The Path of the World

Mythology & Lore

All Worlds born from Yggdrasil bear a Realm Tree or a Minor Yggtree in the case of planets. Each of these Worlds bears the Yggtree that is the source of all native life of the world. It is from the Yggtree that the Kami of a world draw their power and authority. Kami themselves are not born from the Yggtree necessarily, but rather are the power of phenomena that inspire a sense of wonder and awe in the world. Kami are seen to inhabit both the living and the dead, organic and inorganic matter, and natural disasters, their presence is seen in natural forces such as the wind, rain, fire, and sunshine.

Worship

Yggtree World Temples

The Kami of a world inhabit Temples that inhabitants may come to and pray at. These temples are known as Yggtree Temples and various types exist.

The Great Temple

Each World has a Yggtree which gives it life, and at the Yggtree, lies the Great Temple, where worship to all the major or most popular Kami of the world can be conducted without traveling to a Jinja Shrine. It also serves a meeting place for all the Kami when they need to come together. The organized and formal body governing a world's religion is known as the World Hands. The World Hands have their headquarters at the base of the Yggtree within the Great Temple. This central location allows for coordination and administration of religious practices and activities across the world.

The Jinja World Temples

The Jinja Temples are built at the feet of World Trees, great magical trees grown from the seeds that fall from the world's Yggtree. The Jinja Temples serve as powerful places of worship for inhabitants of a world while also being sacred and hallowed grounds for the Kami they are erected to. These temples are complexes composed of several buildings.

• Honden, the Hall of the Kami: The Honden is a structure built into the very trunk of the World Tree, great in size and majestic in splendor. The Honden serves as the abode of the Primary Kami of the Jinja temple. The Honden will contain artifacts and effects of the Kami such as artworks, clothing, weapons, artifacts, musical instruments, bells, and mirrors. The Kami are believed to reside at these locations at certain times, particularly when they manifest themselves, but they do not live here. They (these structures) exist to worship, honor, and respect them.
• Bekkū, the Field of Kami: Secondary Kami can also be worshiped or praised at a single Jinja temple, they are similarly "houses" in a Bekkū, which is a traditionally smaller structure located near the Honden. It also houses artifacts and effects of the Kami such as artworks, clothing, weapons, artifacts, musical instruments, bells, and mirrors.
• Haiden, the Hall of Worship: Buildings and structures where prayers can be formally completed by visitors to the various Kami of the temple.
• Heiden, the Hall of Offerings: The Heiden is where offerings to the Kami are kept by the temple. The primary Heiden will normally connect the Haiden to the Honden, but if a temple has various Bekkū structures, there may be more than one Heiden. Additionally, there is typically another "hidden" Heiden where more valuable offerings and excess offerings are kept to prevent them from being stolen.
• Gishikiden, the Hall of Ceremonies: Gishikiden are structures or areas of a temple where any sort of ceremony may take place, from the blessing of a child to the knighting of a warrior, religious ceremonies, cultural, and even death rites may be performed here. While Gishikiden can be re-purposed for any sort of ceremony and Jinja temples may have several, some temples dedicate types of ceremonies to types of Gishikiden. One common Gishikiden that is commonplace is Sacred Burial, a graveyard where those buried there are honored with the blessing of the Kami.
• Kagura-den, the Hall of Performances: While the Gishikiden can be used for a variety of ceremonies, the Kagura-den is reserved for ceremonies and performances dedicated to the Kami of the temple.

The entrances to a Jinja Temple are marked by Torii Gates, traditionally used in conjunction with Barrier Techniques to create highly concentrated areas of Magical Energy. When used here, Torii Gates allow for Kami Manifestations to occur more easily within the temple grounds.

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Because Jinja temples are built at the base of a Great Oak tree, the grounds are considered hallowed or sacred, protected under the laws of the world and the other Kami of the world. These temples are further protected by the Komainu, defined as any magical creature who does not originate from the 5th Dimension but instead draws its power from the world's Yggtree. These Komainu can appear as any sort of animal or creature native to the world but are sentient and magically inclined. Kami and temple priests will employ them to protect the temples, ward off evil spirits, and guide lost wanders to and from the temple should they lose their way. In exchange, they are protected from other hostile Komainu by the power of the Kami whom they serve.

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Jinja Temples are rarely ever near populated ares of a world, and are normally hidden or tucked away deep in the wilds, far away from industry and civilization. These areas surronding a Jinja are supernatural in attributes and sacred places. Technology may not work as intended in these spaces and the unexplainable can occur regularly. It is in these locations that the Kannagara (Way of the Kami) is most powerful. The Kannagara is the Natural Order of the world void the ambition and actions of sentient races like Mortals. The Kannagara allows Kami to basically bend reality on their world, though it is heavily localized to these Jinja locations.

Home Shrines

Shrines/ Temples that reside outside of a Jinja Temple are called Home Shrines. Two major types of Home Shrines exist, under which all shrines/ temples can be placed.

• The Kamidana: The Kamidana is primarily composed of Shintai, an object meant to house a chosen kami, thus giving it a physical form to allow worship. Similar to Jinja temples, the Kami is beleived to reside at here at certain times, particularly when they manifest themselves, but they do not live here. The kami within the shintai is often the deity of the local shrine or one particular to the house owner's profession or historic precendant.
• The Butsudan: A type of shirne dedicated to ancestors who became Buddhas, honoring them and beleived to possess some of their power, blessing the lineage for all time so long as they are honored. Outside of Buddhas, this shrine also honors great figures of the ancestorial line. If the Kamidana and Butsudan occupy the same space, the Butsudan shrine needs to be below the Kamidana.

While all Home Shrines can be classified as either a Kamidana or a Butsudan, their size, complexity, and number can vary significantly. This variation is influenced not only by the subsects of the faith within a single world but also by differences between worlds, as no two Kami from different worlds are alike. Additionally, the diversity is further enriched by the myriad of alien species and the vast collections of galaxies and star systems, each with unique practices and interpretations.

Priesthood

The Kannushi are the Divine Masters of Ceremonies and are the priests of formal religious activities, including the maintenance and operations of Yggtree World Temples. Kannushi is trained at World Hand Universities (WHU) in all things from ceremonies to theology and everything in between. These Kannushi are then assigned a post at several locations for several reasons.

• Great Temple: Serving at the Great Temple is a high honor. Kannushi assigned here typically performs administrative duties for the global faith, overseeing the coordination of religious activities and the organization of major ceremonies.
• Jinja Temples: Being assigned to a Jinja Temple is a great honor and is usually a lifelong appointment. These Kannushi are responsible for maintaining and operating the Jinja shrines, ensuring the proper worship of the Kami, and the upkeep of the sacred grounds.
• Noble Temples: Honored Kannushi are chosen to maintain and operate Butsudan and Kamidana shrines for state officials or noble houses. This prestigious role involves providing spiritual guidance and conducting ceremonies for the elite, ensuring the continuity of ancestral and Kami worship within these influential families.
• Minor Temples: Kannushi in the rotational program is cycled through smaller public temples across the world. This system allows for the distribution of experienced priests to various communities, ensuring that all followers have access to religious guidance and ceremonies regardless of their location.

Granted Divine Powers

• Kannagara, the Way of the Kami

Kannagara represents the Natural Order of the world, untouched by the ambitions and actions of sentient beings like mortals. It is the innate ability of the Kami to manipulate the reality of their world. Typically, only Kami can invoke the Kannagara, but Kannushi priests who serve the Kami faithfully for extended periods can come to comprehend and employ it, although the extent of their abilities varies greatly. Learning and mastering the Kannagara is a lengthy process. It requires deep understanding and dedication, but once mastered, it allows for the warping of reality within the world. This power is inherently localized, meaning its effectiveness can vary significantly for Off-Worlders or foreigners. The Kannagara is a profound and potent force, representing a deep connection to the world's natural order and the Kami's divine influence. Kannushi who come to master the Kannagara manifests their own Komainu unique to themselves and helps facilitate their manipulation of the Kami's Reality Warping capabilities.

Magical Artifacts and Tools

• Ofuda Talisman: An Ofuda is a rectangular tablet made from any natural material native to the world from which it originates. It must be directly blessed by a Kami or a Buddhist figure with their consent to become a powerful talisman. Once blessed, an Ofuda can serve various purposes: protecting against evil, bringing good fortune, amplifying one's power, and more. The power and complexity of the Ofuda depend on the Kami or Buddha who blessed it. However, unlike typical enchanted artifacts, an Ofuda loses a significant amount of its power and effect when taken far from the Kami's world. While generally more powerful than enchanted artifacts, an Ofuda is most effective when used within the world it was created.
• Go-Shintai Artifact: Kami are metaphysical beings without a tangible form unless they manifest. However, it is possible to obtain a piece of their being, known as a Go-Shintai or the Sacred Body of the Kami, if preserved and maintained correctly. A Go-Shintai serves a similar purpose to an Ofuda but with much greater power. However, if a Go-Shintai is stolen or taken without permission, it can cause curses and vexation to the user. Properly acquired and revered, Go-Shintai are powerful artifacts that channel the essence of the Kami, providing immense spiritual and magical benefits.

The Re-Location of Kami

If a World (planet or Realm) is corrupted, broken, or otherwise destroyed by natural or unnatural means, the Yggtree will die and all the Kami, who are unable to leave the World, will also die with it. To prevent this tragedy, the Lords of the World undertake a complex process involving the construction of an Omikoshi, a massive structure designed to safely extract the Yggtree from the world and store it aboard a starship. The Omikoshi is a colossal structure used to house the Yggtree once it has been surgically removed from the world. Alongside this, the Lords of the World visit the Jinja temples to transfer the Kami into Mikoshi, sacred palanquins that allow the Kami to be transported to the Omikoshi. While it is impractical to move all the Kami—some worlds have up to 8 million Kami—it is possible to relocate the most powerful ones. By preserving these Kami alongside the Yggtree, the goal is to sustain them long enough to find a new, suitable home.

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The Omikoshi, now stored in a massive starship, is escorted by a War Fleet across the cosmos in search of a new world that can accommodate the displaced Kami. Upon finding a potential world, the Kami of that world are approached and asked to accept the newcomers. This is a delicate process, as the new Kami bring their customs, cultures, and ideas, which can significantly impact the existing order. If the native Kami rejects the newcomers and the fleet decides to land regardless, the Yggtree will be burned down, resulting in the death of the transplanted Kami. However, if the native Kami accept them, the Omikoshi is brought planet-side, and the dying Yggtree is grafted onto a healthy one.

Regarding the planting of a foreign Yggtree in a new World, it can be grafted onto the healthy Yggtree or it can be planted nearby. Grafting a dying/injured/damaged/corrupted Yggtree onto a healthy one may help heal it and make both stronger, eventually mereging into one Yggtree far more powerful than the prior two. However, the grafting process is long and requires specific technical know-how. It also poses the risk of the weaker Yggtree still dying and slowly killing the healthy one or, worse still, corrupting the healthy one. The safe and faster option is to plant it near the healthy Yggtree, which will allow the Yggtree and the world to slowly heal and repair the damaged one. Though it may never be as great as the healthy Yggtree, it will survive.

Once the Kami are given new homes, the process of integration begins. This adaptation often results in significant changes or even the death of some Kami. For instance, Kami from a jungle world may struggle to survive in a desert world, through mountains and rain Kami might adapt, albeit in altered forms. This transformation also influences the culture and religion of the new world's inhabitants. The survival rate of the relocated Kami is typically low, with less than 30% surviving the process. However, to the faithful, this outcome is preferable to the complete annihilation of their culture, history, and way of life. They believe that it is easier to rebuild and evolve from remnants than to start entirely from scratch.

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Type

Religious, Other

Alternative Names

World Path

Demonym

Kannushi