Ki Duo
The valley below is carpeted with mist, thick like a sea of clouds. The pale green tops of a seemingly endless bamboo forest sway in the breeze. Hidden in the few clearings visible, glitter the coppery roof tiles of towns and villages. Deep within the center of the forest lies Ki Duo, one of the oldest towns in Gehnnia. Once an impressive military power, Ki Duo has fallen out of use, and the capitol lost contact with them many years ago. The Empress has determined to re-establish that contact. The pale trunks of bamboo tower above the forest floor, clustered so close they form nearly impassable walls. A thousand brightly colored birds nestle in the branches above, their chorus echoes through the dense woods. The once defined road has been overgrown with roots, ferns, and moss, leaving only a narrow trail. Ki Duo stands amid the thick bamboo like a sleeping dragon. The red walls, once lacquered, now peeled and cracking, sprawl out through the forest in varying states of decay. At the entrance stands a gate of beaten bronze, the arch forms the head and body of a wyvern, its wings stretched down as doors. Within the city, the outer buildings lay abandoned, covered in thick vines and loam. The copper roof tiles litter the ground, glimmering in the sun like golden flower petals. At the center of the village lies a shattered palace, its opulence faded, though no less commanding. Bronze domes crouch amongst cracked red walls and fallen pillars, copper tiles like scales. Some parts of the walls show obvious signs of battle damage, yet they still stand, and the people still defend it, though they are far fewer than they were.
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