End of exploration

Era beginning/end

At the end of the year, the Kami all return to Seppun Hill.

Shinjo travels south in hopes of finding one of their lost brothers, but the unstable situation with the nezumi, and increasingly hostile ogres and goblins make it impossible for her to find much help or direction, and she leaves the lands empty-handed.   Before the end of the year, many pilgrims from different tribes travel to the Seppun, following a rumor that all the Kami will gather again for the New Year. It is the first time in living memory that so many tribes have come together in such peaceful circumstances. The formerly small village had grown into a large town with many surrounding farms; hundreds had flocked to the settlement, assembling together to worship the Kami as gods. The Kami had brought civilization to the world even when they were not physically present.   Among these pilgrims is a hooded man by the name of Shinsei.   A few days before the New Year, the Kami arrive to meet with eachother again. Gathered alone atop Seppun Hill, the very place they arrived at five years earlier, they discussed the world they were now a part of, for there did not seem to be any way to return home - their lives were forever changed now. Many of them spoke of the barbarism and atrocities they had seen in their travels, but they also recalled moments of beauty and the intrinsic nobility of the human soul.   Shiba spoke of the need for humanity to achieve greater heights in the Celestial cycle, as few in the realm now were able to reach the blessed realms of Yomi. Shinjo and Hantei spoke of the need for the people to live better than they did now - where most people could barely make it through a winter. Akodo and Hida both agreed that many of the humans needed protection, not only from honorless people who preyed upon the weak and helpless, but also from monsters and beasts. Doji and Bayushi saw that the humans without guidance were chaotic, unpredictable, and lacking purpose in life beyond survival. And it was Lady Doji who said "As the Sun and Moon gave shape to the formless, so must we create order out of this chaos. These mortals are not without worth, merely without direction. We must offer them that direction." The last to speak was the eldest, Togashi, who simply said "this is our destined path, and this world will face great difficulties. Ones even greater without us".   All the Kami agreed: they would see to all this and create an order where there was none, an Empire where there were only tribes and villages now. To do so, however, they would need a leader to take charge of this effort. They would need an Emperor, just as how the Heavens too were ruled by the Sun and Moon.