Primal Spirits

Elementals

The Elemental Court

A group of ageless guardians of nature formed by elemental spirits, building bodies of essence to maintain themselves, the Elemental Court tried to keep a singular hold on the wilds of Kerios. But, in time, they ran afoul of a foe that they’d severely underestimated; in crossing the Fae, they brought the wrath of Lord Oberon upon themselves. The King of Shadows’ spite was a driving factor behind the Fae journeying to Kerios. He hunted and beat back the Elemental Court until they submitted to the Faeries. To ensure the safety of his peoples, Oberon cunningly tricked their leaders into binding their people to the ancient Fae laws. Thus the Elemental Court was now restricted by the same rules as the Faeries, giving the Fae an advantage as they better understood Lith’s magics as a whole. The Elemental Court has mostly embraced the wild nature of the Fae, especially amongst the younger spirits in their ranks, but a bitterness remains, and Kerians often warn against mistaking a member of the Elemental Court for a fae.

Kami

Taking physical matter from the unearthly mists of Furusato’s spirit world, the Kami are entities of pure elemental essence, or elements attuned with light. These beings can manifest as tiny humanoids of a strange color, they can inhabit objects, or even simply take on a spectral form. Kami are each viewed as a god of something, no matter how small, a single plant, or a single shrine. They are not necessarily good, but they are rarely outright hostile unless provoked. Kami are a staple of Furusatoen life, and they wield the power of one or more element to reinforce their magics. They can grant this power to those who commune with them, and can even be summoned with that power by skilled magic users, such as Onmyoji. They are similar to the Fae, in that they do not dissipate easily, and most Kami are thousands of years old.

The Ryū

The remains of the Jade Imperial Dragon, an ancient being that defended Furusato, the Ryū emerged from their forbearer’s corpse when the Jade Dragon was slain in a pitched battle against Gothrag that resulted in the dragon severely wounding the god for a time. The Ryū began as eight dragons, the Shadow Dragon, the Luck Dragon, the Sea Dragon, the Rain Dragon, the Stone Dragon, the Snow Dragon, the Fire Dragon, and the Moon Dragon, but over the years Kage-Ryū and Iwa-Ryū, dragons of shadow and stone respectively have been defeated or their essences otherwise rendered inactive. The remaining six watch over Furusato and the Kami that serve them, wielding nature itself in their claws and imbuing mystical weapons with that same power. Through their movements flows energy, and they use that to teach others how to wield that movement and energy in combat as well. The Ryū are unique among Primal Spirits in their power of Reincarnation. When defeated, a Ryū transforms into a large pearl that is nearly impossible to even scratch, slowly regaining essence while in this state. They can also allow a spirit to inhabit a newborn’s body instead of going to the Lands Beyond Life, a secret power known and used only by them on particularly worthy mortals. They are also responsible for approving an Emperor, and bestowing his authority.

The Sovereigns

Much like the Elemental Court, Sovereigns cloak themselves in essence. Though unlike the Court, they acted not as overlords of their domain, but as emissaries of it, speaking for the sky, storms, or fire. They are elemental energy in humanoid form, channeling and containing their immense power through focus and discipline. They were once the servants of the Jade Dragon, but after its fall, the Ryū were not strong enough to protect all of Ithuan from the threat of Gothrag, so the Sovereigns took the responsibility of defending nature and acting as a voice for it on the mainland while the remains of their lord watched over Furusato. The Sovereigns are lead by Oka Raldar, Daughter of Dawn and Dusk, and her parents, Lunaris, Sovereign of the Night, and Solaris, Sovereign of the Light.

Yōkai

Formed of chaotic elemental energy that cloaks itself in flesh or is tainted by darkness, yōkai take many forms. Among these the most terrifying are souls that had an element engrained into them upon death, such as the Icy, suffering Yuki-Onna. As well, those corpses inhabited by elemental spirits such as the massive skeletal Gashadokuro or the rigid, soul-eating, vampiric Kyōnshi. But more common are tainted elemental beings like Oni or Nue that take on a chaotic and twisted form due to exposure to dark magic or strong negative emotions, especially negativity carried by a whole group of people. These kinds of emotions both create yōkai and call the monsters to feast. While not all yōkai are pure evil, it’d be a mistake to disregard the circumstances of their creation and the danger that that can create. Similar to kami, yōkai can also be summoned and controlled by Onmyoji.