Wafuu (5e Pantheon)
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Wafuu[edit]
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| A Wafuu Monk "Furumaro" by LuisNCT |
Keiko, the samurai, swings her katana; swiftly severing the head of the Oni raider that assaulted the caravan she was protecting. She sheaths her blade, puts her hands together and mutters a quick prayer to... Kord?
Kiotera, the monk, seeking higher enlightenment travels to the hidden monastery of the mountain priests, fierce Tengu. His goal is to attempt to decipher the scrolls of... Boccob?
No, no, that just doesn't sound right.
For those who want to make their campaign more Seven Samurai than Middle Earth, Wafuu: Japanese Style Deities is for you.
The Deities and mythology presented are based from Japanese Shinto mythology, however they have been altered and tempered with many other myths and stories as well and do not reflect any real world religion.
Musubi and Yomi: Creation Myth[edit]
In the beginning there was Musubi, the Hitorigami or lone goddess. She existed before the Planes, when there was only darkness in the multiverse. Musubi wandered the darkness for an innumerable amount of time, until in her loneliness she gathered parts of the darkness together and created a companion; Yomi.
Finally, being with company, Musubi continued to create, and crafted the Material Plane from her right eye. On it she created, vegetation and animals. She then crafted the races of the world, each endowed with strengths and weaknesses so that they would strive and fall as they saw fit.
She was proud of her creation and tried to share her joy with Yomi. Alas, Yomi was made from darkness, and like the void that created him, he only knew how to consume. He preyed on the inhabitants of the Material Plane, growing fat from their life sources, until many races were driven to extinction. Because of this some races fled under the earth, where Yomi could not reach them, creating colonies there.
Horrified by Yomi's gluttony, Musubi tore Yomi into shreds and scattered his body into the darkness. Then, to try to amend for the lost life she created the Spirit World (Feywild) from her left eye and the spirits of the fallen creatures took refuge there, where their descendants still remain. The scattered parts of Yomi soon gathered to create a similar plane, the Polluted Realm (Shadowfell) which continues to draw on the life force of the Material Plane to this day.
And so the denizens of the Spirit Realm and those who live below the earth are longer lived than those from the surface of the Material Plane, as they experience less influence from the Polluted Realm... or so they say.
Takamagahara: The Myth of the Sun and Moon[edit]
After Musubi had finished crying for her lost companion, she turned down to earth and saw its inhabitants were cold and scared. To keep them warm and protected, Musubi crafted the goddess Izayoi from the brightest stones of the Spirit World, and tasked her with watching over the Material World.
However, Izayoi was a vain goddess, and instead of keeping constant watch, she created a palace for herself above the Material Plane he called Takamagahara (Mount Celestia) and hid away.
Angered by Izayoi's action Musbi crafted the goddess Hirume out of the warm heart of the Material Plane. Hirume drove Tsukiya out of Takamagahara into the darkness, and let her glory spread to light up the Material Plane. However, when she sleeps, Izayoi attempts to return to Takamagahara, wandering across the sky to find it.
And so the Sun rises during the day when Hirume is awake and vigilant, and when she falls a sleep, the Moon creeps across the heavens as Izayoi attempts to return to her lost home... or so they say.
Arakushi: The Myth of the Sea[edit]
At first Hirume was content at her post in Takamagahara. But she soon became lonely and begged Musubi for a sister to keep her company. So, from her breath, Musubi created Arakushi, a loud and boisterous goddess, to keep Hirume company.
However, Arakushi was bored by life in Takamagahara and so one day escaped to the Material Realm.
Enraged, Hirume decended from the heavens to scold Arakushi, but her sheer brilliance set the land of fire, and parched the earth.
Arakushi, was saddened by the suffering of the people of the Material Plane and cried; her tears creating massive puddles that put out the fires but threatened to drown the land.
Sensing the chaos caused by her daughters, Musubi intervened. She demanded that Hirume return to Takamagahara with the condition that Arakushi would also return.
And so the pools of tears from Arakushi became the seas of the Material Planes, and the flames from Hirume's decent can still be evoked on the Material Plane today. When Arakushi becomes bored in Takamagahara, she sometimes runs back to the Material Plane causing storms with her footsteps... or so they say.
The Great Dieties[edit]
Musubi: Also known as the Hitorigami or sometimes the Blind Goddess. Goddess of creation and mother of all.
Yomi: Also known as the Devourer or the Sleeping God. The god of death and hunger.
Izayoi: Also known as the Wanderer. The goddess of the moon, darkness, exiles and evil doers.
Hirume: Also known as Lady Sun. The goddess of the sun, duty, honor and fire.
Arakushi: Also known as the Storm Maiden. The goddess of the sea, storms and freedom.
Amaterasu: The Goddess of the Sun, her full name is Amaterasu-Ō-Mi-Kami and means "Great Goddess" or "Great Spirit Who Shines in the Heavens"; for many reasons she considered one of the primary deities in the pantheon
Inari: Best known for her true form of a white fox with nine tails, she is a trickster deity who also holds dominion over the rice harvests. The kitsune, and their fully matured Kyubi (A kitsune that has obtained nine tails), are said to be her agents at times. Despite her trickster title and associations, Inari is also well-known for her willingness to help those truly in need, some stories even tell of her having the ability to see through deceptions. Just like her agents, the kitsune and kyubi, Inari has the ability to mask her form and project illusions, it also said she was the first to discover the power of fire that the kitsune are said to wield, known as the kitsune bi (literally translates to Fox Fire) and teach the kitsune this trick. While kitsune transformations are noticeably imperfect to those actually paying attention, it is said that Inari's transformations and illusions are so great that they can trick even gods that are keeping an eye out for things that are a bit off.
Lesser Gods[edit]
After the creation of Takamagahara, many others soon joined the ranks of the gods, either being birthed from the beliefs of those on the Material Plane, or mortals becoming such exemplars of a certain quality that they gained the favor of one of the Great Deities or earning enough fame or fear to become immortalized in belief.
Hachihata: Goddess of honorable war. Patron god of humans.
Yagokoro: God of knowledge and pursuit of perfection. Creator of magic.
Oinari: God of foxes, trickery, crafting and protector of the weak.
Karsumi: Goddess of trickery, forbidden knowledge and lies.
Gakki: God of dishonorable war, unclean death and the undead.
Yama: God of judgement, death and keeper of the gates of the Polluted Realm.
Bakufu: Goddess of civilization, agriculture and wealth.
Kazan: God of rage, stone, fire and volcanos.
Sugoroku: Goddess of gambling, luck and games.
Kamen: God of thieves, disguises and acting. Writer of stories, half truths and legends.
Bakushou: God of laughter, sake, drunkenness and luck.
Tobira: God of doors and pathways.
Kunitsu-kami (Earthly Gods)[edit]
When Musubi created the Material Plane and the Spirit world, she also inadvertently created the nature spirits that inhabit them. These spirits, if they become strong enough, can be considered gods and protectors of certain geographical locations earning the name Kunitsu-Kami or Earthly Gods. The Material Realm and the Spirit World each have a respective Great Earthly God in charge of the Lesser Earthly Gods
Saruhiko: Great Earthly God of the Material Realm.
Kakusu: Great Earthly God of the Spirit World.
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