The Nebulous East

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*"For the short time I've spent in the East, I have come to understand that their ways are very different to my own, their speech is strange and difficult to learn and understand, their foods as exotic as can possibly be. And these things make them that much more fascinating to learn about."* ~ Temmi Ocestria, College Professor

## The Nebulous East

The Rice Fields of Ashigara, Southern Island of The Nebulous East

## The East Itself

The East, so called by the adventurers who slowly made their way north of the mountains around Babel, was originally thought to be uninhabitable and marked as Badlands on most maps from then on. The adventurers assumed this because of a strange phenomenon that occurs the further northeast of Etera one travels, the Gods slowly lose their voices. Unable to convey messages and instructions to their priests.

The strangeness of these lands have been further delved into now the words of Gods aren't coming from the heavens anymore. Some are looking for help, others a solution, and many more simply view it as the newest curiosity.

Reasons for the Gods being unable to speak in these lands are few and strange. The biggest thing is, the people of these lands do not worship the Gods that Eterans do, nor are they Gods in the sense that Eteran Gods are. The Gods of the East, or the Yokai as they are called, are spirit creatures and long dead holy people who have been deified. The difference here is that the Yokai are not as powerful as Eteran Gods, but they are far more present. Many folk have tales of Yokai meddling in daily affairs, some even becoming high ranking traders and philosophers. The other, smaller, reasons why Gods do not speak here, is architecture. The buildings of the East are made in such a way that Gods words have a hard time reaching the people, usually being sent back into the heavens unheard.

## The Mainland East

These 'Badlands' were found to have strange and wonderful topography. Long stretches of, what were later found to be, fields of grain that are made the way they are to stave of disease of the plants and predatory locusts. This is a more efficient way of farming in these lands and has slowly spread across Etera, farmers having many different opinions on this new and strange practice.

The culture of the people is a far stretch from the rest of Etera, their languages developed independently, their foods are prepared with stranger methods. Their Gods, Yokai, are also very present in mythology of the land, showing up in art across the land.

Buildings on the mainland have a distinct curved roof pattern with shingles generally made from copper, different parts of which slowly oxidise and become seen as more venerable and holy buildings. A punishment for an owner of land is sometimes the cleaning or replacement of their roofs, to symbolise their lowered status in society.

Most of the mainland is taken up by farmlands and small towns and forests, lovingly kept by the people. Closer to the shores are small fishing villages that are slowly becoming defunct now the new trade routes are opened with the town of Meita.

## Mosir, the Northern Island

The northern island off the shore of the mainland has a strangely cold climate. Snow isn't uncommon in most parts of the year and many folks are seen wearing specially designed clothing to combat the dip in normal temperature. For furred beings and some other types of creatures and spirits, it is a haven for their kind and lauded as a holy land of it's own.

The infrastructure of Mosir is based mostly around the cold, though it's not something one might die of if they slept outside for a while, it very much is something to always be aware of. In this vein the small outskirts host a plethora of different bath houses and outside eateries. Boasting that a warm meal after a warm bath will stave off even the cold of a broken heart.

#### Mukei, City of Splendour

The capital of Mukei is called the City of Splendour by even it's own inhabitants that learnt of the name from foreigners. The city could be considered a technological marvel in a sense, blending magic and technology to power a large portion of the cities machinery. To outsiders the machines would usually be very hard to spot, the few exceptions are the vehicles the people use. A cart with slightly larger wheels and a small creation of an engine, these self propelled vehicles are locally known as Kuruma. And can be bought and sold to foreigners for a high price.

One of their rather impressive creations is that of a Magitech carriage that moves cargo and people around on tracks very similar to the rails from Junction. To a point that their carriages could easily be refitted to work between both rail systems. The Magitech carriages of Mukei are made of lacquered wood more so than Junction's solid metal. It may soon come a slight delight to see these rather unique carriages being sent to towns and cities to the rest of Etera.

Aside from this, Mukei has a rich history of dealing in life saving powders. Known as pharmaceuticals these powders can be stored in vials much easier than liquid potions might, and even pressed into small capsules that can be swallowed easily. The effects are about the same for most healing potions but with the benefits that the powders may be added to other liquids, such as tea or coffee, and keep their healing effects. The Yejin company are responsible for this invention. They seem very interested in different herbs and materials that Eterans are bringing in.

## Ashigara, the Southern Island

The southern island of the Nebulous East is, at first, thought to be the least developed island of the two. This comes from an outsider's perspective on the actual landscape, which for the natives of the island is much larger than it first appears. Forests and pathways have to be walked in a certain way or at a certain time to lead into different areas of Ashigara. It's said that there's an entire town and culture within the Spiritguard Forest only accessed by certain types of spiritfolk.

In this vein, Ashigara is a much more holy and spiritual place than it's sister island. A place of quiet contemplation and of seeking out spirits to hear tales and gain wisdom from ancestral knowledge. It is called by some 'Dog Island' for it's strange smells that come after the rains, attributed to the strange makeup of the soil there.

#### Yishu, Town of Yokai

The town that holds the lore of the lands, Yishu has tried many times to teach foreigners the distinction between Yokai, which are strange spirits, and Kami, the actual deities worshipped in the lands. This hasn't gone very well as most simply merge the two under the term of Yokai. Nevertheless monks of Yishu try to spread these teachings, aided in part by copies of the relic kept within the mightiest temple of Yishu. The Scripts of Targoe. The Scripts refer to a large golden weave scroll that stretches up the floors of Yishu Temple. The scroll holds all knowledge of spirits, gods, demons, and terrestrial creatures of the lands and can only be seen by ordained monks of the temple.

## Eastern Magitech

Those that have travelled to the capital of the northern island in the east, may be familiar with something dubbed 'Magitech'. A blend of magic and technology that allows a freestanding or movable power source to allow machinery function. These include, but are not limited to, Kuruma, the vehicles of Mukei, heaters and boilers of homes or business, weaponry that has been found to project strange projectiles, even sword blades of magic, and many more wondrous creations.

Whether these creations are purely magical or tech is still under hot debate by some with specific desires to use one or the other, but one thing nobody can fault is their effectiveness. A magitech blade is much more easily enhanced and even swapped between. Magical stones sometimes referred to as Materia can be slotted into a weapon to change it's damage type or give it special effects. They can then be removed by a specialist and placed within other weapons without needing to disenchant and reenchant materials, saving plenty of gold.

## Notable Presences

Several beings exist within the Nebulous East, many divine in nature, spiritfolk, Kami or Yokai, even powerful beings protecting ancient relics. These beings are listed as they are found, and sometimes include those who may eventually rise to great power and prominence within and outside of these lands.

(This area is for adding your own PCs as natives or even migrants to the Nebulous East. You can add in your PC below here, linking to their wiki page if they have one. Giving a small description or place of work/residence is helpful)

#### Notable Presences List

* Example: Dokkaebi, small green skinned woman who wears a small mask to cover her strange features from prying eyes. She is skilled with a knife and has a beautiful singing voice.
* - Botan, a hengeyokai with the shape of a dog. He's a loyal and kind-spirited young man who always sees the good in people and is quick to make new friends.
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Category:Places
Category:Approved
Category:Geography