New Conspiracy: Aki Ten

[Mangaholic13]

Okay, how about this:

Merit: Weapon Mediums 000
Prerequisites: Shikigami 0, Aki Ten Status 00

While it is true that the New Way's power rest with their Shikigami, that is not to say Aki Ten will force their bound servants to do all the fighting, especially since some are too important or useful to risk being losing in combat. Further, even with their Shikigami, there are not enough Onmyoji simply do not have the numbers to subdue troublesome spirits by themselves. Using a combination of modern manufacturing methods and various ancient blessing, cleansing, and purification rituals, the Aki Ten have been able to create a number of different weapons that also function as sacred mediums for their Shikigami's powers. This process enables a Shikigami, when commanded by its' master, to imbue the weapon with some of its' spiritual essence, modifying the weapon's abilities. Note that without someone nearby possessing Shikigami, these weapons are little different than fancier looking versions of their mundane counterparts (much to the frustration of those members of Aegis Kai Doru who have been able to "procure" one and avoid dying in reprisal).

Because of this, members of Aki Ten will sometimes gift these weapons to favored bodyguards, retainers, or subordinates, though it is considered rude to do so without first asking for the blessing of ones superior.

Mechanics:
A Weapon Medium has the same qualities and stats of it's regular counterpart. When imbued with a spirit's power, the weapon gains the following qualities:

+Rank to damage and speed
Can hit ephemeral enemies
If spirit that imbued the weapon has influence over the opposed spirits bane, additional effects and bonus are added.

How is that to start, LostLight?

ammm the description is a bit troublesome- first, it assumes that the Aki Ten have really few numbers- which is not really true. They have at least as many members as the Lucifuge and the Otodo. Sure, they have big dreams, but since when that has stopped someone from trying? I think that such description should be emphasis on making the Aki Ten sound awesome and cool, not weak and vulnerable. Players should want to take a merit to feel that it makes them better, not to compensate on some weakness. Instead of saying that the "Aki Ten can't deal with the spirit world", say that "the greatest heroes among them decide to take the battle to their own hands" or that "some has found a way to strength the bond between them and their shikigami beyond the normal capabilities, invoking them through holy relics blessed by the gods". You know, things which would make you say "I want to play that!".

as for the mechanics, I think it would be better for such items to be more than "just weapons"- the ability to hit ephemerals in Twilight and bonus damage by Rank is ok, but it should also be able to channel the powers of the spirit in question. For example, you should rate the merit from 1 to 5, when the rating is decided by the Rank of the channeled spirit. You could replace extra damage for dots in the spirit's Influences or Numina (1 Numen per dot). That gives the items a bit more personality than being "mass produced spirit weaponry", and allow such items which are not necessarily weapons. Add a mention for the fact that if the channeled spirit is freed/killed, you may replace it with an equivalent (or stronger) Shikigami, even though the rating of the item stays the same. Finally, I think that the name may not be the best choice, as it a bit plain- I recommend on calling them Shintai, for this is the term used for holy items seen as the "physical body of the gods".

That's at least, more or less what I had in mind when I suggested the merit.

Ah, I see what you mean, sorry for the bad description. And thanks for the name suggestion, I felt the name was terrible also. How does this look:

Merit: Shintai 0-00000
Prerequisites: Must have a Bound Shikigami of Rank less than or equal to Merit's rating, Status (Aki Ten) 00

While it is true that the New Way's power rest with their Shikigami, that is not to say Aki Ten will force their bound servants to do all the fighting, especially since some are too important or useful to risk being losing in combat. Additional, many of the best and bravest amongst them feel that it is necessary to fight their battles with their own hands, to better prove their right and authority over spirits. Some Onmyoji have found a means to strength the bond between them and their shikigami, invoking the power of their spirits through ritually dedicated and blessed tools. Using a combination of modern manufacturing methods and various ancient blessing, cleansing, and purification rituals, the Aki Ten have been able to create special tools that allow them to channel their shikigami's spiritual essence, either enhancing the item's functions or granting the item use of their spirit magic. Note, these abilities will only function while the item is in the possession of either the shikigami's onmyoji or someone the onmyoji has granted special permission to use it.

Mechanics:
When purchasing this merit, choose one Shikigami and purchase 1 dot for each Rank of the selected Shikigami.
For each dot of this merit, enhance the Shintai's damage by one and the Shintai becomes able to damage ephemeral enemies
You can also replace the extra damage for dots in the spirit's Influences or Numina (at a rate of 1 Numen per dot).
Should the channeling spirit be freed or killed, you may replace it with an equivalent (or stronger) Shikigami, though the rating of the Shintai remains the same.

This sound better?

==Edit==
Minor change to prerequisites.

[Vent0]

I feel I should ask, but as the Merit goes up to 5, while Rank also goes up to 5, it increases at an entirely different scale. How many minor gods are the Aki Ten binding into simple objects?

[LostLight]

Ah, I see what you mean, sorry for the bad description. And thanks for the name suggestion, I felt the name was terrible also. How does this look:

Merit: Shintai 0-00000
Prerequisites: Shikigami 0, Status (Aki Ten) 00

While it is true that the New Way's power rest with their Shikigami, that is not to say Aki Ten will force their bound servants to do all the fighting, especially since some are too important or useful to risk being losing in combat. Additional, many of the best and bravest amongst them feel that it is necessary to fight their battles with their own hands, to better prove their right and authority over spirits. Some Onmyoji have found a means to strength the bond between them and their shikigami, invoking the power of their spirits through ritually dedicated and blessed tools. Using a combination of modern manufacturing methods and various ancient blessing, cleansing, and purification rituals, the Aki Ten have been able to create special tools that allow them to channel their shikigami's spiritual essence, either enhancing the item's functions or granting the item use of their spirit magic. Note, these abilities will only function while the item is in the possession of either the shikigami's onmyoji or someone the onmyoji has granted special permission to use it.

Mechanics:
When purchasing this merit, choose one Shikigami and purchase 1 dot for each Rank of the selected Shikigami.
For each dot of this merit, enhance the Shintai's damage by one and the Shintai becomes able to damage ephemeral enemies
You can also replace the extra damage for dots in the spirit's Influences or Numina (at a rate of 1 Numen per dot).
Should the channeling spirit be freed or killed, you may replace it with an equivalent (or stronger) Shikigami, though the rating of the Shintai remains the same.

This sound better?

I think that the merit is much better right now- but I would change the Prerequisite from Shikigami 0 into "having a bound Shikigami of the same Rank as the merit's rating or less", as it makes more sense in the context of how Shintai works.

[LostLight]

Families
While the modern Aki Ten are no longer bound by blood ties, they still put a lot of emphasis upon the original Families which has made the original Onmyodo. It is not to simply out of respect of tradition- it is because the complex rituals and ceremonies which they used to bind spirits in the first place are all based around those ties. The spirits recognize their duty to the Families, not to the Aki Ten or the hunters as individuals, and breaking those bonds would also shatter the very magic which the hunters use to bind their shikigami. Thankfully, the spirits care less about blood and more about the Family's name- as long as the original clans exist (in spirit if not in blood), the shikigami would stay faithful to their masters. For that reason, every member of the Aki Ten is adopted to one of the three main Families which held the power during the glory days of the Onmyodo.

The most famous Family is the Tsuchimikado. Tracking their origin back to the famous Abe no Seimei, they claim to be the true, beating heart of the Onmyodo. They are the leaders of the Aki Ten, dealing with politics both mundane and supernatural. Without them, they say, the Aki Ten would collapse into nothing. When someone asks for a representative during a discussion with the Ume House or when the Emissary of the Moon Princess wish for a meeting with the Aki Ten, it would always be a Tsuchimikado who would come to represent the interests of the organization before both monsters and man, not to mention their role as recruiters of new, potential members. Specialty: Socialize (Diplomacy).

Where the Tsuchimikado deal with the Aki Ten's foreign affairs, the Fujiwara deal with internal affairs. After all, unlike other hunters, the Aki Ten don't seek to destroy monsters as much as they wish to bind them to their service- and those who are not strong enough end up corrupted by their own shikigami. The Fujiwara are, in fact, the Aki Ten's own secret police, making sure that no one learns secret rituals they shouldn't have, supervising the kinship one feels toward their shikigami and maintain that no one would betray the secrets of the organization- and when crimes are being done, like an hunter ending up claimed by their shikigami or losing their grip in reality and turning into a slasher, they are there to end the threat and cover up the instance. Specialty: Stealth (Spying).

Finally, the last Family to sit in the Aki Ten are the Kurahashi. Unlike the other two Families, the Kurahashi cares less about political power and more about mystical power. They protect the libraries of the Aki Ten and maintain the Shikigami Sharing Network used by the conspiracy to share their familiars. They research the rituals of old and search to update them to modern times, replacing paper Ofuda with silicon and create algorithms which calculate hour long chants into minutes. They also collect the information gathered by both the Tsuchimikado and the Fujiwara and research it, always seeking for new ways to apply their spiritual technique to bind new kinds of creatures. Their knowledge of the ancient ceremonies is extensive- but some members of the Fujiwara fear that be knowing too much forbidden lore may have corrupted the heart of that Family. Specialty: Occult (Onmyodo).

Hunters (written by Darkblade)
You thought studying computer science would be an exciting path to success. A master of cutting edge Virtual Reality technology you'd have built a name for yourself. Or you would have had your VR startup not been bought out by the Aki Ten as investors abandoned you in the early 90s. Now you spend your days monitoring the projector device network for security vulnerabilities and watch other men use your technology to control Gods. That should have been you.

The world moves too fast these days. No one has any respect for tradition or making sure things are done properly. Not you though, you're careful. You make sure to do the full rite not just the streamlined version the computer asks for. It takes longer, a fact your cellmates have bemoaned after many a battle, but the Shikigami seem to appreciate your efforts. At least they seem to serve you more readily than your more modern coworkers.

You don't think you're of noble birth at least you can't prove that you are. Your family history has been lost. Yet you have a gift for summoning and binding Shikigami. Some of the more traditional older members of the conspiracy view you as a threat. A young upstart here to take their rightful place. You have no such ambitions and are quite happy to serve under them but they have been growing ever more spiteful with you.

[Mangaholic13]

Since ghosts will be getting an upgrade/overhaul with the coming of Geist 2nd Edition, I got to ask LostLight, what do you think might be the relationship between Aki Ten and Ghosts/Sin-Eaters?

I bring this up since more than a few gods in Japanese culture started as living people, died and then were deified.

[LostLight]

Since ghosts will be getting an upgrade/overhaul with the coming of Geist 2nd Edition, I got to ask LostLight, what do you think might be the relationship between Aki Ten and Ghosts/Sin-Eaters?

I bring this up since more than a few gods in Japanese culture started as living people, died and then were deified.

I think that there is no need for any real change in their attitude toward ghosts- there is still a taboo against binding ghosts for being "tainted", so any use of Ghost Shikigami would be something short lived unless they plan to endanger their Status. Also, considering that their Honorary Rank effects only their relationships with spirits, binding ghosts is a more difficult process, which usually don't worthy the hassle (as high Ranked ghosts already have a tendency to be drawn to the Underworld). In general, they would leave the dealings with ghosts, sin eaters and reapers to the Azusa Miko, who have more appropriate techniques to deal with the dead and the Bellow, IMO.

[Mangaholic13]

I think that there is no need for any real change in their attitude toward ghosts- there is still a taboo against binding ghosts for being "tainted", so any use of Ghost Shikigami would be something short lived unless they plan to endanger their Status. Also, considering that their Honorary Rank effects only their relationships with spirits, binding ghosts is a more difficult process, which usually don't worthy the hassle (as high Ranked ghosts already have a tendency to be drawn to the Underworld). In general, they would leave the dealings with ghosts, sin eaters and reapers to the Azusa Miko, who have more appropriate techniques to deal with the dead and the Bellow, IMO.

I brought up Sin-Eaters since Geists are Ghost/Spirit hybrids, I just wondered if Aki Ten had any thoughts on them, or just lumped them in with ghosts, and thus "Not my jurisdiction."

On a different note... I've been thinking of making a Conspiracy level version of the Azusa Miko for hunters vs. sin-eaters. Any thoughts on an Endowment?

[Tessie]

They used to be Ghost/Spirit hybrids. That does not seem to be the case in second edition.

[Mangaholic13]

They used to be Ghost/Spirit hybrids. That does not seem to be the case in second edition.

Whoops! My bad, don't know how I missed that.

[Laguz 24]

Hmm, I wonder how this could be transported to South Korea to avoid conspiracy/ compact overcrowding in a certain region or time. I like the idea but how about going international?