The Celestial Hand

The Celestial Hand – The guides of death, ritual and divination

The Celestial Hand is Yamato’s spiritual backbone, overseeing death, ritual, and the sacred balance between mortals, yokai, and kami. Comprised of Onmyoji, Shinto priests, monks, and yokai or kami advisors, the faction interprets divine will, conducts funerary rites, and enforces spiritual laws that maintain societal order. They are both religious and practical authorities: their role extends beyond ritual to mediation, spiritual justice, and protection of sacred sites.

Their members are trained in divination, talismans, exorcism, and ceremonial magic. Onmyoji read omens in celestial alignments and natural events, ensuring that the living act in accordance with cosmic balance. Monks serve as both moral guides and educators, imparting spiritual philosophy, ethical conduct, and martial discipline infused with spiritual practice. Yokai or kami in advisory roles offer insight into mystical phenomena, tempering human perspectives with ancient wisdom.

The Celestial Hand is hierarchical but collaborative. High priests and elder Onmyoji oversee regional shrines, while traveling monks and junior adepts perform rites and maintain records of births, deaths, and supernatural occurrences. They cooperate closely with the Shogunate, mediating disputes over property or spiritual offense, ensuring that sacred laws are upheld without directly challenging human authority. Festivals, offerings, and funerary rites are meticulously managed, serving both the living and the spirits, while secretive councils handle matters too dangerous or sacred for public knowledge.

The faction’s influence extends into every corner of Yamato. From Hoshikusa’s hidden sanctuaries to the towering peaks of Reikonzan, they maintain spiritual equilibrium. They arbitrate conflicts between yokai and mortals, oversee ceremonies invoking kami, and protect sacred relics or ley sites. Mortals respect them for their authority and guidance; yokai regard them with wary reverence. In essence, the Celestial Hand ensures that life, death, and spirit remain in harmony, balancing power, belief, and tradition to prevent both mortal hubris and supernatural catastrophe.