Th11/characters setting.txt/en

--- ○東方地霊殿　～ (Touhou Chireiden: Eastern Palace of the Earth Spirits)　～ Subterranean Animism.

Character Intros and Spoilers

Team Shanghai Alice Leader ZUN 2008/08/16 ---

There's lots of extreme spoilers here, even about the ending. Only look at it if you've given up on clearing it, or just don't mind that sort of thing.

Move down 1000 ri from here ↓

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======================================================= ■1. Extra Story

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A snowy Hakurei Shrine. The geyser itself didn't stop, but the phantoms and vengeful spirits from the underground had stopped appearing. The denizens of the underworld seemed surprisingly satisfied with their situation.

Any ambitions or plots that the above ground youkai had feared had long since vanished, and in general, the only people who tried to come above ground from below were foolish animals. There was no longer anything to fear from the underground city. Reimu and company were able to go to and fro relatively freely. In return, though, some of the underground youkai also began to appear above ground from time to time.

Reimu "Well, I'm not really satisfied that I know what happened."

Marisa "The crow was too hot, so the geyser couldn't stop. So the cat sent the vengeful spirits up here as a sign something was wrong, right?"

Reimu "The crow was too hot because she swallowed up some god, right? I know some of the details... but, didn't someone give her that power to try to fulfill some sort of purpose? I just can't understand what that is."

Marisa "Hey, you over there, what do you think?"

Utsuho "Unyu?"

Utsuho and Orin sat in the shrine's tea room, a pair of innocent looks on their faces. The two were quite familiar with the shrine, and were stuffing their faces with eggs boiled in water from the geyser.

Marisa "Eat as many of the eggs as you want, there are always more, but why not tell us what happened?"

Utsuho "Well. I know I've said this before, but I was playing in the Remains of Blazing Hell, when suddenly a god came down from above ground. It said it was looking for the strongest hell raven in the area,. and I said right away that was me."

Reimu "But, that's so strange. I just can't understand why a god from above ground would bother doing that. Who would stand to gain anything from making some crow in what used to be hell powerful?"

Utsuho "Well, I did! I got power."

Orin "Nom nom. The Remains of Blazing Hell didn't even used to be that hot back in the day. It's slowly been getting colder even since the underground was cut off from Hell. It's gotten really dark and lonely ever since Miss Satori sealed it off with the Palace of the Earth Spirits. But, when Okuu turned weird, the fires suddenly roared into life again. So hot, that geyser was uncontrollable. Nom nom."

Reimu "... I wonder who would benefit from the Remains of Blazing Hell being rekindled? Could you try remembering the god that gave you power again? What did they look like? Did they talk about what they were trying to do?"

Utsuho "Uh-uh. I can't remember much more."

Orin "You birdbrain. It's no use, even Miss Satori couldn't see anything with her third eye. It's probably fallen out of your heart already."

Marisa "Well, she does have a bird's brain."

Utsuho "I'm pretty sure they said they came down from a mountain... both of them."

Reimu "Both of them? Hey, that's the first time you've said that, and that's pretty important."

Orin "Anyway, let's make the hot spring. Making it around the geyser, and going in to take a bath... It'll be great."

Marisa "You're a cat, but you like taking baths?"

Reimu and Marisa had their suspicions. It was probably those two gods from on top of the mountain.

They tried asking the crow more, but she had nothing left to say, so they thought they'd just have to go see for themselves. The top of a mountain is no place to be in winter, but compared to the fires of the underground it wasn't so bad.

Why did they give the crow that power, and what would happen now?

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======================================================= ■2. Character Settings

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◇Player Characters

The Shrine Maiden of Paradise Reimu Hakurei

Species: Human Ability: Flying in the air.

The all-too-familiar shrine maiden of the Hakurei Shrine.

She treats everyone the same. However, since her job is youkai-hunting, she acts particularly strict with youkai, but she doesn't really care much about humans or youkai.

She prefers high places compared to the underground. [Expand]

An Ordinary Magician Marisa Kirisame

Species: Human Ability: Ability to use magic

An ordinary magician living in Gensokyo. She also has a mania for collecting things.

She seems a bit weird, but in reality she's the most straightforward. She always wears black clothing because she thinks that's what magic-users should do and because it hides dirt very well. Very straightforward.

She rather likes dark, enclosed spaces.

The youkai of boundaries

Yukari Yakumo

Species: youkai Ability: Manipulating boundaries

A youkai who comes and goes where she pleases; no-one ever seems to know where she is. This time, she's made yin-yang orbs that let you talk to her.

Since the underground youkai have built up a society separate from that of the youkai above ground, she doesn't seem to want to interfere. The sudden appearance of the vengeful spirits puzzled her. She didn't want it to turn into some major event, so she sent Reimu, who had relatively little influence on things, to investigate.

The little night parade of a hundred demons

Suika Ibuki

Species: Oni Ability: Manipulating density

One of the oni who lived underground. She spends her days above ground now, but it's not known where she lives.

She heard rumors that something was going on underground, so she tried going along with Yukari's scheme. She did think about going to see what was happening herself, but this way looked fun and was convenient, so she was pretty impressed with Yukari's technique, which let her tag along while having a drink.

The Traditional Reporter of Fantasy

Aya Shameimaru

Species: Tengu Ability: Manipulating wind

A tengu reporter who lives on the mountain.

She heard that the kappa and the gods of the mountain were up to something, so she went off to report on it, it turned out that the mystery was connected to the underground world.

She figured she could greatly increase her circulation if she wrote a story about it, so she used Reimu to investigate. As a tengu, she wanted to avoid actually going underground.

The Seven-Colored Puppeteer

Alice Margatroid

Species: Magician Ability: Ability to manipulate dolls

A puppeteer that lives in the forest.

She felt something odd about the geyser that erupted, but since youkai prefer not to go underground she worried over what to do. That's when she noticed that Marisa was especially interested in the geyser, so she convinced Marisa to investigate the underground for her. She told her that investigating the hot spring would be a fun game, and pointed her towards the source of the geyser. She also made her carry dolls that had Yukari's remote control devices in them.

The Great Unmoving Library

Patchouli Knowledge

Species: Magician Ability: Using magic

A magician that lives in the Scarlet Devil Manor.

She noticed that the great number of earth spirits has come from the geyser. Upon careful inspection, on the outside, the earth spirits look like phantoms in every aspect. However, in fact, they are vengeful spirits that are slightly different from other spirits. They are different from phantoms in that they still bore a grudge against the world. They were a threat to humans, youkai, and fairies alike.

She wanted to find the book that records the detailed content of vengeful spirits first, but it would have been quite dangerous if there were no one to check the geyser first. Troubled, Patchouli went to see Yukari. Yukari, who was also surprised by the incident, came up with a plan to make the humans go explore the underground.

Super Youkai Warhead

Nitori Kawashiro

Species: Kappa Ability: Manipulating water

A kappa that lives on the mountain. Recently, the kappa heard some news that greatly excited them. According to the gods of the mountain, a high-temperature nuclear furnace was being completed underground. They wanted to get their hands on it as soon as possible to perform various tests with it.

However, the kappa didn't want to go underground where the oni lived. As they were wondering how they could investigate the underground, they heard a rumor that Reimu would be going there at the request of the other youkai.

Ever taking the initiative, Nitori decided to go convince Marisa to explore underground, since Marisa didn't seem to have anything better to do.

◇Enemy Characters

Stage 1 mid-boss The Fearsome Well Spirit

Kisume

Species: Tsurube otoshi Ability: Dropping will-o'-the-wisps

A fearsome youkai who drops straight down onto you from above when you're walking the streets late at night. She usually lives in caves or wells. She's a bashful youkai who likes confined spaces, so she usually spends her time inside buckets.

Stage 1 boss The Shining Net in the Dark Cave

Yamame Kurodani

Species: Tsuchigumo Ability: Manipulating illness (mainly infectious disease)

A youkai that lives primarily in abandoned cities and deep in caves. She has no qualms about fighting humans. She has a bright, combative personality.

Her power makes everyone she meets hate her. However, she herself wouldn't inflict disease on someone without reason. She's a bright, fun-loving youkai if you get to know her, so she's popular among the youkai that live underground.

Stage 2 boss The Jealousy Beneath the Earth's Crust

Parsee Mizuhashi

Species: Bridge Princess Ability: Manipulating jealousy

Once, she was the protector, or guardian spirit, of the pit linking the underworld with the overworld. She watched over people to make sure that they could get to the underworld and back to the overworld safely.

However, as she is extremely jealous, she couldn't stand the people who looked like they were having fun going to and fro. Whenever she saw someone like that, she would hinder their travel somehow.

Jealousy only begets further jealousy, so as she went mad from her own jealousy, she became able to fan the flames of jealousy in the hearts of others.

Stage 3 boss The Rumored Unnatural Phenomenon

Yuugi Hoshiguma

Species: Oni Ability: The ability to wield unexplainable phenomena

One of the oni who, together with Suika, was said to be one of the four big oni of the mountain. She now lives in the Former Capital. The Former Capital was once part of Hell, but it was cast aside during the downsizing of Hell.

Various youkai live here, though the oni are the most representative group among them all. The oni left the overworld voluntarily when humans began to shun them, and built up a new society on Hell's excess plots of land.

The oni were proactive in accepting even those youkai who have become hated in the overworld. The youkai from above, who felt out of place and in danger, accepted their control over the underground on one condition.

That condition was to seal the vengeful spirits of hell. In return, the youkai from the overworld promised not to enter the underground city.

The oni have now cut off all communication with the overworld, and have settled into a new society completely unknown to humans.

As one would expect from an oni, Yuugi enjoys every day by drinking and raising a ruckus. When she heard some strong humans had appeared, she rushed out while she is still drunk...

Stage 4 Boss The Girl Even the Vengeful Spirits Fear

Satori Komeiji

Race: Satori Ability: Reading minds

The master of the Palace of the Earth Spirits.

The underground city was separated from Hell, but a number of uncontrollable spirits remained in the former facilities of Hell, so there was a need to control them.

The Palace of the Earth Spirits is built above what was the Hell of Blazing Fires, and this is where she took up residence. Since she can read others' minds, all sorts of youkai and spirits fear her, so eventually people stopped visiting the Palace of the Earth Spirits.

On the other hand, her power makes her well-loved by animals that don't speak, so eventually the premises began to overflow with many pets, starting with blaze cats and hell ravens.

Her great number of pets made it difficult to manage the Hell of Blazing Fires, so she entrusted parts of its management to some of her pets.

Her pets would oversee other pets. Her pets would tend the gardens. Her pets would play with her younger sister.

However, what shouldn't have happened did: a human came from above ground, and she was surprised when they started asking about vengeful spirits and a geyser.

Satori left Orin in charge of the vengeful spirits and Utsuho in charge of the Hell of Blazing Fires. They were both loyal to Satori, so they shouldn't have done any harm. She believed there was no way they'd start some sort of incident.

She thought that perhaps the human before her was spouting off lies and trying to trick her, so she read her heart and was surprised again by what she saw.

There was almost nothing to be seen inside the humans' mind about the vengeful spirits or the geysers. Suspicious, Satori decided to test them.

Stage 5 Boss Hell's Traffic Accident

Rin Kaenbyou (nickname: Orin)

Species: Kasha Ability: Carrying away corpses

Her real name is Rin Kaenbyou. She doesn't like long names, though, so she has everyone call her Orin.

A cat that lives among the flames, and Satori's pet. Since she's well-spoken and can converse freely with corpses and spirits, she was left in charge of controlling the spirits in what was once the Hell of Blazing Fires.

She has an old friend named Reiuji Utsuho. They've been close friends since before the time Satori began taking care of her, that is, the time when the underground separated from Hell.

One day, she felt a disturbance in what was left of the Hell of Blazing Fires. The flames were much stronger than usual.

Regulating the flames was Utsuho's job. Orin went to visit Utsuho and was surprised by what she found. She had discovered a frighteningly strong power, or had been given it by someone.

Since then, Utsuho began to grow stronger, and to seek out power. Eventually, she started talking about conquering the above ground and turning it into a scorching hell.

There's no way she should have been able to do that. There's no way Satori would allow it. If anybody underground found out about this plan, the oni would probably take care of Utsuho. Amazed by the transformation her friend had undergone, Orin began to delve into a forbidden art.

That forbidden art was how to drive the vengeful spirits above ground. If she could force some sort of incident with the youkai above ground, something would surely change. She was trying to get the youkai above ground to help her, but what finally appeared before her was a human from above ground.

That human was unexpectedly strong, and what is more, she specialized in youkai extermination. If she's really that strong, Orin thought, she might be able to deal with Utsuho.

Everything would have turned out fine if Orin had just gone to Satori in the first place, but she thought it would be better if she tried to hide what Utsuho was doing. If Satori had found out about Utsuho's plan, she thought, she'd waste no time dealing with Utsuho in a ruthless fashion. Of course, that wasn't true, but just as children are afraid of their parents finding out their secrets, Orin was afraid of Satori finding out about hers. Orin was somewhat in awe of Satori.

Stage 6 Boss The Scorching, Troublesome Divine Flame Utsuho Reiuji Nickname: Okuu

Race: Hell raven with Yatagarasu Ability: Manipulating nuclear fusion

A crow that gives off a conspicuously-colored light.

On her left leg is the "Leg of fission"; On her right leg is the "Leg of fusion"; Finally, on her right arm is that which controls this, the "Third Leg"

Using these three legs, it's said she can control the ultimate energy.

When she awoke after a long sleep, the Earth Spirit Palace stood above what was once the Hell of Blazing Fires. In this time when the underground was no longer part of hell, criminals were no longer banished underground, and the only ones that lived underground now were the hell ravens, the kasha that carried off the bodies of the dead, and various other curious youkai, as well as the evil spirits who only acted out of malice. Satori took the youkai who lived there as her own and raised them as pets.

Utsuho and Rin were both Satori's pets.

Rin and Utsuho both worked hard at their respective jobs, Rin at controlling the evil spirits, Utsuho at managing the former Hell of Blazing Fires. If the flames became too hot, they'd open the skylight in the courtyard; if the flames became too weak, they'd throw in more of the corpses Rin carried off; they regulated the flames in this manner. They lived out their lives this way, doing the same thing every day but leading a peaceful, satisfying life.

However, one day that peaceful lifestyle was shattered.

Someone from above stole into Hell without anyone noticing. Then, she began to speak. Her voice stoked Utsuho's curiosity.

"The Hell of Blazing Fires hides the secret to the ultimate form of energy that humans can attain. You, crow that lives within the blaze ... You should be able to contain that power within your body. We can use that to bring about the wishes of not just the underground, but the above ground as well."

She was enveloped in light, and she felt someone entering her body. When she came to, her body had changed greatly.

Utsuho enjoyed using her new power, and before she knew it the Hell of Blazing Fires had regained its original heat. That heat boiled the water in the underground, and when the steam pressure reached its limits it boiled over into the above ground as a geyser.

The one from above ground. Who was she, and what was her purpose? Utsuho quickly pushed such questions from her little head.

- Yatagarasu, the divine three-legged crow The power that had entered her body was the god called the yatagarasu. It's said to be a three-legged crow that lives on the sun.

The ultimate power the yatagarasu possessed was the power create atoms, nuclear fusion. Atomic energy is the ultimate fantasy left for the future.

Extra Stage boss The Closed Eyes of Love

Komeiji Koishi

Species: Satori Ability: Manipulating the Subconscious

Satori Komeiji's younger sister. Like Satori, she was a youkai who has the ability to read others' minds. However, knowing that people don't like having their minds read, Koishi closed the third eye that gave her the ability to manipulate the subconscious.

As a result, she lost her ability to read others' minds, but in return she gained the ability to take action unconsciously. The denizens of the underground no longer hated her, but at the same time, they never feared her and animals no longer loved her.

The ability to read people's mind is the strength of one's own mind. Closing off that ability because it's hated is just running away, and is no different from closing off one's own mind. It's effectively pushing away others' feelings and shutting down.

She became a youkai who wandered to and fro aimlessly. Personally, she thought it was fun, so it wasn't really a problem. People around her felt a little sorry for her.

Even her older sister, Satori, is unable to read Koishi's sealed-away mind, and doesn't really know where she goes or what she does there. Just like a pet cat, she leaves and returns and leaves again according to her own whims.

Satori took pity on Koishi, ordering her pets to play with her and giving her some pets to keep as her own. She thought that taking care of the pets might give her a purpose, and it might enable her to begin opening her mind to others again. Indeed, it seemed that Koishi began to change, ever so slightly, after she began to raise her pets.

She heard that a human had come from above ground and had fought with her sister, Okuu, and the other pets, and was amazed at the incredible power-up Okuu had gotten, so she decided to go see the above ground world herself.

Because she could act unconsciously, she remained unnoticed. She could go above ground, sneak past sleeping shrine maidens, or go into the mountain the tengu guarded, and nobody would take notice of her.

In a way, it was convenient, but she was also lonely. However, she had no mind capable of feeling this loneliness.

At her destination, the shrine atop the mountain, she happened to meet a human. Her meeting with this stranger changed her mental state ever so slightly. She thought, how amazing it is to meet such an interesting person, and wanted to know more about her. For the first time, she regretted having closed her third eye.

I'll start by inviting her underground to the Palace of the Earth Spirits. I wonder what kind of fight she had with my sister, Okuu, and Orin. I wonder what kind of youkai she's fought with. I want to hear her endless stories.

When she thought this, Koishi felt the lid of her third eye begin to shift a little.


 * The Troublesome Mystery Gods

Kanako Yasaka and Suwako Moriya. They are the gods that recently moved their shrine to the top of the Youkai Mountain.

They are the start of this story.

——The Kappas' Energy Revolution

The plan by this name has safely concluded its first phase and is on its way towards practical implementation.

The plan involved using the now-dormant Blazing Hell as a super-high temperature furnace in an attempt to tame a power that it is said the outside world won't attain for hundreds of years: nuclear fusion energy.

The first step was to find an exemplary hell raven. Then, to bestow upon it the personification of the sun, Yatagarasu. Then, to rekindle the flames of the Remains of Blazing Hell. Then, to tame the crow.

The geyser was proof of the plan's success.

Unlike fission energy, fusion reactions are less likely to go out of control. In addition, it doesn't create such lethal waste. So, because it is very safe and produces massive amounts of energy, it is an almost dream-like energy production method.

Kanako seems to treat this as just one part of the shrine's operations.

Because they didn't feel the plan was dangerous, the above-ground youkai did nothing to stop it even once they found out the truth.

However, Reimu, who was made to go underground, confronted them and said angrily, "Next time, tell everyone about it before you start!"