Empowered by shards of ancient divinity, Awakened beings stalk the shadows of this world. The Mononoke, spirit gods born from nature, hunt in the night, and behind the scenes, the vile Aramitama make blasphemous bargains and devour the souls of mortals. Only the godhunters, men and women empowered by the same strength of essence that fuels these beasts. Wielding the forces of magic, transcendent martial arts, inhuman powers, and the weapons and armor of the gods themselves, they must delve into the strange, supernatural mysteries of this modern world to protect us all from the rise of the Avatar of Ruin.

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Sixteen years ago, roaring fires engulfed each and every shrine and sacred place across the islands of Japan in an event officially termed the Japanese Synchronous Inferno. The destruction was widespread and complete. Nothing was spared. Since then, the people have Japan have rebuilt many of their temples, cemeteries, and and historical landmarks, but the disaster has lived on in the hearts and minds of the people. Commonly known as "Purgatory Night," the event triggered something, and since that time, rumors spread of more and more strange occurrences. Japan has changed, and even the mundane people feel it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:16, Fri 20 Jan 2017.

The world of the Awakened has existed in the shadows of ours for hundreds, if not thousands of years. The knowledge of Mononoke and Aramitama and the need to fight them (and the potential profits to be made from doing so) have given rise to many powerful secret orders, sects, cults, and shadowy organizations. While godhunters generally control and lead these factions, they are not alone. Inheritors and mortal magi, people descended from the interminglings with spirits, demons, and powerful sorcerers, also dwell in the dark.

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Demon Hunter Society - Based in the old capital of Kyoto, the Society was born from the cooperation of ancient Buddhist, Shinto, and Onmyoudou sects, each putting aside their differences to come together for the common goal of purging the influence of dark spirits from their land. Headed by eight families, each tracing its lineage back a venerable samurai clan, the society exists to purge Japan of the evil that would infest it.

Knights Templar - A secretive branch of the Catholic faith, the Knights are the church's militant left hand, deployed in secret to cleanse the world of unholy abominations. These righteous men and women wield holy powers and blessed steel to purify demons (and those who would bargain with them) in fire.

Mages Association - An international association of practitioners of the arcane, the association is a largely informal body of colleagues and associates who share research and information. While they do not represent a cohesive force in the world, their reach is large and their resources many. They try to remain neutral in the political affairs of the Awakened, but that isn't always true . . .

Department of the Environment, Special Provisions - Based in Tokyo, the "Special Provisions" branch of the ministry is ostensibly just another branch of the Japanese government, but is, in actuality, dedicated to the protection of Japanese interests from supernatural threats. The men and women of SpecProv investigate and, if necessary, eliminate, supernatural creatures abusing the Japanese people.

Freelancers - Unaffiliated godhunters who take dealing with the awakened into their own hands. For whatever reason, they reject the larger, traditional associations of the awakened. Technically, this classification doesn't include the numerous, smaller groups of Awakened such as the Heilong assassin cabal or the Arkham association, but the degree to which any particular Godhunter recognizes the legitimacy of such groups varies greatly.