Children of Amaterasu
The Children of Amaterasu
Basic Information
Village: None. Loosely affiliated with both Sunagakure and Konohagakure
Founder: Sasageru Amamiya
Eldest Child: Sasageru Shiriya
- Eldest Fire: Sasageru Matsuri
- Eldest Light: Sasageru Yoshina
- Eldest Life: Sasageru Tendo
Age: Ancient. The Children of Amaterasu existed in some form before the appearance of Chakra, but only in their present state for four hundred and fifty years.
Status (Suna and Konoha): Well known.
Status (Elsewhere): Obscure.
Bloodline: None
Element: Fire
History
- Chapter 1: Origins and the Deep Night
The Children of Amaterasu are an ancient religious organisation that has existed for millennia, often nomadically, chasing the sun as a physical representation of the power and majesty of Amaterasu. Originating from a primitive sun-cult that disdained all other deities in favour of solar worship. They chased the sun and resided in the hottest and most tropical regions of the Elemental Nations, building shrines to Amaterasu wherever they stopped for the season. With the introduction of Chakra and the sudden end of war, the Children of Amaterasu decreed Chakra to be their goddesses’ divine gift to humanity, in opposition to the worship of the Rabbit Goddess that emerged around the same time. Under the new dominant religion the Children of Amaterasu were discriminated against and hunted, withdrawing into the wilderness to escape persecution. The numbers of the sun-cult waned dramatically during this time, though the cult defied the expectations of many and refused to die out completely; modern members of the cult ascribe this to the teachings of the Elder Child, who taught that despite all the power of the Rabbit, the Eye of Amaterasu still reigned supreme over all creation. The age of persecution ended with the death of the Rabbit Goddess, the ways of chakra being released to the rest of the world in an act that the Children interpreted as their deity’s blessing for their fortitude and loyalty in the face of adversity. Since then the Rabbit Goddess has been elevated to the mythos of the Children as servant of the gods, a human who was elevated to heaven for her nobility. But her heart was corrupted by envy at the sight of the Goddess’s majesty and she sought to be her equal, stealing her gift and holding it for herself. Amaterasu descended from heaven and restored the honour of the thief’s clan by enlisting her sons, and together they sealed the thief away to a prison that will last for all eternity.
- Chapter 2: Dawn; The Blessing of Amaterasu
As the teachings of Ninshu and Ninjutsu began to take root in many settlements throughout the world the Children’s numbers grew to their pre-persecution state, their power vastly exceeding anything it had been before as the cult joyfully welcomed and experimented with Amaterasu’s blessing of Chakra. It surprised none that the Children were instinctually talented in the art of wielding and manipulating fire, the purest form of Amaterasu in the physical world. At this point the goals of the organisation changed; instead of converting the whole world to the worship of Amaterasu the cult directed their greatest efforts towards understanding the nature of Chakra and fire in an attempt to become closer to their goddess. Abandoning their wandering lifestyle in favour of monastic shrine-centric worship, the Children of Amaterasu established a monastery and shrine in the Land of Wind where they had the strongest following. Their shrine was constructed on a sacred site where the sun was never hidden by cloud or rain, completed as the Summer Solstice waxed. As the Era of Warring States began in earnest, many wandering shinobi and samurai prayed to Amaterasu at the Children’s Shrines and gave offerings to the sun goddess in exchange for her favour in battle. Superstitious clan leaders ordered their forces to avoid damaging the shrines for fear of heavenly reprisal, and so for the most part the Children were untouched by the constant warring. Those that did risk damage to the holy place soon found their forces under threat from vengeful Children with a need to defend their home bordering on zealotry, burning hostile intruders to ash with feats of fire manipulation unlike any other save perhaps the Uchiha.
- Chapter 3: Noontime; Amaterasu’s Radiance
The Time of Stability is marked by the Children at the construction of the second shrine in the Land of Fire. Not as grandiose or central to the beliefs of the Children as their home in the Land of Wind, the Fire Shrine is nonetheless a place of supreme significance to the Children and a mark of respect to the fire-natured people who populate the temperate land. The leaders of the Land of Fire, the second-strongest of the countries in the faith, welcomed the Children’s economy and outreach projects into their land. As the years passed the Children of Amaterasu engaged in multiple events, functions and festivals with both villages. In time both shinobi populations came to the Children’s shrines much like they did in the Era of Warring Clans to learn the finer points of fire manipulation and to pay homage to the Lady of the Sun. The power and wealth of the Children continued to grow, enjoying a profitable and neutral relationship between the two Great Nations.
- Chapter 4: Dusk; The End of Light
For decades, the world stood in its patterns and routines, occasionally jarred by international tensions but for the most part static and stable. With the destruction of Konoha at the hands of the terrorist organisation Akatsuki this changed in an instant. The Children poured considerable effort into the reconstruction of their friend Konoha, with many of the Children born to the Land of Fire demanding that the cult go to war against the Akatsuki. However, the Eldest Child counselled against war, and eventually placated those injured by the destruction of Konoha with patience and aid shipments. Though not directly targeted by the attack, the momentary conflict drained the coffers of the cult substantially and shifted the internal balance of the Children. With some clinging to the old ways and others suggesting a more active stance regarding world affairs, the leadership of the cult was torn apart. Instead of taking advantage of their goodwill and recouping some of their losses, the Children stagnated and were caught completely unprepared when the next word-shaking event took place: The Kumogakure Blitz. The lightning-fast strike caught the Children completely unprepared while the Elder Child and Elder Fire were travelling between shrines. Instead of attacking the Children, the Kumo forces were sent merely to prevent the Children from taking action against Kumogakure in their attacks against Suna and Konoha. With the Elder Child and the Elder Fire gone presumed dead, the Children were leaderless and helpless to resist against the might of the empire. Confined to their shrines and forbidden to travel, the Children could only pray to Amaterasu for salvation and the strength to fight back against the ninja who trespassed on their sacred ground. At length even the supreme commander of the NCIA visited the Children’s shrine in the Land of Wind desert to pay his respects to the heavenly Kami, declaring himself Raijin’s Champion and closer to their goddess than any of the Children were. The insult given by the Raikage, although unintentional, sent the Children into a burning frenzy. Consumed by rage they attacked and were torn apart by the Raikage and his bodyguard, the population and leadership of the Desert Shrine further depleted. In their weakened state, the Children were unable to assist in the overthrowing of the Kumogakure Empire, and had to be liberated by the shinobi of their respective countries. A pair of pacts were struck between the Children and the two Hidden Villages, loosely tying their militaries together to prevent such a tragedy from happening ever again.
- Chapter 5: Present Day and the Portents of the Endless Night
As the Kumogakure Empire imploded without the leadership of its commander and top general, the Children of Amaterasu attempted to recover. Their leadership had been splintered by the disappearance of the Eldest Child and Eldest Fire, further hindered by the lack of communication between the two shrines. Both shrines had attempted to prevent further fragmentation, appointing an Eldest Child, Fire, Light and Life from their own ranks fearing the complete destruction of their siblings. The re-joining of the two shrines nearly exploded into civil war, with each nation’s Children arguing that their choices for the cult’s leadership were more worthy. In the end a compromise was reached in the form of a tournament, leaders from each shrine displaying their devotion to Amaterasu’s arts by their skill. Once again reunited, the Children worked to rebuild their shrines, their library, sacred relics and texts. Hoping for a time of peace following the demise of the NCIA and its tyrant Raikage, the Children were disappointed by the destruction of Kusagakure, mounting tensions between their two closest allies and the emergence of Yokai. The last in particular was seen as a troubling sign, a portent of darker days to come. Since the emergence of Yokai the Children have been training their Children of Fire to be stronger and more effective than ever before, actively sharing the most mundane of their secrets in an effort to prepare the world for Amaterasu’s return in battle against the forces of Hell.
Organisational Culture and Doctrine
The Children of Amaterasu are a close-knit cult, more like a church or a traditional Shinto shrine than a true cult. However, the group has always been described as a cult for eschewing the worship of all other deities and over time the name has become intrinsic to the organisation as a whole. They begin every morning at dawn to watch Amaterasu’s triumph over her rival and brother Tsukuyomi, and pray at noon when the sun’s passage reaches its peak. They undergo a period of ritual mourning at sunset, a ceremony which includes songs of lamentation and despair. Every action taken by a Child of Amaterasu must in some way bring them closer to the sun goddess herself, through mastery of fire, creation of life and growth or some other discipline reflecting a facet of Amaterasu’s divine character.
All Children of Amaterasu share the same family name, ‘Sasageru’, meaning ‘devoted’, or ‘sacrificed’. Those born into the cult never have another name, but those who are converted to the sun worship are required to forsake their clan and identity, being reborn in fire as a Child. The Children also perform charity and goodwill work with nearby villages and travellers, using these opportunities to seek new converts and the resources necessary to maintain their shrine and way of life. These offerings take all forms, from food and water to money to orphaned children who cannot be cared for by their villages.
Internally, the Children of Amaterasu are led by the eldest and wisest of their number, the Eldest Child who is the only member of the cult in none of its three factions. Though not necessarily a title given to the literal oldest member of the cult, the title does reflect the accumulated experience and power of the bearer. After the Eldest Child, the cult is divided into its different specialties, named for which facet of the goddess they represent. Fire Children are the warriors, those chosen by Amaterasu to be her swords and her shields. They are masters of fire manipulation, capable of reducing almost anything to ashes. The Light are the merciful ones of the Children, those that undertake missionary and diplomatic work for the cult. Generous, gracious and charismatic, the Light Children are the face of the cult. The final subgroup inside the cult are the Life. Life Children are responsible for the upkeep of the shrines and cult itself, managing the stores, resources and offerings. Generally considered the simplest of the three branches, the Life are the most numerous and vital to the continued operation of the Children as a whole. The leaders of the three congregations (the Eldest Fire, Eldest Light and Eldest Life) form the advisors of the Eldest Child and have full authority in the event that the Eldest Child is unable to lead.
Politically, the Children of Amaterasu have close relations with the two nations that accommodate their shrines, the Countries of Fire and Wind. Since the Kumogakure Invasion this relationship has only become stronger through mutual danger. At this point both villages have the right to requisition one Child of Fire to join their standing military, though that individual’s ultimate loyalty is known to reside with the Children. Ethically and morally, the cult attempt to always treat humans as Amaterasu has treated them; with compassion and care, but also as one would treat a small child. The Children of Amaterasu generally see people not part of their system as sad, uneducated and unenlightened minds who have not been as blessed as they. Well-meaning they may be, but their apparent condescension and arrogance has made them more than a few enemies in both government and hidden villages. But for the most part, their outreach programs and welfare contributions are enough to mollify all but the most militant detractors. Inside the cult, the Children treat each other with respect and happiness, society inside the walls of their monastery taking on a kind of controlled hedonism. As Amaterasu is the goddess of life, the sun and creation her devotees frequently hold grand celebrations of life itself. There are very few laws inside the shrine of the Children, most of those that do exist to prevent injuries and petty grievances inside the family.
Finally, though it is rare indeed, there are that attempt to leave the cult whilst retaining possession of the secrets the Children have discovered. In the time since the Kumo Blitz and the Eldest Child realised just how vulnerable the Children were to direct, large scale assaults. Under the Eldest Child’s direct supervision a fourth subcategory of Child was created, a category which draws from the other three equally. Named the Shadow by the Eldest Child, the Shadows handle the internal security of the cult. Composed entirely of Children from other disciplines, Shadows work in their primary designation and only undertake Shadow work when required. The only Children who know of the existence of the Shadows are the four highest-ranking members of the congregation, the Eldest Child and their advisors. Unlike the other divisions, the Shadows do not have an Eldest to represent them. Matters must be dire to involve them, and when they are called in they prefer to destroy all vestiges of the threat completely to prevent it from resurfacing at a later time.
Organisation Rules
1. The Children of Amaterasu have three slots open at any one time. If your character wishes to join the Children, contact Peregine. Applicants should have a tendency towards fire (whether in elemental affinity, heritage or personality).
2. Characters wishing to enter the Children of Amaterasu must have at least one of the following skills: Merciful, Self-Defence, Defender or Protector. Characters wishing to enter the Children of Amaterasu may NOT have the skills Sealed Ninjutsu, Sealed Genjutsu, Fear of Fire (or other fire-phobic skills), Poor Chakra Moulding or Unsavoury Chakra.
3. Characters attempting to leave the Children without the express permission of the Eldest Child will be captured, confined and kept under permanent house arrest. Further attempts to escape will result in execution.
4. Children-exclusive skills, items and techniques may only be taught/transferred to other characters with the express permission of the Eldest Child or Eldest Fire. Those that break this rule will be confined to house arrest, and the student captured and given the choice of conversion or execution.
5. Yokai are considered to be abominations of the highest order; no Yokai Jinchuuriki my ever be allowed to become a Child of Amaterasu or learn any of their skills or techniques. All Yokai and Yokai Jinchuuriki are considered hostile and will be avoided or attacked on sight unless specifically ordered otherwise by the Eldest Child or Kage they answer to.
Current Children
[[[Sasageru Kagura]]]
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