the north Road passes directly through it. Many are the times one can see the sulphurous gases rising from the ash dunes. Kumano rose from a prospecting camp back in the midst of time. It has suffered many natural mishaps in the past, earthquakes and volcanic
eruptions, and has been rebuilt many times. So far, for a century and a half, the nearby volcano of Shirani-San has remained dormant, only reminding the inhabitants of Akita province of its power by minor eruptions every decade or so.
The ruler of Kumano and Akita province, of which the city lies in, is the Daimyo Horumi Kenshin. Some years ago Nobunaga was but a mere warlord of a castle in some desolate region of the province until he saved the Shogun's life in an assassination attempt. For his act of valour, courage and, above all, loyalty to the shogunate, Nobunaga was made an Daimyo and given Castle Kumano as a reward. This did not prove to be a problem for the then present Daimyo as he died seven days before the assassination attempt on the Shogun from a wasting disease contracted while on a hunt in Hill Country. Kenshin accepted the reward and made the former servants of the late Daimyo lords in their own right.
Kumano is a walled city and the old castle of Kumano itself can be seen rising from its centre. Travellers can only enter from the southern gate (the Phoenix Portal) and the northern gate (Dragon Portal) from Hyodo.
Izumo
Lying along the River Hita is the city of Izumo, the realm of the Daimyo Ashiwara Kunichika. The city thrives on trade from the other major ports of Nippon, including Hyudo itself and even faraway Okakama. The extensive mudflats here form several small islands. The farmers have exploited these in the form of dozens of rice paddies. Where the earth is firmer is the castle of Izumo itself, just a little way up the river and away from the extensive rice paddies of the Ekawasaki delta. The river passes through the town's wards and onwards to lake Kiri-Ko. It is possible for ocean-going vessels to traverse the waters of the delta, through Izumo, and then a little further up the River Ekawasaki. However, rarely do they travel more than fifty or so miles away from Izumo. Typically, goods are bought and sold at the city and the ships depart just as swiftly as they arrived. Then there is the danger of fog. In the winter and spring, at times, thick fog gathers enveloping the entire delta in pea soup making it next to impossible for anyone, who doesn't know the area well, to leave. Sometimes this fog moves until it threatens even the little island of Taran-Jima in the Izumo-Wan. Even without the fog, wrecks on this island are not
uncommon, especially when there are dangerous reefs to avoid on the approach to the Izumo-Wan. The granary of Nippon, Izumo‘s countryside hosts the most productive rice paddies in the empire. The city itself has seen the coming and going of thousands of Tian immigrants, recruited to work as farmhands in the rich estates of the local feudal lords.
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Tokaguchi
Tokaguchi is the seat of the Batake Clan, led by the enigmatic Batake Ujimasa. A large fortress city, built on a favorable landing on an otherwise treacherous coast, the concentric terraces of Tokaguchi climb the hills that overlook the narrow shoreline.
The lowest terraces lean on the ruins of a stone fortress built millennia ago, whose ancient stone walls— adorned with reliefs of ancient warriors—are almost completely hidden by modern structures. Tokaguchi is famous for trading in silver and pearls. Silver is extracted in the nearby Kanto Sachi Mountains, where several fortresses protect the mines from bandits and evil humanoids. Pearls are fished along the entire northwestern coast, where an abundance of coral reefs and natural lagoons favor the growth of oysters and conches.
Tokaguchi grew rich on the copper-mining activity in the hills south of town and the manufacture of bronze objects, which are exported to Kasai together with the raw material needed for the empire‘s coinage. With frightening unpredictability and varying organization, Wako Pirates attack ships as they leave Tokaguchi‘s port, dragging metal goods and sailors alike back to their hidden ports. In response, the city‘s harbor patrol has grown into a veritable navy, captained by daring samurai and their students, who train endlessly with a variety of pole arms.
Okakama
Located in the subtropical west, Okakama is one of the major towns in the region and lies within Wakakawa province of which it is its capital. The ruler is Daimyo
Uruchi Harumune. His castle lies three miles away from the coast and can only be reached by walking along the River Path, which is basically a pavement of stone slabs meandering this way and that until it reaches the gates of Castle Okakama itself. The River Path runs through a humid forest of evergreen trees which is inhabited by a large population of macaques. They are no threat to people but they have been known to steal food from unwary travellers.
The warm waters of Okakama-Wan are home to coral fish, turtles, sea snakes, dugong , black finless porpoise, horseshoe crabs, giant spider crab, and the frilled shark. It is a common sight to see peasants in small boats catching many of these aquatic creatures in their nets and taking them to market to trade. The town of Okakama itself is basically a collection of villages along the coast of Okakama-Wan. However, the town is still separated into wards with gate-keepers stationed at appropriately placed intersections.
Nagashige
Sumata is a wealthy province on the northern end of Koshu. Home to the Daimatzu clan, it has a long and impressive swordsmithing tradition. Its remote location and good trading links make it a good place for foreign trade.
Travellers usually come and go by ship to the well protected harbour or along the road from Usaki. They are always checked by gate-wardens along the route and any discrepancies, such as the absence of a sekisho (pass), are usually dealt with harshly. Once inside the city, the traveller is met by small patrols of doshin (police) and segregated town wards. At night the wards are closed off by gates and anyone walking around