Yomi was the Realm of Blessed Ancestors. Those mortals who had fulfilled their destinies and their kharma were allowed to enter this realm upon their deaths. [1]
Shiryo[]
Life within Yomi was essentially an idealized form of the life of a samurai. Warfare took place as a thing of demonstrations and tests of skill. They performed the various arts of courtly debate, artistic development, and erudite scholarship. Many shiryo tried to commune with their mortal descendents because their actions mattered in Ningen-do more than anywhere else. Some of them chose to depart Yomi and be reborn back into the mortal world once more. [2]
Features[]
Yomi was a land of expansive samurai holdings, with beautiful natural features and a multitude of palaces, shrines, and dojo, as the Dojo of the One True Blade. The Path to Heaven, a titanic mountain, and the Wall, bordering Jigoku, were other two unique features of the realm. [3]
Connection to other Realms[]
Yomi bordered very closely to Ningen-do, and the ancestors regularly crossed over to provide guidance and support to their descendants as shiryo. This was one of the realms to which Oblivion's Gate opened. [4] It also shared close bonds with Jigoku and Meido. However Meido was close to Yomi purely as home for the souls of the departed. [5] Those who dwelled in Yomi were protected from the Taint despite its close connection to Jigoku. [6] Sakkaku and Chikushudo were far away, and there were no realms truly closed to Yomi. [5]
Defenders of Yomi[]
Yomi also served as a defensive buffer zone between Tengoku and other realms, since the bridge to the Celestial Heavens came from Yomi. [7] The defenders of Yomi were the Blessed Guard, where selected spirits joined. [8] They heavily patrolled the regions that bordered Jigoku. [5] The guard liberated Yokai from Jigoku with the aid of members of the Kitsu race, imprisoning them within Yomi. Many damned souls came to understand their failure while imprisoned, and then went on to Meido to be reincarnated and redeem themselves. [9]
Passage[]
The sacred Hall of Ancestors had a permanent passage to Yomi, cared by the Sodan Senzo. Another passage, Oblivion's Gate, was destroyed during the War Against Shadow. [5]
Control[]
Those who belonged to Yomi could be known because their brilliant aura that surrounded them. The aura was linked to an individual's honor, and became brighter as the person acted in a more honorable fashion. [5]
Other Inhabitants[]
The Elemental Dragons gifted the enlightened shugenja of Yomi with the presence of kami, which were less enigmatic than their counterparts in Ningen-do. Shutsudohin, spirit beings which once were part of a currently destroyed nemuranai, also dwelled there. [10]
References
- ↑ Fortunes & Winds, p. 56
- ↑ Secrets of the Empire, pp. 217-218
- ↑ Fortunes & Winds, p. 62
- ↑ Fortunes and Winds, p. 7
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Fortunes & Winds, p. 57
- ↑ Way of the Shadowlands, p. 34
- ↑ Secrets of the Empire, p. 217
- ↑ L5R RPG & Rokugan d20 - A Hero's Death, by Rich Wulf and Shawn Carman
- ↑ Fortunes & Winds, p. 61
- ↑ Fortunes & Winds, pp. 60-61
The sources relating to this article are in conflict with each other. |
| The Four Wind p.154 indicate that Oblivion's Gate was the only passage to Yomi, but also say that The Needle's Eye can connect other spirit realm with the exception of Tengoku and Jigoku. |
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