The Oriental Marches
A.K.A.
Christendom-Upon-the-Yellow-Sea
Holy Dominion of the Yellow Sea of Christ the King (official name)
"The Christians of the Orient have always been a curiosity. Since the Oda Shogunate unified the Jippenese Isles, many missionaries flowed into the main island of Yamato, allowed by the Shogun's great friendship with the missionary Luis Frois. In turn, Frois would have a friendship with Nobunaga's heir, whose son would hold friendship with Frois' successor as chief missionary, and so on until Shogun Nobunaga X would formally convert himself and the Oda Clan. This was not without controversy, of course. For the Shogun ruled second to the Emperor, whom with the supposed divinity of his bloodline, acted in a Papal capacity. The ensuing conflict would split the Isles for many years. The Jippenese would face great persecution for their faith in the decades to follow, but for many it only solidified the hold of Christ over his faithful. They continued to spread the Gospel to those masses suffering in the wars to unite the Isles once more..."
- God in Jippen by Thomas Kinder
"...and thus this news arrived first in Portugal and in Spain. However, it spread rapidly across Europe, and a number of young missionaries grew starry-eyed. Since Rudolf's Crusade had shattered the Turks, and the on-going Eleventh Crusade was slowly reestablishing Christian ownership of the Holy Land, missionary work had seen an explosion in support. To spread the Gospel by tongue rather than by blade was a noble calling for any nobleman or commoner who did not have the prowess to earn glory in battle. Tales of Magnus of Tunis, Eamon Prestor of Antalya, and even the Josephines of Qairoh had in fact made some believe they could gain
more glory and piety than in battle.
But to journey to the Balkans or to the conquered coasts of Libya and Egypt was increasingly seen as 'safe' and 'common'. Though not the truth by any means, some wanted to distinguish themselves and brave a truly new frontier. It was by chance Lucas Bridge, on his voyage to the island of Yamato, having even begun studying the fundamentals of Jippenese, found himself in China. The voyage had been long and grueling, and it was thanks only to a hired interpreter that they managed to take port in China. They planned only to repair their vessel and purchase rations before leaving for Yamato. Father Bridge, however, having loathed to be on a boat for any longer than needed, grew enamored by the place before him.
While Bridge would travel to Yamato, he could not stop thinking about China, about the city of Canton. It was without permission that he and his followers entered China. So began the first of his two expeditions...
...In this bold second attempt they moved inland, away from the more populous shore where they might be caught. It was in Xi'an that they found true success, as the city had grown neglected due to the conflicts in the South facing the reigning Dyansty. Father Bridge, having amassed a following of converts, used these native speakers of Hanish to find even more...
...but not without casualties. 30 of Father Bridge's disciples would be executed, crucified in cruel mockery, while Bridge barely escaped with only a missing nose. He would never see China again, but he had laid the seeds for years to come."
- The Bridge Between Worlds by Mother Superior Miriam J. DuVaulle
"The Yongxi Emperor's generosity was great. He welcomed foreign trade, and allowed Christianity to grow oncemore. But his actions were not out of blind compassion. Foreign weapons and foreign advisors had seen his family rise of peasants to rulers, and the Shu Dynasty had again been saved by similar methods during the Cai Rebellion. He did not wish to become dependent on these outsiders, but hoped that allowing more in would grant him greater access to their ways and technology, such that he might replicate it and reproduce it for himself without them.
What Yongxi failed to realize was the tyranny of his father's reign, his brother's reign, and his mother's regency had created an environment ripe for conversions. But while most feared and expected a rise of Chinese Christians to come from foreign interference, it instead came from within...
...Lu John Wangchen was born in Xi'an to a Confucian father and a secretly Christian mother. From his upbringing, he created syncretic beliefs that have evermore caused tension between Occidental and Oriental Christians. However, his sect spread like a weed, in secret. His rebellion was carefully planned, and he spent nearly five years away in the Jippenese Isles, primarily Yamato and Tsukushi, entrusting his movement to the wife of his sister and first convert Hong Joshua Pengli. His coordination with the archdiocese and the His Holiness' Fraternal Order of the Rising Sun is what made everything possible. He returned to sack Peiping, an act described as 'a foul necessity' to demonstrate the 'conviction of the Christians of the Yellow Sea against the Kinh and Yue usurpers.'"
- On the History of Oriental Christians from Alopen to Jian Paul Sunwu by Dr. Wang Felicity Limei
"The Oriental Marches are the most common name for this region. Comprised of most the Corean Peninsula, the northeastern coast of China, and the southern islands of the Jippenese Isles, the true capital is Singan, natively called Xi'an, though much administration is done in the formal capital of Zhenzhufu. The Marches are still a frontier of Christendom, and the government operates much like a military command. Knights and bishops are often one and the same, comparable to the Principality of Nzaire or the Outremerate of Nouvelle-Bethléem. Given tensions with neighboring heathen states, it is a necessity. The maritime nature of the Marches has also not diminished in the modern era, thanks in large part to innovations in mines and depth charges keeping their waters dangerous to all but those they transmit ever changing maps to."
- Personal Journal of Explorer Archibald Phinneas Cratch, 1939
"For centuries the Xianese Cross has represented those Christians in the Orient, usurping the Blossomed Cross even amongst Jippenese Christians sometime in the 18th or 19th Century. Based largely on the ancient Nestorian Crosses used on the tombs of Christians from antiquity, it features a flower and petals at the center of the cross, representing the compassion of Christ. Tradition had the cross displayed with a lotus flower, which some suspect symbolized the growth of Christianity in Oriental climes. It became more officially used in 18th Century, and is now standardized...
...Thus the cross' importance in this affair explains its rise as a symbol for all Christians of the Orient, but particularly those of the Lu Sect. It is notably featured on the banner of the Oriental Marches. The green of the flag represents the Lu Sects claim that the God of Abraham is also the Jade Lord, or Jade Emperor, which controlled the Heavens of China. They claim that Jade is a sacred stone and sacred color, representing how God and his court of angels first attempted to bring order and salvation to the Orient.
The three pink stripes represent not just the Holy Trinity, but the Lu Sects 'Trinity of Honor'. To be brief, this concept was created by the Sects founder to describe how one should live their life honorably, with there being three facets of honor: respect for thy mother, father, and ancestors; charity and compassion to all strangers and neighbors; resolution of faith against all temptation. As the sect asserts, one must do all three things by reflex, and not see them as three separate tenets, but a universal concept of honor, each aspect being innately required to the other. The pink is drawn from Jippenese veneration for the color, and formally represents both the love of Christ the King and mourning his torture and crucifixion. In addition it is commonly said to represent the eternal nature of his sacrifice and grace, as a color showing the inability to wash away the blood of Christ that marks each human soul.
And of course, in place of prominence on the hoist is the Xianese Cross in gold. This banner pays no heed to heraldic traditions of the Occident, but instead inspired an entirely new Oriental Christian heraldic tradition, upon which I shall elaborate..."
- A Modern Treatise on the Numerology, Symbology, Heraldry, Astrology, and Other Related Subjects of the Oriental Marches by Bishop Yu Andrew Lianfeng
EDIT:
@Slartibartfast I hope my use of pink is OK! I used a guide for color-blind friendly palettes and that exact shade of pink was taken from there, as was the gold and the green. I hope that passes!