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Be sure to visit the Unicorn Dance page, just click
the dancing mon.
Lands
When Shinjo left thousand years ago, the Lions and Cranes gradually absorbed every corner of her vacated lands. When we returned, not even the Emperor would dare invoke the wrath of his closest allies by returning that land to the Unicorns, but such measures were withinin his official power.
Admittedly, many of our clan would have perferred once again adapting to a new way of life the comfortable lands south of the Dragon Mountains would offer, but we respected the Emperor's wishes. We were forced to inhabit the lands of the northwest, lands that had only recently came under the Emperor's dominion as it generally did not suit the agricultural-based society. With little promise for wealth, the lands were previously held by a skeleton force merely to enhance the glory of the Empire.
Surely the fortunes had preserved this land for our clan, for no land had ever suited our way of life so perfectly.
We prosper where others would fail.
-Ide Tadaji
Map of the Unicorn Provinces
Click the numbers for a description of the region. You can hit the "Back" button on your browser to return to the map.
Region Descriptions by the Numbers
NOTE: Many of the observations below are purely educated guesses since particulars are still scarce. I'll revise information presented here as official details become available (wouldn't mind if AEG puts out an atlas of Rokugan . . .).
4 - Ice Plain: The northern corner of the Unicorn Provinces, the Ice Plain is covered under massive snow drifts off the mountains from fall to spring. The poor soil is not even suitable for grazing purposes.
6 - Battle Maiden Castle: The home of the Otaku family and site of the Otaku Battle Maiden School, Shiro Otaku Shojo was placed in an ideal location to facilitate travel to all corners of the provinces (especially important for troop movements).
7 - Sleeping River: Peasant tales abound about this river that springs from the Sunken Naga City. In a more mundane sense, the Sleeping River marks the most oft traveled trade route in and out of the Unicorn Provinces.
8 - Village by the Sleeping River: It is here where the easiest crossing of the Sleeping River may be made. Travellers often stop a night at the village's comfortable inn.
9 - City of the Rich Frog: Most merchants who cannot stomach traveling even deeper into the continent's interior with their caravans conduct their trade here. There's also an interesting tale about this guy, a fly, and a frog (if you're expecting a joke, sorry to disappiont you), but you'll have to see the book for details.
10 - Dragon Lake: Two unique features here. First, the Water Dragon regularly appears within the lake's waters. Second, an ancient Naga city called Nagsha Naga Toshi lies sunken beneath the surface.
11 - Shinjo Castle: The Clan capital lies deep within Unicorn territory upon Dragon Lake. No army has ever penetrated the Unicorn Provinces deep enough to even pose a minor threat to the capital, and any army would have difficulty in attacking this massive fortified structure.
12 - City Between Two Rivers: Fast upon the intersection of major rivers and roads, this city has become the main political and commercial arena in the Unicorn Provinces.
13 - White Shore Lake: As its name indicates, this lake is famous for white, sandy shores. It is fed by the Firefly river.
14 - White Shore Village: A small settlement that docks most of the Unicorn fishing ships.
15 - White Shore Plain: Famous for the battle between invading Scorpions and defending Unicorns 150 years ago (oh, and we won easy!).
16 - Snow Plain: Here the land flattens and gradually rises to a very high altitude. Though it offers a flat route through the border of the empire, its altitude and proximity to two gigantic mountain ranges blankets it year round in immeasurable snow.
17 - Shiro Ide: Upon the shores of Chrysanthemum Petal Lake, Shiro Ide hosts the Ide Emissary School and, most importantly, the world-renowned Ide Library :)
18 - Firefly River: The rich silt from white shore lake covers the river banks after every spring flood. A vast number of Unicorn farms are based here, but a little land along the banks remains available. The space will probably be claimed soon as the Unicorn Clan has begun supplementing its predominantly meat diet with rice and vegetables.
19 - Shiro Iuchi: Home of the Iuchi family and the site of the Iuchi Shugenja school, Iuchi Castle is nestled in the Unicorn pass through the Spine of the World Mountains. Its location allows for incredible access to air spirits driven by the furious wind and the water spirits tumbling down the copious streams. The amalgam of elemental energy permits the Iuchi family to easily guard the only other major pass from the north to the south of the mountains in Rokugan (Beiden Pass being the other).
20 - Chrysanthemum Petal Lake: Pilgrims from all over Rokugan flock here during summer's waning to sit beneath the sacred chrysanthemum petals as they fall to the ground. The Chrysanthemum Festival is perhaps the most important inter-regional festival the Unicorns host.
21 - River of the Unexpected Hero: Named in honor of the clever farmer that led the hasty and successful defense of Chrysanthemum Petal Lake from the Moto invasion 173 years ago.
Province Terrain
The Unicorn Provinces, fast on the border of the Empire of Rokugan itself, demonstrates an incredible level of climatic diversity unseen in any of the other major clan provinces.
Very
close to the northwest border of the Unicorn Provinces
are the far eastern Burning Sands. The native bedouins
seldom see a single cloud overhead during their entire
lives, and Amaterasu's blessings become veritable curses
that burn any hint of water from the land. The Moto
family occasionally sends scouts deep into the desert to
make sure gaijin armies remain far from the empire.
North and northeast
of the provinces lie the lands of the Ujik-Hai. Rugged
steppeland dominates the terrain favoring a nomadic
lifestyle. Theoretically civilization could exist here,
but uncertain rainfall and hence crop yields during
growing seasons in such environments have kept the Empire
of Rokugan from subjugating the region.
Tall mountains dominate the northern border of the Unicorn Provinces. What few traversable passes there are often clog with drifting snow limiting communications we have with the Moto border patrols in the winter.
The altitude generally plunges quickly from several kilometers high to about one kilometer before substantial human settlements are found. The Unicorn heartland is technically steppeland, but generally of the least extreme variety.
[*Quick topography lesson using what I've heard: the term steppe climate covers a massive expanse of sub climates. The least extreme type can be found in places such as Poland where rainfall is ample, crop yields equal if not exceed those of temperate climates, and dense forests form. The most extreme types are found bordering tundra climates. The stereotypical steppeland climate is found in regions like Mongolia. There enough rain falls to grow grass suitable for herding, yet no substantial forestation exists. The non-humid air contributes to temperatures well over 100 degrees farenheit in the summer and temperatures far below zero in the winter.*]
The altitude then continues into a slow descent southeast towards the planes of the Lion Provinces. A substantial portion of this border region is of a temperate climate.
Directly south of the heartlands are the Spine of the World Mountains. They form an effective barrier against the slightly cooler temperatures of the heartlands and make our southern lands temperate. Our southern border is least defined as no large rivers divide the land at a proper point. The clans of the Unicorn, Scorpion, and Crab generally recognize a border line that cuts through the northern nob of the Shinomen Forest, but it abruptly terminates on both ends. The eastern end hits the ancient lands of the long disappeared Naga where small, temporary Unicorn and Crab farming settlements mix incoherently throughout a broad region. The western end hits the Plains of Thunder governed directly by the Emperor, though the Scorpion Clan is the region's appointed guardian.
