Clayman to observe real-time reports from his subordinates. The marble ceiling and walls are adorned with magnificent gold monograms, mirroring the ornate entrance to the study. A masterful chandelier hangs in the center of the room, further enhancing its grandeur. Adding a touch of uniqueness and gothic aesthetics, a grotesque gargoyle statue is placed behind the desk. The room's distinct feature is the deliberate paintings called Sealed Paintings, Magic Artifacts created by the skilled Bismarck, a renowned artist from the realm of monsters. These visually stunning masterpieces depict mythical beasts with such realism that they appear to come to life, subtly shifting in their poses from time to time.

The Conference Room is a vast and exquisitely designed chamber. Its floor is adorned with a lush carpet meticulously woven by a team of skilled artisans. The large round table at the center is crafted from fragrant wood, emitting a pleasant and woodsy aroma. The table comfortably accommodates a dozen guests. The chairs surrounding the table are considered the epitome of luxury, difficult to acquire even for the highest-ranking nobility. The room exudes a special charm, enhanced by an ingenious fireplace. One wall features an elegant Artifact, each piece of which possesses a quality capable of overwhelming anyone, not merely to impress, but also to weaken the will of the visitors.

Clayman possesses a special cellar dedicated to housing his collection of exquisite wines. The cellar stores a selection of hundred-year-old vintages, capturing the essence of time and the meticulous craftsmanship involved in their creation. These wines emanate a precious and astonishing aroma. Only the most carefully chosen examples, meticulously maintained as the epitome of refinement, are allowed into Clayman's cellar. They are stored with utmost care, ensuring the highest quality, patiently awaiting their service to their master.

Being a connoisseur of the finer things in life and a man of refined tastes and culture, Clayman possesses a large collection of musical instruments, including a grand piano. These instruments are utilized by his grand symphonic orchestra, comprising the most talented and sophisticated musicians personally selected by Clayman. Such elegance and extravagance are typically reserved for royalty in this world.

Additionally, Clayman's mansion features an Arena designed in the form of a coliseum. This arena serves as a training ground for martial arts and magical techniques and is primarily used by Demon Lord Kazalim and his subordinates.

Following Clayman's downfall, the management of the castle falls under the responsibility of the Dark Elves.


 * -|Light Novel=

Wetlands
Before reaching Clayman's Castle, it is necessary to traverse the lush yet bottomless wetlands. They act as an environmental barrier and simultaneously function as the first line of defense of Clayman’s headquarters. Right here was located an automatic defense mechanism created at that time by Curse Lord Kazalim, that bounded Adalman, the Index Finger of Clayman's Five Fingers for nearly a millennium to this land. Not only this gesture from Demon Lord Kazalim's side allowed Adalman to live all this time, but also turned him into a rather powerful Majin, due to his evolution from Wight into Wight King and bond with every soul present here. The Legions of Undead created and led by Adalman were also located here.

Beyond these wetlands are several murky swamps from the surface of which gas is bubbling out. They are creating the cloud of mysterious mist, making the surroundings seem even eerier. The moment you wade into these moorlands, the habitat starts to disappear in the thick fog plummeting visibility to nearly nothing making it nearly impossible to navigate and observe the suspicious surroundings without additional Skills that increase awareness and visual capabilities.

The mist located here not only decreases visual awareness and confuses the sense of direction, but it also creates a Spatial Interference to lure unlucky intruders from any direction straight into the circle of dozens and thousands of undead soldiers under Adalman's command, that were concealed by the same mist. Additionally, the fog is blocking out Magic. Without the ability to teleport out or communicate trespassers are left to their own.


 * -|Anime=

Ruins of Amrita
Underneath Clayman's castle laid the cavernous ruins of Amrita, accessible via an enchanted giant gate that was located inside the castle, which only Clayman could open previously. The Dark Elves weren't allowed there and were only able to enter the upper floor. The giant gate to the second level of the ruin was enchanted with ancient magic and could be opened by solving a coded spell. The true worth of the ancient ruins was the magical defense mechanism for the city set up by Kagali. Unlike the city on the surface protected by Adalman, Amrita was mainly guarded by Kagali’s spells and her numerous golem carrying several Unique-Grade equipment.

There is a settlement for the Dark Elves that lived within the ruins.

The ruins were divided into three levels, with the deepest one serving as a crypt. The first level acted as the treasury, which was transferred during Clayman's reign, and has since been used as living quarters.

If the first floor was illuminated by linking it with the orbit of the sun, the middle floor which had magic candlesticks on the stone walls would emit faint inextinguishable light created by magic. The middle floor greatly differed from the upper floor mostly because of the usage of stone walls with fabulous murals painted on them, replicating the life of the elven ancestors, narrow corridors, and low ceilings. The second level also consisted of some more invaluable trophies, such as Unique-Grade gears, treasures, jewels, and other riches.

The third level was where the closely guarded crypt lay. Presumably, the corpses of Kagali's fallen elven brethren were buried there, with a possibility that the crypt also contained the bodies of the royal family, given that Kagali was a former royal. The crypt was also where the Dark Elves stored many treasures, including valuable murals, weapons, gold coins, and some stellas (a very rare and extremely expensive valued currency). The corridors that lead to the crypt still guarded by numerous enchanted dolls, were programmed to allow only certain biological life-form patterns, repelling any intruders who didn't match them through the golems and even going so far in order to defend the crypt to building his castle atop the ruins to prevent any graverobbers from stealing valuables.

Currently, after the events of Majin Behind The Scenes arc, the crypt is damaged beyond repair.

Valley of Death
A path winding through rugged and jagged mountains. It is a rough, unfastened, not paved dirt road that provided passage between Clayman’s territory and the Eastern Empire. Despite this treacherous road being laden with monsters along with various undead creatures, traces of Clayman’s subordinates using the road regularly had been found. Hidden entrance to another world, Kumara's homeland — “The Mystic Village", was also located here, between the foot of the mountains on the Jistav side and the forest on the imperial side.

Military Strength
Clayman's troops could be divided into two separate groups of armies. His top subordinates were known as the Five Fingers, whom Clayman saw as valuable pawns. This group consisted of Ninehead, Adalman, Yamza, Mjurran, and Pirone.

For offensive maneuvers, Clayman utilized an army consisting of 30,000 various Majin and other non-human beings ranging from rank B to A. Clayman's predecessor's legacy, knowledge, and magic allowed him to enhance the combat capabilities of his subordinates by employing spells and artifacts. He also enticed power-hungry Majin by offering them substantial wealth and then manipulating them. Yamza, the Middle Finger of the Five Fingers, led this army as the Commander-In-Chief due to his loyalty to Clayman.

The second group comprised approximately 10,000 undead minions and soldiers created and led by Adalman. These legions were primarily composed of skeleton swordsmen and various zombies. Notable figures within this army, besides Adalman, included a skilled and noble warrior known as the Death Knight, who possessed exceptional swordsmanship skills ranking at A-. Additionally, there was a ferocious Death Dragon with immunity to death. The use of magic mist allowed them to set up ambushes for hostile trespassers. They primarily served as the defensive forces for Clayman's castle.

For espionage and intelligence gathering, Mjurran and Pirone acted as Clayman's spies. In addition to them, Clayman had a group of subordinates specifically dedicated to these tasks, who often traversed various regions around the world, facilitating the gathering of information for Clayman's own purposes.


 * -|Anime=

Economy
Puppet Nation Jistav established a unique economic distribution system, setting it apart from other domains ruled by Demon Lords. Among the few rulers who possessed the knowledge to exploit financial situations, Clayman stood out. Even Rimuru acknowledged his potential genius upon learning about Clayman's approach to managing his territory's economy. Unlike other Demon Lords, Clayman embraced free and legal commerce, establishing trade relationships with nearly every country across the world through a network of merchants. Puppet Nation Jistav boasted a robust and independent trade system, supported by numerous merchants stationed throughout the Magic Continent. Clayman recognized the significance of the economy and ensured that his domain had a functioning monetary system.

To maximize agricultural output, Clayman heavily relied on slave labor within Jistav. However, not all goods were domestically produced. Some items, such as fruits, bread, dairy products, and other consumable goods, needed to be imported from beyond Jistav's borders. These products were physically transported as they couldn't be teleported by magic. To facilitate the storage of exported goods, Clayman personally acquired warehouses and bases around the world. These facilities were primarily used to store items like wine, fruits, and other goods purchased from the Eastern Empire. It was through this system that Clayman was able to sustain his Orc Army, consisting of 200,000 orc troops.

Another significant source of income for Clayman's treasury was the sale of heirlooms and artifacts found buried beneath the first level of Amrita's ruins. These ancient relics, artifacts, treasures, sets of Unique-Grade Equipment, and golden coins alone held tremendous value. Selling even a small portion of these items would provide enough wealth for individuals to live like nobility for centuries.

Eastern Empire
The Eastern Empire had no particular interest towards Jistav initially, though some years after Amrita's establishment they did attack it once, and its defenses failed. Years following Kagali's demise and Clayman's ascension as one of the Ten Great Demon Lords, the Empire began a trading relationship with Jistav through Damrada with Clayman purchasing many high-grade weapons and other equipments for his army. However, the Empire's true intention was to use Clayman in conquering the Great Forest of Jura by having him crush any threats to their conquest, and for this reason, Tatsuya Kondou – head of the Empire's Intelligence Bureau – placed Clayman under mind control, forcing him to focus on destroying the Jura Tempest Federation as well as defeating the Storm Dragon Veldora Tempest, who had once foiled their invasion of the Jura Forest in the past.

Armed Nation of Dwargon
Jistav also had a trading relationship with the Armed Nation of Dwargon and would trade many high-quality weaponry and others for Clayman's army. Despite Clayman being known to be a ghastly man, Dwargon continued trading though they were highly cautious while doing so. However, following the revelation of Clayman being the mastermind behind the allied attack on the Jura Tempest Federation, Dwargon was hostile towards the Demon Lord and supported Tempest in their plans to defeat him.

Holy Empire Ruberios
Clayman considers the Western Holy Church to be a mysterious organization and wishes to learn about it's secrets. In order to do so, he sent Laplace to investigate the Church, but his infiltration attempts failed twice. Ruberios, on the other hand, has never interacted with Jistav.

Sorcerer's Dynasty Sarion
Through ancient history, the Sorcerer’s Dynasty Sarion shares an ancestral connection with the Puppet Nation Jistav. After the catastrophe of where the original elven kingdom was annihilated by the wrath of Demon Lord Milim Nava, a portion of the elven nobility had chosen to abandon the last surviving royal of their original homeland, eventually forming their own individual kingdoms that then united into the current Sorcerer’s Dynasty Sarion. The remaining elves who chose to remain loyal to the Princess, followed her and eventually established the Puppet Nation Jistav, becoming the Dark Elves.

Trivia

 * Interestingly enough, Clayman never considered himself to be the ruler of Jistav. He always considered the territory to be Kagali's and stated that he was taking care of it until her return.
 * Kagali had planned to restore the ruins of Amrita back to their glory days after she handled the issues she and her allies were facing. However, following the crypt's destruction, she was discouraged from doing so.
 * In Tensura Nikki, it was revealed that Clayman's castle has a name "Shadow Castle", where he regularly held Demon Lord conferences, which were more informal versions of Walpurgis Banquets. They also included fancy tea parties and palatable Clayman's own hand-made pastry.
 * Clayman's castle was created not just as a base of operations, but as a secondary layer of protection for the ruins of Amrita that lies beneath it. It was more specifically built to protect the crypt within the third level of the ruins from possible graverobbers or thieves.
 * The majority of Jistav's citizens are Dark Elves, with a large portion of them in the slave class. Apart from them, there were also demi-humans and some Majins as well, with most of these Majins being recruited by Kagali and a much larger number by Clayman himself.
 * Jistav is known as the Land of Puppets due to its ruler, Demon Lord Clayman largely being known as "Marionette Master" and his methods of inducting subordinates as well as his treatment towards them.
 * Jistav is actually a recreation of the Super-Magic Kingdom of the Elves that were built by Kagali, or rather the ruined city of Amrita.
 * Kagali owned another territory where she had built a castle and a research facility containing Otherworlder summoning technology. Following her defeat, Leon Cromwell took over the castle as his own until he left after the Hero Chronoa's attack.