Prophets of Yatagarasu

The **Prophets of Yatagarasu** is the religion that worships Yatagarasu, the king of the red-eyed crows of the Midnight Dreary Realm and they follow the beliefs of fatalism and prophecy. The Prophets of Yatagarasu were originally a rare cult that lasted for centuries before being spread by a crow sage and infamous pirate named Satoshi Genburyuichirousuke on an airship named the Prophet. The Prophet pirates eventually took control of Amegakure and made the Prophets of Yatagarasu the official state religion of the Rain. Followers of Yatagarasu are known as prophets and are charged to spread the belief that fate is inescapable and that the future is completely predetermined. Prophecies and lore are of great importance to Yatagarasu's faith as followers read apocryphal texts to decipher the future. Holy texts are contained within ancient crow-language scripts such as the crow contract scroll. The highest members of the cult are crow sages because sages are naturally capable of reading in the crow language. While the language can be taught, reading the texts to decipher prophecy is much more opaque to non-sages. Additionally, black flames such as Amaterasu are considered sacred and can also reveal messages of prophecy to sages that apply nature chakra to the fire. Crows and ravens are deeply respected and used as iconography in the cult. Yatagarasu is highly revered in this cult as the fallen messenger of the gods who now shares his knowledge with humanity. The prophets believe that Yatagarasu is a keeper of esoteric knowledge and a greater understanding of fate that other gods cannot obtain. Yatagarasu is the god of fate, prophecy, knowledge, memory, and controlled fire. He is also the patron of the Uchiha clan. Yatagarasu is the god of this religion because he ascended as a god in control of a separate universe with his corpeal form still residing as the boss of the Midnight Dreary Realm in the sage lands. As a result, Yatagarasu has two distinct forms. It is common for followers to not respect the gods Evergreen, Zelel, O-Inari, and Jashin and instead believe in Yatagarasu's word. Prophets such as Satoshi Genburyuichirousuke have asserted that in a universe where gods interfere in mortal affairs and also fall victim to fate themselves prove that free will is an illusion. No gods may be worshipped by prophets and as fatalism is the central philosophy no other sectarian beliefs are permitted (including Ninshu, Buddhism, and Daoism). The prophets have a priesthood, order of templars, and an inquisition. The cult has pockets of followers in the Uchiha clan and the Sharingan is viewed as a great power. Sacred items are lore texts in the crow language, black flames, crows, ravens, and jewelry adorned with crow feathers. Priests are expected to wear black robes during ritualistic crow lore reading ceremonies.

### Tenets:

* There is no escaping fate among mortals or gods.
* Free will does not exist.
* Prophecies from Yatagarasu are absolute. Prophecies from others are flawed but can have elements of truth.
* Seek to understand the future in the crow lore and the black flames. Perform such rituals on a weekly basis.
* Keep natural energy and sage chakra pure. Forbidden seals and corrupted nature chakra are an abomination.
* Respect the crows and guard the Midnight Dreary Realm.

### Penitence:

* Minor violations of the tenets such as faltering in prophecy reading rituals require [3] paragraphs of reading the crow lore.
* Severe infractions such as using forbidden seals, corrupting natural energy, betraying the crows, and violating the sanctity of the Midnight Dreary Realm require a baptism by black fire ritual to be performed. The baptism consists of immersing the body in black flame created by Yatagarasu, crow sage, or Uchiha. This causes immense, torturous pain with natural energy being used to preserve the body. The skin feels the searing heat that causes the muscles to shrivel from the heat causing the body to curve so severely that the bones fracture.

### Passive Benefits:

* **Crow Pact |** Prophets are automatically signed in a pact with the crows and can summon them freely upon induction.
* **Ebony Flames of Fate |** The Prophet's fire-based techniques turn black in color, mimicking their sacred Amaterasu flames as closely as possible. Instead of Amaterasu's majestic fire capabilities, these flames cause one tier higher burning and burn statuses.
* **Prophetic Visions |** Illusions created by prophets incur one tier higher mental stress or insanity.