Izumi Shinano's page

Spend an hour practicing sword forms beneath the sun. Meditate in silence as you practice, focusing on executing each form more perfectly with each repetition. At the end of your practice, make an offering to your ancestors, and vow that your deeds in the day to come will honor their memory. Gain a +2 sacred bonus to confirm critical hits with any one sword for the next 24 hours. You can use this chosen sword as your divine focus to cast divine spells.

SENTINEL BOONS:
1: Blessed Blade (Sp) magic weapon 3/day, weapon of aweAPG 2/day, or deadly juggernautUC 1/day
2: Dazzling Grace (Su) As a free action, you can surround yourself with a glowing nimbus of sunlight that shines bright light within 60 feet. While so illuminated, you gain a +4 bonus to AC against attacks of opportunity. Enemies who attempt such attacks against you must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC = 10 + 1/2 your Hit Dice + your Constitution modifier) or be dazzled for 1d4 rounds. This does not affect sightless foes. You can maintain this glowing nimbus for a number of rounds per day equal to your Hit Dice (maximum 20 rounds). The rounds in which you manifest the nimbus don’t need to be consecutive, and you can dismiss it as a free action.
3: Swordmaster of the Sun (Su) Once per day as a free action when fighting with any sword, you can cause your blade to glow with increasingly bright golden radiance after every blow you land. After each hit, you gain a +1 sacred bonus on the damage rolls for subsequent blows, cumulative up to a total equal to your Hit Dice. This damage bonus lasts for the duration of the combat or for a number of minutes equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1 minute), whichever is lower. This effect applies only to a single sword; if you fight with two or more weapons, your other weapons are unaffected.

Much of Shizuru’s code overlaps with the warrior code of ichimeiyo, which is so closely aligned with the goddess’s tenets that those outside the faith may perceive no distinction between them. In addition to the tenets of ichimeiyo, the Empress of Heaven’s paragons are expected to obey the following precepts.

• Both my sword and my swordplay have been entrusted to me by those who have mastered their craft, and both deserve to be wielded by a skilled hand. My training will be consistent, and I will impart my training to others, as others passed my training down to me.
• I will honor the ancestors who have come before me and provided for my life.
• Though the bonds of love extend across any distance, I will not stretch them further by separating lovers.
• The Empress rules all under Heaven. I am a guardian of the land and its health, as well as of civilized empires that live upon it. I will defend nature from the twisted influence of undead and aberrations, and seek mutual peace with creatures that defend nature from humanity.
• My personal conduct reflects on my family and my god; I will conscientiously maintain my reputation for the sake of theirs, even on the battlefield.
• The strategy of war involves deception by nature, but the flag of peace is sacrosanct. I accept no negotiations from those who have attacked a foe under the pretense of arbitration or truce for their own gain; they have destroyed the trust that reconciliation requires.

Ichimeiyo is a code for all warriors, one that stresses honor, loyalty to a cause or master, and an absolutely unbreakable will. Ichimeiyo represents the fundamental philosophical foundation for the samurai order of thewarrior, but even applies to ronin who no longer serve a master. This code demands its adherents work constantly to improve themselves— and not merely through the study and constant honing of swordplay. A warrior who is mighty with the sword is still less than one who also devotes study to perfecting a garden or another who spends part of her day in meditation.

Three great precepts dominate ichimeiyo.

The first is “One Body, One Soul,” a directive that the initiates should strive to align their intentions with their actions.

The second is “Honor Is All,” for without honor, a warrior is nothing more than a savage with technique.

The third is, “Without Service, Nothing”: The way of the true warrior is not the way of the noble, and though nobles may walk alongside ichimeiyo, they are permitted actions that would dishonor their servants. To succeed in their study, warriors must align themselves with a master and swear loyalty. If their master dies, they must seek vengeance. If their master dishonors himself or would bring dishonor on the warriors, those sworn to that master may renounce him—and if they do not, they accept the same judgment of fate that awaits their lord.

There are seven virtues of the Bushido.

1. "Gi"-Integrity. To do the right thing by yourself. A Samurai must be smart in making choices and always chose what is good for the clan. He will make the right choice even if left alone. Practice Gi in everything you do.
2. "Yuuki"-Bravery and courage. To show courage every moment of living, in danger or not.
3. "Jin"- Kindness and compassion. To show everyone kindness and show compassion for all regardless.
4. "Rei"- Politeness. Politeness is different in Japan, politeness is more than just being kind, its about caring about others, and some say it borders an almost love-like feeling.
5. "Makoto"- Honesty. Be true by the actions you show, and by the words you speak. Follow the laws of the universe and you will become a honest person.
6. "Meiyo"- To enjoy the honor. A Samurai must earn honor and enjoy it if he is to satisfying the codes of the Bushido.
7. "Chuugi"- To be loyal. To be trustful, loyal, and show these unconditionally to others.

Shizuru’s worship has a strong undercurrent of asceticism. Her priests tend to be remote from the world, seldom actively engaged in the day-to-day lives of those they protect. A priest is perceived as a somewhat distant figure—revered and trusted without question, regarded with a hint of awe, and never treated with casual familiarity.

In part, this notion comes from the highly disciplined and solitary nature of most Shizuran pursuits, which often involve spending extensive time in focused concentration that others are loath to interrupt. Just as Shizuru distracts herself from Tsukiyo’s absence by performing her divine duties, many of her faithful seek an escape from their own haunted pasts and complicated feelings. For such worshippers, it is easier to focus on the simple purity of sword mastery and honorable, selfless service to “the people” as an abstract idea, rather than becoming entangled with closely known and imperfect individuals. Thus, Shizuran priests can come off as haughty and distant when, in fact, they are trying to avoid recreating old pains.

Regardless of their reclusive image, Shizurans are greatly respected in their communities, and are often called upon to deal with danger. Local leaders seldom ask their aid lightly—it is widely, and correctly, believed that Shizuran priests will abandon a community that repeatedly wastes their time on trivial tasks—but a Shizuran priest is considered almost as good as a patron spirit for protection.Wandering priests are also treated with respect, for most assume that a Shizuran would not waste time on aimless travels and must be embarked upon a task of heavenly importance. Locals vie for the honor of hosting and helping such a dignitary, even if they do not care about the underlying righteousness of the mission and want only the bragging rights of having personally assisted the Empress of Heaven. Even the vilest tyrant hesitates to openly strike a Shizuran, since the dishonor that accompanies such an action is catastrophic.

Among the deities that Shizuru interacts with regularly, she is friendly with Abadar, Irori, and Qi Zhong, the god of medicine, as each of these deities plays an important role in the maintenance of just and stable societies. She deeply admires Shelyn, in her guise as the Lady of Chrysanthemums, valuing the grace and beauty that Shelyn confers upon her court. Shizuru rarely crosses paths with Iomedae, but when the two goddesses do chance to meet, their interactions are like those of long-lost cousins. Both deities have much in common, but Shizuru is far older than Iomedae—she is an empress who won her crusade, and now has had to concede to the harsh realities of ruling a functional society. Shizuru regards Iomedae’s zeal with tolerant amusement, yet nurtures a small and rebellious fondness for the Inheritor’s unfettered idealism.

It is easier to identify a Shizuran by his weapon than his dress. Shizuru’s faithful may be wealthy or poor, clad in silks or humble rags, but their blades are always carefully protected, beautifully maintained, and of the finest quality that they can afford. Formal attire within the church is adorned with gold: either golden lamellar armor, wing-shouldered robes of stiff gold silk, or a headband or sash of golden embroidery if the priest is unable to afford more lavish costuming.

Standpoint has a small Tien-Minkai community. The Kaijitsu are the most prominent and prosperous but are not the only settlers from the Far East. The parents of Izumi Shinano followed the Kaijitsu and others. Both her parents were descended from priests without being priests themselves. They laid aside their weapons and traditions and sought to blend in.

On the day of her birth Izumi's, all omens of her birthing day and time were both propitious and ominous. Additionally she was born with the mark of the Sun Goddess Herself. Her parents took great pains to hide their daughter from the community, not knowing what else to do or how such a child would be welcomed... Indeed they saw and heard how another girl, Nualia, was treated and decided that no good could come of any publicity.

She was raised in private, with the girl taking to sword and religious studies with a natural ease, as if relearning forgotten skills. Izumi became fixated on the religious texts and stories of Shizuru. Her family were the caretakers of a blade of near unique craftsmanship - 'Yōkai Tachi-mono', a katana whose pattern wielded construction perfectly melded in cold iron with hardened steel. It had a history of being used for demon (Oni) slaying. It was passed into her care. She is, without much real life experience, fixated on emulating her Goddess, and is devoted to being a living paragon of the Goddess.

She never knew why her parents kept her at home.

That plan was relaxed around four years ago. The Church has long since burned down, and a new one was proposed, and Nualia long dead. Izumi was in her (somewhat) rebellious teen years and decided that she would sneak out of home, albeit with her distinctive birthmark covered. Her appearance was sufficiently human for her strange ancestry to remain a secret. She made a few friends, particularly the inspirational Ameiko Kaijitsu, owner of the Rusty Dragon and a well of exciting adventurous stories.

On her 16th birthday she and her parents received an Angelic visitation. She was called to serve Shizuru directly. As the opening of Sandpoints new Temple is next week, her parents consulted with Father Abstalar Zantus and it was thought that it was appropriate at this time to reveal herself as a new priestess.

Thresholds and Conditions
Source Pathfinder Unchained pg. 136
This rules variant uses three special conditions that apply automatically when a character reaches the corresponding wound thresholds: grazed, wounded, and critical. These conditions are not cumulative—only the most severe one applies at a given time. The disabled and staggered conditions have the same effects as in the core rules, but apply to a wider range of hit point totals, as described below. Unlike grazed, wounded, and critical, the disabled and staggered conditions stack, so a character who is disabled or staggered is still critical as well.

Healthy
A character above her grazed threshold (3/4 of her maximum hit points) is healthy, applying no special modifiers. The character doesn’t gain a condition in this state.

Grazed
A character above her wounded threshold (1/2 of her maximum hit points) but at or below 3/4 of her maximum hit points is grazed. She takes a –1 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks, as well as to AC and caster level.

Wounded
A character above her critical threshold (1/4 of her maximum hit points) but at or below 1/2 of her maximum hit points is wounded. She takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks, as well as to AC and caster level.

Critical
A character at or below 1/4 of her maximum hit points is in critical condition. She takes a –3 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks, as well as to AC and caster level.

Disabled
A character with a Constitution score of 12 or higher who is at or below 0 hit points is disabled until she falls below a number of hit points equal to the negative of her Constitution modif ier. For example, a character with a Constitution score of 18 would be disabled from 0 to –4 hit points and unconscious at –5 hit points. A character with a Constitution score of 11 or lower is disabled only while she has exactly 0 hit points.

Staggered
Instead of being staggered only when their amount of nonlethal damage equals their remaining hit points, characters using this system continue to be staggered from that point until their nonlethal damage exceeds their current hit points by an amount greater than their Constitution bonus, at which point they fall unconscious. A character with a Constitution score of 11 or lower is staggered only when her nonlethal damage exactly equals her current hit point total.

Caster Level Penalties
The penalty to caster level from the grazed, wounded, or critical condition can make it so an injured spellcaster is unable to cast the highest levels of spells she would normally be able to. However, it doesn’t cause her to lose any prepared spells or spell slots. The penalty to caster level also reduces her bonus on concentration checks and lowers the range, duration, and effectiveness of her spells. The penalty can’t make her effective caster level lower than 1.