Keikoku no Kuni

Canyon Country

Keikoku no Kuni, known as Canyon Country, is a barren land north on Hi no Kuni, south of Rai no Kuni and east of Denchi no Kuni. It boarders with Yu no Kuni, but fails to share with most of the nation's water. Poetically known as "The Land of Dry Cracks", Canyon Country is rarely known in when considering the continent's geopolitical map. Once, great rivers connected the Eastern Ocean and the Northern Sea through Canyon Country, but as tectonic plates caused great mountains to grow in Rai no Kuni, the land became shut off from the seas and the water became dust.

Climate

Canyon Understream

The climate in Canyon Country ranges from day to day. Typically, it follows the seasonal pattern and remains dry year round. However, storms are known to blow in from either side of the country's maritime outlets. By the time the storm reaches the country's epicenter it has usually lost all the moisture and brings strong winds and lightning through the deserted land.

Terrain

As its name suggests, Keikoku no Kuni is filled with canyons. In the summer,the warm sun breaks all vegetation to dust. In the fall, dust storms plague the lands. In the winter, the night will freeze the earth and in the spring, the land will only yelp with green. However, should one look closely in their investigations, greenery can be found year round in Canyon Country, albeit sparse. The caves that hide in the canyons contain luminescent molds and fungi and hold the majority of the land's critters.

Despite poetic belief, water does exist in canyon country. It is no longer the muscle of great rivers, however there are plenty of strong streams that run from sea to ocean. It is not uncommon to find fish and salamanders crawling along the shores. The unique predator that lives in these canyons is the Sabertoothed Moose. There are still graveyards of dried rivers littering the country.

Economy

This is your only warning

There hardly is one. There are three means of survival of the few villages of Keikoku no Kuni. The first and most common is banditry, whether by pilfering from one;s own neighbor or by the passing trade caravans from village to village. Often bandits must leave the country to pilage and most that do not have families to return to don't bother coming back.

The second and third means of economy come from very dangerous exports. There is a fringe market on Sabertoothed Moose hides and pets, due to the danger of hunting them. It makes them exceedingly valuable to nobles and gamesmen that have a fine tooth for the hunt.

The third means of income is diving into the cave pits to recover magnetic rocks. Unlike most magnetic rocks, rocks found within the Barrow of the Singing Earth hum a very aduble frequency when placed with other magnets. They are very heavy powerful magnets, which means most gear becomes useless when trying to lug the rocks home, not to mention the puit they are in is very unstable for maneuvering.

Civilization

Due to the uncooperative nature of the country, there was never a hidden ninja village built in Keikoku no Kuni. Few inhabitants call this place home, save wandering bandits and the occasional hermit. The Kayaku Bandits called this arid place home. They were a fairly established guild of bandits that made attacks on convoys traveling between the neighboring countries. Despite their humble beginnings turned malicious for necessity, the bandits grew to be a strong force that contended with Konohagakure no Sato. The bandits were led by a leader known only as The Doctor. Ultimately, their confrontation with the village was ended by the Leaf's military force pouring through the trap laden canyon. The military code-name for the countermeasure was Operation: DUSTWALK.

The Kayaku Hideout has been abandoned, but a traveler should be careful when wandering through the caves, should they stumble upon reclaimed hidden bases.