Mai

The land of Mizuho on the continent of Zenith (Heylel).

Military

Madomura Household Guard
Shinto Samurai trained to fight Angels.

Izayoi Ninja Clan
A secret force that foiled the second Shogunate and retained to this day, in secret.

Madomura Shingin and Suigin Retainers
Elite warriors who, like many warriors could cast no shadow into the Umbra. They give up their souls to be bound into giant suits of armour.

Armed Shrine Maidens

Reiwan

Reiwan is an animistic belief system holding all aspects of the universe, from the grand orbits of celestial bodies to the minute operations of clockwork, accountable to a nigh infinite variety of gods and spirits. The foundation of the religion rests on respect, gratitude and assistance to these spirits so that they properly conduct their affairs and thereby promote the proper functioning of the cosmic order. To this end, Reiwan's clerics act as intermediaries between the divine and profane, observing a vast set of spiritual practices ranging from daily rituals to arcane ceremonies and public festivals of considerable scope and scale. Included among these are rituals meant to obtain sorcerous effect. In addition to being one of the main faiths of the Zenith Empire, the Reiwan is also a major source of magical training and served the imperial court and its satraps as astrologers and time keepers.

The clerics of Reiwan are the shrine maidens. Their fundamental purpose is to act as an intermediary with the spirit realm – a formalized order of shamans tracing roots to the disparate spiritualistic practices of Zenith's many races and cultures. While members of the public may be called to donate, sacrifice or participate in festivals, Reiwan is not a populist religion and attendance of day to day functions by the general public is neither expected nor encouraged. The duty of the shrine maidens as spiritual intermediaries is consecrate – the role of shaman is not one easily played by just anybody and many positions pass in a hereditary fashion.

Aside from festivals, most core ceremonies are conducted at shrines ranging in size from tiny roadside eaves to massive walled complexes of interconnected prayer halls, sub-shrines, pagodas and reliquaries. While shrines are built with the presumption that even great divinities can portion and inhabit a proxy object or location, some facilities are constructed to encompass entire holy locations and thus cover considerable acreage.

History

Reiwan began coalescing after the Four Great Dragons' ascension from Arth and also recognized the role of the great elemental spirits, the Primals, in resisting the Angels. The empire's rapid expansion across the Zenith continent demanded accelerated recovery of its hinterlands, especially in the growth of forests, as well as taming land and water for the use of the disparate races as the empire struggled to administer each group a parcel of territory. Following the capitol's destruction, most of Reiwan's oldest surviving shrines are equal part places of worship and geomantic public works; the power of the spirits turned towards irrigation, forestry or fertility.

Shrines

Meridian Style

The oldest grand shrines of Reiwan were built to honor the Four Great Dragons, Azurdeena (posthumously), Atma, and the other Primals who directly battled the Angels in defense of the empire. These early sites predate the present day styles of Reiwan religious architecture, resembling palace architecture popular in the former capitol. They were large, ostentatious structures built largely of stone and often with significant underground portions and exacting specifications in architectural workmanship and geomancy. Following the reign of Azurdeena each Zenith Emperor or Empress has, as a matter of tradition, commissioned or had posthumously commissioned on their behalf, a shrine dedicated to their spirit. These are known as the Imperial Personage Shrines and were once located east of Meridian. From the tail end of the Imperial Expansion onwards, personal posthumous shrines started to be commissioned for other persons of note in the capitol. The construction of these August Personage Shrines accelerated in subsequent eras, sometimes starting before the dedicatee was even born. At the height of the empire, there were so many that an entire district was set aside for them. Many satraps followed suit in this tradition on a smaller scale in the capitols of their own domains and some retained Meridian style architecture for this purpose. These consist of most of the Meridian style "temple-like" shrines still extant after the destruction of the capitol. Despite the grandeur of some of these personal shrines, they are not tombs and do not inter remains. The spirit proxy enshrined is usually some personal relic from life.

Expansion Style

The next wave of shrine construction saw Reiwan concern itself with the recovery and development of land, raising countless shrines across the countryside of Zenith during the Imperial Expansion to enshrine terrestrial and weather spirits. Many of these sites are still active both as places of worship and as geomantic public works concerned with irrigation, harvest, forestry and such matters. These tend to be the largest shrines and are often located in surprisingly remote areas as their effects are measureable and far-ranging.