Setting | Western Kingdom

[jikan_mod]

Western Kingdom 西帝国

• Kansai
  • Kyoto
  • Osaka
  • Nara
  • Wakayama
• Shikoku
  • Tokushima
  • Ehime
• Kyushu
  • Ao Oni Territory
  • Aka Oni Territory
  • Sakurajima

The Western Kingdom of Nippon is known as the Kingdom of Yokai, and was once divided among the many Yokai clans. Although the clans officially pledge their loyalty to the current reigning emperor, each region still operates more like an individual nation with their own local leadership. The position of emperor cycles through the five main clans with each era, and the current Emperor reigns in Kyoto as a representative of the Kitsune Clan.

As Yokai are born with the ability to use magic, many aspects of life in the West revolve around it. Refugees will find it much easier to learn magic in the West thanks to the large number of schools and private tutors available.

Kansai 関西
Kansai is the most populated region of the West, which much of that population being Kitsune Yokai. Unlike other species of Yokai, Kitsune blood is dominant, so any child born with at least one Kitsune parent will be a full Kitsune Yokai. As a result, their territories are more widespread.

Refugees arriving in the West will begin their journey here.

Kyoto 京都

The capital of the Western Kingdom. As with many Western cities, everything in Kyoto is powered by pure magic drawn out from the planet itself, from lights to vehicles, often requiring a spell to activate. Only heating is still powered by steam for sheer convenience, but it's not uncommon for older homes to still depend on magic in the winter. While humans are present in the West, they are a minority, and most only visit Kyoto from the neighboring Osaka as tourists.

Higashiyama 東山 Located at the economic heart of Kyoto is Higashiyama, which contains a number of traditional marketplaces, as well as some very famous temples, many of which double as schools of magic. Among them, Kiyomizu-dera is the most famous, specializing in the Mizu element.
Landmarks: Kiyomizu-dera: One of the most famous temples in Japan, as well as a world-renown school for magic specializing in the Mizu element. It is also home to the Tainai Meguri, a mysterious tunnel bathed in darkness built under one of the shrines that houses a memory stone, capable of projecting the memories of those who touch it.
Jishu Shrine: A shrine dedicated to love and matchmaking located next to Kiyomizu. It's home to the Koiuranai-no-ishi, a set of two stones that, should one safely cross from one to the other with their eyes closed, promise success in all romantic endeavors.
Gion 祇園 One of the most popular tourist destinations in Kyoto, Gion is home to Kyoto's night life, with teahouses and bars widely operated by the local Geiko. Uki bars are among the most common, with one in particular having a reputation for a particularly amorous blend of Uki.
Landmarks: Uki Bars: While many of these establishments can be found throughout the West, the Uki bars in Gion are known to have private rooms in the back for those who come looking for hook-ups. You must be 15 years or older to enter an Uki bar.
Iyarashii Ryu: The Western branch of an exotic dildo store run by an amorous Kitsune with a grandma complex. A seven-foot tall penis statue sits out front, after being rescued from a curious theft operation. The original store is located in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
Uji 宇治 Located on the southern edge of Kyoto, Uji is a more rural area, known for its many temples, shrines, and universities. It is the starting location for refugees arriving in the West.
Landmarks: Maryouku University: Known as MRU, this is the arrival point for all refugees who arrive in the West. Kitsune magic researchers use magic to summon the refugees through a special portal developed in collaboration with the NRL. The university also teaches classic on basic magic casting, as well as more ordinary topics. Refugees are welcome to enroll as students free of charge.
Byodoin Temple: A beautiful monastery with a temple enshrining their patron deity, a rainbow-colored phoenix. Offerings of color derived from the human body, such as hair clippings or blood, must be paid at the shrine altar, or else visitors run the risk of having all color temporarily drained from their body.
Arashiyama 嵐山 A picturesque district filled with natural forests and a famous bridge that extends over a massive river. A special sight-seeing train circles through the forests and is exclusively for couples only.
Landmarks: Bamboo Forest: A vast forest of bamboo trees, too thick to walk through in many parts. A winding path flows through the forest, allowing for a leisurely walk.
Ukiyo 浮世 Known for it's patronage to the arts, Ukiyo is home to numerous film studios as well as museums, temples, and art-related festivals. Monthly Doujinshi festivals are commonly held in this district, with Refugee Doujin currently being the most popular.
Landmarks: Koryuu-ji Temple: The oldest temple in Kyoto, it is home to a pair of fortunate telling statues whose predictions have never been wrong. Positive and negative answers are given based on whether on statue smiles or the other cries.


Osaka 大阪

One of the most populous cities in the West, Osaka is famous for its food, its laid-back culture, and its diversity. Osaka is one of the few places where Humans and Yokai live together in relative harmony. However, it's also known for its vast criminal network of powerful Yakuza families, each named for the four corners of the city.

Dotonbori 道頓堀 Named for the major shopping district and canal that passes through it, Dotonbori is considered the heart of Osaka.
Landmarks: Shinsaibashi: A long strip of shops and restaurants nestled in an alley between buildings. It's also home to Ebisu Bridge, one of the most popular pick-up spots in Osaka.
Naniwa 浪速 One of the most diverse wards of Osaka, Naniwa is home to a number of popular tourist destinations, including the emperor's favorite villa. Despite this, the region is known to be much poorer than nearby Dotonbori.
Landmarks: Shinsekai: A mysterious theme park-like district where time has been able to pass for the last twenty years of the time loops. Attractions include the Tsutenkaku Tower, a roller coaster, and a Fun House possessed by some kind of ayakashi.
Naniwa Palace: An extravagant villa made from a retrofitted castle. It's mostly used by the Emperor for throwing lavish orgy parties.
Tennoji 天王寺 Centered around the oldest Buddhist shrine in Nippon, Tennoji gives the impression of being on shrine grounds no matter where one goes, buildings all matching the same style and architecture of shrines and temples. Corruption runs deep, as the region is administrated by the Followers of Shitenno, a cult that styles itself as one of the four Yakuza families in Osaka.
Landmarks: Shitennoji Temple: The oldest Buddhist temple in Nippon. Unlike the rest of Tennoji, a genuine Buddhist sect maintains the grounds.
Yodogawa 淀川 One of the more crime-ridden neighborhoods of Osaka, Yodogawa is known for pickpocketing, illicit goods, and a red-light district. Due to the influence of the powerful Yodogawa family, little has been done to try and clean up the streets.
Landmarks: Hommachi: Osaka's red-light district. Brothels, bars, amd host clubs abound.
Soapland: A brothel that employs sex workers under the guise of a host club, in which hosts wine and dine their clients before bathing them in the spa. Actual sex is not a requirement to work here.
Samuhara Shrine: A famous shrine that offers limited amulets in the form of fashionable rings which are capable of warding off even deadly curses.


Nara 奈良

As one of the most peaceful cities in the Wester Kingdom, Nara is known to be a place where Yokai and Ayakashi live together in perfect harmony. It's not uncommon to see all varieties of Ayakashi living peacefully among the people, with record low numbers of curses being cast each year. Unlike other cities, Nara is build into an ancient forest of massive trees, and is comprised of winding pathways that wind up the trees and between them. Due to a lack of sunlight on the lower levels, a species of bioluminescent flowers have been specifically nurtured to grow year round in order to light up the streets.

Narashi 奈良市 The most popular district in Nara and what people think of when Nara is mentioned. Most of Narashi is located around a large central tree, with some smaller shops and homes carved directly into the thick bark that makes up the tree itself.
Landmarks: Deer Park: A park famous for its high population of Saiwaika, a small deer-like ayakashi, which can also be found throughout Nara.
Rakuen Dagashiya: Known as Rakuda, it's a popular ice cream and sweets shop known for fancy parfaits and enchanted candies enjoyed by folks of all ages. All enchantments are minor and fairly brief.
Tenri 天理 Located on the forest floor, most of Nara's largest businesses and shrines are located here, as space is a luxury in many of the higher-up districts. Due to the heavy canopies overhead, the district is often dim and is illuminated by a colorful variety of glowing flowers.
Landmarks: Chogakuji Temple: A small temple known for housing rare paintings of hell, which are afflicted with cursed that traps anyone inside an illusion of their own personal hell if they are locked in a room with the paintings. Should two people be locked in together, the hell they witness may be more sexual in nature.


Wakayama 和歌山

A rural region south of Osaka, Wakayama is home to many small villages of Yokai. Only local trains can be found running through the region at limited times of day. Due to strong ties with Shikoku in the distant past, this is one of the few places where Bakeneko villages can be found on the main island of Nippon.

Thanks in part to the preservation of many old folk beliefs and traditions, Wakayama is among the most superstitious regions in Kansai, and contains many abandoned shrines and lingering former deities, many of whom have cursed the land in their wake.

Kainan 海南 The only truly urban district in Wakayama, this neighborhood is populated mostly by Kitsune Yokai who travel to Osaka for work. Mysterious ruins can be found along the coast.
Landmarks: n/a: n/a
Tanabe 田辺 A vast rural district where much of the food eaten in the Kansai district is grown. Trees bearing magical properties called mahougi can be found here.
Landmarks: Momoirogami: A massive mahougi tree still worshiped by the people of Tanabe. A small shrine exists under the trunk of the tree, but the only way to reach it is by crawling through the intricate web of roots coiled around the base. People have been known to get stuck, ass hanging out for all to see.
Shingu 新宮 One of the only settlements for Bakeneko Yokai that exists on the mainland. Many of the buildings here are often too small for visitors to enter comfortably because they were built with only Bakeneko in mind.
Landmarks: Plum Blossom Forest: An entire forest of plum blossom trees, and a popular picnic spot in early March.
Northern Wilds 北荒野 Considered to be the more dangerous of the two, the Northern Wilds are home to many ancient shrines and ruins. Despite the danger, most people prefer to explore the North due to its closer proximity to civilization.
Landmarks: Mount Koya: Known as the Holy Mountain, Mount Koya was once home to one of the largest Buddhist temples in Wakayama. However, following a long forgotten disaster decades prior, the temple was left to decay. Nowadays, the mountain is only scaled by those embarking on religious pilgrimage.
??? Temple: A temple that has been lost and forgotten by time, whose only resident is a cursed deity that causes anyone who sees it to immediately lose any memories attached to that meeting, often leading to large gaps in a person's memory.
Southern Wilds 南荒野 Although less dangerous than the Northern Wilds, few are willing to risk exploring here following rumors of disappearances along the coast, thought to be the work of Bakeneko from Shikoku. However, rare flowers not found anywhere else in Nippon are said to bloom here in the spring.
Landmarks: n/a: n/a


Shikoku 四国
Home to the Bakeneko Yokai, Shikoku is an island shrouded in mystery. Entry into Bakeneko territory is strictly regulated, and pirates who've defected from the region often roam the waters outside the island.

In March '22, a number of Refugees were kidnapped to the island in the hopes of using their Kizuna power to undo a powerful curse that causes those on the island to become assimilated to life there, forgetting everything about their past life in addition to transforming into Bakeneko Hanyo. Later, in September '22, the island was reopened after the Refugees dissolved the curse by destroying a corrupted Mahougi tree that grew beneath the palace.

Tokushima 徳島

The capital city of Shikoku, Tokushima is comprised mostly of small fishing villages and a vast walled city that surrounds a castle that once housed the Kaibyo, the former leader of the Bakeneko Clan. After the curse was removed, many of the transformed Yokai chose to stay and continue the life they built for themselves in Shikoku.

Ichinomiya Castle Town 一宮城 A massive city built within tall walls in a classic Japanese castle town style. Only four entrances to the city exist, but traffic is considerably low.
Landmarks: Ichinomiya Castle: The large castle where the Kaibyo once lived along with her retainers, now abandoned. Curiously, the Kaibyo herself was not a Bakeneko, but was in fact the spirit of a Nekomata that has possessed the royal family for generations. Her current whereabouts are unknown.

Ehime 愛媛

A vast rural district that was once occupied by a settlement of Inu Yokai. Many of them have returned to the land since the island's reopening, living peacefully among their Bakeneko neighbors. Those looking for a place to stay that takes the different size and shapes of people other than Bakeneko into account will find it here.

Matsuyama 松山 The largest sprawling city in Shikoku, home to a large community of Inu Yokai. Although mostly left abandoned during the period in which Shikoku was cursed, it has experienced a revival as of late that has brought new opportunities for any Refugees interested in starting a business in Shikoku.
Landmarks: Doggo Onsen: A popular hot spring run by an old family of Inu Yokai. They offer mixed bathing, and special herbal blends that provide relaxation or work as aphrodisiacs.


Kyushu 九州
Located on the westernmost island of Nippon, Kyushu is home to the Oni Clans, of which there are two: the Ao Oni with bright blue skin, and the Aka Oni who bear bright red skin. Due to their fiercely traditional ways of living and the unbearably hot and humid climate of Kyushu, very few non-Oni Yokai can be found here.

Refugees will find that the Ao Oni are far more friendly and receptive to them, while the Aka Oni may come off as standoffish and brusque. However, thanks to the positive reception brought by the Oni Trials of June '22, some Refugees may find themselves being treated like minor celebrities whenever they visit.

Ao Oni Territory 青鬼の領土

On the eastern shores of Kyushu, the Ao Oni territory is far more akin to other cities in the Western Kingdom, with advanced architecture and everything running on magic. The Ao Oni are described as being far more open-minded and curious, but still retain much of the Oni pride that cases them to look down on those they believe are inferior. Despite this, the Ao Oni are considered far friendlier than their Aka counterparts.

Kumamoto 熊本 Kumamoto is the more technologically advanced of the two main Oni cities, though neither are very urban. Kumamoto is widely known for its artisan crafts and unique fashion trends, much of which skew towards the risque. Many Oni from both clans often travel here to stay at the resorts located on the ocean shores.
Landmarks: Mt. Aso: The largest active volcano in Nippon, this region is known for deadly eruptions as well as dangerous wildlife living in the forest at its feet.


Aka Oni Territory 赤鬼の領土

Located on the western half of Kyushu, the Aka Oni are a proud and traditional clan who fight to protect and maintain both their bloodlines and their culture. They are far more resistant to outsiders, and are much more likely to mistreat Hanyo for their less vibrant skin. Both due to the heat of the climate and for cultural reasons, they wear very little clothing so as to show off the bright red of their skin. Despite this, both men and women tend to keep their nipples covered out in public.

Oita 大分 The capital of the Aka Oni Territory, this city is filled with so many natural springs that steam can be seen rising from the ground and from sewers almost constantly. As such, the city is far more humid than anywhere else in Kyushu. Thankfully, every building is cooled using powerful Hi spells.
Landmarks: Hells of Beppu: A number of mysterious hot springs with unique properties, such as an impossibly deep boiling pond full of lily pads and a red-colored pond with a gooey consistency that bears healing properties.
Takachiho Gorge: A vast gorge filled with picturesque waterfalls and caves, including a famous cave that will lock people inside and force them to do something before they can leave.


Sakurajima 桜島

Located on the southern tip of Kyushu, this region is among the most active in terms of volcanic activity, and few villages can be found here. Deposits of rare ore are mined out of the mountain during periods of inactivity, but those periods are few and far between. Although eruptions are very frequent, the region is still considered rather safe, as the eruptions are rarely major.

Mt. Sakurajima 桜島 An active volcano for which Sakurajima is named. The volcano has very frequent eruptions, leaving the area nearby constantly blanketed with ash and smoke. Ruins of old cites can be found poking out from the top of solid rock that was once ash and mud.
Landmarks: Ninseki Village: A quaint village home to a new species of Ayakashi known as Ninseki, who seemingly evolved from Kaoseki with the help of a Refugee they refer to as the Stone Dragon God. They are known to be very friendly, especially to Refugees.


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