Shikigami

Template:Species Infobox

## General Information

Shikigami (式神) are kami that have been magically bound to a physical medium in order to serve their master. Unlike normal servants, shikigami are compelled to obey their master's orders, though the compulsion differs in strength depending on the strength of their master, and they are also generally autonomous otherwise and can perform actions that were not ordered by their master. Because of this, it usually takes a highly skilled magician to control a shikigami, and an even more highly skilled one to control multiple at once, as shikigami that are too powerful or become too dissatisfied are likely to turn against their master.

Shikigami are often compared to computers, as their minds operate similarly to one in that they can self-edit and allocate their resources to a much greater degree than most other creatures' minds can. This means that, if needed, a shikigami master can order his or her shikigami to forget certain things or to adopt certain opinions or moods. This can be used to classify information by ordering a shikigami to forget it until given a certain password or ordered to remember it by a certain person, among other applications. When a shikigami is given an order by its master, the shikigami is forced to focus on accomplishing that task, to the exclusion of all unrelated matters, until it is completed, which means shikigami are often much more efficient than ordinary servants.

While a shikigami is normally only bound to obey its original master, if ordered to follow another person's orders, it can be temporarily "loaned" to that person and will follow their orders to the same extent it would its original master. However, the original master's orders always supersede those of others, even if their master orders them to obey another instead of themselves. Because of this, a shikigami can only be transferred to another master if their original bond is broken and they are bound by a new master using the proper ritual.

Unless a shikigami is released from its bond by its master or its master dies, the bond is permanent. However, a powerful enough shikigami can choose to ignore its master's orders with some effort.

A shikigami can be summoned to its master instantly at any time. However, all limitations on ordinary teleportation magic still apply, meaning that, for instance, summoning a shikigami from behind a powerful enough barrier can be more difficult or even impossible. A master can only summon their shikigami to themselves; in order to send their shikigami anywhere else, they must use a teleportation spell. Normally, only a shikigami's master can summon it, but if given permission by their master to be summoned by another person, summoning capability can be shared in the same way as obedience.

A shikigami changes in power based on its proximity to its master; when its master is nearby, it gains additional power, but when its master is far away, it becomes weaker. This sharing of power is a property of the shikigami binding process itself and cannot be altered by either the shikigami or the master. Because of this variability in power, shikigami that use the spell card system often choose to create different sets of spell cards for when they are close to and far away from their master.

### ☯**Binding**

A master binds a shikigami by using a special ritual to extract the kami from its natural habitat, then bind it to a physical medium in order to give it form. This physical medium can be just about anything, but the most common ones are paper dolls and living creatures, the latter of which can be either animals or youkai. A shikigami can be bound to a human, but because humans cannot be completely possessed by a spirit due to the nature of their souls and bodies, this is uncommon. A master can freely transfer his or her shikigami between mediums, however, and may order it to possess a human temporarily in order to influence their actions, even though full control cannot be gained. A shikigami that possesses an animal or a youkai can control its host completely, with the host's personality lying dormant for as long as the shikigami remains. If a shikigami leaves its host, then the host's original personality will reassert itself.

In order for a shikigami to possess a youkai, the shikigami must be more powerful than that youkai, or else it may be rejected. A master can choose how powerful a shikigami they wish to summon during the summoning ritual. In some cases, a shikigami with a relatively weak hold over its host may be rejected if the host receives enough of a shock, such as experiencing a traumatic event or being attacked at a psychological weak point.

When a shikigami is dismissed, it returns to the environment from which it came, becoming a formless, invisible spirit once more. If a master wishes, however, he or she can choose to re-summon the same shikigami again at any time.