Firewatchers

The Firewatchers are a group of followers of Kaika whose roots extend back to the Lilian Era. Though they have existed for so long, their existence has been denied as much as the reasons for the eruption that destroyed the Lilians.

History

One of the greatest tragedies of the Lily Civilization, and the Lilian's sacrificial activities at the end of their era was the general denial of the majority of the residents of Underhill; most deaths that happened while visiting Yuriba physical were deemed 'hunting accidents' or some other accident, or even questioning if the disappeared had instead simply ran away from Underhill to one of the off island trade areas.

Though not associated with the dead or the afterlife, the injustice that those murdered in the name of sacrifice suffered did not go unnoticed by Kaika, the young goddess growing enraged, fired with passion. She spoke through the flames to her most loyal of priestesses, these priestesses becoming the most vocally outspoken against the overall denial of what was happening. Within their hearts they knew of the unjust activities and the unpunished crimes the Lilians were committing against others, yet being agents of justice, they knew they needed absolute proof lest they become just as unjust as the murderers, and to fight against the deliberate ignorance of the general populace.

Small bands of priestesses began to venture into Yuriba in the quest to seek proof of the Lilians deeds in order to spur the rest of Underhill into action, following the Lilian tribes and speaking with the Toltraua, gathering their evidence as best they could. The Lilians, however, were quick to catch on to these actions, and the priestesses began to be hunted by the Lilians for sacrifice moreso than otherwise innocent hunters and traders, feeling these murders to mean more to Inishie as the sacrifice of her enemies, turning the Lilian attentions towards them and other priestesses of other goddesses who were equally as determined to prove or stop what was happening despite public opinion. These priestesses of Kaika were called Firewatchers, as the easiest way for them to find Lilian activities were the unholy fires burned in Inishie's name, something they personally viewed as a perversion of Kaika's bonfires.

While initially their numbers were great, and they spurred a brief bit of concern among the residents of Underhil for the activities above, the quick turn of the Lilians into hunting the priestesses quickly silenced much of the outcry. The drop in numbers of Kaika's priestesses went largely unexplained by most of the natives, for they did not see that proof the priestesses were seeking, as little proof ever came back. Soon, though many of Kaika’s priestesses heard Kaika’s cry for justice, the need to preserve their order and avoid burning out with the flames of their own passion combined with the lessons of an unlikely goddess; Issui. Stories speak of an unusual rainstorm of great power that fell near the temple of Kaika, so much so that a shallow flood of water flowed through the temple like a stream. It did not do damage, though it did touch the bonfires; not enough to put the fire out, but lowered the heat and the flame. The flood acted as something of a warning and a wakeup call for the priestesses, calming the flames of the youthful goddess of justice with the reminders of patience and time. This event and the lessons learned was the origin of the tradition of setting small candles afloat on lily pads as tokens of remembrance for the victims, a blending of fires of justice and patience of the sea.

Founding

The lesson taught by Issui tempered Kaika’s flame, ensuring that the flame of justice continue to burn rather than exhaust itself with passion. The head priestess of Kaika at that time was a woman whose name has either been deliberately hidden from history, or forgotten, but it was known she was a kitsune of considerable strength. She went into seclusion on a private retreat, meditating in front of a bonfire for several weeks, communing with her goddess. Though no records of the event are known to exist, rumor has that she was visited not only by Kaika but also by Zokutou and Tenteisei, helping to guide her and the young goddess of justice to a proper, long reaching path.

When Inishie-san erupted, bringing an end to the Lilians and their actions, the bonfires within Kaika’s temples flared higher than the treetops, yet burned nothing but their own fuel, one of the great fires tempering down to barely burning coals in a flame that refused to be doused. The kitsune high priestess returned, gathering in the youngest of Kaika’s followers. It was then that she disclosed the steps she had resolved they take, the acolytes becoming the foundation of the future Firewatchers.

Duties

Kaika has no interest in interfering in the actions Zokutou and Tenteisei take with the souls of the departed, the Yuriban belief that souls can learn their lessons and advance along their spiral something that extends to her followers as well. However the more grounded realization that not all souls learn their lessons within any easily measurable period of time is more focused upon than the longer looking followers of the other goddesses. The Firewatchers have tasked upon themselves the duty of identifying former followers of Inishie after being reborn on their next step of the spiral, and observing them to prevent any repeating of the actions of the past.

How it is that they identify former Lilians or possibly vengeful victims of the Lilians is not known. Rumor has that an agreement was formed with Zokutou to help in this process, but what it is is not clear, and if one were to ask a priestess of Harumeku if they are somehow involved in this process, one would risk offending the otherwise gentle tempered priestesses who believe in childhood innocence.

Records are believed to be kept of the names of former Lilians and their subsequent lives should they reincarnate within Underhill, but are said to be heavily coded to protect the identities of those who are watched. This grants the watched the privacy and chance to atone for their sins and move along the spiral, even if the person being watched in question has no conscious realization of their past, as most of them at this point in the reincarnation cycle have little inkling of who they once were. Records are also kept of those who had died or were wronged during the Lilian Era, and while they are watched with the concern that they act out in misguided attempts at vengeance, they are much less observed or followed than former Lilians themselves. It’s not clear how they are handling the immigrants to the island now that the wards are falling, though it’s known that some of the immigrants have found that they had once lived on Yuriba or in Underhill in the past.

The Firewatchers are often not full priestesses of Kaika, though their devotion to the lady of justice is just as great as her priestesses, and they are well knowledgeable in her rituals. There is no clear, outward symbol of their position, and there is no known ritual to dedicate a person into the order. Any further ritual associated with simply them and not with Kaika’s worship as a whole is unknown.

Membership

Due to the secrecy of the sect, there is no known number as to how many Firewatchers there are in operation at any given time, though supposing is that their numbers have decreased as former Lilians have made their way beyond their pasts and solidly moved forward on the spiral of their soul, requiring less observation for concern of repeating their former actions. With the falling of the island wards and the increase in immigration, however, there is some rumor of concern that there are not enough to watch for the past to rise again. The secrecy of the Firewatchers also means that there is no way for an interested person to exactly join, either, as it is unclear as to who is a member, and if one were to ask a priestess of Kaika they would be told that even they do not know. The acting high priestess of Kaika in Underhill is no doubt the only one who knows who exactly is a Firewatcher among the members of her temple.