Shiro Suzume or White Sparrow Castle is situated on a sparkling cyan lake near the ocean in Northern Blackport. The closest city is Lorrheim where Lorrfolk still reside in the Northern part of the city. The castle itself is all white and the Danko Clan inhabit it currently, though it has been through many hands.

The castle is composed of three facadal, curved and tapered rooftops that look to be stacked with floors adjoining them. It is four stories tall with only the appearance of three. There is a platform on the top roof that is surrounded by raised torii-like fence on all sides that can be accessed by stairway from below. The castle has one main keep or tower. The rooftops have closely interlocking roof shapes, which is good for both defense and aesthetic. The castle has a small dock and a few row and sailboats at the end of the dock, which has a fiteen-foot torii gate at the end of it. There are entrances on all sides with them all needing to be accessed by way of stairs save for the front entrance, which is built into the foundation of the castle and is built of mahogany wood with large circular indents that have bars of wood down their middles for seeing through.

The castle is well-featured and below are just a few of the smaller details

• Onigawara: Depict Kikyo flowers on roof ornamentations such as corners
• Torii: Gates that denote leaving behind the profane and entering the divine are located throughout the property that usually range from seven feet tall to twenty feet tall, the tallest, though, is thirty feet and looms in a meadow in the nearby forest.
• Yagura: The keep next to the castle was built for tsukimi or moon viewing, then was used a shrine, and is now used as a watchtower and is a converted dojo.
• Chashitsu: This tea room is centrally located on the second highest floor and seems to always find use no matter the inhabitant.
• Gable roof: The roof used does have upturned corners or ornamentation on them, but utilizes one of the most classic rooftop designs as well as triangular gables on the facade.

Below is the history of the castle:

The castle was made in YE 30 by a civilian that had enough money and was basking in it. And, so, she created a stronghold for her family. It was at that time not in any means modest for one family, but still worked as a refuge from the outside worlds. It was not atypical in any way in this period of time, though.

Unfortunately the family strayed from the castle for supplies and recreation and entertainment on too many instances and at one time were not so lucky in their adventures outside of the castle's safe walls. They had to relocate during the food shortage of YE 34.

Then a group of Shinto practitioners stayed at the castle while moving throughout Yamatai creating temples. There are now several small temples on the grounds of the castle.

Then a transient lived in the castle for a small time. She was drawn by the words of the Shinto practitioners about the castle as she herself was one. She believed in restoring the old kami that live in the temples and within her own self, for she believed she was possessed by the souls of her ancestors. She relinquished her supposed curse onto the temples around the castle.

After them, a strange and wonderful Elf woman lived in the castle for a week. A short time, but enough time to do the expected of an Elf and something in line with the past history of the castle's grounds. She tried to purge the spirits she felt were in the castle. Instead, she awakened the residual entities that existed there in the waters.

A year after the Shinto practitioners had completely gone, Kuro of the Danko Clan heard about the castle and decided to move her clan into it for the time being. They hacked their way through the forest to the castle and have already begun setting up trade agreements with the local towns' food suppliers, just to be safe. They will be building a space port shortly and then will move on to higher endeavors.

The castle still needs a proper space port for shuttles if it is going to be a viable home for the current inhabitants. Thanks to ration pill-esque options the thought of starvation at the castle is an unlikely one, though. Still, it would be beneficial to have one.

Shiro means both castle and white while suzume means sparrow. It is named that for the rare sighting of a small albino bird that has been seen.

The castle was all but empty when Kuro found it, save for a book and a chest of drawers. Now it is sparsely furnished and capable of being lived in by the small but dedicated samurai clan.

Ametheliana created this article on 2017/10/27 23:24.

Approved here by Wes.

Art of Kuro the samurai by Ika-hime.

Castle Landscape by Banzz