The Kayama, dwarves inhabiting Mount Fujikaya, are a particularly insular people; for many hundreds of years they’ve lived in the mountain, and most have never ventured outside of it. The Kayama worship Fujikaya as a god itself, and to leave it is a terrible burden.

Kayama society is extremely strict and structured. Petty criminals are put to death, thrown into the pits of molten lava at the heart of Fujikaya. This death penalty is not the same burden that it would be for most other cultures, though, for it is the greatest honor to be sent to join Fujikaya.

Most will eventually jump in on their own in a grand funerary ceremony when they see that their lives are soon to end. As they are burned alive by the magma, they do not scream but simply smile serenely. Those who die unexpectedly are given a similar ceremony, though it is more somber since they were unable to go to Fujikaya on their own.

To the Kayama, being unable to join Fujikaya is a fate worse than death. The worst of their criminals are exiled, and some even undergo voluntary exile in order to restore the honor of their families. These exiles are called ronin, and no ronin is ever allowed back into the mountain.

There are several cities around Fujikaya which were founded by ronin. Few in these cities have ever been in Fujikaya– perhaps only one or two a year are actually exiled– as they are by and large the descendants of ronin.

Each exiled ronin is given a katana and wakizashi of the finest craftsmanship, to help them make their way in the outside world as well as remind them of all that they’ve lost. Many end up taking their own lives shortly after, taking some solace in dying by steel forged in the fires of Fujikaya.

Encounters with the Ronin

The PCs hear about a small village with a werewolf problem which is offering a reward. When they arrive, they find that the werewolf has been killed, and the reward claimed, by a dwarf who spoke little and left town soon after. This encounter repeats itself several times as the PCs find themselves beaten to the punch by the same dwarf, whom they never meet. The dwarf in question is a ronin, killing the things which go bump in the night to make his way in the world. If he meets the PCs, he is curt with them and obviously considers them inferior.