Cities:

These are the cities found within this area; each one is marked on the map, and divided by tiers. The larger the tier, the larger the city - tier one may be a small village or town, while tier four may be sprawling cities of grand proportions.

Donzoko

RACE: demon. LEADER: Zonzo (NPC). TIER: two.
LANGUAGE(S): Demonic and Common. ALLEGIANCE: War.

APPEARANCE: On the surface, there is little to see. A small fort guards the entrance to a mine, contained within steep, jagged walls. Underneath, however, is a sprawling network of tunnels, carved over millennia, coalescing into a massive cavern that holds a bright jewel of a city. Dominated by a large, supreme temple-palace, Donzoko lay built from the stone of its base, rising like claws to reach towards a cavernous ceiling. Small homes, decorated with carvings and colorful, tiled roofs, lay scattered all around the vast temple, blending with its sea of colors. Closer to it, a circular, walled ring surrounds the entire structure in a hexagonal shape, holding bazaar stalls, smithies, and a handful of samurai-filled barracks. The edges of the cavern are dotted with tunnels, mines stretching far to dig up metals and gems. Wolf skeletons, animated by magic, patrol the city and dig for the demons that control them.

CULTURE: One of three cities born of the fall of Sensou, a long-dead city that rests in legendary ruin, Donzoko holds a fierce rivalry with her sisters. The city is built around the craft of metal and gem, pulled from the ever-expanding network of tunnels. Her smiths are the best in War's great Kingdom, and the armor and blades they produce are the preferred tools for samurai. Aside from traditions built around the crafting, and the limited trade it brings, the city has very little celebration to speak of, such activities stifled by the previous Lords.

Gunkan

RACE: demon. LEADER: Mareti (NPC). TIER: two.
LANGUAGE(S): Demonic and Common. ALLEGIANCE: War.

APPEARANCE: Constructed of massive pillars of dragonbone, Gunkan floats in Isekikuni's large western lake. It has no streets, and instead utilizes small, slim boats made from hollowed out dragon skulls. For those without boats, small bridges link many of the rooftops. Activity in the city is centered around two districts: the first is the temple, honoring Neirin, built about and focused around a statue crafted of gold-plated dragon bone, carved into the goddess' shape.

The market is the other main district. It is focused around two smaller sections: the docks and the bazaar. Gunkan's docks are simple but large, designed to receive trade from across the Realm. Should ships dock without permission, the dragon skulls at the docks will come alive with enchantments, and will attempt to devour the offending ship. The marketplace is a large plaza, filled with stalls offering wares from a variety of worlds.

CULTURE: One of three cities born of the fall of Sensou, a long-dead city that rests in legendary ruin, Gunkan holds a fierce rivalry with her sisters. However, the city is based around trade, even branching out to other Realms when possible. Like her sister cities, she provides critical supplies to the War military. The city takes great pride in her navy, and her fleet of warships is one of the more powerful tools in War's arsenal. Aside from traditions built around the seafaring military, the city has very little celebration to speak of, such activities stifled by the previous Lords.

Yaminochi

RACE: demon. LEADER: Dirade (NPC). TIER: three.
LANGUAGE(S): Demonic and Common. ALLEGIANCE: War.

APPEARANCE: Built in the caldera of a dormant volcano, this city is a monument to the stubbornness and determination of War-bred demons. In spite of the danger of the volcano becoming active again, the denizens of Yaminochi resiliently build their homes closer and closer to the volcano's most dangerous point, and seeing spouts of smoke or fiery cracks in the ground is no rare occurrence. The rather fertile soil of the volcano has lead to growth of herbs and other plants unique to Kurai, both for War's military and for trade throughout the Realms. The town itself is built just under the lip of the caldera, with farmland on the slopes, and on the center of the caldera. As the town grows, it expands into the crater, rather than down the slopes.

CULTURE: Due to the dangers of the volcano, this town despises magic more than any other. As the economy is based around the cultivation of plants, a dubious prospect at best in Kurai, the people are hardworking, clever, and very stubborn. Festivals honoring the War goddess lack their usual flair as magic is restricted, and they make due with simpler displays of artistry and large, decorative puppets.

Yurei

RACE: demon, as well as various ghosts. LEADER: Zrombs (NPC). TIER: two.
LANGUAGE(S): Demonic and Common. ALLEGIANCE: War.

APPEARANCE: Located at the edge of Aokigahara, Yurei was crafted into a large section of the gleaming forest, high amid the branches. In a twisted parody of Skye, the city exists high in the canopy of the leafless, white trees. Homes are carved into the wood, and bridges connect the large, solid boughs. Dead whispers flicker in the city, weakening the veil between the Soulplane and Kurai. Like the Tree of Souls or the Tree of Memory, the dead can mingle with the living near the city; ghosts are commonplace, and necromancers, as well as spirit-walkers, frequent the city gates. Skeletal monsters enveloped in a permanent Tri'akun stand guard at the base, drawn back by the rampant energies - those demons who died while in a Tri'akun state, unable to return to their true forms.

CULTURE: One of three cities born of the fall of Sensou, a long-dead city that rests in legendary ruin, Yurei holds a fierce rivalry with her sisters. The city is one of the few places magical research is approved of in War, and provides critical resources to the Kingdom. The city also has many rituals to honor death and the dead, though the city as a whole is considered rather morbid and dark. One of the few cities to avoid the cultural stagnation of War, Yurei produces War demons that defy the normal rules of behavior.

Landmarks:

These are the landmarks and important places scattered through this area. They can be anything from forests and rivers to special caverns, monuments, ruins, and more.

Aokigahara

A great forest of eerie trees, Aokigahara was the site where an early demon leader made a stand against a Lord of War. At his defeat, the upstart was given the choice between his city being slaughtered, or him taking his own life. The demon chose death, and the area gained the reputation as the resting place of the disgraced. The trees sit on countless corpses, and some have even been carried up the branches as the trees grew. Through a strange quirk of the area, the trees absorb echoes of departing spirits, filling the area with occasional whispers from long-dead souls.

Blood Forest

An ancient orchard of Ketsueki Fruit Trees, deep within War territory. The pale, white tree trunks are streaked with blood-red sap and juice from ripe fruit, and the ground the trees grow from is moist with a mix of tree sap, fruit juice, and blood. At the center of the forest the ground is marshy and treacherous, and the air filled with a pungent odor, though to War demons it is a sweet fragrance.

Gashadokuro Forest

An ancient forest located on the contested eastern spur of Isekikuni, where the four Kingdoms have historically fought one another for ownership. The forest marks an unmarked grave where the carcasses of many demonic soldiers lay after a long and deadly war. The Gashadokuro Forest harbors many undead and greater ghosts as a result, suffused with their anger and grief. The trees are a dark grey, unlike the white, leafless titans found elsewhere; they are seemingly devoid of life, with the exception of rare blood-red fruit. Every year, the forest's trees bear a few rare flowers each that die off and become these fruits; while the fruit is severely poisonous, they play a role in the pollination of a specific flower that grows rarely across Kurai. It is held in legend that says this flower blooms around the homes of those who have now become widowed by war, as soon as the spirit finds this specific forest. The flower itself has the story of being a "farewell" message, and seeing the flowers blooming tend to be a bad omen if appearing at the residences of the soon-to-be widowed.

The forest itself seems to have a soul of its own, and tends to become enraged when the living set foot near it, or when hostile magic comes near it such as fire or damaging winds. When the forest is gripped by rage, angry spirits come out in droves, cursing and haunting the individual(s) responsible. There are certain practices carried out at shrines to beg for the forgiveness of these spirits in order to free people of these curses. Nevertheless, there is a slight exception - the recently-widowed, bearing the mature flower of their lost beloved, are allowed to visit the trees and spend time in their grief beneath their dark grey boughs. This is a short-lived grace, however, and the trees will make it clear when the widow or widower needs to leave.

Obakei-jo

Once a beautiful fifth Fortress, built as a place of unity and trade, destroyed and sunken half into the sea by the many wars since its founding. The souls of countless demons lay sealed within, unable to escape - many of them are tied to Soulgems scattered throughout its bloody, rotting walls. Primarily constructed of old wood and in the traditional Kuraian style, it appears as the remnants of ruins above, and like to a hundred shipwrecks in the bloodwaters far below.

Sensou Ruins

Originally constructed by the brother of an early Lord of War, the great city of Sensou was a fortress considered almost greater than the War palace itself. It stood as the single largest achievement of the War Kingdom for centuries and ruled over the continent of Isekikuni, until one of the many conflicts between the Kingdoms led to invasion. Sensou was sacked by Death demons, who cursed the land to never support life again. The survivors fled and established new cities, but Sensou itself remains a barren ruin. A dark miasma hangs over the rubble, sucking the reiatsu from the weak. Stronger souls can resist the drain for longer, but none are completely immune to the curse, save the Death Kingdom itself.

Shipwreck Straits

To the north, scattered amid the sea, there are a series of islands caught amid the waves. Ruins of small settlements exist on many of the islands, but for the most part they exist as a silent hazard to ships. Lower tier demons, and other creatures, lurk in the ruins. They wait for a ship to crash, then take what they can from the wreckage.