Unmarked Grave: Shrine of Inari

**Mina Majikina** Sat Dec 09, 2023 6:53 am

Somewhere on the north western coastal side of the Beijionese Mountains at the northern most cape just past the Palace of Beijio and Beijio City itself, a small and solitary island sits off the coast overlooking the Scardian Ocean. Not much is on this island save a sandy beach, an old Beijionese Maple tree hanging over the island's summit which was a small incline in the rocky earth. Small patches of white flowers grew where the salty earth did not kill them, and some gathered stones acting as a marker. A set of carved stone steps lead up to the maple, and set upon a large boulder is a well crafted shrine of stone depicting a pair of foxes which often declares the site a shrine to Inari:

A faint, crude engraving on the boulder the shrine rests upon reads:

Martius 6th, 2622 - Martius 15th, 2650

Indicating this shrine to Inari doubles as a grave. Who's? Its not so clear, but the hints are there. The manner in which this small shrine is adorned also shows that someone keeps an annual maintenance over the plot of land, leaving fresh flowers on the date of departure.

The location is far off the beaten path in the Beijio Area, a location of barely trekked land only observed by the most curious, desperate or extremely pious. The remoteness and little activity of the area lets the site remain untouched. The small island is only connected to the mainland during hours of low tide by a thin sandbar bridge, and the site's isolated location makes it a secret to all but Takumi Majikina. Perhaps he is the only one who truly knows the meaning of this 'sacred ground'.

From the summit where the shrine and grave rest, one can make out the faint slivers of land that make up the Beiji-Scardi Archipelago, with the closest island being Izula.