Description

[Cearnach]

The Courtyard of Kyuden Ikoma is a large open space that rises up the bluffs from the River of Gold. The Tenshu and Lord Ikoma's villa are located on top of the bluffs, as are the delegation houses. Walking up the rise from the main gates along the perfectly straight path, one would pass first the turnoff toward the tree-shaded bath areas, then a winding path toward the dojos of the Open Hand and the Hundred Scars, each with a large space left clear for drilling. The path neatly bisects the semi-circle made by the new-construction (and extremely temporary) delegation houses before ending at the main doors of the Tenshu. Between the Tenshu and the delegation houses, the path branches at the foot of the famous stump that Ikoma sat upon when he met Akodo, and that now serves as a public speaking platform. One branch leads to the temple complex, the other to Lord Ikoma's villa.


The vegetation in the courtyard is minimal, every blade of grass exactly the same height, every shrub perfectly shaped into a cube and perfectly spaced from its neighbor. It is almost always host to people rushing from site to site conducting their business, except at night, when Lord Moon shines down on the sleeping capital of the Lion clan.