Kannagara - The Way of the Gods - A Multifandom RPG

Raisato sits far to the northwest of Earth Country, in Lightning Country. Being so distant from the other countries, it and its people tends to be more than a little isolated. Regardless, it sits far to the northwest on its land.

Because of the high altitude at which Raisato sits at, it is often subject to powerful winds and fierce storms, with plenty of rainfall and some truly spectacular--and extremely dangerous--lightning. The winters are very cold, with abundant snowfall that can begin even in autumn and last into spring, which tend to be rather chilly as well compared to other countries. Their summers are very mild, though, and quite comfortable.

The terrain, naturally, is very rocky, and frequently steep; Raisato sits on an incredibly tall mountain, high enough for the air to be rather thin, as they are literally above cloud level. In spite of this fact, there are plenty of more level areas, and much of the ground can be quite fertile and rich, supporting vast forested slopes with an abundance of lakes, rivers, and waterfalls. A great deal of the country is very mountainous, and even where mountains don't predominate, it tends to be hilly rather than flat, though things tend to level out more towards the southeast coastline.

Raisato is literally hidden in the clouds, being perched so far up the slopes of a tremendously high mountain that the village itself sits above cloud level. There is no way to see it from the ground at all with the naked eye. This height offers further protection, as the way to reach it is dangerous and steep, difficult and confusing to navigate for those who aren't intimately familiar with the mountain and its terrain. Though not at the very peak of the mountain, it does occupy a particularly large summit; most aren't used to such long, strenuous climbs, and even if one is prepared for such, the elements at such a height are fierce, and any misstep could bring disaster, whether through a fatal fall, being buried alive under rocks or snow, or worse. As if even this weren't enough, a truly massive fortress-wall stretches up to wrap around the entire front half of the village, soaring even higher and thicker than their most spectacular pagodas.

Spread out over the enormous expanse of the summit it is perched upon, Raisato does take advantage of its terrain, and ranges a considerable way up and down the slopes of its mountain, building to utilize vertical space as effectively as possible. This tends to produce soaring architecture in a classic Chinese pagoda style, efficient use of stairways, a fondness for bridges to unite spaces that would otherwise be too small to effectively use, and extensive terracing and use of walled slopes for crops. Being so high up, the village tends to be quite isolated, and thus, highly self-sufficient.

Raisato is built over numerous mountaintop lakes, which feature many viewing pagodas, buildings, and small bridges. The village itself is perhaps even better-kept than Raisato, laid out with extremely good organization and elegant architecture. All of the streets and walkways are paved, and frequently have high walls placed throughout the village to place as a backdrop for greenery or beautiful pillars and carvings; some have small, mostly open pavillions to provide shade and good vantage points to take in the scenery, especially nearer to the edge of the summit. Many buildings are a bit raised from street level to help separate the private from the public domains, and further their towering architecture.

Houses in Raisato vary in size, ranging from small and quaint to large and elegant. They are much nicer than many other villages' homes, with the larger ones even boasting a central, open air courtyard with lanterns, lovely scrolls, and a place to sit and take in the view; some even have small gardens or ornamental ponds in these spaces. These pagodas all have sound stone foundations, and primarily use wood in their construction, though stone, clay and ceramic tiles, and occasionally even metal also are used. The smallest buildings are only one or two stories high, with tiered, shingled eaves and roofs that dip into graceful curves with upswept corners, and relatively little floor space. Larger buildings are broader in general, especially if they have courtyards, and can have many more floors. The tallest pagodas tend to be places of worship, regarded as needing to reach to the sky to be charged with divine energy.

Many pagodas, and almost all of them if they end up being taller than two stories, end up with tall metal finials--elegant spires, often in shapes like lotuses, which act as lightning rods. These finials both attract lightning for the divine energy it is thought to bring, and draw the lightning away from damaging or setting ablaze the buildings themselves, which are often made mostly in wood. The floors are typically polished wooden boards, or clay or ceramic tiles, in some places covered by tatami mats, in others left bare, or covered in actual, colorful woven rugs. The houses typically have the most basic amenities, but almost nothing modern at all, though many houses provide artificial indoor lighting via oil lanterns.

A small room is set aside for the bathroom, holding a basin and large tub, plus a toilet; the latter is the only thing in the house with running water and working plumbing, and is fortunately fully functional. Aside from the toilets, any water needed will have to come from the rivers, lakes or streams, which the village has no shortage of. Water can also come from the marble rain troughs that some of the nicer houses have in their central courtyards. Some of the nicer houses in Raisato feature private sunken stone-lined baths. These homes do have a draining system, though rudimentary; while water must be drawn by hand for use, it does not have to be thrown out afterwards, as in some other villages. Those who don't wish to bring in the water by hand can bathe in the many quaint natural onsens that can be found along the mountain's slopes, or in the village's large communal bathing house.

Sliding wooden lattices or shoji screens, often elaborately painted or carved, divide some rooms and create walls and separators that can slide fully open within the house; these are interspersed with sturdier, non-mobile walls such as the side of a set of stairs, which are often used to house scrolls or other artwork. Rooms tend to be open and spacious, with windows that can open to take in the nature all around them. Carved woodwork is also popular. As gentle curves are favored over straight lines in many parts of the architecture, it isn't uncommon to find homes with round port-style windows.

The bedroom (or bedrooms, as there are often multiple in these houses) is somewhat unique in all the villages, as it happens to have a bed of sorts--or at least, the frame of an intricately carved bed, on which a futon and bedding are spread to be slept on. There is less empty space here; curtains and decorative screens help to offer a sense of privacy, while closets hold several changes of clothes and personal items that characters came into Kannegara with. There are wall decorations in this room too, as well as chests and a table or two that are both decorative and functional. Many houses have a main room that serve as a sitting area, with real tables and chairs, though lower to the ground than some might be used to. There are usually at least one or more alcoves in this room for hanging scrolls or paintings, with tables for flowers, incense, or small shrines; decorative screens are also commonly found here. Separate rooms are usually used for eating, often featuring a large, simple open brazier, either ceramic or metal, which tend to be highly decorated, and useful for providing light, heat, and simple cooking.

The kitchen is almost always on the first floor, as near as possible to the food storage areas; it often has a door that leads outside, many times to small private orchards or pens for livestock. It's dominated on one side by a luzi, or an intricately made, waist-height stove functionally similar to a kamado; most are made from clay or ceramic, though nicer ones are made of metal. They have small rectangular holes in the front to feed in kindling and control the fire, and holes on top for grilling surfaces or clay and metal pots to be placed into. A large basin (also with drainage capabilities) and preparation surfaces take up much of the rest of the space, with shelves lining the walls for storage of cooking and eating implements; a separate but connected room generally serves as a pantry, with enormous clay vases and vats to store food and water in, allowing for the kitchen to be used solely for preparation. There is no refrigeration.