Hewn from clay as sentient guardians for the tombs of ancient rulers, haniwa were vessels created to bear the souls of loyal warriors, their spirits housed within undying clay bodies to act as vigilant sentries to hallowed ground. As the centuries waned, the haniwa spirits were thought to have passed from the world, leaving their clay shells behind, empty vessels standing in the cool darkness of forgotten tombs. However, the magic of the haniwa endured. Long dormant, the haniwa began to reawaken over the last century, emerging into a new world after being displaced by millennia from their origin.

Most haniwa, newly reborn, have no memory of their former selves or original task, their hallowed grounds long since plundered or buried beneath the soil of an ever shifting realm. As such, haniwa often become wanderers, seeking purpose and fortune in an alien world. It isn’t uncommon to see haniwa find purpose through devotion to a cause, practice, or order, often working as clerics, paladins, and monks. The few haniwa that retain some memory of their past life now find themselves serving a grander purpose than protector of a tomb; they are guardians to the memory of a world no one else remembers. These haniwa are the final stewards of an ancient dynasty, a living record of its culture, wisdom, traditions, and way of life.