Hokkaido

The northern island of Hokkaido is the last frontier of so-called "civilized" lands in the country of Oyashima. Its capital is Sapporo, with a population of roughly one million people - other major towns include the seaport of Tomakomai, the fishing town of Hakodate, and Wakkanai, gateway to the wild north and the Asama Shrine. The city of Kitami represents the only major human habitation on the monster-beset eastern side of the island, and it is fortified like a military garrison. The mages of Hokkaido practice their own elementally influenced form of magic, called Hokkaidan Wild Magic.

GEOGRAPHY

The terrain of Hokkaido is largely mountainous, and includes notable peaks including Mt. Asahi, Mt. Yubari, Mt. Tokachi, and the Fuji-twin Mt. Yotei. The Forest of Frost is home to all manner of dangerous creatures including particularly fierce bakemono and oni, the Shiretoko Woods are known to have multiple portals to the lower planes, and the Shine Marshlands - named for their deadly characteristics, including Muck Serpents and Boulder Mages - haven't been explored for 150 years since the disastrous expedition of the hero Agadaro Date. The island's Central Range is mostly pacified on its western margins, but the interior of the range includes oni, tengu, bakemono, dragons (friendly and not-so-friendly), snow demons, cultists (such as The Stone Throwers) and more. There is good fishing of all the coasts of the island, including a superb and robust crab population along the southern shore. The Oni Islands are reputed to have the best fishing in Oyashima, with beastly large examples of all the most expensive varieties, but they are somewhat less safe than the Shiretoko Woods, which is to say they are not to be trifled with.

ECONOMY

All manner of mines dot the western fringe of the Central Range, making Hokkaido one of the most economically valuable places in Oyashima. In addition, the island produces a tremendous volume of timber, the crab fishing is lucrative, and mages in search of reagents find much of value in the woods and mountains. Sapporo and its adjacent farms are the most wealthy parts of the island, and the nearly 1 million souls of the city support a sophisticated economy that includes geisha, magic shops, organized crime, and a troupe of Noh players that is second to only their rivals in Edo and Miyako. Onsen and other inns that dot the western side of the island do a bustling business during summer, and during winter there are slopes near Sapporo that function as ski resorts for nobility from the southern islands.

POLITICS

All three major clans (Miyamoto, Fukui, Yoshida) hold power in Hokkaido - Sapporo is largely a fiefdom of the emperor, but the frontier towns are largely run by soldiers with Yoshida loyalties and/or commanders, and the merchants of clan Fukui are influential in all of the island's many ports.