For new folks to this thread: I'm Doshii Jun, a secondary FM for Yamatai. I'll keep my answers to the questions in my wheelhouse and what can be wikianswered.
Q2. Could you tell us more about the samurai, what independence they have and how they are used?
The
Ketsurui Samurai page provides a good newbie starter, but for a little more depth —
There are samurai on Yamatai hailing from many of the clans, with the
Tamahagane and
Karasu clans seemingly having warriors the longest. However, only Ketsurui Clan warriors have the official title of Samurai (big S).
Samurai overwhelmingly are
born into their profession, but there are occasions when Samurai were accepted under
special circumstances. They are not duty-bound to
stay in it, however, and Samurai also have
fallen from grace. As of this writing, the Samurai are dealing with a great betrayal within their order, and have much face to regain.
Ketsurui Samurai are headed by a
daimyo, with a council of elders below her and a roster of teachers below them. Inside the Samurai, who have their own
residence and training complex, there only are four ranks: trainee, journeywoman, Samurai and
daimyo. Right now, the
daimyo is
Ketsurui Tsuya. She's a bit of a mystery.
Samurai historically have had great independence within the clan, and, after the Ketsurui formally came to power, outside of it. Though only some Samurai are of the police class (
fukei) that has interempire jurisdiction, all Samurai are considered a class above the usual citizen and accordingly are afforded privileges. In the Star Army, the Samurai rank translates into a warrant officer, and always are granted a certain extra respect.
Samurai are used according to their class. As mentioned above, the
fukei are a police force, able to operate on their own or working with other agencies.
Gunsotsu are the closest thing Yamatai has to U.S. Marines; they are basic, but highly trained and ruthlessly efficient soldiers. Some Samurai strictly are Power Armor Pilots. There are more classes than those listed on the wiki, and some Samurai go without a class for some time. Though not a literal translation as we know it, the Samurai call the classless among them
ronin.
Q4. Legally, are Nekovalkyrja people or property?
The bodies are property. The souls are not.
Q5. What is a typical city like?
Planet Yamatai has no typical city, though its major city and planetary capital is
Kyoto. Yamatai's empire used to include Nepleslia and its planets, so there are many cities built in a Nepleslian style, including
Port Xenn, Ternifac,
Ralt and others. Malifar was a blended town, and is being rebuilt in a similar way.
Basically, imagine Kyoto as Tokyo, Nepleslian cities as Western/American, and a few of the other cities (Malifar, Ralt) as microcosms of other ethnically styled cities.
Q6. Does Yamatai prime or its surrounding worlds have a dark and seedy underbelly?
Nothing is perfect.
Colony worlds, especially ones that are new, have sometimes shaky establishments and governments. Crime happens much more on the colonies than Planet Yamatai.
There also are many unexplored, or just plain mysterious, parts about Planet Yamatai, including Winstonville, Xiuluria and the island chains in the far north and south.