Sorcery

The people of Gozeiki no Bano Kami Kantaro generally see sorcery and magic as extensions of ones devotion and spirituality. Most of the Land's sorcerers received formal training at the Temple of the Kami and both perceive and practice sorcery as an intermidiary between the Celestial world of the Spirits and the Terrestrial world of Creation and mortals.

Sorcerers that have walked the Way of the World at the Temple of the Kami are generally refered to as Shugenja; both a highpriest and a practionner of magic. Those that lack the talents or dedication to attain the heights of sorcery, but still dedicate their lives to the Kami are Genja; pastors and thaumaturgists.

There are some groups that practice sorcery in a different way, usually accessing their powers through a different Sorcerous Initiation than *Shugenja of the Land*. Notable among them are the Rengoku Maho Witches, the Watchers and the Oratnak Prophets.

## Shugenja of the Land

Your way is the Way of the World, your sorcery is the magic of the Land. Through rigorous training and prayers, you can draw power from the forces and spirits surrounding you, shaping it to your will. The teachings of the Temple of the Kami have made you a Shugenja; a priest to the people, a wise man and a weaver of miracles.

### *Shaping Rituals*

#### Orthodoxy

By performing the sacred rituals and reciting the Holy prayers, you may cleanse your inner self and tap into to Infinite. The rituals take an hour to perform in peace and quietude. You roll (Essence + Integrity). If you are within a dedicated place of worship or a Holy site to the Kami, you add your temporary willpower to the roll. Each success grants a single sorcerous mote. These motes last until you next sleep, and you cannot stack multiple uses of the rituals.

#### Theurgy

You send your awareness and your will into your surroundings, searching, seeking the sorcerous energies infusing the Land and tapping into the Dragon Lines. This is a miscellaneous action (-1 Defense until next turn). For the rest of the scene, you gain a bonus sorcerous mote on your Shape Sorcery actions. If a manse or demesne is within long range, the bonus is 2 sorcerous motes.

#### Demiurgy

Whereas mortals are born of Creation and live and breath its Essence, Spirits are both fundamentally unnatural to Creation and are its simplest expression. As such, perceptive shugenja can feel for and exploit the dissonance in essence surrounding a manifested spirit. When using a Shape Sorcery action, every elemental and materialyzed spirit within long range range grants a single bonus die on the roll.

### *Merits*

#### Feeling the Hearth (Merit ooo)

This merit is most common amongst Shugenja Theurgists, but can be taken by any shugenja. By taking a miscellaneous action (-1 Defense until next turn), the shugenja can feel for nearby Hearthstones. He rolls (Perception + Occult) vs difficulty 2. If successful, the shugenja knows the general location (direction and distance) of every Hearthstone in short range. Taking a second consecutive miscellaneous action allows for a new roll and allows the shugenja to feel the presence of Hearthstones at up to medium range with a difficulty of 4. Each Hearthstone he detects with Feeling the Hearth can be reflexively accessed once per scene to grant a single sorcerous mote.

## Mahoism

Mahoism is the blood sorcery practiced by the Rengoku Exorcists of the Ember Wolf Clan. Its foul magic is fueled by the lifeblood of sentient beings.

## Order of the Watchers

The Watchers are known to wield sorcery in a way that is alien to the Shugenja of the Land. What little is understood of their ways is that they draw their magics from the Divine Laws of Creation and the Patterns of History.

## Oratnak Prophetism

The Prophets of Oratnak appear rarely and are thankfully few and far between. They are doomsayers, cursed to have seen the Whispered End .