Shijin Families and Descendants [Origins]

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The Shijin were the creators of the universe as we know it and all the races that currently inhabit it.

Vocabulary:

Ichizoku - Family. The recorded group of representatives for a particular Shijin, also having been accepted by their requirements.
Souke - Head of Family. The one who directs the others and who's primary approval is needed to decide which apostles are worthy of becoming Yakuin.
Seishi - heir; successor. The person next in line, or the person who has been named to be the next souke.
Yakuin - Officer. A high ranking apostle. A member o the Ichizoku that determines whether or not apostles are accepted to gain the title as well.
Apostle - Apostle. Anyone who believes that they meet the requirements to be included in the Ichizoku of a certain Shijin can name themselves this. This term is also applied to creatures who still worship the Shijin in question, who aren't celestial in nature.

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NOTE: There is only one group of Ichizoku for each god, and some of them (most notably Byakko's) are not discriminative to Celestial type--fallen or upright--although because of recent laws, many members have to meet separately in their respective realms. Some members are capable of accepting that they are enemies with others and that they are related to the same Shijin at the same time.

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Kouryuu--the Golden Dragon of the Center Palace

Main Family--Hakaisha
Subordinate Families--there are no chosen subordinate families.

Notes: Due to the outspokenness of his blatant inconsideration for his creations in his latter years (though he has always been that way), Kouryuu was willingly imprisoned by the rest of the Beast Gods shortly after the creation of the angelic realms. The element of chaos that is his main element brings terrible luck upon those who wield it, and thusly all of those related to him by magical means are usually the result of non-consensual relationships. As such, Kouryuu has rejected the idea of having a main family; he does not acknowledge those he has created himself, and his "decendants" are almost always members of other Shijin's families. Instead, Kouyuu's apostles name themselves, usually, after choosing to wield one of his elements. Apostles are often hard to identify, as not all angels who wield Kouryuu's elements are fans of this particular Shijin.

He did create a specific family, just like the other Shijin did when the first generation of Angels were created. This line's last name is Hakaisha, but Kouryuu does not limit his potential representatives to this family, and one does not have to be a member or related to this line to represent him.

Kouryuu no Ichizoku (Kouyruu's family) is usually made up his Yakuin, and those who have been officially accepted into their group. Although he created the Hakaisha line specifically to carry on his teachings of Chaos magic, they are not treated any differently than any other member, and must name themselves an apostle.

Elements:Chaos, Spirit, Past, Present, Future

Previous Souke: Fujimori Kanji, Hakaisha Westin, Hakaisha Noel
Current Souke Mikage Tsubasa

Yakuin:
Chaos// Mikage Tsubasa
Spirit//
Past//
Present//
Future//

Known Apostles:

Chaos//Hakaisha Abbadon
Spirit//
Past//
Present//
Future//

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Seiryuu--The Azure Dragon of the East Gate

Main Family--Kazeku
Subordinate Families--Aizawa, Kameko, Izanami, Hide

Notes: Seiryuu was known for being a bit selfish of her worshippers while she was in power. Water is her primary element. Seiryuu's family is often very disjointed and there is little loyalty between the members other than to worship Seiryuu together. They don't tend to get along and as such, you can be considered an apostle by both wielding Seiryuu's elements as well as being related to her.

The Souke is chosen among those who proves themselves to be the most powerful at the time of election, and this person remains the souke until death or retirement (usually retirement). They are opportunistic, often conceited and will often put their own goals before those of the well-being of everyone else. They are recognizable by the touch of cruelty that infects all of their spiritual energy. Those who are not cruel are usually bitter at the strife they have had to endure their whole lives.

Seiryuu did not posess the desire to chose personal successors as she did not believe the inhabitants of heaven had enough courage to revolt.

Elements:Water, Ice, Dark, Void

Previous Souke: Aizawa Sasuke (deceased)
Current Souke: Kameko Haruko (eligible character)

Yakuin: (since this system is not solely based on element alone for this family, I will list the names.)

Kameko Haruko
Kazeku Ryuichi (whereabouts unknown)


Known Apostles:

Kamori Kasumi (whereabouts unknown)
Ishii Shoko (whereabouts unknown)

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Byakko--The White Tiger of the West Tower

Main Family--Yamazaki
Subordinate Families--Katashima, Mikage, Arima, Watanari, Inuzuka

Notes: Byakko was known as the mediator of the Shijin, often settling the arguments between Seiryuu and Suzaku, which tended to reach devestating levels. He is often known for being very skilled at the magical arts.

His family is arguably the most organized and traditional of all the Shijin families. They rely very heavily on the fact that they are a bloodline and thus, all of the apostles must be legitimate relatives of Byakko and the Souke must be the seishi that is a member of the main family. Marrying out into another family that is not approved of by the Main branch can result in excommunication.

Yamazaki Rei technically held the title of Souke while she was in service of Mikage Tsubasa but she was stripped of the title of head of the family when she fell. The title has since been defferred to her twin brother, the only remaining heir in the current generation from the Yamazaki main family.

The Byakko no Ichizoku may also be the strongest when it comes to training newly elected Apostles. For much of their early years after election they are sequestered within Byakko's mansion and are trained heavily to control their power by members of the family who have at least incomplete pacts with their given element. They are only allowed outside the mansion for one week every six months are only allowed to be around their immediate family. They elect apostles based on the most powerful users of each of Byakko's elements and based on the strength of Byakko's blood running through their veins, which can be traced by their use of magical arts and by the element of air that pervades their spiritual energy, despite whether they use the element or not.

Byakko, convinced by Genbu's predictions that heaven was going to revolt, handpicked chose sucessors as well. They are Yamazaki Rei, Yamazaki Chikara, and Watanari Seki. These choices are especially controversial because these three also fell and are seen as heretics by a great majority of the family. Yamazaki Rei and Seki both fell and became Infernal Kings and Yamazaki Chikara left heaven altogether despite the fact that she is still an elder of the realm. Chikara is also considered a traitor to the family because she was also one of the Kings--or at least was picked to be trained as one--of Suzaku, which is seen as a direct affront to Byakko. The fact that all of them possess black hair and green eyes, despite the fact that the genetic traits of Byakko's line call for Blond or white hair and golden or blue eyes also causes them to be seen as heretics or "impure".

Byakko no Ichizoku (Byakko's family) are made of the Yamazaki (the first family made by Byakko), as well as all subsequent lines started by Byakko. When choosing candidates to train as the first Kings, Byakko kept his choices within his bloodline as well.

Elements: Air, Sound, Metal

Previous Souke:
Current Souke: Yamazaki Hatori

Seishi: Yamazaki Rei and Ren (both deceased)

Yakuin: (because they are not detemined by element, they will just be listed)

Katashima Mimiko
Mikage Tsubasa*
Yamazaki Rei (deceased)
Yamazaki Ren (deceased)
Yamazaki Chikara
Watanari Seki (deceased)
Inuzuka Amane
Yamazaki Rin

Known Apostles:
Other Yamazaki as well as members from the families listed at the top.




*--Mikage Tsubasa was a Yakuin before her ressurection and the surfacing of her chaotic powers. This has led to the revelation that she also a member of the Kouryuu no Ichizoku and as such currently hold places in both families.

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Genbu--The Black Tortoise of the Armored North

Main Family--Hanajima
Subordinate families--Kotani, Umeto, Takehito, Datte, Muramasa, Yamahiro, Housama, Kanede

Notes: Genbu is the only shijin who saw for sure that the population of heaven was going to revolt. She controls the elements of time, mind and insight and with that, she was easily able to see into the plans of the revolution's instigators. The knowledge that there was a plan to imprison herself and the rest of the shijin in an alternate dimension for all eternity was accepted by her, and she was strangely calmed knowing that her teachings would be passed on. She was able to start a cohesive family with the Hanajima being the progenators.

The Genbu no Ichizoku are a family that relies mostly on ceremony and tradition. Every member of the family is ligitimately related and and has gone through training with their element, similar to the Byakko no Ichizoku but not nearly as severe. The training for a Genbu no seishi can last anywhere from six months of intensive training or several years of light tutoring. Their souke is chosen based on who can use their element the most competently. That is seen as the true connection to Genbu and as such as the sign marking the true souke.

Genbu no Ichizoku (Genbu's family) is comprised of the families that she helped create, and she adopted the families of those whom she trained to compete for the title of Kingship.

Elements: Earth, Mind, Insight, Dream, Time

Previous Souke: Hanajima Osaka
Current Souke: Kotani Fi

Yakuin:

Apostles
Moriteruze Kaori (jin)

Other members of the families listed above.

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Suzaku--The Vermillion Bird of the Crimson South

Main Family- Mikage (not related to Tsubasa); Sanada; Shirogane
Subordinate Families--Uesugi, Takaishii, Miyazawa, Koken, Hanajima

Notes: Suzaku was known for being the most just and most sympathetic of the shijin, the fact that her linage spawned two of the greatest Jouha-ou is seen as an attestment to that fact. Fire is her primary element.

Suzaku's family is most concerned with the ability to uphold the honor and customs in dealings with all beings, and respecting the gift that life is. They are driven by a need to uphold the laws of heaven (or hell) and as such, all of their seishi are also representations of this fact. Most members of the family work in positions where they are able to enforce the law.

Suzaku was one of the only gods who forsaw by the unrest in heaven that things were swiftly heading towards a revolt and as such, she planned in advance for it, chosing eight people who had the potential to be her successor, doubling in that they were also her choices for the competitions for Kingship. These seven people have descended to almost every generation in heaven, like the Yamazaki. Sanada Tomoyo, Takaishi Jiishita and Uesugi Lailis from her own linage were her first choices, followed by Hanajima Satori from Kouryuu, Yamazaki Chikara and Katashima Mimiko from Byakko and Shirogane Satori from Genbu. Despite the fact that Sanada fell and that Takaishi and Yamazaki no longer reside in heaven, they are still counted amongst "The Seven" because they were hand-picked by Suzaku and not by proxy of the family like the seishi were.

Suzaku no Ichizoku (Suzaku's family) are made up of families who generally as a whole worship Suzaku and wish to uphold her decrees of Kindness and Gentility, and love for all beings. This family has three main branches because the Mikage has very few members, and the lineages of Sanada (as far as Heavenly records, at least) end with Tomoyo. Shirogane is the next line that actually features recorded births. Miyazawa is a second generation line and therefore is not counted as a main line. Because families are constantly being added to Suzaku based upon merit--some without even knowing that they are added--it's numbers match if not outweigh Byakko's lineage. Motto: "If you've done a good thing, no one should notice at all. Things will be at peace."

Elements: Fire, Light, Law, Force

Previous Souke Mikage Soramu (deceased), Sanada Tomoyo (fallen), Miyazawa Chiyo
Current Souke Shirogane Yamashiro

Current Seishi: Shirogane Setsuna, followed by Shirogane Kirara

Yakuin

Miyazawa Chiyo
Sanada Tomoyo
Hanajima Satori
Tsubarisu Hotaka
Akito Asaba
Uesugi Lailis
Yamazaki Chikara
Takaishi Jiishita

Known Apostles:

Koken Kobushi
Cielle Blanche

*Katashima Mimiko has left the Suzaku no Ichizoku in favor of Byakko no Ichizoku, where her bloodline rests, as well as Tsubasa's.