TENRA BANSHO ZERO

SETTING BOOK

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TRANSLATOR’S INTRODUCTION �������������������������� 4

TENRA, THE GREAT LAND ���������������������������������� 6

SACRED AND INVIOLATE, THE PRIESTHOOD IS

IMPENETRABLE ������������������������������������������ 18

DOMAINS AND REGENTS �������������������������������� 25

WAR AND TENRA ������������������������������������������34

SOULGEMS ������������������������������������������������42

CULTURAL ADDENDA: MONEY, TIME, AND

MEASUREMENTS ������������������������������������������46

ARMOUR-RIDERS: DEMONS ON THE BATTLEFIELD ����48

ONMYOJUTSU: THE ART OF TAOIST MAGIC �������������� 59

NO LONGER HUMAN ��������������������������������������64

THE RELIGION OF TENRA ��������������������������������68

POWER THAT CONCEALS WEAKNESS ��������������������80

KONGOHKI �����������������������������������������������83

NINJA AND SHINOBI ��������������������������������������86

THE ULTIMATE EXPRESSION OF ART �������������������� 93

MUSHI-TSUKAI: THE ANNELIDISTS ��������������������� 100

ONI: THE CARETAKERS ��������������������������������� 107

AGENTS: REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PRIESTHOOD ������114

THE AYAKASHI ��������������������������������������������118

WITHIN THE SHADOWS OF TENRA ����������������������121

INDEX ��������������������������������������������������� 129

TENRA BANSHO ZERO original edition

Directed by

Jun'Ichi Inoue

Produced by

Tarot Suzufuki

Game Engine Designed by

Takuji Endo

Edited by

Rasetu Kubota

Research and Development Supervisor

Akio Isoda

Written by

Takuji Endo

Kazuya Taniguchi

Hiroshi Watanabe

Hajime Hatano

Tomoh iro Na k amura

Takumi Morino

Ten Tanaka

Masashi Seiga

Cover and Color Illustrations

Jun'Ichi Inoue

Black and White Illustrations

Jun'Ichi Inoue

Koumei Hazakiri

Taiiku Itoh

Yuuji Shibuya

Hiroyuki Sekida

Rasento Hayami

Rika Suzuki

Chitose Sakura

TENRA BANSHO ZERO: HEAVEN AND

EARTH EDITION

Directed and Produced by

Andy Kitkowski

Translated by

Andy Kitkowski

With Assistance From

Bryan Thogerson

Scott Blow

Ewen Cluney

Keith Perhac

Shawn Burke

Additional Research by

Orie Hiromachi

Andy Kitkowski

Additional Writing by

T.S. Luikart

Andy Kitkowski

Graphic Design and Layout

Luke Crane

Radek Drozdalski

Kyle Lisk

Additional Graphics by

Ben Morgan

Tony Dowler

Mark Quire

Orie Hiromachi

Jose Jimenez

Primary Editors

Grant Chen

Andy Kitkowski

Editing by

Andy Kitkowski

Grant Chen

Adam Dray

Mark Causey

You Burst Into Flame

Matthew Gandy, Quintin Stone, Travis Bryant, JoeyRodgers

Supreme Thanks to

• Everyone at FEAR for their effort and cooperation

• Mark Causey, Orie Hiromachi, Kenneth Peters, Luke

Crane, Jerry Grayson, Jason Morningstar, Guy Shalev,

Konstantinos Rentas, and Craig Judd

• Kei Kitazawa, Sanae Fujisawa and Sho Tomono from Group

SNE for their friendship and constant encouragement of

cross-cultural projects

• The RPG.NET forum fans who have been eagerly following

the translation of this game for years

• The Story Games (www.story-games.com) members

Additional Thanks to

Naoko Kanazawa, Anna Kreider, Jeremie Jozefowiez,

Alexander Newman, Eric Provost, Lisa Provost, Shane

Jackson, Ami Jackson, Kristina Evanouskas, Andrew Morris,

Remi Treuer, Renee Grayson, Steve Yap, Rafael Chandler,

Terry Romero, John Stavropoulos, Mario Dongu, John

Harper, Ralph Mazza, Ryuhei Kitamura, Beth Reid,

Alan Schepers, Mark Roghelia, Jonathan Thompson, Mike

Montesa, Cam Eeles, Fred Hicks, Thor Olavsrud, Steve

Chalfant, Jason Leinen, Emeth, Yoh Kariya, and everyone

who has sat down for a preview play session at my table: At

my house, at GenCon, MACE, Netapp Game Night, and

Camp Nerdly

Tenra Bansho Zero: Tales of Heaven and Earth Edition is

dedicated to my brother from Japan, Satoru Hosono (1973-

2006), without whom I would never have been introduced

to the wonderful world of Japanese-born role-playing games

or the people who play them. I hope you achieved your

namesake.

ENTERBRAIN, INC.

Tenra Bansho: Tales of Heaven And Earth Edition

Carolina, USA

First Printing | Winter 2013 | Printed in China

ISBN: 978-0-9836458-1-8

www.tenra-rpg.com

TRANSLATOR’S

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the world of Tenra. It took me six years

to get here, to put the last bit of punctuation of

the last sentence of this work. I thought I’d have it

done in two. I’d say that this work was a challenge,

having classical examples of nigh-untranslatable

ancient Japanese grammar, constant references and

call-outs to Japanese religion and history, and a

vocabulary that spans more kanji than I thought

I’d ever learn. However, “a challenge” would be an

understatement: This book thoroughly kicked my

ass. I was the Dan vs this book’s Gouki.

In the end, I won, and here it is. The first licensed

Japanese tabletop role-playing game, in English.

When I took on this project, I had a limited

understanding of the rules (basically, I knew how

skill rolls worked), and a simple grasp of the setting.

I picked up the license to Tenra because of its focus,

the “Hyper Japan as Written by Japanese” effect.

The book was pretty. There were a lot of cool-

looking characters I imagined I could play.

As time went on and I got deeper into the book, I

began to realize that I was falling in love with it. I

play a lot of role-playing games, and the lessons that

came from this book, the rules focused on character

backgrounds, personalities and goals, the setup and

scene-focused play, the rewarding of fellow players

for good role-playing... All these elements were

things that I was always searching for in a tabletop

game, I just never knew it until I saw it for myself.

It was sheer luck that they were in this book that I

picked up simply because “It was pretty”.

I was set, I knew enough that I could understand

and run the game, and was well into the translation.

I was in love with the rules, and thought there

would be no problems with bringing the game out

in English. And then I met the author at a cafe

outside of the FEAR, Inc offi ces in downtown

Tokyo. That’s when things started to get interesting.

After meeting with Jun’Ichi Inoue (the author and

primary illustrator of this book) and Tarot Suzufuki

(the president of FEAR, the company which

produced Tenra Bansho and other great Japanese

TRPGs)—both great guys—I started changing

course in the translation of this book. This game

deserved more than a slap translation into English

and then a kick to the presses: It needed to be

more than looked at, it needed to be played. And

to be played, it needed more: More history, more

information, more cultural notes, more everything

in order for people who didn’t grow up in Japan

watching weekly samurai dramas and reading ninja

manga to be able to understand the game enough

to play. So as I was translating the book, I started

adding this “More” myself.

What you now hold is that “More”. This book

contains the contents of the original Japanese Tenra

Bansho Zero rulebook; most of the data from the

game’s supplement “Tenjo Tenge”; and data from

the six mail-order Tenra mini-supplements. It also

includes about 30% more content than the original

book in cultural notes, history, language, advice,

and an entire sample setting prepared in advance

for you to set your early scenarios. Hopefully you’ll

find it enough to get into some exciting role-playing

sessions with your friends.

I picked up this game as a hobby project. One thing

leading into another, and I found myself writing

this introduction six years later. The game is no less

awesome for the wait.

Enjoy. Keep your sword sharp.

TALES OF HEAVEN AND EARTH

This book is not a simple art book, it’s a rulebook

for a tabletop role-playing game.

In this game, you and your friends will take on

the role of characters in the land of Tenra: Heroic

warriors, onmyoji sorcerers, skillful ninja, Buddhist

monks and Shinto priestesses. You will act out

the roles of those characters, telling a story in the

process. Half of this game describes the setting of

TRANSLATOR'S INTRODUCTION

Tenra, which is the stage in which to set the stories:

This is the book you are reading now. The other

half of this game contains the rules needed to play

the game with your friends: That is the rule book.

You’ll create a story by playing the game. Like a

console or computer adventure game, you will

take on the roles of characters, adventure together,

and fight powerful enemies. However, you’ll be

inventing all the character dialogue live as you play:

The twists and turns, the excitement and fun,

the drama and action, will all come from the

creativity of the players.

Read the book, gather some friends, and go create

tales of Heaven and Earth.

HOW READ THIS BOOK

This book set (the Setting and Rules books) is both

a guidebook to the world of Tenra and a book of

rules for playing a game. Unlike normal books, you

will likely not read them from cover to cover, from

start to finish. It is likelier that you will jump from

place to place through the books depending on your

role.

If you plan on facilitating a game of Tenra Bansho

Zero, you are likely going to take on the role of the

Game Master (GM). You should first familiarize

yourself with the colorful introduction of the book.

From there, you should browse through the rules

chapters of the game. Look through the world

section to learn about the world of Tenra. Then

start planning out your first game.

If you plan on playing the game, you should also

familiarize yourself with the colorful introduction

section of the book. After that, browse through the

world section to learn about the setting. Then go

through the character sections, reading deeper into

the character types that interest you. After that,

read through the books at your leisure: Familiarize

yourself with the rules of the game.

Regardless if you are player or GM, keep a finger

on the glossary in the back of the book of rules (in

the other book). If you were to read the book in one

direction, you will be introduced to each unusual

term in their order throughout the book. If you

jump around as above, you’ll need to occasionally

look up the new words you fi nd. Both rules and

setting concepts are covered in the Glossary section

of the rulebook, so reference it if you don’t know

what an Annelidist, Kiai point or Fate roll is.

If you have the time and energy to read both of the

books in their entirety, feel free to do so! However,

you do not need to read either book in full to begin

to play the game.

A NOTE ON JAPANESE

AND ROMANIZATION

There have historically been many attempts to

romanize the Japanese language, and several

standards exist. Rather than staying within the lines

of one standard like Hepburn, Kunrei, Nippon,

or JSL, I used a hybridization of Hepburn as a

baseline (since it focuses on pronunciation), with

a tighter focus on readability and pronunciation:

Using the letter H for some long o sounds in some

places, leaving a single o or u in others if it was

more pleasing to the eyes or ultimately assisted in

pronunciation by English-speakers.

For the casual reader, I hope this hybrid makes the

book easier for you to read. For the linguist irritated

that the romanized Japanese in this book wasn’t

pigeonholed into an existing standardization system,

then sorry: It is this translator’s firm belief that the

existing standards are ass for long written works.

If you study Japanese, and this book lights a fire

in you, I highly recommend buying a copy of the

original Tenra Bansho Zero in Japanese. You’ll find

some cool lingual nuances and playful experiments

and liberties taken by the author.

TENRA, THE

GREAT LAND

In the archaic tongue of the native language of the

world, Tenra means “All the land under heaven”. To

the people of Tenra it simply means “The World”.

Though Tenra is composed of four huge continents

that stretch from East to West, there’s not a large

variance of climate or ecosystem in the land of

Tenra as a whole. There are no known areas that

do not see the same four seasons experienced

everywhere else. The humans that spread across this

vast land come from a single race, and even people

from opposite ends of the known world share—for

the most part—a similar language and culture, as

well as similar customs and backgrounds.

Each of the continents is divided into a number

of geographic regions called provinces (shu in

Japanese), and within those provinces lie numerous

autonomous countries, often referred to as domains.

The domain, also commonly called country or

kingdom, is the largest administrative unit. Each

domain or country has a ruler known as a regent.

Regents are appointed by the Shinto Priesthood

itself, and they govern their domain under their

own discretion. Their official title is “guardian of

the domain”, and they rule their domains in any

manner they please. Under the regents are the

vassal lords who help rule the domain, as well as

the regent’s retainers who maintain order in the

household and the government.

The stories say that the Priesthood controls the

history of Tenra from behind the scenes, but these

stories will always remain rumors, as the Priesthood

never publicly exerts any strong political force in the

open. The regent is the only true, authentic ruler

of their domain.

In ancient times, the Shinto Priesthood of Tenra

prohibited countries from going to war senselessly

with one another. However, long ago, the

Priesthood issued an edict declaring, “All domains

are permitted to resolve conflicts through military

force”. As a direct result of lifting the prohibition

of inter-domain military actions, a state of perpetual

war has existed throughout Tenra for the past 400

years. Because the regents have the authority to

make war, they often exercise that authority to

expand their territories and power. Even now there

is no end of war in sight.

In the name of territory expansion, or simply self-

defense from aggressors (be it true or not), rulers

have been able to increase their war-based resources

as well as develop the technology to aid in their

battles. The results of this state of constant war

are easy to see: Autonomous unmanned killing

machines called kongohki; Mentally controlled and

piloted mobile weapon platforms known as yoroi

armours; Humans with heightened combat

efficiency called samurai and kijin. A world of

endless battles. The land of perpetual feudal war.

Soil ruled by and stained by blood and steel. That is

the world of Tenra.

TOKIWA, THE SOUTHERN CONTINENT

The southern continent is called Tokiwa or The

Land of Fire. It is located at the southernmost

end of Tenra and is known for its yearly torrential

thunderstorms which occur in the summer. It is also

known for the occasional unexplainable, mysterious

artifacts which sometimes wash up upon its shores.

There is no small number of groups that make it

their purpose to find, claim and try to understand

these artifacts. Most of the domains of the southern

continent of Tokiwa are under the influence of the

Priesthood of the Southern Court.

IZUMO, THE WESTERN CONTINENT

The western continent is called Izumo. This land

for some strange reason has more ayakashi (spirits,

monsters, and fey creatures) than other lands in

Tenra. Of particular note is the ancient battle of the

monstrous nine-headed dragon Yamata-no-Orochi

and the great armour known as Susano-O, which

was one of the most regarded historic events in the

land. After the division of the Priesthood in the

wake of the Fall of Jinrai, the Northern Court came

to rule most of the domains of Izumo.

TENRA, THE GREAT LAND

HIDEKAMI, THE EASTERN CONTINENT

The eastern continent is commonly known as

Hidekami. It is a rough land of complicated

geographical features, steep mountains and

deep forests. Because of that, development and

expansion was never as rampant here as in the other

continents. After the division of the Priesthood into

the Northern and Southern Courts, the resident

domains were able to resist and even boycott the

influence of the Priesthood. Domains like Asobe

and Tsuhoka lead the fight to resist the military

and political might of the Priesthood, and they

make use of the nigh-impenetrable geographical

features in their struggle.

YASHIMA, THE CENTRAL CONTINENT

This central continent, known as Yashima, is the

birthplace of all the humans in Tenra. This is

the land where the ancestors of modern Tenrans

descended from the stars. It is the political and

social heart of all Tenra, and the staging ground for

the ongoing internal war of the Shinto Priesthood.

EDO, THE IMPURE LAND

Edo is the Buddhist word for “The Impure Land ”,

and in Tenra refers to the small continent southeast

of Yashima. It is referred to in whispers as, “The

place where all the evil in the world gathers”. This

place was originally a penal colony, but today it has

become a great lawless land occupied by villains

like pirates and bandits. Even the Priesthood can’t

control this land. Since it is a land of total anarchy,

samurai and other warriors sometimes go there for

personal training. Other domains also use Edo for

military experimentation, like the testing of new

armours.

BEFORE THE COLLAPSE

KI-SHU, LAND OF THE ONI

This area is named Ki-shu, or “Land of the Oni ”,

because there are many oni villages there. Most of

the heart engines that circulate Tenra and power

armours are “made” there. There are six domains

in Kishu: Kaira, Kotoshiki, Ryuuko, Kasanagi,

Magatsuno and Kikoku. There is a severe escalating

confrontation between Ryuuko and Kaira; Ryuuko

suppresses the native oni, while Kaira has an open

politic which includes human and oni alike.

RYUURIN-SHU, THE DRAGONSCALE

TERRITORIES

This province is named the Dragonscale Territories

because of a line of mountains that stretches across

it gives the impression of giant, barbed scales. There

are six domains in Ryuurin-shu (Inao, Hakusen,

Iiba, Ouga, Enozu, Torigoe), and each country

is ruled by a regent who has a unique, strong

personality and code of rule. In fact, the regent of

Hakusen, Buren, doesn’t even call himself “regent”.

He does this to refuse acknowledgment of the

control or influence of the Priesthood.

SAIRIN-SHU, THE WESTERN ISLES

Sairin-shu is a collection of island nations, and

consists of six small landmasses: Kotonari, Akito,

Funashi, Momotsu, Nise, and Ikami. Each of these

islands is its own country. Since each country is

separated by the sea, their leaders haven’t been

pushed into a state of war with each other for a

couple hundred years.

NANBOU-SHU, THE IRON RIDGE

Nanbou-shu is a long landmass in the south that

looks like a wedge. This land is also known as the

“The Iron Ridge”. The continent is divided by the

high, treeless peaks of the Kaina mountain range,

which stretch out from the center of the land. There

are eight countries in the Iron Ridge: Tsugumi,

Touga, Utsuro, Igami, Kijikura, Naruhane,

Kanuma, and Tokobuki. This land is a hotbed of

strife and war, and the borders of the countries

are always changing. Utsuro and Naruhane have

started to become the more powerful domains in

the region.

TENRA, THE GREAT LAND

SUNAI-SHU, THE CRADLE

This land of prairies and gentle sloping hills is the

true geographical and political center of Tenra. It

contains important domains like Jinrai (the central

region of the Priesthood), Houga (which houses

the head temple of the great Buddhist Phoenix

Sect) and four other countries: Hinomori, Suma,

Miyasuzu, Takasumi. Though there are not large

scale wars in the Cradle, it doesn’t mean that it is in

a state of peace. It is a political hotspot known for

its conspiracies and schemes.

GI-SHU, THE LAND OF WOE

Surrounded by the sea on three sides, Gi-shu is a

land of mostly forests. This land is made up of five

countries: Suzunari, Miyashino, Kagari, Hakuse,

and Sakahami. It is a political powder keg, and the

most unstable region of Tenra. Though there are no

huge battles happening currently (save for a bloody

civil war in Kagari), the countries of this region are

always in political hot water. The situation in the

Land of Woe is always unstable.

TOU-SHU, THE EASTERN LAND

The Eastern Land is surrounded by the Yaosu

mountain ranges in three directions, and is made

up largely of huge prairies. The domains of Tou-shu

are a little isolated by the mountains from the other

neighboring territories, so there are rarely attacks

into the area from other domains. However, within

the Eastern Land the domains are almost always at

war over new territory and newly discovered mines

of metals, soulgem and scarlet steel. There are four

countries in Tou-shu: Kagari, Kyosen, Migusa and

Togo.

AFTER THE COLLAPSE

THE DRAGONSCALE TERRITORIES

After the fall of the Phantom Star, the domain of

Ouga lost its regent and most of its land. The whole

region was thrown into chaos and civil war. The

Northern Court of the Priesthood made Ouga into

the new seat of their power. Inter-domain wars in

the Ryuurin-shu domains quickly ended when new

regents claimed power over their domains and the

Priesthood stabilized the region. However, peace

never seems to last forever, and there are now signs

of a large war on the horizon. It seems Hakusen is

mobilizing for war, and all other regions save Ouga

and Enotsu are potential targets.

THE WESTERN ISLES

The fall of the Phantom Star completely obliterated

the domains of Nise and Ikami. Other countries

suffered huge amounts of damage from tsunami,

flooding and earthquakes. Momotsu lost half of its

territory, while Kotonari and Funashi became

split in two by the sea. Each country is busy with

reconstruction, inter-domain conflicts and even civil

war. Many assume that it is only a matter of time

before new domains form from the divided islands.

THE IRON RIDGE

Luckily, this region wasn’t directly affected by the

Fall of Jinrai, but the inter-domain wars are getting

worse and spreading all over the land. Public order

and lawlessness is at its worst point ever, with rule

by the sword being the only thing preventing the

region from slipping into total anarchy. Utsuro and

Naruhane are fi ghting each other again and again

in a seemingly endless war of attrition.

THE CRADLE

During the Fall of Jinrai, Kirai, Miyasuzu and

Houga, once the centers of culture and society in

Tenra, were completely annihilated. The north

half of the region sank into the Soratsuzumi Sea.

The former domain of Hinomori was renamed

New Jinrai, as the Priesthood’s Southern Court

moved to this location and made it the new base of

the Priesthood. There are currently wars between

the domains of the Cradle and the Dragonscale

Territories over the islands left between them in the

Soratsuzumi Sea.

TENRA, THE GREAT LAND

THE LAND OF WOE

The Fall of Jinrai did not particularly affect this

region, but the original domestic disputes and inter-

domain rivalries continue as they did before. The

civil wars in Kagari ended shortly after the Phantom

Star fell to the earth.

THE EASTERN LAND

The domain of Kagari in Tou-shu (not to be

confused with the similarly named domain of

Kagari in Gi-shu) and the border between the

Eastern Land and the Oni Lands sank into the sea

with the impact of the Phantom Star. The Phoenix

Buddhist sect claimed political power in the

shattered country of Togo and moved the head

temple of their order there.

THE LAND OF THE ONI

The former domain of Kikoku was destroyed during

the Makuu Nindo Revolt. A new Kikoku formed

from its ashes, a country ruled by and for the oni

people. Ryuuko is currently attempting to invade

Kikoku in order to cleanse it of the oni, and these

two domains are always at war. Kaira is currently

supporting Kikoku.

TENRA, THE GREAT LAND

A TIMELINE OF TENRAN EVENTS (IMPERIAL YEAR 2555 TO 2744)

Dynasty Year Month Event

Keishin 6 2555 1st Month The ayakashi Yamata-no-Orochi appears in the

Eastern Continent. The yoroi great armour Bloodfire

is completed with the aid of the wandering armour-

crafter, Sumeragi-no-Amatsu Okifune

10th Month Yamata-no-Orochi falls at the hands of yoroi operators

Randou Touta and Aida Tsukasa

Keishin 12 2561 8th Month The colossal gun battery Exterminator is used to

defend Ashiro Castle

Keishin 31 2580 3rd Month Year One of the Chishin Dynasty. Emperor Keishin

dies

Chishin 10 2590 4th Month 40 defectors attempt to leave the Priesthood, but are

secretly deposed

Chishin 22 2602 10th Month The Priesthood bestows the Castle of Ash to the

domain of Miyashino as their seat of power

Chishin 30 2610 6th Month The Bright Lotus sect of Buddhism announces its

separation from the Phoenix sect

Chishin 45 2625 3rd Month Year One of the Shoshin Period. Emperor Chishin

dies

Shoshin 15 2640 9th Month Year One of the Washin Period. Emperor Shoshin dies

Washin 10 2650 10th Month Yoroi armour crafter Tsurube Kenan dies

Washin 11 2651 3rd Month The Oni Rebellion of Kouhou begins

Washin 12 2652 4th Month The Massacre of the Kingdom of Inao occurs

9th Month Yoroi craftsman and Shinto Priest Redo Kensune

presents his Manja-Raka, a 40 meter tall great

armour, inviting both praise and criticism throughout

the domains of Tenra

Washin 14 2654 10th Month Asagimaru the Hunter disappears

12th Month Miyashino’s Regent, Shingai Shuuzen, dies. His

nephew, Sukemaru, takes his place

Washin 15 2655 3rd Month Serpent-Wolf clan warlord Saki-tatsuya is captured in

the Tsutaka region of the domain of Kyousen

5th Month Saigetsu Hayao (Childhood name Hebimaru), uses

the armour Omega Dragon to free Saki-tatsuya

from Tsutaka Prison in Isuzu

7th Month Sunami becomes a vassal lord. Gamou Doan, 28th

generation Phoenix abbot, moves their headquarters

to the domain of Togo. “A darkness comes here to

Tomoka from which we cannot hide”

8th Month Katou Yasosuke, also known as Birdman, disappears

9th Month Tactician Zen Kouin of the domain of Kagari

disappears while offering tribute at Mount Jinrai

TENRA, THE GREAT LAND

Dynasty Year Month Event

11th Month Buren of Hakusen is betrayed by his trusted retainer

on the way to an exhibition for new kugutsu. He

escapes to safety with the power of the Spirit Sword of

Takefutsu

12th Month The oni monk Makuu Nindo interfaces with the Girl-

Who-Dreams, and the Makuu Nindo Revolt begins.

Mt. Kannabi (“mountain where the kami reside”)

appears in the domain of Hinomori overnight. The

Bridge of Heaven, a silvery bridge which extended

from the capital of Jinrai to the heavens, collapses.

The Phantom Star, actually a piece of the Bridge of

Heaven, falls and destroys Jinrai. Massive dust clouds

from the fall cover Tenra and marks the beginning

of the Two Month Night, an event which silences all

Sha-powered equipment and magic. Refugees from

the Central Continent begin to migrate into the

province of Nanbou, the area affected least by the Fall

of Jinrai. The domain of Kousen, taking advantage

of the chaos, invades and acquires the kingdom of

Kagari. Relatively weak ayakashi collectives known

as spirit packs begin to appear throughout Tenra,

perhaps drawn to populated areas by growing fears of

commoners

Washin 16 2656 1st Month Year One of the Genshi Daigo Period. The Phoenix

Buddhist sect is given governance of the domain

of Togo and changes the Japanese characters in

Togo from “Beacon of Enlightenment” to “The

Enlightenment of the East” to symbolize the change.

Th e Southern Court of the Priesthood announces

its return on Mount Kannabi in the domain of

Hinomori and changes its name to New Jinrai. The

Northern Court of the Priesthood announces its

restoration and constructs Genshikyo, a floating castle

(around 30 square km) in the kingdom of Ouga.

Empress Genshi Daigo, a young girl around 13, shows

herself to the public without a mask, which is the first

time in history an emperor or empress showed his or

her face in public. Sunami becomes regent

TENRA, THE GREAT LAND

Dynasty Year Month Event

2nd Month The Kikoku War begins its final campaign. All

across Tenra, all shiki spirits temporarily lose their

power: This affects all armours, kongohki, samurai

transformations and shinobi powers. All floating

castles fall beginning with the Castle of Ash in

Miyashino, but Genshikyo is spared this fate.

Regents and leaders all over Tenra lose much of their

power due to ever increasing inter-domain wars

throughout Tenra: Some attempt to make land grabs

while others are further weakened. Due to the

temporary dispelling of shiki, many samurai and

shinobi lose their lives on the battlefield. Shiki spirit

power returns and immediately thereafter a gigantic

wedge-shaped object carrying the symbol of the

Priesthood, the battleship Yamato-Takeru, is sighted

in the sky over the domain of Ki. The Two Month

Night ends. The Northern Court begins to reveal

methods to manufacture soul mirrors and supporting

technology to the various domains. Mass production

of inferior quality meikyo, now known popularly as

kimenkyo (mechanical mirrors), begin

3rd Month Meikyo/kimenkyo crafting as a profession is born.

The Phoenix sect Buddhist monk named Immovable

West (Sairoku) becomes the first professional crafter.

4th Month Using the technological knowledge provided by

the Northern Court (namely surgical techniques,

anatomy, and antiseptics), the Furaei Institute—the

Taoist Sorcery institute in Ouga—begins experiments

to give humans the supernatural power found in the

native oni people. This makes possible the surgical

techniques necessary for the development of kijin

technology

TENRA, THE GREAT LAND

Dynasty Year Month Event

5th Month Armour craftsman Redo Kensune, supported by the

Northern Court, publishes his Laws for Machine

Enhancement Surgeryfor the standardization of

the creation of yoroi armours and kongohki. The

Makuu and Kikoku armies engage in their final

battle, the Battle of Flowing Grass: During this

battle, the Makuu army unleashes the Zedaishu, an

elite army of oni and half-oni, who use their unique

Resonance-based sword fighting techniques to easily

defeat the Kikoku army. The Makuu Nindo Revolt

ends and Makuu Nindo himself gains rulership of

Kikoku, which becomes “The Land of the Oni”.

The pictographic characters that make up Kikoku’s

name are changed from “Oni’s Lament” to “Oni’s

Revelation”

10th Month Th e domain of Kazanagi aquires the land of

neighboring Gaira and begins salvage work in the

Soranotsuzu Sea, created by the collapse of the Bridge

of Heaven. The trading city of Tsushima is established

as the salvaging base of operations

Washin 17 | Genshi

Daigo 3

2657 3rd Month Motowa and Iritera become meikyo crafters. Master

Raiden, a former yoroi armour pilot from Shimagoe

known as “The Scarlet Lightning Bolt”, is selected

as one of the first 20 operators for the newly mass-

produced “Crusher” kimen armours (Today, Raiden is

a Bright Lotus monk named Matsusaka Raidou)

5th Month Th e colossal bridge called “The Great Urato Bridge”

is constructed in one night

11th Month Inao domain tactician Yoribe Hyouzen, with his goal

of creating a troop of immortal soldiers, creates

the elite “Red Wind Army”. The scientization and

institutionalization of Taoist Sorcery begins. Various

schools and factions of Taoist Sorcery become more

specialized as they focus on particular techniques and

methods

Washin 18 | Genshi

Daigo 4

2658 2nd Month The kugutsu maker Kikka Yorimasa from the domain

of Kagari creates the world ’s first line of kugutsu

specifically designed to operate meikyo. They are

called “Interfacers” and the first one was named

Magatama. While the abilities of a yoroi armour

with an Interfacer at the helm are greatly increased,

the bonds between the armour and Interfacers can

become so strong they both eventually became unable

to operate separately from one another

TENRA, THE GREAT LAND

Dynasty Year Month Event

3rd Month Th e naval battle between the Northern and Southern

Courts over the Great Urato Bridge intensifies

8th Month Yoroi armour craftsman Nakato Enkai of Kotoshiki

creates a stable flight mechanism. Koyama Uchiie’s

“Thunderstorm” becomes the first armour to have

instruments installed providing the armour with

continuous flight. Taoist Sorcerer Kuuchi Enkai of

Naruhane, with gunsmith Fujikura Tessai, create the

massive rocket named “Heaven’s Guard ” which they

use to launch the kongohki Thunderfire into space.

Thunderfire safely escapes the atmosphere, and many

of its observations were recorded, such as “It’s hard

to believe that this great sphere is Tenra...”, “I can see

lands south of the Southern Continent”, and “A boat

of some kind is floating in the black sky”, but it soon

disappeared without a trace

9th Month Sandou Anna, leader of the Oni Zedaishu order, bears

2 children, Ryuuki and Suzuhime

10th Month Zen Kouin, backed by the Northern Court, becomes

regent of the domain of Kagari

12th Month In Kaira, the soul of the great leader Retsudou is

inserted into the meikyo of a kongohki-tiger named

Fang-of-Lightning. Sandou Anna, lured into studying

the corrupt forms of the oni resonance powers,

disappears and Ryuuki and Suzuhime are each

adopted by different parents

Washin 20 | Genshi

Daigo 5

2260 4th Month In the domain of Kanuma, the Bright Lotus

Insurrection—a lay movement—seizes power of the

Bright Lotus Buddhist sect. The Cleansing War

breaks out between the domain of Ryuuko and the

Kaira-Kikoku United Front

7th Month Hisomi Deigan dies by the hand of Makuuu Nindo.

The Cleansing War ends with the domain of Kikoku

winning. Ryuuko now falls under the jurisdiction

of Kikoku, and for all practical purposes, Ryuuko

becomes a vassal state of Kikoku. Eba Reikisai, an oni

who lost his horn, becomes the new regent of Ryuuko

Washin 21 | Genshi

Daigo 6

2261 9th Month The Naruwa War breaks out between the domains of

Sakahami and Kagari

TENRA, THE GREAT LAND

Dynasty Year Month Event

10th Month Kaira makes Tsushima an independent free trade

city and power over city is handed over to a wealthy

merchant group called the Shining Wisteria

Association. Misura, a monotheistic, messianic

religion that emphasizes the equality and freedom of

all humanoids (including oni), is founded. The

founder of Misura is unknown but it is thought to be

a human adaption of oni religion, originating

somewhere in the south. The Northern Court and

warlords attempt to suppress Misura but rather

than oppressing the religion, the Sourthern Court

tolerates it, at least in Kikoku

Washin 22 | Genshi

Daigo 7

2662 2nd Month The Last Dance War breaks out between the domains

of Inao and Iiba

3rd Month Th e Red Wind Army fi ghts numerous battles in

Harumi and Miyoi and their ferocious fi ghting style

earns them the names Blood Demons and Vampires

4th Month Th e Naruwa War ends with Kagari losing half of its

territory

9th Month Th e Red Wind Army is completely wiped out in

Sugi-hazama. The Last Dance War ends with Inao

gaining only a small portion of land

10th Month Yoroi rider Kubi Kiriko appears in Ushima, which is

one of the salvage bases at the Soranotsuzu Sea.

Northern Court backed regent Zen Kouin commits

suicide, causing the domain of Kagari to once

again fall into civil war

Washin 30 | Genshi

Daigo 15

2670 8th Month Year One of the Genshi Hazukan Dynasty. Northern

Court Empress Genshi Daigo dies. Buren dies of an

illness (stomach cancer). Trusted retainer Mashira

Hideyoshi is appointed regent but never actually takes

the title of regent, instead calling himself an advisor.

Washin 35 | Genshi

Hakuzan 5

2675 3rd Month The Kantoba War begins with Kaira declaring war

on the oni nation of Kikoku. Dansu Heidatsu, a

black-masked man calling himself the Cloaked

Lord, is called to Kaira to serve as their tactician.

Sandou Ryuuki, Mada Rasuo and Nakabe Maka

rescue Suzuhime of Kikoku from the hands of Dansu

Heidatsu

8th Month Dansu Heidatsu is killed by Sandou Ryuuki (son of

Sandou Anna) of the Zedaishu. The Kantoba War

ends with Kaira losing only a small portion of land

TENRA, THE GREAT LAND

Dynasty Year Month Event

Washin 38 | Genshi

Hakuzan 8

2678 1st Month Mashira Hideyoshi dies of diabetes and leaves his son

to take his place. Takeshina Yasuie, the guardian of

Hideyoshi’s son, seizes power and prevents Tadaharu’s

ascension

Washin 45 | Genshi

Hakuzan 15

2685 1st Month Bright Lotus believers in the domain Kanuma are

excommunicated

3rd Month The Bright Lotus sect in Kanuma are overthrown by

the former regent and their 25 year rule of the domain

comes to an end

Washin 51 | Genshi

Hakuzan 21

2691 2nd Month The Clear Wind War between the domains Kotoshiki

and Iiba begins

9th Month Fang of Lightning, a kongohki of Kaira, goes missing

during a mission and has not been seen since

Washin 55 | Genshi

Hakuzan 25

2695 3rd Month The Clear Wind War ends when the ancient relic they

were fighting over disappears in the middle

of the final battle. Both sides suffer equal losses

9th Month The number of salvagers looking for the “Five Colored

Dragon” suddenly increases

Washin 63 | Genshi

Hakuzen 33

2073 2nd Month Year One of the Genshi Yousen Dynasty

Northern Court emperor Genshi Hakuzan dies

Washin 64 | Genshi

Yousen 2

2704 1st Month Year One of the Seishin Dynasty

Southern Court emperor Washin dies

Seishin 4 | Genshi

Yousen 6

2708 7th Month The Pankou, blond haired, green-eyed nomads,

arrive in former Bunashi domain in Sairin province.

They claim it for themselves and rename the domain

“Yuuen”

Seishin 5 | Genshi

Yousen 7

2709 8th Month Year One of the Genshi Houshi Period. Northern

Court emperor, Genshi Yousen, dies after seven

years of rule

Seishin 9 | Genshi

Houshi 4

2713 5th Month The Batou Rebellion begins in the domain of

Kotoshiki

9th Month Long retired doll maker Shou-un announces the

creation of Longmoon, the 9th kugutsu of his

“Princesses of December” model line

Seishin 11 | Genshi

Houshi 6

2715 10th Month The Batou Rebellion is suppressed and the leader of

the rebellion Batou Kyouma disappears

Seishin 23 | Genshi

Houshi 18

2727 2nd Month The yoroi of Kubi Kiriko washes up on the shore of

Seirin trading port with her frozen dead body still

inside

Seishin 37 | Genshi

Houshi 33

2742 6th Month Yoroi crafter Redo Kensune announces his newest

creation, an armour named Violet Sunflower.

Hedisappears shortly after

TENRA, THE GREAT LAND

Dynasty Year Month Event

Seishin 38 | Genshi

Houshi 34

2742 5th Month Year One of the Genshi Shuntoku Dynasty

Northern Court emperor, Genshi Houshi, dies

10th Month Southern Court emperor Seishin falls ill and is

confined to bed

Seishin 40 | Genshi

Shuntoku 2

2744 1st Month Year One of the unified Nagara Dynasty. Southern

Court emperor Seishin finally relinquishes power to

Prince Nagara of the Northern Court and the reign of

the Southern Court comes to an end

BUT WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

This is just a sampling of two hundred years in the history of one version of the world of Tenra, filled

with a bewildering number of events, only very roughly explained (if at all). Within each line, hidden

in each date, are stories to be told and adventures to be had. Feel free to use these events as the basis of

your own games of Tenra Bansho. Never be afraid to change the history, or add your own events, and

make the world your own.

SACRED AND

INVIOLATE, THE

PRIESTHOOD IS

IMPENETRABLE

Simply hearing the name of the Shinto Priesthood

is sufficient to ward off curiosity; the average

inhabitant of Tenra will make no attempt to

inquire further, as they know comprehending the

Priesthood is impossible. No attempts at resistance

are made, either, as they know that defying the

Priesthood is likewise impossible. The Priesthood

is the keeper of the most advanced technology on

Tenra, and the shadow ruler of the world.

The Priesthood’s realm Jinrai was located in Tenra’s

central province of Sunai-shu. The Priesthood

built their capital on the outskirts of the Great

Takamagahara Forest, at the foot of Tenra’s

largest mountain Mount Jinrai. Here the Shinto

dynasty was able to fend offall foreign invaders for

generations.

The Priesthood granted the use of meikyo soul

mirrors—one facet of Priesthood technology—to

the regents, the outward rulers of Tenra. Using their

unsurpassed technology as leverage, the Priesthood

historically control the flow and spread of warfare

across Tenra.

However, none are immune to the passage of time,

and even the monolithic Priesthood has experienced

dramatic change.

In the fifteenth year of the Washin dynasty,

Mount Jinrai—the symbol of the Priesthood—

collapsed, annihilating the capital city completely.

Additionally, the fall of a heavenly body called the

Phantom Star destroyed the entire northern half

of Sunai-shu. There were no survivors of the

country once called Jinrai; it had been replaced

by an immense sea that came to be known as

Soratsuzumi, the Sea Which Touches the Heavens.

All thought that the Priesthood had been destroyed.

None could have escaped such devastation... Or

could they? This faint, nagging suspicion was

confirmed soon enough when the Priesthood rose

again.

The Priesthood had changed unmistakably,

however, emerging from the apocalypse as two

separate entities: A Northern Court and a Southern

Court. A new era had begun—the Age of the

Northern and Southern Courts.

THE NORTHERN COURT

THE OPEN PRIESTHOOD

After the destruction of the Sunai province by the

impact of the Phantom Star, the sky above Tenra’s

central continent was choked with sand and dust for

two whole months, blocking the sun’s rays entirely.

When the Two Month Night (as this period came

to be known) ended early in the 16th year of the

Washin dynasty, the Priesthood ’s Northern Court

announced its birth loudly and clearly.

A floating castle appeared in the sky above the

northern wastelands in the domain of Ouga in the

Ryuurin-shu province. The Priesthood proclaimed

its return, naming its airborne capital Genshikyo,

and announcing the accession of new empress

Genshi Daigo. This day went down in history as the

first ever public appearance of a Priesthood emperor

or empress.

Until then, the Priesthood had become inseparably

identified with the masks constantly worn by

its members. Seeing the face of a high-ranking

member of the Shinto Priesthood was a heretofore

unthinkable event, but on that day the new ruler

of the Priesthood revealed herself to be a charming

young girl, her features uncovered and exposed to

the world.

The surprises continued. Empress Genshi Daigo

announced the establishment of a new “open”

Shinto Priesthood, promising an end to the

pervasive secrecy. She was true to her word,

revealing the knowledge behind the manufacture of

meikyo. Until that point, it was the most jealously

guarded of the Priesthood’s technological marvels.

In the past, the regents—the kings and rulers of the

domains of Tenra—had desperately sent messengers

to the Priesthood, hoping to snatch up the few

meikyo the capricious Priesthood saw fit to bestow

upon them. Now, however, the secrets of meikyo

production were available to everyone (with some

unpredictable results).

People were about to learn that changes in the

Shinto Priesthood mean changes in Tenra society.

Or perhaps the essentials remained unchanged after

all. The Northern Court never revealed the entirety

of its knowledge and technology, and Tenra’s wars

continued unabated. In fact, the chaos escalated,

with war breaking out between regents loyal to the

Northern Court and those who owe their allegiance

to the Southern Court.

TECHNOLOGY REVEALED

It goes without saying that, of the technological

knowledge made available by the Northern Court,

the single most inf luential was that pertaining to

the manufacture of meikyo soul mirrors. With every

country now able to create their own, the quantity

of meikyo possessed by each nation increased

exponentially.

Unfortunately, the quality and capabilities of

meikyo created by outsiders pales in comparison to

those manufactured in secret by the Priesthood. It is

for this reason that non-Priesthood meikyo are

called kimenkyo (mechanical mirrors), to

distinguish them from their superior cousins.

The exact reasons for the difference in performance

between meikyo and kimenkyo are unknown. It

could be that outsiders simply do not possess the

necessary ability and experience to create high-

quality meikyo. Or, perhaps the Northern Court

has simply seen fit to withhold some core knowledge

pertaining to meikyo manufacture.

According to the available lore, a meikyo consists of

a mirror-like polished disc inlaid with countless gold

designs, appearing much the same as the old bronze

polished mirrors that are often found in old Shinto

shrines. It is important that the disc is as flat and

its surface as free of distortion as possible. However,

few craftsmen are up to the task, and this may be a

major reason for the difference in quality. When a

secret analysis of a Priesthood meikyo was carried

out it was discovered that both the slimness of

the inlaid gold lines, the density of the patterns

inscribed, and the complexity of the patterns

themselves were beyond anything the craftsmen

had seen before. As it is, painstakingly engraving

patterns of golden wire into the mirrored surface

demands both an incredible amount of

craftsmanship as well as time, with a single

kimenkyo requiring months to complete.

The engineers who manufacture kimenkyo have

become known as crafters, and they have devoted

their lives to honing their skills, creating more

accurate meikyo copies. Assuming the Priesthood

truly has revealed the entirety of their meikyo

knowledge, the day they accomplish their goal may

yet arrive.

Despite being clearly inferior to meikyo, the

capabilities of kimenkyo are sufficient enough. And

unlike the priceless, rare meikyo, kimenkyo may be

mass-produced—albeit not easily—assuming the

necessary ingredients and craftsmen are available.

In the same manner as a meikyo, it is possible for a

user to merge with a kimenkyo and connect their

soul to it. While there will be some difference in

performance, kimenkyo can also be used in the

creation of Armour and kongohki. These so-called

Kimen-Armour and Kimen-Kongohki may not be

as individually capable as those using meikyo, but

they have made up for the performance gap in sheer

numbers. The advent of kimen armour and kimen

kongohki has had a drastic effect on the way war is

waged on Tenra. Now that kimenkyo have become

widely available, many are attempting to find

alternative uses for the technology, especially in the

realm of Onmyojutsu.

After the Northern Court revealed the

secrets of the technology, it ceased supplying the

regents with meikyo, causing their price to soar.

However, meikyo mirrors themselves have not

become completely scarce; the existent meikyo were

not confi scated, the Southern Court continues to

release new meikyo to loyal regents, and trade of

meikyo mirrors hidden from the watchful gaze of

the Northern Court continues. Incidentally, with

the introduction of kimen armour and kongohki,

the price of soulgems, the other vital component,

has also sky rocketed.

The mechanized soldiers known as kijin—a recent

bat-tlefield innovation—are also due to the

Northern Court’s technology, albeit indirectly.

Rhere had been several attempts at replacing human

organs and limbs with mechanical parts using

onmyojutsu (the art of sorcery), but success had

proved elusive until the onmyojutsu guild in Ouga

incorporated the knowledge of physiology and

anesthesia granted by the Priesthood. While their

research into human soulgem implantation hit a

dead end, they made kijin mechanization possible.

After that, as a byproduct of the Northern Court’s

yoroi armour and kongohki standardization edict,

reliable kijin technology became available to rulers

throughout Tenra almost immediately.

It is important to note that the Northern Court

has not unveiled the secrets behind all known

Priesthood technology, and while the ruined capital

of Jinrai may lie at the bottom of the Soratsuzumi

sea, many of the meikyo and other technological

marvels it holds are still intact.

Several salvage outposts have been established

along the coast of the Soratsuzumi, and recovery

The kimenkyo and drive shafts used by

armour and kongohki are constructed with a

type of ultradense metal called scarlet steel.

The market prices of soulgems and scarlet

steel continue to skyrocket, with no decline in

sight.

operations are underway. Strangely, the Northern

Court has done absolutely nothing to block or

limit this non-Priesthood salvage. The Southern

Court has strictly forbidden the recovery of sunken

Priesthood technology. Wary of letting the North-

allied regents corner the market on recovered loot,

salvage missions by vassals of the Southern Court

are conducted in secret.

The largest Soratsuzumi salvage outpost is a city

called Tsushima in the country of Kaira. Originally

intended as a simple port of trade, the rapid influx

of treasure-hunting speculators has lent the city an

unusual atmosphere. Built on reclaimed land with

very little planning or zoning, the island city has

become a veritable labyrinth, with the lay of the

land confusing even longtime residents. Many

locals live aboard ships as well, making Kaira regent

Tamiki Soujou’s reign a tenuous one at best.

While none compare in size to Tsushima,

similar outposts dot the Soratsuzumi coastline.

Government recovery operations are carried out, but

civilian salvage is both more common and larger in

scale. Those who actually dive into the ocean and

carry out the salvage are called Digger Clans

(Moguri-Ya), and they sell the recovered treasures to

dealers who operate in a way similar to black-market

fences. The final purchasers of salvaged goods are

generally the fief rulers or regents that created the

outpost, and transporting such items outside of the

domain without permission is strictly prohibited.

However, with rulers of distant realms desperate

to obtain such treasure and willing to pay a

much higher price than legal clients, smuggling

The difference in performance between

meikyo and kimenkyo is represented in the

rules by the presence or absence of a “meikyo

bonus,” which provides bonus dice to actions.

Kimenkyo do not accumulate karma, and

therefore armour and kongohki utilizing

kimenkyo may not apply a meikyo modifier

to their attributes. See the rules section for

more details.

is rampant. Among the diggers, rumor has it that

the parties offering the best prices are none other

than the Northern and Southern Priesthoods. Most

transport is handled via sea-lanes, and the smugglers

have also become known in local parlance as

Crossers in local slang.

The majority of recovered items are so damaged as

to be of no practical use, however small items in

reasonably good shape tend to fetch prices of tens of

ryo, and the sky is the limit for larger intact objects.

Some salvaged material is completely unidentifiable,

but weapons such as firearms and swords are

relatively frequently recovered and sell favorably on

the market. These weapons do not require bullets

or gunpowder and also possess greater destructive

power than their non-Priesthood equivalents.

Priesthood armour and kongohki are especially in

demand, and even if he sells it through legal

avenues, the lucky diver who manages to recover

one of these can expect to earn enough money to

finance several hundred years’ worth of luxurious

living.

THE SOUTHERN COURT

THE PRIESTHOOD WHICH REMAINS

CLOSED

The other branch of the Priesthood is the Southern

Court, which has established its stronghold New

Mount Jinrai just south of the province of Sunai-shu

in the country originally called Hinomori (renamed

Jinrai by the Southern Court). The Southern Court

continues to revere and serve Washin, the emperor

of the pre-disaster Priesthood, and consider the

North’s Empress Genshi Daigo a reviled usurper.

Additionally, it was outsiders who named the

factions the “Northern Court” and “Southern

Court”; the so-called Southern Court simply refers

to itself as “The Priesthood”.

Unlike the progressive, “open” Northern Court,

the Southern Court operates in exactly the

same manner as the original Shinto Priesthood:

Forbidding outsider intrusion in the region

surrounding Jinrai, outlawing accurate mapmaking

and the analysis and production of meikyo, and

continuing the age-old taboo of impersonating

Priesthood members. Even despite the loss of Mount

Jinrai, the Southern Court appears not to have been

affected by the disaster. They are now as the

Priesthood was before.

On the central continent, the remaining lower half

of the province Sunai-shu as well as the provinces

of Gi-shu, Tou-shu, and Nanbou-shu are under

the control of the Southern Court. The Northern

Court, on the other hand, counts Sairin-shu,

Ryuurin-shu, and Ki-shu (with the exception of

the oni nation of Kikoku) as its own territory. The

Soratsuzumi Sea can be thought of as the border

between the two Priesthoods’ domains. The Eastern

Continent is loyal to the Northern Court, while the

Southern Court rules the Western and Southern

Continents.

The Southern Court’s stronghold, New Mount

Jinrai, was initially called Mount Kannabi.

Appearing literally overnight in the period

immediately preceding the Phantom Star impact,

this unnaturally smooth silver peak, like a

half-buried sphere, is thought to have been an

underground Priesthood facility.

The Southern Court vehemently opposes the North

’s handling of Priesthood technology, and it imposes

strict sanctions—both directly and indirectly—on

those regents who dare attempt to research or utilize

this technology. They are especially opposed to the

production and use of kimenkyo. Some regents

attempted to secede from Southern control through

the use of large quantities of kimenkyo imported

from the North. The revolts were crushed, however,

when the Southern Court revealed its ability to

simply deactivate kimenkyo during battle.

The Southern Court is not completely unreasonable,

however; it grants a relatively large number of

meikyo technologies like soul mirrors, armours and

kongohki to loyal regents in the border territories

so as to guard against the North’s mass-produced

kimenkyo.

SHRINE MAIDENS AND

PRIESTS

THE PRIESTHOOD OUTSIDE THE

PRIESTHOOD

The Priesthood is divided into a hierarchy of ranks

and led by the emperor. All Priesthood members

of the rank Kakari and higher are required to wear

masks, and they rarely appear in public. While

Empress Genshi Daigo is an unusual case, showing

one’s face is absolutely forbidden, and this restriction

holds true for both Northern and Southern Courts.

However, not all Priesthood members spend their

lives cloistered away in the fortresses of New Mount

Jinrai in the Southern Court or Genshikyo in the

Northern Court. Some members of the clergy are

recruited from the general populace, and others

born to the Priesthood are selected to live among

the people of Tenra. These agents belong to the

lowest rank, Taira, and are generally referred to as

onshi or priests if male, and miko or shrine maidens

if female.

The agents known as Shinto priests are typically

commoners ceremonially inducted into the

Priesthood, and their role is to visit regions without

shrines selling productive amulets and conducting

rituals. They are frequently called upon to

administer at weddings, and they sometimes

are hired to summon rain to drought-afflicted

farmlands. Establishing shrines in new villages is

another important task handled by the onshi. As

traveling agents of the Priesthood, onshi are granted

complete freedom of movement. Onshi carry an

official pass that allows them to cross through any

border or checkpoint in Tenra, and regents and fief-

holders are absolutely forbidden to harass or hinder

Shinto priests in any way, no matter whether

their loyalty lies with the Northern Court or the

Southern Court. The masks worn by onshi are

small, concealing only the area around the eyes,

and under certain circumstances it is permissible for

them to reveal their faces.

Miko, also known as shrine maidens, are priestesses

who work at local shrines, helping with ceremonies

One of the major duties of a priest or shrine

maiden is to travel the land, finding villages

without shrines, and reporting back to the

Priesthood. In this war-torn era not even

shrines are immune to the devastation of

battle. After contacting the Priesthood,

their next task is to establish a shrine. They

receive a holy relic from an established Shinto

Priest of rank Kakari or above, and enlist the

aid of the local residents or feudal ruler in

erecting the building. Once the shrine has

been constructed, the relic is housed inside

and activated via a number of rituals and

ceremonies.

and rituals. They are often recruited from the village

where the shrine stands. They are experienced with

handling meikyo mirrors and the en-shrined

holy relics, and some miko even pilot the great

mechanized yoroi armours. Female agents who work

as their male counterparts do, traveling from place

to place, are usually called “wandering miko”.

It is possible for Taira-ranked Shinto agents to be

promoted to higher levels, and there have even been

three recorded cases of commoners rising to the elite

echelons of the Priesthood.

PRIESTHOOD RANKS AND SKILL

LEVELS

Priesthood ranks are tied to skill levels. For

example, Agents of Taira rank may not raise

their Shinto skill above Skilled level (2)

without the GM’s permission. Additionally

the Kiai Skill Boost effect may not be used to

increase the Shinto rating in regards to rank.

This rule applies equally to both Northern

Court and Southern Court Agents.

Kakari Rank—Advanced

Agents possessing a Shinto level of 3 are

Kakari-ranked members of the Priesthood,

replacing their eye mask with a larger one

that covers their whole face. Kakari-ranked

Agents are generally assigned a single shrine.

They handle a greater amount of sensitive

information and are held to high standards of

secrecy. Agents ranked Kakari and above are

expected to gladly devote 90% of both their

income and time to serving the Priesthood.

Those unwilling to make this sacrifice will

not be promoted to this level.

Ka Rank—Master

Agents with a Shinto skill of 4 are considered

Ka-ranked members of the Priesthood. Ka

rank Agents almost never appear in public,

and even then they usually only interact with

regents and other members of the elite class.

They have the power to summon Priesthood

kongohki.

Bu Rank—Special

Those with Shinto rated at 5 are Bu-ranked

Agents. Among the Priesthood, Bu rank

Agents are treated as Kami themselves, and

their word is considered the very voice of the

Emperor.

TRANSCENDENT

TECHNOLOGY

Humans reached Tenra from elsewhere, and the

Priesthood is known to have already existed at the

point in time in which the first human stepped

upon the land. While the origins of the Priesthood

itself are obscure, the Imperial Chronicles they keep

(spanning over 2600 years to date) are the definitive

history of mankind’s activities in Tenra.

Some theorize that the Priesthood alone crossed

the oceans and invaded Tenra, and that all

non-Priesthood humans were Tenra’s original

inhabitants. However, this theory is contradicted by

oni folklore. If the oni are correct, then all humans

are in fact descendants of the Priesthood, and their

powerful technology once belonged to all mankind.

It is unknown how the Priesthood came to

monopolize this technology, but there is no denying

that this control has allowed them to become the

undisputed rulers of Tenra.

The Priesthood is a force to be reckoned with, and

their power stems from their advanced technology.

Most technology available in Tenra is founded in

onmyodo(Taoist magical knowledge, practiced

by onmyoji) and utilizes the magical gossamer-

like power that enshrouds Tenra known as Sha.

However, despite their unrivaled command of all

onmyoji-related matters, the Priesthood does not

appear to value such knowledge very highly. The

reason for this is that the majority of the technology

the Priesthood guards most jealously does not

involve the native sha force of Tenra and is, in fact,

completely different from the technology developed

on Tenra.

The true extent of the Priesthood ’s technological

might is easy to imagine when one considers the fact

that their original stronghold, Mount Jinrai, was an

immense floating mountain topped with a bridge

that literally extended into the heavens. The

Priesthood also possesses great flying battleships

(such as the ones used during the Makuu Nindo

Revolt) and fearsome kongohki robots capable of

such devastation that they put the standard models

to shame. As if that were not enough, agents of the

Priesthood can use their Shinto magic to call down

lightning and stars from the heavens. These marvels

are but a small part of the technology hoarded by

the Priesthood.

The Shinto Priesthood are feared and avoided by all.

But despite having enough power to easily take over

the world, they seem to prefer exercising their power

indirectly through control of the regents, acting as

the shadow rulers of Tenra. What could their aim

be? Certainly not to unify or bring peace to Tenra.

A deep analysis of the Priesthood’s actions shows

that they have done nothing but aggravate the chaos

and bloodshed sweeping Tenra.

Perhaps maintaining this state of warfare and

confusion is their goal. If someone were to unite the

nations of Tenra, they would have power rivaling

that of the Priesthood. As long as the Priesthood

maintains the current bloody state of affairs, it rules

unopposed. Should one force grow too strong,

another can be created to oppose it, or careful

manipulation can cause it to break apart from

within. The history of Tenra has seen countless

cases of powerful nations torn by civil war or

brought down by powerful enemies, and inevitably

the fifth columns and opposing factions operated

with the support of the Priesthood.

However, with the split into Northern and Southern

Courts, the Priesthood ’s iron grip appears to be

slipping. Warfare tends to inspire a great deal of

The holy relics enshrined by the Priesthood

are actually fixed, stationary terminals

connected to the

Tenra-wide Meikyo Network. All meikyo in

existence are registered with the Network, and

by accessing the terminal all active meikyo in

the vicinity can be sensed. However, Taira-

ranked agents (like low-level wandering

priests and shrine maiden) are not granted the

authority to access meikyo and kimenkyo via

the Network.

The Priesthood kongohki are terrifying

instruments of power. While they are most

commonly used as guards around Genshikyo

and New Mount Jinrai, they are also sent to

deal with rebels or to eliminate those who

threaten the Priesthood's secrecy.

Priesthood kongohki are vastly different from

the conventional models in terms of both

appearance and capabilities. From the few

recovered destroyed kongohki it is known that

they are not powered by heart engines and use

some unknown substance instead. Priesthood

kongohki were also unaffected by the magic-

halting effects of the Priesthood's might

during the Makuu Nindo Revolt, which

suggests that they were created by some means

other than Taoist sorcery. Some suggest that

the meikyo used in Priesthood kongohki are

not inhabited by souls at all, and are instead

operated via remote control.

technological innovation, and much of the recent

development in Tenra has occurred independently

of the Priesthood’s control. Both courts war with

each other, and Buren, the leader of the increasingly

powerful domain of Hakusen, has openly declared

war on the Priesthood. The Makuu Nindo Revolt is

another important recent example of a conflict that

ended in an undesired manner for the Priesthood.

DOMAINS AND

REGENTS

Comprised of a number of adjoining fiefs led by

feudal rulers, the domain is the largest political unit

known to Tenra. While most domains are home

to anywhere from a few clans to a dozen or so,

expansive domains ruled by 20 or more lords are not

uncommon.

Domains are ruled by a single regent (Kabane), who

stands at the top of a hierarchy of vassal lords and

manages the territory as a whole. A regent is an

officially recognized Shinto Priesthood-authorized

representative of a domain. Simply ruling over

multiple fiefs and possessing the force of arms to

rival a regent is not enough to be admitted among

their august ranks; an aspiring leader must contact

the Priesthood and obtain the explicit recognition

of the Emperor. Should his or her application be

approved, the new regent is granted the court

title Tsukasa, which may then be appended to the

domain's name and incorporated into his full name.

For example, the official title of the Regent

of Iiba, Shimeki Masataka, is Shimeki Iiba-no-

Tsukasa Masataka.

In the modern day, with the Priesthood divided into

feuding Northern and Southern courts, the decision

of which court to seek approval from (i.e., which

court is treated as legitimate) is a very delicate

choice indeed.

VASSAL LORDS

Just below the regents in stature are the vassal

lords (Ryoushu) who manage the various fiefs that

make up the domain as a whole and aid in the

governing of the domain. Most lords are granted

their territories by the regent in recognition of

their loyalty and accomplishments and it is almost

unheard of for a regent to intervene in the affairs of

a vassal lord’s fief. (After all, managing a fief is the

lord ’s job, and if that lord is doing his job properly

the regent should not have to become involved.)

Because of this compartmentalized feudal system of

leadership, it is not unusual for different fiefs within

a single domain to be ruled in drastically different

manners.

Vassal lords are granted the court rank of Kami (as

in “protector”; not to be confused with the Shinto

gods known as Kami). As with the Regents, this

rank is incorporated into a lord’s official title. For

example, the lord of the fief of Takanami named

Nitani Ryuudou would be referred to under formal

circumstances as Nitani Takanami-no-Kami

Ryuudou.

Despite their inferior position in the hierarchy, some

domains house vassals whose power and ability

rivals that of their regent. In those domains the

regent’s position is a tenuous one. In this age of

treachery and war, the lower ranks constantly

plot to overthrow their masters: It is a common

occurrence for weak regents to be supplanted by one

of their own vassals.

WARNING! INFORMATION

OVERLOAD!

This section contains a lot of flavor text

about the ways that the government and

society works in the land of Tenra. It is filled

with all sorts of optional pieces of knowledge

like Japanese feudal naming systems, heraldry,

positions of office and the like. It can be a

bewildering amount of information to take

in, and in the end is a great look at the way

governments in Tenra work. However, at the

same time it is not information that is needed

to start playing a fun, dramatic action-packed

game of Tenra Bansho.

In other words, feel free to skim through or

skip sections of this chapter as you see fit. It

might be fun to incorporate little bits of this

knowledge into your games, but don't feel that

you need to memorize this all or bring it all

onto the gaming table.

DOMAINS AND REGENTS

Tenra domains are in a constant state of tension,

with regents scheming to keep their vassals from

getting too powerful, while their vassals eye the

regent’s throne like hungry, stalking tigers.

CASTLES

HOUSEHOLD RETAINERS AND RONIN

Regents and their vassals are served by a variety of

household retainers. The relationship between these

rulers and their retainers can be summarized as one

of favor and service. The retainers serve their lord or

regent, and in return the ruler favors their retainers

with payment (in the form of money, treasures or a

rice stipend) or land.

Types of Retainers

The following types of retainers are listed in order

of their rank, from high to low.

• Senior Elders (Shukurou and Karou): These

experienced retainers act as aides and advisors to

a ruler, helping manage both the political and

military aspects of government. The highest-ranking

elder aides are called shukurou, which is short for

the Japanese word meaning “an accomplished elder

of great moral standing”. Just below the shukurou in

status are the karou. Along with the ruler himself,

these Elders are the top administrative officials.

• Lesser Elders (Chuurou and Waka-karou):

These experienced aides assist the senior elders.

Collectively the elder aides, from the venerable

shukurou on down to the comparatively young

waka-karou, are called the elders, or rouchuu.

• Scribe (Yuuhitsu): This official acts as a ruler’s

secretary as well as managing all government

documents and records The scribe serves his master

directly, and therefore occupies a special position

outside of the normal hierarchy.

• Ministers (Bugyou): These individuals manage a

specific area of the government. One minister might

be in charge of a fief ’s towns, another may oversee

the local temples and shrines, and a third may act

as an accountant, etc.

• Watchers (Metsuke): Acting as informants,

watchers supervise the activities of a ruler’s retainers

and report directly to the vassal lords or regents.

• Minor Officials (Shoyaku): These retainers are

assigned to handle a variety of specific government

functions.

• Regional Authorities (Gundai and Daikan): These

officials are placed in charge of rural, outlying

regions. Gundai handle county-sized regions, while

daikan act as the direct managers of a populace,

basically as a mayor.

Ronin

When warriors are without a master to serve—

either exiled when their domains are destroyed or

forced out of their positions by espionage—they

become ronin. In this age of upheaval, it is not

uncommon for warrior houses, weak vassals, or even

regents to be destroyed utterly, forcing their

retainers and soldiers into the ronin lifestyle. Many

of these disenfranchised soldiers are ill equipped for

life in the civilian world, with few lacking the talent

and experience to become merchants or craftsmen.

Th ose ronin with families to support face an

especially grim life without a master to serve.

Those ronin with martial arts abilities become

wanderers, earning their keep with their sword

arms as mercenaries hired in a temporary capacity

or as bodyguards. The truly talented need not

fear starvation, and some even come to enjoy the

freedom of the ronin lifestyle. Most ronin, however,

hope to earn a name for themselves and

subsequently a position with a new warrior clan as

quickly as possible.

Vassals

Regents are served by a number of vassals and

servants, each of whom is ranked according to their

family status or relationship to their master. As a

domain becomes stronger and wealthier,

competition between these different types of vassals

tends to intensify.

DOMAINS AND REGENTS

• Chief Vassals (Kokushuu): These vassals are

directly subordinate to the ruling regent, usually

friends and trusted advisors. They are ranked higher

than any other type of vassal, including regional

lords.

• Clan Vassals (Ichimon): These vassals are blood

relatives and children (legitimate or otherwise)

of the regent. Preserving a regent’s bloodline is

an important matter, and their position as family

comes with accompanying hereditary powers.

• Hereditary Vassals (Fudai): These are vassals that

maintain leadership roles under the regent no matter

who they are or which family they come from.

They are leaders of especially large warrior houses

that rule over vast territories and possess their own

castles. They are frequently entrusted to rule over

lands bordering on the regent’s own territory, and

they often control soulgem mines and other areas of

strategic interest.

• Outsiders (Gaiyou): Not originally loyal to the

regent, these vassals and their lands were absorbed

into the domain through expansion and conquest.

Lacking the chief and hereditary vassals’ history

of loyal service, these outsiders are frequently

viewed with some amount of suspicion, and they

are relegated to preside over less important lands far

from the capital. Their territories are small and

relatively poor, and they are not allowed to possess

much in the way of military or economic power.

• Military Vassals (Gun’ekishuu): These part-time

warriors are conscripted to fill out the ranks as foot

soldiers in times of war. Poorly trained and lacking

in morale, these vassals are basically farmers with

the warrior-class rights to bear weapons and possess

a surname.

• Intermediary Vassals (Chuugen): Not considered

vassals as such, this class consists of the domain’s

farmers. As a part of their tax they are expected to

help as temporary labor on military projects such

as castle construction and fortifi cation, and they

occasionally serve as conscripted soldiers, hence

their inclusion here.

• Small Vassals (Komono): These “smallfolk” are

peasants who pay a portion of their tax obligation

as drafted combatants. In times of war they are

rounded up by their military vassal masters, loaned

shoddy weapons, and sent to the battlefield to

fight and die.

The Caste System

Despite the presence of a class system, with the

world in a state of upheaval an individual’s personal

power tends to have more relevance than the

hereditary caste into which he or she was born.

With the world of Tenra under military control,

however, the warrior class can expect special

treatment and they tend to look down upon

members of the other classes.

As an aside, the world of Tenra is based on medieval

Japan and the caste system present during that era.

Just because the world of Tenra includes class-based

discrimination, this should not be taken to mean

that game players are expected to engage in such

behavior themselves.

CAPITALS

MIYAKO: THE CAPITAL CITIES OF TENRA

The term capital in Japanese, miyako, is used to

refer to a domain’s central place of government. It is

the city where the regent resides. The word miyako

carries with it connotations of beauty, culture and

elegance. Capitals worthy of the miyako name are

architectural wonders indeed.

Because the capital is the most important city in

any doma in, regents spend extravagant amounts

of money trying to construct a bigger, grander,

and more defensible capital than those of their

neighboring rival regents. Just like the expression

“the clothes make the man”, it can also be said that

the capital makes the regent. A capital can often be

considered the regent’s personality and psychology

given true physical form.

DOMAINS AND REGENTS

Geomancers and Capital Construction

Geomancers use part of a specialized branch of

onmyojutsu that studies the mystical side of urban

planning and civil engineering in order to ward off

evil spirits and bring good fortune to a city (an art

also known as Feng Shui). While these geomancers

were originally independent onmyoji, over several

generations their practices and beliefs have

intermingled with various folk religions. Nowadays

geomancers and the strange powers they wield

can hardly be considered onmyojutsu anymore. In

their purest form, these geomancers are tasked with

bringing out the best of a city’s potential by using a

unique combination of urban engineering,

mysticism, and artistic ability.

In the domain of Kiyo, geomancer Agachihara

Norimasa wrote a treatise on castle construction,

still considered the best work of its kind. In it, he

describes the ideal capital as “bordered on the north

by mountains, on the east by a vast river, on the

south by an expansive lake or ocean, and in the west

by a major trade route”.

Life in the Capital

Called “city folk”, most capital city-dwellers are

commoners who staffthe warrior clans’ estates or

work as merchants or craftsmen. Which residential

district an individual calls home is determined by

his or her profession. Living in a different district is

generally forbidden, and each district has an office

that maintains a roster recorded with the names of

all the local residents.

While the lifestyles of city folk are rarely luxurious,

the promise of a brighter future—as humble

clerks dream of one day becoming shop keepers

and apprentices look forward to succeeding their

masters—lends cities a sense of vitality rarely found

in the countryside.

The Burgeoning Metropolis

As capitals grow, they begin to attract more and

more migrants from surrounding territories. Many

are farmers in search of work during the off-season,

and other newcomers arrive in search of cultural

and intellectual stimulation. However, among

these law-abiding folk lurk lawless drifters, roaming

gamblers, and other ne’er-do-wells: the yakuza.

Hiding on the edge of society, crime their primary

vocation, these yakuza are the bane of both the

common folk and the ruling class. The names of

these wanderers are of course not listed in the

district census rosters, so they plague a city like

ghosts.

Yakuza simply refers to wanderers who aren’t

registered and who usually do not contribute

to society through taxes. These are often lone

pickpockets, blind masseuses, traveling musicians

and the like. However, some members form gangs

or organized crime families and aim to control

criminal activity in areas of the city. These are the

traditional yakuza that we think of when we hear

the term mentioned.

Of the farmers that move to the city, many come to

reject the hardship of rural life entirely and make

their stay a permanent one. Others come to the city

with the express goal of leaving their farms behind.

City life is far from paradise, but it is often an

attractive alternative to the back-breaking labor,

misery and desperation of the farming life.

The decline in the number of farming households is

a serious concern to the feudal lords, who depend on

the country villages for food production and tax

income. To counter the decline they periodically

round up ex-farmers and ship them back to their

hometowns by force, a process euphemistically

referred to as “Homecoming”.

People arrive in the city with dreams in their hearts.

The majority of them have those dreams shattered,

sending them trudging back to their homes in

defeat, but those that remain swell the ranks of the

capital’s populace, adding their own hopes and

wishes to the collective tapestry.

DOMAINS AND REGENTS

THE COUNTRYSIDE

THE FARMING LIFESTYLE

No less than 80% of Tenra’s population is made up

of farmers and other folk involved in agriculture,

and the very economy of the land depends on and is

measured by the rice harvest.

The koku is a unit of measure used to describe

the average amount of rice consumed by a single

person over the course of a year, and the number

of koku produced by a domain is frequently used

to estimate that domain’s wealth. A domain that

produces a large number of koku is able to feed a

larger population, and a domain that is able to feed

a larger population is able to field a larger military

force.

With rice such a valuable commodity, those

involved in planting and harvesting it have an

immeasurable impact on society at large. As a result,

the feudal lords have placed farmers above craftsmen

and merchants in the caste system, second only

to the warrior class.

However, despite their relatively high position in

society, farmers tend to be poorer than the castes

they outrank. Their feudal masters take more than

half of the rice they produce in taxes, leaving very

little for the farmers to eat themselves. Instead,

the farmers must be content with crops exempt

from this tax, subsisting mainly on a mixture

of chestnuts, millet, barley, potatoes and other

vegetables.

The physical aspect of the agricultural lifestyle is

likewise harsh. They work the fields from dawn

until dusk, and after their evening meal farmers

tend to devote time to a side business such as

weaving straw sandals. They go to bed early to

conserve lamp oil, an expensive luxury. Living so

close to nature, they must endure the full force of

its cruelty; farmers are forced to cope with a variety

of trials such as floods, parching heat, and plagues

of locusts, with their cramped huts as their only

refuge.

One of the few pleasures of rural life is the village

festivals, or matsuri, held a few times every year.

The autumn festival is especially large in scale, and

after making the proper offerings to the kami gods

and spirits, the farmers celebrate the harvest with

drinking, feasting (on white rice and not the less

valuable crops for a change), singing, and dancing.

Village youths have romantic interludes with their

ladyloves and the farmers forget their oppression

and misery in an explosion of energy and emotion.

Village Leadership

Village farms are managed by landowners, who rent

plots of land to the common farmers in exchange

for a percentage of the harvest. Unlike the humble

landless farmers, these landlords are listed on the

official tax and census records, and it is they who

are responsible for collecting the rice tax and dealing

with the vassal lords.

Some landowners live a half-farming, half-military

lifestyle. Most of them make up the lowest class of

warriors, but by rounding up the farmers in their

care a handful of them are able to raise a military

force capable of rivaling even the vassal lords. The

land under their control is called an estate, which

is considered distinct from an officially recognized

territory.

Military Vassals and the Labor Tax

While the landowners generally manage farm and

tax related affairs, in times of war they are expected

to take up arms as a military force and serve as

ashigarufoot soldiers. “Ashi” means “foot”, and

“garu” means “light”; this refers to the fact that

these light-footed soldiers are very mobile and very

lightly equipped, able to run dozens of kilometers a

day in packs. They are farmers first and foremost,

however, and many of them are young men that

have never held a sword or spear.

When a given village is unable to fulfill the

conscription quota set by the vassal lords,

landowners must make up for the deficit monetarily.

In order to avoid this, landowners generally force

their landless tenants to accompany them into

battle. And because there are additional separate

DOMAINS AND REGENTS

quotas for both intermediary and “small folk” vassal

troops, it is not uncommon for a village’s entire

population of able-bodied men to be shipped to the

front lines, leaving behind only women, children,

and the elderly. Bandits often choose such times to

strike, with devastating results.

Riots

Accustomed to a life of oppression at the hands of

their betters, most villagers are resigned to their fate.

They think of themselves as powerless and weak.

However, under certain circumstances, these

humble peasants have been known to take up arms

and riot against their masters. These riots can

consist of anywhere from just a few disgruntled

farmers to massive hordes made up of like-minded

rebels from neighboring villages. The standard

course of action is for them to march to the regent

or vassal lord’s castle, and it is not uncommon

Over the course of their adventures, the PCs

will have cause to visit a variety of rural

villages. Some villages will be unremarkable,

others may be full of refugees struggling to

cope with the devastation of war, and still

others might be home to unusual customs

or traditions. One scenario may involve

PCs protecting a village from ruthless

bandits, while another adventure might

see PCs entering a village with the express

purpose of burning it to the ground. Just

as blacksmithing techniques differ between

domains, villages likewise vary. Some villages

are devoted to farming, while others may

have economies based on metal-smithing, for

example.

Once the PCs have a good idea of what a

standard village is like, the GM need not go

into great detail describing irrelevant details

of rural life. What is important is conveying

to the players whether they are dealing with a

normal village or one with something unusual

or troubling about it. This will help the PCs

better decide how to react to the setting and

its inhabitants.

for them to strike out at the merchants and

landlords who have grown fat through the peasants’

misery by destroying their estates along the way.

Rampaging peasants also occasionally burn down

nearby villages for not participating in the riot,

angered by the lack of unity.

The rioters’ demands are usually for concessions

related to the yearly harvest tax or for a discount or

forgiveness of a village’s accumulated debt. Whether

or not a riot achieves its goals, the ringleaders (or

sometimes the entire mob) can expect to die in a

public crucifixion. The village that spawned the

riot can also look forward to heavier taxation in the

years to come, as their rulers make an example of

them so as to discourage resistance in the future.

Still, sometimes the ringleaders have their demands

heard and met, and that is the reason why some

people riot even though they themselves can expect

to be punished harshly or executed.

Flight

Riots are not the only method of peasant resistance;

there are quieter ways of rebelling against oppression

than violence. Occasionally the entire village

populace will simply abandon the fields and flee

elsewhere, vowing not to return until their demands

have been met. Some head to the mountains,

others go to live with relatives in other villages. No

destruction is involved, no shouting and no tumult,

only silence and stealth. This too can wreak havoc

on a regional or domain economy, especially in

times of misfortune.

WANDERING

TENRAN TRAVEL

With very few exceptions, travel is conducted on

major thoroughfares. Developed over the course

of generations, these roads serve as Tenra’s most

important means of transportation and network of

communication. Both swift travel and with it the

spread of culture to the far reaches of the realm are

the benefits of a healthy road system.

DOMAINS AND REGENTS

Cities naturally spring up alongside the major

thoroughfares, and there is generally a high degree

of safety maintained. The further one strays from

the major highways, the more a traveler must

beware, as outlaws and bandits are a constant threat.

Defeated soldiers frequently turn to lives of crime,

and pirates likewise threaten the sea-lanes, stalking

merchant ships.

Despite the dangers of long distance travel, the flow

of people and goods continues unabated as many

have no choice but to embark on journeys.

LONE DRIFTERS

Some travelers are solitary souls who claim no

attachment to any particular homeland, with

no true destination in mind. These drifters are

frequently looked upon with scorn and suspicion

by more sedentary folk, and the ruling elite often

considers them dangerous and unpredictable

elements of society. Despite the general low opinion

Traveling the world of Tenra can be a difficult

experience. The world of Tenra is a large

one and lifestyle expenses such as room and

boarding can vary widely between domains.

Not all currencies are accepted in all regions,

as well.

Tenra Bansho Zero does not include exacting

rules for determining a PC's personal wealth,

and detailed price lists have likewise been

omitted for the most part: One to three

copper pieces/mon can buy most common

goods or services like items of clothing, meals,

stays at inns, etc; more would be required for

exquisite or high quality goods and services.

The GM should feel free to tailor such details

to her particular story needs. The number

of shuriken possessed by Shinobi PCs, etc,

should also be handled in the same manner; a

PC can generally be expected to have enough

for his or her purposes unless running low on

supplies suits the GM's story.

of them, however, rootless wanderers play an

important role in spreading information and goods

to the more isolated regions.

Having severed all ties to conventional society, these

wanderers are not concerned with tax obligations or

military conscription, thereby possessing an amount

of personal freedom unthinkable to the common

man. This liberty is a double-edged sword, however,

lacking a master also means that one cannot rely on

the protection provided by a vassal lord or regent.

Commonly encountered drifters include itinerant

Buddhist priests and monks, traveling entertainers,

and yakuza gamblers. Buddhist monks spread their

religion while working towards their own personal

enlightenment. Entertainers—such as musicians,

puppeteers, acrobats, dancers and monkey

trainers—travel in an effort to bring their particular

brand of entertainment to new and wider audiences.

Gamblers and mercenaries seek adventure and

financial gain, lured by the stench of conflict, war

and money.

The ranks of the wanderers include ascetics,

opportunists, artists, and simple thugs, all of whom

choose life on the road as a means of fulfilling their

disparate goals.

ROADS AND CHECKPOINTS

In the past, Tenra’s central continent was

crisscrossed by six major roads (do): the

Karatsugume-do, the Onomasa-do, the Towatari-

do, the Koumi-do, the Suou-do, and the Ioki-do.

However, the fall of Mount Jinrai damaged these

highways considerably. The majority of the Koumi-

do in the Cradle Lands was completely wiped out by

the disaster, and the Towatari-do linking the Ki-shu

province to Mount Jinrai via the province of Tou-

shu has also been rendered completely impassable.

The least damaged road was the Suou-do, stretching

from the province of Nanbou-shu to the former

Mount Jinrai. The Suou-do now reaches the

Southern Court stronghold of New Mount Jinrai,

and has regained some of its former glory.

DOMAINS AND REGENTS

Efforts have been made to repair the cataclysmic

damage suffered by the six major roads, and new

routes have also been established. The Northern

Court, for example, has forged the Kose-do,

connecting the Karatsug ume-do and Onomasa-do.

Their Southern Court counterparts have likewise

blazed a new road linking New Mount Jinrai with

the province of Tou-shu, called the Futsumi-do.

After the damage and reconstruction, the modern

six highways are the Karatsugume, Onomasa, Kose,

Suou, Ioki, and Futsumi.

The basis of Tenra’s largest transportation network,

these major roads branch out into countless smaller

trails and paths. Various regents constructed these

roads for the most part, but records also show

Priesthood involvement in the past. The Priesthood

also placed countless stone sculptures of spiritual

guardian kami—figures intended to protect

travelers—along the roadside as well.

Tenra’s roads are dotted with countless border

checkpoints, established by the regents in numbers

rivaling that of the guardian kami sculptures.

Intended to serve as strongholds to repel enemy

attackers, these checkpoints are often guarded by

armour, and today even the weaker domains are able

to post kimen armour at their borders. The armour-

rider who first engages the enemy in battle is

called the First Sword. This a title with great honor

associated with it, so some armour-riders look for an

opportunity to engage enemy forces at a checkpoint.

In addition to their obvious military function, these

border checkpoints are also used to regulate the flow

of people and goods, acting as a sort of combined

immigration/customs office. Personal identification

in the form of a travel pass is required. There

THE KARATSUGUME-DO HIGHWAY

There are guardian statues along the major

roads and highways of Tenra. In reality, they

are relay terminals in the Priesthood's meikyo

information network.

are three types of travel passes, each issued by

a different authority. Forging a travel pass is

considered a major crime and punished harshly.

• Standard Travel Pass: Issued by government

offices in every domain, standard travel passes can

be purchased for a cost of about 10 mon and are

generally available for use on a same-day basis.

• Temple Pass: These passes are issued by the

Phoenix and Bright Lotus religious sects, and

allow inter-domain travel. However, filing for and

receiving a temple travel pass requires both time and

effort. They are not issued to members of other

religious sects.

• Heaven Pass: Issued by the Priesthood, Heaven

Passes (also called Amafuda passes) are available in

two varieties: one from the Northern Court and one

from the Southern Court. These passes allow

complete freedom of movement in domains under

the influence of the issuing Court. Heaven Passes

are not granted to anyone who is not a member

of the Priesthood.

THE POINT OF BORDER

CHECKPOINTS

The purpose of checkpoints is to hinder travel

and act as an obstacle for PCs. Most PCs are

wanderers and therefore lack proper travel

permits (and anyone who would willingly

give up a travel permit to a PC likely has an

ulterior motive), and deciding how to deal

with a checkpoint should add excitement and

tension to a scenario. Getting a travel pass

might also be one of the goals of a scenario.

ACQUIRING A TRAVEL PASS

Ruling clans and major temples issue travel

permits to permanent local residents. Drifters,

on the other hand, are out of luck.

DOMAINS AND REGENTS

DRIFTER PCs

Many player characters will be wanderers

and drifters, as this lifestyle allows them to

adventure without being unduly constricted

by societal expectations (female traveling

warriors, etc). Players should feel free to

portray their character as they see fit without

worrying too much about how the average

Tenran or feudal Japanese citizen would

behave or speak.

NO ROADS OR CITIES ON THE

MAPS?

Roads and cities have been intentionally

omitted from the large Tenra maps in an

effort to encourage the GM to place them in

any way she sees fit. If a given scenario setting

requires access to a road, the GM should feel

free to have one located nearby and declare

which road it is (feel free to borrow a name

from one of the roads listed, or invent a new

road name). On the other hand, if having

a major thoroughfare would hinder the

scenario, the GM is free to declare that none

are present.

WAR AND TENRA

Tenra has existed in a state of constant warfare

for the past four hundred years. Ever since the

Priesthood gave the Regents explicit permission to

wage war upon one another as a method of resolving

disputes, the chaos has not subsided even once.

War is a means to an end, and battle is just another

tool of diplomacy. It is used by the ruling elite

to acquire wealth and territory or combat rival

ideologies.

Wars of expansion are common. When a population

expands, food consumption inevitably rises as well,

and in order to increase food production, more

arable land is required. Without land and a steady

supply of food, villagers will desert their homes

and flee elsewhere, wealth becomes scarce, and the

domain as a whole is weakened. And because land

is a limited resource, the only way to increase one’s

territory is to steal it from a rival. Wars of expansion

generally conclude when either the invaders have

been fought off or the attacking forces manage to

conquer enough land for their purposes.

Ideological wars are a very different beast, however.

In this type of war, the object is to crush the enemy,

stamp out their rival philosophy, and replace it

with the aggressor’s own. Even positive personal

philosophies (such as fostering the wellbeing of the

average citizen) can become warped and hideous

when an obsessed Regent attempts to enact them at

the national scale, and ideological wars tend to be

intense and brutal.

THE CHANGING FACE OF BATTLE

Warfare on Tenra has changed in recent years, as

the introduction of new technology to the battlefield

has resulted in bloodshed unparalleled in previous

generations. Since the introduction of kimenkyo,

mass-produced yoroi armours and kongohki have

been deployed in greater numbers than ever before,

with the result that a single modern skirmish can

easily result in as many deaths as several historical

battles combined.

Along with the supernaturally powerful samurai,

new super-soldiers incorporating implanted

mechanical enhancements have also taken to

the field. Like the samurai, these so-called kijin

(machine people) have given up a piece of their

humanity in exchange for superhuman prowess in

battle.

Normal human troops fire at their enemies from

behind fortifi cations, wielding new weapons

capable of transforming tens or even hundreds

of foes into chunks of lifeless meat with a single

volley: machineguns. It is just one of many new

efficient killing machines made possible by the easy

availability of gunpowder.

Some claim that the wars of the modern day are

more merciful. That it’s better to be shot full of

holes by rifle fire, blown apart by artillery shells

raining down from the heavens, or crushed by

formations of armour. Better to be snuffed out

instantaneously than suffer the slow, agonizing

death of a spear wound to the gut, a fate seen all too

often on the battlefields of the past.

Living in the trenches, covered in mud and the

blood of their companions, has left the soldiers half-

crazed. They fight and die, all the while waiting for

the artillery shell to fall, or for the massive armour

wheels to crush them into paste.

Unable to contain his fear, one soldier stands up,

firing his weapon randomly into his surroundings.

One of his mates calmly gets to his feet and puts a

hole in the panicked man’s head.

“Shut up, already, you’re giving away our position”

he mumbles, his eyes completely devoid of empathy

or reason.

The bloodshed provokes yet more violence, and

soon there is not a sane man to be found.

The artillery round fired scant moments before

chooses this fortification as its final destination and

explodes. The trench is buried by earth and chunks

of flesh before being ground flat by the invading

armours.

WAR AND TENRA

As an example of modern Tenra military

composition, we provide the army of the

domain of Iiba in the province of Ryuurin-

shu.

Positions without an individual’s name

specified are staffed by multiple people.

Commander-in-Chief

Shimeki Masataka

Strategist

Masaki Shouei

General

Shimeki Fujitaka

Military Observer

Kusuwa Routa

Military Commissioner

Takanashi Kouri

— Signal Officer

— Artillery Officer

— Spearmen Officer

— Supply Officer

Chief of the Guard

Shimeki Kouryou

— Personal Guard

Samurai General

Kugayama Shikkou

—Samurai Corps 1-10

Armour General

Shimeki Mai

Kijin Chief

“Four-Armed” Tetsujuu

Those listed above make up the central

command staff. Just below them in the

hierarchy are the vassal lords, who act as the

generals of their individual armies.

The following is a summary of an example

vassal army, that of feudal lord Shitara

Gakuei, lord of the Igami territory Kougai.

Positions without an individual’s name

specified are staffed by multiple people.

Warrior General

Shitara Gakuei

Spearmen Generals

Shitara Hidekazu

Rokkaku Muei

—Spear Corps

Artillery Generals

Shitara Danjou

Kunou Ikkon

Mayuzumi Honoka (mercenary)

— Ohju Troops

— Gunpowder Troops

Ashigaru Generals

Shitara Souza

Kurume Jingo

Kuruwa Souzen

Yashiki Ikkou

Armour Riders

Shitara Asuka

Kudou Yuuta (kimen)

Tanayama Kengo (kimen)

Samurai General

Ooyama Fugen

During times of war, armour riders and

samurai generals are placed under the direct

command of the headquarters.

WAR AND TENRA

This scene could have occurred on any battlefield,

and episodes like this have become a common part

in conflicts throughout the world.

Research on new and devastating technologies,

such as weapons able to produce clouds of

poisonous gas able to affect a wide area and high-

altitude firebombing by summoned shiki spirits, is

progressing smoothly. In this modern age, a battle is

no longer a clash of individuals; human beings are

merely cogs in a grand killing system. Conscripted

foot soldiers, experienced warriors, even generals are

just expendable parts in the machine, to be used up

in an efficient manner.

It’s obvious to all that the future of warfare is

heading in an even more brutal, savage direction.

A BATTLEFIELD IN TRANSITION

Warfare on Tenra is currently going through a

transitional phase, as militaries attempt to cope with

the new technologies released by the Priesthood

’s Northern Court, such as the manufacture of

gunpowder and the advent of kimenkyo technology.

Trench warfare is becoming widespread, as armies

attempt to protect their own troops with defensive

MODERN ASHIGARU

In most cases, the foot soldier (ashigaru)

of the modern battlefield has a gunpowder

firearm as his main weapon. Making long-

ranged attacks possible as well as boasting

devastating close-up firepower, gunpowder

has made even the conscripted, poorly trained

ashigaru a credible

threat on the battlefield.

Ashigaru have happily adapted to the use of

firearms. After all, the more enemies they kill,

the greater their reward; and the faster the

battle ends, the sooner they can return home

to their families.

fortifications while gradually advancing towards

the enemy lines. Recent conf licts have seen the

introduction of new types of kimen armour capable

of simply rolling over trenches and destroying both

the fortifi cations and their inhabitants. Awe-

inspiring cavalry charges and jousting between

armour are quickly becoming things of the past.

Wars once fought with muscle and skill will soon be

won by bullets and machinery.

These new wars spawn more casualties than

ever before, and engagements ending in the

complete massacre of the losing side are becoming

increasingly common. Thanks to the Northern

Court’s newly-released surgical knowledge and the

kijin machine implantation process based upon it,

critically wounded troops that would have died in

previous generations are being revived, treated, and

sent back to the fields to deal more death.

STR ATEGY

THE QUIET WAR

If the clash of armies is the “active” war, the pre-

engagement strategizing and reconnaissance is

the quiet war. Information such as the size and

composition of the enemy forces, their transport

speed, and the location of their supply train can all

have an incalculable effect on a conflict’s outcome.

Most rulers guard their domains’ borders with

special-purpose reconnaissance armour and

kongohki, using them as a sort of early warning

system. When an intrusion is detected, news is

swiftly dispatched to the rulers via a shinobi or

conventional messenger. Some regents speed up the

rate at which information is transmitted by using

permanent shiki spirits able to instantly share their

senses with their masters. However, the heart-gems

required to give permanent form to a summoned

shiki are hard to come by, making this practice

unfeasible for most feudal lords.

Just as the defending forces try to gather as much

intelligence as possible, the invading army tries its

WAR AND TENRA

hardest to hinder reconnaissance operations and

take their opponents off guard. Planting agents

charged with the task of spreading misinformation

is one common tactic.

Even after a battle has begun, the information

war continues. Tenra’s wars are large in scope, and

frequently the front lines are located far from an

army’s command post. In an effort to keep the

generals better informed of the current battlefield

situation, the military leadership will invariably have

several combination scout-messengers on staff.

The task of a scout-messenger is a difficult one, and

there are many ways in which enemies can disrupt

their activities. Finding and either capturing or

killing an enemy messenger is particularly effective.

Sending impostor messenger bringing false

information to headquarters is one tactic, and

another option is to send forged orders to the

front lines. If the location of the provisions can be

pinpointed and the supply lines cut, an enemy army

can simply be left to wither on the vine. Another,

more direct method of disrupting command and

control is to send assassins into the enemy command

post to kill the leaders. Shinobi and kongohki are

most frequently chosen for this type of mission,

and the fact that such valuable military assets as

kongohki are deployed is powerful evidence of the

importance placed on the information war.

While those involved in reconnaissance and

espionage rarely receive the kind of public

acknowledgment or recognition given to

conventional warriors, they fulfill an important

battlefield role. Those who underestimate the power

of military intelligence are destined for defeat.

The Role of Onmyoji

Physically weak in general, one might not expect the

Taoist sorcerers known as onmyoji to have much of

a presence on the battlefield. However, the truth is

that with their intelligence and supernatural talents

they make excellent staff officers and reconnaissance

specialists.

IS CAVALRY EXTINCT?

Massed cavalry charges were once considered

the glory of the battlefield, but the spread

of repeating gunpowder firearms has

relegated mounted warriors to the sidelines

of modern conflicts. No matter how strong a

cavalryman’s armor and how expert his skill

with a lance, he simply cannot hope to stand

against a merciless hail of bullets.

THE ADVENT OF DRAGON KNIGHTS

Cavalry troops have not been eliminated

entirely, however. New mounted warriors

called Dragon Knights (Ryuukihei) have

taken to the fields, bearing guns instead of

spears, wearing lighter armor, and riding on

enhanced warhorses. They charge across the

battlefield at speeds previously undreamt

of, their rifles roaring like their mythical

namesake.

First and foremost, onmyoji rule the skies. While

shinobi and kongohki are confined to the ground,

onmyoji can use summoned shiki spirits to conduct

airborne patrols. Shiki also make the aerial transport

of supplies and troops a possibility. Even without

conventional aircraft, air superiority has become an

important concept to Tenra’s military leadership.

Onmyoji are a powerful resource that rulers

planning a battle are willing to fi ght to possess, as

he who fields the most onmyoji frequently has the

advantage. However, because individual onmyoji

tend toward extreme individualism (or outright

mental instability, to put it in a less flattering

manner), they are rarely willing to sell their services

for vast sums of money alone, and are motivated

less by personal gain than by curiosity and a desire

for stimulation. Attempting to force a stubborn

onmyoji into service will only end up creating a

powerful foe, and onmyoji have also been known

WAR AND TENRA

to resign their positions over the most trivial of

reasons.

The question of how to tempt the mighty and

capricious onmyoji into military service is one that

constantly plagues the ruling elite.

THE PROCESS OF WAR

SCALE

The wars of Tenra are every bit as massive as the

lands they take place on, and even an average

regent’s holding tends to cover an area equivalent

to half the size of Japan. When the regents of

major domains go to war, it’s not uncommon for

hundreds of thousands of soldiers to take to the

battlefield. Even minor skirmishes among feudal

lords commonly see troop deployments numbering

in the thousands.

In the world of Tenra, conflicts among vassal lords

are generally labeled battles, while those between

regents are called wars or major wars. Generally, if

the total number of troops (including both armies)

is 100,000 or less, the engagement is a battle. If the

number of soldiers deployed by both sides combined

exceeds 500,000 total, it is a major war.

The largest war to date was the Suemai Revolt,

which occurred long ago in the 22nd year of the

Nigimi dynasty between the domains of Iiba and

Inao, and involved a combined total of more than

1.6 million soldiers.

THE NEW MASTERS OF THE

BATTLEFIELD

As stated before, a variety of new weapons

have been

introduced to the battlefi eld in recent times.

Some rare innovations are quickly found

impractical and discarded, but taken as a

whole the state of military technology is

evolving and improving rapidly.

TENRA’S LARGEST ENGAGEMENT

A combined total of 1.6 million soldiers were

deployed during the Suemai Revolt, which

took place during the 22nd year of the Nigimi

dynasty, and saw the Inao domain pitted

against the Iiba military. Here is a breakdown

of the Inao forces:

 Total Number: 806,366 troops

• Armour: 18 (including 3 Great Armour)

• Kimen Kongohki: 120 (5 of them officer

class)

• Kimen Armour: 283 (12 of them general

class)

• Samurai: 13,198 (27 of them general class)

• Kijin: 41,008 (30 of them offi cer class)

• Cavalry: 77,055

• Soulgem Riflemen: 30,937

• Riflemen: 65,677

• Archers: 85,275

• Ashigaru: 196,700

• Low-ranking troops and civilian-fighters:

249,004

• Ninja/Shinobi: 13,000 (estimated)

• Miscellaneous (Onmyoji, Buddist Monks,

Annelidists, etc.): 4,089

In contrast, the most one-sided conflict on record

is the Battle of Himetori Pass, in which a mere six

warriors reportedly stood against and eventually

fought offa vassal lord’s 10,000 man strong army.

However, many intellectuals doubt the veracity of

accounts, dismissing it as a fairytale not unlike the

legend of the Inao warrior who killed 100 troops in

a single encounter.

STAGES OF BATTLE

Even something as violent and chaotic as battle

has a standardized pattern, involving a progression

through a series of relatively defined steps.

When both armies take to the field, an armour

representing the aggressors shoots a noisemaking

WAR AND TENRA

arrow (kabura-ya) as a symbol of the army’s hostile

intent. This arrow is answered with a second arrow

fired by an armour from the opposing forces. This

ritualized threat and defiant response (termed the

“ishu-okuri” and “ishu-gaeshi,” respectively) is the

accepted way to announce the start of a conflict,

and a tradition dating back to ancient times.

Along with the exchange of arrows, armour and

artillery pieces on both sides will fire an opening

volley. This is more for intimidation purposes than

to cause actual damage, however, and few casualties

result.

Next, the archers, riflemen, and soulgem rifle troops

begin to open fire with their ranged weaponry.

Cavalry troops and armour charge into the fray, and

the battle is joined. Once the battlefronts are joined,

samurai and other enhanced warriors wade into the

melee, unleashing their might. In recent years, with

the spread of firearms, battlefield engineers have

A SAMPLE VASSAL LORD’S ARMY

This is a summary of a vassal lord’s army, as

seen during the Suemai Revolt. Because of

their outsider status (they are not the leaders

of a domain, they control regions within a

domain), the lord does not have access to any

meikyo armour troops.

• Total Number: 14,606 troops

• Kimen Armour: 3

• Samurai: 25 (3 of them general class)

• Kijin: 368 (5 of them officer class)

• Cavalry: 1,160

• Soulgem Rifl emen: 529

• Rifl emen: 1,915

• Archers: 827

• Ashigaru: 6,362

• Low-ranking troops and civilian-fighters:

3,141

• Ninja/Shinobi: 20

• Miscellaneous (Onmyoji, Buddhist Monks,

Annelidists, etc.): 902

been used to create trenches and fortifications from

which riflemen attempt to fend off cavalry charges.

The End of the Battle

Small-scale battles typically finish when the

opposing general is killed in combat and his

head taken, or when the enemy army has either

been wiped out or suffered enough casualties to

cause it to rout. Large-scale wars do not end so

easily, however, as both armies generally possess a

multitude of leaders and soldiers who can make up

for combat losses.

In the past, the Shinto Priesthood was often called

upon to broker a cessation of hostilities. With a

few notable exceptions, Priesthood intervention

was generally fair, and its decision and authority

accepted by both sides. However, ever since the

Priesthood split into two hostile Courts in the

16th year of the Washin dynasty, the situation has

become much more complicated. Now, when a

regent loyal to the Northern Court makes war upon

a counterpart allied with the Southern Court,

Priesthood mediation is no longer an option,

and recent wars have become bloodbaths of nigh

apocalyptic proportions.

After the Battle

An end to the fighting itself does not necessarily

mean that the war has ended, and most consider the

resumption of diplomatic ties between the nations

involved the true signal of a conflict’s conclusion.

Official declarations are exchanged, and with much

careful deliberation treaties are signed, thereby

making the changes to the involved domains’

borders and political interests official.

In cases where one power is completely destroyed,

the victor assumes the right to total control over the

loser’s entire territory. Absolute victory such as this

is a rare occurrence, however.

REWARDS FOR BATTLEFIELD

ACHIEVEMENT

When a war ends, the officers and the soldiers under

their command are rewarded for their military

WAR AND TENRA

accomplishments. Such recognition is vital to the

smooth function of feudal armies, and a lack of

fairness in this department can have a tremendously

deleterious effect on morale.

Conscripts, mercenaries, and other low-ranking

troops receive a cash reward for their heroics.

Appointment to a higher rank is unlikely, unless

the individual is responsible for a major feat such

as killing an enemy general or saving the life of an

allied lord.

Professional and vassal warriors are generally

rewarded through an increase in territory and/

or income (i.e., koku, representing bushels of rice).

Gifts of famous swords, excellent horses, or notable

tea vessels or other works of art are also common.

Some lords honor superior warriors by allowing

them to incorporate a part of their master’s

name into their own (e.g., the Regent Shimeki

Masataka may grant permission for an underling

to call himself by a new personal name including

either “Masa” or “Taka”, such as “Masayori” or

“Noritaka,” etc.)

Just as heroics are generously rewarded, cowardice

and ineptitude are harshly punished. Unlucky

warriors are usually subjected to a reduction in

income or territory, and low-ranking soldiers tend

to be flogged or subjected to public humiliation.

Perpetrators of serious intentional crimes

detrimental to the army as a whole (such as the

misappropriation of vital supplies, or flight from the

enemy) are executed with few exceptions.

THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF AND HIS

GENERALS

The commander-in-chief (Soutaishou), a position

almost invariably held by a regent, is the ultimate

leader of a domain’s armed forces and all the

hundreds of warrior houses that make up the

military. Despite his nominal leadership, however,

his subordinates’ armies pledge their loyalty to their

direct leaders, and not the distant regent. As can be

imagined, this feudal structure leads to a certain

degree of instability and mistrust, as a leader must

beware of treachery at all times.

BATTLEFIELD REWARDS

First Into Combat (Ichiban Yari): 1 ryo and 1

keg of sake

Claiming Ashigaru kills: 1 barrel of rice per

100

Claiming the Kill of a Samurai: 1 barrel of rice

Defeating a Kimen Armour or Kimen Kongohki:

1 ryo

Retrieving a Meikyo: 1 ryo

Scouting and mapping enemy positions: 5 ryo

Reporting critical intelligence that changes the

tide of battle: 10 ryo

Defeating an Armour or Kongohki: 10 ryo or

Defeating a general: a promotion to a higher

position or 20 ryo

Saving the life of an allied general: the hero

may incorporate a part of the leader’s name

into his own

Saving the commander-in-chief’s life or taking

the enemy commander-in-chief’s head:

an automatic promotion to a position of

rank plus territory. Alternatively, the gift of a

Kugutsu

The commander-in-chief is assisted by a number

of generals and strategists, and the headquarters

is staffed by military observers (Gun-metsuke), the

Regent’s most trusted retainers (Hatamoto), and a

variety of other high-ranking specialists. Due to

this concentration of elite leaders, wiping out a

command post is effectively the same as destroying

a domain’s government.

The generals command the armies, acting under

the direction of the commander-in-chief, and also

provide advice and assistance. Given their critical

importance, the commander-in-chief tends to

choose blood relatives as his generals, as loyalty is

a must.

The commander-in-chief and generals are aided

by strategists and tacticians, who are consulted on

a wide variety of martial affairs. These officers are

almost invariably onmyoji sorcerers.

WAR AND TENRA

The military observers are akin to internal police

or political officers, and are present to ensure that

the rules and regulations are followed by the troops.

They pay special attention to the actions of the

vassal lords, attempting to sniff out any signs of

treachery or insubordination.

The military commissioner (Gun-bugyo) is

responsible for much of the lower level strategizing

and supervision. Immediately below him on the

hierarchy are a variety of other officers, each

devoted to a specific type of corps (e.g., spearmen,

rif lemen, signal corps, archers, supply staff, etc.).

Finally, the trusted retainers lead the commander-

in-chief ’s personal guard. Tasked with protecting

the command post, these elite troops enjoy a

prestigious position even in times of peace. Many

members of the guard are selected from the Regent’s

blood relatives and family clan so as to ensure a

greater degree of loyalty.

SOULGEMS

WHAT ARE SOULGEMS?

Soulgem, or ohju (sometimes commonly referred

to simply as “gems”), is a lump or ball of a rare

and precious metal. Scarlet in color, the size of one

soulgem bead is usually around a thumb’s fingernail

in diameter. It has unusual powers and properties,

the most common being that it is able to store up

spiritual force inside of itself, and later use that

power for various purposes.

Soulgems have been especially used in the military

field. Inventions sprung up like the “Gem-style

firearm” and “Gemblades”. Soulgem is a material

which explodes when it is hit with a percussion

hammer that has special carved magical seals or

sigils. Gem-style firearms work using this explosive

power to fire a projectile. Soulgem weapons like

gemswords work by amplifying the kinetic force of

the weapon and even the sharpness of the blade with

the explosion of spirit force released when activated.

It is impossible to reuse a soulgem, as it breaks apart

into very small particles after being used.

Samurai, as opposed to normal warriors and

swordsmen, have soulgem beads imbedded directly

into their bodies. They have these beads implanted

into their flesh and muscle during the samuraization

surgery, which transforms them permanently into

a living spirit conduit. Onmyoji sorcerers use

soulgems to amplify the power of their shikigami

spirits, embedding soulgem into their prayer strips

when summoning these fey creatures. Soulgem

essentially works like a storage battery of spiritual

force. In these cases the soulgems don’t break apart,

so they can be reused any number of times.

Soulgem beads are traded at a high price like a

valuable treasure. Powerful people who use soulgems

value them highly because it requires advanced

and specialized skills to excavate soulgem from the

mines of Tenra, purifying and refining this base

mineral into a soulgem capable of holding a charge

of spiritual energy.

There are some people who specialize in managing

every thing relating to soulgems, from excavation

to refi nement to distribution. These sorcerers are

masters of the art of Feng Shui, and are called

geomancers.

GEOMANCERS AND SOULGEM MINES

Gems are excavated and purified like any other

metal. However, soulgem is a rare metal and it

is extremely hard to find a soulgem mine. If a

powerful person gets word that a soulgem mine was

found, she would do anything to try to control it—

even if it was located near the border of a

neighboring domain. In fact, it is this very thing

that causes many inter-domain wars. Geomancers

work to find new gem mines and excavate them.

Much like other sorcerers, geomancers tend to be

solitary individuals which don’t often interact with

others. They just try to do their job and tend

not to associate with other people in doing so.

The locations of soulgem mines are top secret

among geomancers, and they pay extra attention

to hide both the existence of such mines—and

themselves—from other people. They often use

money and influence to create small, isolated

villages near the gem mines and rarely leave until

the mine is exhausted.

Geomancers meet regents, lords, or merchants

every once in a while to sell them soulgems. The

geomancer will often just simply state the number

of available soulgems that they have to sell (or are

interested in selling), and a set price. They rarely

accept any negotiation beyond that. This makes

for quite a one-sided business style, but there are

few who have antipathy to them. This is partly

because the need for soulgem is so great, but mostly

because the geomancer rarely exploits their power

by setting the price of their soulgems as high as they

possibly can. They are interested in making good

profit from the sale of soulgems (on top of their

own motivations), and the best way to keep business

regular without causing antagonism is to set the

prices fairly, albeit high.

SOULGEMS

SCARLET STEEL

Scarlet steel (sometimes referred to simply as

“scarlet”) is a kind of precious metal which looks

like a beautiful vibrant red metal sparkling with

gold powder. It is said that in the far away lands to

the East, this material is called “Orichalcum”. It is

often described to appear like a delicate golden-red

color, like a mixture of twilight and crimson. Lots

of soulgem material is required to purify and refine

scarlet steel, and ordinary people almost never see

scarlet steel in their lifetime. When written in the

old languages of Tenra, the word for scarlet contains

a mantra which means “the power of the gods”.

Scarlet has both hardness and malleability, and

excellent conductivity for spiritual energy. Because

of these properties, scarlet steel is used as a material

for crafting armours. Blades made of scarlet are

much sharper than their steel counterparts, and

with the proper spirit of its wielder, can cut far

better than a steel sword. When a sword is crafted

from scarlet steel and makes use of soulgem for

power, the sword is referred to as a gemblade. All

gemblades have a firearm-like trigger mechanism for

expending soulgems.

The True Meaning of the Gemblade

Swords. They are considered the symbol of military

arts, and are thought to carve into maturity the

very souls of the warriors of Tenra. Therefore,

many warriors carry swords. Skilled warriors who

use seemingly more useful weapons like spears or

naginata (long-bladed pikes) are in the minority,

such is the hold of the sword on the warrior psyche.

Even among gem-based weapons of extraordinary

destructive power, sword-based weapons are

particularly preferred by the warriors of Tenra.

Having a beautiful sword made from scarlet steel

is a huge honor for warriors, and considered proof

of merit for deeds done. Special gemswords made

by famous named swordsmiths are traded at an

exorbitant price.

There is a well-known anecdote of a samurai who

performed meritoriously in battle and in service

to his lord. He wished nothing more than to be

granted an inherited gemsword from the feudal lord.

But instead, the lord offered him so much more:

Lavish, extravagant gifts, an official government job,

and a huge dominion to rule over. They say that the

samurai ended up killing the lord because his wish

was refused. This story is an extreme example, but

it shows the value of the gemsword in the psyche of

the warriors of Tenra.

There are two different methods to discharge

soulgems in gem-style weapons. The first is

known as “revolver style”. The gem is loaded into

a cylindrical ring revolver-body, and is discharged

one at a time. It is possible to discharge, or “fire”,

soulgems repeatedly in a revolver-style weapon. The

second method is called “automatic style”, because

of the way the soulgem chamber is automatically

reloaded after each discharge. Automatic style

weapons are designed with newer technology, and

have a better rapid firing and loading capacity.

However, automatic style weapons can have more

accidents than their revolver counterparts, like the

possibility of jamming.

Which weapon a warrior chooses is largely a matter

of personal taste. However, bushi, vassal warriors

and samurai who have a more old-fashioned or

traditional spirit tend to prefer the revolver-style

weapons.

Soulgems Kill

It is impossible for a soulgem to accidentally

discharge itself. Even if soulgem is smashed with a

rock, broken, or blown up, the spirit charge sealed

inside of the soulgem simply vanishes into mist

without thirst for human blood. This means that

soulgem absolutely requires someone to activate it

to make it work. The user’s clear intention of killing

is the thing that activates and propels the soulgem,

killing people. As an aside, gunpowder (see below)

does not have this kind of intention or directivity:

It can be activated without killing intent, and it can

be used without direct human involvement. For this

reason, gem-style weapon users generally despise

gunpowder-style weapon users: The difference is an

aesthetic difference, and gem-style weapon users

SOULGEMS

think that the use of gunpowder weapons shows

poor taste.

SOULGEM VS

GUNPOWDER

GUNPOWDER, A NEW TECHNOLOGY

As mentioned previously, new technology which

emerged after the breaking up of the Priesthood

into the Northern and Southern Courts had a huge

infl uence in changing the face of war in Tenra. The

invention of gunpowder-style firearms was a

GAME RULE: USING GEMS

Weapons for hand-to-hand combat which

expend soulgems can cause more damage to

enemies. When the attacker hits an opponent

and depresses the trigger, she can cause more

damage. For every soulgem expended, one

additional point of damage is caused. The

attacker can choose to expend soulgems once

the attack hits, she does not have to decide

before the attack roll is made. In effect, the

attacker has connected with the flesh of

her enemy; she then pulls the trigger on the

gemblade to increase the force of the blade,

and the rupturing of the wound.

Gemblade Katana

Damage: +5, Rate of Fire: 2, ammo 6

When your attack hits with this weapon, the

damage dealt is the difference between the

attacker’s roll and the defender’s roll plus five

(see combat section for more on damage). You

can then choose, if you want, to use soulgems

for this attack. Since this weapon’s rate of

fire is 2, you can choose to use up to 2 gems

("Bang! Bang!"), and damage will increase to

either +6 (+5 plus one gem) or +7 (+5 plus two

soulgems). Once you use all 6 charges in the

barrel, you will have to take a half-action and

reload.

completely revolutionary incident. Before that, the

word firearm was synonymous with weapons which

used the explosive spiritual power of soulgems.

Needless to say, soulgem is a valuable material and

not everybody is able to use it easily. For example, it

was impossible to provide soulgem-based weapons

to general private soldiers in times of war.

However, the discovery of gunpowder has changed

this situation completely. Gunpowder is inexpensive

and far more abundant than soulgems. These

features are extremely advantageous even though

gunpowder has several of its own weak points, like

its weakness to moisture. But even farmers who had

just been drafted into war could defeat horse-riding

warriors with a gunpowder rifle. Soon the powerful

warlords who recognized this fact started to order

the mass production of gunpowder-style firearms,

providing them to private soldiers. Many workshops

were established, and some of these small makeshift

factories introduced the concept of division of

labor in an effort to streamline and speed up the

production process. As a result, the system that

mass-produced standardized firearms efficiently

soon became considered more important than

artisans who took time and effort to carefully craft

firearms by hand.

SPECIAL WEAPONS

SOULGEM WEAPONS

Gemblades are special swords that can harness

and amplify the willpower of its user into a kind

of spiritual explosive force. These swords have

chambers where soulgems are explosively crushed,

usually in the base of the blade or the hilt of the

sword. The explosive spiritual energy produced

by crushing soulgems is delivered to the blade

and creates a surge of positive kinetic force, both

propelling the blade while instantly sharpening it.

At the same time, a shock wave breaks out from

around the blade and makes it vibrate with force.

These combined effects make gemblade attacks very

destructive and powerful. If a warrior discharges a

soulgem at the same time a gemblade has cut into

flesh (for example, once an opponent is stabbed

SOULGEMS

with the sword), the flesh rips apart and tears away,

causing great damage because of the kinetic energy

and accompanying shockwave.

The Armour Hunters

The Zakt-8R Ultimate Edge (Hachiren Zankoutou,

or “Eight-Repeating Ultimate Cutting Blade”) is the

latest creation in the attempt to create a hand-held

weapon capable of defeating the powerful mecha

of the battlefield, the yoroi armours. The Zakt-8R

was invented by remodeling a type of short sword

normally carried by armours themselves. It has a

large central revolver-like chamber which has the

ability to discharge eight soulgems at the same time.

It was made with the simple idea to use armour

weapons to fight against armours. However, due to

its extraordinary weight and low center of gravity of

the Zakt (designed with armour and not human

body standards), more advanced or agile sword

techniques cannot be used when wielding it.

The Gunlance Rifle

They say that a simple bullet, accelerated to

frightening speeds through use of an ultra long gun

barrel, has the potential to destroy large armours

with a single shot. The gunlance is the most

powerful portable projectile weapon for Tenran

soldiers. Appearing to be a standard old-model rifle

with a long barrel, it uses the explosive reaction and

shockwave of the crushing of soulgems to fire metal

bullets at extreme velocities, turning the rifleman

into a walking rail cannon.

On top of that, the gunlance has a close combat

attachment called an “explosive spiker” attached to

the lower part of the rifle’s barrel. The spiker is a

spear-like length of sharpened fine steel or scarlet

steel about the length of one’s forearm, and as wide

as one’s whole thumb. By itself, it looks like a simple

long, fat metal stake used for impaling enemies

like a bayonet. However, when fired the soulgem

explosion causes it to erupt from the gunlance

with almost unimaginable force and extend to its

full length, causing massive impact damage to

whatever was at the end of the bayonet. Even the

fiercest armour riders are cautious enough to try to

stay out of the sights of a gunlance wielded by an

experienced or famous handler: Rifle bullets can

cut through the shell of a yoroi mecha armour like

a katana cutting through a field of wheat, while a

spiker can drive holes through anything it touches.

It should be noted that by current technology and

traditiona l crafting methods, the katana-based

gemblade cannot “fire” bullets like gunlances can. It

only uses the explosive power of soulgem to enhance

the cutting power and force of the blade, not fire

bullets at ranged enemies.

White Heat Palm

The White Heat Palm—also referred to as an

Incinerator Palm—is a mechanica replacement

for the hand and wrist made with pure scarlet

steel, with ducts throughout its form which hold

soulgems. Killing intent from the user’s spirit is

amplified by the glove, then circulates through

the ducts and makes the scarlet generate heat.

Th e white heat palm gets so hot (until it glows

incandescent) that it begins to evaporate the very

moisture around it. A simple thrust with a charged

white heat palm can melt away even steel without

leaving any pieces behind. While small and close-

contact, the white heat palm is surely the strongest

known hand weapon in Tenra.

The white heat palm for armours has less soulgem

density (due to the spaced-out gem ducts and space

required to heat) than similar kongohki models,

so it is less efficient and powerful than the same

weapon used by a kongohki. A kongohki equipped

with white heat palms is one of the most dangerous

weapons on Tenra.

CULTURAL

ADDENDA:

MONEY,

TIME, AND

MEASUREMENTS

This section contains little bits of cultural

information that can be lightly sprinkled into

a game of Tenra Bansho to give it some flavor.

Please do not feel constrained to use only the

measurements below in play. Feel free to start

a game in “November”, call a meeting at “One

O’Clock”, walk “Northeast”, walk “a mile” or “a

kilometer”, or pay in “copper coins”. These are just

here to add a little setting flavor in your game where

you might want it.

TIME

The general counting system of time goes like this:

From 11pm to 1am is Ne (rat) and continues around

the clock with the twelve signs of the Chinese

Zodiac, each at intervals of 2 hours: Nezumi, Ushi

,Tora, Usagi, Tatsu, Hebi, Uma, Hitsuji, Saru, Tori,

Inu, Inoshishi: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon,

Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and

Boar.

Also, urban areas often have a different and

confusing counting system: With 12pm as the

number “nine”, moving clockwise and counting

down at 2 hour intervals from 9 to 4, then repeating

again at 6:00 PM with “nine” again. For example

1pm is “nine half ”, 2pm is “eight”, 3pm is “eight

ha lf ”.

DIRECTION

The twelve signs of the Chinese Zodiac are used for

direction, too! Consider North as “Rat” and move

clockwise through Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, etc. Each

zodiac is separated by about 30 degrees. Northeast

is called Ox-Tiger (Ushitora), Southeast is Dragon-

Snake (Tatsumi), Southwest is Sheep-Monkey

(Hitsujisaru) and Northwest is Dog-Boar (Inui).

Northeast is an unlucky direction in Japan, and

is sometimes called Devilsgate (Kimon), and

Southwest is sometimes referred to as Reverse

Devilsgate (Urakimon).

MONTHS AND DATES

In Tenra a lunar calendar is used which was

invented based on the waxing and waning patterns

of the moon. This is because Tenra’s society is

deeply rooted in agriculture. The Shinto Priesthood,

on the other hand, in its official records makes use

of a solar-style calendar.

Each month has three different readings: That is,

January might be called “Mutsuki, “Iwaizuki” or

“Kasumisomezuki”, depending on who is speaking or

writing. The first name below is the common name

for the month, the other two are more poetic names

for the month used in writings, songs and the like.

January: Mutsuki, Iwaizuki, Kasumisomezuki

February: Kisaragi, Imemizuki, Yukigezuki

March: Yayoi, Sakurazuki, Yumemizuki

April: Uzuki, Hananokorizuki, Hatsuhazuki

May: Satsuki, Tachibanazuki, Hubukizuki

June: Minazuki, Kazemachizuki, Narukamizuki

July: Humitsuki, Tanabatazuki, Hakihazuki

August: Hazuki, Hagitsuki, Tsubamesarizuki

September: Nagatsuki, Momijitsuki, Kirodorutsuki

October: Kannazuki, Shiguretsuki, Hatsushimotsuki

November: Shimotsuki, Kaguratsuki,

Yukimachizuki

December: Shiwasu, Harumachizuki, Mifuyuzuki

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

The weights and measures used in Tenra are

referred to as the shakkanhou (the old Japanese style

system of measures and weights). The shakkanhou

were originally based on the size of the human body.

CULTURAL ADDENDA

Units of Length

One ri = about 3.9km (36 cho)

One cho = about 109m (60 ken)

One ken = about 1.82m (6 shaku)

One shaku = about 30.3cm (10 sun)

One sun = about 3.03cm

Units of Capacity

One koku = about 180L (10 to)

One to = about 18L (10 sho)

One sho = about 1.8L (10 go)

One go = about 180ml

Units of Weights

One kan = about 3.75kg (1000 mon)

One kin = about 600g (160 mon)

One ryo = about 37.5g (10 mon)

One mon = about 3.75g

Units of Dimension

One cho = about 99.2 hectares/2.4 acres (10 tan)

One tan = about 992m^2 (300 tsubo)

One tsubo = 3.3m^2

MONEY

There is no official monetary system across all

of Tenra. Each country, kingdom and domain

manufactures its own coinage, and only highly

purifi ed coins are traded amongst merchant-

travelers. In the central continent, silver coins from

the country of Kisen in Sunai-shu province, or gold

coins from the Hatsuse kingdom in Gi-shu province

are well known for their refined quality: No

merchant refuses those coins. The shapes and styles

of the coins differ from domain to domain, but the

names of the coin, and their worth, are roughly the

same. Th e standards are still based on copper, silver

and gold. People often refer to them as “coppers,

silvers, and golds”

One ryo: (4000 mon). Gold coins, usually a large

size silver coin coated with gold. Think of one coin

as the modern equivalent of “One thousand dollars”

in terms of purchasing power and economic weight.

They make a distinctive metallic clinking sound

when tossed around.

Silver coins: There are many kinds of varying

value (from dozens to several hundred mon). They

are used to purchase extremely refi ned goods

and services, or a lot of small goods or services (a

common inn room for a week or longer, etc).

Mon: Commonly carried and used copper coins.

Used to purchase most everyday goods, meals,

lodging, etc. Pretty much every small good or

service costs about one or two mon.

ARMOUR-RIDERS:

DEMONS ON THE

BATTLEFIELD

The result of experimenting with creating armament

based on onmyojutsu, and one of the fruits of

technological development on the battlefi eld:

These are the yoroi armours. Steel giants standing

over twice the height of men, those armour riders

who possess an aptitude for controlling these giants

interface with the armours, making their hearts

and bodies one. Armour riders control their armour

with such fluidity that they seem almost alive.

In battle, the armours exhibit amazing power.

Possessing great destructive force both at close

quarters and from afar, they are frequently

employed by their commanding armies, spreading

waves of fear over their enemies as if an apparition

of a demonic god.

Manufacturing armours requires an incredible

amount of manpower and financial expense.

Possessing even a single armour is a symbol of great

political and financial power.

In recent years, the use of the mass-produced

kimenkyo as a replacement for traditional meikyo

armours has contributed to a deterioration in the

quality and effectiveness of the pilots. However, the

abilities of the mass-produced kimen-armour are

not too far behind the abilities of their traditional

hand-crafted stronger brethren, and are still far

many times more powerful than even companies of

footsoldiers. For the foreseeable future, the armours

are an important weapon of war, and a powerful

military technology.

THE ROLE OF THE ARMOUR

On the battlefield, the armours are the very banner

of the armies they represent, as well as a battery for

remote bombardment before sword meets sword.

Even a single armour functions as a force capable of

devastating a rival army. These iron giants, over

twice the size of a man, can steel their comrades

by their mere presence while bearing down on the

nerves of the enemy. Moreover, these giants' quick

movements, those giant steel arms swinging their

weapons towards the enemy, are enough to remove

any thoughts save for terror in their opponents.

Additionally, offthe battlefield, the armours

function as a status symbol of a country or

household's prosperity.

To construct an armour, it is not enough to merely

have an onmyoji that can construct the sinew and

muscles that move the giant, nor a skilled armour-

smith to forge the equipment and wrap the body in

steel. There must also be the meikyo, or soul mirror,

which is set in the center of the armour. The meikyo

soul mirror allows humans to interface with the

machine and control it. There must also be a heart-

engine that serves as the source of the armour's

power. Finally, there must be a rider who can fuse

with the armour. There are many important and

necessary parts required to make fully functioning

armour—all of which are rare, valuable, and hard to

obtain.

Possessing an armour and employing it in battle is

concrete proof of the power of a noble line, both

financially and influentially.

Those specialists who operate the armours, those

few who are able to climb inside the armours and

bring them to life, are called armour riders. As

armours are valuable items that reflect a high social

standing and power, most riders are the daughters

(and occasionally sons) of noble houses.

To operate or "interface" with an armour, one's

heart must be pure and untainted by sin and

worldly karma. The less tainted the soul is, and the

lower a rider's karma is, the stronger armour they

can command, and the more functionality they can

draw out of the armour.

Because of this, those who are to become armour-

riders are almost always shut off from the outside

world from an early age, and overly protected as if

they were a doll in a box or glass case. Their every

ARMOUR RIDERS

ARMOUR VS ARMOR

Armor is the word given to the often

lacquerware-made armor that humans

sometimes wear into battle (usually only

higher ranked soldiers and lords).

Armour, with the Queen's English spelling, is

the word used to refer to the Yoroi of Tenra,

the 3-5 meter tall mecha killing machines.

They are also called Yoroi Armours or simply

Yoroi.

It shouldn't be too confusing, because

human-donned armor simply doesn't appear

that often in the world of Tenra: It offers

little protection from gemblades, ninja arts,

cybernetic claws and soulgem rifles, and

thus these days it is more for show than for

actual pragmatic protection. There are no

rules regarding human armor, nor benefits

from wearing it in the game.

whim is catered to, and their education only focuses

on good, simple lessons. Thus, armour-riders are

often very young, simple-minded, and pure. For

them to climb into an armour and win in battle

again and again for their lords, they are essentially

forced to never grow up, to never become anything

more than children.

However, the lifespan of the armour-rider is

nevertheless a short one.

Humans, merely through the facts of their existence,

gain karma over time. They understand the world,

and come to love some things, hate others, and find

one's place in the world. Gaining karma is an effect

of growing into adulthood. Some riders never even

make it to adulthood before they lose the ability to

pilot their armour: There comes a time when the

armour simply stops responding to commands, or

refuses to power up. That's when the armor rider's

life effectively ends, and a new one begins.

Of course, this is all contingent on whether or not

the rider can survive the violence of the front lines

of war. Even giants of steel can fall in battle.

MEIKYO

WHAT IS A MEIKYO?

The meikyo (in Japanese, "Clear Mirror") is the

brain of both armours and kongohki—a circular

steel device interlaced with delicate circuitry which

bears a resemblance to the magical polished bronze

mirrors found in shrines. It is often referred to as a

"soul mirror."

The meikyo is the only mechanical control system

for armour on Tenra. It is through the proper

application of this meikyo that the control and

movement of armour and kongohki is made

possible. Without the meikyo, they are nothing

more than mere masses of mindless metal.

It cannot be forgotten that armour, as well as the

kongohki, exist for the purpose of commanding

the tide of battle. For that reason, various feudal

lords preparing for battle will often plan to secretly

secure spare meikyo for new armours or kongohki.

However, meikyo soul mirrors are not a simple

thing to come by. They are extremely expensive, but

they are not prohibitively expensive to a noble house

or domain lord. The reason that acquiring them is

so difficult is that there are so few of them to go

around.

Pure meikyo can only be created by the Shinto

Priesthood. The forging and crafting process,

as well as the list of required materials to craft a

meikyo, is a restricted art. This art has been kept a

secret for a long time within the Priesthood, a secret

which has never completely escaped its confines.

Even if the technological processes were to leave

the Priesthood (and they haven't), no one trained

outside the Priesthood would have the ability to

craft the delicate layered circuitry found weaved

inside a meikyo. A meikyo is a technological marvel

as well as an inspired piece of art, the crafting

techniques of which are kept absolutely secret in the

ARMOUR RIDERS

INTERFACE RULES

To interface with an armour, two conditions

have to be met:

• The pilot must possess the "interface" skill.

• The combined Karma of the rider and the

armour's meikyo mirror must be less than

108.

If these conditions are not met, then even

with an interface helm, the armour's meikyo

will not be accessible. The pilot will be locked

out.

Furthermore, if while piloting the armour,

the combined Karma total goes over 108, the

soul of the pilot becomes trapped inside the

meikyo and becomes unable to escape.

While interfaced, the armour's stats for Body,

Agility and Senses are used. All general

skills are rolled at a level equal to the rider's

interface skill.

CLEAR MIRROR?

In Japanese mythology, the gods granted the

first emperor of Japan three sacred treasures:

The grass-cutting sword, a mystical gem

called the magatama, and a meikyo, a clear

mirror made of bronze. The clear mirror

symbolizes honesty and wisdom, as it clearly

and perfectly reflects its surroundings. From

that point on, there has been a historic

connection between polished mirrors and

the native Shinto religion. Many real-world

Shinto shrines have a bronze or metal mirror

on a dais.

In Tenra Bansho Zero, too, the symbol of the

power of the Shinto Priesthood is the clear

mirror. It refers to both the hyper-advanced

technology meikyo are based on, as well as the

mirror-like objects themselves.

bowels of the Priesthood compounds at old Mount

Jinrai.

However, the Priesthood is now currently divided

into the Southern and Northern Courts, with

the Northern Court Priesthood having opened

the art to the masses (to at least some degree), so

that even average people of great skill can create

their own mass-produced meikyo replicas- the

kimenkyo. However, there is a world of difference

between these mass-produced replicas and genuine

Priesthood meikyo, and even now the demand for

true meikyo is still great.

MEIKYO AND THE SOUL

Through interfacing with the armour—placing

one’s soul into the meikyo and fusing with

armour—armour-riders become one with the

machine, able to manipulate the armour’s giant

body as if it was their own.

While interfacing, the armour-rider’s soul is

temporarily separated from her body, and inserted

into the meikyo. In this state, the armour-rider is in

a form of coma, and cannot feel any physical pain

or discomfort such as hunger, exhaustion, or pain.

The sensation is like floating softly in a comfortable,

welcoming darkness at first. Then, when connecting

with the armour, the rider sees through its eyes,

and follows status readouts on the condition of the

armour and the environment.

As power to move is given to the armour through

the heart-engine, they can move without need for

fuel. However, the armour rider is not so lucky:

While interfaced, it is often the case that many

riders forget their need for food or sleep, and so

caution is needed. Even if the body of an armour-

rider is destroyed, their soul and consciousness will

live on inside the meikyo, and thus the armour will

still continue to function.

The meikyo possesses something that appears to

be a kind of “gate” inside it, separating the world

between the rider’s consciousness and the mind

of the armour. If a soul is too tainted by karma, it

ARMOUR RIDERS

cannot (in most cases) enter the meikyo. The soul

is locked out, the doorway to enter the armour’s

meikyo is blocked and impassable. The rider can

no longer power up nor command her armour, and

thus returns from the blackness back into her own

body.

Paradoxically, for the kongohki—which depend

on the possession of shattered souls steeped in

karma—this gate functions as a cage. Sealing

away memories, the temporarily constricted soul

expands within the meikyo, and the shattered soul

becomes trapped inside. This clear, robotic pseudo-

consciousness then wears the kongohki’s metal flesh

as if it were its own.

OBTAINING A MEIKYO

It is said that even a single meikyo is enough

to change the very fabric of a country. Even so,

acquiring one is not a simple task.

There are only two ways to acquire a meikyo. The

first is to inherit (or steal) one from someone who

already has one. The second is to beg the favor of

being granted one from the Priesthood.

The previous example is a simple one: The

meikyo could be part of a transaction between

two lords, or be recycled from a broken armour

or fallen kongohki. This is the most simple and

straightforward method, and is used all throughout

Tenra.

The latter, being granted a newly-forged meikyo

from the Priesthood, can only be accomplished in

the southern part of Tenra, and only in the domains

controlled by the Southern Court of the Priesthood.

To acquire a meikyo, the lord or a representative

must go to worship at New Mount Jinrai (or

for those domains located outside of the central

continent, one of the nearby Great Shrines). Only

once they are granted permission may they receive

the meikyo from one of the highest-ranked officials

from the Priesthood.

In the Priesthood’s Northern Court, the process

for creating quasi-meikyo soul mirrors, known as

kimenkyo, has not replaced receiving true meikyo.

However, the influx of new meikyo imported from

the Southern Court is so numerous that the number

of armours and kongohki that are equipped with

genuine meikyo has not changed too drastically in

recent years.

KIMENKYO

DEVELOPMENT OF THE KIMENKYO

The Priesthood is split into two factions. One of the

factions, the Northern Court, revealed the secret

of how to produce meikyo—the most fabulous

and once most highly protected of the Priesthood’s

various secret arts. Meikyo analogues created in

the towns through this leaked method are called

kimenkyo, or “mechanical-style mirror”. However,

their abilities are a far cry from that of true meikyo.

Because it is now possible to mass produce the

techniques that give rise to the meikyo, the process

was massively reformed, and arguably improved

upon over the years.

The two heavy hitters of the battlefield—the

armour and kongohki—are now able to be

manufactured on a large scale. This became the

single largest revolution in warfare in the entire

history of Tenra. Although these kimen-armours

and kimen-kongohki pale in comparison to hand-

crafted meikyo-equipped armours and kongohki,

to the average soldier, they are still gods of death on

the battlefield.

MASS PRODUCTION AND PRACTICAL

APPLICATIONS

The mass production of armours and kongohki that

was born from the kimenkyo caused a revolution in

the way that war is carried out on Tenra.

These mass-produced kimen armours could be

used in ways never before conceived of for standard

meikyo armours. For a single large investment,

armours could provide a number of war-related

ARMOUR RIDERS

SOUL MIRROR, MECHANICAL

MIRROR?

Meikyo comes from the secret techniques

which lead to sleek, hand-crafted armour and

kongohki that are supremely powerful. The

true techniques behind this technology are

still guarded by both courts of the Priesthood.

The meikyo mirrors themselves are often

called "soul mirrors" because of the need to

project one's soul through them to operate

them successfully.

Kimenkyo is the blocky, unrefined mass-

produced technology leaked to the masses

by the Northern Court which leads to armour

and kongohki that are still quite powerful, but

still way behind their meikyo counterparts.

You don't need to project your soul through

it to use it; kimen mirrors operate more like

self-thinking computers or calculators. They

are sometimes called "mechanica mirrors" or

"kimen mirrors".

Kimen armours and kongohki often

look blocky, mechanical, retro, or even

steampunkish. They are designed to be

pragmatic and quickly producible. They rarely

look like their original meikyo counterparts,

which are arguably true works of art.

functions such as searching for the enemy,

replenishing supplies, or even transport and carriage.

Additionally, an armour-smith came up with the

idea of creating standardized armours that would be

easy to fix, or exchange parts with on the fly—an

idea that would drastically increase the usefulness of

the armour. If a leg or arm is destroyed, a new one

could be attached and the armour sent back into

service quickly.

Moreover, the Priesthood of the Northern Court,

after their split, withdrew the former ban against

high altitude flight. Utilizing this policy change,

both armour-smiths and onmyoji started research

into the art of aviation. As a result, avionic

equipment for armours and kongohki has been

developed, and the collection of enemy camp

information and placement from high altitude

has become an essential part of warfare. An age

of information-based warfare has begun, with the

flying technologies a key component.

Unlike the Northern Court, in the Priesthood of

the Southern Court the ban on high altitude flight

still stands. Thus, in provinces controlled by the

Southern Court, especially the controlled airspace

around New Mount Jinrai, avionic armours

mysteriously meet with collisions of unknown

cause or simply disappear. Until the present day, the

number of airspace infractions (both intentional

and accidental) was close to one hundred recorded

incidents. But now, there is not even one avionic

armour which has entered within 200 miles of New

Jinrai and returned home to tell the tale.

PRODUCING THE KIMENKYO

To make a kimenkyo or kimen mirror, all one needs

is someone who knows the art of meikyo crafting,

or documents detailing the special techniques on

how to forge a kimenkyo, as well as the necessary

materials for forging.

The technique for forging kimenkyo can basically

be learned from any higher ranked Shinto priests

or priestesses dispatched from the Northern Court.

This art, which was taught by the Priesthood, has

been passed from pupil to pupil, and quickly spread

throughout Tenra. There are now no shortages of

kimen crafters.

In normal working conditions, a kimen mirror can

be created in about three month’s time.

The completed kimenkyo can be sold for

approximately 100 ryo. Kimenkyo do not differ in

ability or strength depending on their size. However,

it is said that the difference in performance can be

seen in the size and service life of a kimenkyo. Even

though the kimenkyo should essentially possess

ARMOUR RIDERS

the same abilities, and thus be all worth roughly

the same amount, there have already begun to

be differences in market prices that cannot be

overlooked. Prices could vary depending on which

school or factory the kimenkyo originated from.

Even now, there are locations or plants which are

working with the limitations of kimenkyo and

turning out quality mechanical mirrors.

ARMOUR

CONSTRUCTION

HOW DO ARMOURS MOVE?

The shell of an armour is not so different from a

standard set of humanoid full body armor, only

made larger. Even when constructing armours, one

RULES FOR KIMEN ARMOUR

Kimen armours and kimen kongohki

are mass-produced, but they too rely on

onmyojutsu magic and high technology to

function, just like their meikyo counterparts.

However, they operate on lesser kimen

calculating devices, and not meikyo soul-

capturing devices.

This means that kimen armour and kimen

kongohki do not benefit from the meikyo

bonus to physical abilities that their meikyo

counterparts receive. This fact accounts for

the high difference in quality and operational

functionality: Meikyo devices are always

superior because their devices run on more

natural, human urges.

However, there is a merit to not having a

meikyo: There is no accumulation of karma

in a kimenkyo; all karma gained while in a

kimen armour goes to the pilot. This means

that the pilot will never be cut off from the

armour, and that the armour will never "trap"

the pilot inside.

employs many of the same processes and techniques

as when building standard body armor.

However, it is in the delicate internal structure

underneath the steel shell for which the armour-

smiths are needed. Armour-smiths are one of the

specialist onmyoji trained specifically in the art of

crafting armours.

The core of armour mobility is an onmyojutsu-

crafted device called the “drive shaft”. This

synthetic muscle, which is fused to its surrounding

metal parts, takes the spiritual energy gathered from

the centrally equipped heart-engine and uses it to

power the very will of the interfaced armour-rider.

Due to the countless drive shafts moving intricately

within the armour, the armour’s gigantic frame can

be moved just like that of a human.

Even if the construction of an armour is a difficult

time-consuming endeavor, the equipping and repair

of one is not such a formidable task. The outfitting

and servicing of an armour is accomplished through

Taoist sorcery. By forging the correct shiki and

fusing it to the damaged metal, the damaged parts

can be mended again.

However, no matter how skilled an armour-smith,

there are two instruments that cannot be mended

once broken: The heart-engine and the meikyo

mirror.

An armour whose heart-engine is damaged is cut

off from the power source that fuels its movements.

It loses the ability to move even a single finger.

Additionally, if the meikyo soul mirror is damaged,

interfacing with the armour becomes impossible.

If both of these items are damaged simultaneously,

the only option is to replace them both.

Additionally, because the acquisition of both is

exceedingly difficult, armours that are destroyed

like this are often little more than useless junk, and

are usually just broken down for scrap.

ARMOUR RIDERS

HEART-ENGINES THE SOURCE OF AN

ARMOUR’SPOWER

The heart that moves armours and kongohki—the

instrument that supplies their mystic energy—is a

spherical device called a heart engine, sometimes

written heart-engine or heartgem. About the size

of an adult’s clenched fist, and usually surrounded

in a case of steel, the heart gem is an irreplaceable

part of the armour.

This, paired with its scarcity, makes it often fetch

a high price in business dealings and underground

markets.

Heart gems that are given proper treatment by

onmyoji can supply an unlimited amount of soul

energy. Installing the heart gem into armours and

kongohki will provide the energy needed to move

the drive shafts of the various parts of the body.

Since it is the instrument that functions as the

armour’s and kongohki’s heart, once a heart gem is

installed into a machine, it is then called a heart-

engine.

If the heart-engine is damaged, repair is impossible

and a new one must be procured and exchanged

with the damaged one. Conversely, if the heart-

engine could somehow be taken from a damaged

armour or kongohki, it is possible that it could be

reused as the power source for a new armour or

kongohki.

KIMEN ARMOUR-RIDERS

Pilots of kimen armour often choose this path

as another way to achieve power, status or

respect. Ex-armour pilots (those who were

eventually rejected by meikyo armours) often

take this path, as do people who wish to gain

power without pursuing paths that would

change their bodies completely like samurai or

kijin. Crack open the shell of a kimen armour,

and most likely you’ll find just a normal

human being staring back.

Of course, the knowledge of how to transplant the

heart-engine between two armours is only known to

the upper class—the onmyoji, the armour-smiths,

the lords and their representatives—and remains a

mystery to the common people. Even the fact that

such a method of powering machines exists is not

known by many.

In extremely rare cases, a large number of heart

gems have been known to flow through the black

market for a short time. Rumors flow freely of

long hidden heart gem treasure troves of long-

dead nations, or caches of gems that serve as the

playthings of the Priesthood. Because of the recent

increase of mass-produced kimen armours and

kimen kongohki which also require a power supply,

these rumored and rare heart engines have recently

seen a sudden increase in price well beyond their

past cost...

ONI AND HEART GEMS

While it is not commonly known, heart gems are

actually the physical hearts of the native people of

Tenra- the oni.

When one cuts open the chest cavity of a dead or

dying oni, it is possible to see the rough shape of a

heart fused to the center of the chest—an almost

perfect sphere about the size of a large fist. This is a

heart gem.

One theory is that the heart gem is the source of

oni supernatural powers. If that is true, then it

is possible to harness this organ, and give a shiki

limitless renewable mystical power. This creates a

semi-permanent drive engine for armours and

kongohki.

Whoever first discovered this fact is not known.

Perhaps it was one of the Priesthood secrets that was

leaked—or perhaps even deliberately revealed—to

the masses. But it is still a mystery as to why the

Priesthood would leak any information as important

as the heart-engines to the lower classes.

ARMOUR RIDERS

SHIKI PERMANENCE

By combining the heart-engine and a summoned

shiki spirit, an onmyoji can forge a unique type of

shiki.

In the same way that the heart-engine becomes

the driving force for an armour, by using the heart

gem as a medium for the shiki, the soul required

to empower the shiki can be supplied permanently

through the engine.

Normally, when forging a shiki spirit, the onmyoji

places their soul energy into the incantation which

summons the shiki. The shiki then consumes

that energy, using it as fuel, and takes on life

and motion. When the mystical energy the soul

provided is used up, the shiki can no longer

function and it dissipates. Now, what would happen

if a heart gem was placed inside the shiki during the

summoning? This shiki, once it takes on material

form, would continually be supplied energy from

the heart gem. Thus, the shiki would never dissipate

due to lack of soul energy: It gains permanence, and

only destroying the shiki will banish it.

Among those onmyoji lucky enough to possess

a heart gem, there are those who keep this

permanently functioning shiki next to them,

using them as guards, messengers or assistants. An

assistant who follows your every desire, and who

needs neither payment nor support, is an ideal

partner for those onmyoji who desire nothing other

than the pursuit of the knowledge of their esoteric

arts.

However, there is one danger that comes with the

practice of implementing heart gems.

Heart gems, as their names implies, are the hearts

of oni. Therefore, a part of the soul of the former

owner of that heart lingers even after death. And

because the heart lives on, that fragment of soul

feels regret. It is laden with karma.

If the soul of the ill-fated oni is strong, it is possible

that this shiki-oni will rampage the instant the shiki

is crafted and made solid, raging indiscriminately.

For normal shiki, it is enough to merely run away

if it cannot be controlled. If the soul energy that

powers the shiki runs out, the shiki breaks apart,

becoming little more than wasted prayer strips lined

with glyphs of ink.

However, for those shiki who have been made

permanent by use of the heart-engines, it is not

that easy. There is no way to stop a rampaging

shiki short of killing the shiki with weapons, or to

somehow destroy the heart-engine.

There are rumors that some of the ayakashi

(spirits that roam the land of Tenra) are actually

rampaging permanent shiki. These wild beasts are

called chimera, and encounters with these demonic

creatures is often... unpleasant.

THE FORM OF THE ARMOUR

Armours are usually humanoid in shape.

This is because it is easier for the armour-rider

to operate. The rider interfaces with the armour,

putting their consciousness into a physical shape

that is roughly the same as their own physical form.

Humanoid shapes make it easier for the rider to

smoothly operate the armour.

However, there is no strong compelling force to

always craf t armours to be humanoid in shape. As

long as it is easy to fight in—that is to say, as long

as it is a shape convenient for killing people—an

armour can take on almost any shape.

Armours with multiple limbs, armours that are the

amalgamation of man and beast, and so on are the

more orthodox “sub-species” of armours. There is

a class of armours called “living armours”, armours

composed of both steel and organic parts, with an

overlaying coating of flesh which house parasitic

annelids. There are armours with changeable forms,

which can be transformed between high

maneuverability and high powered forms. There are

also rare cases of “combination armours”, greater

armours that are made up of two or more armours

ARMOUR RIDERS

of various abilities, to form a larger, highly versatile,

powerful armour controlled at once by several

riders.

However, in practice, when an armour’s

shape begins to become less humanoid, the

maneuverability and efficiency of the armour

tends to decrease. On the other hand, there are

some weapons that simply cannot be equipped

on a human form. There are also armours with

fantastical or grotesque forms that are often

employed for special cases, or for special terror

missions.

Armour-smiths are endlessly experimenting by

trial and error, attempting to make their armours

stronger than any other. The non-humanoid

armours of strange and fascinating design—these

are the fruits of their studies.

GREAT ARMOURS: ARMOURS WITH

MULTIPLE PILOTS

Usually, armours are operated by only a single rider.

However for extremely large or heavily equipped

armours, or times when a single rider cannot control

the armour, there are gigantic armours that are

set with two cockpits, two meikyo soul mirrors,

and are operated by two armour-riders. These are

known as “great armours” The two riders' meikyo

are joined through connecting cables. It is through

this medium that the two armour-riders can easily

communicate subconsciously and can instantly

understand what the other is thinking faster than

words can convey. This allows them to work

together harmoniously.

The two armour-riders are essentially divided into

a driver-pilot and a gunner-pilot: One person to

operate the armour’s movement, and one to operate

the armour’s equipment. If both riders attempted to

control a single body at the same time, then unless

they were truly united in spirit and understanding,

the only thing that would result is catastrophe.

However, it is in fact possible for these two jobs to

be exchanged, and depending on the situation, the

jobs of two riders are often swapped. For example,

if the pilot rider for some reason becomes unable to

interface with the armour, the gunner can pilot the

armour, and attempt to return it home.

The two meikyo of great armours are not function-

specific at the hardware level. For the most part,

in order to operate the great armour’s frame in an

optimum capacity, having two armours riders is

better than only one. However, for movement away

from the battlefield, or other times when 100%

efficiency is not required, it is possible for a single

armor-rider to operate all of the systems on a great

armour.

Additionally, if employed in battle, a great armour

can almost always defeat two normal armours. The

most amazing function of the great armours is their

pure destructive capabilities. Th e great armour

known as “Battle Crusher” of the Ouga domain in

the province of Ryuurin-shu was able to, on its fi

rst ever foray into battle, destroy an entire enemy

castle by itself. This is not a legend handed down

and exaggerated through time; it is a recorded fact.

This, along with the trampling waves of terror

and destruction that are caused by the marching

of the great armours, has caused fear of them to

spread throughout the land. Their military power

comes equally from their psychological effects and

equipped weapons.

Certainly the great armours are much more

powerful than normal armours. However, they

also possess the same fragile weak points as normal

armours, only in double the quantity.

The biggest danger is of the armour going berserk.

The longer an armour-rider connects with an active

meikyo, the deeper and heavier that the combined

karma of both becomes. If the meikyo and the

interfacing armour-rider’s karma exceeds the limit,

the armour-rider will turn into an Asura, a lost soul.

If there are two armour-riders, that danger increases

two-fold.

ARMOUR RIDERS

The t wo armour-riders interface simultaneously,

and are connected to two meikyo. Thus, if one side

falls and becomes a lost soul, an Asura, there is a

high chance of that madness instantly affecting the

other armour-rider as well.

Even with the pain of raising two armour-riders, the

danger of losing both of them in an instant, and the

fact that the production of a great armour is much

more difficult than that of a normal armour, the

radiant draw of the raw military might of the great

armour is enough to make any ruler’s eyes swim

with desire. Risks are calculated, and then often

ignored on a gamble that could bring them absolute

power, or absolute destruction.

Even with so many tales of failures, there are still a

large number of those who desire the power of the

grand armours.

KIMEN ARMOURS: THE NEW FACE OF

WARFARE

Kimenkyo: The mass produced quasi-meikyo.

Vessels of pure meikyo craftsmanship replaced with

bulky, mechanical objects of computational power.

These lesser quality mechanical mirrors, which

anyone with the know-how and materials can build,

have brought about the single greatest revolution to

warfare on Tenra.

These are the kimen armours.

Once, armour-riders were an elite class, restricted

to only those who possessed great skill and ability,

and a noble bloodline. The largest issue with riders

in the past was that, in order to interface with the

meikyo, the pilot must have a soul that was not

steeped in karma. A pure soul. A child.

However, with the appearance of the kimenkyo,

this absolute law of armours has collapsed. The soul

that interfaces with a kimenkyo can be any sort of

soul—even one limited by the taint of sin or karma.

As long as the control techniques for interfacing are

known, one can operate a kimen armour. This is

perhaps like a blessing from the gods for those

warriors who seek even more power, or for those

armour-riders who have become so steeped in their

own karma that they can no longer pilot true

meikyo armours.

The lords and great houses are attempting to

assemble great numbers of these powerful war

machines. Certainly, compared to armours

equipped with true meikyo, they are underpowered

worthless armours. But against normal humans,

they are a frightening war machine that spear-armed

fighters cannot possibly hope to overcome.

One problem, in addition to actually building the

kimen-armour, is providing the heart-engine that

serves as the power source of the armour. Actually,

ever since the development of the kimen-armour,

the price of heart-engines has continued to rocket

steadily upward due to demand. Heart-engines now

cost several times what they once were.

For the kimen armours, their “mass-produced”

nature means that most of the armours share the

same shape and same function. Because of

this, repa iring or exchanging parts damaged in

battle, exchang ing weapons to match their situation

in battle, or swapping out riders also trained on the

same class of armour, is a simple task.

Compared to normal armours—which are

considered by armour-smiths and onmyoji to be true

works of art—the kimen-armours are nothing more

than the bulky, weapon-wielding tools of war.

THE ONI HUNT

The fact that the physical hearts of oni are what are

referred to as “heart gems” and “heart-engines” is a

fact known by very few people.

Most human domains have created a culture of fear

regarding the oni people, portraying them in stories

as bloodthirsty savages, asura in flesh and blood,

who feed upon defenseless people. This hysteria

makes it easy for humans to steel themselves as they

go about the slaughter of a humanoid race.

ARMOUR RIDERS

When a lord who knows the truth of the oni heart

hears reports that there are oni within his domain,

he will often call for an oni hunt. Under the guise of

protecting his people from the oni menace, he puts

out a call (in the form of edicts posted on bulletin

boards near the borders of major towns and cities)

to area soldiers, mercenaries and woodsmen.

“It is said that there are oni hiding in the mountains

at the following location... It would be very

dangerous if they were to find neighboring towns

and villages. Therefore, I have called upon all able-

bodied veterans to help clear this dangerous menace

out of the area...”

And thus does a lord fuel his desire for highly

demanded, prized oni hearts.If the populace heard

of the truth, would they believe it? Perhaps at the

individual level. But it will take a long time to heal

the wounds caused by the spread of false rumors,

misinformation and terror.

ONMYOJUTSU:

THE ART OF

TAOIST MAGIC

What is onmyojutsu? It is a way of studying

the reason behind the existence of Tenra; it is a

philosophy; it is a school of engineering to produce

the magical armours and kongohki, as well as being

the art of mechanica craftsmen; it is the magical

applications of Taoist study.

However, first and foremost it is best described by

three simple letters: Art.

If you were to look at the root of what onmyojutsu

is, you would find that there is only one thing that

onmyojutsu can accomplish: The manipulation of

the gossamer-like power of Tenra called sha, a force

which blankets the planet. This alone allows the

creation of shiki spirits, the activity most associated

with the idea of onmyojutsu. However, sha is the

root of what forms Tenra. It influences the way all

men think, and is said to be that deep, natural force

which forms this ever-changing world.

They say that to have the power to manipulate sha

is to have the power to manipulate and change

the world as you see fit. To follow the way of

onmyojutsu is to understand the world in various

ways, and to be able to manipulate it through the

force of one’s will. Please consider, if you will:

Tempering one’s mind with the power of the sha

produces a human will strong enough to change the

very world.

There are many theories about how the study of

Taoist magic began, but most theories involve a

woman named Moonsong, herself a miko shrine

maiden of the Shinto Priesthood, as well as a

mysterious man called the Horned Monk.

In the most predominant theory, onmyojutsu was a

secret of the Priesthood, and Moonsong brought it

forth and let it out into the world. The Priesthood

has stated publicly that there never was a miko agent

by the name of Moonsong. However, this theory

is the most prominent, especially in light of the

numbers of onmyoji of high skill who are also

members of the Priesthood.

On the other hand, there is also a theory that

onmyojutsu was originally an art of the oni people,

and that the Horned Monk taught this art to the

humans. He first taught Moonsong, who crafted

the art into a form that humans could understand,

and spread the art from there. However, because the

oni currently living on Tenra don’t show any signs

of natively possessing powers similar to onmyojutsu,

there are many who doubt this theory.

Even if there are still a number of mysteries

remaining, there is no mistaking that the origins of

onmyojutsu revolve around two people: Moonsong

and the Horned Monk.

THE ART OF SHIKI SUMMONING

What are shiki spirits? They are defined by

academics as “Proto-lifeforms born from the sha,

given life and material form through a trained

onmyoji, who in turn brings into being by the

expenditure of mystical energy”. However, this is

not the only definition that correctly describes

them. Onmyoji often refer to shiki as “living

incantations that are drawn in order to control

the sha”; or else they use the broader definition,

“controlled sha”. In short, all things created by

onmyojutsu are referred to as shiki or shiki spirits.

The taoist sorcerers of Tenra rarely use magical

effects like summoning fire or seeing visions of far

places. Rather, they craft creatures from the

natural magical sha power of the land, and form

them into shiki spirits which they control; it is those

spirits which can then breathe fire or fly stealthily

while sense-linking their vision with their onmyoji

masters. For this reason, onmyoji sorcerers are often

called summoners.

To summon a shiki, a summoner imagines the form

of the shiki she wishes to summon. She then crafts

what is called a prayer seal using a summoning

ONMYOJUTSU

YAKUMO, CLOUD OF NIGHT

In the domain of Migusa, he was a respected

war advisor and a genius onmyoji. As such, he

was favored to become the next general of the

armies of that country. However, one evening

as he was staring into the golden red sunset,

he was heard to mutter “Beautiful. Absolutely

beautiful.” He then quickly summoned a

few shiki that rampaged through the castle,

killing all of the regent’s house retainers, after

which he disappeared. He now has a bounty

of 2000 ryo on his head for anyone that will

find him and bring him to justice.

language of written marks, glyphs and squiggles. A

seal is usually written on strips of paper using ink

and a brush. It can be also drawn in sand, or dirt.

In a pinch, it can even be “drawn” with one's fingers

in the air or on water, but this method is far more

difficult. In recent days, some onmyoji equipped

with kimenkyo computing devices use those devices

to “encode” the blueprint of the shiki.

When the prayer seal is completed (usually drawn

out on a prayer strip, a narrow strip of pure white

paper), the onmyoji uses her will to awaken the

prayer seal. The prayer seal starts gathering the Sha

energy from the area, and this process is fueled by

the summoner’s own spiritual reserves. When the

seal gathers enough energy, the shiki takes form and

comes alive.

A shiki is not a creature that is summoned,

banished, and summoned again. Rather, every time

a summoner brings forth a creature into the world,

it is a new creature, experiencing life for the first

time each time a summoning is complete. After the

shiki takes form, the onmyoji commands it, either

verbally or mentally. The shiki will follow all of

those orders to the best of their abilities, and never

turn against their master.

There are two basic kinds of summoning when

it comes to onmyojutsu. One method allows the

onmyoji to carefully design the abilities that the

shiki will be crafted with. This allows for shiki to

be created with the exact design that the summoner

had in mind, and thus is the more often-used way.

The other way is for the summoner to quickly

raise a creature, in effect pulling a creature out of

the chaos without much regard for what abilities

it has. The drawback here is, of course, that the

shiki might not be equipped with abilities that the

summoner is looking for (though there is a chance).

The benefit to this method is that the controlled

chaos of this ad-hoc summoning can result in the

ability to summon shiki that normally would be too

powerful for the onmyoji to summon or control.

Which method the onmyoji uses will vary due to

discipline, use, and need.

SHIKI AND TALISMANS

Shiki are sometimes fused with living or non-living

matter in order to give it more power or to control

it in some way. When shiki are mixed with other

material in some way, and made permanent through

the effects of an incantation, the result is referred

to as a talisman. A talisman might be a good-luck

amulet, a paper with calligraphic glyphs on it, a

sword, an enhanced animal, or even an enhanced

humanoid. Those talismans whose subject is a living

thing, especially in the case of the soulgem-studded

samurai, are considered separate from normal

nonliving amulets like tools and mechanica.

Talismans possess a number of merits. First, the

time required to write an incantation can be

reduced. Rather than writing out an incantation

at the time of casting, it can be prepared on a

physical item and activated when needed. Second,

by returning to a talisman, a suspended shiki can be

preserved. Normally, shiki spirits dissipate back into

the sha after a number of minutes, but if they are

preserved in a talisman form, they can last longer.

However, the strongest benefit of talismans is that

anyone can use one. Talismans can be used even by

people who cannot normally use Taoist magic, as

long as they can expend the necessary amount of

mystical power (“Soul”) to activate it.

ONMYOJUTSU

EVERLASTING SHIKI

An onmyoji needs a heart gem to craft shiki

that will stay alive indefinitely. It needs to

be placed into the summoning seal before it

awakens and gathers sha energy. Then the

heart merges with the shiki, and grants it an

eternal source of spiritual energy. From that

point on, it cannot be dismissed nor will it

dissipate. It must be destroyed completely.

ONMYOJUTSU IN THE MODERN WORLD

Onmyojutsu was largely developed for the creation

and perfection of the art of crafting talismans.

Because onmyojutsu is based on a power so chaotic

that even following the same procedures would not

guarantee the same results in a shiki, the noble lords

were not satisfied with its performance. The form

of magic which secured the usefulness and value

of onmyojutsu was the ability to forge a shiki

spirit into a form that could be preserved. From

experimentation with forging permanent shiki were

born the samurai, and their powers of war amazed

the nobles all over Tenra. Following miraculous

developments like this, it became only natural that

in the modern day various countries would each

employ onmyoji of their own. This also had a great

impact on raising the status of the onmyoji from a

group of mysterious loners experimenting in private

to a highly regarded group who are to be listened to

and respected.

Recently, developments have been made in the

forging of shiki in conjunction with the use of a

kimenkyo calculating device. With such a device,

one could craft and summon a shiki quickly,

utilizing what amounts to a handheld computer to

assist with the crafting of the sha and the formation

of the shiki. However, kimenkyo-style “shiki-

slinging” attracts the ire of those onmyoji who are

disposed towards the old traditions of drawing the

shiki summoning runes by brush on strips of paper.

Nowadays, the various arts revealed by the

Northern Court of the Priesthood have caused

great changes in the ways of war. The value of

shiki, as well as the value of the onmyoji mages who

summon them, have increased dramatically. They

are powerful tools of observation, information-

gathering, and even general warfare.

THE LARGEST SHIKI

The size of a shiki, as well as the form they should

take, is not defi ned by any set of rules. Thus, shiki

spirits are forged in the images of the psyche of the

onmyoji that creates them. Some onmyoji create

shiki that are pleasant to behold, beautiful to all,

while others create shiki that are horrific or whose

forms enforce the use for which they were created.

However, all things in the world possess limitations

of some sort, even the creation of shiki.

First, the onmyoji cannot forge a shiki that she

cannot imagine the form of, such as shiki that are

too small that they surpass the bounds of human

imagination. It is perhaps acceptable to say that if

you can imagine the shiki, form and size do not

matter, but the image demanded by onmyojutsu

is not such a simple thing. For that reason, it is

relatively easy to craft shiki that are anywhere from

the size of a mouse to double the size of a human

being. Smaller than that, or too much larger than

that, and it becomes harder for an onmyoji to focus

on the shape enough to craft it successfully—

at least, not without lots of preparation and

meditation.

So, conversely, how about a very large shiki?

The amount of soul necessary to craft a shiki is

proportional to its size. Thus, the more powerful

a shiki is, the larger it tends to be. The soul

expenditure can largely be avoided by connecting

it to a soulgem for additional soul resources, but

there is still a problem remaining. It is a problem

concerning the quantity of sha that has been

gathered and formed into the shiki. Shiki spirits are

formed by drawing in the sha of the surrounding

area and giving it physical form. However, there

is a fixed limit to the amount of sha that exists

ONMYOJUTSU

within a given area. Thus, the size of a shiki is also

dependent on the amount of sha in the area. In

order to overcome this limitation, the concentration

of sha has to be increased through some means.

Even looking at it from a time perspective, creation

of an enormous shiki is diffi cult, as a great deal of

time is needed to create giant shiki. Th e shiki’s size

when it takes physical form is directly tied to the

amount of sha that must be collected to form it.

To give an example of how large shikigami can

normally become, let us introduce the largest shiki

currently in existence:

The siege shiki spirit used to assault the great

Kyosaka Castle, “Annihilation”, was around 25

meters in height, and extended over 40 meters in

length. To be formed, Annihilation required the

blood and sha of multiple live sacrifices. The size of

the numerous soulgems that were woven into a spell

strip covered a single sheet of paper which required

an unprecedented 120 square meters of space.

SOULGEMS AND HEART GEMS

Soulgems as well as heart gems hold a particularly

important meaning for Taoist sorcerers. Although

there is often some confusion between the two, they

are of course completely different things, whose use

is just as different.

KIMENKYO

Kimenkyo (machine mirrors) are the mass

produced, almost “knockoff quality” versions

of meikyo soul mirror technology. The

meikyo technology of the Priesthod is better

crafted, its technology intricate, unfathomable

and very powerful. But the kimenkyo’s power

lies with the fact that it can be produced in

factories outside of the Priesthood, and can be

mass-produced. Kimen technology like kimen

armours and kongohki have become easier to

produce, and this stands to change the face of

warfare on Tenra.

Soulgems are a special metal mined from the earth

and formed into round gems. These soulgems

contain a kind of ki energy within them which

explode with magical energy when used. Their

nature amplifies the ki, and they are used in

the creation of magical seals of power. These

seals gather energy, and they are where shiki

take material form. A seal that has enough gems

contained within it requires much less magical

energy (Soul) to activate than is normally necessary.

Heart engines or heart gems are amber spheres that

emit truly limitless power, almost like a perpetual

generator of spiritual energy. They are rarer and

more valuable than standard soulgems, and are an

even more essential part of onmyojutsu. This is

because by using the natural property of the heart

gem, shiki spirits can be maintained indefinitely.

Without the use of heart gems, a shiki will dissipate

back into the sha after a few minutes.

Normally, the operational time limit of shiki is

not nearly so long. A normal shiki will last a few

minutes, while even shiki whose operational time

has been extended by a master onmyoji is limited to

only a mere hour. This is because of the nature of

the sha. One of the characteristics of sha is that its

form is always changing, and to fix sha into a single

form requires an enormous strength of will. To

put it another way, shiki will continue to stay in a

single form only as long as the requisite mystical sha

energy continues to be supplied.

If a heart engine is inserted into a shiki’s

summoning seal during creation, it can supply the

shiki with limitless amounts of power. Thus, the

shiki receives unlimited operational time, and will

not cease to function short of being destroyed.

THE VARIOUS ONMYOJI

Onmyojutsu is the art by which the sha is

manipulated. This special art of the land of Tenra

is possible exclusively thanks to the sha. There

are many various and divergent arts which are

contained within the framework of onmyojutsu,

each one with its own methods, tools, and results.

ONMYOJUTSU

The most notable practitioners of onmyojutsu who

have turned their art into a practical science are

the armour-smiths. They use their proficiency of

transforming the alchemical elements of the shiki

and forging them into parts used by armours or

kongohki. Using their hands and smithy tools,

they create the minute details and engineer the

parts required by the armour. These parts would be

impossible to craft without the aid of Taoist sorcery.

Additionally, because the Northern Court of the

Priesthood revealed the construction process of

meikyo soul mirrors, sorcery-using artisans known

as crafters were born. However, it is regrettable that

the things they create do not even begin to compare

to those meikyo created by the Priesthood. Instead,

it is known as kimenkyo. However, because of the

development of kimenkyo, each nation has begun

mass-producing kimen kongohki and armours.

What sacrifices there are in the quality of the

constructed k imenkyo are made up somewhat by

the fact that kimen works can be produced faster

and cheaper than traditional meikyo works. Also,

the lords of various countries who employ onmyoji

are seeing the benefi ts of the application of

onmyojutsu: Mechanica, advanced medicine, and

other wonders are a direct application of magic into

technology.

The next representatives of the division of the art

of onmyojutsu are the kugutsu makers. They create

dolls carved from simple wood, which are then

given beautiful—almost inhumanly beautiful—

forms. It can be said that they are the product of

the most beautiful and true practice of onmyojutsu,

which gives literal form and life to a sorcerer’s will

and imagination.

Those who handle onmyojutsu as a special ability

every day are the samurai of Tenra. Even though

they cannot use onmyojutsu themselves without

training, they receive various abilities (and thus

power) from the shiki that are sealed within their

bodies. Additionally, there are also the shinobi and

sorcerer-monks, two other special types of onmyoji.

While there are few people who know the true

form of the ninjutsu abilities that the shinobi

use, it is clear that they are similar in structure to

onmyojutsu. It is said that the founder of ninjutsu

was a master onmyoji, and that by the founder’s

hand onmyojutsu was specialized towards secrecy

and information gathering. That onmyoji arranged

the sorcery in such a way that the art could be

taught and used by the practitioner without

understanding the underlying reason, logic and

structure behind it. The result of that sorcerer’s

efforts was the art of ninjutsu.

The sorcerer-monks (also known as “onmyo

monks”) are Buddhist monks of the Phoenix order

who act as guardians, skilled both in the arts of

onmyojutsu and the disciplines of esoteric Buddhist

knowledge. They practice a special and proprietary

form of onmyojutsu that is different form of

most onmyoji. They refer to the shiki as “Tenra’s

guardian spirits”, and practice the art of onmyojutsu

in a way that is used for the defense of their order

and their doctrine.

Onmyojutsu is a path. It is not limited to being

a simple art; it is also a way of living one’s life.

Crafting formless matter into having shape and

form, then making the decision of whether to

use this talent for a cause, or to gain power and

knowledge for one’s self... The path is different for

all people who walk it.

NO LONGER

HUMAN

WHAT IS A SAMURAI?

“Samurai” is a general term used to describe human

creatures that have been imbued with summoned

shiki, thereby becoming a living, walking magical

creature. The samurai are Tenra’s strongest warriors,

having renounced their humanity in exchange for

superhuman power. To the general populace they

are monsters, no different from the oni or ayakashi.

As a result, samurai is a title spoken with a mixture

of awe and fear.

To what end do they use their supernatural might?

Why have they gone to such extreme lengths in the

pursuit of power? Few samurai would answer such

questions, but they have their reasons nevertheless.

Even those samurai lacking an ultimate goal

will inevitably be forced to find one, lest they be

consumed by the monster within.

Perhaps they want revenge. Maybe a past weakness

left them unable to protect something or someone

dear, causing them to seek power in a vain attempt

to take back what they have lost. They could be

driven by ambition, a burning desire to leave their

mark on the world, even if it means sacrificing

everything. Or maybe they seek something that can

only be found at the very edge of becoming an

asura. Perhaps their goal is one that only other

samurai can comprehend, something that would

make an average person laugh in disbelief.

Don’t get the samurai of Tenra confused with the

samurai of historic Japan. A warrior in the service of

a noble house or clan is referred to in Tenra as a clan

warrior, a retainer, a member of the warrior class, or

the traditional “mono-no-fu”. On Tenra, a samurai

refers to only one type of person: Th e kind of

warrior who has undergone the dangerous samurai

surgical transformation, embedding soulgems and a

shiki into their body in exchange for power.

Whether they became a samurai to fight, to live, or

for some other purpose, an obsession with power is

one common trait they all share. What they hope

to accomplish with that power, however, is anyone’s

guess.

SAMURAI TRANSFORMATION

The Samurai invokes the shiki spirit within

her body by reciting a certain incantation and

unleashing a burst of willpower, bringing about a

miraculous metamorphosis into a shape only barely

human. Transformed samurai vary widely in

appearance: Sometimes their skin changes color,

others sprout strange chitin-like protuberances on

the surface of their bodies, and still others grow

bizarre quantities of muscular tissue. The stronger

the shiki spirit bound to a samurai’s body, the more

drastic and visible the change. A handful of samurai

even metamorphose into something completely

inhuman when activated.

Samurai are living magical creatures, and must

spend a set amount of stored spiritual energy

(“Soul”) to transform. However, as with other spells,

summonings and talismans, they can use soulgems

to assist with the transformation.

THE PRICE OF BECOMING A SAMURAI

Samurai may possess incredible might, but they pay

a staggering cost for that power.

In order to become a samurai, the individual must

undergo a series of long and extremely dangerous

surgical operations performed by an onmyoji. The

samuraization procedure takes anywhere from

several weeks to months to perform, and dying on

the operating table is far from a rare occurrence.

Death can result from any number of mishaps, but

the most common problems in the procedure are

caused by a patient’s physiological rejection of the

implanted soulgems. Specialized shiki spirits carry

out the actual surgical insertion of the soulgems, but

the technology is still in its infancy. Attempting to

join soulgems to a human body is a gamble at best.

NO LONGER HUMAN

Aspiring samurai must also be wary of the onmyoji

they hire as well. Onmyoji bind their patients

to prevent them from blindly lashing out from

the excruciating pain of the surgeries, and these

restraints leave the patient in a completely powerless

state, with no guarantee that the onmyoji will

fulfill her end of the bargain. In addition, onmyoji

frequently incorporate a number of safeguards or

“tricks” into the shiki they implant in an effort to

protect themselves from a rampaging patient. An

honest onmyoji will only employ the bare minimum

of mechanisms required for self-defense, but an

unscrupulous practitioner could potentially turn the

samurai into his obedient slave. A would-be samurai

must trust his onmyoji surgeon unconditionally,

SAMURAI AND SOULGEMS

Soulgems have become a sort of status symbol

for samurai. Soulgems prove a samurai’s

prowess: The more they have implanted,

the more powerful they are. Because of

this, samurai tend to have their soulgems

embedded in easily visible locations.

INCANTATIONS

As living magical creatures, the samurai

transformation can be activated or deactivated

not only by the samurai themselves, but

by others as well if they know the proper

incantation. This is usually a backdoor

codeword. The samurai and onmyoji decide

upon this codeword during the soulgem

implantation process. This codeword/

incantation is not used by the samurai for

normal transformation; it's a carefully guarded

secret phrase used for emergencies only.

If the samurai's shiki is capable of sensory

binding, the codeword activator will be able to

see and feel what the samurai perceives, as if

the samurai were a bound shiki.

and such trust is a rare commodity.

Payment is another issue a potential samurai must

deal with. Some onmyoji are willing to accept

standard gold, but most demand scarlet steel, heart

engines, or other valuable substances. In addition,

the samurai candidate must provide her own

soulgems for the operation. Onmyoji also frequently

demand an oath of fealty from the subject, or else

require that he or she act as a test subject for the

sorcerer’s mystical experiments.

After the operation, the samurai ceases being

human in biological terms, having become

something else: A fusion of human and spirit.

Sterility is one noticeable result of the change:

Samurai are unable to reproduce. Male samurai no

longer produce living sperm, and female samurai

are left barren. There have been no recorded cases

of a samurai bearing children; even in the extremely

rare event that a male samurai either impregnates

his partner or a female samurai becomes pregnant

herself, a miscarriage is the inevitable result.

Becoming a samurai also has social consequences,

and it is impossible for a samurai to live as they did

before the transformation.

As you can see, aspiring to samurai status is

gambling with both your life and your soul, and the

odds are stacked against you. Even if you win, and

survive to become a samurai, you still lose in a way.

Some suggest, however, that the higher the cost and

the gamble, the greater the power attained by the

samurai will be.

SAMURAI AND SOCIETY

As stated before, the samurai of Tenra are not

human. To the average person, a samurai is a

monster like an oni or an ayakashi spirit. However,

samurai are monsters more likely to be encountered

in daily life. Average folk treat samurai with kid

gloves, desperate to avoid earning their anger or

otherwise spoiling their mood. They know an

enraged samurai is fully capable of hacking them

down with their bare hands as easily as a scythe

cutting grass.

NO LONGER HUMAN

While feared for their inhuman power, it is this

power that helps the samurai through life. War is

everywhere, and strength is a valuable commodity.

With their skills in constant demand, the modern

era is an ideal environment for the samurai. There

is always a war raging somewhere on Tenra, and no

shortage of bloodthirsty lords in desperate need of

the samurai’s talents.

Tavern keepers, brothel owners, and prostitutes also

welcome the samurai with open arms. Flush with

the spoils of war and accustomed to a lifestyle in

which death could come at any time, samurai tend

to be hedonists who live for the moment. Samurai

make excellent customers, having no qualms

about spending vast sums of money on transient

pleasures. Samurai also make handy bouncers and

bodyguards, but they invariably only stick around

until the money runs out.

A perceptive reader will have noticed by now that it

is not the samurai themselves who are in demand,

only their power and money. Without a place they

can truly call home, samurai are wanderers who

rarely stay in one place for very long. The chance

of being fully accepted by a town or village and

living in peace is a slim one indeed, and the best

a samurai can hope to expect is being allowed

temporary residence.

With the field of battle the only place a samurai

is truly at home, it is perhaps fitting that the

battlefield is where the vast majority lose their

lives. No matter how impressive their martial

accomplishments, samurai are rarely appointed

to the higher ranks in the feudal hierarchy. Back

on the battlefield, it is inevitable that the samurai

will someday encounter someone stronger than

themselves on the opposing side.

Even should she accomplish the goal that led her to

become a samurai in the first place, with no way to

regain her humanity, there is no chance of returning

to a normal lifestyle. Even if her power becomes

nothing more than a burden, that power is the only

thing keeping her alive.

Sometimes samurai are consumed by their own

power. Th e shiki spirits that reside in a samurai’s

body are constantly attempting to assume control,

kept in check only via their host’s force of will.

There is an ever-present chance that one day the

samurai will lose this contest of wills, have her body

stolen from her by the monsters within, and her

remaining shreds of humanity quickly subsumed by

her bestial nature. A fitting end for a monster, some

would say.

It’s important to note that samurai are well aware

of the costs they must pay in the pursuit of power,

but they are not deterred. They have no regrets. Or,

even if they did, such regrets would be pointless.

Once a samurai, always a samurai: There is no going

back.

THE SIGN OF THE SAMURAI

Outside of wearing armor, it is difficult for a

samurai to conceal their supernatural nature. With

soulgems embedded in their face, arms, and chest,

samurai are easy to spot.

Also, just as conventional onmyojutsu talismans are

inscribed with mystical sigils and designs, the bodies

of the samurai are similarly marked. Some boast

of their samurai status by having these sigils visibly

tattooed, while others prefer the more subtle oshiroi-

bori (“white powder engraving”) method that keeps

them less noticeable. Patterns inscribed into the

Samurai ’s flesh using white powder engraving

only become visible when the Samurai is angered,

excited, or transformed.

TYPES OF SAMURAI

The Phoenix Buddhist sect have accepted some

samurai into the ranks of their warrior-monks, with

sect leader Gamou Douan describing them not as

monsters but as “Protectors of the Faith”, able to call

on the spirits (some would consider them protector-

spirits, or even ancestral spirits) for aid. These

protectors possess the strength of a normal samurai,

as well as an unshakable faith and an ability to

work within in an organization not seen in their

NO LONGER HUMAN

secular brethren. They are a powerful resource for

the warrior-monks, who already tend to outmatch

most feudal lords’ armies in terms of morale and

equipment.

While generally on the other side of the operating

table, some onmyoji become samurai themselves.

Combining their formidable intelligence and

magical prowess with unmatched power on the

battlefield, these samurai-onmyoji are terrible to

behold. Their unparalleled knowledge of shiki and

the handling thereof give them another important

advantage over normal samurai.

Not all samurai were originally human. While rare,

it is not unknown for animals to be implanted with

shiki as well. The most frequently encountered

animal samurai are horses (called Tenba , or

“heavenly horses”), dogs, wolves, cats, and hawks,

all of which see battlefield action just like humanoid

samurai.

The samurai horses or tenba are able to gallop

across the battlefields at speeds capable of leaving

racehorses in the dust, and rendering enemy attacks

impotent. Samurai dogs possess a quantity of

strength and ferocity not seen in conventional war

dogs, and sensory binding allows them to be

controlled from a distance, allowing them to act as

the commander’s eyes, ears, and hands.

However, soulgem implantation is a difficult process

at best, and the success rate of such operations

on animal subjects is even lower than on human

patients. It is for this reason that samurai animals

remain so few in number. Additionally, even taking

into account sensory binding, mentally controlling

an animal is a difficult task that requires the animal

be trained from an early age.

Despite the hardship associated with their creation,

samurai animals have great potential as espionage

agents. Some shinobi villages are conducting

research into their use, and it is said that a handful

of organizations have already had some practical

success.

THE RELIGION OF

TENRA

The birthplace of Buddhism in the world of Tenra

is Bharata (also referred to as “Tenjiku”, or “The

Garden of Heaven” in the Tenran language), a

vast land they say is located far from Tenra in the

West. The originator of the Buddhist heritage is

Siddhartha, the one who himself became Buddha.

Once Buddha attained enlightenment under a

banyan tree, that event formed the explosive origin

of all the sects of Buddhism in Tenra.

Though they say there are several hundred or even

several thousand sects or practices of Buddhism in

the land, the Phoenix, Ebon Mountain and Bright

Lotus orders are the three largest sects of Buddhism

in Tenra.

Even though there are many differences between

the individual Buddhist sects, Buddhism itself

is recognized as the official religion in Tenra.

Of course, many small-scale religions or splinter

sects exist among small or remote villages, but

Buddhism—especially the more popular Phoenix

sect—is the only religion that the Shinto Priesthood

approves. The Priesthood adopted Buddhism as the

state religion of Tenra and coordinated the spread

of the religion across the land. Later, all the other

smaller sects were born from the three largest sects,

which all emerged initially from the Phoenix.

The real everyday world of Buddhist practice is the

passing on of shared myths, the study of scripture,

praying to images of the Buddha, and being

mindful of the spiritual world. Th e place where

Buddhism starts to deviate from the everyday is in

the application of Buddhist lore: A set of powers,

protections, and other physical or otherworldly

powers. Sometimes these powers emerge from

strict training, book learning, or perhaps natural

ability. Some monks have used these abilities to

brush away evil or gain the divine protection of the

Buddha. The monks use the basic skills and esoteric

knowledge of Buddhism for only one purpose: To

seek the salvation of the common people.

BUDDHISM AND SHINTO

The Priesthood follows the core doctrines and

practices of Shinto, but even most Shinto priests and

agents would say that they believe in or follow the

precepts of Buddhism. Shinto and Buddhism live

side by side in every person with no conflict,

perhaps because the differences in their outlooks

and practices are complementary: Buddhism spreads

among its followers and requires faith to practice,

yet Shinto is a set of practices and knowledge which

requires no devout believers. Shinto knowledge

involves appeasing the gods and spirits and living

in harmony with the land while being aware of the

celestial order of things, and has no real drive to

cure people from suffering or their everyday woes,

other than purifying the land and praying for good

weather for crops.

When Buddhism came to Tenra, the Priesthood

(as the backbone of rule and religion in the land)

carefully considered its ramifications before

unilaterally approving it, adopting it as a state

religion. People of Tenra believe in and respect

nature spirits. They also acknowledge, venerate and

appease their ancestor spirits, a common practice of

Shinto. At the same time, they worship the Buddha,

often praying for guidance in everyday matters,

or praying for relief from ailments or troubles, a

common practice of Buddhism.

The two concepts, which appear to be at a glance

two religions, are actually one organized religion

(Buddhism) and one ordered system of knowledge

and beliefs about how nature and the heavens work

(Shinto). The belief systems are not mutually

exclusive, and almost all humans in Tenra respect

and believe in both.

LIFE

In Buddhism, all living creatures are precious

and sacred. Deeper consideration is given

to creatures with a will and consciousness

(humans, oni, and conscious ayakashi).

THE RELIGION OF TENRA

WHAT IS BUDDHISM?

This is certainly too huge and daunting a

question to answer conclusively in a few

sentences, but the basics of Buddhism on

Tenra are easy to grasp. The basic tenets

which Buddhist monks believe in are this:

Buddhists believe that life means suffering;

suffering is caused by craving; suffering can

be ended; and that there are practices that you

can do to help end suffering (called the Noble

Eightfold Path). Buddhist monks live a simple

life: They read scripture, work hard, take care

of the community they live in, and use prayers

to put restless spirits at ease. They also often

work as healers and scribes, and help with the

gathering and burning of the dead.

Everyday people know the basic precepts

of Buddhism and claim it as their religion.

However, most people in Tenra don’t read

scripture, pray hours a day, or really do

anything out of the way of their daily routine.

When a family member dies, they will go to

the local temple. When they need spiritual

help or advice, they will go visit the local

temple. On certain festivals or holy days,

they will go to the local temple. However,

everyday people usually don’t do anything out

of their way to seek enlightenment or pursue a

monk’s path. Nor would they call each other

out for “Un-Buddhist behavior.” Simply being

born and raised on Tenra makes one a believer

in Buddhism, just as it makes one a follower

of Shinto and ancestor veneration.

Just like every religion, there are multiple

sects. While some people who follow one sect

might think that other sects are wrong-headed

or flawed, they would never really go to arms

over differences in Buddhist beliefs. However,

some rulers may adopt one sect as their

domain or region’s religion (usually because

they have some sort of control over that local

sect), and go out of their way to push away the

other sects.

But in the end, Buddhism comes down to a

simple set of beliefs about the way the world

works, the reasons for suffering, and has

several sects with their own take on how to

best end suffering and save people.

BUDDHIST MONKS AND THE POPULACE

The world of Tenra runs on a four-tiered social

hierarchy, just like feudal Japan: Noble Land-

Owning Warriors, then Farmers, then Artisans, and

f inally Merchants. However, Buddhist monks do

not fit into that hierarchy; they live entirely outside

of it.

For example, monks are allowed to move across

Tenra freely, traveling anywhere they wish; common

people are required to register for a travel pass to

live in a new town, to travel from one kingdom to

another, or to even travel within one kingdom. Most

Buddhist monks can travel freely, much like the

Shinto priests and shrine maidens of the Priesthood.

Since their calling is nothing less than the salvation

of the people of Tenra, the common people view

monks gratefully as spiritual custodians. The

Phoenix sect has a great deal of power in the present

world, and their political power is boosted by

official recognition from the Priesthood. The monks

of the Phoenix sect work at many temples in various

places, including the head temple of the sect. One

might think that monks spend all of their time in

spiritual training, but the reality of the situation is

that they tend to have a lot of things to do: They

act as ambassadors, scribes, healers, educators, and

indeed spend more time among the populace than

one would think.

The Ebon Mountain and Bright Lotus sects don’t

usually have temples, nor do they have a lot of

political or regional inf luence. Instead, they spend

most of their time traveling. The Ebon Mountain

monks spend much time alone in the mountains

training themselves rigorously, and sometimes come

down to live among or help people. On the other

THE RELIGION OF TENRA

hand, the Bright Lotus monks travel from place to

place trying to create relationships with the

townspeople. They spread the word of their faith

through lectures or preaching. The status of the

Bright Lotus sect amongst the people is similar to

that of traveling entertainers.

THE DIVINE POWER OF BUDDHA

“Divine Power” or “Buddhist Magic” are the names

given to the miraculous or mystical acts that some

Buddhist monks can perform. They are abilities

given to people who fully devote themselves to

Buddhism. Or maybe it would be better to say that

the abilities should be given, because the fact of the

matter is that not all Buddhist monks have these

abilities. Most monks know what the Buddhist

powers are, or how to theoretically attempt to use

them. However, most of the powers are only able to

be used or controlled by the rare individual who is

gifted with those mystical powers. Not everyone can

pray for divine protection and receive it.

This divine power is like magic in a way. Monks

and believers can do many things with it, like

sending the wandering souls of people who died

suddenly to the afterlife, healing wounds, exorcising

evil and so on. These effects are only possible

because of the iron will and strong faith of the

monk.

The powers themselves do not vary between sects,

but their beliefs about how the powers emerge, or

how they should be used, do vary in the hearts and

minds of the monks. The Phoenix sect calls the

monks who can call upon these divine powers

practitioner-monks, and summons them all to the

head temple for training and special assignments.

When one considers the huge number of Buddhist

monks in the land, there are not really that many

who exhibit those mystical powers.

On the other hand, the Ebon Mountain sect

has a surprising number of practitioner-monks.

It is believed that this is because of the intense

spiritual and physical training they do in isolation,

and for the fact that they individually seek out

enlightenment.

However, they don’t use their powers as a sect in an

organized manner like the Phoenix do, because the

purpose of using the power is a personal matter to

them.

The Bright Lotus sect also has special practitioner-

monks, but since their sect adopts the thinking that

only Buddha can save people in the present world,

the powers and the monks that wield them are

viewed as a burden or an eyesore to true believers of

Bright Lotus beliefs.

THE PHOENIX SECT

THE LARGEST ORDER OF BUDDHISM

The Phoenix or Hou-Oh sect is the largest Buddhist

sect in Tenra, with several million believers.

Originally established in a country called Houga,

their head temple was moved to the domain of Togo

right before the Fall of Jinrai. This order not only

has social and political power in territories all over

Tenra, but they also have their own military defense

force for protection. The Phoenix sect military is

comparable in a size and strength to that of a regent

of a domain.

The edicts of the Phoenix sect require

vigorous practice of mind and body to achieve

enlightenment, and that they use force only to

help the suffering people of Tenra. Their main

goal is to teach every human being Buddha nature

through the study, practice, and belief of Buddhism

in order to help the common person to achieve

enlightenment and end suffering. However, to have

the infl uence to meet this lofty goal, they require

authority and infl uence in the real world as well,

through political and social means. This is why

Buddhism, particularly the Phoenix sect, attempts

to establish their infl uence among the populace.

Doushin, the first high monk of Buddhism, chose

to bridge a relationship between Buddhism and

the Shinto Priesthood. This was done in order to

spread the influence of Buddhism as an offi cially

sanctioned religion, as well as to establish a good

relationship with the absolute rulers of the land in

THE RELIGION OF TENRA

order to not be seen as a threat. The result was to

tie their allegiance officially to the Great Shinto

Priesthood, which at the time caused a bit of a stir

amongst the leadership of the sect. However, as a

result of doing so and being declared the official

religion of the people of Tenra, the Phoenix sect

was able to extend its influence and reach ten times

further than where it had previously been in a mere

ten years.

But the sudden expansion of the infl uence of

Buddhism also led to events that threatened

the unity of the sect as a whole. Local temples

and monks far away from the capital started to

interpret the script in different ways. Th is led

to a foundation of differing lines of thought and

belief which caused a fracturing of the main line of

Buddhism, producing many small sects. Obtaining

a certain level of authority also led to some monks

becoming too haughty, fi lled with a sense of

entitlement and power. This led to a fair amount of

stagnation, which led to the first major large-scale

split: The formation of the Ebon Mountain sect,

by estranged monks who were upset with or felt

betrayed by that stagnation.

In order to unify the quickly splintering main line

of Buddhism during this colossal expansion, they

founded a nation for themselves. The land of Houga

was given by the Shinto Priesthood to Jinin, the

third brother of the main temple of Buddhism. Jinin

then gathered all of the head temples and monks

to this new nation in order to have one central

authority, and one voice, for the pure belief of

Buddhism. This became the foundation of what is

today called the Phoenix sect of Buddhism. The

nation of Houga itself became the head temple of

the Phoenix order.

Today, though, the land of Houga no longer

exists. Houga, which used to be situated between

the domains of Sunai and Jinrai, is now at the

bottom of the huge sea which was born during

the Fall of Jinrai: The Falling of the Phantom

Star and the Bridge of Heaven—obliterating the

Shinto Priesthood’s home domain of Jinrai and the

surrounding regions—caused Houga and other

TENRA’S THREE GREAT BUDDHIST

SECTS

Phoenix (Hou-Oh)

The Phoenix sect is the largest order of

Buddhism on Tenra, as well as the only

order of Buddhism approved by the Shinto

Priesthood. Their goal is to create a perfect

world and provide salvation to the people of

the world through Buddhist law. They have

a strong connection to the everyday world,

and the head monk of the Phoenix sect has

as much political power as the regent of a

domain. However, within the Phoenix sect,

there are inconsistencies in belief, as well as

corruption.

Though their principal object of worship is

the great Buddha (Dainichi Nyorai), they also

revere guardian deities like Acala, Kannon

(Guanyin), and the common bodhisattvas.

Ebon Mountain (Bokusen)

The monks of the Ebon Mountain order

don’t have temples, objects of worship or

even doctrines. The monks train themselves

in body and spirit in their search for

enlightenment

The founding monk of this order was from

he Phoenix sect, but he renounced everything

in his search for enlightenment. For monks

of the Ebon Mountain order, beliefs about

the salvation of the mankind are the arrogant

thoughts of sequestered monks. Everything

that gets in the way of one’s personal search

for enlightenment should be denied.

Bright Lotus (Myouren)

The Bright Lotus sect is the newest order,

and became the most popular of the three

sects amongst the common people. They

pray to the Siddhartha Gotama incarnation

of the Buddha for temporal salvation, and

pray to the Maitreya Buddha (the Buddha

of what is to come) for salvation in the

next life.

THE RELIGION OF TENRA

domains to simply vanish off the face of Tenra. The

Phoenix sect could very well have been doomed to

annihilation if it weren’t for the fateful premonitions

of the head monk, Gamou Douan, the 28th Head

Monk of the Phoenix sect. He had a harrowing

vision that saved their order: He told his followers,

“An unavoidable darkness comes here to Houga,

a dark Shadow from which we cannot hide”, four

months before the Fall of Jinrai.

He led his order, and most of the people in his

domain who believed in his vision, to the domain

BUDDHA NATURE

The Mahaparinirvana (The Great Complete

Nirvana) Sutra teaches that all things have

a quality known as “Buddha nature”, which

is basically a kernel of the possibility of

enlightenment. All things have the ability to

be enlightened. The path to enlightenment is

the study which Buddhism dedicates itself to.

THE PHOENIX TEMPLE OF SUZAKU

MOUNTAIN

The head temple of the Phoenix sect, this

temple is known fully as “The Phoenix

Sect of Suzaku Mountain” (The Suzaku

is a vermillion, celestial bird of ancient

cosmology.) It was moved brick by brick to

the country of Togo shortly before the Fall

of Jinrai. It is a temple whose grounds are as

large as a city, a single city which venerates

the Great Buddha. Surrounding this temple

are four sister cities where devout worshipers

live. This collection of the head temple

and the cities is often conventionally called

“Fudaraku”, or “The Incorruptible City”.

Though the temple itself has been

transplanted to Togo already, it seems

that more time is needed to create a stable

infrastructure. The first thing that they must

do is construct a new pagoda, which will be

the linchpin of spiritual focus for the temple.

of Togo. In Togo he created a new head temple

and had his monks settle in this new land, despite

opposition from other more pragmatic-minded

monks as well as the government of Togo. However,

the Phoenix sect was saved by his predictive visions.

The Fall of Jinrai destroyed Houga as completely

as it shattered the government of their new domain

of Togo. Master Douan took this opportunity to

seize political power and establish the Phoenix sect

as the leaders of the domain in order to put things

right in the chaotic region. He changed the Japanese

characters which make up the domain name of

Togo from “Spark of Enlightenment” to “The

Awakening in the East”. Currently, the head temple

is still working to protect its new home domain,

as well as deal with the confusing and politically

unstable situation surrounding the split of the

Shinto Priesthood into two courts.

OFFICIALLY SANCTIONED MONKS

The monks who are offi cially ordained by the

Phoenix sect have a mark of proof of their allegiance

to their sect and its laws: A small red soulgem, called

The Jewel of Buddha by the monks, is embedded in

their foreheads. Only monks who are trained and

approved for qualification at local Buddhist temples

are sent to the head temple in Togo (and only that

temple) to be granted the Jewel of Buddha. In Togo,

and throughout other temples which assist in the

training of new monk candidates, the Phoenix sect

has developed a great training organization for

potential or studying monks. They are quickly

and uniformly indoctrinated with the scriptures

and studies of the Phoenix order, which allows for

more unity within the sect, as well as assisting with

preventing the rise of heresy or corruption within

the sect.

THE PHOENIX SECT AND MARTIAL

ORDER

The Phoenix sect also has a military branch within

the domain of Togo, Buddhist soldiers who fight

willingly for the defense of their religion. There are

warrior-monk soldiers among these ranks, as well

as onmyojutsu-using sorcerer-monks (also called

THE RELIGION OF TENRA

onmyo monks”) who are practiced with Taoist

sorcery as well as Buddhist discipline. The Phoenix

sect’s military force also has yoroi armours, each

sporting a different name of the Buddha or a

Buddhist concept or tradition. Although it is a

purely defensive force, the army of the Phoenix

sect’s war potential, when considering the morale of

its conscripts, is greater than that of most regular

domain regents.

The armies of the Phoenix sect fight primarily to

protect the head temple. However, there are splinter

groups—most of whom remain secret to most

monks within the sect—which operate like elite

special forces teams, given special missions that are

entirely offall records. There is the mysterious Kuze

Order, a group of monks and other unusual warriors

who work closely with the Shinto Priesthood. When

the Kuze Order takes on a task, others give them

plenty of room, knowing that whatever they are up

against, it’s powerful and dangerous.

Within the Phoenix sect, there is the secretive

order known to very few called “The Hidden 28th

Chamber of the Merciful Phoenix Sect”, or “The

28th Chamber” in short. The 28th Chamber is a

totally underground force whose existence is even

disavowed by the head monk of the sect. Unlike

the Kuze Order, one rarely sees the 28th Chamber

coming: They operate in the dark, and in total

secrecy. By those that know of them, the 28th

Chamber is anything from an offensive force against

the enemies of the Phoenix sect, to a group of secret

assassins who work within the sect to weed out evil

and corruption. Since the polite fiction states that

the purpose of the Phoenix sect is the salvation of

the people and finding an end to suffering, The

28th Chamber should not even exist. Their

existence can never be known outside of a select few

higher-level monks within the order.

EBON MOUNTAIN SECT

THE ROAD TO ENLIGHTENMENT

The Ebon Mountain or Bokusen sect is in a way

the most heterogeneous sect. Even though there are

many monks who belong to this order, they don’t

have a consolidated creed or code as a sect. The

closest idea that there is to a creed within the order

are the words of the monk Bokusen (whose name in

fact means “Ebon Mountain”, from which this sect

took its name), who founded the sect: “The road

to attaining enlightenment is a deeply personal

matter.”

Bokusen used to belong to the Phoenix sect,

and was an up-and-coming monk who was even

recommended for service to the high Phoenix abbot

at one time. However, after suddenly attaining

enlightenment, he came to the personal realization

that the Phoenix order was decrepit and stagnating.

He immediately turned his back on the Phoenix sect

and set offto create a new order. To create this new

order he began recruiting other disillusioned monks

from within the Phoenix sect.

Bokusen declared that only through experience

could people grow, and that a philosophy that was

concentrated more on conjecture and ideas than

the physical world was worthless in the face of

experiencing life for oneself. He asked his followers,

“Why is it up to us to seek the salvation of the

people? Why should we seek salvation for them?”

None of them could answer. He beat them with a

stick, and asked, “Is Buddha really someone to be

so highly revered?” In Bokusen’s view, even denying

the origins or principles of Buddhism was not

taboo. Casting aside all preconceptions or common

knowledge and starting to learn from scratch was

the idea behind Bokusen’s vision of Buddhism.

Bokusen’s personal revelation was a product of

his sudden enlightenment, something that others

couldn’t easily believe in without experiencing

a revelation for themselves. Rather than tying

themselves to following the words of Bokusen’s

revelations slavishly, they instead followed his

THE RELIGION OF TENRA

precept of denying everything, going as far to say

that they should deny following in the footsteps of

Bokusen himself. An order, or perhaps something

better called “a collection of monks with similar

beliefs”, was founded; one whose main goal was to

attain personal enlightenment by experiencing life

outside of the monastery.

Monks of the Ebon Mountain sect train themselves

every day physically and spiritually, aiming to

eventually achieve enlightenment. But, even the

originator of the order said that the way of attaining

enlightenment is not a single road; that there are

different paths to personal enlightenment for each

individual. He also said that there is a limit to how

much one can teach to others through mere words

alone, and that even if one attains enlightenment it

is impossible to codify the path to this experience.

Therefore, the Ebon Mountain sect approves any

action as a means to attain enlightenment.

Even if a monk follows a path which is confusing

or incomprehensible to another monk, their path

should not be questioned by another. This monk’s

path, while differing from others’, might lead to

the enlightenment of that single monk. Of course,

monks who fake their way to enlightenment or

lie to themselves or others about the path they are

choosing quickly reveal their true colors in the end.

Eccentricities or odd lifestyles are not always proof

of seeking to attain enlightenment.

For the Ebon Mountain order monks, even the

breaking of core Buddhist rules is accepted in

the personal search for enlightenment. Th e most

important rules in most sects of Buddhism are

called the Five Commandments:

• One must not destroy life, or kill living things

without meaning.

• One must not lie or speak untruthfully.

• One must not engage in lewdness or bawdy

behavior.

• One must not drink alcohol.

• One must not steal.

The monks of the Phoenix order try to obey these

precepts blindly, but the Ebon Mountain sect denies

even these five commandments as inviolate. On the

contrary, there are quite a few monks who either

try to break these commandments or do so

inadvertently on their road to enlightenment. They

say even the originator monk Bokusen himself took

a wife and was a heavy drinker.

Having no core rules also means that the Ebon

Mounta in order has no discrimination or

distinction between monks. Differences of gender,

and even difference of species, are considered a

personal matter. Therefore, this order has not only

many female monks, but also has oni and half-oni

monks as well.

Most members of the Ebon Mountain sect don’t

affiliate with temples. Instead, they prefer to train

themselves in the wild. Quite a few monks even

die during their natural training. However, this

tendency to train in the wild is an influence of the

original monk Bokusen himself, who through

training in the wilds, developed a new form of

martial arts and a deeper state of enlightenment.

Bokusen also disliked Buddhist statues and

ornamentation. For him, they are simple statues

carved from wood, not incarnations of the Buddha

himself. He didn’t believe the Buddha would dwell

in something made by human hand.

Bokusen said that the nature of the Buddha can be

seen in the natural world: The radiance of the sun,

the grandeur of the mountains and the sound of

streams and rivers. Therefore, most of the members

of the Ebon Mountain order consider the mountains

to be where the Buddha and Bodhisattvas live, and

the sun the Buddhist incarnation of Mahavairocana

(Dainichi Nyorai) Himself. The monks of the Ebon

Mountain sect venerate Buddha through the natural

world.

THE FIST OF ACALA THE IMMOVABLE

Tenra's Ultimate Killing Technique

The Fist of Acala, known in its long form as “The

Fist of Acala, the Immovable Lord of Light”, is the

THE RELIGION OF TENRA

strongest martial art in Tenra.

The bodies of the martial artists are trained

thoroughly, and their fi sts become dreadful

weapons as powerful and deadly as swords or spears.

The founder of the First of Acala was Bokusen

the Ebon Mountain, the originator of the Ebon

Mountain sect of Buddhism. It is said that he met

with the incarnation of Acala the Immovable while

doing penance in the mountains and was instructed

by this bodhisattva in the essential points of the art.

Monks of the Ebon Mountain sect often learn the

Fist of Acala, not to blindly follow in the footsteps

of the originator of the order, but because they

believe that training their body as well as their

spirit is one of the ways to enlightenment. Bokusen

himself said, “A sound soul will simply not lodge

itself in an unsound body.” For this reason, many

people consider “Ebon Mountain monk” to be

synonymous with “martial artist.”

The truly important part to this technique is the

severe physical training that goes with learning it. In

the process, the monk will learn the most advanced

killing art on Tenra. However, it is an enigma

for Buddhist monks—who are supposed to save

people—to learn a martial art that teaches effective

killing techniques. According to Bokusen, the Fist

of Acala is like a sword that remains perpetually

sheathed. Furthermore, the core Buddhist precept

of not killing is meaningless to follow if one is not

able to kill to begin with. This precept takes on true

meaning for the first time, say members of the Ebon

Mountain, when one actually has the power to kill,

and kill easily at that.

In truth, the Fist of Acala is a defensive martial art.

All the forms start in techniques which teach one

how to elude enemy attacks. From there, powerful

counterattacks are taught. In this way, the essence

of the Fist of Acala is the way of taking an enemy’s

attacks and turning their momentum against them.

One also keeps the enemy within their own killing

zone while providing no opportunity for the enemy

to slip into their defenses. A martial artist of the Fist

of Acala will let their enemies attack first, reading

their attack, and then intercept with killing force at

the exact moment the enemy commits their strike.

That is the core of the martial art.

It may sound simple, but in actuality, it is extremely

diffi cult. Above all else, you have to encourage

your enemies to attack you first and even welcome

their incoming attacks. It requires indispensable

flexibility and speed to elude an enemy’s attack, and

a body tempered like steel to make your own attack

into a one-strike kill.

Training for the Fist of Acala the Immovable is

performed in the wild fields and mountains, never

in a martial arts dojo. Again, this is not to follow in

the footsteps of their originator monk Bokusen, but

rather because practitioners realize that it is

impossible to train the body for actual physical

combat on a spotless wooden floor or clean tatami

mats. Furthermore, the techniques of this martial

art are not approved by the Phoenix order (they

are even considered to be a heresy), and the Ebon

Mountain sect do not have monasteries of their

own, so in reality there are no dojo to teach the art

anyway. The instruction of all essential points of

the martial art are taught directly by practitioner to

disciples, in whatever field, mountain or river the

instructor happens to be teaching from at that time.

The Fist of Acala the Immovable is a martial art

created by a monk in training, but in truth, it has

no spiritual precepts or hidden meanings; it is a

pure killing technique. This martial art is a large

part of the reason that the Ebon Mountain sect is

treated as heretical. It is hard for people to accept

the fact of peaceful monks learning and training in

a killing art. However, please remember that not all

Ebon Mountain monks are martial artists. There

are quite a few monks of that sect who don’t believe

they need the power to kill people to find their own

enlightenment.

Although there is no moral code to the Fist

of Acala, it has a set of common practices, or

knowledge, that monks who learn the art take to

heart when practicing the art. They are:

THE RELIGION OF TENRA

• One: Never initiate an attack.

• Two: Do not use the techniques recklessly.

• Three: After that, anything goes.

These rules are too simple to call “knowledge”.

Some uncouth people say that these rules are

nothing but a joke that Bokusen issued randomly

when questioned about the “rules” of the Fist of

Acala. After all, it’s up to the monk to decide how

to use their learned techniques: Enlightenment is a

personal path.

The 108 Factions of the Lords of Light

Since the techniques of the martial arts are passed

down from person to person within the Ebon

Mountain sect and have no formalization or school

presence, the original form of the Fist of Acala

the Immovable Lord of Light has started to split

into many different factions and practices. Since

most of the sects have the words “Lord of Light” or

"Radiant King" in their full name (being named

after the “Radiant Kings”, the spiritual guardians

of the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas within the

traditional Buddhist cosmology), and since there

are so many of these factions, monks have started to

call this diaspora of techniques “The 108 Factions

of the Lords of Light”. Of course, it doesn’t mean

that there are actually 108 such formal factions

or sects; it is a poetic exaggeration. The number

108 comes from the fact that there are 108 sins or

“defilements” in the Buddhist tradition.

Some representative factions of martial arts are

the Way of Kundali, where its users try to boost

offensive abilities to their utmost limits; or the

Art of Mahamayuri, whose users combine quick

attacks after fleet-footed leaping techniques. There

are some sects which have become far different

from the originating Fist of Acala art. The Fist of

Merciful Kannon the Thousand-Armed is the most

well known art which has reinvented itself into

its own complete style. Even within the Fist of

Merciful Kannon there are sub-sects as well. When

classifying sects, they are commonly divided into

the “Lord of Light” styles and the “Kannon” styles.

The main essence of the Fist of Merciful Kannon is

super-fast strikes. It is a style of attacking enemies

before they move. This style is named after Merciful

Kannon the Thousand-Armed, because it is often

impossible to actually see the hands moving when

they strike. Practitioners, when in the middle of

their quick series of strikes, appear as if they have

many hands (as Kannon has one thousand arms,

appointed to her to help the many.)

There are some Kannon factions that emulate

the various manifestations of Kannon, and some

of them primarily focus on weapon use over bare

physical contact. The techniques of the Fist of

Merciful Kannon are more aggressive than the

Fist of Acala, and many of the people trained in

this splinter art are not Buddhist monks. Despite

the name “Merciful Kannon”, the practitioners are

not always merciful. Unfortunately, many Kannon

artists end up challenging Acala artists to duels to

prove the strength of their art and themselves. This

often leads to a life or death struggle between the

two artists, because of the excellence and power of

the technique on both sides.

The two largest martial arts factions are the ones

based on the Fist of Acala the Immovable Lord of

Light and the ones based on the Fist of Merciful

Kannon the Thousand-Armed. However, this

doesn’t mean that there are no other martial arts:

There are some arts which have no roots in either

faction: for example, Celestial Form Kung Fu. Like

its name suggests, the essence of Celestial Form

Kung Fu is creating explosive one-hit kill techniques

through the support of emulating the power and

grace of the stars in the night sky.

THE BRIGHT LOTUS

SECT

TRUE SALVATION THROUGH THE BRIGHT

LOTUS MANTRA

The Bright Lotus or Myouren sect also divided itself

from the Phoenix sect. However, while Bokusen

left the temple to found the Ebon Mountain sect,

THE RELIGION OF TENRA

the Bright Lotus sect is simply a clique within

the Phoenix sect which happens to consider the

Bright Lotus Scriptures to be very important. The

originator of the scripture, named Myouren the

Bright Lotus, was until his death a Phoenix sect

monk. It was ten years after his death that the

Bright Lotus sect established itself as an official

order of Buddhism.

It is said that Myouren was a very gentle person who

gave more attention to helping people around him

than to his own enlightenment, and because of this,

he was loved by many of his pupils. They respected

Myouren not only because of his personality, but

because of the kind of Buddhism that he was

seeking. He spent most of his life following the

clearest, most base precept of Buddhism: Helping

other people. He said to his followers, “Buddhist law

has at its core but one thing to offer: It must lead to

the salvation of the people, and that is all.” Myouren

was a leader of a study group similar to a small sect

before he died. Many monks sought out his lectures,

and although he gained a lot of followers and peers,

he never tried to use that gain for social or political

power within the Phoenix sect. He was, at his core,

a person absolutely uninterested in worldly affairs of

power and prestige.

The Bright Lotus scripture was compiled by

Myouren, and eventually completed by his pupils

who took over his work upon his death. At that

time, the Bright Lotus scripture was the newest and

simplest to understand. The essence of the salvation

of the people was tied to six simple words: “Na-

Mu-Myo-Ren-Go-Hou”, or “Blessed Be the Bright

Lotus, Amen.” People would be saved by chanting

this mantra over and over again. Because of this

simple and reassuring idea, Myouren’s scriptures

became extremely popular among monks and

townspeople. This momentum ended up giving

birth to the foundation of the Bright Lotus school

within the Phoenix Buddhist order.

The Phoenix sect officials were fine with the

Myouren followers, until a notion that only the

Bright Lotus scriptures could bring salvation started

to become popular. From that point on, the Bright

Lotus followers were seen as a problem that needed

to be addressed. Right around that time, an incident

occurred where a number of monks of the Bright

Lotus school occupied a temple and kept others out.

They called themselves the Bright Lotus sect and

declared independence from the Phoenix sect. Until

they were recognized, they would not leave the

temple.

The high monk of the Phoenix sect took their

actions seriously, and believed that their order

represented a heretical (and possibly evil) cult,

purposefully misreading scripture for some

mysterious gain. They sent monk-soldiers in to

the temple to deal with the issue, and in secret

mobilized the Hidden 28th Chamber (an elite

and secret team of assassins and agents loyal to

the highest members of the Phoenix order) against

them. As a result, many of the so-called Bright

Lotus sect were executed, and their move for

independence ended up a bloody disaster.

Even though the Bright Lotus movement appeared

to have died in the temple raid, the precepts of

Myouren were not destroyed. A few Bright Lotus

monks who survived the massacre played a key role

in spreading the movement again. They worked

with and helped the townspeople in several large

towns, and with their help they spread the Bright

Lotus scriptures again. This grassroots movement,

while it gained momentum slowly, over time gained

enough popularity and following to take its place as

one of the three largest sects of Buddhism in Tenra.

They do not have political power as an organization

as the Phoenix sect does, but they have strength

in the numbers of the commoners who believe in

them, who number too large to count accurately.

Most Bright Lotus monks try to propagate

Myouren’s scripture by giving people lectures in

town during their journeys. Some of them are biwa

monks (a monk who is skilled with playing the

biwa, a Japanese-style lute). These monks, being half

monk and half traveling storyteller, teach the way

to salvation in an entertaining, and even humorous

performance. By becoming a popular grassroots

religion, it is said that this sect lives the closest to

THE RELIGION OF TENRA

the people: They boast the largest population of

common believers. The mantra “Na-Mu-Myo-

Ren-Go-Hou”, and the idea of salvation through

repeating this chant, is known by many commoners

in towns and cities. It has become a great and simple

way to help propagate the scripture.

Recently, the Phoenix high monk Gamou Douan

admitted that what their order did to the Bright

Lotus followers was reckless and wrong and

submitted an official apology. He also admitted to

have at one time read and even hand-copied the

scriptures written by the monk Myouren himself,

which had been later sealed away as prohibited

literature. The Phoenix sect has gone further to try

to ensure that no further harm comes from inter-

sect differences and officially accepted the Bright

Lotus sect as brothers.

However, not all is peaceful in the Bright Lotus

sect: They are currently facing a large problem.

Bright Lotus scriptures tell the people to pray to

Buddha for salvation in this world, and on the

other hand it tells people to pray to Amitabha (an

incarnation of the Buddha) for peace after death.

On top of that, it is said that if one believes in the

simple doctrine of the Bright Lotus, and prays to

Buddha and Amitabha, that the bodhisattvas will

bring them salvation and good fortune in the next

life. In other words, even if they can’t find salvation

in this world, through their belief, it is possible to

find salvation in the next world.

In this way, Bright Lotus believers who despair in

this life, and who cannot hope to find salvation, will

often act recklessly, thinking that they will be saved

in the next life. They will often start riots if they are

unjustly treated, or harshly worked. This doesn’t

mean that the Bright Lotus sect condones their

actions or has something to do with these riots, but

the regents of various domains have come to see the

Bright Lotus belief as a threat to their absolute

control of the lower classes. As a result, many

regents suppress the religion or forbid it from their

kingdom.

In the country of Kanuma in the Iron Ridge region,

there are a large number of Bright Lotus believers

gathering. They have found a strong base in that

volatile environment, and as a group are skirmishing

with local regents. These are common people, not

soldiers led by generals. However, one cannot make

light of the potential of revolution by people who

aren’t afraid to die. Though the monks of the Bright

Lotus sect are trying to stop believers from plunging

towards destruction, it’s becoming more and more

difficult. The religion of the Bright Lotus sect has

struck a chord with many of the oppressed, and

has started a movement which not even the monks

of that order can control. A buildup of events is

occurring in Kanuma, and it is only a matter of

time before something big happens.

THE TRUTH THE MAKUU

NINDO REVOLT

Makuu Nindo was the chief monk of the Enmu-ji

Temple on Mount Asute in Kikoku, and unlike

most of the other Ebon Mountain monks of his

order, he actually oversaw a temple. Later, he started

an insurrection in Kikoku, freeing the land and

making it a nation for the oni people. Today, there

is not a single person in Tenra who does not know

his name. He is currently the regent of the oni

nation of Kikoku in Ki-shu. He devotes his life to

helping the oni and humans under his care. He is

also of the oni people, the native guardians of the

land of Tenra.

The lot of the oni people in Kikoku was unbearable.

This land, which was traditionally rich in oni

tribes and home to several oni artifacts and sacred

places, was populated by humans led by regents

who actively sought their murder. Even more so

than other nations—who kill the oni when it seems

convenient, or who chase off the oni if the common

people fear them—the regent and lords of Kikoku

wanted nothing less than the total annihilation of

the oni.

The idea of establishing a domain specifically for

the oni was simply a magnificent dream which

THE RELIGION OF TENRA

nobody had ever thought about fulfilling. The oni

themselves are not a race who prefer forming large

orders or living together in huge groups: Oni tribes

are rather small, and loosely organized. And in the

region of Ki-shu, where oni hunting was particularly

rampant, the local oni did little to resist. No one

could have imagined the energy or power required

to establish a country in these conditions where

both oni and humans could live together.

Makuu Nindo contacted the oni god Dii-Go,

known as The Speaker of the Earth. They say

that Dii-Go whispered a truth, a deep secret, to

Makuu. Makuu never revealed this secret to anyone,

including his own son Silver Edge. Makuu Nindo

declared then and there that revolution had come,

and that it was time to take back Kikoku for the oni

people. Dii-Go then helped Makuu summon many

oni people to one place by sending the oni people

visions and prophecies or contacting them directly

through a dreamtime connected to the beating

of the oni heart. Through the help of Dii-Go’s

incarnation, a person known only as the Sleeping

Girl, Makuu was able to relay messages to all of the

oni people through the voice of Dii-Go. Makuu

was able to communicate with and coordinate all of

the oni forces when the revolt in Kikoku started in

earnest.

It was Dii-Go’s power which halted the movement

of the magical gossamer-like power of sha all over

Tenra. Through Dii-Go, the oni people created a

kind of epic-scale psychic barrier with their innate

powers. This is the truth behind the events of the

Makuu-Nindo revolt. As a result, all of the yoroi

armours and kongohki simply stopped working, as

if they were switched off. Samurai and shinobi lost

their powers as well, and onmyoji sorcerers could no

longer summon shiki spirits for aid. Interestingly

enough, the barrier was not local to the battlefields

on the lands and skies around Ki-shu: What

happened in that region spread across all of Tenra.

No one really knows if that was Makuu Nindo’s

intention or not.

However, it was not the end of the war, and regents

of the local domains were not the only enemies the

Makuu army had.

The Shinto Priesthood never approved of the

existence of a domain ruled by oni, so they officially

provided prototype kimen armours to area lords,

mechanical mecha which did not require sha energy

to function. The Priesthood certainly performed

political intervention against the revolution from the

shadows as well, calling in favors from other area

lords and regents to aid in the struggle. In the end,

the Priesthood ended up even sending some of their

floating battleships to join the Kikoku forces in the

war. The Priesthood had never directly intervened

in any wars until that day, and so their actions were

extremely unusual and even darkly foreboding.

Because of their intervention, however, the worst

result for the Priesthood occurred: Makuu’s forces

infi ltrated and took control of one of their floating

battleships, which quickly turned the tables of the

war. The revolt quickly ended, and the first country

of the oni had finally been established. It became

the only domain on the planet which the Priesthood

could not control.

The name Makuu Nindo is synonymous with hope

for the oni people. The example of Kikoku became

a harrowing lesson for the Priesthood, and a defeat

which taught the people of Tenra that the control of

the Priesthood could in fact be resisted.

The dispute between Makuu and the Priesthood is

far from over. In fact, it is moving on to a new stage.

Rumors have crept up reporting that Makuu was

somehow involved in the collapse of the Bridge of

Heaven and the Fall of the Phantom Star. Another

rumor is that the Priesthood has recently found the

resting place of the physical manifestation of the oni

god Dii-Go, deep under the earth.

POWER THAT

CONCEALS

WEAKNESS

NEW TECHNOLOGY,

KIJIN

A kijin (literally “Machine Person”) is one who has

replaced some or most of their natural body with

technological marvels called mechanica. The birth

of this technology was a wonderful boon. Just think

of it: In this war-torn world of Tenra soldiers often

lose body parts in battle, but with this technology

lost arms, legs, and eyes can be replaced. There

are those who would become samurai but cannot for

various reasons, and the path of the kijin represents

another path to a similar level of power.

The arrival of the kijin on Tenra has radically

changed how wars are fought. This is mainly due to

their sheer numbers; virtually anyone can become a

kijin and strive to become more than human. Every

feudal lord has since made them a part of their

armies.

Of course, there is a cost. Because the process is low,

it was difficult to recognize at first.

The price is one’s soul.

Kijin slowly lose their flesh and blood, their human

hearts replaced by hearts of steel.

BIRTH OF THE KIJIN

Kijin are not a new development. Unlike other

advances like the samurai or kongohki, they were

not an instant success, the outstanding result of

some genius sorcerer’s experiments. The success

rate of the kijin conversion process was historically

extremely low, so it was rarely performed by anyone

other than members of the Priesthood. When the

Priesthood split into two courts, this technology led

to a schism. Because of the liberal policies of

Northern Court regarding giving cheap technology

away to their vassal states, the necessary knowledge

of sterilization, anesthesia, and human anatomy

were applied to the conversion process.

In the country of Ouga, the onmyouji training

institute called the Furaei Institute began the

experiments that led to this technology. These

were not originally intended to produce kijin so

much as to create human beings who could mimic

the supernatural abilities of the native oni people.

The technologies discovered through this line of

research unexpectedly led to the means to graft

mechanica onto human bodies, thus establishing

the foundations of kijin technology.

It is true that kijin lack the capabilities of a samurai.

However, the fact that this technology allows

the existing rare yoroi armours to be repurposed

for better use, the additional fact that it does not

require expensive heart engines, and the possibilities

for its application to injured soldiers, all drew the

interest of the nobility.

Now that kijin technology has been standardized

and documented in the Northern Court’s

government policy edict, The Laws for Machine

Enhancement Surgery, they have proliferated at

lightning speed.

Everything is proceeding as the Priesthood

planned...

KIJIN CONVERSION

Typically, kijin conversion is primarily aimed at

replacing limbs and the head’s sensory organs. The

artificial parts are attached to the end of a missing

body part, with ki-conducting fibers joining them

to the subject’s nervous system. Sometimes, other

organs are removed or replaced as well.

Although the success rate is now very high, the

surgery necessary for kijin conversion is not a simple

matter. Because countless nerve fibers must be

attached one by one, this procedure requires a great

deal of skill.

KIJIN

While the causes are not yet understood, many

kijin are still troubled by pain or itching in their

mechanica parts.

As complicated as it is, replacing limbs is a simple

matter compared to dealing with the torso.

Because it contains the heart, spine, and other

vitally important parts, there are limits to how

much subcutaneous mechanica can be implanted.

Most other mechanica are attached to the outside

of the body. Artificial organs and such are being

researched, but their realization is some ways off,

and total replacement of internal organs with

mechanica is perhaps something that should wait a

while.

However, once surgery is carried out, only

mechanica can be attached to the point of contact.

Even if the mechanica is damaged or broken beyond

repair, replacement is the best option. Mechanica

and their contact points are now standardized,

making them easy to exchange or swap out if proper

adjustments are made.

KIJIN IN BATTLE

In battle, kijin are very useful for a variety of

situations. They have excellent mobility, making

a kijin squad equivalent to an armour in terms of

combat ability. Those with integrated weapons can

use them with exceptional skill, making them many

times more effective than a common foot soldier.

Also, because they can use a variety of special

equipment like machine guns or enhanced senses,

many countries employ specialized kijin units.

Presently, kijin units are kept separate from

conventional infantry, but as more and more

countries employ them in greater numbers, they are

ceasing to be an exception to the rule. In a given

conflict the number of potential new kijin usually

exceeds the number of kijin lost. While there are

volunteers, the majority of soldiers who lose limbs

in battle undergo surgery to become kijin: The

government pays for the surgery, and if they survive

the war, the patient can resume a somewhat normal

life at home. Needless to say, this means that every

conflict leads to a swelling of the kijin’s ranks. This

is sometimes done against the subject’s will, but

given that this is usually performed on a soldier who

would have died otherwise, it’s difficult to criticize

this practice.

However, kijin are ultimately created for the

battlefield, and that is the only place where they

truly belong, both physically and spiritually.

Although it has been known for some time, it bears

repeating that a kijin’s psychological vitality and

empathy, his ability to show concern for others, will

usually decline over time. There are also those

who readily commit atrocities, or who otherwise

show a lack of humanity. Ultimately, they become

machines of war in spirit as well as body. The degree

to which this happens depends on how much of the

body is replaced with mechanica.

Those who do leave home as a human and

return from war as a kijin with extensive body

replacements often cannot bear to go back to their

families. The person who left to fight a war simply

isn’t there anymore. A kijin with nothing to come

home to are quick to return to the battlefield,

thinking it better not to be near their families and

their former lives. Doing so, however, means being

in more battles, and ultimately having more body

parts replaced with mechanica. Rage and sadness

alike are ultimately forgotten and the kijin finally

arrives at his death. Perhaps they are happy to do so.

Those who are so far gone that they can no longer

embrace their humanity can at least be destroyed on

the battlefield.

KIJIN

The rulers of Tenra are hiding this inconvenient

truth. It is no longer practical to attempt to conduct

wars without kijin. They have become necessary

to damage the enemy’s armies, and having soldiers

refuse the conversion would be troublesome to say

the least.

KIJIN UNITS

Kijin military units are used in a variety of

ways. There are scouts that use enhanced eyes

to search for the enemy, and assault teams

with steel armor and integrated weapons.

There are kijin with limited flight capabilities

that take to the skies, and kijin with

breathing apparatuses that allow for naval

operations. It is well known that special naval

kijin are employed for battles taking place in

coastal regions or lakes.

Rather than using them for general military

operations, the new trend is to arrange kijin

into more specialized units according to their

specialized capabilities.

KONGOHKI

BIRTH OF THE

KONGOHKI

At some point, someone wondered what fantastic

weapons they might be able to create if yoroi

armours could be made smaller and more

maneuverable. However, there was always one major

obstacle to this miniaturization process: namely, the

need to fit a human being inside. The solution was

to forego a pilot entirely, and instead install a soul

mirror with a soul trapped inside a meikyo device.

They were first created centuries ago, and

dubbed kongohki, a variation of the phrase “The

Unbreakable Ones” or “Machine of Vajra”. Their

strength was too terrible for any to stand in their

way, and they spread fear across countless kingdoms.

That is how the kongohki were born.

Kongohki technology uses onmyoji sorcery to bind a

soul in place. The body is created in much the same

manner as a yoroi armour, but the mind controlling

it is encased in a meikyo soul mirror. This meikyo

contains the soul of a person who died with a great

deal of karma (and who became a lost soul, or

asura). The more karma they carry, the more

powerful the kongohki becomes.

Because of their lightweight construction and speed,

kongohki can use an ability called “Overdrive”

in order to move so fast that the human eye can

barely follow. Also, being animated by souls whose

memories have been erased or sealed away, they

obey their master’s orders absolutely, like well-

trained dogs.

These are the Kongohki, Tenra’s peerless killing

machines, demons made of steel.

THOSE WITH DEEP

KARMA

ASURAS: THE LOST SOULS

Souls that carry deep karma cannot pass through a

meikyo, and get locked out. Kongohki are created

using this property in reverse, trapping these souls

in place inside the meikyo. The lost souls of people

who died with a huge amount of karma, known

to the populace as monsters called asuras or “lost

souls”, are compressed and sealed away by a sutra-

chanting Buddhist monk. Once called into the

depths of a meikyo mirror, the souls are expanded

again and trapped within the mirror, unable to

leave. While compressed and sealed, the lost souls

are purified, erased, and rendered unable to escape.

One portion is not purified, and it is this part that

remains sealed: the lost soul’s memories. The seal

that holds an asura soul in place also seals away the

memories of its former life. If that strong barrier is

breached, all that karma and memories from the

former life come rushing back. When the Buddhist

monks have done their work well, the kongohki

becomes a faithful servant and will follow all orders

from its master. However, this memory suppression

technique is not yet perfected, and there is a

constant risk of instability. Should the memory

seal come undone, the kongohki will regain the

memories of its former life. A kongohki that

remembers its existence as an asura is potentially

a serious danger. As suppressing those memories a

second time is very difficult, such kongohki are

usually destroyed. That, of course, assumes that a

rampaging kongohki can be stopped.

Incidentally, many of those who perform the rituals

necessary to seal souls in meikyo to create kongohki

are not legitimate monks. The majority of Buddhist

monks of all orders believe that it is improper to

deliberately force a soul to stay within the transient

world when it should move on to the afterlife.

KONGOHKI

KIMEN-STYLE KONGOHKI

While the development (thanks to the aid of the

Northern Court of the Priesthood) of the cheaper

production model meikyo called kimenkyo was

all but inevitable, it had a huge impact on the

kongohki. Those kongohki with kimenkyo are

designated kimen kongohki. While they are

basically inferior to kongohki with a standard

soul-mirror meikyo, they nonetheless have the

same powerful Overdrive ability, and are suitable

for mass-production and employment in war. They

have since had a considerable impact on how wars

are fought on Tenra.

The production process for kimen-style kongohki

is the same as for a normal kongohki, except

that the meikyo installed in the body is replaced

with a mechanica mirror, the kimenkyo. The lost

soul contained within a kimenkyo is actually no

different from that held in a meikyo, and while

kimenkyo are inferior in some ways, the mirror’s

ability to hold the soul in place is unchanged.

As they are relatively easy to mass-produce, many

have been researching the possibilities afforded by

employing kimen-style kongohki as weapons. One

notable example is interchangeable mechanica,

allowing the equipment attached to the arms and

legs to be swapped for different types of missions.

Naturally, this can include equipment to allow

movement in the air or underwater.

RAMPAGE

Should the seal that suppresses a Kongohki’s

memories fail for some reason, the soul within is

initially thrown into confusion. From there it will

gradually begin to understand its situation: The fact

that it is dead, that it was once human, and how

not too long before death it became an asura.

Furthermore, it will remember how it was forcibly

“reincarnated” as a kongohki and used as a puppet

for destruction and slaughter.

Most souls cannot bear the weight of this terrible

reality, and lash out at the world around them,

becoming asura once again. These rampages are a

way for the kongohki to take revenge upon those

who stole their surcease, who took death itself away

from them.

However, there are also those who doggedly pursue

their orders of their own volition. These are strong

souls that can look upon their previous lives as lost

souls and reflect on or even sublimate them, getting

over their previous sins and hardships. Such souls

are truly reborn as self-aware kongohki, and might

even be able to make use of this new existence as a

second lease on life.

TYPES OF KONGOHKI

The steel bodies of kongohki are usually humanoid,

as this is the optimum form for containing a human

soul. However, there are kongohki that deviate from

the human form to allow for greater power. There

are those with additional limbs for extra mobility,

or based on the shapes of animals, as well as more

radical changes to the basic form for different types

of warfare. These changes to the kongohki’s form

must be done during construction, and cannot be

changed afterwards. A kongohki with a fish-like

lower body intended for aquatic operations would

have to remain that way from the day it was created

until it was destroyed.

However, recent technological developments have

allowed for kongohki with interchangeable parts

that can be quickly swapped out. This is one of

the key advantages of the kimen-style kongohki.

In order to facilitate their mass-production, kimen

kongohki are designed as a core unit to which

various interchangeable parts are attached. This in

turn helped provide the basis for Kijin technology.

These killing machines—adaptable for virtually any

type of mission—have been described by a master

tactician and poet in a very short but succinct verse:

“Tenra’s Ultimate Power, Tenra’s Ultimate Evil”.

Kongohki tend to be divided into those with and

without interchangeable parts. Those without tend

to be fewer in number, but they nonetheless have

many merits and are still constructed using newer

technologies.

KONGOHKI

Aside from the physical body, a kongohki’s

capabilities are in part determined by the nature of

its meikyo and the soul contained within. While the

process of sealing a soul within a meikyo erases its

memories, there are nonetheless those memories so

deeply ingrained that they’re very difficult to fully

erase. The result is that that some traits from the

soul’s former life will inevitably surface. They might

remember sword forms learned in their former life,

or retain a habit of compulsive stealing.

The soul of a swordsman whose pursuit of his

art led him to become an asura can make for a

powerful kongohki, and the soul of an onmyoji

can be used to create a kongohki that can use

onmyojutsu. Some have attempted to use this

to their advantage in creating more powerful

kongohki, but it presents many dangers. It’s always

best to avoid creating kongohki that will regain the

memories of their former lives. Furthermore, the

memory seal has to be designed to avoid causing the

soul to forget all of the memories of its former life,

leaving just enough memory without allowing it to

become a lost soul. Clearly, this is an exceedingly

diffi cult task.

Still, if it succeeds, the result is an extremely

powerful machine. It has a kongohki’s Overdrive

ability and a tireless metal body. There are also

kongohki designed to operate in extreme conditions

indefinitely, or utilize bodies far larger than any

human.

HEAVY ASSAULT UNITS: KONGOHKI

EVOLVED

Heavy Assault Units are kongohki equipped with

multiple meikyo mirrors. Kongohki can already

be massive, with armaments to match, and this

development allows them to become even more

fearsome weapons. What’s astonishing is that

while they can reach the size of a mid-sized yoroi

armour—even when they are loaded with so many

weapons as to resemble a porcupine—they retain

the kongohki’s characteristic mobility. They are

fearsome weapons indeed.

Similar to the larger armours, two (or sometimes

more) primary souls control the body in tandem,

typically dividing combat between close and long

range. Other souls not used to command the overall

unit will have had their memories completely sealed

when they are bound, and have no self-onsciousness

at all. They can give simple responses, but their

mental facilities are otherwise nonexistent.

There is one important drawback that has

severely limited the number of countries that have

successfully used heavy assault units in actual

combat. The risk of the asura soul becoming

unsealed and going on a rampage is far higher than

with a normal kongohki. When several meikyo soul

mirrors are placed so close together, they begin to

interfere with each other and cause an accumulation

of karma that accelerates their return to being lost

souls.

Although there are many rumors of experiments

with heavy assault unit kongohki, the very fact that

they are difficult to create and control makes them

unlikely to be seen on an actual battlefield.

NINJA AND

SHINOBI

Those known as ninja are paragons who have

trained their bodies with a unique martial art,

and who have become masters excelling in the art

of disguise, poisons, and medicine. Additionally,

what separates them more from normal people

than anything is the existence of their secret art of

ninjutsu. They act as spies and intelligence-gathers

in times of peace; and as scouts, messengers and

assassins of people of import in times of war. The

value of the versatile ninja is quite high. Thus, there

is not a single country in Tenra which does not

employ the use of their talents.

The groups that lead the ninja are called “ninja

armies” or “ninja clans”. However, they are not

groups in the sense of an official gathering of ninja,

or a group that one joins in adulthood. Rather, it

is an army, family or order that gives birth to new

ninja, crafting them as they emerge into the world.

Ninja are, from the time they are born, a member

of a ninja clan: They are raised to adulthood in the

strictest, most spartan training on Tenra. A ninja

clan is both an organization which leads as well as

one which creates and raises ninja. The laws of the

ninja clan are absolute, and those who go against

them are given a merciless death. All of the laws of

the clan exist in order to create an organization that

is completely unified.

For all their power, very few historical records exist

on the founding of the original ninja or ninja clans.

All that is known about the way in which the ninja

came about is the name Makabe Genyuusai, the

founder of ninjutsu. All other official documents

and historical materials are gone: Not even a single

page remains. It is still not even known whether the

ninja existed first and created the first ninja clan

armies, or if it was the ninja clan which formed first

and gave birth to the ninja. It is said that ninja were

given birth by Makabe, who was either a heretic

onmyoji or an ascetic hermit: There exists no proof

either way. The ninja, who live under a perpetual

shroud of darkness, were also born from that

darkness. In an instant the ninja appeared, and in

that same instant, they became a necessary force in

the world.

A LIFE IN THE

DARKNESS

It first needs to be said that the shinobi are little

more than a tool, like a hammer or a scythe.

They are employed by those with power, and are

given responsibilities that cover a wide gamut of

situations.

In battle they are appointed as scouts or messengers,

while in times of peace they serve various functions

such as spies or information gatherers. The defining

characteristics of the ninja are their powers of

secrecy and mobility, and it is to that sort of activity

to which they are most suited.

The regents and lords of the land almost always

possess at least one ninja clan in their service. If

that’s not the case, they will often hire 50 to 100

full-time ninja from a nearby trustworthy ninja

clan. This is because the great power of the ninja

is in their movements as a group. Additionally,

because the number of jobs that are given to the

ninja is so great, it is not an exaggeration to say that

the number of ninja in any given country is always

insufficient to the needs of those that would employ

them. Nonetheless, their duties are often incredibly

straightforward: Work from the shadows. They do

not exist by being known for their accomplishments

and achievements. Nothing they ever do will

be recorded, nor will information about their

achievements find its way outside of their shadowy

world. While the ninja are a necessary force, their

very existence must be denied and hidden.

What about the shinobi, though? Are they

themselves comfortable with such an existence?

Can they live in a world where their existence is

cast away like the ashes from the burning of secret

documents, an existence where they are never

praised or extolled for their achievements? Do they

ever want to use their impressive power to work

towards their own personal goals?

NINJA AND SHINBOI

NINJA VS SHINOBI

The terms are interchangeable when outsiders

refer to the hidden assassins of Tenra, and

are indeed used interchangeably in this text.

Lords tend to use the word “shinobi” more

often than “ninja”, as there is a nuance of

glamour and mysteriousness in the term.

However, within the ranks of the shinobi,

there is a clear difference: Apprentices and

younger members of the clan are called

"ninja", and only the higher ranking members

of the clan who employ the soulgem surgery

known as the Dark Arts to fuel their powers

are referred to as "shinobi". Sometimes,

depending on the clan, they are further

called “elite shinobi”, “true shinobi” or “dark

shinobi”

The answer to the former two questions is “yes”,

while the latter is “no”. This is because the shinobi,

as stated earlier, are nothing more than tools. It is

something that even the ninja themselves realize.

However, this very question is not something that

they can comprehend. That is to say that, while

they can think of themselves as the tool of another,

they do not understand why that kind of thinking

might be mistaken. They have been raised by their

clan from birth, training together to become living

weapons. There are no chances for them to

individually doubt—or even reflect deeply on—

their existence as simple tools. Therefore, they have

no concept of the word freedom, and it does not

even occur to them that there is such a concept.

For a tool, there is no need to see that which does

not concern it. Mouths that voice opinions are

nothing more than a hindrance or a bother. Ears

that hear voices of those begging for mercy are

a luxury that the ninja cannot afford. This says

nothing of a mind that questions that which does

not concern it, nor a heart that can feel emotions.

That which is taboo for ordinary people is, for

the ninja, only natural. It could easily be said that

they have been raised to possess a different sense of

morals and truth from ordinary people. If ordered

to kill, they feel no remorse about killing, and they

thieve and pillage with complete calm. For the

ninja, the orders of their master—in addition to

the orders of the clan—are important over all else.

They use the techniques instilled upon themselves

for the sole benefit of others. Whatever skills and

techniques they master, the ninja never refer to

their powers as working for themselves—only their

masters.

The shinobi are a tool to be used, nothing

more.

DYING IN DARKNESS

The world that the shinobi inhabit is a

heartless one.

Even if they succeed in the duties assigned to them,

they will not be praised. Because the shinobi are

a tool, it is only natural for them to accomplish

the tasks to which they are assigned. For example,

let’s take the magnificent assassination of an

enemy lord. While not divulging the name of the

ninja is natural, even among the individual ninja,

there are no awards or recognitions bestowed.

The recognition goes to those that actually used

the ninja to accomplish the mission, their lords

and masters. For the ninja, they only receive their

established recompense, which is paid directly to

the ninja clan. No matter how difficult the task,

they are seen as nothing more than the tools to

accomplish a job.

Thus the world the ninja live in is utterly cruel,

however excellent the techniques in which they train

themselves. It is impossible for them to succeed at

every task to which they are assigned... and in most

circumstances, failing a task is directly connected

to the death of the ninja. This death is not only

limited to losing one’s life at the hand of an enemy:

It is also rather common to meet one’s end at the

hands of a member of the same ninja clan, a ninja

that should have been considered a comrade.

NINJA AND SHINBOI

The commandments of the ninja code are minutely

detailed, from the points of how one should receive

and deal with an employer, to the corresponding

punishment for breaking the code. According to the

ninja code, if the ninja becomes a great hindrance

to the employer, it is their duty to accept death as

recompense. Additionally, the commandments and

their punishments have been repeatedly trained into

the ninja from a young age. Even a small infraction

brings about a great punishment, and the execution

of those who break a serious law is open to public

viewing. Thus, it could be said that the ninja code

is carved into the ninja’s way of thinking from a

young age. Consequently, ninja who are wounded

and become a burden are immediately discarded

and if captured, they would rather choose death

than speak their employer’s name. If they fail in

their duty and flee home in shame, all that awaits

them is death. No matter how excellent a shinobi,

the ninja clan will not spare their life. If mercy was

shown to even one shinobi, then the usefulness of

the shinobi as tools would be compromised. That

is to say that the clan would cease to be able to

function as a group.

The world that the ninja live in is a dark world. The

place where they will die is also just as dark.

THE VILLAGES OF THE NINJA CLANS

The ninja village which serves as the stronghold

for the ninja clan is almost always a small, normal

village deep in the mountains. This village is

obstinately cut off from outside contact, and is often

called a hidden village. From its founding, there

have been no roads that stretch to the village, and

no one that knows even of its existence outside of

the ninja of the clan.The ninja village is arranged

with the mansion of the clan master as the center,

surrounded by the smithies that make the ninja

weapons, as well as the dojos where ninja are trained

in ninjutsu. Of course, there are also the ninja’s

houses, as well as the fields that keep them self-

sufficient.

However, because the manufacture of the village

is a simple one, even the large mansion of the clan

master is no greater than the house of an average

agricultural town leader. The smithies are dispersed

into different buildings depending on their use.

Usually, ten or so lower ninja craft the tools of the

clan under the eye of the middle-ranked ninja. The

dojos where esoteric ninjutsu techniques are taught

are not that large or glamorous. The martial arts

techniques of the ninja are taught outside: Drills,

exercises and physical training always occur in the

middle of the mountains, outside of the village. In

order to train the wits of the ninja, which is their

greatest weapon, the forest—overgrown with trees

and without sure footing—is most appropriate.

There are no tatami-matted, clean martial arts

training areas in ninja villages.

The village itself is almost completely comprised of

arable fields. Even the shinobi are still humans. It is

not as if they can survive without eating. However,

in order to shut themselves offfrom contact with

the outside world, they must be able to be as self-

sufficient as possible. This land is cultivated by

those lower ninja who are not currently employed.

Around the ninja village there are always a number

of lower-ranked ninja dispatched to watch for

intruders. Sometimes there are those who get lost

from the main road and come close to the village,

but through the use of ninjutsu by the lower ninja,

they are led peacefully to a place far away from the

ninja village without ever realizing. For that reason,

the mountain where the village exists is often said to

be a mountain where spirits like recluse mountain

sages and tengulive. While it might be surprising,

the ninja do not indiscriminately kill those who

come near their village. That is because news of

the event could spread, and people would begin

to wonder if something was hidden in the forest.

An exception however, is that if the intruder has a

hostile aura about them, the ninja will apprehend

him with deadly force as needed.

Other than the hidden main village which serves

as their stronghold, there are a number of other

separate smaller ninja villages called town outposts,

or machisato.

NINJA AND SHINBOI

These separate village-looking entities are

comparably close in proximity to human villages,

and are used as places to get necessary goods as

well as gain contact with employers. These town

outposts are created on the outskirts of town, near

large trading roads or villages, or commonly in the

downtowns of great cities. While they are called

town outposts, they are really nothing more than

branch offices and safehouses of the ninja clan in

the guise of stores or rows of houses. Additionally,

temporary waypoints created in the line of duty for

a particular mission are also called machisato.

While the main village is created so that its location

is never known, the separate villages and the

machisato are expertly hidden by the ninja so that

the town outpost’s true form may not be revealed,

blending into the surrounding town.

THE DARK ARTS

ELITE SHINOBI AND THE SEALS OF

POWER

The elite among the ninja clans are called shinobi or

true shinobi. They are the mere handful of shinobi

who have learned the way of what are referred to as

the dark arts in order to assist them in their ninjutsu

techniques. Within a clan, ninja is the common

word for all who work their dark trade. But the true

shinobi are the powerful ninja elites who stand apart

from the rest.

POLITICAL STRUCTURE OF NINJA

VILLAGES

Usually ninja villages are ruled over by one

master or high-level ninja. Underneath the

master are ten middle-ranked ninja, who in

turn are responsible for ordering all the lower-

ranked ninja. Within each rank are small

cells of ninja ruled over by a middle-ranked

ninja leader or low-ranked ninja leader. The

smallest cell size is usually three or four ninja.

The application of the dark arts is called “the seal

of dark power”, a physical and psychic modification

using soulgems which shinobi employ to assist

them in the use of their unique ninjutsu techniques.

In order to access that power, the shinobi’s skill

must be highly recognized, and a head shinobi of

high rank must perform the modification surgery.

The success rate of this surgery is not high, and is

incredibly painful for the patient. Only those who

are able to overcome the dangers to both life and

sanity are able to survive and be called the shinobi

elite. One can understand why the number of true

shinobi is so low.

The dark arts are used to assist with ninjutsu

techniques, and are basically a method which uses

soulgems to create conductive conduits of ki energy

throughout the body. Thinly shaved soulgems

are implanted throughout the body, and must

be situated in their proper locations through the

use of special summoned shiki or with the help

of annelids. The soulgems are implanted along

the inside of the body in long thread-like chains.

Because the threads run deep through the still living

flesh, it is necessary to cut and rend the ninja’s

entire body. It is something that only those of sound

body and strong will can endure. In recent years,

the knowledge of anatomy and anesthesia which the

Northern Court of the Shinto Priesthood revealed

has been increasingly implemented in the surgery.

Even so, the success rate has only risen slightly.

However, the benefits of implanting the seal of dark

power are tremendous. The magical power which

the shinobi use to fuel their ninjutsu techniques is

amplified by the soulgems. The end result is that

the shinobi can employ their ninjutsu techniques by

using only a small amount of their spiritual (Soul)

power. In short, they are able to use incredibly

powerful arts multiple times, which would normally

drain and exhaust a lesser ninja.

However, it is regrettable that the risk of the

dark arts is not only the danger of mishap during

surgery. Among the shinobi, there are many cases

of the extremities suddenly rotting and developing

necrosis—a frightening disease that is particular to

NINJA AND SHINBOI

the shinobi. The cause is unknown, but it is said

that the body rejects the implanted seals of power,

and the ki can no longer flow through the original

flesh. Additionally, all shinobi can no longer bear

children, much like the samurai who also implant

soulgems into their flesh. For that reason, before

the shinobi clan performs the surgery, it is common

to make the candidate bear a child. This is not out

of any sense of pity, but rather that the offspring

of someone great enough to become shinobi is an

important resource to the shinobi clan.

Additionally, it does not need to be said that the

shinobi’s own body is the cost they must pay for

their powers of ninjutsu. The various medicines

that are used in the art have a terrible effect on the

body. For example, for the instruments used in the

technique called “Possessed by the Inner Beast”,

a large amount of a medicinal plant called hiku

(also known by herbalists as “flying dog”) is used.

Hiku has the effect of activating stimulants and

endorphins in the body for a short period of time,

but if used too much, the user can become intensely

addicted. The shinobi, who commonly use

extremely powerful arts, often develop extremely

negative conditions within their bodies over time.

Many female shinobi who follow a certain espionage

path are called kunoichi. They act as the mistresses

and harem residents of the famous and powerful,

and are almost always ordered for long term

espionage infiltrations in places where men are

forbidden to go. They are also occasionally used to

entwine themselves with an enemy lord and bring

about his destruction. This is to say nothing of the

fact that if they can become a noble’s concubine,

assassination becomes that much easier. For the

kunoichi’s special characteristics, the sterility that

comes as recompense for the dark arts can be seen

as a benefit rather than a detriment. If it is true, that

using oneself as a tool is the main point of ninjutsu,

then it could also be said that the female kunoichi

embody the soul of ninjutsu even more than their

male shinobi counterparts, to a horrifying degree.

Lastly, an issue for the ninja clan is the problem

of shinobi fugitives or runaways. If normal ninja

assassins become fugitives, dealing with them is a

simple matter; but a shinobi becoming a fugitive

is a different matter entirely. The shinobi are

powerful enough to take on one or even two entire

ninja clans. Even with the combined force of an

entire clan, the only end they would meet would be

the total annihilation of the clan. Of course, just

because they are shinobi does not mean that they

are fugitives, but almost all confirmed fugitive ninja

are shinobi. The only ones with the power to make

it out of the clan alive are the shinobi elites: This is

pure fact. In short, as a tool, the shinobi are beyond

excellence. And unlike the more common ninja, it is

almost impossible to stop them.

SCHOOLS OF NINJUTSU

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SCHOOLS

Currently on Tenra there are over 100 different

schools of ninjutsu spread throughout the land.

Including even minor factions, it would be safe to

say that there are as many schools of shinobi as there

are shinobi clans of the various lords. However,

all of these schools began with a single person.

That person is the founder of ninjutsu, Makabe

Genyuusai.

Even before Genyuusai left this world, there were

already those called ninja, and they practiced the

art of stealth or assassination. However, the ninjutsu

style created by Genyuusai excelled far beyond all of

these. You could dare say that while the ninja up to

that point were human, those ninja who mastered

his new ways of ninjutsu became more than human.

Genyuusai was a rare onmyoji, and it is said that

through using onmyojutsu, he was able to unravel

the reason behind the world. The art and techniques

of secrecy, dark ness, shadow, and control that

Genyuusai expended everything to create is the

collection of arts known as ninjutsu.

Genyuusai never founded any thing that could be

considered a “school” or “philosophy”. After he

founded ninjutsu, he disappeared from the face of

the world without catering to the wishes of those

people of influence who wanted to make use of that

NINJA AND SHINBOI

power. It was the two apprentices that Genyuusai

left behind who founded what are now the two

largest schools on Tenra: Kage-Ryu, the School of

Shadow; and Oboro-Ryu, the School of Dream.

Before long, internal strife in the School of Shadow

broke out, and Shin Kage-Ryu—the True School of

Shadow—was born. The School of Dream also had

internal fractures, giving rise to the School of Stone

(Gan-Ryu) and the Ghost Clan (Rei-Ryu). These

factions repeated their rise and fall throughout

history, and have split to become the multitude of

schools that currently exists in Tenra.

Each time a school splits, each faction gives birth to

a new form of ninjutsu.

Since the basic arts that the shinobi learn are

not so visibly different, it could be said that the

characteristic of a school is merely the difference

in the ninjutsu that the school trains its ninja in.

Therefore, the structure of the various arts are

kept secret, and they are not divulged to those

not a part of the ninja clan. Even to shinobi of

the same school, only the form and actions—the

way in which ninjutsu is used—is taught, and

not the reasoning, logic, and foundations behind

it. Conversely, shinobi who can create their own

original version of ninjutsu arts or a new foundation

of understanding of those arts usually become the

head of a new school of ninjutsu.

EXPLANATION OF THE SCHOOLS

Let’s introduce the exemplary schools on Tenra.

Of course, there are countless other schools of

ninjutsu listed besides these, and even today, the

secret feud continues between them.

The School of Dream; Oboro-Ryu

The School of Dream was founded by one of

the apprentices that Genyuusai left behind, Kiba

Ryuusai. It is one of the largest schools of ninjutsu

on Tenra. It possesses a very orthodox version of

ninjutsu, and is known for its establishment of the

arts of the kunoichi.

The School of Shadow; Kage-Ryu

One of the largest schools on Tenra, the School

of Shadow was founded by Kuzuhara Gensei, the

other apprentice of Genyuusai. When compared to

the martial-focused School of Dream, the School

of Shadow is more skilled in the arts of illusion and

secrecy. They are well known for their use of dogs

and other animals in their ninjutsu.

The School of Stone; Gan-Ryu

The School of Stone originally broke away from

the School of Dream, and was founded by Kiba

Hougen, who incorporated the phantasmal arts that

are the School of Shadow’s specially, and sought

to create a more balanced and complete strain of

ninjutsu. Hougen and his followers insist that this

is the true successor of the ninjutsu that Genyuusai

himself left behind.

The Ghost Clan; Rei-Ryu

The founder of this school, which broke away

from the School of Dream, was a kunoichi. Ayame

(Iris), from her work as an assassin in the School of

Dream, created both the form of ninjutsu that the

Ghost Clan employs as well as an order of shinobi

assassins who make use of it.

The True School of Shadow; Shin Kage-Ryu

The True School of Shadow was born from a

shinobi named Tsuchigumo the Land Spider, and

was the end result of the internal strife in the School

of Shadow. They took this name, and aimed to

return their order to the true roots of the School of

Shadow by further strengthening the characteristics

of secrecy in the school. Even in modern days,

the bad blood towards the School of Shadow is

staggering.

The School of the Shore; Migawari-Ryu

Separated from a shinobi clan called Kuruwa-Ryu,

the School of the Shore was founded by a shinobi

named Kuro the Blackwing. Migawari-Ryu is a

single group who has put warrior-ninja as the focal

point of their group, and does not operate under any

traditional form that could be reasonably called a

shinobi clan.

NINJA AND SHINBOI

This school is famous for its founder having created

the Migawari School of Marksmanship, an art of

war which focuses on thrown and ranged weapons.

The School of Dust; Jin-Ryu

This school is known for its abilities in demolitions.

It is a ninja group that is very conspicuous among

the shinobi, and who greatly favor secrecy. The

founder of the school is Ayamiki Raisei.

According to one explanation, the School of Dust

was a school that followed the way of the School of

Shadow. However, the path of ninjutsu that they

follow now is completely different from the School

of Shadow.

Other Schools

The schools introduced up until this point are

largely representative of the ninja clans of Tenra.

There are additional special schools, such as the

Kami-Ryu school used by agents of the Shinto

Priesthood, or the school used by the secret order of

warrior-monks loyal to the Phoenix Buddhist sect.

Of course there are countless schools on Tenra, and

even now there are more new schools continuing to

be born.

THE ULTIMATE

EXPRESSION OF

ART

A kugutsu (originally the Japanese word for "puppet"

or "marionette") is a creature that was crafted by a

human being in much the same way as a puppeteer

crafts a lifelike doll. The bodies of the kugutsu are

carved out of ancient sacred trees by human hands,

and the soul that naturally forms and seals within

it is the reflection of a natural creature or spirit

called kodama.

Covered in a layer of magical gossamer (the very

essence of sha, the magical force of Tenra), they

form into a creature of flesh with a beautiful human

form. They are then educated in much the same

way as a human is educated. Through handiwork,

effort, and magic, the kugutsu emerge: Alluring,

pure creatures more beautiful than mere humans

could aspire to be. They become the ultimate

expression of art for the creator; literally crafting life

itself from their own imagination.

A kugutsu can sweat, cry, laugh and even bleed just

like human beings can. Once they take their final

form and come alive, there is no longer anything

alien about them. The only difference is that when

a kugutsu dies, it reverts to the form of a lifeless

wooden mannequin. They can live long, full lives in

the guise of a human being, but in the end they are

different.

It takes five to ten years to carve out and craft

one single kugutsu doll. On top of that, not many

kugutsu-makers exist. Even among the kugutsu-

makers, there are very few that are noteworthy;

extremely skilled kugutsu-makers whose names are

well known. The kugutsu is a precious living work

of art, and sometimes its beauty is ransomed for the

price of all the gold of a kingdom. The value of a

kugutsu crafted by an elite kugutsu-maker is so high

that it can start wars between regents.

THE BEAUTY OF THE

KUGUTSU

A kugutsu is the very essence of beauty. Because of

their allure and rarity, they are creatures that have

enormous value to the wealthy and ruling class.

Their “value”, in spite of the fact that they are living

beings with emotions, is a concept easy to

understand if you adopt the mindset of a potential

collector: They are like a work of art, like a rare

set of tea ceremony utensils made by a renowned

craftsperson, or a scroll of calligraphy written by a

recognized master of the form.

However, because they are a work of art, there are

few people who are of high enough station allowed

to own them. Dilettante feudal lords, regents or

kings could be said to monopolize the grace of a

kugutsu. When dealing with a famous kugutsu-

maker, they will outbid each other in attempts to

flatter, bribe, or simply pay outright to put in an

order or request for the craftsperson’s next piece.

They push past each other in order to have their

requests filled by the kugutsu-maker, and bear the

price willingly for a newly born kugutsu. A person

powerful or fortunate enough to be able to obtain a

kugutsu admires their beauty, of course, but they

are also intoxicated by the feeling of honor and

privilege to possess such a fine piece of art. In fact,

their status could rise well with the purchase of a

kugutsu. In addition, they can be also given as great

political gifts between lords or nations.

Above all other kugutsu, the ones carved by the

legendary craftsman Shou-un are easily worth

the value of a large kingdom, if not more. Every

time Shou-un’s new works are revealed to the

world, great wars occur to scramble for the chance

to possess them. These wars (be they large wars

on the battlefield, or political shadow-war style

maneuvering) for the sake of the possession of a

piece of art in human form leave many people

wounded or killed.

Ownership of a kugutsu is a status symbol for

feudal lords or regents. Having a kugutsu in one’s

possession has great value in political dealings

between powerful people. No matter how much the

price, it is often worth it for the value, status, and

honor that the kugutsu brings.

Why do kugutsu-makers create kugutsu? Is it for

money? The answer is no. They need an abundant

amount of time to learn the skills of a craftsperson

(usually through apprenticeship), not to mention

the years involved in the actual carving and shaping

of the mannequin’s form. If they just wanted money,

there are much easier ways to become wealthy.

Moreover, it is impossible to create kugutsu that

have real beauty or artistic charm simply for the love

of money. It just doesn’t happen.

Most of the kugutsu-makers have a mindset that

can be summed up as “An attempt to create a thing

of beauty, carving it out of nature, molding it from

their own mind ”. Some suggest that the price of

a Kugutsu may objectively denote how beautiful a

creation it is. However, the real thing the kugutsu-

maker seeks is the very ideal of beauty that resides

in their mind’s eye. For that reason, they usually

don’t show interest in the monetary value or the

physical “worth” of their creations. They create

an object of art for their own ideals, and to the

craftsperson it does not matter what other people

think of their works.

Why do they seek beauty in this form? Not many

kugutsu-makers can easily answer that question.

Many describe it as a calling, and after that, the

answers differ from maker to maker. Furthermore,

what constitutes beauty is different for every maker

as well. However, for whatever reason, they invest

their entire lives to answering the call of beauty,

producing human figures of wonder.

HUMAN OR PUPPET?

It would be meaningless if a kugutsu was nothing

more than a beautiful face. They cannot be kugutsu

for their physical graces alone.

Their true beauty is greatly influenced by the

beauty of their minds and spirits, not just their

physical form. It is their heart—filled with the same

emotions that human beings possess—that make

them truly remarkable. They are different from

works of art for simple decoration. They are works

of art that live with humans, as humans. They cry,

laugh, get angry and become delighted; for this

reason people find kugutsu so wonderful. Think

about this, though: Kugutsu mannequins don’t have

any differing qualities of body or mind that separate

them from human beings. Are they still simply

dolls? What are the differences between kugutsu

and humans?

Some kugutsu are actually raised as a human being

and have no memories of their makers, having no

knowledge that they were anything other than

human. What would these kugutsu think if they

were told, “You are not a human, but are actually

a doll”? Are they capable of dealing with that

knowledge?

Some kugutsu wish to be nothing more than just

dolls, tools of human wonderment and living pieces

of art. They want to live as an object, and to do so,

they must abandon their emotions.

Kugutsu can think like regular humans. This means

they suffer just the same as human beings suffer.

But no matter how hard they wish, they cannot

magically transform into a real human being. No

matter how much they suffer, their emotions will

not simply vanish. A heartless kugutsu-maker

might tell his creation, “Suffering is a process which

continuously improves you”, or “You were created to

suffer”.

KUGUTSU AND VARIETY

Since the ideals of beauty and personal taste of

each kugutsu-maker are different, their works have

various differences when comparing one kugutsu to

another. Even one maker will create several kugutsu

which have different characteristics, even if they

attempt to stick to one particular style.

They may have beautiful white or tanned skin,

long or short shiny silky black hair, slender or

oval shaped faces, or varieties of facial features

and complexions. Many kugutsu have a sort of

stereotypical beautiful face based on the local

notions and ideals of human beauty, but there are

also a few of them that have a different kind of

beauty in their uniqueness. Feudal lords will pay

a high price for a simply good-looking kugutsu, of

course. However, there are some buyers or collectors

who find uniqueness a value, and treasure unusual

kugutsu. Some people even think that only the

unusual models of the kugutsu have any true value.

Appearance is not the only differentiating feature

of kugutsu. For example, while most kugutsu are

female, there are also male kugutsu as well. Female

kugutsu-makers are often the producers of male

kugutsu. Male kugutsu might be created by male

makers as a result of the maker’s artistic inquiry into

the nature of male beauty, or maybe their patron

requests one. They are quite rare. Rarer still are the

androgynous kugutsu that are crafted without a

definite gender (or which are both), usually as a

form of artistic expression.

Kugutsu that have been trained at swordplay are

often called “Blade Princesses” or kenhime. Th

ese kinds of kugutsu, or kugutsu taught to use

sorcery as an onmyoji, are also both rare and highly

valued. Many of these kenhime have not only a

kind of pure beauty, but also elements like martial

strength or a kind of acuteness of senses, reason,

and wit. They are usually too weak and expensive

to use for fighting on a battlefield, but many lords

expect kenhime to shield them from assassins or

to act as guards that serve from their bedrooms.

Though most blade princesses are created by request

from the lords that find a sword-wielding kugutsu

appealing, there are some kugutsu-makers like

Oboro Enshu who dedicate themselves to crafting a

stronger and more powerful class of blade princess

for artistic reasons.

In addition, there are many kugutsu with minor

special abilities. All kugutsu—by way of their allure

and innate magic—have the ability to manipulate

people’s dreams and create illusions with the

technique referred to as the "Butterfly Dream”.

Some of them have the ability to hear the passing

thoughts of others or see things that normal people

cannot see. They say that many of Master Reisai’s

creations have those kinds of mysterious abilities

because they were carved from special materials.

Essentially, all kugutsu at birth cease to age, but

there are some that were crafted to grow older

over time. “Kaori”, a kugutsu crafted by Master

Kumizuka Seigen or “Uzuki”, one of the “Maidens

of December” by Shou-un, are representatives

of these kinds of aging kugutsu. However, some

kugutsu like Uzuki were created to grow up much

slower than human beings do. Will her current

owner still be alive to see Uzuki mature and her

innate beauty grow? Maybe Shou-un, in creating

Uzuki, tried to find a kind of beauty in the people

who look after and care well for their maturing

kugutsu.

It is not very difficult to create kugutsu that grow

up or grow old. Most makers simply try to avoid

harming the kugutsu’s beauty and shield them from

aging. Kugutsu that age are not as rare as one might

think, given that they are a walking piece of art.

Many kugutsu are requested by a wealthy lord,

and the kugutsu-maker can choose any appearance

they want for the mannequin. There are a number

of people who try to use kugutsu as their body

doubles (lords who fear assassination attempts and

the like). Body double Kugutsu must age, just as

their owners do. As can be expected, many of these

kugutsu do not enjoy living as nothing more than a

charm or shield of protection for a rich lord.

Kugutsu Personalities

Kugutsu have a variety of personalities, crafted and

nurtured by the kugutsu-maker and left to develop

from there. Cute or sultry, determined or carefree,

world-wise or aloof, the player should decide how to

play their kugutsu character.

Many kugutsu (the “default” style) are trained in the

traditional arts and style of Tenra, and are educated

to a level to rival any scholar. These kugutsu are an

enigma: They are the keepers of the knowledge of

the old ways, the calligraphy, language, visual

and performing arts (dance, music, ceremony),

knowledge that is threatened with extinction in this

land of constant warfare. They are shining beacons

of Tenran culture and the very embodiment of the

graces of humanity, and yet they themselves are not

human.

Most kugutsu characters that are not already

discovered or owned by a lord keep their true nature

a secret from those around them. They are like any

other human, but with a terrible secret: They are

a living mannequin whose possession could mean

the rise or fall of kingdoms.

KUGUTSU-MAKERS

People who carve the kugutsu from trees, bring

them alive with magic, then train and educate

them are called kugutsu-makers, or kugutsushi.

Sometimes their works have their worth appraised

as equal to the very domain they live in. However,

as mentioned earlier, they don’t create kugutsu for

money: They are artists who try to create a physical

and spiritual embodiment of true beauty in this

world. They are researchers of the essential nature of

beauty, pursuing that research through the creation

of their works.

Not many kugutsu-makers exist in Tenra. There

are more nameless kugutsu-makers, or apprentices

still in training, but there are very few famous

craftspeople.

Famous kugutsushi are known for their uniquely

stylized or simply beautiful kugutsu. As they

become famous, the price of the kugutsu they make

begins to skyrocket as well. However, in spite of

obtaining enormous amounts of wealth or fame,

many kugutsu-makers prefer to live outside of the

court and away from other people. In most cases,

they would like to spend their time concentrating

on the creation of kugutsu, and noble courts and

cities present nothing more to them than

troublesome bonds that keep them away from their

work. One of the other reasons they shy away from

city life is because the sacred trees required to create

a kugutsu lie far away from human cities and grow

only in deep mountainous areas.

A kugutsu-maker travels various places to find a

good sacred tree, after which they begin to carve

the primal shapes of the kugutsu’s body from it.

As they cut the shapes away from the tree, they let

the spirit of the tree attach to the pieces. After that,

they begin crafting the body of the mannequin,

including the fine details. It takes five or sometimes

even ten years to create one single kugutsu, so the

number of kugutsu created in one kugutsu-maker’s

lifetime is limited. If there was a way to attain

eternal life, the kugutsu-maker would try to attain it

at any cost, if for no other reason than for the ability

to continue working on their craft.

There are some very famous master makers, the

names of which are known to most lords and all

collectors. Oboro Enshu is famous for creating the

“Blade Princess” class of skilled fencer kugutsu.

The oldest kugutsu-maker, Kagami Enkei,

crafts kugutsu only upon request and does not

spontaneously design his own. Miwa Sei-Ichiro

Tokiyasu is a young up-and-comer who is gaining a

strong reputation with his lines of kugutsu. He has

crafted a few models at the same time with the same

features.

However, Master Shou-un is certainly the most

famous and mysterious master kugutsu-maker in

Tenra. He is already a legend in his own time, and

even people who live in the wilderness—people who

have only heard rumors of what kugutsu are—have

probably heard his name. Strangely enough, it was

200 years ago that his name first appeared in the

history books, and there are more than 20 kugutsu

(so it is said, anyway) that were created by him.

No one has ever seen Shou-un. No one knows

anything about him, or even if he is male or female

(The male qualifi ers and pronouns used to refer

to Shou-un are used only as a convention). One

thing that is certain, though: Behind all of the other

mysteries surrounding him, he is still to this day

creating kugutsu.

Though Shou-un created some series or “lines”

of kugutsu with poetic names like “The Eight

Ministers of Ceremony” (shikibu-hakkei) or “Rain

Falls in the Capital” (amefuru-miyako), there are

many legends surrounding his works. For example,

the newest series of kugutsu, “The Maidens of

December” (juunitsuki-hime) are also called “War

Brides”, because every time he finishes a new

kugutsu, wealthy or powerful lords fight over it,

sometimes starting wars in an attempt through

favor or force to claim it. In fact, several domains

were destroyed in one campaign to claim one of

Shou-un’s works. Surely they’ll come to be known

in the history books as “The Beautiful Maidens of

Ruin”.

The most beautiful kugutsu of Shou-un is said to

have been Kokonoe, the Princess of Nine Spirits.

She became a legend because of her purity of heart,

as well as the uncanny fact that she died a human

being. Even after long periods of time—through

discussion, research, and fact-finding—nobody

knows the truth about Kokonoe’s life or how she

died. It is also not even truly proved whether she

died as a human: Only her legend remains, and the

legend is eerie and fantastical enough for people to

accept. That incident was a big turning point not

only for Shou-un but also for all kugutsu-makers.

They do not know for certain if their works can

become human, and a kugutsu can’t know for

certain if her dream to one day become mortal is a

frivolous fantasy or not, but that incident has caused

everyone to think about the nature of the kugutsu a

little deeper.

THE ILLUSION

The Illusionis the term for when the kugutsu-maker

takes an unfinished mannequin, and—by using the

spirit of the tree that it was carved from—creates

the permanent form of human-like skin and human

beauty. This “spell” called the Illusion takes a

kugutsu from a human-like wooden puppet and

transforms it into something that looks and acts like

the ideal form of a human. The final result is a

human form that is indistinguishable from other

people.

Basically, the kugutsu-maker imagines the

appearance and mind of the kugutsu, then through

the spell of the Illusion creates it: The flesh, the

curves, the face and features; then the mind, the

resolve, the spirit, emotions, and personality. The

process is not perfect, though. Extremely delicate

measurement errors always appear in their physical

features or personality because of the influences of

the materials of the sacred tree that the kugutsu was

carved from. These small imperfections, hardly

noticeable, give the mannequin an even more

human look and feel.

When a kugutsu dies, the Illusion disappears. The

kugutsu’s body returns to the form of a wooden

doll.

All kugutsu have the ability to see and control the

dreams of humans, using the spiritual powers of

their magical tree-born soul. This ability is called

the Butterfly Dream, and it allows the kugutsu to

appear in the dreamer’s dream and act as a guide.

This ability—especially to collectors troubled by

nightmares or stressful leadership decisions that

affect their dreams—is yet another reason why

kugutsu are preferred as evening companions.

Kagami Enkei ’s kugutsu named Senka (“Flower

from the Well”) is very good at using the Butterfly

Dream. They say the sound of her flute can even

lure a fully awake person into a daydream.

THE BIRTH AND DEATH OF THE KUGUTSU

When a kugutsu-maker begins the long process of

creating a kugutsu, he starts by searching for what

they refer to as a Sacred Tree. They say that the

ancient, great trees keep a sort of natural tree spirit

inside. These great trees of the deep uncharted

forests are the kinds of trees that kugutsu-makers

look for, as they are likely to be sacred trees.

Next, they carve all the major parts of a kugutsu

(the head, right arm, left arm, right leg, left leg,

chest, abdomen, and waist) from one sacred tree.

Using one tree is paramount: If they were to carve

the parts from two or more different trees, the

finished kugutsu probably could not move normally

or fluidly.

After further carving hundreds of small parts from

the tree’s trunk—including joints and fingertips, a

process requiring several years—the kugutsu-maker

strings the parts together with a material called holy

thread. Holy thread is a kind of string enchanted

by an onmyoji which gathers the magical gossamer-

like sha energy, and infuses it into the form of the

kugutsu. The final steps are to plant silk thread

in the head for hair, and then adjust the balance of

all the parts. The kugutsu at this point looks like

a finely carved human-like mannequin. When the

body is ready, the kugutsu-maker applies magic to

the thread, and—enhanced by the power of the

spirit of the tree—the Illusion takes form: The

doll takes on a human form, with human skin and

features, and a true kugutsu is born. She breathes,

she eats, she cries, she bleeds.

However, this is not the end of the process. Even if

a kugutsu has the same features as a human being,

her soul is completely blank. In human terms, the

mind and spirit of the kugutsu is like a newborn

baby. However, the influence of the Illusion spell is

set, and while the personality will form from this

point, the influences on the development and

personality are either purposely or accidentally

set by the kugutsu-maker in the last stages of the

Illusion.

Now that the form of the kugutsu is set, the next

step is to educate the kugutsu. The kugutsushi will

train it to be a human being.

Out of all the processes of creating a kugutsu, this

is the single most important process, and requires

the most time and effort. The kugutsu-maker has to

teach a kugutsu how to laugh, cry, walk, eat, speak,

and—at the very least—provide it with a minimum

knowledge of the world. Most of the time, the

kugutsu-maker spends far more time after the actual

crafting teaching the basics of various cultural and

artistic skills to the kugutsu. Moreover, they have

to try to establish and solidify the kugutsu’s ego or

personality as they desire. This process is filled with

unspeakable hardships, efforts, and frustrations.

However, since the kugutsu is a living work of art,

they must not neglect the process of education

which decides the disposition, emotions and

personality of the mannequin. It takes at least

several years for any kugutsu-makers to complete

the education of their works.

Except for the cases where the kugutsu was

specifically requested by or tailored for a particular

lord, the kugutsu-maker holds a traditional tea

party. Vassal lords and regents from near and far are

notified and invited to this tea party, where the

kugutsu is revealed for the first time. Greetings are

exchanged and the “work of art” is demonstrated

through a small performance. It is during this

tea ceremony where the value and price of the

kugutsu is decided. Using a cheap turn of phrase,

the kugutsu is essentially put up for auction to the

highest bidder.

The participants in this ceremony try to judge how

much she will be worth with their own eyes and

offer their price (in money, gifts or both). If the

lord doesn’t have confidence in their own aesthetic

senses, they will often have their court onmyoji or a

kugutsu-maker join them and offer advice regarding

the worth of the kugutsu.

The kugutsu is “married” to the feudal lord or

regent who offers the highest price. Though the

normal market price of a kugutsu is two or three

million ryo, it is of course the case that kugutsu

crafted by a master (or of particular allure or grace,

or which possess peculiar skills) are priced higher

than their counterparts. A kugutsu crafted by a

famous master can be priced in the tens of millions

of ryo.

However, it is said that there are some kugutsu-

makers who don’t want to sell their creations for

money. These kugutsu-makers instead release

them into the land in secret. Most of the time, the

kugutsu knows the nature of what she is. On rare

occasions the kugutsu-maker changes or crafts her

memories so that she thinks she is human, until she

discovers otherwise for herself.

Married kugutsu live without any inconvenience or

worry, but they are still treated like birds in a cage.

It is rare that they ever have doubts about that kind

of lifestyle, though, as they were educated from

early on to regard this kind of existence as normal.

Also, kugutsu don’t usually tend to stay in one place

for a long time. Since they are nothing more than

the property of powerful rulers and lords, they may

change hands many times as political gifts. Other

times, they are snatched away during wars.

However there are a few stray kugutsu that travel

Tenra as wanderers. There are various reasons for

these kinds of kugutsu. Some of them lost their

masters in a war or assassination; others simply lost

their master’s affection and were cast from their

homes. A few of them simply ran away and are

living the lives of fugitives. There are also the cases

of the kugutsu-makers who release their creations

into the world secretly.

It’s extremely dangerous for these stray kugutsu to

travel throughout Tenra, as they are worth such an

enormous amount. If someone realizes that they

are in the company of a kugutsu, they would most

likely attempt to capture and sell it. For this reason,

most kugutsu disguise themselves as Buddhist

nuns or traveling entertainers to keep people from

detecting their true nature.

To what ends do these stray kugutsu travel the

long highways of Tenra? Are they trying to find

their masters, or perhaps the kugutsu-makers who

created them? Perhaps they really don’t know what

they want either, and hope to find meaning at some

point in their journey.

10 0

MUSHI-TSUKAI:

THE ANNELIDISTS

Those who house annelids inside of their own

bodies, and through symbiosis make use of their

powers: They are known as mushi-tsukai, the

annelidists.

Despite the fact that they are known as excellent

surgeons or pharmacists, most annelid-users live and

keep far away from normal townsfolk. There are few

people who welcome with open arms the kind of

person who befriends the spooky native parasites of

Tenra; those who make their very bodies into a

home for parasitic worms or colonies of bugs...

people who have to do unheard of things like

consume rotten meat to sustain them.

However—almost hypocritically—once an incident

occurs where an annelid user’s medicinal skills

are required, townsfolk will quickly swallow their

fear and hatred and turn to the annelidist for help.

Almost every parent has at least once visited the

suspicious man who lives in a shanty at the edge

of the town when their child falls ill or gets hurt.

Almost every lord hires scores of annelidists to be

military surgeons during periods of war. People

usually shun and abhor annelidists when they aren’t

needed, and then quickly turn to them when an

emergency arises. To be an annelid user means to

live one’s life seeing these kinds of hypocritical,

selfish acts with clarity every day. For many

annelidists, their relationships with their worms

are less parasitic than the relationship the Tenra

commoner has towards the annelidist.

WHAT ARE ANNELIDS?

Annelids—often also commonly referred to as

worms, bugs, mushi, or colonies—are parasites that

creep into the bodies of living things and live by

taking nutrients from their hosts.

Most annelids are actually quite symbiotic and

usually trade some kind of favor or effect to the host

instead of leeching nutrients directly from their host

like some kind of roundworm. The annelids of

Tenra are highly developed and perhaps sense that

they face danger if their host is in danger. For

example, some worms heal the wounds of their host,

or protect the host from danger, or even physically

attack threats presented to the host. In exchange,

the annelidist takes care of these worms and does

what is necessary to feed them and keep them well.

Annelids usually hide under the skin, between the

entrails, or inside the body cavities of their hosts,

and emerge to use their abilities when needed.

As long as the host—their walking meat-colony—

keeps the relationship mutually beneficial, the

annelids will try to protect their host. If the balance

shifts, the annelidist may find himself eaten inside-

out or even physically controlled by his worms.

The people who are skilled in the positive use of

annelid traits, and who can keep the symbiotic

balance healthy for both user and worm, are the

true annelidists of Tenra.

ANNELIDISTS

The annelidist—also known as annelid-user,

worm-user or mushi-tsukai—can make use of

living colonies of annelids within them to gain

unimaginable abilities and resources.

Generally, they assume a useful role in society as

a medical doctor or pharmacist. They are useful

to society by the abilities that they are granted

by the annelids. They are also sought out for the

knowledge that they bear in the proper use, raising,

and cataloging of annelids.

Though surgery techniques are developing in Tenra,

the healing abilities of annelid users are still very

important for townspeople who can’t afford to see

expensive medical doctors and surgeons. However,

it is very true that annelid users are generally

shunned by society. If someone who didn’t know

anything about annelids suddenly witnessed all

manner of bug or worm crawling out of the body

101

of a stranger, they would certainly flee, screaming,

“It’s a monster!” This is probably due to the natural

visceral repugnance of the fact that these people

essentially play with parasites. For people who know

more about the annelidists, sometimes their unease

is a reaction against the closed nature of annelidist

societies: The annelid society calls itself “The Nest”,

and the secretive words, gestures, actions and codes

they use are unfamiliar and cult-like to outsiders.

Most annelid-users settle down on the outskirts of

villages to avoid the public eye, or else make a living

by traveling, selling their abilities and medicines

along the way.

Perhaps it is telling that they are resigned to the

fate of always being outside the world of normal

common people, and yet their methods and skills

are required by the very people who shun them.

CATCHING ANNELIDS

Annelid-users set out into nature when they hunt

for annelids.

They find annelids in forests, mountains, rivers, or

in the bodies of small animals that live there.

Catching and raising annelids is not a very difficult

task when armed with the right knowledge. The

only catch is that the amount of knowledge required

is enormous. It’s only natural: There are dozens,

perhaps hundreds of species of annelid. Each species

has different traits, and every annelid is unique in its

characteristics, needs and traits. When cultivating

annelids, getting the types of worms mixed up can

produce disastrous—if not fatal—results. If the

cultivator makes a mistake, the host—that is to say,

their own body—can be eaten from the inside out

or fatally poisoned. One can never be too careful

when handling annelids for the first time.

Annelidists usually try to create new types of mushi

through cross-breeding, selective breeding and other

techniques. The new varieties of annelids produced

like this are generally stronger and easier to treat

than annelids found out in the wild. However, the

ways to cultivate or raise them are a secret kept only

amongst the highest ranking annelid-users. They

rarely share their techniques with outsiders.

If an annelidist were to leak the secret of cultivating

a particularly dangerous or powerful strain of

annelid, they would certainly be punished severely

by their peers.

SLIPPING OVER THE

EDGE

To gain more power from the strange native bugs

and worms of Tenra, all the annelidist requires

is to host more of them inside of her body. To be

more powerful, to be more helpful, or to simply

understand the annelids more, often they introduce

many strains of these mushi into their bodies. Also,

since a lot of the users find a certain kind of love—

or at the very least affection—for the annelids they

care for, they often try to host a level of annelids far

greater than is permissible by their body and powers

of control. The humanity of the annelid user

decreases without them noticing it. They gradually

become more worm than human.

As the annelid side of the psyche grows, the

annelidist starts to release control of their human

side. They start to lose interest in human activities.

They gradually disconnect themselves from their

human relationships and become more and more

attached—obsessed, even—with their annelids.

There is an invisible line that all annelidists straddle.

Once that line has been crossed, she is no longer a

human being; she becomes an annelid herself. She is

nothing more than a worm, a bug, a mushi with a

human face and body.

Annelids themselves are completely controlled only

by their primitive instincts. They eat nutrient-

carrying material, protect their territory, breed and

then die. That is the summation of the behavior of

all annelids. When an annelidist loses her humanity

and falls into a pattern of primal annelid behaviors...

suffice to say, it is a terrible sight to behold.

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A strong sense of love and devotion to these

creatures produces skilled annelidists, but is also

paves the way to total annelid transformation.

To lose one’s humanity and fall victim to total

transformation is considered one of the forbidden

taboos of the mushi-tsukai. They state that

annelidists are supposed to make use of annelids to

help other people, and that they must not abandon

their humanity and be controlled by their annelids.

However, the truth is that for every master-level

annelidist who is in tune with his parasites, there is

an annelidist who goes too far and lets her mind,

body and soul be consumed by the annelid-mind.

ANNELIDIST SOCIETY

Annelidists that live near each other tend to form

extended communities with group structures like

bees or ants. These communities may be formed as

a reaction to the human society that shuns them. Or

perhaps it’s a natural state of existence for people

already so close to the insects they raise.

They call these communities “nests”. Usually,

nests are created in unpopulated areas like in the

mountains, places which are not too close to nor too

far from human habitations. A nest is a compound

which contains a number of buildings or shacks.

They contain things like habitats for breeding and

raising groups or colonies of annelids; facilities for

growing, curing and mixing medical plants and

herbs; laboratories for researching new strains of

annelids and colonies. Though there may be some

variations between nests, it is impossible to create a

nest without these kinds of facilities.

Their societies have an organized social structure,

with a “leader,” or kashira at the top, and

underneath the leader are middle managers called

“ordinators” or matome. The ordinators usually

report on and control the mushi-related activities

and information in a wide range of space, from a

province to an entire kingdom. Most annelid-users

belong at least in name to their local nest. This

means that they offer payment in the form of a

tithe to their community for upkeep, research, and

protection, or they do some work for the nest once

every six to twelve months.

Membership in a nest doesn’t mean that they

are tied to one place and cannot leave the nest.

Annelidists who travel to a new area or domain can

freely ask the leader of the new area to join their

nest. This happens quite often, and there is rarely

bad blood between nests, leaders, and the

annelidists who leave them.

There are some basic rules when it comes to

nests. As mentioned, members have to give small

payments to their local nest and occasionally do

work for the community. They also have to follow

the orders of their leaders or ordinators and report

on their dealings with regular people in order to

share their clinical findings and breakthroughs with

their nest. It is forbidden to expose information or

research about new strains of annelids with strangers

outside of the nest. It is also prohibited to pocket,

kill or eat annelids that belong to the nest’s research

or breeding areas without express permission.

W hen these rules are broken, the perpetrator is

punished by the members of the nest. Though there

are several kinds of punishments, most of them

revolve around taking away the annelid abilities

of the perpetrator. Some punishments are enforced

by agreement (“No using your abilities for three

months”), and some are enforced by forcefully

expelling, killing or force-hibernating the annelids

inside the perpetrator.

One of the harshest punishments (short of

execution) is exile. Annelidists who are exiled from

their nests are called “exiles” or hazure. Exiled

annelidists can never return to the society of annelid

users, not even by attempting to join another nest.

The most forbidden taboo for an annelidist is to

have too many mushi inside one’s body, to the point

of total annelid transformation in mind, body and

spirit. The punishment for this taboo is almost

certainly death... if the annelidist can even be

brought down by the nest.

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Many years ago there was a famous incident in the

province of Sairin. There was an annelidist who

completely transfigured himself into the form of a

great annelid; a living, walking beast of an annelid

colony, his mind shattered and his humanity lost.

An entire kingdom was almost annihilated by that

one person before he was stopped. As a result, even

after the incident was settled, all of the annelidists

in the country were rounded up and beheaded and a

prohibition was enacted to forbid the entrance of all

annelidists for a whole generation.

Upon hearing about the incident in Sairin, other

nearby nations found a new level of wariness,

suspicion and distrust of annelidists. For a while,

annelid-users were continuously shunned and

discriminated against. There were even measures

enacted in various kingdoms preventing the

unification (willing infection or implantation)

of human and annelid. This was a time of great

suffering for annelid users, their very power and

usefulness to society stripped from them and

declared forbidden: It was a true dark age for

annelidists in Tenra. Later, most of those laws were

nullified as the people realized their true usefulness

to society, but annelidists take care to not create too

much suspicion or distrust, and to always keep an

eye out so that another incident like the one in

Sairin will never occur again.

Hazure: The Exile Annelidists

For most annelid-users, the punishment of labeling

someone a hazure or exile is synonymous with a

slow, lonely death. If caught by the members of an

annelidist nest, they have their annelids removed

from their bodies as they are exiled.

Sometimes there are exiles which have such a talent

for annelids, or such constitution of body, they can

later find and implant annelids themselves in secret.

They must of course keep their annelids hidden,

for if they are found out by a local nest they will

certainly be executed.

Most of those hazure who lose the protection of

the annelid society quickly run to the underworld,

applying their arts and skills in secret for the shadier

side of society in exchange for money or

protection.

ANNELIDISTS AND CIVILIZATION

Annelid-users seem to isolate themselves from the

outside world by living in their distinctive nest

communities, or at least living away from other

people. However, it is impossible for them to cut

themselves offcompletely from the outside world.

They are the greatest and most skilled surgeons.

Th ey use their rejuvenation worm abilities to

aid in surgery, and they have a vast knowledge of

herbalism and medical plants used to cure ailments.

The skills that they learn in cultivating the mushi

are abilities that they put to use to help mankind.

When people hear the word “annelidist”, they think

of medical doctors and pharmacists that help and

heal people.

When people are hurt or sick, they visit the cabin of

the nearest annelid-user and ask for help. In return,

the annelidist receives some boons like money,

food, or supplies. However, the surgical treatment

methods of annelid-users often induce shock in

townspeople. They see the writhing figures of the

annelids under the annelidist’s skin as they draw

out their rejuvenation worms to seal and treat the

wounds of their patients. The patient returns home

and talks loudly about what happened to try to

make peace with the feelings of fear and horror they

had. In doing so, the stories take on more and more

embellishment the more they are told. Eventually,

the story ends up twisting further and further.

“Kagiya the Annelid-User healed me by using the

worms under his skin! It was painless, and now I’m

back working in the field, good as new!” eventually

becomes “Those monstrous annelidists are walking

corpses, with maggots under their skin that feed on

the innocent!”

Another thing that often happens is this: A mushi-

tsukai will often take care of the dead bodies of

horses, cattle and other farm animals from nearby

villagers when they die. This is because they need

the animal meat to raise certain kinds of annelids. It

104

was only a matter of time before misunderstandings

emerged from this kind of scenario. That is why the

scornful slur “Corpse Eater” was adopted by fearful

or bitter villagers when referring to annelidists. It

is certainly this kind of lack of understanding and

prejudice that keeps annelid users pushed away from

normal society. However, the eccentric, secretive,

and purposeful actions of the annelidist when

raising and researching annelids is also hard for

regular people to understand, and thus the cycle

continues.

Urban Annelidists

This situation is a little easier to deal with in urban

areas, though. People don’t give annelid users odd

looks as much, since there are unusual people in big

cities all the time. With traveling martial artists,

strange sorcerers, and ruffian bounty hunters and

the like wandering around, people don’t pay much

attention to the eccentric behaviors of the annelidist.

Besides, if an annelidist has great medical skills or a

likable personality, she can be even liked by people

and respected as a medical doctor. Meanwhile, other

annelidists who try to work as medical doctors or

pharmacists often prefer traveling from place to

place, even more than living in urban areas or

isolated villages.

The urban annelidists are the ones who tend to

leak basic but guarded information about hosting

or raising annelids. Perhaps it is out of loneliness,

or wanting to make a connection with the people

who aren’t outright afraid of them. In any case, they

don’t usually reveal important secrets that would

cause an uproar within their local nest; usually it’s

just small stuff like how annelids work, or how to

easily and safely implant annelids into one’s body.

Just enough information is shared so that the local

people and children understand how the worms

work, so that they have no reason to fear or avoid

the user.

There are strange people like martial arts masters

or paragons of swordsmanship who amplify their

abilities by implanting small amounts of useful

annelids. These folks, with just a basic skill of

annelid use, most likely received their skills and

training from talkative urban annelid users they

have befriended.

Peddlers

Peddlers—also known as traveling pharmacists—

wander from place to place, selling annelids or

medicinal plants to the sick or to area doctors. After

paying a small amount of money to the nests along

their travel routes, they are left to do whatever they

wish without being bothered. Many annelidists

interested in seeing the world, or disgusted with the

hipocrisy of living permanently in normal society,

take up the peddler line of work.

WORMCHARM

ADMINISTERING ANNELIDS

Users of the wormcharm skill never fail at

prescribing annelid treatments and can recognize

the abilities of most annelids.

If you want to administer or implant annelids into

a host (or yourself ), you need at least a basic skill

in the preservation and cultivation of annelids. In

other words, you need to have at least the skilled

rank (2) in the wormcharm skill.

Annelids can also be destroyed by those with the

proper knowledge. Deworming poison—also called

“the annelid killer”—is a secret poison whose very

existence and the methods of concocting it is known

to few. If an annelidist is cut or stabbed by such a

poisoned weapon, most or all of the annelids inside

the body will die within one to six minutes.

LIST OF ANNELIDS

This is an explanation of common Tenra

annelids. Please see the annelid list in the rules for

information on other annelids, and annelid costs.

Rejuvenation Worms

Rejuvenation Worms have a very strong instinct

for survival. When their nest (in this case, the

human body) is damaged, they start to repair it

immediately. This species of annelid gains nutrients

105

through consuming and digesting raw or rotten

meat. To keep rejuvenation worms in your body,

you must consume rotten meat at least once a

week. If the user does not consume rotten meat, the

rejuvenation worms will eventually be expelled from

the body and will look for a new host animal.

Talonfang Bugs

These creatures are sensitive to dangers perceived

by the host’s nervous system. When they react to

danger, they immediately become as hard as steel,

usually forcefully ejecting themselves from the host’s

body as claws or spines. They feed on the blood of

the host, animals, or the enemy that they are used

on.

Spinal Mites

Spinal Mites were created by breeding and

improving upon a kind of annelid that lives in the

cerebrospinal fluid of animals. A host user receives

an ability which is kind of an extremely rapid

neurotransmission speed. To engage this ability, the

user awakens the mites by breathing in a concoction

of poppy seeds. The spinal mites then secrete a slow-

acting neurotoxin into the host’s spine and nervous

system which grants the host enhanced speed and

reflexes.

Eye Stalkers

They used to be recognized as an organ of the

three-eyed toad, a rare creature which lives deep

in swampy areas. When the stalker is attached

anywhere on a human body, it starts burrowing into

the body of the host using hardened tails. Inside the

body, they will grow and expand until they

eventually connect to the host’s optic nerve. Once

this happens, the host can see the visions that the

stalker itself has seen. These worms are often used

as spying devices or reconnaissance, sent forward

into areas, then retrieved and their intelligence

viewed.

Mouth Creeper

The mouth creeper hides in the host’s mouth or

esophagus, and buries the rest of its body in the

host’s organs and bowels. They look like huge

centipedes of up to 5 meters long. Their eggs must

be swallowed, and within 6 months they will reach

their adult size. They are controlled by the user’s

subconscious will. They launch themselves from the

host’s mouth or body at an enemy, biting them and

injecting them with a paralytic poison. Each annelid

eats about 200 grams of animal meat per day.

Digger Wasps

In most cases an annelidist is indistinguishable from

normal people. However, those who host digger

wasps adopt changes to their bodies that others can

easily notice. The digger wasps begin to consume

areas of the host’s body and build nests, usually on

the back or other large areas. Over time, these wasps

will form large nests and the annelidist will begin

to appear to have swollen areas, a hunched back and

the like. Annelidists tame the wasps and can make

them attack their enemies.

Demon-of-Battle

The demon-of-battle (or simply “battle demon”)

annelid, is the strongest and most horrendous

annelid known. They live coiled around the brain of

the host, and when they sense danger, they jab

antennae out the front of the host’s forehead. These

antennae transmit mimetic signals all over the body.

It gathers the latent sha energy within the host’s

body as well as in the general area to help fuel a

frightening host transformation. The host quickly

mutates, gaining fearsome appendages, reflexes,

strength and annelid-born weapons. Their combat

ability is simply terrible to behold, to the point that

it even has a kind of beauty.

Immortality Strain

When the host gets hurt, these annelids gather at

the wound and start replacing the broken flesh and

bone instantly, dying shortly after they heal the

wound. The host literally attains immortality by

their astounding resilience. However, the annelidist

will still feel the pain of the wound which caused

their “death.” This means that the user, if they

make use of these annelids, must experience the

pain of death a number of times. This can take a

frightening toll on one's psyche.

When the immortality strain is taken into the body,

106

they secrete a deadly poison. It is said only one

out of one hundred thousand can survive taking

this poison: Failure means instant, painful and

unrecoverable death. Sometimes, in the stronger

host, the poison simply leads to bizarre deformities

in both the body and the mind (and the worms

accept the host anyway, providing her with their

unique gift.) It is the rare user who is left unchanged

by the immortality worm’s implantation.

Killing a host who has the immortality strain is very

difficult. You must either cut off her head, burn her

to death, or cut or inject her with a secret kind of

annelid-killing poison.

More annelids, as well as all the rules for annelid

usage, are in the rules section of the game.

107

ONI: THE

CARETAKERS

From the outside, they appear to be fantastic

monstrous beings that possess horns on their

head—these are the oni people. However, there is

a great difference between the oni of Tenra and the

terrible man-eating oni of Japanese mythology that

the very word “oni” evokes.

One theory rarely offered in polite company is that

they are the guardians of this planet called Tenra—

its original inhabitants—who have protected it since

long before the humans crossed over to settle here.

Additionally, it is whispered through the ages that

oni and humans are not actually separate races. The

only existing clear difference between the two races

are the horns growing from the heads of the oni, as

well as the special organ called a heart gem within

the oni’s body. It is possible for oni and humans to

bear mixed offspring, and—excluding the horns—it

is difficult to tell the two apart.

If you were to actually meet and converse with an

oni, you would understand—as would anyone—

how surprisingly calm and gentle a people they are.

Even though they are a race whose form is different

from that of humans, they are far from monsters.

A PERISHING RACE

To begin with, the name “oni” was created by

the humans. The oni call themselves Lu-Tirae.

This means “Supervisor” or “Caretaker” in their

language.

According to oni legend, when “God” left Tenra,

He created the oni to supervise and look over the

land. Additionally, the humans were described as

“those who will arrive in sailing ships.” It is not clear

whether this legend is true or not, but at the very

least it is clear that as long as the humans have

recorded their history, the oni have been around.

If the legend is true, then they are the legitimate

owners of Tenra.

The things that separate the oni from humans are

the oni’s horns and heart gems. Using these two

organs as a source, the oni can use the inherent

supernatural powers given to them in order to

protect the land. The horns allow the oni to hear

the voice of people’s hearts, while the heart gems

allow them to freely use the powers of the land

around them. Additionally these oni, are much

longer lived than normal humans. Even normal oni

have a lifespan of 200 to 300 years, and there are

even those oni who have lived for more than 1000

years.

The physique of the oni is quite solid in comparison

to humans, and their facial features are deeply

carved. However—other than their horns—it is said

that they are a race that closely resemble humans. In

fact, there seem to be oni who break off and file

their own horns in order to live among humans

freely. In those situations, normal people could not

distinguish an oni from a human being. This kind

of thing happens often in lands where the oni are

commonly hunted or executed.

Why is this race—a race of peaceful people whose

natural talents exceed normal human ability—

currently feared, hunted, and persecuted?

There is only one pragmatic answer: They are

somehow inferior to the humans in some way.

When comparing individual humans and oni, the

oni are certainly stronger. However, to compare

them as a race, they pale in number to humans:

There are simply too few oni in comparison to

humans. Oni bear children only once every few

decades, and even that is not a definite figure.

Currently on Tenra, there are few oni who can live

out their lives in peace, as many of them are killed

by humans for their heart gems. And because they

cannot bear children nearly as fast as humans can,

the number of oni will probably continue to

decrease.

Once, when the humans came to Tenra, the oni

welcomed them with kindness. However, the

humans betrayed them: Robbing them of their land,

of their lives, and of their future.

108

ONI: THE CARETAKERS

Because the oni were tasked with the care of the

land and their people, the individually strong oni

fought the humans to protect the natural resources

of the land. They were strong enough to fight and

win in limited confl icts. However, no matter how

strong the oni were, they were not strong enough to

continue winning forever. Even with the long life

given to them to protect the land, they are currently

being driven to obliteration.

Oni—The prideful guardians of a great land, a

people who live as one with nature: Their fate is

certainly that of extinction.

ONI FAITH

There are three important words in the oni

language, which tie directly to their faith:

Yi-yil: God. The one who made the oni into the

care-takers of the land.

Dii-go: “The Will of the Earth” or "The Earth-

Speaker". The voice of the very land, which the oni

people can hear.

Sha: “The Earth-Source”. The very essence and

power of the land of Tenra.

The oni possess their own religion. Because they

don’t possess an alphabet other than a few simple

glyphs, the details can only be passed down orally.

However, there is only one doctrine: “The world was

given to us by God. Thus, we must protect it, until

the day that God comes back to reclaim it.”

According to legend, Yi-yil created the oni, gave

them the source of the land, the access to hear the

will of the land, granted them supernatural powers,

then went away on a journey. He said that he would

return one day when the right time came. For the

time being, the oni are simply borrowing the land,

and thus they must watch over the land and protect

it. Th at is why they were named Lu-Tirae, the

Caretakers.

The oni concept of sha is the exact same substance

as what the onmyoji also call sha. Resonance (In the

oni language, this ability, skill, power and state of

being is collectively known as Tae Rayi) is the oni

power which allows them to directly manipulate the

magical gossamer-like power of the land, called sha.

It is said of Dii-Go that “He sleeps in the land,

and exists to transmit the will of Yi-yil”. Dii-Go’s

connection to the oni people is their heart gem,

which they use to feel and control the sha as well as

hear the voice and will of Dii-Go.

The piety of the oni is focused on Yi-yil, the God-

Who-Left, and Dii-Go, the Earth-Speaker. Dii-Go

is the very voice and spirit of the land in which they

live, and because of that, it could be said that this

is the seed of their nature-worshipping animistic

tendencies. Protecting the land is the very function

for which the oni live, and it is the reason for their

very existence. They respect and work with the land

in which they live.

The faith of the oni is unwavering. Whether or not

the legends are true is not an issue. That’s because

those who possess the resonance powers known

collectively as Tae Rayi can actually hear the voice of

the land, and the speaker of their God.

However, the once calmly resounding voice of the

land is now, while far from dying out, turned into a

muffled scream of torture from the strain that the

humans have brought upon it.

It is unmistakable that the appearance of the beings

called “humans” were, even for Yi-yil, unexpected.

Because of the ongoing wars between men and oni,

the oni are unable to manage the land as they once

have. The land that was once greatly populated by

the oni is now ruled by the humans, and the land

where the oni remain is nothing more than mere

leftovers. Currently, even the barest necessities for

survival are difficult for the oni to come by.

The oni listen to Dii-Go’s voice and believe in the

orders given to them by Yi-yil. However, currently,

a small number of oni are raising their voice in

bitterness, calling out, “We are dying! This land is

shattered! What have the gods done for us?”

109

ONI: THE CARETAKERS

For example, when Yi-yil returns, what will he grant

us for guarding the land? Is it said that we will get

an eternity of rest in exchange for the suffering

that we know every day? For millennia, the oni

have worked to protect the land without knowing

the purpose of their actions, simply following their

stewardship relentlessly. Newer generations of oni

are starting to feel that there is no salvation in that.

This group of oni has discarded their beliefs, and

through that, they also discard their identity as oni.

Oni are the race that was created in order to manage

and watch over the land, and a great number of oni

people still believe in this. They follow the voice

of the land, and protect it until the day that Yi-

yil returns... Even while knowing that this is the

unwavering path leading to their very extinction.

SHA-LAZ: THE MARK OF FETTERS

These are the geometric tattoos that oni apply to

their bodies.

Called Sha-Laz, they are intricate markings on

variations of the three core oni letter-glyphs Yi-yil,

Sha, and Dii-Go. They in fact represent reverence of

their gods or their connection to other oni.

Because every year the fetters are “carved” (Even

though they are tattooed on the body in ink, the oni

themselves refer to “carving fetters”, not “tattooing

fetters”) little by little by the hand of skilled elders,

those oni who possess a large number of marks are

known to be oni of seniority. Additionally, female

oni are not carved with marks as large as the males:

Their marks are more intricate and are almost never

carved on their faces.

THE LIFE OF THE ONI

Without the three symbols that represent Yi-yil,

Dii-Go, and Sha, the oni would possess no written

alphabet. While they possess legends and stories,

it could be said that even that is an extraordinary

development. That’s because the oni communicate

wordlessly, through a form that humans would

consider telepathy.

One of the supernatural powers of the oni is that—

through the power of heaven that is imbued in

their horns—they can read each others' thoughts.

In these trying times, their power is waning, but it

is said that once they were able to converse entirely

through their minds, rarely needing to speak

vocally.

In any case, it is possible to some extent for the oni

to know what another oni or human is thinking

by conversing through their minds. Naturally,

the available vocabulary is scarce, and words

that convey subtle nuances do not exist. The

ommunication would appear to be more of an

exchange of pictures than actual words.

Additionally, for oni, the idea of an individual is

exceedingly sparse, and words that separate one oni

from another—such as “I,” “You,” “He,” “She,”—do

not exist. Of course, the oni do possess names, but

instead of pointing to the individual, the name of an

oni designates their job within the tribe. Individual

oni are considered to be nothing more than a small

part of the single consciousness to which all oni are

connected.

By interacting so directly with so many other oni,

the soul of an oni becomes extremely balanced, put

into harmony with their true nature. The downside

is that the oni are fundamentally not individuals

when they do so; they are only part of a collective.

However, it is not the case that all oni feel and

think the same way: With the current wars with

the humans, and exchanges of cultre, there are also

many oni that are beginning to question this old

way of thinking. Additionally, those oni who were

raised among humans possess a mental and social

mindset that does not differ much from those of

humans.

ONI SOCIETY

The actual life of the oni consists of taking from

nature only the bare minimum of that which is

required for survival. The men hunt; the women

collect and treat plants and fruit. Because nature

grants them such blessings, there is no need for

110

ONI: THE CARETAKERS

them to create fields and raise crops. The meat of

their hunted game becomes food, while the hide

becomes clothing, and the bones are whittled into

decorations and tools. Additionally, they employ fire

and eat roasted meat and fish, and make balled

snacks from ground fruits, while using the juice

for soup. Excess food is dried or preserved through

salting, but there is not often extra food, and there

is never any needless hunting, such as for sport. All

of their diet’s staples come from the land and are

used without waste.

The oni have rich cultural traditions stemming from

their long lives, and as a race, they possess great arts.

Their music and handicrafts give praise to nature

through simple patterns to create art of exceptional

beauty. Personal adornments and sculptures are a

prime example of oni craftworks. Clothing could

also be said to be a form of craftwork. Ideals which

can be expressed visually are exceptionally photo-

realistic, while those which cannot are expressed

through intricate geometric patterns. For example,

the Sha-Laz bond symbols that the oni tattoo on

their own bodies represent the essence of the voice

of Dii-Go they feel in their hearts.

Additionally, the oni use wood and the hide and

bones of animals in order to make percussion and

stringed instruments, as well as various flutes. Using

these instruments they can perform music of

extraordinary beauty. Even if a human had never

interacted with oni culture, the music of the oni—

who can feel the world through their hearts and

tap into the true nature of the physical world—

would still be extraordinarily excellent to their ears.

Their songs still resound in the hearts of humans

who hear their songs, even though they do not

understand the words. They usually hum their

songs, and—when a clan receives a new child, when

an oni reaches the age of adulthood, and at other

various junctures throughout life—there are specific

songs with which to celebrate the events. However,

there are not many chances for humans to hear the

songs of the oni. The only song that can often be

heard by the humans is the oni burial song, which

is often mistaken by them as a song of war.

This is the quiet lifestyle that Yi-yil wanted for

the oni: Watching over the land is to preserve the

current order of things.

Humans always bring disruption to the lives of

the oni, and so the oni flee from the reaches of

humans to live, hidden among the mountains.

Their villages are places created far from the nations

of the humans, and move as the humans encroach

upon them. However, there is a limit to the amount

the oni can run, and there are reasons that even the

oni cannot leave their settlements. In the long run,

battles will eventually break out, and in most cases,

the oni are defeated. And thus they are hunted by

the humans.

THE ONI AND THE

HUMANS

The oni are hunted because of the desire of humans

to collect their priceless hearts, also known as heart

gems (or heart engines, when removed and placed

into human technological artefacts). However, this

is the reasoning for those men of power who know

the oni’s true form, as well as the value of the heart

engines. The general populace of humans living on

Tenra are led to believe that oni are simply the evil

beasts of mythology, bent on killing and eating

humans. Most people believe, through “common

sense”, legend, news and rumor, that the mysterious

oni are a form of monster or bloodthirsty asura.

Because this common view was originally circulated

by the ruling class, it works in their favor for

spurring forth the hunting of oni. As long as the oni

continue to live a hunted existence, they will never

become peaceful neighbors to the humans.

Therefore, when naive human hunters or others find

oni settlements among the mountains, it is assumed

that those oni will eventually attack the neighboring

villages. They will then return to their town, city or

guard post and inform the lords of the land,

begging for something to be done about the oni

menace before they attack the human settlements.

Thus the lords learn of the location of the precious

heart gems.

111

ONI: THE CARETAKERS

Those lords will then send in oni hunting forces,

made up of soldiers and mercenaries, with the

pretense of protecting their vassals. Of course,

because the oni are fearsome fighters known to be

imbued with supernatural powers, the size of the

hunting party must also be of proper proportions:

That is to say, dispropotionately large in

comparison. The hunters lay siege to the village so

that not even a single oni can escape, and the results

of these tactics do not need to be mentioned.

This does not only happen to oni villages. For

those oni who disguise themselves as humans for

their travels, if their true form were found out,

they would undoubtedly be eventually captured,

disgraced, and killed. Thus, they continue to hide

themselves. Even between dear friends, if an oni’s

true form was revealed to a human friend, she

would probably be seen by the human as little more

than a demon in human skin (“All this time, a

demon has tricked me into befriending her!”). There

are those oni whose true form is known, and are

treated like a member of the lord’s court; but that

is only because their power is required, not because

the lord trusts or respects the oni. The oni must

always endure gazes of distrust and contempt.

To have mutual trust grow between an oni and a

human is an extremely rare sight.

MAKUU NINDO AND

THE ONI NATION

As written above, throughout history, the oni have

always been hunted by the humans, and the oni

have not played a large part in the history of man.

However, in recent years, this general rule has been

quickly overturned. In year 16 of the Washin

dynasty, the oni state of Kikoku, known as “The

Nation of the Oni”, was formed.

The oni nation of Kikoku was originally known

as home to numerous oni, but they did not act

together as a unified force. However, there appeared

a single oni man that in a short time organized and

brought together the oni inhabiting the mountains.

That man’s name was Makuu Nindo, the oni monk

also known as Temple-of-Void.

He said to the masses, “Will we lay back and

welcome extinction? If we turn this land over to

mankind, they will destroy it. There is no choice

but to fight.”

At first, the oni did not accept Makuu’s words: He

was a revolutionary. None of the oppressed oni had

thought like this before. The small-scale skirmishes

between the oni and humans in Kikoku had not

stopped. The reason that Makuu was able to bring

the oni together was largely because of the influence

of the nameless girl—known in some tales as “The

Sleeping Child”—that Gen-Ei (Silver Edge), his

son, brought along with him. The girl’s identity was

not known, and even now is a mystery. However,

the oni throughout the oni lands followed Makuu

and began to move as one unit. Thus, in the second

month of the 16th year of the Washin dynasty, a cry

of battle was raised in the Country of Kikoku, and

the “Age of the Makuu Nindo Revolt” began.

It goes without saying that the main forces of

Makuu’s army were the supernatural weapons of

the oni. However, surprisingly, a number of half-oni

and humans also joined their ranks. Makuu Nindo’s

army attracted the inf luence of the hostility towards

Yamida Yoshimitsu, the then-reviled representative

of Kikoku. However, almost all those humans who

lent their services to Makuu’s army sympathized

with his ideal of a country where both oni and

humans could live together.

Makuu’s army was 30,000, compared to Kikoku’s

army of 250,000. Additionally, Kikoku’s army

was equipped with a number of yoroi armours.

Whatever powers the oni might have possessed,

Makuu’s army was at an unavoidable and

overwhelming disadvantage. However, it was then

that a miracle which changed the tide of battle

occurred: The event known as the “Two Month

Night” occurred, where the fl ow of all the sha

throughout Tenra simply stopped. In this instant,

all the armours and kongohki of Kikoku’s army

became mere scrap iron, and even the samurai and

shinobi became powerless. In the beginning of the

battle, Makuu’s army had sustained 3000 casualties,

compared to 18,000 casualties on the side of

11 2

ONI: THE CARETAKERS

Kikoku’s army. After that, even with a large

investment of mass-produced mechanical kimen

armours (which didn’t require sha energies

to function) given to them by the Northern

Priesthood, the battle turned against them. Even

though Yamida’s army flanked Makuu with the

Priesthood’s warships, their huge losses at the Battle

of Nagashino signaled the end of a rebellion which

took just three months to secure Makuu’s victory.

The Japanese written characters that made up

Kikoku’s name were changed from “Kikoku: Oni’s

Lament” to “Kikoku: Oni’s Revelation”, and Makuu

Nindo established a nation “By Oni, For Oni”.

However, was Kikoku actually Makuu’s ideal

country? While on the surface, it seemed that oni

and humans were living together in harmony, there

was a long-held resentment of the humans by the

oni, and a deep-rooted prejudice of the oni from the

humans. An almost invisible strain permeates every

relationship, every place where humans and oni live

together. For now, it is held together by Makuu’s

charisma, but he is walking a thin tightrope with

every moment.

Recently, “Dirty Eyes” Shigami, the regent of the

neighboring country of Ryuuko declared that he did

MAKUU NINDO

Makuu Nindo, an oni who is always referred

to by his Buddhist monk name (which loosely

translates to “The Benevolent Temple of the

Void”, also known as “Temple-of-Void”)

is a monk of the Bokusen order who was

employed at the Enmu-ji Temple as the head

monk. He took in and raised oni children or

other orphans who had lost their parents in

war, and he himself was an oni.

It is said that the quiet woman, sometimes

referred to as “The Sleeping Girl”, who stayed

beside Makuu may have been an incarnation

of Dii-Go, the Speaker of the oni God of the

Earth.

not accept the founding of this nation and began

small skirmishes on the country’s border. It seems

that a lot of time is necessary for Kikoku to become

a true country at peace.

THE POWER OF THE ONI

RESONANCE POWERS

The powers of the oni were given to them by Yi-

yil. The root of their powers are the horns and

heart gem (the oni heart) that only the oni possess.

For humans, people born without horns or heart

gems, the possession of these powers is completely

impossible.

The powers of the oni are divided into two parts:

The power of Heaven (Alu), which is based in the

oni horn, and the power of Earth (Dii), which

is based in their heart. It is dependent on the

individual oni whether or not they are more gifted

in Aluor in Dii. There are other powers that do not

fall into these two categories, but oni that possess

those special other powers are exceedingly rare.

Additionally, the long life that the oni have been

gifted with is also a manifestation of their powers.

Although the loss of their heart gem means death

for an oni, there are those oni who lose their horns,

and thus the ability to hear the inner voice of the

land and other oni. They can still live their lives

out without being in telepathic contact with their

community, but without the strength of the land

to aid them, the oni must subsist on only their

own powers. These oni are called “orphans”. Their

existence is cut off from the collective conscious of

the oni. However there are those who choose to cut

their own horns offand live their lives as orphans

through their own volition.

ALU: HEAVEN

There are two “Resonances” (called Tae Rayi by

the oni) which are powered by the oni horn. One

is “Alu”, or Heaven, which comprises the largest

portion of Resonance.

11 3

ONI: THE CARETAKERS

It allows a mutual communication and empathy,

almost like telepathy, between other oni as well

as other living creatures. The other part of Alu

is the power to hear the voice of Yi-Yil, the oni

god, through concentration. From this, it can be

understood that the oni’s horns act as a kind of

antenna. If an oni cuts her horn(s) off, she can no

longer hear the words of her people, or her god.

DII: EARTH

Dii, which makes use of the power of the oni heart,

applies to everything other than Alu. It is their

connection to the Earth, which draws strength and

power, and a connection to the land, through the

very life force of the Earth. Tae Rayi cannot be used

without the support of the oni heart engine. That is

because, in the end, when an oni loses their heart, it

certainly means that they are dead.

HEART ENGINES

While humans in general fear oni enough to drive

them from their lands and kill them, the heart gem

is the greatest reason that the humans hunt the oni.

It is an organ in approximately the same location

as the human heart, a sphere of amber the size of a

clenched fist. It continues to supply its limitless

power ever after the oni has died. When it is

removed from the oni’s body and used in human

equipment, a heart gem is called a heart engine.

It is widely encased in metal and used as the power

source for the yoroi armours and kongohki. It is also

used as an element that imbues magical summoned

shiki spirits with their permanence. It could be

said that it is the most precious material on Tenra.

Because of the vagueness of the term “heart engine”

and the shady methods used to collect them, it

is true that very few people who work with high

technology ever recognize these “super batteries” as

once being a part of a living person.

But for oni whose heart was donated to the

machinery, it is whispered that a fragment of their

soul lives on inside the heart. Was the will of the oni

so strong that their fragment will awaken one day?

If so, what would happen to the heart-powered

meikyo or kimenkyo technology they now inhabit?

11 4

AGENTS:

REPRESENTATIVES

OF THE

PRIESTHOOD

Despite the Priesthood’s reputation as the

inscrutable shadowy rulers of Tenra, not all of

its members stay hidden away in their fortresses.

In fact, since the fall of Mount Jinrai and the

rift between the Northern and Southern Courts,

members of the Priesthood have become more

visible and active than ever.

The members of the Priesthood most often

encountered by members of the outside public are

Taira-ranked drifters such as shrine maidens (miko)

and wandering vendors of protective amulets. They

visit regions without established shrines and serve

in a variety of religious capacities. They are often

hired by villagers to intercede with the Kami on

their behalf, summoning rain, or praying for good

fortune. Traveling agents are also customarily hired

to purify the land and pacify the Kami before

any large construction project is begun. Despite

their membership in the formidable, monolithic

Shinto Priesthood, these agents are a familiar

and comforting sight, completely unlike the aloof

regents and feudal lords that rule the lands.

Dedicated to specific purposes such as household

safety or prosperity in business, the protective

amulets sold by these agents are inscribed in

a special ancient script known as Kamiyo, the

language from the Age of the Kami. However, these

low-ranked agents are incapable of reading Kamiyo,

and whether or not these good fortune charms

actually work or not is a question that can only be

answered by the gods.

All this is just the outward face of the Priesthood,

however. Just like the Kakari, who are assigned to a

particular region and shrine, the Ka-ranked Agents

who almost never show their face in public, and the

venerated Bu-ranked Agents, the Taira are members

of the Priesthood with a distinct purpose.

Wandering agents act as a part of the Shinto

Priesthood ’s Tenra-wide information network.

They are granted the use of Heaven Passes or

Amafuda, special passes that allow the unrestricted

freedom of movement through Tenra's many

checkpoints and border crossings. Agents are

expected to report all that they see and hear to the

Priesthood, omitting nothing. With regards to this

task, individual agents’ desires or intentions are

irrelevant; they must pass on the entirety of the

intelligence they have gathered.

According to current speculation, the number

of wandering agents exceeds 200,000. They

are the loyal eyes and ears of the Priesthood

members cloistered away in New Mount Jinrai and

Genshikyo.

However, no matter how many Priesthood spies are

in circulation, there are practical limits on the speed

at which information travels, and waiting for news

to fl ow from the regional shrines to the Priesthood

headquarters is akin to sitting around waiting for

gossip. Agents instead transmit information directly

to their superiors. They do not actually travel

back to New Mount Jinrai or Genshikyo: Indeed,

most low ranking agents have never set foot inside

these strongholds. Instead, they make use of their

Priesthood-issued meikyo soul mirror and the holy

relics distributed throughout the world, connecting

directly to the Tenra-wide Meikyo Network, a

technological marvel that allows the instant

transmission of data. The majority of known

settlements have a shrine housing a holy relic,

and establishing shrines in villages lacking one is

another of the drifting agents’ major duties.

It must not be forgotten that these agents—

recruited from the humble general populace—

have access to incredible technology. Every agent

possesses a meikyo, a soul mirror regarded as the

most priceless and coveted tool on Tenra, as well

as the ability to access the Meikyo Network.

Through the Network, they can invade any

active meikyo and render enemy kongohki and

yoroi armour powerless, or even control hostile

armour themselves. Legends suggest that under

11 5

AGENTS OF THE PRIESTHOOD

extraordinary circumstances, they even possess the

power to call on the aid of the eight million Kami

themselves. However, leaking knowledge of the

Network and its powers to outsiders is one of the

Priesthood ’s most strictly forbidden taboos.

Not only are agents the eyes and ears of the

Priesthood, they are the hands as well. In times

of crisis, they are often ordered to intervene

directly in matters to protect or promote the

Shinto Priesthood’s interests. However, Priesthood

involvement is always shrouded in secrecy, and

in some cases even the Agent himself may not be

consciously aware of the action he is taking on the

Priesthood’s behalf.

THE AMAFUDA PASS

Most shinto priests carry a special travel

pass known as an Amafuda, or “Heaven’s

Pass”. Simply displaying the Amafuda allows

the bearer free travel through any border

checkpoint. Amafuda consist of a finely

engraved black metal etching affixed to a

featureless black metal plate. The pattern

inscribed on the Amafuda is said to be unique

for each agent, and high-ranking agents can

scan the pass and access the agent’s personal

details (including name, age, and the missions

the agent has carried out.)

KAMIYO SCRIPT

A unique mode of Priesthood communication,

Kamiyo consists of 27 characters that create

phonemes when paired together. In order to

avoid confusion when transmitting orders and

the like, certain defined code words and set

phrases have been adopted.

Only agents of rank Kakari (Shinto rank of 3)

and above have the ability to decipher Kamiyo

script.

THE NORTHERN COURT AND THE

SOUTHERN COURT

The schism within the Priesthood has led to slightly

differing roles for agents loyal to the Northern

Court and those who owe their allegiance to the

Southern Court.

While the Southern Court preserves the secretive

pre-cataclysm ways of the Shinto Priesthood,

wandering agents loyal to the Northern Court

are expected to facilitate the spread of technology.

The agents need not teach engineering themselves;

simply transporting experts with technological

expertise to regions with a dearth of such know-how

is sufficient.

The Northern Court forbids the monopolization

of technology. This is not so much an effort to

promote fairness as it is to limit the possibility of a

particularly well-equipped rival arising. However,

this policy applies to medicine as well as more

martial technologies, and the common people have

benefited from the Northern Court’s apparent

largess.

Because of the opposition between the Northern

and Southern Courts, regions formerly represented

by one agent dedicated to a single Kami are now

frequently served by two agents. These agents rarely

venture into each other’s territory, however, and

unlike Northern-allied and Southern-allied regents,

they do not openly wage war on their counterparts.

The use of the Meikyo Network to transmit

information remains unchanged by the sectarian

confl ict. While one might expect the Network to

be divided along party lines like the geography of

Tenra itself, this appears not to be the case. In fact,

such a split may not even be possible.

THE CODE OF THE PRIESTHOOD

The Shinto Priesthood maintains a number of rules

and taboos that its members are expected to honor.

11 6

AGENTS OF THE PRIESTHOOD

1. Protect the Secrecy of the Priesthood

Over the course of their duties, members will likely

be exposed to a number of the Priesthood’s secrets.

Agents are forbidden to reveal these secrets to

outsiders (i.e., individuals lacking the Shinto skill),

and such infractions are punished harshly.

2. Gather Intelligence for the Priesthood

During their travels, agents witness a variety of

events and hear news of current events. Agents

have a duty to report everything they learn to the

Priesthood, leaving no detail out. Information

is transmitted during the prayer ceremonies.

Conscious withholding of information is prohibited

and agents who do so will be heavily sanctioned.

3. Income Must be Tithed to the Priesthood

Taira-ranked agents such as gyoshi (male priests)

and miko (shrine maidens) must tithe 10% of their

income to the Priesthood. They may use the rest

of their money as they see fit. Agents of the higher

ranks are expected to give up 90% or more of their

time and money to the Priesthood; but in exchange,

the Priesthood covers all of their lifestyle expenses.

SHINTO OR BUDDHISM?

A few pointers to help remember which is

which:

Temples are Buddhist, Shrines are Shintoist.

Monks and Nuns are Buddhist, Priests

and Shrine Maidens are Shintoist.

Note: “Buddhist priest” is also an acceptable

term for a Buddhist monk.

Shinto belief focuses on the natural world, the

spirits of nature, and the purification of places

and people. Buddhist belief focuses on how

to live one’s life, and tending to or putting to

rest the spirits of the dead.

PRIESTHOOD RANKS AND SKILL LEVELS

Within the Priesthood there are several structured

ranks. Each member of the Priesthood knows their

immediate superior, as well as their area peers.

While the higher-ranked members of the Priesthood

often stay within the confines of their fortresses,

sometimes they abandon their masks and interact

with the public incognito. However, they take all

precautions to never be discovered.

Taira Rank

Taira-ranked agents are the lowest ranked agents

of the Priesthood. They serve as the eyes, ears and

hands of the organization. They do the majority of

the work for the Priesthood; from small missions

like purification ceremonies, information-gathering,

diplomatic meetings and shrine upkeep, to larger

missions like placating kami or ayakashi, sabotage,

infiltration and black ops. Taira-ranked agents are

given their own meikyo soul mirrors and are

forbidden from accessing meikyo other than the

ones they carry. These Taira-ranked agents are the

backbone of the organization and serve as its public

face.

Kakari Rank

Agents possessing a Shinto level of 3 are Kakari-

ranked members of the Priesthood, replacing their

eye mask with a larger one that covers their whole

face. Kakari-ranked agents are generally assigned to

a single shrine. They handle a greater amount of

sensitive information and are held to high standards

of secrecy, yet still often interact with the outside

world. Agents ranked Kakari and above are

expected to gladly devote 90% of both their income

and time to serving the Priesthood. Those unwilling

to make this sacrifice will not be promoted to this

level.

Ka Rank

Agents with a Shinto skill of 4 are considered Ka-

ranked members of the Priesthood. Ka rank agents

almost never appear in public; and even then,

they usually only interact with regents and other

members of the elite class. They have the power to

summon the powerful Priesthood kongohki.

11 7

AGENTS OF THE PRIESTHOOD

Bu Rank

Those with a Shinto skill rated 5 are Bu-ranked

Agents. Among the Priesthood, Bu rank Agents

are treated as Kami themselves, and their word is

considered the very voice of the Emperor.

11 8

THE AYAKASHI

What are ayakashi? The word comes from an

interpretation of the single Japanese character which

loosely translates to concepts of “Fey", "Spirit",

and "Monster”. Some people say that ayakashi are

creatures born in areas where a palpable aura of

hatred, fear, and other dark emotions linger. They

are impossible to classify as we do living creatures;

we may see or touch them, but their nature is

unknowable, and barely classifiable. They are like

ghosts: They don’t exist, yet are absolutely real.

Is this contradictory concept hard to understand?

Then that is as it should be: For there are things

which humans cannot understand, things that we

simply can’t craft into words, and creatures whose

origin and behaviors are unknowable. Our human

brains simply have little or no common ground with

these creatures. They exist, entities on the edge

of human reason. People have taken to calling these

phenomena “ayakashi”, or “spirits”.

Ayakashi have dreadful supernatural powers,

patterns of behavior, or weaknesses that people

cannot understand. They don’t die, at least not

naturally. Even if they are killed, spirits will

eventually come back to life again. To truly rid the

world of a troublesome spirit, it cannot simply be

killed, it must be destroyed.

TYPES OF AYAKASHI

By the definition of ayakashi explained above, it

is impossible to classify spirits as we do animals or

people. However, humans have been able to settle

their unease when it comes to the unknowable

ayakashi by being able to find four basic types

which can be used to categorize most spirits.

Scholars and wise men divided ayakashi into four

categories on the basis of their special char

acteristics: These are thehenge (“the different”), the

tsukumo-gami (“the artefact spirits”), the yokai (“the

monstrous”) and the ara-mitama (“deep spirits” or

“gods of the wild ”). However, as these categories are

merely defined by people, there are many exceptions

and mistakes.

HENGE

Let us start with the henge. The henge were living

things which somehow changed into a spirit.

They still retain some semblance of their animal

or human form, but they are also much greater

than that form as well. They often take the form

of animals or half-animals, though larger than

normal and possessing great intelligence, wisdom

and spiritual energy. Creatures like tsuchigumo and

orochi were spirits that adopted an animal form in

entering this world. Other classical Japanese folklore

creatures like the nekomata or mischievous youko

foxes were animals which crossed over and became

spirits. There are also many humanlike henge as

well. It is possible that some annelidists or kijin with

lost souls may be called henge as well.

TSUKUMO-GAMI

The tsukumo-gami were nonliving things that

changed into something else. Perhaps it was a

handheld object, maybe it was a large object or

even a place. However, over the long years it slowly

came to be possessed by a living spirit and became...

something else. Perhaps the spirit was once a human

spirit, pulled from nature and given a shape and

form which it did not desire. Or perhaps the spirit

is a collection of deep feelings of other humans or

ayakashi, which congealed and settled over time

into a living entity. Daidara-Bocchi (spirits that were

once yoroi armours), fey weapons created from the

manifestation of human grudges into physical form,

or hallucinatory villages spawned from a twisted

ideal of utopia, are all tsukumo-gami artefact spirits.

YOKAI

The yokai take shape from the power of pure human

hatred, or from a lost soul. They are living curses of

the land, born to hate humans (which most eat or

kill.) They are the monsters in the dark that people

think of when they hear the word ayakashi.

Beautiful human figures that dance in the snow,

ghosts that feed on the nightmares of people, and

flame spirits which kill people by burning them

to death are examples of yokai. Unlike most of the

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THE AYAKASHI

other ayakashi, though, the reason that they exist,

as well as their monstrous goals, are often easily

understood or discovered by people: They exist to

cause suffering. The yokai are knowable. And they

are to be feared.

ARA-MITAMA

The Ara-mitama are extremely powerful spirits. It’s

probably better to say that the ara-mitama are more

like gods than other ayakashi. They are great, vague

entities that the very spirit of the earth created and

brought to life. Some ara-mitama seem to be the

physical embodiment of the Shinto Kami. Others

seem to be spirits born of sin or evil, and are a curse

which the very earth expelled into physical form.

The dragon guardians of the sea and the great

wolf gods which protect the land are two famous

examples of deep spirits. The only thing that a lone

human could possibly do in front of one of the gods

of the wild is fall to his knees at their overwhelming

power.

THE SPIRIT HUNT

To destroy an ayakashi, one needs power. However,

power alone cannot destroy an ayakashi. It’s true

that spirits are often stronger than humans are,

but that’s not the only consideration. Rather, the

problem is that the ayakashi’s form, motive, and

weaknesses are hidden. Until one knows something

of an almost unknowable creature, it cannot be

destroyed. You can “kill” its physical form by blade

and magic, but it will soon return to the world. And

it will surely come looking for the ones who killed

it.

To destroy a spirit permanently, one must discover

that spirit’s weakness. Only then can this weakness

be exploited and the ayakashi destroyed for good.

Within the Phoenix Buddhist sect, there are monks

who are trained to hunt out and destroy spirits. Th

ey are called upon by that order for their services

and even paid when the ayakashi is destroyed. Most

of these “Spirit Hunters” are onmyoji monks:

Trained warriors who have the skills of both an

onmyoji Taoist summoner, as well as those of a

Buddhist monk. Once a particularly problematic or

dangerous ayakashi is discovered, the local temple

will send correspondences to other nearby temples

inquiring about spirit hunters. Local spirit hunters

will pick up these missives and travel to the temple,

find out what they can about the spirit, and attempt

to destroy it.

It is ironic that many of the spirit hunters end up

becoming renegade monks. The monks are given

a pittance to risk their lives and souls to destroy

unknowable, dangerous creatures continuously. It is

only natural that this inhuman work takes its toll

on a human mind. Some of these monks start to

commit horrible crimes against people or take

immense pleasure in killing spirits—all spirits,

including the “good ” or “natural” ones. Hunting

down these outlaw monks who have lost their

way is also the duty of the spirit hunters.

HUMANS AND

AYAK ASHI

No matter how powerful ayakashi are, since they

confuse and scare humans, interactions between

humans and spirits almost always lead to conflict.

No matter how human a spirit may be, when the

physical world meets the spirit world, tragedies

almost always occur.

How does contact happen between humans and

ayakashi? Unlike campfire stories would have

us believe, the incidents of the lone ayakashi

which haunt an area and attack nearby humans

indiscriminately are actually very rare. Most of

the time, the interaction between the spirits and

humans occurs because the humans step into

territories long held by the ayakashi: The deep

sea, the high mountains, the deep forests, ancient

ruined oni villages or bloody battlefields are where

the ayakashi are born, and where they make their

homes.

A human will step into an area which they consider

part of their land (truth be told, there are not many

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THE AYAKASHI

places left which humans haven’t laid claim to,

even if they have never set foot there), but that land

will actually be the secret dwelling of an ayakashi.

Because of a misunderstanding, the humans are

usually the ones who encroach or attack first. Once

an ayakashi becomes angry or gets a taste of human

blood, it often goes into a rage until it calms down

naturally or becomes sated.

In the case of local spirits like the henge, who may

appear and cause light trouble, the local lord of the

area will usually raise a small force to subdue them.

Henge are the most readily encountered of the spirit

types and are usually the easiest to deal with. Even

so, sometimes an entire army may have to be readied

to fi ght some of the larger or more powerful henge.

If a conflict reaches that stage, great losses can be

expected against an orochi spirit or the like. It’s not

rare that samurai or even yoroi armours are crushed

by the greater henge spirits.

The spirit hunters secretly deal with dangerous

yokai ayakashi, as they are dangerous to the ill-

prepared. A team of properly equipped spirit hunters

can be more effective than an army of common

soldiers in hunting down a dangerous ayakashi. The

proper research and understanding of the spirits—

especially the henge and yokai—are instrumental in

destroying one of these creatures permanently.

The ara-mitama are dreadful ayakashi which can

rarely be matched. An entire army would be wiped

out in the face of a single ara-mitama if they stood

between it and its goal. Make an ara-mitama angry,

and people will die: That is all there is to it. It is

even customary in some locations to offer sacrifices

of money or people to beg of them for peace. Ara-

mitama are particularly dangerous because they live

in the spirit world, a place where humans can not

normally reach, so unlike other ayakashi, they

cannot be tracked to their lair to be destroyed:

Their lairs lie in spaces unreachable for most human

beings.

In recent years, phenomena called “spirit packs”

have been seen. These spirit packs appear in areas

near human civilization, or even in places where

many people live, like in cities. Individually,

the ayakashi are easy to overlook. They are not

powerful, many of them do not harm humans

directly, and they do little more than haunt a

particular area. However, the problem is that there

are many of them, with more arriving every day.

Once a spirit pack appears, soon larger and larger

spirits follow closely behind them. Spotting a spirit

pack means that that location is about to see trouble

soon. There are rumors that spirit packs are little

more than the physical manifestation of the fears,

anxiety and unease of local people, but those stories

are often forgotten when the larger ayakashi begin

to show up in their place and make trouble.

Meetings between humans and ayakashi don’t

always have to lead to calamity, albeit peaceful

coexistence is extremely rare. There are spirits called

half-ayakashi or half-spirits which look like a blend

of human and ayakashi. There are also many

folktales of human-form ayakashi living within

human civilization, and even getting married and

bearing children. If such a half-ayakashi child

is discovered by other people, though, it would

certainly be avoided and detested. It’s a sad fact that

most of the folklore and tales involving humans and

spirits living together so often end as tragedies.

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SHADOWS OF

TENRA

This chapter presents several organizations to use

within your own Tenra sessions. Some are clearly

antagonists, others protagonists, and most are a

mixture of both. Feel free to use them in any way

you see fit, including changing the core facts about

the organizations, their goals, and their outlook:

Some might actually be good, others might secretly

be evil.

KIMENTOH: THE DEMON

MASK FACTION

THE DEMON MASK FACTION: HUMAN OR

MONSTER

The Demon Mask Faction or Kimentoh is an evil

secret society bent on the complete overthrow of the

Shinto Priesthood. Their conspiracies go far and

deep across the domains of Tenra.

All of the members of this order wear masks, and

all of them use aliases when they do activities for

the faction. Very few of the members know who any

of the other members are save for the person who

brought them in. In this regard, they are a perfectly

hidden political—perhaps terrorist—organization.

The Demon Mask Faction are responsible for

various crimes like arson, burglary, and even the

conspiratorial planning of great wars that change

the fate of an entire country. While their crimes

(if uncovered) look scattered, disparate, and even

minor in sin, all of them are connected to their

true purpose: The fall of the Priesthood and taking

control of the political entities of Tenra in its stead.

The cold and calculated actions of the Kimentoh

are to the foundations of Tenra as the flapping of

butterfly wings are to an eventual storm: Things

will often start with a small incident that appears

completely unrelated to the Demon Mask Faction.

This incident leads to another, which leads to

another, which then escalates quickly into a political

or social disaster so large and uncontrollable that it

envelops an entire domain. These are the kinds of

actions that the Demon Mask Faction set into

motion.

Some people even whisper that the Kimentoh

were the ones in the shadows pulling the strings

behind the events that led up to the great wars that

happened in the 15th year of the Washin dynasty,

even including the Fall of Mount Jinrai, the Makuu

Nindo revolt, and the Two-Month Night. Who

knows to what extent these rumors are true and

which are simply baseless speculation?

It was the Demon Mask Faction that started to

develop and employ the first kimen-style mass-

produced kongohki, providing the technology in

secret to local regents and lords. This development

led to a revolution in warfare, and the Kimentoh

are the only ones who know what the eventual

repercussions of that technology will be. The

Demon Mask Faction members refer to their kimen

kongohki as “bricks.” They leave their bricks on

the battlefield when their forces need to retreat

or withdraw. Bricks are extremely problematic

obstacles not only because they are formidable

opponents—even in one-on-many combat (and

thus can hold offenemies for a long time while

their leaders escape)—but they will also often self-

destruct in an explosive ball of fire and metal when

they fall.

The Kimentoh is divided up into four classes: Kou,

Otsu, Hei and Cho. This is the equivalent of “Alpha,

Beta, Gamma, Delta” or “1st Level, 2nd Level, 3rd

Level, 4th Level” in Japanese. This ranking system

is also commonly used for machine parts, including

mechanica (Kou is the highest class, Otsu is lower

than Kou, Hei is average, etc). The Cho rank is the

lowest: They are new members of the order, usually

underlings to the other members, and their missions

usually involve simple stealing, fighting, distractions

and the like.

One Hei works as a squad leader (or cell leader) to

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WITHIN THE SHADOWS OF TENRA

a number of Cho. She is given the right to make

immediate decisions in the best interest of the order

in battles and other conflicts. A single group will

usually consist of a number of Cho and one Hei,

who work together for a common mission or goal.

Otsu class members are the battalion leaders who

oversee the projects of several Kimentoh cells. These

are the true leaders of the order, the ones that do

the planning and manipulate resources to carry out

their plans. They set conspiracies in motion and

make sure that they are carried through. They also

are sometimes involved in missions that also involve

Hei and Cho members.

The Kou class members are special: They are the

most dangerous members of the order, selected for

their ferocious abilities (usually in combat, espionage

or leadership). When a Kou-rank member of the

Kimentoh appears during a support mission, things

are going to become dangerous for the opposing

side. It is said that there are only about ten of these

Kou-ranked members in the whole organization.

The Demon Mask Faction conspiracy runs deep.

Many of their members are domain regents or area

lords, high monks of the Phoenix Buddhist sect,

or wealthy merchants. They don’t set their sights

on outright open military conf ict with the Shinto

Priesthood (they would simply lose such a battle,

and they know it). Instead, they are setting their

sights on something higher than that: A decisive

and quick replacement of the entirety of the

Priesthood with their own rule. It will take time for

this final plan to be set into motion, and until then

the Kimentoh will work from the shadows, etching

at the pillars of the Priesthood’s power.

No information exists at all on the leader of the

Demon Mask Faction, Kiryu Kouga (also called

Kouga the Dragonfang). Even the highest members of

the order do not have a single piece of information

about who he is under that demon mask. Kouga

will contact the leaders when he puts a plan in

motion, wherever they may be. That is all they need

to know.

KUZE-SHU

AN ELITE ORDER OF SPECIALISTS

UNDER THE DIRECT CONTROL OF THE

PRIESTHOOD

The Kuze-Shu, or Kuze Order, is a special

mercenary group which was organized by a Phoenix

sect monk of that name. The Kuze Monk is under

secret orders direct from the Priesthood, and the

order follows him. The Kuze Order has one single

purpose: To protect the great capital city of Jinrai

from the enemies of the Priesthood. The word

“Kuze-Shu” comes from the characters meaning

“suffering, justice, and group”, implying that the

Kuze Order is an allegiance of people who will do

whatever it takes, undergo any hardship, and cause

any amount of suffering in order to fulfill their

duties as protectors of the Priesthood.

The Kuze Monk (His true name was unknown)

traveled from place to place in Tenra looking for

skilled people who would make good protectors.

He then assisted them in their training: Alone at

fi rst, and then together as a team, improving their

abilities and helping them work together within

a group. The Kuze Order he formed became the

linchpin of the defense of the capital, an invincible

combat team strengthened through fierce training,

magic, medicine, and through the powers of their

unique abilities.

Until the events of the Fall of Jinrai, the Kuze-Shu

existed as an elite secretive task force, given orders

in secret to protect the city of Jinrai from dangers

of war and conspiracy. As a team, they functioned

much like a combination of secret service, spy, and

special weapons and tactics force. Surprisingly few

wars or assassinations broke out in or near Jinrai:

Surely some of this is due to the Priesthood’s

untouchable spy network, keen machinations and

hidden technologies. However a great deal of the

credit goes to the Kuze Order and the missions they

worked in secret for the Priesthood.

What happened, then, when the Priesthood split

apart into the Northern and Southern Courts after

the Fall of Mount Jinrai?

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WITHIN THE SHADOWS OF TENRA

For a time, the Kuze-Shu was divided and in

conflict. Some of the members believed they

should follow this new Northern Court. When the

Southern Court appeared, some members believed

that they should follow the more pure dynasty.

Yet others thought to disband the order altogether.

Eventually, they decided to split the Kuze-Shu into

two factions: One faction would protect Genshikyo,

the floating capital city of the Northern Court, and

the other faction would watch over New Jinrai, the

new home of the Southern Court. The Northern

Court faction of the Kuze Order called themselves

the Blue Dragon Order, and the Southern Court

faction of the Kuze Order changed their name to

the Adamantine Order. The Northern Court Blue

Dragon Order would be led by One-Eyed Saikuro,

and the Southern Court Adamantine Order would

be led by Ran the Meikyo User.

Their original leader, the Kuze Monk, had died

long ago, but his indomitable will was sealed into

a meikyo soul mirror. Ran the Meikyo User—an

extremely talented user of soul mirrors—was able to

duplicate his very soul into two meikyo, entrusting

one of each to each of the two orders. Each of the

orders now has their own incarnation of their great

leader the Kuze Monk, one born into the Blue

Dragon Order as the Blue Dragon Monk, and one

born into the Adamantine Order as the Adamantine

Monk. In doing so, the Kuze Monk became

practically immortal and is now the spiritual leader

of each of the orders.

By splitting the soul into two, though, over time

differences started to show in the personalities of

the Kuze Monk. Over time, they—as well as the

orders that they guide—began to grow and change

differently because of their experiences after the

split. Even so, the two orders do not war with

each other directly; rather, they spend their energy

protecting their court of the Priesthood, hoping that

one day the two courts will rejoin.

THE HIDDEN 28TH

CHAMBER

CLAWS OF THE PHOENIX

The Phoenix sect is the largest order of organized

Buddhist belief in the land of Tenra. They hold

influence over entire nations and have an extensive

network of agents who work for them in the light

and shadows of society. Samurai, sorcerer-monks

(Buddhist monks also trained in Taoist onmyojutsu

magic), and warrior monks fill the ranks of the

active agents who work directly for the temple.

These monks form an army which defends the

temple and its interests from being attacked.

However, one should not mistake this force for a

purely defensive army.

In the violent history of Tenra, belief is a strong

force. It can become an obstacle for leaders who

want to have absolute control over their own people.

People who believe in another power or force higher

than the lords of Tenra will be hard to conquer and

break. This is why the roots of belief—the

organized Buddhist religious sects of Tenra—

come under immense political pressure, or even

occasionally outright attack, when they get in

the way of those seeking power or influence. The

world is also filled with ayakashi, monsters which

often prey on the believers of Buddhism. Some

have reached inside the order, corrupting monks

from within. Monks have long since trained with

weapons and armed themselves to protect their

beliefs. They defend themselves, their temples and

their believers as they attempt to help their order

spread and thrive.

As the Phoenix sect grew and spread across Tenra,

the leaders of the sect recognized the fact that

simply defending themselves from fey monsters and

mysterious entities, the internal attacks of heretics

and splitting sects, and the occasional threatening

regents and lords, was not good enough. “A good off

ense is the best defense”: This was taken to heart as

the Phoenix sect explored ways to attack the roots

of its problems. They began to organize a group of

monks within the order who would seek and destroy

dangers to the order: Namely, the fey creatures that

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WITHIN THE SHADOWS OF TENRA

prey upon people.

The heads of the order started to label the fey

creatures that haunted the realm heresies, as their

very existence was an imposition to the salvation of

the believers of the faith. From there, it was decided

that an order was needed to operate in secret to

ferret out the natural evils of the world. These

heresies threatened the faith and lives of the

believers, and so they must be exterminated

wherever they were encountered.

A high monk named Gamou Douan ordered a

gathering of monks within the Phoenix sect: Monks

who were known to be particularly strong keepers of

the faith, and monks who were known to be skilled

at hunting demons and other ayakashi. They

became “The Hidden 28th Chamber of the

Merciful Phoenix Sect”, also known simply as “The

28th Chamber”, a task force created with the sole

purpose of destroying demons and other creatures

that harmed the Phoenix sect.

The Phoenix sect is founded on the doctrine of

“The Salvation of the People”. For this reason, they

could not publicly maintain an organization which

would potentially be required to harm or kill other

people, even if it meant that in the long run they

were saving lives. This is why the 28th Chamber

is an entirely informal order and there is no mention

of this order in any Phoenix sect documents,

scriptures, missives or other writings. The sect

maintains absolute secrecy from the outside world,

and most Buddhist monks—even high ranked

monks—know nothing of this force. Anyone who

joins this order is immediately considered to be

dead, and information on them within the order

will be changed to reflect that. They are given new

monk names, and some may even change their

looks depending on the situation.

The order mainly uses the magical secrets of

Buddhism, as well as religious doctrine merged with

onmyojutsu, to attack their enemies. However, most

members are also experts with direct combat as well.

For example, one of the veterans of the order who

often shows up in dealings with the Hidden 28th

Chamber is a monk named Rapture (His full

monk name is “Rapture, the Monk of the Keen

Eye”). Rapture is extremely skilled with melee

weapons, and always carries with him his Buddhist

ringed staff which secretly hides a blade within.

His specialty is dispatching fey monsters with his

sword. He performs a fearsome version of iai-jutsu

(quick-draw sword fi ghting) which is so fast that it

is said that the human eye has trouble following his

movements. Rapture quickly dispatches monsters,

sending their souls to the afterlife at the end of his

blade.

There is also a team of onmyoji monks who are

skilled with performing the samurai surgery,

crafting mechanica, or manipulating meikyo soul

mirrors for the order. Monks of the 28th Chamber

who turn into asura often have their souls wiped

clean of suffering by a monk and trapped within

a meikyo rather than sent to the afterlife. When a

new member joins the 28th Chamber, they can also

pick up these esoteric new skills just as easily as they

adopt their new name.

When the Hidden 28th Chamber hears that there is

a new “heresy” about, they immediately move in to

investigate.

Often they will come by rumors that ayakashi or

oni are wandering near populated areas, inflicting

harm upon the people. These rumors will drift

from temple to temple until one of the members of

the 28th Chamber hears of it. From that point, an

operation to hunt down and destroy this heresy is

set into motion. They will go anywhere in Tenra,

even leaping across continents if need be, to hunt

down and destroy the enemies of the Buddha.

Usually, the members of the order work by

themselves or with a partner. The current leader of

the Hidden 28th Chamber is Black-Red Sky (His

full monk name is “Black-Red Sky, the Monk Born

of the Era of Corruption”) and he decides who to

assign to a particular operation after considering

their unique skills and the risks involved in the

mission. If it gets back to Black-Red Sky that the

mission failed, then he sends more monks. The

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WITHIN THE SHADOWS OF TENRA

Phoenix sect must not yield or fall to the enemies

of the Buddha.

The Hidden 28th Chamber of the Merciful Phoenix

Sect also acts as a secret internal investigation unit

within the Phoenix sect itself. They overturn the

unpleasant secrets in hidden temples far and wide.

They root out corruption from within the order. If

they find that there is something or someone that

is corrupting the order from within (for example,

a corrupt Buddhist monk who uses her status for

evil, wealth, or irredeemable debauchery) then the

28th Chamber will put an end to it decisively, using

even assassination if needed. If a high monk at a

temple dies of mysterious reasons and another monk

is quickly chosen to step in and take their place,

chances are that the 28th Chamber was behind it.

Now, by itself, the order greatly benefits the Phoenix

sect. The monks of the 28th Chamber all believe in

their mission, which is the salvation of the people of

Tenra. To that end, the 28th Chamber will willingly

and easily sacrifice their lives to stop a rampaging

ayakashi demon, or to secretly assassinate a local

lord who is causing great suff ering to the believers

of the Phoenix sect. They will also secretly ferret

out fallen monks within the order—those monks

who are so evil that they cannot be turned back to

the path of righteousness, or monks who have done

great evils in the name of Buddhism—and end

their reign of terror quietly. While there is a great

potential for misuse and abuse, the 28th Chamber

has historically been a true, righteous, and pristine

order that harms only in the name of the salvation

of the people of Tenra.

The only problem is that the reasons for the

existence of the Hidden 28th Chamber have been

changing little by little, over the course of many

years.

Their basic belief and mission, “Destroy the

Enemies of the Buddha”, have, of course, not

changed. However, those “Enemies of the Buddha”

have recently taken on a new meaning: No longer

simply monstrous demons and spirits, or corrupt

monks who spread evil, the interpretation of “The

Enemies of the Buddha” has started to include

groups who are generally opposed to the Phoenix

sect.

The 28th Chamber’s changes have started to

become more apparent since they have begun to

attack other sects of Buddhism. No longer content

with destroying evil sects, they have started to turn

even on the other two great sects of Buddhism, the

Bright Lotus and Ebon Mountain sects. There are

even rumors that Bright Lotus and Ebon Mountain

monks are dying under the same mysterious

circumstances that coincide with 28th Chamber

assassinations.

There are other stories told—by those few who

even know of the order’s existence—like that the

28th Chamber has recently been in conflict with

the Kuze Order several times. Does it mean that

the Phoenix sect now believes that the Shinto

Priesthood is an enemy of Buddhism? Everyone

knows that the Phoenix sect has a very close

relationship with the Priesthood and that they are

on friendly terms officially, so this recent news has

been very disturbing.

It’s not clearly known if the head monk is ordering

these apostasies, or if it’s all the work of a single

man, the monk named Black-Red Sky. The

individual monks of the Hidden 28th Chamber

must not doubt or refuse Black-Red Sky’s orders,

though: Doing so means losing their faith in what

they were chosen to do, and denying the very

reasons for their existence. A painful schism—

its actions and aftermath held in secret—seems

inevitable.

MEMBERS OF THE ORDER

Since the Hidden 28th Chamber of the Merciful

Phoenix Sect is an informal and secretive order with

a disavowed existence, it is hard to get an idea of its

makeup. Here are some of the members of the order,

whose existence has been confirmed.

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WITHIN THE SHADOWS OF TENRA

ZEDAISHU

THE SWORD-ART OF THE ONI PEOPLE

Under the leadership of the capable Makuu

Nindo, the Makuu army was able to overthrow the

government at Kikoku and create a land for the

oni people. The Makuu Nindo Revolt was expertly

planned and executed by the rebellion’s leader, but

we cannot ignore the influence of the Zedaishu in

the final victories of that campaign.

The Zedaishu order was formed by oni and half-oni

who came from far and wide to gather in Kikoku,

sympathetic to Makuu Nindo’s cause. For the most

part, these oni covered their horns to live hidden in

human cities, or maintained their identity as they

lived in human society, suffering abuse at the hands

of the humans.

Together, these refugees created a sword technique

jointly called Zedai-ryu. They created an order that

was crafted in the ideals of Makuu Nindo, an order

which expressed their unique oni identity instead

of attempting to cover it up. Zedai-ryu actively

employs the unique abilities of the oni people: Their

resonance powers of telepathy and telekinesis.

The word Zedai comes from an old Tenra-Japanese

expression meaning “showing one’s ornamental

hairpin for all to see”. In this situation, the

“ornamental hairpin” of the oni people is, of course,

their unique horns. The oni picked up on this

expression, taking it to mean, “To live without

hiding the fact that they are oni”. It expresses their

ideal of independence, and has recently gained a

wide following especially among younger oni.

The fundamentals of the Zedai-ryu sword technique

involve foreseeing the movement of one’s enemies.

This can be done by the oni by using their native

resonance abilities to sense and manipulate the sha,

the gossamer-like strings of intangible power that

blanket the world. This technique has become a

blade of justice to restore the rights of oni and half

oni: They have been oppressed for generations, and

only they can wield the supernatural power required

to use this technique.

At first, the Zedaishu numbered less than a dozen.

As the oni gathered in Kikoku, joining the forces

of Makuu Nindo and aiding in the rebellion, their

numbers swelled. By the time of the final battle of

the rebellion against the domain of Kikoku—the

Battle of Flowing Grass—the Zedaishu had over

one hundred members.

After the Makuu army won the war, Makuu Nindo

changed the written name of the Zedaishu order,

replacing the Japanese character for ornamental

hairpin with the character for sake. This comes

from the famous speech that the venerable oni

monk made at the end of the war, in which he

stated, “Now, at long last, we oni have a land of our

own. We no longer have to hide our identity, or live

in the shadows. We can rest and drink sake under

the light of the warming sun.”

There were six who created the original Zedaishu

order, and yet none of them assumed leadership of

the group. However, at the end of the Makuu Nindo

Revolt, the only member of those original six still

alive was Sendou Anna. She became the default

leader of the order, and still leads the Zedaishu

today.

Even though the Zedaishu helped the Makuu

army win the revolution in Kikoku, the day to day

situation of the oni people is still very severe. For

example, with the appearance of mass-produced

kimenkyo technologies like armours and kongohki,

there has been a steep increase in demand for heart

engines—the steel-covered gem-like perpetual

engines of spiritual energy which are actually the

very hearts of the oni people.

Currently, the Zedaishu is keeping busy protecting

the oni people all over the world. If they hear news

that a large army is moving out to hunt oni for heart

gems, they would definitely show up in that domain

and put a stop to it. They battle atrocities head-on,

be it an army bent on genocide, or the powerful or

greedy leaders who dispatched that army in pursuit

of their own interests.

THE ZEDAISHU STRAY

127

WITHIN THE SHADOWS OF TENRA

There were some oni who refused to follow Makuu

Nindo’s drastic changes, and preferred to keep

themselves apart from him and his followers. Even

though Makuu had the blessing of the oni god

Dii-Go, his ways were too wild, his measures too

extreme, for many individual oni as well as oni

tribes.

Within the Zedaishu, there was also a group of

people who had the same thoughts. They were

eventually labeled “The Zedaishu Stray”, oni who

had gone against the very will of Dii-Go.

Most of them become vagrants and wanderers. For

the identity of the oni people, it is impossible to go

against the will of Yi-Yil and Dii-Go: One oni is

connected to all oni, and all oni are one. Thus, stray

members of the Zedaishu take on an existence that

is neither oni nor human, outcasts of both worlds.

THE HYAKKI SWARM

STEEL KILLING MACHINES

The technique used to seal souls away in meikyo

mirrors is far from perfect, no matter how deeply

the process is studied and refined. Sometimes

kongohki regain the memories of their previous life

(even though they were designed to be sealed tightly

away) and start to rampage indiscriminately. When

that happens, it is impossible to control them.

Most kongohki begin to lash out violently if they

regain their memories. They died as an asura in

their previous life, so their memories are usually

primal, fearful, and violent. Only the ones who are

strong enough of will to accept the crimes against

humanity that their machine body performed in

this life, or evil enough to revel in the sins they

committed as a kongohki, can come to accept what

has happened. They can control themselves, finding

a new sense of self with their regained memories.

The Hyakki Swarm (expanded, their name is “The

Hundred-Machine Ninja Swarm”) is a group of

those kongohki who have regained their memories.

They have decided to use their new body and

their new life for nothing more than the pursuit

of destruction and fulfillment of their basest

desires. They offer their unique services to the

highest bidder, reveling in the completion of cruel,

inhumane tasks.

The Hyakki Swarm is a group of demons who need

no food, no rest, and have but one goal: Absolute

destruction. They put up a front of a mercenary

army for hire. But in truth, they will not stop until

they have destroyed every village and killed every

last living creature on Tenra.

THE FIVE FROM

KASUMIDANI

NINJAS FOR HIRE, FEARED BY MANY

It’s said of this group of wanderers, “They’d even

work for Hell if the devils paid them enough.” They

are a group of five elite ninjas who call themselves

“The Five from Kasumidani”. Though they call

themselves ninjas, the abilities they have are not

limited to ninjutsu. Amongst the five, they have

various skills like sword arts, Taoist magic, and the

use of annelids.

They are known to move always as a five-man team,

and never take on a challenge alone. They have

learned early on to work together flawlessly: Five

skilled veterans means five times the ability brought

to any challenge.

Their principles and outlook are simple. They will

help anyone who pays them. That’s all.

The Five from Kasumidani will somehow find

people who have both a lot of money, and a lot

of deep secrets. They offer their services to those

people, helping them take care of the root of those

secrets and making them disappear. They gain the

favor of those people, and soon after, a contract is

drawn up which trades a large sum of money in

exchange for their help.

The reasons why they are so particular about

money, even though amongst them, they clearly

have so much power, are unknown. Where the

128

WITHIN THE SHADOWS OF TENRA

money goes after it is earned is also cloaked in

mystery.

The key to the mystery may be within the name

of their order, a place called “Kasumidani ”, and a

figure named “the liege”, of whom they often speak

of in whispers.

129

INDEX

108 FACTIONS OF THE LORDS OF LIGHT 76

ADMINISTERING ANNELIDS 104

AGENTS 114

ALU 112

AMAFUDA PASS 115

ANNELIDS 104

ANNELIDISTS 100

ANNELIDIST NESTS 102

ANNELID LIST 104

ARA-MITAMA 119

ARMOUR CONSTRUCTION 53

ARMOUR 48

ARMOUR HUNTERS 45

ARMY OF A VASSAL LORD 39

ASURA 83

AYAKASHI 118

BATTLEFIELD REWARDS 40

BOKUSEN 71

BRIGHT LOTUS (MYOUREN) 71

BRIGHT LOTUS MANTRA 76

BRIGHT LOTUS SECT 76

BUDDHA NATURE 72

BUDDHISM AND SHINTO 68

BUDDHISM IN BRIEF 69

BUDDHIST SECTS 71

BU RANK 117

CAPITALS 27

CASTE SYSTEM 27

CATCHING ANNELIDS 101

CHIMERA 55

CLEAR MIRROR 49

CULTURAL NOTES 46

DARK ARTS 89

DII 113

DIVINE POWER OF THE BUDDHA 70

DOMAINS AND REGENTS 25

EBON MOUNTAIN (BOKUSEN) 71

EBON MOUNTAIN SECT 73

EVERLASTING SHIKI 61

FIST OF ACALA THE IMMOVABLE 74

FIVE FROM KASUMIDANI 127

GEM WEAPONS 44

GREAT ARMOURS 56

GUNL ANCE RIFLE 45

GUNPOWDER 44

HAZURE: THE EXILE ANNELIDISTS 103

HEART-ENGINE 54, 113

HENGE 118

HIDDEN 28TH CHAMBER 123

HYAKKI SWARM 127

INTERFACE RULES 50

KAKARI RANK 116

KAMIYO SCRIPT 115

KA RANK 116

KIJIN 80

KIJIN CONVERSION 80

KIMENKYO 51

KIMENKYO MASS PRODUCTION 51

KIMEN ARMOURS 57

KIMEN-STYLE KONGOHKI 84

KIMENTOH 121

KONGOHKI 83

KONGOHKI HEAVY ASSAULT 85

KUGUTSU 93

KUGUTSU ILLUSION 97

KUZE-SHU 122

MAKUU NINDO 111

MEIKYO 49

MIYAKO 27

MONEY 47

MUSHI-TSUKAI 100

NINJA 86

NIJUTSU SCHOOLS 90

NORTHERN COURT 18

ONI AND HEART GEMS 54

ONI 107

ONMYOJI 56

ONMYOJUTSU 59

PRIESTHOOD CODE 115

PHOENIX SECT 70

PRIESTHOOD RANKS 116

RESONANCE POWERS 112

ROADS AND CHECKPOINTS 31

RONIN 26

SAMURAI 64

SAMURAI TRANSFORMATION 64

SCARLET STEEL 43

SCHOOLS OF NINJUTSU 90

SHA-LAZ 109

SHINOBI 86

SHINOBI ELITE 89

SHINOBI SCHOOLS 90

SHINTO PRIESTHOOD 18

SHINTO VS BUDDHISM 116

SOULGEMS 42

SOULGEM WEAPONS 44

SOUTHERN COURT 21

STRATEGY 36

TAIRA RANK 116

TALES OF HEAVEN AND E ARTH 4

TALISMANS 60

TAOIST MAGIC 59

TENRA 6

TIME 46

TIMELINE 10

TRANSCENDENT TECHNOLOGY 23

TRANSLATOR'S INTRODUCTION 4

TRAVEL 30

TRAVEL PASSES 32

VASSAL LORDS 25

VASSA LS 26

130

INDEX

VASSAL RETAINERS AND RONIN 26

WAR AND TENRA 34

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 46

WHITE HEAT PALM 45

WORMCHARM 104

YOKAI 118

YOROI (ARMOUR) 48

ZAKT 45

ZEDAISHU 126