Zuishin Kami (Paths Beyond)
Pathfinder romanizes this Kami’s name a bit differently, so if you are looking for some quick background info, you’ll want to search Zuijin instead. That said, I didn’t find a huge amount. From what I could tell, Zuijin were bodyguards who attended to the Japanese emperor and over time statues were carved in the same likeness to protect Shinto shrines. Those statues appear to be Zuishin Kami’s foundation.
Each Kami is a spirit defined by their ward, a object or natural feature they watch over. The zuishin’s ward is a gate, doorway, or shrine — all of which can be interpreted broadly. The makes the zuishin a liminal creature, occupying the spaces between here and there, perfect for planar campaigns. It is easy to recast the zuishin as a Kami of portals, either intentionally (they guard the portal itself) or by happenstance (the portal happens to be in their gate). Shrines could also serve as thin spaces between the planes, where crossing over into Heaven, the Ethereal, or the First World. The zuishin then become the wardens and the gatekeepers — only allowing the worthy through and keeping everything on its proper side — especially if the shrine exists on both planes simultaneously. Don’t be afraid to get weird with this spaces either, the spaces that zuishin guard between the mortal and spiritual realms should be strange.
Hell has an intelligence breach. Tsukuyo’s minions know exactly where and when the infernal forces will be deployed, despite divinations saying there are no breaches in Hell or Earth. Being unfamiliar with kami, the devilish commanders haven’t realized a zuishin is spying on their supply lines from space between portals. Mortal adventurers will have to act quick if they want to take advantage of their flaw before the devils discover their mistake.
Few demiplanes act as planar hubs, but the City of Gates and Shrines is an exception. The city’s entire native population consists of zuishin kami, each minding a sacred structure. There is at least one shrine for every deity, demigod, and quasi deity known on Golarion, as well as numerous non-divine ancestors and spirits. Who created this plane and their motivations for doing so remain unknown, but under the zuishin's vigilant eyes, it serves as a neutral meeting ground for immortals from across the Great Beyond.
Deep in the Forest of the Spirits, the Deer Shrine is guarded by the Horn Magistrate, a zuishin with impressive antlers growing from its crown. Those the Magistrate deems righteous can use the Shrine to pass into the Dreamlands, but they must be wary, for the minions of Leng plot to use the passage for their own nefarious ends. First they must undermine or eliminate the Magistrate.
