Like all Go Kamisori Gama, Ginryu's style is a mixture of religious devotion and the martial arts. Ginryu believes he is a chosen agent of the Heavens and the kami and goes about all duties and sorcery with a religious devotion. But Ginryu knows he is not a priest, but a warrior -- a warrior of stealth. He operates from the shadows in all things, and the shadows conceal those operations in kind.
Whereas most Go Kamisori Gama master the arts of stealth in order to stay undetected, Ginryu utilizes the darkness namely to get to point A to point B. In between, he affects few disguises, eagerly crushing his clan's enemies mano e mano. This is the nature of his tamashii, and so long as he maintains his and his clan's secrecy, all is well. Perhaps it is a curse of that fiery Avatar, or a geasa the Avatar accepted onto itself in previous incarnations, but that confrontational aspect is why the Art of Mado (Correspondence) is forbidden to Ginryu. He cannot warp space to confront enemies. He must be there, face to face. Otherwise, Ginryu's soul has been opened to the breath of the gods, a channel of divine power and awareness.
Understanding of the worldly elements, devotion to the kami, honoring the ancestors, and martial prowess are all extensions of this true awareness. Ginryu extends his will through such mediums, for he was chosen to do so for the gods. To that end, Ginryu developed many techniques to further that willful extension to many different aspects of the universe, illusory as it may be. Ki is the force underlying the shadows of the universe, and control of it brings so-called "magick" to life through mastery of the body and esoteric techniques. Those esoteric skills command a foundation in proven science that modern laboratories ignore because they can't figure out how to duplicate them with their own sterile techniques. But regardless of what style of magick is right or wrong, Ginryu knows that Paradox descends when the mage fails to fulfill the desires of the gods appropriately -- it is divine wrath.
The pressure points -- gates and ducts of ki flow -- are found all over the human body. There are hundreds of these pressure points, and the study of these nerve-endings and bundles is known as atemi in Japanese. Mapping them all out is a life-time's work. Ginryu only understands some of the basic (if still deadly) applications of atemi. As a mystick, however, one can apply ki energy to these pressure points for even greater effects. By striking, jamming, or even rubbing harshly, intense pain can be inflicted -- destruction ensues, chaos follows. By gently touching or massaging, the same hands can heal the body and soothe the mind -- maintaining harmony within and without. Utilizing these basic truths, Ginryu can stimulate his own awareness of Chaos and Order. When the Eyes are Open, Will may be applied. At times, he may even strike his opponents to weave a potent curse -- disintegrating instead of stimulating. But his skill with the Art of Ummei ("Doom" -- Entropy) is somewhat limited when seeking to affect others. As such, he still requires this focus to work these Blessings and Dooms.
To summon the powerful energies -- Seiryoku ("Energies" -- Forces) -- of the world around her, Ginryu must call them. The voice has long been hailed as a powerful instrument of the martial artist. In the hands of a master, it is a weapon itself. Through his war-cry, his augmented ki summons the elements themselves to wage war on his foes. His screams can shatter boulders (and bones) and incinerate enemies with the Holy Fires of Heaven. This Art is viewed as the Element of Fire, the Sun, and the Moon. It is the magick of Divine Ordinance. Ginryu wields this Art carefully, however, as the gods frown upon unwise use of their gifts to the shinta. Despite the risk of Fukano (Paradox), Ginryu does revel in the power of this Art, summoning it often to augment his blows with great kinetic force. And as such, he has developed it to an admirable level. Ginryu is familiar enough with it to abandon the kiai -- that cry and breath of life -- when necessary to act in silence. So this focus is not required.
Iki ("Breath" -- Life) is interpreted literally in Ginryu's methods. A profound and meditated state of breathing accompanies all channeling of ki through his body and potentially into others' bodies and living forms. The rhythm of his breathing regimen depends on the nature of the changes, improvements, or pain he intends to invoke. The length of this meditation also depends on the intensity of alterations he intends. Luckily, Ginryu has practiced this Art for a long time, and formulated a constant rhythm of breathing he can shift on a virtual subconscious level to effect his needs of this Art. The breathing regimen is not necessary, although taking the extra time to consciously concentrate certainly helps.
The specialty of the Go Kamisori Gama, Iko ("Designs" -- Mind) calls upon the illusions of the universe. The Go Kamisori Gama take advantage of their recognition of reality as illusion when most others do not to conceal and summon the shadows of the mind around themselves. But even the average Sleeper has some perceptual ability, and a good ninja takes no chances that another is too dim to take notice. So before the illusions people hold of reality can be slipped through, it is prudent to confuse and befuddle their minds even further. To that end, Ginryu prepares special powders that are mild forms of psychotropic poisons. When inhaled (and thus, they are most often thrown into the victim's face) and, in some preparations, even touched (skin contact will do), the victim experiences mild and brief confusion and vertigo. By the time it passes, the illusions Ginryu seeks to effect are in place. Ginryu is very confrontational and has allowed this Art's development to be stunted. The psychotropic powders are not necessary.
Ki no Nagarette ("The Flow of Life-Force" -- Prime) is the great connector between the five elements of reality. All things flow with ki. Knowing this Art permits the mystick to directly affect that flow instead of touching the form of its elements. However, seeing past the form of physical reality to the base energy that lies behind requires a great deal of insight. That insight is inherent to the Awakening Ginryu already experienced, but without further development, it always remains vague. To help him understand the intrinsic value of ki and its flow, his parents bestowed upon him an artifact of religious significance. A spear, crafted wholly of bronze and etched with ancient kanji, well-suited to actual battle (although it is not a talisman), represents the spear Amanonuboko. That divine instrument was used to create the world. With his own lesser version of Amanoboko, Ginryu finds it easier to pinpoint the spiritual hearts of all things in the universe: men, rocks, water, even the air. He still requires this unique spear to effect kage-waza of Ki no Nagarette.
Avatar
Ginryu's soul is on fire. At least, that's how his Tamashii manifests to him in visions and Seekings. A great and intense fire burns in his breast. To test himself, to grow stronger and wiser, he must thrust his limbs or even his whole body into that dream-blaze. Tempering his mental fortitude in the heat of this conflagration, Ginryu comes to both respect and lose all fear of pain. By hardening his spirit into such a formidable weapon, Ginryu accepts the role as a defender of the clan against enemies. Indeed, he feels it's his special role to pummel offending shen back into their place. He suspects that is how he will die, defending the clan while embattled in melee with enemies. Whether it's some demonic foe or the Five Metal Dragons, he has yet to discover.
Resonance
Dynamic (Challenging)
Ginryu's eagerness to fight is well-ingrained in his very soul. Nothing excites him more than a good, old-fashioned boxing match -- head to head, mano e mano. His directness and confrontational habits make it easy for him to inspire competition in those he views as rivals or enemies (-3 difficulty to relevant Social rolls). On the other hand, any attempts to be subtly peaceful (other than just not being around) potential rivals or enemies is harder for Ginryu (he suffers a +3 difficulty on related Social checks).
This does affect his Arts as well. He receives a +1 difficulty penalty on all Effects designed to evade enemies, include some key rotes to Go Kamisori Gama practice (like invisibility)! However, all combat rotes enacted while he's engaged in a formal challenge are easier: -1 difficulty on such Arete rolls.
The Reito (Cabal)
Ginryu belongs to the Reito Cabal. Comprised solely of Go Kamisori Gama of Clan Reiryu, this cabal's purpose is the secret razor of the Coalition of Little Asia. Slicing away that which threatens the Court and its master's goals, the cabal is one of the most lethal war-bands in the city. Hinodi "Nekoko" Kimi leads the cabal, along with Ryusugi "Konton" Hanabi, Ryusugi "Toku" Kenjuko, Ryusugi "Inzen" Sakon, Ishiwa "Shusen" Heian, Hinodi "Togeyabu" Mitsuko, Ryusugi "Sasayaki" Shina, and Ryusugi "Kaze" Nagoya.
