Koshintai are "kami" created by Kami's magic that have existed for a long enough time and a strong enough will develop their own souls.

Please note that Kami keeps the mechanics of their magic a secret, so as to minimize disturbance to the existences of their belief-driven kami. 

Kami's primary ability allows them to create new kami through a complex magical process. They can "seed" objects, locations, or phenomena (referred to as shintai, 神体; "body of the kami") with their magic. As sapient beings develop beliefs, emotions, and cultural practices around these seeded shintai, these magic seeds develop into Mitama (御魂, honorable soul/spirits)—proto-kami that exist as rudimentary magical programs, though without any form beyond their source shintai. If people believe worship will grant kindness and care, then respectful worship might lead to positive boons. If people believe disrespect and harm to the shintai (e.g. littering in a sacred area) may bring wrath, then misfortune may befall the disrespectful. The stronger and/or more widespread the belief of the Mitama is, the stronger and more aware they become. 

When sufficient belief accumulates and meets certain requirements (understanding of identity, balance of gentle and wrathful aspects, clear sense of duty), Mitama can manifest as Shinrei (神霊, divine spirits), which can be considered as proper kami—magical constructs with a degree of agency and emotions shaped by the beliefs that formed them. These kami fulfill their perceived roles, offering boons to respectful worshippers and punishment to those who transgress.

Over time, particularly powerful or long-lived kami can naturally accumulate enough ethereal essence to develop their own souls, gaining true free will and the ability to evolve beyond their original parameters. These ancient, souled kami—sometimes called Koshintai (古神体, ancient divine forms)—can choose to fulfill their duties, expand beyond them, or abandon them entirely to wander as independent beings. However, if belief in them fades, their power diminishes accordingly.

Kami can also seed conscious beings directly, though this process differs significantly from seeding inanimate entities. When a conscious being is seeded, they do not become kami themselves but instead gain a form of belief-driven divinity. If people begin to believe in their divine or kami nature and they fulfill certain duties or roles that align with kami-hood, they may start manifesting supernatural abilities. Should these seeded beings die while maintaining their divine status, they can persist as Koshintai-like beings rather than passing on normally.

This process cannot affect Edeia. Other beings with strongly established magical natures may also prove difficult or impossible to seed.

Koshintai exist through an evolution of multiple stages, explained below. 

Mitama (御魂, honorable soul/spirit)

Proto-Kami

Mitama exist purely as magical programs without any physical form beyond their source shintai. They possess rudimentary awareness but lack true consciousness or agency. Their responses are automatic—blessing respectful worship and punishing transgressions based entirely on the beliefs that shaped them. Mitama cannot communicate, appear independently, or act beyond their programmed parameters. Their strength depends directly on the intensity and consistency of belief directed toward their source shintai. If they are forgotten or if their shintai is destroyed, they return to their seed state. 

Cultural note: Mitama is a term used in Shinto that can refer to the spirit of a kami.

Shinrei (神霊, divine spirit)

Manifested Kami

Shinrei can manifest when the belief and culture surrounding a particular shintai reaches a level of sophistication, strength and/or reach (can be widespread belief or very strong and devoted belief of a single person), with the following elements:

• an understanding of the kami's identity.

• conceptualization of both gentle and wrathful aspects.

• a clear sense of the kami's duty and their place as part of nature. 

These kami will gain a form of "programmed" consciousness in addition to manifesting a physical form composed of magical energy. These forms are shaped by the cultural beliefs and expectations that created them—a kami born from tree worship might appear as a dryad-like figure, while one formed around ancestral reverence could manifest as an idealized version of the deceased person. Shinrei possess agency and can experience emotions (gratitude, anger, joy, wrath) but remain bound to their fundamental purpose and duties. They can communicate, appear to worshippers, be invisible or selectively visible (e.g. to the faithful), and actively choose how to respond to different situations, though their actions are still heavily influenced by their originating beliefs. Their abilities can range greatly, strongly dependent on the beliefs surrounding them, so long as they align with the "formula" needed to form a kami—that is, they cannot have solely nurturing or solely destructive abilities, always having both. 

They can alter their appearance slightly and change their size (with their maximum size corresponding to their power) but cannot completely change their form. 

The weaker the beliefs surrounding them, the closer they are to being forgotten, the weaker their abilities; they may also lose the ability to be visible to mortals, which can contribute to their disappearance from culture. If they are forgotten, Shinrei will vanish, returning to the seed state that could form a Mitama in the future. They can persist if their shintai is destroyed, but it will weaken them unless a new shintai is prepared for them.

Koshintai (古神体, ancient divine form)

Ancient Souled Kami

After developing their own souls through accumulated ethereal essence, Koshintai gain true free will and complete shapeshifting abilities. They can choose any form they wish, abandon their original duties entirely, or expand far beyond their initial parameters. Their types of abilities can evolve based on their own will, but their level of power remains tied to belief—if forgotten, they shrink to palm-sized forms invisible to non-magical beings with greatly reduced abilities, though they retain their consciousness and souls. Koshintai can survive the complete loss of belief and total destruction of their shintai, unlike their earlier stages. At this point, their magic is independent from their original shintai; their powers only rely on the beliefs surrounding them. 

Ancestral Spirits

Ancestral spirits can develop through two distinct paths. If Kami seeds the remains, memories, or spiritual remnants of a deceased person whose soul has already moved on, the resulting kami develops as an "echo"—a construct formed by how the person exists in the memories and beliefs of others. Alternatively, if Kami imbues a location or object connected to someone whose soul has chosen to linger (due to unfinished business or strong attachments), and that lingering soul is compatible with the seeding, it may gain the power to manifest as an ancestral spirit kami with their original personality and memories intact. These soul-based ancestral spirits begin with free will but still depend on belief for their manifestation strength and abilities.

While there are still few Koshintai designs, these guidelines are more flexible. Feel free to ask any questions regarding potential designs. 

Koshintai can shapeshift freely, but each has a default appearance (their base form) that is animal-like or humanlike. Base forms are the forms they are most comfortable in. They return to them when they do not maintain focus on a different form. Some Koshintai have both a humanlike and an animal-like base form. A base form is not necessarily a Koshintai's maximum size, and some prefer to remain small.

Koshintai form wherever belief and culture gather around a shintai, so their designs may draw on animist traditions from many cultures. 

Universal Traits

• Essence: All Koshintai base forms have an “essence,” a glowing white floating element that might be a halo, flame, orb, etc. Multiple are possible, and glowing elements can also be on the body.

• White: Designs have noticeable white, though it does not have to be the most prominent or widespread color. Gold is common, and other highlight colors are possible.

• Humanlike base forms: Must have elements of an animal or nature (typically plants or rocks). Nature elements can be on accessories so long as the accessory is always present.

• Animal-like base forms: Must have some elements of nature, typically plants or rocks. Combining elements of multiple animals is allowed within reason, but purely fictional creatures are not. Designs may be realistic, abstracted, or more unusual and distorted.

Kigengami (起源神, origin kami)

Kami who develop from beliefs and culture closely linked to Japan and Shinto are Kigengami, a sub-type of kami more closely tied to Kami's homeland and origins. They require no special seed and simply develop naturally. Kigengami who reach the Koshintai stage may be formally called Kokigengami (古起源神, ancient origin kami), though they are casually referred to as Kigengami or Koshintai. In addition to the universal traits above, they have the following characteristics for their base form(s): 

Humanlike Base Form

• Wear primarily white robes resembling traditional Japanese clothing. Gold and other highlight colors may be present.

• Wear white paper masks of any shape. Eyes are always concealed, but mouth and nose can show. 

• White hair. 

• Pale, desaturated, or gray/achromatic skin. 

Animal-Like Base Form

• Primarily white in color. Gold and other highlight colors may be present. 

• Typically more abstracted than real animals—though leaning towards realistic animals is also possible. Combining elements of multiple animals is allowed within reason, but purely fictional creatures are not. 

The nature and power of the abilities of Koshintai vary greatly depending on the beliefs surrounding them, though their universal abilities include: 

• Shapeshifting: they can freely change their appearance, though their maximum comfortable size depends on the strength of belief in them. 

• Selective Invisibility: they can make themselves invisible to mundane individuals, whether overall or only appearing to specific individuals or under certain conditions. 

• Immortality: so long as belief in them persists, they will not cease to exist. Koshintai can persist even without belief.

• Limited Teleportation: they can always teleport to their shintai or its mirror in Kami's Abstraction. They can also teleport to those who have strong beliefs in them or areas they are very familiar with. 

• Distributed Awareness and Presence: they are aware of all those who have belief in them and are able to process all the information without issue. Some can appear in multiple places at once. 

Trial Koshintai

At certain occasions such as festivals, Kami may offer Edeia an opportunity to experience what it is like to be a Koshintai. Participants are asked not to share anything they learn about how the magic works, if they learn of anything at all.

Kami and the Edeia each imbue their magic into a temporary shintai, which can be any object. Kami may provide Shinto items such as omamori or ema. The Edeia must actively accept the influence. Their concentration usually does not last long, and the effect fades once it lapses. They can also reject it at any time.

The shintai does not need to stay with them, but if it is destroyed, the magic dissipates. Another trial requires both Kami and the Edeia to imbue a temporary shintai again.

Characteristics and Abilities

The Edeia gains Koshintai appearance, including a white glowing essence. Whether they have a Kigengami-like appearance or not is up to them; generally, it is only an option for those who understand and/or connect to the Shinto culture. 

They also gain some Koshintai-like abilities, though power is shaped by the Edeia's Idea alone and belief plays no role:

• Selective invisibility: They can selectively choose to be visible to only chosen individuals or under chosen conditions.

• Divine framework: Idea magic stays fully accessible, but the Edeia feels an urge to filter it through blessings and curses, based on how others treat them and on principles shaped by their values and Idea.

• General curses and blessings: Weak to moderate magic affecting luck and health is possible, but only when there is a "trigger" that connects to their Idea. The magic prevents random use. These effects are weak and last from hours to about a week. Effects placed on others run their course after the trial ends.

As an example, Truth might curse someone who lies to them to speak only their true thoughts, and bless with luck or health someone who confesses a difficult truth for constructive reasons.

Koshintai Shifts

You are welcome to ask permission to design (or commission Auspice) for a "Koshintai shift" of an Edeia or other shapeshifting character. These are shapeshifted forms based on the appearance of Koshintai and do not come with any of the magical abilities associated with them. 

If an Edeia had a previous form as a Koshintai, you can design a hybrid form for them without asking permission. 

You can use this form to ask permission: 

Character: (Link)
Origin: (why they chose this form/why it appeals to them, how they learned of Koshintai, etc.) 

After you have gotten permission, please send the design to Auspice and they will approve it or ask for changes. 

Please ask Auspice if you would like to create a Koshintai character; you can directly DM them or ask in the #questions-suggestions-feedback channel of the Discord. They will ask about your character concept and potentially discuss somewhat; if they are satisfied, you may create and discuss your Koshintai character freely. Please use this form: 

Name:
Pronouns:
Story Concepts: (approximate year(s), original shintai, original purpose/beliefs that made them and what abilities that entailed, story ideas, etc. can be bullet points so long as the gist is there)

If you like, Auspice can design a Koshintai for you as a custom, notion-type, or semi-custom type design. 

• For semi-customs of non-human/oid Koshintai and customs, see Auspice's general design commission info. 

• For notion-type and semi-custom type commissions for human/oid Koshintai, you can repurpose the Humanoid/Humanlike design commission form. 

If you have permission, you can also design your own.