Behold, the world map! New!


Kikumiko takes place on a couple islands. The biggest of them, Marumori, is where the story initially begins, and where the majority of it takes place. Marumori is home to two different daimyo: One of which is Kikumi's father, Hiromasa of the Chukaido province; the other is Tsubasa of Tokoshu. Hiromasa's focus has always been that of the development of the land, while Tsubasa's ambition has made him more akin to war and increasing his territory. Because of this, Tsubasa has often relied on Hiromasa for supplies when he goes off to war and sails overseas to conquer more land from his enemies. Lately, however, Tsubasa's need for supplies have been increasing and the territory under Hiromasa's command cannot keep up with these demands.

Another of the islands, Inokechi, lies to the North of Marumori, and while mostly uninhabited, is home to a very sacred shrine.

Here are a couple places of interest:

Seigimazu
Kikumi's hometown, and where Hiromasa resides. The village is close to the Sagiriki Forest, and sends most of timber taken from here to Tsubasa's territory. It also has a couple of small farms, though most of the food grown here is shared amongst the villagers; it's production rates are not very high. Hiromasa is widely respected and considered a kind and humble man. Anyone can enter his estate and visit with him, so long as he is not preoccupied.

Okedani
A port city on the south-western portion of Marumori, this city has many grand warships (created with wood from Sagiriki) that are rather intimidating to look at. Tsubasa has mastered the art of naval warfare, and focuses most of his attacks on islands and convoys out at sea. The daimyo himself lives here, in a Grand Palace that no civilian is authorized to enter. A lot of the people here speak of their home and Master with great pride, as he is said to be undefeated in combat.

Animatsu Temple
The largest temple on Marumori, this is where Kikumi has spent the last four years learning to quiet the voices of the spirits after her gift had awakened when she was thirteen. While many make pilgrimages here, it is not visited as often as it once was.

Sagiriki Forest
A forest that covers many miles of Marumori’s landscape. Legend says that this forest was once used as a gateway to travel freely from the afterlife and the mortal realm, though none have verified whether this is true or not. While the people do cut down trees for exporting, they always take great care not to anger the spirits that are rumored to be lurking within.

Shrine Maiden
A Shrine Maiden is a young woman who is able to commune with the spirits. Though they are said to be quite numerous in other locations, they are very rare in Marumori. The gift to understand and see spirits is not genetic. Some believe that you must possess a strong willpower, while others believe that you must frequent areas that are high in spiritual energies and be exposed to that power, absorbing it into the very fiber of your being. The latter might be why many do not even possess powers until they are in their early twenties. Some prefer to think that the God's choose who is able to commune with the spirits, and leave it at that.

Spirits
Spirits are numerous in the world. They are practically found anywhere that humans go, though none can see them except for the shrine maidens. Most spirits still dwell in the mortal realm, or at least travel between the two. These spirits are said to have great purpose in the mortal realm. There are other, weaker spirits that remain at peace in the afterlife, and then there are deity-spirits, that remain in the spirit realm until a ritual is performed and they are summoned. While malignant spirits do exist, most are not inherently evil. Truth be told, spirit behavior has never been accurately documented, as it seems they are quite random in their communications. Some may be hostile, while others will offer advice. Some are even quite knowledgeable about history.

- How do you see spirits?

Kikumi is a Shrine Maiden, and as such she has access to a very special ability: she can see the spirits that linger in the mortal realm. She will not see them all the time, though. Since her near-death experience in Sagiriki Forest four years ago, Kikumi has had extensive training, and is able to shut out the spirits if she wills it. She need only 'open her eyes' to see the spirits. As the player, you'll be able to toggle this ability on and off at will.

It is important to note that while Kikumi has spirit-sight activated, she will be unable to interact with people in the mortal realm until she toggles it off. This is because she is shutting out everything else so that she can focus on the spirits.

- Why is spirit-sight so important? Do they have any benefits?

The ability to see spirits is an important one. In order to find the spirits, you need to turn on the spirit sight, enabling you to find and speak with them. Sometimes they will attack you, but it is uncommon for one to run into spirits that are inherently evil.

There are several types of spirits that you can find throughout the land.

Some are recently deceased mortals, stuck between the afterlife and the mortal realm. These spirits are 'lost', and are in need of aid if they are to fully pass to the afterlife and be at peace. Kikumi is able to help them, but the task(s) she must do to help them are not always the same.

Others can pass through the mortal realm with ease, and may divulge secrets.

There are powerful spirits that are curious of mortals, watching over them. If found out, they may test your abilities, and if they find you capable, they may be willing to grant favours.

There are also a few areas where turning on spirit sight might be important in solving a puzzle.

Lastly, there are demon spirits that sometimes cross over to the mortal realm. If Kikumi banishes them to their domain, she may receive additional benefits.

In short - use spirit-sight often!

- Merging: What is it?

At a later point in the game, Kikumi has access to a rather special ability: Merging. This ability allows her to choose a companion, and merge them with a spirit. There are several spirits to choose from, and each grant beneficial AND negative qualities.

If you merge often, you may notice that your companions start to become frail and lose certain attributes. This is because it's not simply a matter of the spirits providing abilities! For all intents and purposes, they are dangerous, and considered parasites. They will leech the lifeforce from your companions.

Still, if you manage to rotate what type of spirit you are merging to your companion, you may be able to strengthen them considerably.
Spirits will also grant special abilities, unique to their host, that you can't use otherwise. Experiment, but be wary!

It is also worth mentioning that Kikumi is unable to use this ability on herself.

Kikumi has returned home after spending the last four years in training at the Temple of Animatsu, where she has learned the ability to "listen" to spirits on and off at will. Though she is quite dedicated to her religion and her studies, the Temple has been quiet of late and so she took the opportunity to visit her hometown of Seigimazu. Though she expects to be welcomed with open arms, this is not the case, as her Father seems to be preoccupied with politics. Concerned about the state of Seigimazu and the politics revolving it, Kikumi questions her Father, but his lips are tightly sealed. Although she has merely been in the village for a few hours, Kikumi has already stirred up the already fragile state of the relationship between Hiromasa and Tsubasa. After twenty-four hours in Seigimazu, Hiromasa gives Kikumi a mission: Travel to Inokechi to the north and summon forth a greater ancestral spirit. Kikumi accepts the mission, as she wants to make herself useful to her Father. What she doesn't realize are the consequences of her alignment with Hiromasa and his clan.

Kikumi
A polite and well-mannered young woman. She is the daughter of the daimyo, Hiromasa, though she doesn't consider herself an important individual. She is very religious, and while many of her faith do not tolerate the spread of Christianity in Marumori, she doesn't mind one bit. When she was thirteen years old, her ability to speak with and understand spirits broke through. Since she was still young, the spirits held great sway over her, and she wandered into Sagiriki Forest. Having been missing for several hours, Hiromasa sent a search party after her, led by none other than the famed Nagataka. It was he who found her, and saved her from an untimely death. Immediately after this event, she was sent to Animatsu Temple, and had not seen her Father until now.
Class: Shrine Maiden
Abilities: Buff / Debuff. "Merging" (more on this later~). Communicating with spirits.
Weapon of Choice: Featherstaff.

Hiromasa
Hiromasa is the Daimyo of the Chukaido province. He is kind and always has his peoples' best interests at heart. He is wildly popular amongst them as he does not lord his rank over them, though there are some who believe he is too humble and a disgrace to others. His wife, the late Yume, passed away when Kikumi was just a baby. Though Hiromasa has always been extremely involved in the politics and development of his lands, he has always made time for Kikumi. When she was still a baby, he would bring her into important meetings. While she cannot be considered a successor due to her gender, and the fact that she is a member of the Animatsu Temple, he has not broken ties with her and writes often. Hiromasa is of course, learned in the art of combat, but it's rumored that he has become complacent and inefficient as a samurai.

Nagataka
Nagataka has served Hiromasa since he was a child. He is his second, and while Hiromasa has not declared who his successor will be, it is believed that Nagataka is the only one capable of filling in that role. There are those who have voice substantial concern over Nagataka becoming his successor, as he is of common rank. He prefers a life of servitude to someone he believes in, rather than gaining power for himself. Nagataka is ten years Kikumi's senior, and was the one who saved her life four years ago in Sagiriki Forest.

Samuru
Samuru is a vassal of Hiromasa, and is skilled in the art of war. He has only recently come into his service, at the recommendation of Hiromasa's brother-in-law and former strategist whom recently passed away. Samuru is arrogant, and extremely blunt. He cares little for formalities and tradition. Interestingly enough, Samuru has adopted several "westernized" beliefs and items, such as Christianity and the usage of a pistol as his weapon of choice.

Isoroku NEW
The Kokuei clan of ninjas were once independent, hiring out to the highest bidder. That all changed when the clan's territory was attacked by none other than Tsubasa, and as always, it was he who turned out to be the victor. Most who survived the assault only did so by swearing allegience to Tsubasa. Not Isoroku, who fought fiercely to protect his homeland. He sustained many injuries, but managed to escape.

Isoroku has chosen a life of solitude, but upon meeting Kikumi, he deems her worthy of his services. Isoroku relies heavily on his observation skills, but realizes that not everything you witness for yourself is what it seems.

Tsubasa
A daimyo and skilled warlord, Tsubasa gained control over the western portion of Marumori when he was a mere teenager and his father passed away. He began a brutal campaign against nearby islands, constantly asking Hiromasa for aid in the form of supplies. Tsubasa is widely considered the most powerful daimyo, and there are few who would dare cross his path in combat willingly. No one knows just how he's managed to do it, but he has never lost a battle. "What Tsubasa starts, Tsubasa finishes".