Sonoko

The universe of Sonoko is a realm of harmony, struggle, and divine law, where myth and starflight coexist. Forged by the Divine Parents Akira and Miyagi, Sonoko is bound by cycles of spirit and fate, yet its mortals now voyage among the stars on ships guided by Chi, Shinmyo, and Onmyo alike.

Major Spaceport on Jinkai Prime

Creation and Cosmology

Sonoko was fathomed into existence by Akira and Miyagi, who envisioned a universe of balance woven from silence and storm. Their fathoming shaped the planes of reality and filled them with the rhythms of time, life, and spirit.

Yet in the act of fathoming, excess power crystallized into vast primordial beings—dragons and other myth-creatures—raw echoes of creation itself. Too wild to dwell among mortals, these beings were bound within the prison-plane of Gamok.

• Ninkai: The Mortal Plane, cradle of humanity, its lands now strung with shrines, starports, and sky-cities.
• Gamok: The prison-plane of chaos and shadow, where primordial spirits seethe and plot.
• Divine Heavens: The radiant domain of Akira and Miyagi, who continue to watch and send forth heroes.

In the current Age of Shifting Gates, the barrier between Ninkai and Gamok weakens, allowing the primordial spirits to slip into the mortal cosmos once more.

Pantheon of Sonoko

The gods of Sonoko hold sway not only over temples but also over the routes of space. Starfaring priests bless engines, while offerings are cast into vacuum to placate the divine. (…benevolent/neutral/malevolent pantheon as before…)

Benevolent Deities

• Amaterasuya – Goddess of Sunlight and Truth, bringer of clarity and order.
• Chunhwa – Goddess of Blossoms and Renewal, patroness of spring, healing, and growth.
• Hoshin – God of Stars and Guidance, protector of wanderers and seekers.
• Daon – God of Justice and Ancestral Duty, invoked in oaths and councils.

Neutral Deities

• Ryujin – Dragon God of Oceans, revered for both storms and safe passage.
• Byakuya – Moon Deity of Reflection and Illusion, neither wholly kind nor wholly cruel.
• Mokhwa – Spirit of Woods and Beasts, honored by shamans and hunters.
• Seiryoku – God of Power and Competition, invoked in contests and war-games.

Malevolent Deities

• Onibara – Demoness of Shadows and Revenge, who thrives on broken vows.
• Huogui – Fire-Eater Spirit of Greed and Devouring.
• Gashadokuro – Skeletal god of famine and hunger, born of restless dead.
• Yami-no-Kami – Lord of Endless Night, master of imprisoned spirits in Gamok.

Magic Systems of Sonoko

Sonoko’s magics fuel both shrine and starship:

• Chi – Vital energy, harnessed by warriors and engineers alike to power engines, heal hulls, or strike with elemental force.
• Shinmyo – Ritual invocations that protect starships, ward colonies, and summon ancestral guardians.
• Onmyo – Balance of shadow and light, woven into navigation, illusion-tech, and fate-binding drives.

Heroes and Heroines

Champions chosen by Akira and Miyagi are no longer bound to villages alone. They wield relics that ignite like suns, pilot ships inscribed with divine seals, and carry the fight against dragons and yokai across the starry expanse. These heroes embody Sonoko’s fusion of myth and void.

The Primordial Spirits

Dragons and yokai slip through the gates of Gamok not only into forests and mountains but also into the void. Their colossal forms drift among stars, devouring whole fleets or whispering truths to lone travelers. They are at once calamity and oracle.

Science-Fantasy Aspects

• Starfaring Chi Vessels: Ships fueled by life-energy, requiring entire crews of trained monks.
• Shrine-Stations: Orbital temples serving both as sanctuaries and navigation beacons.
• Dragons of the Void: Primordial serpents that haunt nebulae, each bearing a fragment of creation’s first resonance.
• The Moongates of Ninkai: Ancient portals connecting Ninkai to distant systems, cracked open wider by the Age of Shifting Gates.

Trivia

• Some scholars claim the first mortal starships were carved from the husks of slain primordial serpents.
• Interstellar trade routes are plotted using Onmyo divination, as conventional navigation falters near Shifting Gates.
• The moons of Ninkai are said to reflect the eyes of Byakuya, recording every oath sworn beneath them.