[POI] Crow's High Mountain

[Naitome]

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It starts with an obscure dirt path, one that cuts through the lonely pine forests of Kaminari no Kuni. This path eventually reaches the precipice of a majestic mountain region, where frosty alps touch the cloudy skies. It is here where the trail divides into many different directions. Here, it is easy to get lost, to wander onto some lonely mountain. But to those in the know, the road to Crow's High Mountain is clear. It is the road that follows the sides of the treacherous- but beautiful- Mt. Esquiva.

The mountain trail will elevate, higher and higher as one proceeds, until finally it reaches a flight of stone steps built from the peak itself. These steps lead to the summit of Crow's High Mountain-- a courtyard often blanketed with snow-- then the entrance to the ruins of an old marketplace. Ancient obelisks stand tall and mighty, stone-paved ground provides stable footing, and the ancient stone structure known as the "Enkidu" serves as a base of operations and processing center for the Crow's High Mountain guard.

Even here, the pines and rocky outcrops of Mt. Esquiva surround you on the edges of the premises. But that will change as soon as you are processed through the Enkidu, among the influx of gypsy caravans that enter and exit the society. Once past the Enkidu, you will reach the heart of Crow's High Mountain at last. What was once believed to be a place of worship for the ancients is now considered to be an archaic super-structure carved into the side of Mt. Esquiva high above the clouds. An architectural and artistic beauty, the locale is legendary in its own right. It is, essentially, a miniature city functioning on several different levels of altitude.

Crow's High Mountain is revered as the ultimate (yet strangely clandestine) place of commerce, a gathering of vendors and gypsy caravans who sell the rarest and most treasured of items. While most of the buildings serve as places of business, some levels of the ancient city have small neighborhoods meant to house the permanent occupants of the locale. There are wide and spacious balconies on each level of the Crow's High Mountain, some of them large enough to sustain small parks! Each of them provides a divine-- albeit unfathomably steep-- view of the majestic clouds below, and the mountains across from Mt. Esquiva. And crows? Crows are a very common sight here.

The ancient city itself is always bustling with life. From the early morning vendors attempting to sell their wares, to the night time bar keeps and restaurants. And, of course, the common customers. It thrives with as much vigor as a hidden village, a conglomeration of life against the backdrop of an archaic civilization. The clamor of the crowd reverberates constantly through the city's enclosed area. Giant statues from the Old World still stand, depicting anything from a robed priest, to an armored warrior bearing a long forgotten name whose meaning has faded into obscurity - Akegarasu.

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