Kokubu

''A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It's a shame the journey to Kokubu is a thousand steps up.''

Kokubu is what many would consider to be Quiazal's resident China town, a mountainous town of gorgeous architecture. The town is one of the most peaceful and religious regions of Quiazal, with most, if not all, residents taking part in regular acts of shamanism and religious activity dedicated towards the high deities of the world.

The Settlements

Host to all things classical, Kokubu is the largest of the known highland settlements in the world. Established approximately 500 years ago, the settlement is built upon the highest mountain in the region of Milanar: Mount. Akira, bordering on the second of the three unstable corrupted regions and sitting directly adjacent to the world famous Psychedelic district. Reaching the settlement is no easy feat, with a staircase of a thousand steps up the entire mountain being the only way to make it up there, but it is highly rewarding.

Trade doesn't happen often within this settlement, preferring to sell only local wares of artefacts, souvenirs and agriculture, but some memebers of the community can and do maintain constant trade with regional items in and out of its highlands. The natural wonders of this region are locked away from the rest of the world due to the solid height that the city itself truly stands at, and so all of its wares can sell for hundreds, if not thousands of gold; sometimes even millions. If Kokubu didn't lie in the mountains, it's likely many of these highland wonders and animal species would have never been uncovered.

It's known to locals that the settlement has an ancient history outside of its own life, shown by the many ruins which sit in the surrounding regions. All of them seem to display ancient depictions of humanoids with fox like features, praising one particular individual much like them all, only to be much taller and to have 9 tails instead of the standard single tail the others seem to have. Locals have mixed opinions on the differentiating relics within these ruins, with some depicting these individuals to be creational in nature, while others show them to be destructive, wrecking the natural highlands with flames and unusual purple energy, shown on these ancient paintings and carvings to completely disassemble and destroy anything it touches.

The resident shamans see and actively use this as proof of the spirits within their region, however there is a conflict between whether it makes their home holy or taboo. This conflict has even driven many people away from the region. They believe that the curses of the surrounding corruptions and psychedelic districts- as well as the limited seasons of extended summers (up to 5 years of summer season)- have been caused by these ancient, long lost individuals.

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Demographic

Much like Oya, Kokubu is resident to many Draconians, however they are much more peaceful in nature. These dragons are considered to be 'divine dragons' documented in a beastiary known as the 'divine dragoniaries', living in the surrounding biomes and even within the heart of the settlement on occasion. Dragonics of more peaceful nature prefer to live here as well, especially those who chase shamanism and nature based occupation.

Although typically welcoming in nature, many travellers who have come through Kokubu from other regions have claimed that certain individuals within the settlement can be rather xenophobic. Often closing the shutters to their windows or locking out individuals who they don't recognise from their store, it can often make those who are supposed to be welcome feel more alienated, and often results in fingers being pointed to the honesty of this ''welcoming and beautiful'' location which ''respects diversity.''

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Architecture

Unlike all other locations within the world, Kokubu seems to be extremely lacking in the use of electrical and magitek technology. It relies entirely on the natural elements and magical capabilities of its people, which can make things much less inefficient. Upon individuals from external sources approaching those within Kokubu- and sometimes even residents themselves- requesting that they update the stature of the settlement to include the common technology the rest of the world uses, they are often met with hostility and negative commentary.

The buildings themselves, despite having a lack of technology to accompany them, are always seen as being exotic and beautiful to anyone- resident or not. They are often constructed in similar ways to ancient Chinese and Japanese buildings, though the desire to build them this way is of course unknown to the rest of the world. Many claim that they gained inspiration from the ancient scriptures found within the mountains describing buildings of a long forgotten time just like them, but those are merely legends added to this unusual settlement.

The walls are often brightly coloured thanks to the extreme abundance of cherry wood, and other exotic trees from within the psychedelic district. The nearby iridescent waters of the district only add to the extreme colours which the location holds.

Being entirely community built, the settlement itself is ran no differently, being entirely controlled by its residents rather than one- or multiple- overseeing people of great power and influence.