The Tales of the Ninja Coder

Clan Noriaibasha has many castles, but the one where I am based is in Sakai. The old city, the gateway of commerce, on the shore of Naniwa Bay. There are little alleyways everywhere, much more so than in the newer cities of Ōmi Province. Some have been taken over by the restaurants to either side of them, with little tables and chairs set up in the alleyway for busy workers to eat in the sun (if the weather should be so nice).

There are many restaurants, selling foods from far-off lands. Some of their customers are the sailors whose ships are constantly coming and going, fueling the city’s trade. But many more are the merchants, carpenters, weavers, entertainers, and other people who work here. Cooks hawk their wares, and priests chant the sutras. Only a few blocks away from the docks, the castles of the merchant princes rise above the city.

Across the street from our castle, there is a towering, dark castle that looms above nearly everything else here. It was originally constructed by Clan Ameginkō, during the days of their greatest power, and was designed to show off their might. Though Clan Ameginkō no longer owns the dark tower, it is still associated with them… and there are still a great many merchants, priests and nobles who toil there by day, and dine in the tiny alleyway restaurants at lunchtime.

It’s very unlike Ōmi, where the streets are broader and the buildings are lower. Here, just walking down the street can often feel like being in a deep, shadowed valley in the mountains. The brightness and festivity of the restaurants is a welcome contrast.