Jump 372: Kamigawa

Jump #372: Kamigawa
>The Hierophant: Faith in tradition and the old school. A justified and ancient source of power. Being supportive, sympathetic and loyal. Receiving instructions, learning, guidance or inspiration. The ability to hear a higher or inner voice. May also indicate a religious ritual, such as a marriage or an initiation.
>Location: Mikokoro
An auspicious place to arrive! And not at all subtle. Whoops.
>Identity: Kami (-200)
>Drawbacks: (+400) The Tip of the Iceberg, A Reckoning
Oh, I've angered some locals, all right. One of the local warlords is out for me because of my interference, and the leader of a faction of oni likewise wants to end me. That will definitely be a thing.
>Scenario: God From The Outside
Well, I kind of literally am. I've given up fighting it, there will be worlds where I can do more good as a deity. At the moment, though, I'm barely running at a tiny fraction of my power. This will make things... notably more complicated.
>Jumper of Flesh and Spirit (700)
Well, mostly flesh at the moment.
>Mana Fount (600)
On the plus side, being able to infuse things directly with mana would be an awfully helpful thing! Once I can use it.
>Bizarre Form (Free, Kami)
Not that bizarre, honestly. Barely even otherworldly. I could have gone full Ramiel with this but it just does not fit the genre.
>Spirit Attendants (Free, Kami)
Huh, okay. This is different but pretty darn useful.
>Symbolic Link (500, Kami)
Huh. A half dozen symbolic links, you say? Yes, I can think of several such useful things to associate with myself...
>Kami In All Things (300, Kami)
This won't be useful until I get a goodly number of worshippers, but once I do...
>Divine Intervention (0, Kami)
Oh, so everyone who prays to me gets powers related to my symbolic links... and my shrines will really be considered holy and grant benefits. Yes, yes indeed, this will be nice. And creating avatars? A pantheon of myself? How very interesting indeed.
>6 Assorted Basic Lands (Free)
I get 200 points toward lands. Basic lands are 50 apiece and 150 for a five-pack. You'd better believe I'm getting one of every type and two Plains. And then absorbing them. Into my soul. With the rest of the lands that follow me around. With the added use of Hydra Blueprints. I forgot - did I mention I swapped out my company in MCU2 for the Blueprints some time back because I'd been mistaken as to how they worked?

So, falling in from another world, and having to swim all the way from Mikokoro to the mainland. Not my favorite thing. And, of course, I'm barely beyond peak human - which for this world is hardly exceptional. My companions aren't much better off, either... I suppose that's the cost for taking such a scenario. Subtly poking around informs me that I would be well advised to not simply declare myself a god, so instead I take a more subtle approach. I've been around long enough to know that dropping a few words here and there with the right kind of person can get them to have a little faith in someone who won't abandon them. Even if they're locked in mortal form.

And sure, it's not fun running around fighting off a warlord who is hellbent on fighting me, and a warband of oni for good measure, but .. well, I still have access to the Warehouse, so even if I have no powers I've got tech enough to stay alive. And the best results I've had have been when the two groups met and fought each other over who gets to kill me, hilariously.

During this jump, for the most part I simply masquerade as a ronin, fighting injustices... after all, it fits the tropes quite well. And as the number of people who direct their thoughts my way grows, my powers start trickling back, little by little. Those who pray find their faith in me strengthened, find the pains of old age easing a bit, their eye and minds clearer. Word gets around.

Three years in, the first temple to me is established, promptly sacked by oni, and that only encourages people to rebuild when the oni have been slain by a wandering swordsman.

Four years in, there are five temples and those who worship me are reporting markedly increased health, among other improvements.

Five years in, there are dozens of villages praising me, which is raising a lot of eyebrows in a world where the gods are at war with the mortal realm. And yet there seems to be more than one wandering swordsman now - spoken of as an immortal ronin, reputed to fight for the people he protects, giving his blessing of health and plenty to the people even as they give him their worship. The shrine maidens likewise are matched with swordsmen, a relationship where both stand on equal grounds. The shrine maidens were present for decorum and diplomacy, and the swordsmen, to keep the peace by any means necessary.

Seven years in I hit the tipping point and had gotten all of my powers back along with the construction of a proper Taisha, but I'd had the body of a kami by that point - which was the same as the form I'd been using up to that point, writ large. I kept the war from touching the innocent, both those who worshipped me and those who did not, so long as the people also did not war with the gods. For none were without sin.

By the end of my time, a fragile peace had been established. It helped that the gods could no longer throw their ire everywhere without consequence, but the credit really went to the daimyo's daughter who ended up freeing a kidnapped god. Of all the stupid things. It's probably not a surprise that O-Kagachi smited the holy fuck out of Konda about the time that I left, honestly. Divine wrath is quite a thing.