Beyond Shadow – Exploring The Zama Region

Republished By Plato

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In the fantasy region of Beyond Shadow, based on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, lies the ice region of Zama.

The Zama region lies to the south of the Endo region. The Zama region is considered to be a part of the overall continent, despite it being an island mostly made of ice. The reason it’s considered to be a part of the overall continent is because it’s connected to the Endo region by a land bridge. This bridge only reveals itself during low tide.

During low tide, the Zama, and other clans, use the bridge for trade. The only resource the Zama region provides the other clans is ice, since it’s only found down south.

The Zama island itself has no aggressive creatures. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t any danger in the waters surrounding the island.

The common enemy found in the waters around Zama are the Makara. The Makara have the heads of dragons and the bodies of large wolves. They can jump onto boats and drag down unsuspecting traders. This is why the Zama prefer to move via the land bridge.

There are also rumors of serpents, and even mermaids, in the waters. But these are believed to only be stories told to children to keep them away from the water.

With no real risk of war or attack by other clans, the Zama ninja don’t train as much for battle. This means they’re woefully prepared in case of attack. They have no reason to trade for better weapons or armor because they never found a need for it.

Despite this, the Zama have the best ships of the continent. Kenji have no ships at all, the Yaki Tori have a decent fleet, and the Endo are starting to utilize their port as well. The Zama needed larger ships to transport ice to farther regions and the larger ships kept the Makara from jumping up so easily onto its decks.

There are smaller islands around the main island of Zama with various shelters for the people who live and fish there, but the main island itself serves as its central city. The Zama are mostly passive people and are only interested in trade. However, this doesn’t mean they cannot fight if they’re needed.