Human Village

The human village is a small settlement of humans that for whatever reason have found themselves trapped in Reikai. The village is protected by an anti yokai barrier maintained by a line of Onmyouji sorcerers. Within the barrier the humans live a somewhat normal life, though a confined one, with homes, and enough space for farms to feed the village. Were the protective barrier ever to fall, the humans within would be helpless to the predations of the powerful yokai that lurk just outside. Within the human village is the Izuhara family which produce the onmyouji and shinto shrine maidens that protect the village. The miko of the Izuhara shrine are serious about the threat of yokai and would find it better if all of them just died. They see them as too dangerous, evil, and irredeemable to be shown mercy or coexistence, and exterminate them wherever they can to protect the humans within.

Characters

Hiroshi Izuhara - The next in line to be the Onmyouji for the village. Hiroshi is young, confident, perhaps overconfident, and wants to be the hero

Matsuro Izuhara - Head of the village and the elder Onmyouji over Hiroshi. He prefers small and slow subtle acts to grandiose ones

Animated Armor Guardians - The village has several animated armors that are sustained by the Onmyouji to protect the village

Shou the Vagabond - A newer resident to the village, he got trapped in reikai after happening to wander into one of the small tears that periodically are created between the worlds. He found his way to the human village by luck, and is now stuck there, unsure of how to get back to the material world. Shou is street smart and knowledgeable about modern things that the villagers don’t know about, and has a few things from the material world he brought with him. The villagers don't quite trust him and are generally skeptical about outsiders in general. Shou being a city person doesn't so mind the peace and solitude, and struggles to fit in with the village culture, more just biding his time until he can find a way out. He is cynical and skeptical, but also hides a hidden desperation to return home.

Aiko Izuhara - The oldest of the three Izuhara sisters. After their mother passed away (a common early fate for many women in the Izuhara line who are destined to be miko) she became the head priestess of the shrine, and runs its rituals and upkeep. She is a steadfast and responsible older sister and priestess the village can rely on

Sakura Izuhara - The middle child of the Izuhara sisters, Sakura is a brash tsundere who is a hard liner on the extermination of yokai, refusing they are inherently evil and should all be wiped out. She is a serious, no-nonsense person who looks up to her older sister as her role model.

Misaki Izuhara - The youngest of the Izuhara sisters. She is the most relaxed of the three, carrying a more curious and playful nature. She still takes her job as a miko seriously, but has no problem taking time away from her work to enjoy life. Sakura often scolds Misaki for her more carefree attitude, believing it to be irresponsible in the face of the yokai threat in which the sisters must be on guard at all times, lest a single mistake cause the desolation of the village and its people.

Kuroshin - Owner of Kuroshin’s casino. He gambles his secret information in exchange for the souls of those who go to his casino. He is the only yokai allowed in the village by the Izuhara.

Isamu the Shopkeeper - An eccentric shopkeeper

Izuhara Kami - An enigmatic Kami of unknown nature or character, this kami sustains the magical energy that the miko and onmyouji of the Izuhara family use. Were this kami to ever die, it would spell doom for the village.

Locations

Izuhara Shrine - A shinto shrine operated by the most important family in the human village: The Izuhara. The Izuhara family produces the shrine maidens and Onmyouji that protect the village and hold its secrets. Inside the Shrine is a library of scrolls containing spells, information on the kami of the shrine, and forbidden knowledge. The shrine also contains the spirit of the kami from which the Izuhara derive their power. The identity and nature of the kami is a mystery. The shrine also contains a large metal basin of water called the Soul Mirror in which users can gaze within its reflective surface and divine the secrets of others in exchange for a part of their soul. The shrine also contains the Seishin-Kekkai Ofuda, a talisman of immense strength capable of opening a rift in the seishin barrier.

Kuroshin’s Casino - The only yokai allowed to live in the human village, Kuroshin is a shinigami who runs a casino where he acts as an information broker, offering people to wager their souls in exchange for a chance to receive special information if they manage to beat him at one of the casino games. While cheating is obviously not allowed, it is an unwritten rule that everyone actually cheats and you simply must avoid getting caught. Kuroshin typically wins these.

Isamu’s Shop - Isamu is an eccentric shopkeeper in the village who trades in strange artifacts, some of them yokai, some of them from the material world, often received from Ao Kemuri. He is always looking to buy and sell the strange, magic, and foreign

Izuhara Barrier - Sustained by the Onmyouji of the Izuhara family since the village’s inception, the Izuhara barrier prevents yokai and their magic from entering the village. It completely protects the village from annihilation so long as it remains up

Grove of the Ancestors - A sacred area of fruit growing trees on the edge of the village. The people of the village who have passed away are cremated and their ashes are sprinkled over this area. Over time trees bearing strange magical fruit began to grow here. It is thought that the souls of the village’s ancestors are embodied in these trees, and the consumption of their fruits allows the consumer to see through the memories of the villagers

Culture

Hikari Matsuri (The Festival of Luminous Spirits) - Taking place for 3 days in autumn every year when the Seishin barrier is the thinnest. It is meant to celebrate the relationship between the humans and the spirit world and to honor the ghosts of the ancestors. A procession of villagers dressed in luminous costumes meant to represent the ghosts of the ancestors walk down the streets. Normal festival games as well as those that test the spiritual acumen of players are hosted. Wish lanterns are released into the sky, each one a request of the ghosts of the ancestors to answer. Cumulatively they enchant the sky with glowing orange motes of light. A general aura of the blurring of boundaries and toying with the supernatural is commonplace. This holiday occupies a similar role as halloween or day of the dead, but is undoubtedly a fun and upbeat holiday allowing for a temporary flaunting of norms in favor of the weird.

Religiosity - Villagers are much more religious and devout than their material world counterparts, even back hundreds of years prior. Their proximity to spirits and such make religiosity a no brainer, and the stakes of certain death are they to depart from their ways means everyone is on the same page of the seriousness and immediacy of their faith’s importance. Villagers use copious protective talismans, guardian statues, and purification rituals. Superstition is rampant as well, for example don't step on the border between light and shadow. Answering whispers in the night invites yokai across the barrier. Staring into the mirror at night allows a spirit in your reflection to possess your body and swap your soul into being trapped in the mirror

Hierarchy and Tradition - Decisions are made exclusively by the elder Onmyouji and the priestess in conjunction with consultation from the kami as well as from other high ranking villagers. The village does not have the space or luxury to experiment with many new ideas since its current way of life has carried it through for centuries, and the risk of a failed idea could be annihilation. The village also has a related distrust of foreigners. The traditions of the village are to assist and support fellow humans who find themselves in the village, but almost always through gritted teeth.