Kakushao Heights


True, we in U'liis may be pompous about our culture and the Mortals' integration from the Realm outside ours, but never could I have expected to find a land so dominated by them. It is a humbling experience, I say without irony as I sit atop a mountain peak writing my final letter back home, to find a place so detached from the ways of traditional devil thinking. There are no kings or nobles here, only the collective of landowners, but as they keep to themselves they are of little to no annoyance.   Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting a master of the Vukrulsonin Temple. A member of the Sanudao'shen Summit, the master, whether it was out of kindness or personal virtue, showed me around the city. I could describe to you every interesting detail I encountered, but I would save it for you to see in person, and my pen does not have nearly the reserves of ink to do so.   I do have the ink to tell you these two things: the first of a strange activity where one sits in silence, which I thought was merely the act of sleeping. Meditation: the master called it. I thought the activity foolish at first, but with the master's guidance, I achieved a sense of calm and a slow pace I had never felt, even in these elderly years of mine.   When we were done, the master served me a strange beverage of heat and sweet bitterness; tea, the master called it, a beverage from the Mortal Realm. I thought I could not feel any more calmer and slower than before, but after consumption of this beverage, I felt as if my body and mind were elderly no more.   I know I must leave Kakushao in a few days' time and return to U'liis, but I long to stay, and I already know once I return home, that I will wish to return to Kakushao before long.    
— From Letters of Travel by Vailume Saanak, mortal year 1803.

Ever since the opening of Infernus to the outside Planes and the integration of Mortals, the culture of the Realm has mixed with those of the outside influences. Most places in the Realm retained their demonic and devilish cultures and paradigms, but ever so with influences from the outside Planes. Every here and there, however, there are places where one could mistake Infernus for being another World.   There is no better example of such a place than Kakushao Heights, where even devils sometimes forget they are in their home realm. Founded in mortal year 1509 by Zhu Lukiin, Kakushao Heights is a city whose culture, society, and paradigm are dominated by mortal influence. It is often said should one desire to experience the Mortal Plane, then to head straight to Kakushao.

Earth on Hell

A common saying in Liveside when things go badly, "Hell on Earth," has an inverse in Infernus, "Earth on Hell," a gag with an entirely different meaning. When one says the saying, they mean that Kakushao Heights is the most Earthlike place in Infernus as far as society and culture go. A singular city, Kakushao is a diverse city of various mixed cultures from Liveside, most notably those of East Asia. It is also the city with highest ratio of Mortal to Devil population in the Realm, with a recent census stating a 10:1 ratio.   While most major cities in Infernus have integrated mortal cultures, Kakushao remains largely untouched since its founding. This is due to the city's founding as a refuge for the victims of the Karuniivoku-Monikeii Noble House Feud. The victims of the feuding noble families shut the city from outside influence for several decades, allowing their way of life to be entrenched. By the time of Kakushao's reopening in 1566, the residents of the city, almost all offspring of reincarnated Mortals, had entrenched their culture and societal norms so deeply, even devils found it hard to assimilate.   This, however, also meant that Kakushao was unique, and word spread quickly of a "mortal city." To devil visitors, Kakushao was a city completely foreign to them, and as described by Vailume Saanak, "a city where the devil forgets they are in their home world." From food to architecture, and from philosophy to societal norms, nothing was normal to devils, and they found themselves fascinated with the insight into one of the worlds outside theirs.   An unexpected but recurring visitor, High King Avernus IX, would often tout his praise of the city. A King with a facination with art, Avernus IX, in his later works showed influence from his experiences from his visits to Kakushao. With the High King's high regard for Kakushao, it was no suprise that the city experienced a boom in tourism.
An Evening on the River of Harmony
A common visit for High King Avernus IX, he would make his final painting of Kakushao in mortal year 1763. His visits to the city highly influenced his later art style.

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