Oni Clans
Oni Clans
FACTION
The Oni are a race of horned, brutish demons that haunt the coldest and most desolate corners of the world—especially the mountainous northern reaches of the Empire. Deep within the ice-clad boreal mountains, the Oni sleep, petrified in stone, through the gentler seasons, only to stir as the winter solstice approaches. When the snows buries the land and the wind howl through frozen valleys, they descend upon the settlements of mortals—driven by instinct, wrath, and a ravenous desire to devour and destroy.
THE CLANS
Though often seen as scattered marauders, recent events suggest a more troubling evolution. In the jagged mountains near the severed peak of Mt. Byodo, witnesses report Oni clans acting with coordination—defiling shrines, staging organized raids, and even patrolling with purpose. Survivors speak of a name whispered in fear: Chiyohime, a Rasetsu of terrifying power, said to be preparing for a great convergence under the coming Blood Moon.
The Oni are rarely encountered alone. Their bloodstained trail is often haunted by wraiths, malformed spawn, and creatures born of curses or profane rituals. Wherever they go, they leave behind a signature of dread—fog, silence, and the scent of old blood. They do not merely kill. They desecrate, consume, and corrupt, turning sacred places into reflections of their own torment and hunger. What was once dismissed as legend now returns in force, and the land trembles beneath the resurgent weight of the Oni.
THE ONI
Though most Oni retreat into their hidden mountain caverns beyond the spring solstice, petrifying once more to weather the turning year, evolved forms such as Yaksha and Rasetsu have shown resistance to this affliction. It is unclear whether this is a mutation, an act of arcane interference, or something far older and darker. What is certain is that Oni are most powerful in winter, thriving in the frozen season where the warmth grows thin.
Most Oni encountered are mindless ogroid brutes, roaming in packs, compelled by base hunger. But as they consume mortal essence, they begin to transform—growing leaner, more cunning, and gradually reclaiming sentience. Their features shift to resemble those they prey upon, and fragments of identity return. It is through this gruesome evolution that some become Yaksha, towering and humanoid, their forms echoing those of mortal races, yet still ruled by savage thirst. Rarer still are the Rasetsu—the highest known form of Oni. These beings are fully sentient, exceeding almost any living creature in cunning and martial prowess. Often indistinguishable from mortals save for their long, sharpened horns or a third eye set into the brow, they are said to poses a fraction of memories of what they were before their fall—and the ambition to rise once more. Despite their savage appearance, many scholars believe Oni are not born, but made. Among the Rishinkyo, it is held that they descend from the Asuras—cursed beings caught in a cycle of death and rebirth, forever clawing between beast and man. Others claim Oni were once servants of the old gods, corrupted in the twilight of the Age of Elders, twisted by grief, vengeance, or forbidden rites. The truth remains cloaked in myth, but none dispute that Oni are towering, grotesque demons, wreathed in an aura of dread, possessing immense physical strength, unnatural resilience, and a terrible, insatiable hunger—not just for flesh, but for memory, and for what they once were.