So, I don't have the patience to write an original story, as much as I want to, but while rewatching Naruto for nostalgic purposes, thinking about the fact you could change 'ninja' for a lot of ill-defined professions and change little, and trying to run multiple ttrpg campaigns, this weird idea got stuck in my head. Maybe I could get momentum and writing practice by rewriting a pre-existing story, but with its magic-system and cosmology swapped out for that of another work (or several). Anyway, this will follow the general plot of Naruto, though abilities, combat sequences, and the background will be radically unrecognizable, and thus might deviate in narrative as things go on, though I make no promises. Chakra will be replaced with supernatural abilities based on Scions, World of Darkness, Fireborn, Deadlands, and possibly a few more things if they come up. Enjoy.
--
Mikaboshi's Darkness struck the Land of Heroes directly. Many wondered where the Gods had gone; a Titan Lord, here, and none of them to be seen. However, after much brutality and the loss of men who otherwise would have become legends, the current Great Kunitsokami brought the beast down; unfortunately, he did not know how to kill it, and, besides, many of the old texts claimed that killing a Titan Lord would have disastrous consequences for the Middle World. Instead, at the cost of much power and even his own life, the Kunitsokami managed to seal the creature into an infant.
The Village Hidden in Legends was saved, but only after much ruination. The infant, left an orphan by the attack, could not truly grow up without the stigma of the creature inside it, especially as its scent and aura permeated everything he touched. Villagers came to fear him, and he never learned why. The new Great Kunitsokami, Hiruzen "Shennong" Sarutobi, passed an edict claiming that none were to talk of his sealing, hoping that the youth of the next generation would see him as the person that none of Mikaboshi's survivors could. Still, the child knew pain.
It wouldn't do to treat him as a mortal; since the loss of the World That Was, the 'supernatural men,' (or supernatural people, as some insisted) were restricted to a specific way of life; they were confined to villages, where the only profession truly permitted (though exceptions were occasionally made) was that of the mission-solver, performing acts of combat, espionage, or whatever their clients needed.
Sarutobi would have tried to fit the boy into this life, even if he wasn't a true child of a God and a mortal, as the Legend Village specialized in, but things got a lot simpler when Izanami Visited the boy and granted him the powers he would have held had he had born of her. So, Naruto "Izanami" was raised to know hate and loneliness from the mortal population of the village, getting little better from the Scions of the Gods, but he still kept his cheer.
One day, he would show them all. He would graduate from the Academy of Heroes, become the greatest Hero the village had ever produced, then ascend to godhood but remain in the Middle World as the Great Kunitsokami. Believe it!
--
In the middle of the Temple District, between the dozens of shrines and temples dedicated to both the Gods of fame and past Scions who had ascended to the Overworld, stood the great statues of the past Great Kunitsokami, chosen from among those who had the power to ascend but chose to remain in the Middle World as servants to the Village Hidden in Legends to lead the Village and see it prosper. They had united the Village, saw it through wars and crises, sacrificed for and uplifted it. They were currently covered in clown make-up.
"Naruto!" A Demigod shouted at the boy as he ran away laughing. Normally, he could get away from them with a combination of trickery and, though he himself rarely realized it, them going easy on a sub-Hero, but this one chasing him turned out to be proficient in Dexterity Knacks. His speed was above what a human of his stature should have been capable of, and the boy quickly found himself overwhelmed. "Okay, brat, it's time to get you to the Academy, but only after you explain what you just did to the Great Kunitsokami."
"Let me go! Let me go! There's a reward in doing so."
The man stopped to consider it, but then smirked. "You think I haven't dealt with that Knack before? Don't waste your time on those with a lot more Ichor than you."
It wasn't long before he was brought to the Terrae Theon Tower, and not long after that he was tossed before the Great Kunitsokami's office. The man was shockingly old for one who supposedly had enough Ichor to slow his own aging to a crawl, but Naruto had enough experience with him to know it was all for show; his father was a God of Peasants, and he deliberately allowed the visage of a man who had spent his life in hard labor overtake him. Sarutobi thought it made him relatable to the mortals.
"Would you mind explaining why you thought it was a good idea to vandalize the statues of the past Great Gods-on-Earth?"
Naruto looked at him determinedly. "I'm going to be Great Kunitsokami one day, and I'm going to be better than any of those losers! Believe it!"
One of the Demigods scoffed, "a monster like you becoming-" "Enough!" Sarutobi silenced the Demigod. "Listen, Naruto, I know that things haven't been easy for you, but this isn't the way to get people's attention. You will be cleaning this mess up yourself within the next week. For now, get to the Academy. I believe your next exams are coming up."
"That's it? But he vandalized some of the most sacred objects in the village. Lord Terrae Theon, you must reconsider letting this abomination-" "I said enough!"
Naruto took that as his cue to leave. He did not know why many of the older Heroes and Demigods hated him, but it frustrated him. It cut far more deeply than he would have let any of them know. Worse, his way to get out of it was to go to the Academy, which was just so…boring. He couldn't focus during lectures. He couldn't bring himself to care about what his teachers insisted on emphasizing. Even worse, though his Knacks were alright, even above average, he couldn't channel Purviews at all, and that was why he kept failing. There was no reason to think that this time would be different.
--
"Alright, this is our last class before the final exam to determine if you can be accepted as Heroes of the Village. Now, who can name the nine forms of Knacks?"
Sakura "Athena" Haruno raised her hand, because of course she did. "Yes, Sakura?"
"Strength, Dexterity, Stamina, Charisma, Manipulation, Appearance, Wits, Intelligence, Perception." "Correct, now…"
Ino "Freya" Aesir, not be outdone, interjected. "Teacher, are there not 10 Knacks? I know that some old men decided long ago that 'Appearance' is one, but really, should Epic Ugliness count the same as Epic Beauty?" She posed to emphasize her own features as she did so, bringing about the eye-rolling of many.
"An interesting question. Can anyone explain why Appearance Knacks are categorized together, when Beauty-based Knacks, which call on your Ichor to change your appearance and the effects it has on others for the better, and Ugliness-based Knacks do the exact opposite?"
Naruto hated this question, for he knew the answer, but had no idea how to word it. Appearance Knacks were one of the few things he was good at, and, much to the shock of many of his teachers, he could use both sides, something more than a few of said teachers had thought to be impossible. He could tell he was doing the same thing in a way he wasn't when using Charisma Knacks, his only other real talent.
It was Shino, a weird kid who had always kind of creeped him out, that answered, "Both directly use your Ichor to affect how others see you. It's the same principle, and that's ignoring the fact that there are many Knack abilities available to both."
Iruka nodded. "Good, though that kind of speculation isn't strictly necessary for your exam tomorrow. Now, who can tell me…". He asked them to list the more prominent Gods (not that hard for a group naming their parents), their roles, the uses and downsides of various weapons, and then, finally, "And does everyone know what Purviews they can use?"
Once again, it came to this. Purviews, the manifestation of the Gods' power over the world, both natural and man-made, and the primary thing that separated Scions from mortals. Knacks were truly impressive, able to both expand and manifest supernatural feats through one's physical, mental, and social abilities, but they still only affected the Scion on a personal level. Purviews affected the world around them.
Naruto had always found that explanation a little silly, as the social Knacks absolutely affected the surrounding world, or at least the people in it, but no one asked him. No one ever asked him when it mattered.
Supposedly, he should be able to manifest the Death or Earth Purviews (or both), but he had never shown talent for either. Not even a little bit. There was also some Purview with a weird name that all of the Amatsukami children, like himself, could use, but the Academy only taught that one in theory. You either had to learn it yourself or from the clans, and the only member of the Amatsukami clan he knew was Sasuke "Amaterasu" Amatsukami, and there was no way Naruto was going to ask anything of that self-centered bastard. You can do this. You're going to be the Great Kunitsokami one day. You can do this. Believe it!
--
Naruto had spent about an hour cleaning the statues before Sarutobi informed him he could go home to study for the exams, but only because he needed to study for the exams. The Great God-on-Earth, in whichever of the old languages one wanted to use, sighed.
Naruto's mortal parents wanted him seen as a hero. Not just the rank, but the old meaning behind it, yet despite his successor's intentions the boy still dealt with the stigma of holding a Titan Lord within him. Sarutobi wanted to do more for him, but things just didn't work out when he had so much more to keep his attention.
The Dragons of the Village Hidden in Fire wanted what they claimed was theirs, the Vampires of the Village Hidden in Masks plotted and schemed, the Fae of the Village Hidden in Dreams demanded their return to the position of major village, and then there were the Mummies. Supposedly, they were allies, but bitterness over the Land of Resurrection's decisions and old wounds from the past were always bubbling up. All of that, before he got to the internal issues among the Gods' children.
For example, he wondered about the Academy. Trying to teach children how to be a hero was a somewhat silly concept, especially since it wasn't unheard of for Scions to get their Visitations as adults. Even so, there was more they could do besides what he was looking at. Knacks in more details. More than the weakest Purview Boons. They didn't teach Mystery, Prophecy, or Magic at all, leaving graduates to be victims of Fate's whims the second their legend truly started.
And, of course, the Pantheon-unique Purviews had somehow become the exclusive domain of the Clans, even though they had no monopoly on which gods had sex with which mortals, no matter how much they may want to. So many born outside were pushed behind by this silly decision, but he knew trying to change it would get the Dodekatheon Clan in a tizzy, then the Pesedjet Clan would join them, and then…sorry, Naruto, there was too much else to worry about.
--
When the day of the exams came, Naruto thought he was ready. The written exam was simple enough that he felt he got the bare minimum to pass. Combat skills were also a breeze. When no mortal woman he passed on the street could look away, the instructors were satisfied that he understood Appearance Knacks well enough. Then, it came time for Purviews.
"Okay, you are the adopted child of Izanami. Therefore, you should have at least one of the following Purviews available to you. Death, Earth, D-" one of the other instructors elbowed him, then whispered into his ear. Nodding, he continued, "and Tsukumo-Gami." He gestured to a moderately large arena that had been created for just this purpose.
An impromptu graveyard stood out to Naruto, as well as a loose pile of rocks standing just over his height. "Point out to me a ghost, as anyone who's mastered the basics of the Death Purview could," he said, pointing to the graveyard. He then pointed to the pile of rocks. "They shouldn't kill you, and we'll intervene if needed, but if you have even a minor mastery of the Earth Purview you should be able to make them fall so as to not harm you at all." He gestured to the arena as a whole. "You weren't raised in the Amatsukami clan, so you probably haven't been trained in Tsukumo-Gami, but if you can get information from any inanimate object in the room, then you pass."
There were several other testing sites, presumably for other Purviews. Naruto felt weirdly drawn to one that seemed to be have a construct designed to simulate pitch-black darkness beneath it, but instead he went to the graveyard. His Birthright, granted to him by Izanami to help channel Purviews, were a pair of metal chopsticks. Supposedly, they were funerary chopsticks, used to arrange bones in a corpse, so naturally he assumed they were connected to the Death Purview.
Try as he might, no ghosts appeared. After about ten minutes, the instructors' gazes told him that he was wasting their time. Resigning himself to the fact that he couldn't do it, he instead moved on to ask the tombstone what ghosts lived there. If he could contact the spirit ruling over it…but the spirit made no response. Another ten minutes of him making awkward conversation, including trying to bribe a rock with ramen, passed before the instructors cleared their throats together.
Gulping, Naruto went to the pile of rocks. He reached out to the Earth, feeling his understanding connect, becoming one and demanding safety and proper interment…when he pushed they fell, beating and battering him like they would any mortal. Standing up, spitting out pebbles, covered in bruises, Iruka sighed in sympathy while the others just glared at him.
"I can do it," he insisted against the evidence they had just seen. "Naruto…" Iruka started. "I can do it!" He screamed, tears starting to form against his wishes. "Send the next one in," one of the instructors noted impatiently.
Desperately, Naruto started running to other tests. The sheet that he had to see through for Sun was opaque. The soil for Fertility wouldn't respond to him. He couldn't talk to any of the animals. The bacterial samples for Health were unintelligible no matter how much Ichor he channeled. Dipping his head into the water for Water made his lungs scream. The fire that Fire Purview users should've been immune to burned him. When he started to move toward the test for Darkness, that same pitch-black array from earlier, the instructors all screamed in unison before he could even try. "You have failed, Naruto! Give it up!"
--
He wasn't the only one who failed, but he was the only one with no one to talk to about it. The ones who passed chattered amongst one another excitedly, while the ones who failed comforted one another. He sat on a swing, all alone, by himself. As usual. Two women, mortal women with Scion boyfriends as far as he could tell, did look his way, but only to whisper, "well, of course he'd fail. Could you imagine if they let him become a Hero. I mean, he's the-" "Shh, we're not supposed to talk about it," the other interrupted.
He'd heard it before, he had no idea what it meant, and right now he didn't care. He was going to show them all one day. He was going to be Great Kunitsokami, and then they would respect him. Then they wouldn't stare at him with that…look they always gave him. It was after a while of sulking that he left the vicinity only to run into one of teachers, Mizuki "Poseidon."
"Failed again, huh?"
"What's it to you?" He responded angrily. "Hey, I'm on your side here. I wanted to tell you a secret that they don't tell anyone." Mizuki leaned his face in closer to Naruto's. "There's another way to pass." Naruto listened intently as Mizuki informed him about a scroll, containing the secrets and processes behind all the known Purviews, and how if Naruto could simply master one of the higher level ones, then he would be accepted as a Hero-level graduate. Of course, he'd have to slip past the guards, but they were quite laconic. Someone worthy of graduation should have no problem.
--
Indeed, later that night, when he snuck into the compound where the scroll was supposed to lay, he found one Hero-rank guarding it, and he used his Charisma Knacks to convince the man he was supposed to be here and went in before there was time to think; the 'Benefit of the Doubt' Knack, at least at his current level, only made someone initially accept his words. The power would fall apart if the target scrutinized his claims, which was why it worked best when not giving the target time to think. After that, it was child's play to grab the scroll in question and run out into the woods to practice.
When he found what looked to be a good spot to open and look it over, he found several animal markings. Drawn to the bat for some reason, he opened it to find "Darkness Purview' written, with several powers he had never heard of. While Night Eyes sounded useful, that was sort of taught at the Academy, at least to those who could use Darkness, even though Naruto always found himself called away to special meetings during those classes for some reason, and Mizuki had explicitly said that he needed to learn one of the higher-level ones. Looking upwards, 'Shadow Bodies' sounded cool.
He followed the procedures in the scroll, and found himself utterly shocked when the darkness surrounding him responded. "Darkness! I have the Ichor for Darkness! I knew that I wasn't worthless! I knew that I had powers! But why?" He had always been told that Death and Earth were Izanami's Purviews. He put the thought away for another day; for now, he had time to work on more powers.
--
Sarutobi was distraught. The men serving under him, many of whom would have had Naruto locked up in a cage a long time ago if they could, came to him informing him that the boy had just stolen a precious scroll. "This isn't a harmless prank," one informed him, letting the implications of his words sink in. "Bring him in for questioning, and so discipline can be…decided upon."
--
It was Iruka who found him. The boy, rather than terrified, or guilty, or even defiant, seemed pleasantly surprised, even excited, that he had been caught. "Iruka-sensei, come see what I can do!"
"Naruto, what were you thinking!" He shouted.
Still excited, Naruto responded, "I mastered a Purview Boon, and one of the higher-level ones, that means I can graduate, right?" Iruka looked at him, utterly stunned. "Naruto, what could possibly have given you that idea?"
Iruka, sufficiently versed in Perception Knacks, noticed it before Naruto could respond. He leapt out of the way, bringing the boy with him, before a spear of ice slammed into the ground. "So, you found us. I knew I let the boy spend too much time having fun, but oh well, it was endearing to watch. I'll be taking that; I can't wait to see whether the Dragons, the Vampires, or the Cowboys offer a better price for it."
Naruto was utterly confounded. "What's going on?" "He used you to betray the village," Iruka spat out through gritted teeth. "Mizuki-sensei, that can't be true, right?"
Mizuki laughed. "I did what's best for myself, like anyone with half a brain would. Besides, Iruka, it's not like you're planning on defending this kid, are you? After what he did to your parents?"
"Parents? I've never met Iruka's parents. Besides, isn't one of them the god Sraosha?" Mizuki laughed even harder. "His mortal mother and her husband, so willing to take on a god's child, so willing to take on the sacrifices." "Shut up," Iruka spat, studying the environment, looking for the best angle of attack. While Mizuki had exposed his direction, he was still hidden in the nearby trees.
"Did you know, as Iruka does, that Darkness is one of Izanami's Purviews?" Naruto looked at Iruka in shock, but the latter only continued to examine the surrounding area. "Do you know why they wouldn't let you study it? Why, even though you've done nothing, they all hate you? Do you know why, in spite of whatever outward appearance he might display, Iruka hates you? It's because you're Mikaboshi, the Essence of Darkness itself!"
An ancient spear in the style of what the World-That-Was called 'Persian' flew from Iruka's hands. While it looked like it should have missed, it bounced off a tree and struck into something's back. Screeching, Mizuki leapt into view, stumbling from his wound. "You have taken an innocent child and manipulated him toward your own twisted ends. You have caused pain and suffering. You have wrought betrayal!" Iruka shouted. "Oh, and what would you know, you're hardly diff-" "Justice Purview: Guilt Apparitions!"
Mizuki screamed and flailed about as if he were being attacked by invisible assailants. "This…won't stop me! Earth Purview: Landslide!" The ground disturbed itself in a jutting line from Mizuki to Iruka until it was directly beneath Iruka, at which point the ground opened. Iruka barely managed to get out of the way with his first leap, but he landed right where the ground was still opening up behind him and lost his balance. "Iruka-sensei!" Naruto shouted. Angrily, he shouted "Darkness Purview: Shadow Bodies".
Mizuki laughed at that. "That's one of the most advanced Demigod techniques, kid, there's no way you could…" as he was speaking, Naruto's body was completely enveloped in shadow. Then, the shadow shifted, until there was another, then another, then another still. Mizuki stared in disbelief as they rushed him, which proved to be his undoing. 10 silhouettes of Naruto, with even the original boy black as night and indistinguishable from them.
The Shadow constructs swung and struck at him, and he found himself surrounded with little to do in response. They couldn't be harmed by blunt-force trauma, but they could be stabbed or destroyed by supernatural means.
Unfortunately, he had thrown his ice-spear in what turned out to be a fruitless attack and didn't have the time to call on the Water Purview to produce another. Instead, he responded to invincibility with invincibility. "Earth Purview: Earth Armor!" As the ground rose up to surround him, Naruto came to realize that little he could do would pierce through the rock barrier, and he pulled back only to charge again. "Water Purview: Water Control! Water Purview: Changing States!" Mizuki called out as the water in a nearby pond formed into something resembling a spear before freezing solid.
It took a little bit of time, but Naruto pulling back gave him just that. "Naruto, run!" Iruka shouted. "Take the scroll. I'll hold Mizuki off!" Terrified, and not thinking clearly, he did as Iruka said. Mizuki chased after him, even as Iruka drew another spear from a pocket that didn't look large enough to hold them. The Shadows followed after Naruto, which somehow pleased him. He felt something within him that called to the darkness surrounding him, seeing it as his home…was this Mikaboshi? Was he really…a monster?
Those thoughts slowed him down, making him ponder everything that happened in his life instead of focusing on his surroundings, which of course turned out to be his undoing. "I've got you now," Mizuki shouted, stabbing into one of the Shadow Bodies. He struck at another when Naruto tried to fight back.
The man, unbeknownst to himself, then struck his spear at the real Naruto, which would have been the end if Iruka hadn't appeared right in front Naruto, seeming to have teleported. "I knew you had the Guardian Purview. I should have known you'd use that specific Boon. Oh well, it's no matter now."
Iruka looked at Naruto, clearly scared but trying to keep the boy calm. The blood coming from his mouth thanks to the spear Mizuki had impaled him with did not help with that effect. "Iruka-sensei, why?" "Because you're my student, and because, no matter how I may have felt in the past, I don't hate you. You are my student."
Mizuki smirked. "Well, now I know the real one," as he tried to pull the spear from Iruka's back, Naruto's remaining Shadow Bodies swarmed him. They had tried this before, but now there was a level of articulation that hadn't been seen before; a calm rage that, rather than provoke them into a berserker fury, made them see what they must do.
As Mizuki failed to dodge and strike back at the constructs, as his body fell into a worse and worse state as a result of their beatings, he realized his mistake. Iruka, as a Yazata child, could call on the Asha Purview, which, among other things, allowed him to strengthen the Purviews of others. Now, these already inexplicable Shadow Bodies (seriously, how could such a technique be used by a sub-Hero?) were more powerful than any normal Darkness user could summon by themselves.
It was as he made this revelation that he succumbed to them. There were other options, he knew, but everything about this had gone wrong. Use someone too weak to trigger the normal sensors guarding the scroll. Kill said individual (he would be weak, after all), and then sell said scroll to the highest bidder among the competing villages in exchange for protection. That was what the Village Hidden in Legends deserved for not giving him the respect he required. It had already turned into an ordeal far greater than he was anticipating, and now, all he could do was sink in despair as he lost to the pathetic, soft Iruka and a freaking sub-Hero!
--
"You know, there are more than a few voices that want me to execute you, Naruto," The Great Kunitsokami informed him. "Stupid voices, to be sure. Even if I wanted to, we don't know what that will do to Mikaboshi, so that's obviously off the table."
His expression was stern as he gazed upon the frightened boy. "Many more want you locked up in a prison, never to see the light of day, ignoring that that might actually be pleasant for the Essence of Darkness. Still more say that you should be studied and turned into a weapon. There are, after all, other children with Titan Lords locked within them, and other villages don't hesitate to use them as such."
Naruto was not going to cry. He was not. "However, the voice I'm inclined to listen to is that of the man who knows you best. Iruka "Sraosha," who informs me that not only were you acting under the instructions of a trusted teacher who betrayed that trust, but that you acted with courage, duty, and conviction. Among the many virtues we are supposed to instill into Scions, you already seem to have developed great ones. Therefore, in light of your actions today, I am rescinding the failing grade you were given on your earlier exam. As of now, you are legally recognized as a Hero."
It took several moments for Naruto's brain and mood to catch up with the words. "What?" "You've graduated, boy. Don't make me say it again, I'm sure it's giving some Council members heart attacks without them even hearing it." Naruto was so excited that he, by complete accident, formed an Appearance Knack that made others see him as a beautiful woman. Sarutobi, a rather virulent man who hadn't gotten any in a long time, fainted.
--
Many restaurants throughout the Village refused to serve him on principle, though it was nice to finally know why. Fortunately, his favorite ramen stand was not one of them. Iruka, waiting for him there, was smiling. "So, you've earned this," he said, pointing to his headband.
The Village Hidden in Legends had a reputation for having the most excessively elaborate symbol of all of them, and staring at the metal band he'd now be wearing, Naruto could understand why. A great shield, with 11 symbols surrounding it; a harp, a lightning bolt, an eye, a jaguar's paw, a head with its eyes crossed out, a katana, a Warhammer, a wing, a set of three arms, a Yin-Yang symbol, and a weird rectangle with stars snd stripes. Each one represented one of the pantheons, and Iruka's had the wing subtly glow.
"A part of me wants to give you mine, as some sort of memento, but I'm Yazata," he said, pointing to the wing, "while you're Amatsukami," he continued, pointing to the katana, "so yours will have to be specialized." "Mine will be the best!" Naruto shouted in response. Iruka started to correct him, "It'll mostly look the same…you know what, you're right, it will be the best." After eating an excessive amount of ramen at Iruka's expense to celebrate, the two went off in their own directions, hoping for a bright future.
--
Terms:
Great Kunitsokami/Great Terrae Theon/ Great God-on-Earth: Leader of the Village Hidden in Legends, if possible a Minor God who could have ascended and chose to remain tethered to the Middle World
Middle-World: the World between the Overworld and Underworld, domain of mortals
Scion: recognized child of a Major God and a mortal, other Scions can also fulfill the 'mortal' part of the parentage
Adoption: when a Scion's Divine Parent doesn't recognize them, another God may claim them. The Ichor will reform to their new Parent
Visit: a Scion's Parent grants them a Birthright and Awakens their Ichor fully
Ichor: Gods' blood, allows Scions to call on supernatural powers
Birthright: a magical item granted to most Scions at their Visitation, most need it to activate their Ichor in the early days
Hero: lowest rank of active Scions in the Village
Demigod: biologically, it means a Scion has more Ichor than human blood. Politically, it is an official rank in the Village's heirarchy. The two coincide enough to cause little confusion.
Knack: use of Ichor to expand a Scion's physical, mental, and social abilities, as well as outright supernatural abilities based on said expansion
Purview: ability to alter the world through manipulating that which the Gods hold domain over
Titan Lord: beings with power comparable, possibly greater, than the Gods, generally thought to be bad for the worlds at large
World-That-Was: planet that mortals once lived on before an event lost to history caused its end. Some terminology and cultural norms still persist
Clans: in the Village Hidden in Legends, a number of families have pacts with the Pantheons to produce a disproportionate amount of Scions within their lineage, usually share a name with the Pantheon
Amatsukami: Major Gods of 'Japanese' origin
Yazata: Major Gods of 'Persian' origin
Techniques Used or Referenced:
Charisma Knack: Benefit of the Doubt-someone can speak in a way that stops others from immediately dismissing them, no matter how absurd what they say might be
Appearance Knack: Epic Beauty-make others see one as excessively attractive, can potentially make one resemble a different gender
Perception Knack: Subliminal Warning-user becomes aware of potential danger a few seconds before it hits
Darkness Purview: Night Eyes-allows one to see perfectly in the dark, and can see through many Darkness abilities
Darkness Purview: Shadow Bodies-reforms nearby shadows into physical imitations of the user, and also covers the user in shadows so that he/she is indistinguishable from them. Shadow Bodies cannot be hurt by blunt force or most minor injuries, though they are more vulnerable than the user to flashing, piercing, and fire. Direct sunlight will very slowly make them fade. Much effort must be exerted to command them, or they will simply copy what the user is doing. Those with Night Eyes can tell which one is real.
Water Purview: Control Water-allows the user to telekinetically lift and shape an amount of water. Usually rather slow
Water Purview: Changing States-changes an existing body of water between ice, liquid water, and steam at the user's discretion, with the subsequent shifts in temperature. Temperature cannot be fine-tuned using this power, it just has 'very cold, room temperature, very hot' built into it.
Earth Purview: Landslide-control a 'ray' of ground in the visible area immediately in front of the user, either causing it to jut upwards suddenly or open up into a chasm
Earth Purview: Earth Armor-the hardest material in the ground immediately beneath them, whether it be rock, metal, or compact dirt, will come up to form a protective barrier around the user
Justice Purview: Guilt Apparitions-makes the target hallucinate and suffer pain until a wrong chosen by the user is righted, or an amount of time has passed based on the Ichor invested. Can only be used after the user has spoken aloud a wrong that the target has actually done.
Guardian Purview: Vigil Brand and Arrival-marks a target, then the user will always know when the target is in danger. It is possible, though difficult, to teleport to the endangered's location if one has a particularly strong emotional connection.
Asha Purview: True Purview-enhances the power of another Purview Power