Post by Annasiel on Jul 1, 2022 22:22:32 GMT
灯台下暗し
Chie Toudai
灯台 千映
24 Years Old
Hexbreaker
Born to the Toudai family, Chie comes from a long and practiced line of hexbreakers dating back to the 1600s. While often at odds with the Shogunate roots of other noroi hunters of the time, the Toudai's deep ties to Shinto authority and their more academic, religious origins were a large reason for their longevity past the 19th Century, helping them form closer ties with the imperial seat and putting them in favor with Emperor Meiji following his consolidation of power. While older houses loyal to the Shogunate faded into obsolescence, the Toudai served at the forefront of a secretive effort to cleanse the old demons from the land to make way for the new Japanese empire.
Unfortunately, they were just as much a part of the old world as the demons. Clinging to their Shinto roots, the Toudai family continued their way of life, unwilling to let go of ritual and traditions of the past, and as Japan modernized, they were left behind, a footnote in the dusty annals of history like their Shogunate rivals had become. Naturally, the Toudai family resents this, viewing the new hexbreakers that have arisen since as products of societal decay, lacking respect for the gods and spirits that make this island's blood.
At the center of the Toudai legacy is Hidama (火魂), a lantern passed down through the generations as tool to vanquish the noroi. It is a metal and glass sphere formed in the style of a chouchin lamp, hung from a threaded silver chain, and holds within a pale fire that flickers and dances no matter if the air is windy or still. This fire has been kept burning by the family for centuries - untouched from when the first hexbreaker of the Toudai, Ginjiro, a monk and craftsman from the north. While there has been speculation this lantern was created from a captured noroi, and that the family possesses the power to curse weave, these rumors are unfounded.
The light of Hidama is hypnotic to noroi, drawing their attention and, sometimes, their ire, but to touch the flame itself and other fires lit from its source causes them harm. Any flames born from Hidama have the same pale glow, but unlike the lantern itself, it seems impossible to sustain them - once their original fuel is depleted, the fire fades, and any attempts to reignite it only leads to a normal orange flame. Despite this, paper lamps sourced from Hidama are often used in Toudai hunts, as the hexbreaker places them around the perimeter of an area a noroi has been found to prevent the spirit from escaping. Also, Toudai hunters will often bring with them a flask of rice wine, which they use as a source of fuel during their rituals.