yomisato
Yomisato is located in Wind Country, to the east of Kazesato. It encompasses an extremely large area of land, sprawling from the border of where Fire Country south into Wind Country. Its western border meets Izanagi Ocean, while its eastern border spills into the Gulf of Izanami and the island upon where the Gate of Yomi can be found.
climate
Yomisato's location results in generally hot and dry temperatures that vary from season to season. During the hottest months of the summer, it can reach over 55° C (131° F) by morning, while the evenings become uncomfortably humid and sticky. Springs in Yomisato are dry and hot, with sandstorms that turn the sky orange or yellow. At times, rains come in short, torrential bursts leaving behind muddy splotches. Harsh thunderstorms occur more frequently especially along the coastlines and the country border, with terribly damaging winds and lighting that causes flash floods in low-lying areas. Autumns are hot and humid with the coastal region growing especially unpleasant, while winters boast lower temperatures, sometimes growing unbearably cold at night, with frequent rainfall and hailstorms that can last days at a time.
terrain
Much like Kazesato, Yomisato is hemmed in on the northeast, from a mountain range that winds down along Fire Country. A fair bit of the land is covered in sand seas and sand dunes, while other parts are more mountainous, with canyons, towering rock formations, plateaus, and exposed sections of bedrock and rocky, clay-rich soil. Vast as the country is, it has very few landmarks, with the exception of shrines and temples, and what landmarks there are tend to be altered drastically whenever weather that's too harsh rolls around; it's extremely easy to get lost and die of exposure, without an experienced guide to lead you, unless you are traveling along the coast, or the more fertile border of Fire Country.
village
Yomisato is more of a city than it is a village, sprawling from coast to coast across an area of land that is almost the size of a small country. The city is built on the ruins of temples of fallen gods, spiraling outwards towards the coastlines, where the buildings are more dilapidated and squatters are frequently found. Unlike other villages in the world that are rather uniform in design, Yomisato's design is precisely its lack of good planning.
At the heart of the city is a massive statue that once used to be an effigy of Izanami; it is missing its arms and head, and over time the weather has eroded it dramatically. Around this statue is a thriving marketplace with sellers hocking their wares almost any hour of the day. From this central point are plenty of restaurants, bars, and shops, as well as opium dens. Close to the market is a red light district filled with brothels and sex shops, massage parlors and other shops catering to the desires of both men and women alike. Sex workers walk the streets, many of them enslaved to cruel and dangerous men who are known to rip off their clientele. The district is dangerous, especially due to its proximity to the black markets nearby, that peddle extremely dangerous weapons and drugs, as well as luxury goods that are impossible to find anywhere else in Kannagara.
The southern region of the city, as it encounters sand dunes and more desert, is filled with a district of metal working factories, which is Yomisato's primary industry. Smoke is seen rising from gigantic kilns that burn all hours of the day, and many of the city's resources in nearby mostly uninhabited mountains are mined right from the mountains.
As the city spirals north, it becomes more hilly and mountainous with tall cliff-like formations where some of the nicer residential areas are found. Landlords fight over the prime real estate here, which boasts views on clear days as far as the shorelines; the higher the residence can be found on the cliffs, the more expensive the rent -- the altitude provides some respite from the heat, and protection against the monsters that frequently attack the city at night. Many of the buildings in Yomisato have divine protection against the monsters; all of the rent-controlled housing are usually protected in some way. In contrast, low-lying dilapidated areas at the southern border of the city, just beyond the metal district, which feature homes cut into rock similar to Kazesato's homes, and buildings run over by plantlife and trees, which many squatters take up residence in, tend to not have any protection at all. Deaths here are frequent, if not from flash floods, then from the monsters that frequently roam.
Because Yomisato is made up partially of exiles and their descendants, many residential districts tend to be segregated by those with residual ties to the Celestial villages. As a result, many residential areas are named after the country the village is located in -- Fire, Wind, Grass, Rain, Water, Earth, and Lightning are all represented in this city.
housing
Housing in Yomisato varies depending on class. The nicer housing for those who can afford it is generally built into the walls of the mountains to provide the greatest insulation and temperature regulation. The nicer the building, the fancier the architecture, including towers, spires, and other sorts of more complex structures; more basic homes are considerably boxier, with broad, flat walls with a penchant for multiple windows to let in as much light and air as possible. Most exterior homes have one or more rain collection troughs as well. Homes inside the tunnels, on the other hand, have far simpler constructions, being hewn straight into the rock itself, and far less of an opportunity to get natural light and ventilation; these homes rely completely on artificial light from things like lanterns, torches, candles, and hearths.
The construction of the nicer housing is primarily stone, supplemented with wood and clay; the buildings are carved out of the rock itself, with stout wooden beams used as support. Architecture tends towards the functional here, with beauty and decoration being secondary concerns; Yomisato has some fantastically skilled carvers and painters who provide impressive decorations for both the wood and stone in a home, with impressively large carved scenes--or more commonly, colorful murals--being popular. Other common decorations tend to be paintings on either wood or cloth, or woven tapestries and rugs to spread on the floor or hang on the walls to soften the bare stone. Furniture is also used in Yomisato, including proper beds and chairs, and it also tends to be nicely decorated, and have cushions. Some homes also have alcoves carved into the walls for special ornaments or shrines. Others carve out shelves that are used as beds where futons are spread upon.
A small room is set aside for the bathroom, holding a basin and large tub, plus a toilet; the latter is the only thing in the house with running water and working plumbing, and is fortunately fully functional. Aside from the toilets, any water needed will have to come from the one of several wells on the surface level of the city, or from the watering holes fed by a large underground aqueduct from which the city draws its water. Those who don't wish to bring in the water by hand can bathe in the large communal bathing houses throughout the city.
The bedroom--or rooms, if you're lucky enough to get a large house--in Yomisato is a bit unique, generally having a single, quite deep closet to store a character's personal belongings. Unlike other villages, your character will not have several changes of clothing magically appear in their closets unless they pay tribute to one of the fallen gods. Some of the houses also have real furniture while others boast futons; the bedrooms sometime have normal beds and bedding on it, and often curtains around the bed or in the doorway of the bedroom, to provide some sense of privacy and to help absorb the echoes from the hard stone construction. Small tables and chests are also often found here, both decorative and functional. Many houses have a main room that serve as a sitting area and dining room, (though the nicer houses have separate rooms for eating in) with real tables and chairs, and either a fire pit or hearth built into the stone, or portable braziers made of clay, ceramic, or metal; these are the main way of heating the house, and also provide a fair amount of its light, plus a means for simple cooking. Those whose homes are on the outside of the mountain tend to have holes cut in the stone, or sometimes pipe-chimneys made out of clay, to direct the smoke outside.
The kitchen is dominated in large part by a waist-high stove carved from the rock itself, with holes on top to place grilling surfaces or pots into, and holes along the front to control the fire that is built inside; as the stove is typically built into the wall itself, so too is its ventilation. A large basin and preparation surface take up the remainder of the space, and the walls are lined with shelves to store cooking and eating implements. A separate but connected room generally serves as a pantry and takes care of all food storage, a room generally built high and wide with rows upon rows of shelves and vases, provided with a ladder for most efficient use of space. There is no refrigeration, although food tends to last longer in an environment that is typically so dry, and especially in the tunnel system, where the insulation of so much rock means that it seldom gets too hot.
In sharp contrast, the grottoes of the city, where many of the poor live and where the homeless squat, the construction is primarily stone, supplemented with clay; the buildings are carved out of the rock itself, with stout pillars used as support, or constructed out of clay and rock. Architecture tends towards the functional here, the buildings dilapidated and old. The nicer of the grottoes boast a small room is set aside for the bathroom, holding a basin and large tub, plus a toilet that may not always work. Some other grottoes are comprised of the ruins of temples that have been overgrown with large trees that make many of the structures unsound, but are a good place to squat due to its close proximity to an oasis that is located nearby. These temple ruins don't exactly make the best homes, but can provide shelter from a storm, or a temporary residence in a time of need.