Kurashiki

The Kurashiki Region (Northern Island Mountains) is located in the cherry blossom-lined peaks of Akison’s island. It is known for its cold mists, sparse mountaintop settlements, and ancient dueling sites, and is home to powerful samurai and shinobi clans, each guarding unique traditions and secrets. It is difficult to navigate — most outsiders are watched or rejected unless sponsored by a clan. It is governed through clan law, but all swear conditional loyalty to the Iron Path. The Kurashiki Lords are ancient bloodlines rooted in mountaintop keeps and cherry blossom valleys; each clan controls schools, shrines, and assassin orders unique to their house, and some clans train warriors for the Blades of the Iron Path in exchange for influence. Four Kurashiki Clan Emissaries sit on the Tetsugan (‘Iron Eye Council’), and the Yamigasa (‘Shadow Hats’), ninja operatives and masters of silence, are trained in Kurashiki.