Summoners

The summoners, versed in the zelkova country's traditional incantations, call upon the souls of the unseen world. With a long history built upon tradition, and an extremely strong sense of self that stems from duty, the summoners are behest to spiritual power that is almost unmatched on Terra. Destined to confront the many evils which threaten the balance of nature, the summoners do not hesitate to call upon the spirits to protect the lands.

=Overview= When the golden age of aura came to an end in the before-times, the summoners were there to save what they could. Though what they were able to rescue amounts to little more than a spark of that era; summoners have taken upon themselves the duty of protecting that glory, where aura and life blazed bright on Terra. They protect, guide, and pour enduring years upon the efforts of nurturing that flame.

Erudite and cultured, the summoners tend to be physically weak and often suffer from aura sensitivity, but make up for it with mystic prowess inherited from the old world. They are the guardians of the zelkova country and the souls of Terra not only because they believe they know how to save them, but because they believe it is their duty - a deep-rooted cultural survivor's guilt, and a desire to purify the world once again, spurs them forward. This patronizing attitude, as well as an overall cultural sense of superiority and right, may form enemies for them, but the summoners continue forward, spurred by faith that they might keep the beauty of the world alive.

Origins
Long ago in the golden age of aura, it is said the spirits dwelled among the living, and like floating lights, were visible: they shined brightly as the aura that flows through the skies of Terra. However, as they remained tied to the physical realm with memories of their existence, over time these wandering souls slowed Terra's lifecycle to a near halt, and became vulnerable to the vual taint. So bade the rise of the ancient soothsayers, who circulated the dispersing aura of the dead back into Terra's auraflow to lay them at peace. Two of these oracles once happened upon a hole in the sky. While one wished to use it to guide the spirits to returning to the earth, the other urged that they must destroy it. This lead to their paths diverging, and the former eventually created the soulstream. To ensure that only pure souls could enter, talismanic seals were placed.

Eventually, the ancient soothsayers would come to be associated with larger duties and concepts by association concerning the health of the planet and its auraflow, such as purification rituals, and solving mysterious phenomena plaguing the planet.

It is said that the summoners are - or were - ancient soothsayers, or had something to do with them, and this claim is backed by the remarkable purifying power that they have demonstrated.

General history
The summoners' way of life has worked for centuries. Summoners know their path as the best path, as it has served so well for so long - which is the foundation of their well-preserved tradition.

In the old zelkova country, the passing down of tradition by lineage created many summoner families. There was widespread view that the summoners carried mystical divinity, as beings who would carry the dignity and culture of the old world forward. This high standing entitled them to aid and admiration from many folk. Almost all summoner families are or were exceptionally wealthy and educated, with rank equal to that of minor feudal nobility in the zelkova country, living lives of learning - and as many took up vows of pacifism, they did not need to fight for themselves. Summoner families were often guarded by a mix of hired shogunate men (samurai) or reverent volunteers.

Summoners live lives of privilege and honor, and are expected above all else to repay that luxury with duty and service to the country and planet, the spirits, and the ancestors. A flourishing world can be said to be what all summoners, regardless of lineage or personal ideas, wish for. However, the inherent status and superiority that has been cultivated in summoner culture leads many high-ranking summoners to believe that they should be directing summoners as a whole. Indeed, the culture of judgement is widespread among the prestigious summoner families' higher ranks: full of in-fighting and prejudice based on tiny differences in lineage and thought, with political displays of power such as marriages of convenience and dynastic grudges common.

Recent times
Under the occupation of the zelkova country by the Yue Empire, an aggressive and expansionist country, no faith has been more suppressed under imperial reach than the summoning arts. Firm in their beliefs that there is no need for spiritualism and religion in their foolish avarice for power and honor, brutish Yue soldiers are known for crushing those who attempt to grasp the traditions of the past on their watch. Likewise, faced with a changing country, many of the summoner families have lost their prestige. Indeed, many summoners have been forced to admit that they would no longer be able to sit quietly deeply isolated in their great temples and shrines and pray for peace. The era of bloodshed has forced some to take a more direct hand.

=Summoning= Contrary to its seeming purpose, summoning is actually like an act of guiding souls that are unable to disperse. Most of the time, the custom is that summons are entities with some element of legend attached to them, unlike the common dead which take form as the lesser spirits. Many of these beings are unable to sever worldly attachments, and so in their case it was hoped that by living along a summoner, they would be tempered enough to depart, which is a common occurrence. In other cases, evil spirits are subjugated by summoners and call them masters until they have come to terms with their worldly actions. And so on and so forth.

It takes a great amount of energy and faith to summon, with summoners spending years in preparation and training before they can call forth their first summon - and even the greatest summoners in history could not maintain many great spirits at a time. Older summoners tend to be more powerful, not only due to their experience, but that perhaps worldly experience forges their souls to be stronger. And indeed, even though summoners may go on life-and-death journeys seeking breakthroughs in their abilities, many suffer halts in their training for years, even decades.

There are many things that can hinder the spirit arts: one of them is the presence of aura taint, in the form of any auratic charge and pollution. This is due to the fact that summoners consciously hone their soul for a higher level of sensitivity which allows them to attune to the spirits. As such, in highly corrupted areas, the presence of impure auratic energies can come as a shock to summoners' auraflow.

The summoners call upon powers which do not strictly belong to them using their own souls as a channel. As such, they often lack capacity for aura manipulation that is entirely or partially internal, such as martial arts and magics. Summoners have often been called "more soul than flesh", referring to the fact that while they have the potential to exert transcendent power, that exertion can come with frailty.

A notable rule of the spirit arts is that if you become overtaken by auratic corruption, you are no longer culturally considered a summoner. Those who are afflicted by aura taint by nature, such as the astras, are theoretically not allowed to become summoners at all. This is due to the thought that summoners are associated with purification.

Another facet which stems from this fact is the monastic lifestyle that many summoners lead, with some choosing to live in their own temples in isolation. A more serious portion even adopt a more ascetic way of living.

Spirit healing
Spirit healing is the act of restoring living energy through the spiritual arts. To understand how it works, it is important to understand the function and role of Aura in living beings.

A person's vitality is usually linked to their auraflow, not counting outside sources or influences. People who are strong and full of energy are said to have a strong auraflow.

Normally, living beings have more than enough aura to sustain their regular functions at all times. However, any disruption or strain to one's auraflow can drop a person's energy. In an ordinary situation, this is remedied by eating and sleeping. External stressors that may make a person distressed or otherwise weakened can cause someone to have a harder time recovering their energy. When one undergoes continuous stress that weakens their auraflow over time, suffers a powerful attack in battle, or even is extremely frightened by something; in extreme cases, they may faint or even die.

Ancient summoners studied a way to use the spiritual arts to restore energy. This is called spirit healing. Spirit healing is one of the easiest summoner techniques, but can be one of the hardest to learn. It depends especially on a summoner's spiritual awareness.

Spirit healing relies on attunement to the lesser spirits. One must first be able to hear the sound of the lesser spirits, who are most frequently formless wisps. It is easier to hear the spirits in aura-rich areas like forests and within nature; a prior understanding of spirit language may help the process. When one hears the spirits, which may sound like a faint echo of song, you must respond by focusing your spiritual awareness on the sound. Once you've done that, direct the energy you gather towards your hands, then push it towards the center of the target's auraflow. For humanoids this is generally the chest area, due to the presence of the heart. If you succeed in restoring the energy of that lifeform, that is spirit healing.

It is easy for summoners to practice spirit healing on themselves as well. Unlike magical healing, there is no need for knowledge or usage of magic. Even if you fail, there are no side effects because it only uses the echo of lesser spirits. The only resources needed for spirit healing are one's spiritual awareness, how well they can hear the sound, and their concentration.

Unlike healing through magic or Ballad, however, spirit healing has one major drawback. Though it can restore energy and supplement auraflow, it cannot heal existing wounds. If one has suffered grievous wounds, for instance continuous blood loss, spirit healing will not effectively recharge one's aura because the loss outweighs the restoration. Therefore it is important to be prudent in taking care of injuries first.

Some people who were healed by spirit healers can recount hearing the spirits' songs surrounding them, something usually only privy to summoners alone.

Helping people has been a principle of purification since the beginning. Many summoners take it upon themselves to go from place to place helping those who may need their help as spirit healers, rather than pursuing a path of cultivation.

Spirit language
In immersing themselves in summoner training, summoners eventually gain a natural grasp on the language of spirits, but this can take decades. The spirit language is a language that is only spoken by the summoners and their spirits, something that cannot be comprehended by attempting to learn it in the ways that many world languages are learned, and involves spiritual awareness. Thought to originate from ancient languages in Jiusyu, the spirit language is a tonal language which often references things that were much more pronounced during the golden age of aura, such as old beliefs about song and the bonds between people. Some examples of common phrases in the spirit language:


 * ｼﾔｳ ꅢﾃﾞꇜꀕ (syau terideai): "Stars shine bright on our meeting". It is the most common greeting and farewell which derives from the belief that a star (light, or celestial body, but most commonly taken to mean a star) is born when a relationship is formed.


 * ﾖｸﾀ (yokuta): "Sing praises". An expression of joy, declaration of well intent, a placation, etc.