Impressive in almost any estimation of the word, Kyuden Bayushi is intended as a testimony to both the strength and the hospitality of the Scorpion Clan. The castle sits atop a low plateau in the southwestern corner of the province, and the plains which surround the citadel are wide and flat, with barely any trees in sight; thus, it is effectively impossible to conceal the approach of an invading army. Only infrequently has war ever come to the footsteps of the palace. Moreover, anyone who ascends to the plateau to visit the castle must navigate the so-called Bayushi Labyrinth: a seemingly normal hedge-maze that actually is a constantly-shifting puzzle, filled with secret entrances to the tunnels below the palace. Life-long servants of the Bayushi are accustomed to the shifts and changes in the maze’s pathways in this area, but new guests require a guide, making them dependent on their hosts to enter and leave. (One of the favorite games of court at Kyuden Bayushi is to test the guests by seeing who can traverse the maze more quickly.) Below the plateau, at the entrance to the maze, is a sizable town that provides supplies, amenities, and services for the castle.
Naturally, the Bayushi Labyrinth also serves a more sinister purpose than mere games. Scattered throughout the maze are deadfalls, spiked traps, magical wards, trained assassins, and armed guards (ostensibly serving as both guides and caretakers). These defenses are well concealed and are normally kept inactive, but when the castle is under attack the maze transforms into a deadly trap for any foes seeking to close in on the main keep.
Kyuden Bayushi itself is one of the most opulent and extravagant such palaces in the whole of the Empire. Its main keep, estates, and vast garden dwarf even those of the Otomo and are only moderately less ostentatious than the main palaces of the Doji and the Yoritomo. Accommodations are of the highest caliber, and the servants are known for being superbly skilled and unfailingly courteous. Even sworn enemies of the Scorpion have commented that they have never been treated quite so well as when they were guests at Kyuden Bayushi. As a result, numerous Imperial Winter Courts being held within the castle walls; though Kyuden Doji has certainly hosted more, it is widely assumed that the Bayushi are not far behind.
A singular peculiarity of Kyuden Bayushi is that the interior has very few permanent walls. The vast majority of the palace’s chambers and halls are constructed from movable panels and shoji screens; this allows the Scorpion to re-arrange their castle’s layout at will, and they are fond of doing this overnight – forcing their guests to navigate a new route every day. This often results in visitors being late to important meetings and events, embarrassing them and putting them at a disadvantage before negotiations even begin.
The Bayushi Gardens, while not as impressive as the palatial estates of the Doji (nor as deadly as the Shosuro gardens) are nevertheless vast and beautiful, taking up a sizable portion of the plateau. They include an artificial lake, innumerable flowers and sculpted trees, many ancestral shrines dedicated to various public heroes of the Scorpion Clan, and a variety of private corners where guests can meet and converse. Of course, the Scorpion have arranged the design and layout so they can eavesdrop on such theoretically private conversations.
The physical location of Kyuden Bayushi atop its plateau seems to be one based on military advantage, but some outsiders have noted that there are other places in the province which might actually have been better choices.