Receon

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Receon is the second largest Ninjas city and widely regarded as the central hub for adventure. It is the premier staging site for Ninja raiding parties and an important fortress. The island was selected chiefly for its high defensibility and fertile landscape.

Island

Steep cliffs rise out of shallow ocean waters surrounded by submerged rocks. The headlands are a sweeping collection of rolling hills and rocky pinnacles that provide numerous observation posts. The cliffs are fortified at regular intervals, with wooden stair cases reaching down to the water to allow patrols of the beaches at low-tide. Around most of the island, waves reach all the way to the cliff base.

Harbor

The island is accessible from the outside at just two points: the harbor, and a sea cave. The harbor is the only safe anchorage site on the island, with the rest lined by steep cliffs and submerged rocks. The one harbor was originally unusable, until a path was deliberately cleared. Known as the infamous "Receon Twist", it snakes an S-path through the deadly rocks. There are no channel markers; ships must rely on a series of beacons in fortifications along the cliff face.

Eight identical fortresses make up the navigational system, with fires lit in three of them. The fires can be seen at night or in heavy fog. In the event of an attack, they can be doused, rendering the harbor virtually inaccessible. The system of turns and headings according to the beacons are well known throughout the Ninja Empire (though many claim them to be a "well-kept secret"), and according to tradition, are never written down. Tradition, of course, is just that, as every navigation school will have a copy on hand, usually painted on the wall of a classroom for students to study and memorize.

After passing through the channel, the way into the harbor leads through a narrow natural canyon. This, too, is lined with fortifications, with cannons and large bows easily able to decimate any ship that tries to cross. Six large chains can be raised as a further defense.

The only other point of entry is through a comparatively small sea-cave that leads to a second, secret harbor in a massive underground cavern. Called "the Cave of Golden Mysteries", it is a popular site for offloading treasure and other valuable goods. As it forms a more direct and "safer" route into the city, it is also typically used by important passengers.

The natural cavern is lit by lanterns served by artificial tunnels in its walls. In the event of an attack these, too, can be doused, and other defensive measures enacted.

Despite its place near the Horse Latitude, Receon is without a doubt one of the best-defended islands in the Ninja sphere of influence.

City

The city bears the name of the island, and there are no recognized independent villages or towns. The bulk of the city is nestled in the depression formed along one half of the harbor, while roads lead out onto the headlands providing access to fields, rice paddies, and further fortifications.