(D9 EM) Peace

[Kitsu Murato]

"The only shrine I have visited with flowing water was Akodo Keiichi-no-shiryo's shrine. And it was built next to the river and designed to flood, to honor his strategy of asking Shugenja to call on the kami, flooding a bandit stronghold."

[Kaito Oubaihime]

"Oh sounds really nice and interesting." The Kaito smiled. "I wonder if I would be able to visit such temple."

[Kitsu Murato]

"I would love to take you there. And if you are up for it, face the challenge someday. There are a series of boulders alongside the shrine. When the flood comes the boulders become mostly submerged. Students will sit on top for the duration of the flood. Those that make it leave handprints in the mud to be washed away when the next flood happens. Those that don't have a bad day," he explained with a chuckle. "The priests there have a net they put up to catch those that fail."

[Kaito Oubaihime]

"That is a most interesting tradition. I heard that the Kitsu temples are quite mysterious."

[Kitsu Murato]

"They can be. Our strong focus on the ancestors compared to other clans results in slight differences in layout and ritual. Where ceremonies of other clans have strong focus on the elemental kami, ours tend to call on the ancestors first and elements second rather than the other way around," he says. "And because they are Lion ancestors, we tend not to get asked about such things often."

[Kaito Oubaihime]

"Ah like the void shugenja in the Void Dragon Temple. That is quite the connection to the void." She was fascinated.

[Kitsu Murato]

"I am only somewhat aware of the Void Shugenja, but I suspect it is not so different, in theory. But likely immensely different in practice," he agrees.

"It's a difficult thing for many Sodan Senzo, according to my mother. The act of calling on the honored ancestors. As much technically as emotionally. When they need to call on them it is the same as admitting to a weakness. It's one thing to ask for guidance, but to ask them to actually step in..."

[Kaito Oubaihime]

"They are very rare. The Void Dragon temple is quite bare from time to time. Just like the element it is sometimes full." The Kaito explained. "I could technically commune with such spirits but it is quite difficult."

[Kitsu Murato]

He nods at that. "It's so strange to me, the idea of communing. Needing ritual to communicate. You do a whole elaborate thing to convince the kami to listen and speak. For me," he reaches down and picks up a leaf, calling Taiko over.

"But I just hand something to someone that can't be seen by others," he places a leaf in the spirits palm. And it floats there for a few moments before falling when the spirit flips his hand.

[Kaito Oubaihime]

Her eyes grew wide in fascination. "Wow... Kitsu sama... that is amazing." She shook her head and chuckled. "You are something..."