Theology
Theology covers knowledge of religious philosophy, doctrine, and practice. Kiga is often called the Land of Ten Thousand Fortunes, and a proper grounding in Theology is required to know of even a portion of them. A character can use Theology to know about kami, the Fortunes, and the powers and deities associated with Shinseism and other religious traditions, as well as to make supplications to these powers. A character versed in Theology is also versed in religious history and associated knowledge, including astronomy (for the study of portents) and the related fields of metaphysics and science with mystical implications. Theology is also the skill used for most invocations—the powerful appeals to the kami that shugenja make to wield astonishing elemental powers. However, for most characters, Theology does not involve such flashy displays, dealing more in the doctrines and histories of the various spiritual traditions of Kiga. It usually entails knowledge of rituals of philosophical and religious significance, as well as of communion with the forces of the universe on a more subtle level. Not everyone has the potential to become a shugenja—and perhaps more importantly, the shugenja schools guard their secrets jealously—so most priests in the Emerald Empire are humble keepers of the faith, serving the kami via proper veneration and performing social and religious functions for their communities. Monks, courtiers, and even bushi are also likely to study Theology, for a variety of personal and societal reasons.
Theology Approaches
The Theology skill can be used as follows with the appropriate ring:- Recall Approach (Earth Ring): Knowing facts about the formal doctrines of religious traditions of the Emerald Empire, knowing about historical occurrences of supernatural events, correctly reciting scripture, remembering the weaknesses of a supernatural being from folklore, communing with earth kami.
- Survey Approach (Water Ring): Identifying religious artefacts and supernatural phenomena, knowing how the average person of a given walk of life interacts with spiritual traditions, researching a piece of scripture to learn its meaning, communing with water kami.
- Theorize Approach (Fire Ring): Guessing what supernatural forces might be at work based on secondary evidence, reconciling two contradictory pieces of religious doctrine, offering a novel explanation of the meaning of a piece of scripture, communing with fire kami.
- Analyze Approach (Air Ring): Determining how religious or spiritual a person is and what traditions they follow, finding and untangling subtle nuance or apparent contradictions in scripture, noticing the telltale signs of a supernatural creature walking among humans, communing with air kami.
- Sense Approach (Void Ring): Performing divinations, determining the veracity of a supernatural occurrence, predicting the behaviour of supernatural entities, knowing the philosophical ramifications of a decision, communing with the root of the universe.