Kado no Shima
The Island of the Way
In the heart of the Ryuul Plains, embraced by the slow, winding currents of the Sangami River, rises Kado no Shima—the City of the Way, a living monument to the spirit and discipline of the Draconis Combine. Built atop a raised island at the river’s heart, Kado no Shima stands as a place where honor is not merely taught or spoken, but perfected across generations.
The city unfolds with quiet dignity. Stone bridges, each carved with the crests of ancient clans, link the island to the riverbanks beyond. Narrow streets lined with cherry trees wind between low-walled homes, immaculate gardens, and the silent courtyards where warriors drill from dawn until dusk. Every corner of Kado no Shima whispers of discipline: monks tending shrines that predate the League of Stars, scholars recording the lineages of every loyal House, and samurai refining their techniques in practices passed down since before memory.
At the city's heart rises the Sanseido, the Hall of Three Paths, where warriors, philosophers, and magistrates gather to debate the tenets of Bushido, governance, and duty. It is said that no lord of the Combine can claim true wisdom until they have walked the stone floors of the Sanseido and endured the trials of the mind, the body, and the spirit.
Though Kado no Shima lacks the political grandeur of Luthien, its influence runs deep through the veins of the Combine. Here, the most promising scions of noble families train to join the elite Sword of the Dragon and in the Kensei Archives, a vast library of martial treatises and ancient histories, are kept beneath vigilant guard. It is here, above all, that the quiet tests of loyalty, endurance, and humility unfold—shaping those who will one day defend the honor of the Dragon against all threats.
The Sangami River itself serves as the city's natural bulwark. In times of unrest, the bridges can be raised and fortified, isolating Kado no Shima and turning it into an island stronghold. Legends speak of the river being warded long ago by artificers of the League of Stars, who laid enchanted riverstones to protect the city's foundations from flood and ruin. Even today, on misty mornings, travelers claim to see faint blue glyphs glowing beneath the waters.
Kado no Shima endures not by grand displays of might, but through quiet strength, honed by tradition and sharpened by time. It remains a place where the soul of the Draconis Combine is both guarded and reforged, where the path of honor is not an ideal, but a way of life.
“Steel rusts. Crowns fall. But the Way endures.” — Inscription above the Sanseido’s western gate
