As promised, here's what I've found about Fusang so far. I decided to skip British Columbia, since we've already covered them before in the thread.

Spoiler: Fusang Locations of Note
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Washington
  • Seattle is heavily engineered for human habitation: much of it was originally mudflats and skerries. The city is long, twisty, and dominated by water. Famous locales include Pike Place Market, Capitol Hill, and Puget Sound & Islands.
  • Spokane, WA -
  • Columbia River - largest river in the Pacific Northwest (perhaps all of Fusang?)
  • Olympic Nat'l Park - hot springs, beachcombing, rainforests, Sasquatch territory
  • First Beach - My wife said it was really cool here. There were TONS of driftwood on the beach, and it was very scenic.
  • Forks, Washington - a coven of powerful jiang-shi vampires, who have been cursed to sparkle forever, have recently made their nest in this town. They must be exterminated!
  • Mount Tahoma (or Takoma) (later “Mt Rainier”)
  • Ohanapecosh (“Grove of the Patriarchs”)
  • Lawetlat'la (Mt St. Helens) – dormant but still dangerous
  • Hoquiam – this milling town got its name from a Chehalis word meaning “hungry for wood”. In our setting, it would probably be a major lumber town, selling both bamboo and hardwoods.
  • North Cascades National Park
  • Cape Disappointment <– great name, where did it come from? Sources disagree.
  • Soap Lake, WA - “The name Soap Lake came from the word Smokiam, an Indian term which translates to “Healing Waters.” The tribes used the lake for healing purposes for themselves and their animals for many years before the area was settled by pioneers.”
  • Makah art is very famous and beautiful. (But is it more beautiful than other tribes’ artwork? Debatable, but I thought it was worth mentioning.)
  • Yakima Valley - wine country
  • San Juan Islands (btw. Seattle and Victoria)



Oregon
  • “Wy'East” (Mt. Hood) and "Klickitat" (Mt. Adams) - Multnomah tribe legend about two rivals who were turned to smoking mountains, who still rumble defiance at each other to this day. (source)
  • Oregon Caves Nat'l Monument
  • Crater Lake – 1,943 feet deep. Very clear; sunlight penetrates to a depth of 400 feet! Volcanic, not meteoric. The lake surrounds Wizard Island, which has a little peak with its own little crater in the center.
  • Wilamette Valley - wine country
  • Newberry National Volcanic Monument
  • Neahkahnie Mountain - mysterious petroglyphs, shipwrecked sailors, and rumors of a sunken, gold-laden Spanish galleon treasure-ship.
  • Oregon Dunes
  • Bayocean – 30 years ago, this entire thriving resort-town washed right into the sea! We might not use this actual town, but we could include one like it.
  • D. River – at 445 feet, it's the shortest river on Earth!



California
  • San Francisco Bay => “Golden Bay”
  • Central Coast
  • Central Valley
  • Deserts
  • Gold Country => undiscovered at this point. PCs may have a hand in the first Californian gold rush.
  • High Sierra
  • Inland Empire
  • Los Angeles =>
  • Napa Valley
  • North Coast
  • Orange County
  • San Diego => Fēn Qiūlíng ( 雰丘陵, “foggy/misty hills”), is known for its mild year-round climate, natural deep-water harbor, extensive beaches, and long association with the U.S. Navy.
  • Shasta Cascade
  • Redwood/Sequoia Forests => protected by Colossal treants! Don't make them angry...



P.S. Logging is HUGE in the Pacific Northwest, so I therefore, I propose that we add Po Buan-Yan to the list of official NPCs. There might even be rumors that he's part sasquatch, since he's so big and hairy.


...and here's some other stuff I've been thinking about.
Quote Originally Posted by Steckie View Post
Heal
i am still unconvinced that Heal should be a wisdom based skill.
I feel like there's a lot of good arguments on both sides. Frankly, I'm not sure anymore which one I think is more appropriate. Fortunately, most characters who are smart will also be wise, and vice-versa.

Quote Originally Posted by Steckie View Post
Who would have made the magical disease (we need a name for it)?
I was thinking that it would be either the False Face Society and/or the Midewiwin. On the east coast, that is. I can't find any similar societies to match their size and influence on the west coast...

Quote Originally Posted by Mith View Post
If we want different properties for spider silk versus silk worm silk, maybe the spider silk is a stronger material, but it does not work well for fashionable items like clothing, but works wonders as rope and durable fabric to be worked with (parachutes anyone?)
At first I thought this might be too much, but then I realized that this is about the era when lighter-than-air flight was first being experimented with in Europe. Can you say "synergy"?

Quote Originally Posted by TheWombatOfDoom View Post
I tend to look at the map and break it up into chunks. Then I figure which chunks they would definately have, and which chunks they would definately not have, and which chunks would be contested or go either way. The border goes along the middle of a contested region, or roll/fluff which area has which region and draw the border to suit it.
So you mean break it down by geographic features? Like, by watershed, for example?

Big question, byDo the provinces of Fusang have border-wars with each other, or is the Empress' grip too tight for that?

Quote Originally Posted by TheWombatOfDoom View Post
Chunks could be anything from mountain regions, to the border along a river, to various towns and the surrounding area, forests, plains, ect. Think of it as a small scale risk board, and... That would be cool...a Crossroads Risk set....
Oh my goodness yes! We can make that one of our stretch goals, after the Crossroads books are all published!

Quote Originally Posted by TheWombatOfDoom View Post
Also, my map maker within me is screaming to come back out...we should really chat sometime.
Agreed. PM has been sent. I can't wait to trade map ideas!

Quote Originally Posted by Admiral Squish View Post
Skype
Speaking of skype, this month ends in in the middle of next weekend. Do you guys want to have the meeting on the 31st/1st weekend, or the 7th/8th weekend? And who wants in on this one?
I'd vote this weekend, personally.