Shingō

Shingō is a small village in the foothills of the Ice Queen Mountains. It is conveniently on the Ice Queen Mountain train line and has a post office. It is a convenient hub for the nearby farms and settlements such as Ice Queen Sake, which is located over a nearby mountain pass.

Shingō was settled early in Yamatai's history as a convenient intersection between the mountains to the north, the farms to the south, and the coast to the west. It entered a period of diminishing population as early settlers tended to move to the big cities until the railway was built and the village stop was added.

Shingō was visited in YE 43 by Motoyoshi-Ieyasu Taro on his way to take the Ice Queen Sake tour.

Shingō is a beautiful village with old, pagoda-style buildings nestled in the foothills of the Ice Queen Mountains. It offers beautiful mountain views from any of its quaint lodgings. Steep hills surround the town in every direction, but it is still accessible by mountain passes.

Though the village is small, it was big enough to warrant a stop on the Ice Queen Mountain rail line, which is how most people travel here. Aside from the railway, there are roads leading to nearby farms and other smaller villages that aren't served by the railway line. The overnight train into town is notably steam-powered in order to give a more primitive, getting-back-to-nature experience.

Shingō is primarily populated by Yamataians who want to leave big cities behind. There is a small tourism economy, but it is largely overshadowed by the ski resorts to the north. There is an excellent takoyaki stand at the train station run by Itō Miu. Most businesses here serve the local population and farmers from the surrounding area.

Visitors to scenic Shingō can stay at the Shingō Hotel, which boasts both a traditional open-air onsen as well as huge tubs on the balconies of every room made from hollowed-out tree trunks into which guests can pump onsen water for a private (or intimate) onsen experience.

Nearby Ice Queen Sake offers local pickup for tours of their facilities, along with limited overnight stays.

• Foresters and woodsmen whisper to each other about a 雪女 (yuki-onna) living up in the mountains who leaves no trace even in fresh-fallen snow. This ghost has been known to help those travelling in the forest who are in need of aid but never directly. Instead, lost travellers might find scratches on trees or in the dirt, or sticks pointing them in the right direction. Sick or injured travellers might find healing herbs freshly picked. Hungry travellers might find berries. Those few who have seen this ghost describe her as having skin as white as snow and hair as black as night.
• There is a reclusive cult living in the mountains who lure tourists in by offering them a family-cooked meal, but the tourists are never seen or heard from again.
• Ice Queen Sake uses stolen military technology to deliver sake anywhere nearby faster than anyone can drive.
• Itō Miu, the proprietor of the train station takoyaki stand, is actually a spy who reports on local travellers to an undiscovered race of hyperintelligent fungus-based lifeforms. Nobody knows what their intentions are or why they are monitoring this village.
• Gangs of gearheads race up and down the mountain passes in the middle of the night.

Hyralt created this article on 2021/02/09 17:05.

Shingou village art by Andrew using Midjourney Bot.

Approval thread: https://stararmy.com/roleplay-forum/threads/yamatai-shing%C5%8D-village-ice-queen-mountains.67120/