13org

Kimetsu no Yaiba AU: Temen-ni-Guru (Arc 2)

Daikaku Shrike

---

As the solemn veil of night fell on the Daikaku Shrine, the chirps of birds and swallows gave place to the faint noises of crickets and a few frogs croaking, blending beautifully with the ever present noise of running water. Standing right in front of the shrine, Kōshin was merely sitting at the steps of the main temple, looking at the bright night sky... That was until the noise of footsteps broke the silence. The visitors, being heard before they could be seen by Kōshin were entirely unexpected. Not only due to the time of the day, but also because of the relatively isolated place the shrine found itself.

As the visitors got closer, a familiar voice greeted him, making him smile in return upon seeing the familiar face of an old friend.

"Welcome, Ubuyashiki Takaya. It is good to see you again in good health! My master always spoke fondly of you." Kōshin said, greeting Tokyo's Oyakata-sama with a smile and a friendly bow.

"I must admit, I wasn't expecting guests tonight. It was, most definitely, a pleasant surprise though." he said as he silently nodded towards Soyama Kenzō, another familiar face to Kōshin, having already visited the Daikaku shrine a number of times seeking ingredients such as Blue Wisteria flowers and Red Iron sand.

The Blue Wisteria flowers, carefully cared by Kōshin and the other Daikaku monks, were carefully harvested when fully grown and kept, along with the Scarlet Iron sand and the Scarlet Iron Ingots they were able to forge, in a well guarded vault in the back of the temple, ready should the Demon Slayer corps need them.

"Both virtues and vices can find fertile soil regardless of race. Worry not, having the trust of Tokyo's Oyakata-sama is more than enough for me to trust them as well." Kōshin replied as Ubuyashiki Takaya mentioned his demons being outside. His words hinting at the fact that Kōshin, unlike most of the members in the Demon Slayer Corps didn't discriminate between Demons and Humans, judging them by their actions instead of their race.

"It's good to see you as well, Kenzō-san. I see there are some new faces accompanying you and the Oyakata-sama this time. Have you taken a disciple yet?" Kōshin asked, looking to Kenzō with a playful smile before looking to the newcomers, some of them clearly in awe as they looked around.

"Welcome all to the Daikaku Shrine." Kōshin said looking to the newcomers as he gave a step to the side, extending one of his hands as he showed the main temple.

"I shall take you to the vault where we keep the Scarlet Iron and the Blue Spider Lilies that were harvested and prepared. Should you have any question, please do not hesitate to ask." Kōshin said as he prepared to lead the group inside.

⤫ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 ⤬

Miya

---

^{Wings are, most of the times, hidden beneath the stitches on her back, only beginning to show when under severe emotional distress or danger.}

#11

S I G I L L A T A
^{"The Sealed One"}

• P h y s i c a l A g e •
18

• G e n d e r I d e n t i f i e r •
Female

• D e s i g n a t e d L o c a t i o n •
Russia

---

• P s y c h P r o f i l e •

+ Quiet + Friendly + Playful
- Cunning - Temperamental - Morally Detached
* To know why she was created and which one among them is the real one. * For the hunger and the pain to stop. * To be treated as a person and not a weapon or an object.

---

• U n i q u e T r a i t s & A b i l i t i e s •

Verbum Sigillatum — The Sealed Word|

#11 seems to be able, in some way, to mutter words and sounds that seem to be impossible to comprehend, record or even be properly understood by mortal beings. Such words can be clearly heard by all beings in a radius of 1km from her, even if the are merely whispered. A few select people of profound faith who hear those, claim to be able to hear the words and mention as them being the forbidden language of angels while others merely hear a profound rumbling along with the sound of a far away bell.

The first word ceases all sound inside the area, causing an absolute and complete, deafening silence, making any kind of verbal communication impossible. Heartbeats of all those inside seem to beat in unison, being the only sound that can be heard. #11 is able to hear the heartbeat of those inside the area and accurately pinpoint their location.

"Sathariel"

The second word causes a blinding light to shine down from the heavens. All darkness is washed away by a flood of divine light and ethereal feathers. Deception becomes utterly impossible inside this area, be it trying to hide or conceal oneself, lie or deceive. Masks — magical, physical, emotional — shatter. #11 seems to be able to move in flickers while inside the area. Like light glancing off a mirror she appears to be just where attention isn’t, seeming to vanish between glances and making targeting, hitting or even keeping up with her as she moves very hard.

"Raziel"

The third word causes all other miracles or supernatural abilities that are not born of true holiness or pure intent to be severely weakened. Those with strong link to the divine claim to feel a tremendous spiritual weight upon hearing the word, a reminder of their origin. Those of unholy or unclear nature are compelled to kneel. Stronger ones are able to resist this effect, but are still impacted by it, becoming slower and sluggish.

"Phanuel"
___________________________
A p p e t i t e L v l :: 4

⤫ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 ⤬

Are there two numbers 9s? Did one replace the other, in the lore?

@TruthHurts

⤫ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 ⤬

@Burger

Her miracle is SUPER creative!
I LOVED it!

Edit: just realized #8 was already part of the pun before #9 was posted LOL

⤫ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 ⤬

Changed the idea behind it a few times, but I'm quite satisfied with how it turned out!

Miya

---

^{Wings are, most of the times, hidden beneath the stitches on her back, only beginning to show when under severe emotional distress or danger.}

#11

S I G I L L A T A
^{"The Sealed One"}

• P h y s i c a l A g e •
18

• G e n d e r I d e n t i f i e r •
Female

• D e s i g n a t e d L o c a t i o n •
Russia

---

• P s y c h P r o f i l e •

+ Composed + Disciplined + Playful
- Cunning - Detached - Fickle
* To know why she was created and which one among them is the real one. * For the hunger and the pain to stop. * To be treated as a person and not a weapon or an object.

---

• U n i q u e T r a i t s & A b i l i t i e s •

Verbum Sigillatum — The Sealed Word|

#11 seems to be able, in some way, to mutter words and sounds that seem to be impossible to comprehend, record or even be heard by mortal beings. Such words can be clearly heard by all beings in a radius of 1km from her, even if the are merely whispered. A few select people of profound faith who hear those, claim to be able to hear the words and mention as them being the forbidden language of angels while others merely hear a profound rumbling along with the sound of a far away bell.

The first word ceases all sound inside the area, causing an absolute and complete, deafening silence, making any kind of verbal communication impossible. Heartbeats of all those inside seem to beat in unison, being the only sound that can be heard. #11 is able to hear the heartbeat of those inside the area and accurately pinpoint their location.

"Sathariel"

The second word causes a blinding light to shine down from the heavens. All darkness is washed away by a flood of divine light and ethereal feathers. Deception becomes utterly impossible inside this area, be it trying to hide or conceal oneself, lie or deceive. Masks — magical, physical, emotional — shatter. #11 seems to be able to move in flickers while inside the area. Like light glancing off a mirror she appears to be just where attention isn’t, seeming to vanish between glances and making targeting, hitting or even keeping up with her as she moves very hard.

"Raziel"

The third word causes all other miracles or supernatural abilities that are not born of true holiness or pure intent to be severely weakened. Those with strong link to the divine claim to feel a tremendous spiritual weight upon hearing the word, a reminder of their origin. Those of unholy or unclear nature are compelled to kneel. Stronger ones are able to resist this effect, but are still impacted by it, becoming slower and sluggish.

"Phanuel"
___________________________
A p p e t i t e L v l :: 4

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

Miwa smiled again as she heard Jazdia's reply. Miwa knew there was more to Jazdia's situation than what she knew, both regarding her curse and the emotional weight she seemed to be carrying but she also knew that trying to get answers before Jazdia felt comfortable to open herself was the worse thing one could be, even if they were trying to help. What Miwa could do though was to simply continuing to show her support.

"Well... I don't know much about arcane texts, but I can try reading and understanding a little too." Miwa said with a chuckle.

It took a bit for them to arrive into their destination. The room where Theriadore's most important works were kept, according to Arcan, had quite a strange design. The bookshelves were set up in a way that seemed to create almost a maze of sorts inside the room, illuminated by a strange cluster of crystals and, most interestingly, a painting with three elves, one of which Miwa assumed was Theriadore himself.

"Whom among them is Theriadore? Each one of them is so different from each other. Their postures, clothes and even their bodies tell, each an entirely different story from one another... Although I assume that despite their many differences, they were all brought together by their love for knowledge and research, am I right?" Miwa asked, glancing towards Arcan as she stopped together with Jazdia to examine the painting for a moment.

While Arcan went ahead with Jazdia to show the pile of books she had asked for, Miwa stood for a bit examining the painting. In a way, seeing those three elves side by side, not even knowing which one of them was Theriadore made the name sound much more... 'alive'. A person instead of just a legend. Despite being undeniably a great genius, responsible for so many incredible things inside the gallery they encountered themselves, Theriadore was not a divine being or something like that. In the end, he was still a person like any other.

After a few moments, Miwa went to where Jazdia was to try and sift through the books for anything that could help them, even if she wasn't able to understand some of the more technical, arcane texts.

Before she could properly begin though, she overheard Arcan himself mentioning that alchemy was forbidden inside that room to Verdant, who had taken a peculiar vial out of her things for a bit. Unsurprisingly, Verdant's reaction to Arcan's words was adorable to say the least, making Miwa let out an amused smile... Until she heard Arcan's words about her heels.

"What do you mean by 'absurdly high-heeled'? They're not that long!" Miwa replied, huffing in a similar way Verdant had just a moment ago, before recomposing herself.

"A-anyways! These are a traditional footwear from where I come, called Geta. They might look a bit uncomfortable but when you get accustomed with them, they are quite practical. The very fact they aren't made of a flexible material means water and dirt won't get flung unto the back of your legs when you're walking in wet terrain. They also help to keep one's feet and clothes, especially longer ones, dry and clean." Miwa explained, using her own skirt as an example when mentioning 'longer' clothes.

"Despite being practical, part of the reason why I wear them is also because they are somewhat of a tradition for young Mikos. Like children, who also wear high-heeled getas instead of normal, shorter heeled ones, young mikos usually wear them to remind them that despite being miko apprentices, they, much like children, still have much to learn." Miwa said, explaining a bit of her culture and some of the traditions from her temple with a satisfied expression.

"See? It has nothing to do with making myself look taller or anything. It's about tradition and practicality!" Miwa said, concluding her explanation despite no one having said anything about her using high-heeled shoes to make herself look taller.

Psychological Horror Fantasy Post-Apocalyptic + Anime (Interest Check)

<Snipped quote by 13org>

Assisting the war machine, and in opposition to the Catholics. I have some withheld information about what they’re doing behind the scenes, but the vagueness is there for players to worldbuild as well. So if you have some ideas? My DMs are open.

@Haha

Perfect!

Still need to think properly about the power itself, but the general idea behind the character would be likely an offensive power that could pass as something of 'religious nature', which would make it and the character itself perfect to be the 'face' of the Russian Orthodox church and a trump card of sorts.

Psychological Horror Fantasy Post-Apocalyptic + Anime (Interest Check)

Handlers are all in some way affiliated with the Church, but they’re free to have their own motives and goals. Being a handler is a very high risk high reward job that are linked to intelligence agencies, with the church banking on their loyalty ultimately being to them. But there’s definitely a possibility of a handler and their # being linked to humanitarian projects if their miracle is more suited to it. When I ran this as a private 1x1, we had a number that was capable of rewinding an object in time and they helped in wartime areas.

@Haha

Last questions, I promise! lol

Regarding these allegiances, how's the relationship between the Orthodox church and the Catholic church? Also, what is the Orthodox church's position regarding Russia's militaristic focus despite the current global crisis?

Psychological Horror Fantasy Post-Apocalyptic + Anime (Interest Check)

This looks VERY cool!
Definitely interested, if you would have me, of course :-)

Quick question: each one of the 'numbers' were spread through the world (except #1), right? Each one with a 'handler' and they were 'created' by the same group/organization

Do they (or their handlers) still have a set allegiance or something after they were spread through the world? Or is it totally possible for one of the numbers be someone employed by US to aid in humanitarian efforts and at the same time, another number being the exact opposite... Something like being part of the Russian Orthodox Clergy, aligned with Russia's militaristic politics?

Kimetsu no Yaiba AU: Temen-ni-Guru (Arc 2)

Daikaku Shrike

---

The mornings on the Daikaku shrine were peaceful and silent. Despite having an incredibly long history, the small shrine was not frequently visited, saving the occasional wandering monk and the few locals, usually elders who preferred the quiet and peaceful atmosphere of the Daikaku shrine compared to bigger, more popular shrines. Much like most of the frequent locals, Kōshin himself didn't mind the silence, but he had to admit that ever since his master had passed away, his morning routines were a bit more silent than they used to.

"Namo Buddhaya. Namo Dharmaya. Namo Sanghaya." Kōshin repeated, the rhythmic cadence of the mantra paying homage to the three jewels of Buddhism bringing calm and peace of mind as he lit the incense sticks in front of the Buddha statue, enshrined at the very center of the Daikaku shrine.

The statue, having been carefully maintained through the years by many different monks, had been there for countless years, it's origin being shrouded in mystery. According to the stories passed down through the monks that took care of the Daikaku shrine, the statue was older than the very temple itself.

With slow and calm movements that were almost second nature to Kōshin, he continued his morning routine. From dusting and maintaining the central statue, sweeping the floors to taking care of the garden outside. Compared to some of his other, more 'serious' duties as the head of the Daikaku shrine, these felt peaceful and gratifying. At first, he thought them as mere, boring 'chores' when he was younger, but as the time passed and his master's teachings were absorbed by him, Kōshin came to appreciate the quiet repetition of these daily chores, which to him, brought a similar peace as the mantras chanted by him and his master on their morning prayers.

Finally done with his daily routine, Kōshin calmly walked to the peach tree in the far corner of the garden, sittind down on the grass by it's shadow. The silence of the shrine, being broken only by the delicate chirps of the sparrows playing and the calming sound of running water leading to small pond had a peaceful, almost ethereal feel to it. Right next to where Kōshin was sitting down, a small, simple stone pagoda marked the place where his master was buried with a few wooden memorial tablets, called itatoba, leaning against the peach tree.

The inscription on the stone pagoda and the memorial tablets, aside from prayers, was a simple one, bearing only his master's title of Roshi along with his full name. Daikaku Hōren. Much like maintaining the shrine itself, sitting in quiet meditation near the place where his old teacher rested became a part of Kōshin's routine. A silent gesture of respect and gratitude for everything Hōren sensei had taught and done for him, only to be interrupted after some time when a ripe peach fell on top of his head.

Laughing, Kōshin grabbed the peach, taking out a big bite and savoring it's delicately sweet taste before he turned to the stone pagoda that marked his master's final resting place.

"'Life is too precious not to be enjoyed.' right, Hōren sensei?" Kōshin said with a smile as he stood up, remembering the words his master often used to say whenever he thought Kōshin was taking things too seriously and forgot to simply enjoy the time he was given on this earth.

"Once again, thank you for everything Daikaku Hōren Roshi." Kōshin said, bowing as he gave a firm knock on the tree's trunk, making another ripe peach fall on his hand before putting it in front of his master's grave.

"You always hated this title, didn't you?" Kōshin said with a chuckle as he walked back to the temple.