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Why does bushis can’t become shugenjas ? The fact of having the gift to talk to the kamis is rare. Only 10 % of the samourais at best have it, even if it’s true to be more common among some families than others : the Isawa and the Asahina have 99% of their childs who have it, when the Soshi only have 2/3 and only 1 shugenja is born each generation among the Hida. At the end, it’s a rare gift.
And a gift who is highly prized. At their youngest age, all the samourais childrens are tested to see if they have the gift of magical abilities. Those tests are repeated many times during their first 6 years before they are sent to their first school. The shugenjas who are picked by the leaders of the shugenjas schools of the clans to tests the children for the gift are always thorough. It’s a great honor to be given such a duty, and a duty that transcends a lot : they have to find those who will be the next generation of priests. Failing to such is a great dishonour, for the childrens will suffer of not being trained and one of the rare bearer of the gift will be lost to the Empire and the kamis.
With all those tests, it’s nearly impossible for a child to start training as a bushi when he has the gift. During the centuries, it happened. And it never ended nicely : as they grew up, those childs start hearing more and more the kamis around them. They without their knowledge casts the basics spells and start then hearing voices and see things. They can never master even the simplest techniques of the bushis schools as they are too distracted to focus. If nothing is done, they fall to madness as they don’t understand what is happening to them. Those few who haven’t been picked up to join a shugenja school early are usually discovered around 10 because of those events, and are then taken care of. They are difficult to save, and the clan is always saddened of such fates as it’s usually too late to save them.
All those tests makes that those who became bushis can never become shugenjas. They don’t have the gift. The gift of talking to the kamis is rare indeed, and everything is done to insure that everyone is tested so many times, that only an handful per century are missed. And those turns mad as they can’t control the energies around them, and can’t focus on training to learn bushis techniques so they never learn even their first rank technique. This is not an enviable position. The only bushis that can learn to cast spells are the Kuni witch-hunter and the Shosuro deceiver, but both are explained a bit later.
What about the monks and the courtiers ?
The monks have a great understanding of the worship of the fortunes and of the course of the elements. To learn kihos, they need to master their spiritual energies and the elements of their own bodies. Since all monks aren’t born samourais and not checked as are other childrens, it happens that after training as a monk somebody discovers he has shugenjas abilities. Through their training as a monk, they have understood to master the spirituals things happening around them, and then the things that turns the unfortunates who have not been discovered young as shugenjas mad are not a problem to them. They have learned to understand such things and can start a shugenja training after. It’s rare, for learning the techniques of the shugenja when you are old is difficult. The mind has been shaped and it demands to change a lot of habits. Most of then can never learn to cast spells, but their gifts to the kamis give them an understanding of the kihos who is often unmatched among the Brotherhood.
The courtiers are the odd part. They are supposed to have been tested like bushis and then it’s close to impossible for them to have not been discovered as shugenjas. But then history as proven that some courtiers have been later discovered as having the gift and starting a shugenja training, like the master of air Isawa Uona. They are exceptions but nearly of all them have been air shugenjas. It is supposed that the kamis have helped them in discovering the thoughts of the others courtiers and helping them crafting wonders. They have helped them in social relations and artisans skills, allowing a mixing of the uncontrolled spellcasting with an activity who could handle it, contrary to the really different focus that martial techniques required. Their mind can balance what they feel, hear and do between the world of the court and the world of the spirits, but it’s a difficult matter. They are always a bit out of the general stream, seen as eccentric and talented, but misunderstood by their fellow courtiers. They have visions and nightmares during their sleep. More time pass, and the less they can works with others peoples and follow the life of the courtier. That makes that the handful of courtiers per generation who have the gift of the kami are usually discovered a couple of years after their gemppukku. The kamis’gift is taxing and without training the madness and the uncontrolled energies are prone to accidents. They can’t handle everything without knowledge, and they usually break up and the shugenjas teachers came for them. But usually those rare courtiers who start a shugenja training are usually able to became talented servants of the kamis.
Of the Shosuro Shinobi and the Kuni Witch Hunter :
The Soshi have created a special technique that allows to use the secret magics of the Tejina. In the past, it taped directly into the energies of the Living Shadow, and now it use some others sources. For more information, checks [references]. This school allows the Shosuro Shinobi to cast spells. It’s a special case, for in fact the rituals that allow those ninjas to enter the school also force powerful spirituals energies into their bodies. They aren’t born with the gift of the kamis, but it is created through the use of dark energies that feed the Tejina spells. Those trained in this school have always a dark version of the spells, as always a part of the unknown energies that created them is behind every casting. It was even more visible when they were granted a part of the Shadow when joining the school before the War Against the Shadow. Anyway, not everyone who pass the rituals to join the school survive to it.
The Kuni Witch hunter, also known as Tsukai-sagasu, can become a shugenja / bushi through the two techniques of the first Jade Champion, Kuni Tokiaji. But only as long as they don’t have ranks in a non-Kuni school. That because, like monks, all the witch hunters have a strong spiritual understanding. That why they can use kihos. All of the witch hunters are handpicked for this special ability, what allows for a few of them to learn the Kuni techniques of the spellcasting. They have been prepared and they have all shown a small gift of at least understanding the kamis. And the Kuni shugenjas who learn the techniques of their brethren discovers that they share the same roots and spirituals techniques, making those new techniques only an evolution of their original training.
Of Maho :
Bushis can cast maho spells. Everyone can. Why ? Because the kansens are always eager to answer any calls. They don’t care if the caster turns mad, they just care for corruption and the spreading of the will of Jigoku. They don’t ask for a particular training, neither the consequences of miss-casting. They are called by the energies in the blood, for to them it’s all that matters. There is no particular gift to be able to talk to the kansens. The only thing you need is blood, and everyone have some.
