Shiro Matsu
The Last Breath Castle in the Yama province was the ancestral home of the Matsu family. It was also where the largest contingent of Lion samurai were stationed, carefully guarding the supply lines on which the Lion armies depended. The army stationed here consisted of members of all the Lion families, Kitsu, Akodo, Matsu and Ikoma alike. The castle was immense, over a hundred feet tall at the summit, with sprawling courtyards, fortified entries, practice grounds, dojo, and smithies. Its walls were built by Crab engineers, and a cliffside forced all who approached to travel through a tiny pass, known as the Lion’s Teeth.
The castle’s greatest strength was founded not only on a low hill over a profoundly important strategic trade route, it was founded on and continued to draw its strength from its denizens’ sweat and toil, their labor and discipline. Shiro Matsu had never fallen in battle. The castle’s high location not only aided in defense, but provided a vantage point over the pass and surrounding lands.
