Hiyokudo

Hiyokudo is a town in the autonomous Hinokuko region of Theios-Essukdal.

Lore
Over 1,400 years ago, a cinder cone volcano stood in Hiyokudo's place. At some point, an eruption caused the top half of it to be blown off, covering the surrounding area in molten ash. However, with time the land recovered and became extremely fertile due to the volcanic soil.

Hundreds of years later, the area was settled by an order of monks dedicated to the earth deity Raya, who is associated with volcanoes and farming, and is usually represented by a fox. The monks believed the dormant volcano was a sacred place representing nature's capacity for both life and death, and they built a temple in honor of Raya on top of it.Among the monks, who believed in the natural cycle of life and death, there was a splinter group known as the Kazan Sect who took this ideology to the extreme, wanting to forcibly bring about the "rebirth" of Rathnir by manipulating plate tectonics through some unknown method, literally splitting open the continents and flooding the world with lava.

After a schism within the monastery, the Kazan Sect and the Monks of Raya engaged in a battle that killed many on both sides, before the remaining Kazan Sect fled the area without a trace. The remaining Monks split up to search for them. It is unknown where the Kazan Sect escaped to, but some speculate they may have gone to Eldham.

Left abandoned, the temple was rediscovered and re-settled by a traveler who decided to start building a town around it.

In-Game History
Player Cosmic_Hex wanted to join the city of Hichi, the capital of the now-defunct Hinokuko Imperium, but after the city was griefed and looted, he decided it would be better to find a place to build his own settlement instead. In May 2021 he founded the settlement of Hiyokudo, a name he decided on after trying out several others, which means "fertile soil" in Japanese.

Government
Hiyokudo operates under a democratic town council, in which each member of the town gets a vote. If there is a tie in any voting matter, however, the town leader will be the deciding vote.

Culture and Religion
Hiyokudo has a culture and build style based on medieval Japan. Members of Hiyokudo are free to worship whichever deities they choose to. Worship of Raya specifically is encouraged but not required.

Geography
Hiyokudo is located in a hilly birch forest. A dark oak forest lies to the north, a swamp to the east, plains to the west, and eventually, the Rough Sea to the south.