Shinigami Starter's Guide!
(Handed out to prospective students of the ITAD by their Shikigami, this guide gives those individuals a brief insight into the world they will soon be entering.)
Welcome to the Institute for Training in the Arts of Death!
Based in a five-story castle amongst scenic mountains and forests, the Institute for Training in the Arts of Death (or ITAD) will be your new home as you train to become another of this world's esteemed Gods of Death! Fitted with modern facilities, it contains everything you need to live and grow as a Shinigami for the next several years.
Training
Your training will depend on your major and minor combination, from which there are seven to choose: Clash (physical attack), Ero (sexuality), State (alchemy), Heart (body alchemy), Sound (holy), Claw (animal), and Murmur (spells). Training lasts for a minimum of seven years.
As you train through the years, you might notice new appendages like wings, horns, and claws; your entire physical appearance may even begin to shift! It is natural in the process of becoming a god.
What Shinigami Do
As Shinigami, not only will you be handling the Souls of the dead, but you will be assigned to challenge Oni (daemons, imps, etc.) who attempt to interfere with people's lives!
Your training will determine what kind of Oni you're eventually assigned to face. As for the Souls, dealing with them can often be just as trying, as the Soul may have difficulty coming to terms with their deaths -- or even their lives. Every Soul Situation is unique, but you will come to master them all!
Recreation
Of course, it isn't all training and study at the Institute! There are a wide range of student-run organizations, often centered inside our comfortable accomodations. You'll often find the Ero Club in the Student Lounge, or Aqua Club at the pool. Don't be afraid to join a club and make friends!
You'll also find several Posts near the Institute and throughout the world, often run by Ronadas and surrounded by fun activities. Give them a go in your free months!
Generally Forbidden
These things a Shinigami should never do...
- Take a human life too soon: their deaths must come without interference.
- Attempt to kill another Shinigami: the precious few there are must learn to coexist peacefully.
- Possess another body: this goes doubly for bodies still with their own soul. A big no-no.(1)
For some breaches of the rules, there will be sentencing; for others, instant death waits.
These may be grim realizations, but they must be well-understood!
(1) Shinigami Possession: As you become a Shinigami and come into contact with many Oni, you will find it is easy to become possessed by one, or even several at once, on the Spirit Plane. However, through a now-forbidden training called "Light Bending," a Shinigami's soul can also leave their own body and possess any soulless body (sometimes even by forcing the soul from the body by "Soul Swapping"). While the techniques to swap souls and possess bodies are still known by elder Shinigami, they are no longer taught in the Institute. Because of the danger to both bodies during and after the swap (leaving a Shinigami's body empty, or subject to a wild and unfamiliar Soul), it is a now forbidden practice.
Remember, if you have any questions, never be hesitant to ask another Shinigami or Shikigami! All Shinigami are registered with the ITAD, and all Shikigami with the Bureau of Rings.
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