Amatsukami

Pantheon Name:	Amatsukami
Pronunciation:	Ah-mah-tsu-kah-me
Origins:	Japanese mythology/ Shintoism
Leader/Ruler:	Amaterasu
Overworld:	Takamagahara
Virtues:	Duty, Endurance, Intellect and Valor
Purview:	Tsukumo-gami

The Amatsukami is the pantheon of the Shinto gods of Japan; they play an active role in Scion. Working through rules and social niceties, they seek to protect the natural world above all else.

Their Overworld is a heavenly plain known as Takamagahara, which is surrounded and besieged by Soku-no-Kumi, Greater Titan of Darkness. Their Underworld is a network of caverns known as Yomi.

History

Although the Amatsukami claim to have been around forever, other pantheons more realistically estimate them to be the third-oldest pantheon of the main six, between the Dodekatheon and the Aesir in age.

Nature

Reflecting their origins as nature gods, the Amatsukami are the sole pantheon of the main six dedicated to the natural world and its effect on everything. Wind and sand can wear down a mighty fortress in time, or a wave can wash away the largest city in minutes. Above all, balance is supreme to the gods of Japan; day must be followed by night, floods by drought, life by death.

No pantheon understands better than the Amatsukami that the minor pulling of a string in one place can unleash a torrent of effects elsewhere. In addition, no pantheon is as patient as the Amatsukami. While the other gods plunge into battle with a quick strategy and the simple goal of taking out as many of the enemy as possible, the Amatsukami are more than happy to let the enemy wear themselves down before striking a simple but effective blow.

Relationships

While the slow-but-perfect approach is a romantic ideal to take, the other pantheons seem to scoff at the Amatsukami's methods. Often, the gods of Japan will take so long to implement a plan that they miss their opportunity to effect anything at all. They are also perfectionists, almost to an extreme, and while the Amatsukami make sure every last detail is accounted for, the other Pantheons have long since gone their own way. However, when an Amatsukami plan works, it works very well, and so it seems that they are worth listening to for something, even if it takes next-to-forever to come about.

Members

• Amaterasu: Goddess of the sun and Queen of the Heavenly Plain, fascinated by grace and beauty.
• Hachiman: Lord of war, fishing nets, and fertile fields, he brings change and practicality.
• Izanagi: The first man and lord of the sky, he is depressed by the loss of his beloved wife.
• Izanami: The first woman and Queen of the Underworld, she bears a grudge against the other Amatsukami.
• Raiden: Lord of thunder and lightning, he is as boorish as he is powerful.
• Susano-o: Lord of sea and storms, he lives for excitement and danger.
• Tsuki-yomi: God of the moon, he is a messenger who brings periodical inspiration to others.

Secondary Members

• Anaboko Yami: God of darkness, and former Scion of Amaterasu.
• Gimui Kuromizuhime: Goddess of the ocean depths, also known as the Dutiful Princess of Black Water. A former Scion of Susano-o.
• Himiko: A legendary Keeper of the World, a shaman-queen who ruled the state of Yamataikoku in Wa (ancient Japan). She is also the mother of the God Hachiman.
• Inari: God of rice and goddess of food; they share one identity between two forms.
• Ryujin: God of the sea; he appears as a giant, large-mouthed dragon. He controls the tides with the aid of two sacred jewels. The gem Kanju ebbs the tides and the gem Manju swells the tides. His daughter Otohime was the mother of Emperor Jimmu, the legendary first Emperor of Japan; this makes Ryujin an ancestral spirit of the Japanese Imperial Family.
• Sarutahiko Okami: God of crossroads and guardian of the Bridge of Heaven.
• Tenjin: God of scholarships.

References

• Scion: Scion: Hero, p. 92 -97