Tica

The being that is the focus of the Tori-Ji is an interesting mixture of deity and beast, known to the Honnin as Oku-Tori. A normal man has been taken by the god of birds as a channel through which to communicate with the Honnin. The spirit itself has little more intellect than the forest birds it rules, and its life is filled only with the satisfaction of its animal appetites. When it is joined with a man, however, it takes on some of his understanding. The spirit can communicate with other men, and it can comprehend their desires. The unfortunate host is driven completely mad by this possession, and nothing of his original character shows once he assumes his role. In return for the strength it derives from their worship and the food they bring to sustain its host, the god gives the Honnin help when they hunt the birds of the Suza Sumar (the Forest of Tears) and information on the passings that are seen by its avian legions. It should be noted that the birds themselves are not revered by the jungle faith; they are just one of the forest's many resources which their gods help the Honnin use to better advantage. In addition to the role of medium, the god gives the body it takes the power of flight. Almost instantly upon possession, bright feathers sprout from the skin of the man, and broad wings form at his shoulders. His face stretches forward into a cruel beak, matched by fearsome talons at his hands and feet. Whenever the spirit chooses, it can fly from its open roost at the peak of the tower, out across the forest to join with its minions in the freedom of the skies. Strangely though, the deity spends the majority of its time huddled in a rude nest, surrounded by its own filth. Each day, however, it does venture out at least once. At the setting of the sun, the spirit in its altered body takes wing to gather heads. The reason for this is unknown even to the members of the cult, but it is accepted as the right of the god. It is really nothing more than the sort of purposeless interest which some more normal birds take in gathering small, shiny objects. In addition to the many tattoos that are common among their people, the men of the Tower of Birds wear a complicated image of their god upon their throats. Oku-Tori does not shy away even from his own servants when the hunt is on, and they believe that this mark will deliver them into further service of the avian spirit if he should take their lives. They also make an effort to be inside their temple through the hours around dusk. In appearance, the god of the Tori-Ji is both terrifying and sad. Though it is only of typical Honnin stature, its spreading wings span thirteen feet, and the blackened claws that have replaced its hands and feet are powerful and razor sharp. The creature has no instinct towards grooming, and the fine feathers that grow from the human flesh are soiled; spattered with blood as well as the beast's own wastes. Its smell is powerfully repulsive, but the men who serve in the temple have grown used to it. It wears no clothing, but the tattered, filthy feathers cover all of its body except the face, where mad eyes stare from normal Honnin features above a bony beak.