Kurimokoroa

Sitting upon Blossom Falls, Kurimokora is a city built upon tradition, where perfection is its core tenet and respect is paramount.

History
Mysterious as the very people that live in the city, Kurimokora's past can only be interpreted and speculated on, for the citizens refuse to talk about it. Whether this be due to not wanting to, or simply not knowing, is anyone's guess. What is known is the present, where Kurimokora is sat upon the top, edge and inside the largest waterfall in Laryia: The Blossom Falls. Here, rushing water, rapids and rising tides pose no threat to the living city built upon its waves; where dams have been erected to stall the flow of water, while other places have had their bank redirected to go around Kurimokora rather than through it. Though, again, whether these structures were created before or after the city's founding is unknown.

Now a bustling city where thatched houses of straw and formed homes of stone sit upon the rushing water and bridges connect the parts of the town to form a cohesive whole, Kurimokora thrives with a variety of exports and offerings. The prime of which is the peerless craftsmanship of its blades. Still crafted the same way their ancestors did thousands of years ago, Kurimokora's blacksmiths forge, craft and sharpen their blades by hand in a secret process passed down by generations. So demanding the process that it can take an average of two months before a single blade is completed. Yet, there are years of people willing to pay the enormous fee needed to get a single one of these blades, for it is said that a Kurimokora blade is so sharp it can cut the wind and silence the gusts. In fact, the craftsmen are so guarded upon their process that to even learn the basics of the craft requires a person to undergo ten years of training to be considered a student. And decades more to learn the process' steps. What's more, non Kurimokora citizens can forget about applying, for they will be rejected.

It's this dedication to tradition that has Kurimokora the way it is, for everything they do is to pay homage to the way their ancestors did it. No outside techniques. No outside teaching. No influence or improvements that their ancestors did not use. Tradition comes first, and respect for everything they do is second. Foreigners are welcome to visit, and the locals are friendly enough, as long as one doesn't try to overstep their bounds and go where they shouldn't. See what they shouldn't. Or act like a Kurimokora citizen wouldn't.

A city trapped in a bubble of time, Kurimokora is a present setting where one can glimpse into the past. And if its citizens are anything to go by, it is this way it shall stay.

Hirui no Nai
Translated from their language to mean 'Peerless', the Hirui no Nai is Kurimokora's one and only bladesmithing school. Only accepting students under the age of 10, these students are then trained, tested, filtered and trained again, a brutal cycle that leaves very few masters of their craft left. The ones that are able to continue the secret tradition of the Kurimokoran's art. Some may judge its methods, but none can challenge their results.

The Kokai Shrine
A secret, sacred shrine whose existence is only known due to overheard hushed whispers at the taverns in Kurimokora. Nothing is known about the shrine. Just that it exists and that only Kurimokorans are allowed to visit it. Why? Where? What? All questions have no answer. If there is one secret more guarded than their blademaking, it is this shrine. Some say that it is a place where water-elementalists can reach a new stage of power. Some say its a sacrificial site of great horrors. Others say that it is simply a rumor, and that those that heard its mention simply didn't understand what they were hearing. Either way, the Kokai Shrine is now well regarded as a mystery, one some have gone to great lengths to uncover... and lost their lives doing so.

People of Interest
So guarded are they about their people, it is hard to ascertain any concrete details. There are whispers of 'the Master', a retired blacksmith that made some of the most frightening blades in history. Or 'the Demon', a swordsman who can challenge a field of a thousand soldiers on his own and win with nary a scratch upon his face. However, whether these people exist or are simply embellishments of tales passed down through generations is any non Kurimokoran's guess.