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The basic concept of the Warders has interested me for a while. I am asking someone who knows, what do the Warders actually do? What kinds of powers and such can they obtain? I am thinking about giving Lorenor some Warder training. Anyway let me know if you know what Warders do. If not, I can develop this concept of Warders myself.
...Hrm, can't believe I haven't seen this before.
As the creator of the Akashiman Spirit Warders (and also trying to write a warder... just don't ask where he went) I can give you some details on their training, duties and responsibilities.
Duties of a Spirit Warder
Warders are essentially exorcists who travels around Akashima chasing away malicious spirits or, if they're especially dangerous and threatening the safety of Akashima, given the responsibility of terminating its existence in the human world.
Principal duties are setting up artifacts to ward off evil spirits and tend to regular illnesses. In this extent, they are similar to medieval monks who were also charged with healing the ill, until the secularization of the medical field.
Secondary duties include exorcism of malicious ghosts and spiritual phenomenon which will directly or indirectly cause harm to humans. They apply amulets and charms to contain the spirits and seal them away, where further purification rituals involving elder Warders will send the spirits to the Far World (aka the Afterlife). Especially dangerous spirits (or Youkai, will be expanded on later) must be terminated immediately and this involves fighting the spirit directly (either physically, spiritually or both). The exorcised spirits are sent to the Far World where it is said that Lady Koriko (Lore Guardian of the Afterlife; see Akashiman Lore Beast for more details) will take care of the rest.
Responsibilities of a Spirit Warder
In line with the duties stated above, the Warders are responsible for maintaining peace between the humans and the wandering spirits. They make sure that the spirits do not cause harm or interfere in the human realm while the humans do not anger the spirits out of ignorance. They are also responsible for healing the sick within his region of responsibility.
There may be wandering Warders who roam about to make sure everyone at least is provided some comfort, even outside of the Warder's usual field of responsibility.
Powers and Abilities of a Spirit Warder
- Sight: Spirit Warders have a special affinity to sensing ghosts, spirits and demons of all kinds. However, this power is not an inherited ability but rather attained through intense spiritual training. Clarity of Sight is directly tied to the Warder's training and experience, with the new trainees having none whatsoever to the elders who can see much more than even some of the spirits can.
- Speech: The Warders are capable of communicating with the spirits, should he receive enough spiritual training. This ties directly with the Warder's own training and is influenced similarly to Sight.
- Sense: Also somewhat similar to Sight and Speech, although exposure to the supernatural forces will cause the Warder to become more sensitive. However, too much sensitivity to the spirits will also put great strain on the Warder's psyche. Some Warders complement their Sense with a shard of Sacred Crystal from the Crystal Cavern (also see Addendum to the Hitchhiker's Guide to Corone for more details) to help them detect unnatural forces (regular magic included) without needing to develop their Sense.
- Onmyoudo: Basically the branch of magic the Warders use. In comparison to Real World Earth, it corresponds with the Shinto Onmyoudo of Japan. Paper amulets are one of the key artifacts, acting as charms to ward evil spirits away from homes to using them as magical projectiles to exorcise demons with. There are many branches of Akashiman Onmyoudo but they all take after the Shinto style in some form.
-Healing Arts: More or less what one could consider a proto-medical skill. Their healing powers are not as diverse or powerful as those of the Ai'Bron monks at the Citadel (and they can't bring back the dead) but more attuned to local ailments such as chill fevers, malaria and parasitic diseases.
A Spirit Warder is one who appreciates the gifts of Life and Death from natural causes. They are allowed to preserve the Life of those still living (to prevent untimely or unnecessary deaths) and respect the Death of those who have passed away (and send them to the Far World to release them from worldly desires). Because of this, one rule they must never break is bringing the dead back to life, as they consider it a breach of the natural balance of Life. There have been Warders who walked down this road, however, and has since been casted out for upsetting the delicate balance.
- The Outcasts: Spirit Warders who have broken the sacred rule are rejected from the Spirit Warder family. Some willingly break from the family to pursue their own agenda, many to their untimely demise. Many of these rogue Warders became Demon Controllers and Necromancers, utilizing their knowledge of Onmyoudo in a twisted manner. Some are self-imposed outcasts who had unintentionally broken the sacred rule, wanting to preserve the dignity of the Spirit Warder family. Most rogue Warders are dangerous from their knowledge of the spiritual balance in this world, while a small number simply wish to be forgotten.