The Cult of the Starborn

If the Dawnkeepers are reverent, the Cult of the Starborn is fanatical. To them, the fallen star is not an omen but a god-seed, a harbinger of transformation and dominion. Their members are drawn from every stratum of Yamato: desperate peasants promised transcendence, rogue onmyoji and shugenja lusting for forbidden power, even disillusioned samurai or yokai cast from their clans. Cloaked in secrecy, they gather in hidden caves and ruined shrines, performing rites that blend celestial worship with blood sacrifice.

The Cult believes the star is alive, waiting to awaken. Their rituals aim to hasten its birth, feeding it with life-force, binding themselves to its energy. The most extreme factions claim that when the star awakens, Yamato will be remade, and they shall rule as Starborn heralds. This zeal drives them to infiltration, abduction, and slaughter, their acts often mistaken for yokai raids.

Where the Dawnkeepers seek balance, the Cult seeks dominion. They are the shadow of celestial faith, twisting awe into obsession. Officials deny their reach, yet whispers tell of nobles secretly aligned with them, hoping to grasp the power of the cosmos.

Their symbols are circles of jagged starlight, daubed in blood or carved into stone. Their eyes often glow faintly in ritual light, signs of their growing bond—or corruption.

The Cult of the Starborn is Yamato’s hidden blade, waiting for the right moment to plunge the realm into upheaval. To some, they are madmen. To others, prophets. To all, a threat both terrifying and insidious.