[center][h2]Minority Races:[/h2][/center] Outside of humans several races have sizable populations within the Baji Isles and while less numerous than the human majority each represent an important part of the region. [hider=Oni]A very notable species are the Oni. These horned red and blue giants are found on all of the main islands and their adult height ranges from 8 to 12 feet tall (strong/old ones can reach 20') with their young being as large as average humans. They have a large population split up into many separate tribes spread all around the region. All the tribes together have around 60% of the human population on the islands though with their constant fighting it rarely grows and when it does it is very slowly (birth and death rate is very close). Despite their savage reputation and arguably nature they are about as intelligent as any human they just chose to live a quasi nomadic lifestyle, only making metal tools for war and hunting. When they make weapons they are known for being excellent at forging them, making Oni weapons highly sought after equipment among warriors. They are mostly carnivorous people only a small fraction of their diet consisting of local nuts and berries and only in times of repeated bad hunts. They are known for their strength and toughness with the average Oni being more than ten times as strong as a normal man and their skin stopping most types of arrows. Culturally they are very aggressive and love fighting more than anything else solving every dispute with fighting and even mates solve their issues via wrestling. If they have more then enough food and pelts to go around it isn't uncommon for them to wage war on the nearest other tribe for the tiniest of transgressions as they are all very quick to anger. Despite this aggression they are one of the most forgiving people in the islands, forgiving even the most serious of problems after a simple apology or non fatal wrestling match. Such a thing makes them very dangerous to human settlements but often not deadly to individuals as they are relatively easy to temporarily pacify and you'll likely only get bruised up. over the past several generations they have been becoming more and more obsessed with alcohol with about 80% of the Oni population currently addicted to it, to the point where their second favorite thing after fighting is drinking. They often send members of the tribes to humans to trade animals they kill and materials they find in exchange for more alcohol, demanding tributes of it to pass through their lands, or even in extreme cases holding high value people or entire settlements hostage for large amounts. Despite all their heavy drinking Oni show no negative long term effects of even the strongest of alcohols outside of the addiction to it, with most humans liking it as it makes them easier to trade with.[/hider] [hider=Tengu]Scattered among the islands in much smaller numbers than either humans or Oni are the race known as Tengu. The majority of them appear to be humans with large feathery wings, slightly longer noses, and more spread fingers and toes. Other traits include less dense/lighter skeletons (they weigh much much less than a human of their same size) to aid in flight, as well as toenails that resemble small talons. Their wings are very powerful and even young are capable of producing gusts strong enough to lift humans and strong individuals can create small tornadoes. Large groups regularly redirect storm clouds and have been known to cause atmospheric rivers and flood the homes of disliked humans or overly aggressive Oni who keep bothering them. They live in small villages scattered all around that serve as both a single family and mini society. These villages are each ruled by a chief who is always a female Tengu that has undergone the metamorphosis to become a Tengu mother. Tengu mothers are followed by the other Tengu with extreme loyalty, the others almost always doing what she wants and agreeing with her due to her role. Within any given village the females mostly do the village duties such as religious leader, village planner, negotiations with other groups, and going over plans and options before consulting with their chief on it. The males mostly scout out neighboring areas, defense, look for other villages before reporting back, and hunting. They follow a mostly disorganized religion focusing on various nature spirits with the specific beliefs varying from village to village. They are normally shy towards non Tengu outsiders, but can be negotiated with by unarmed humans or villages that have been peaceful towards them for many years. When the metamorphosis happens they lose their overall human look and instead become large birds with a human body shape. They become larger, their lips and nose are replaced by a large beak, their body becomes covered in a thick coat of feathers and their feet end in deadly talons. These Mother Tengu are the only females capable of producing baby Tengu, laying batches of eggs after their frequent mating with a male of their choice (can even be a non Tengu male). Normal Tengu women have working sex organs but can't produce baby Tengu, intercourse with them is common but is solely for fun or for romance. The females on a village are normally composed entirely of the chief's daughters and sisters who normally stay their whole lives. The males normally leave once they reach adulthood in order to live with unrelated females. Despite birthing them all the chief doesn't raise children Instead each egg is given to a woman who will be the child's bond sister and focus on raising them. Every now and then a village will become too large resulting in a second Tengu transforming. The new Tengu mother will gather her closest sisters and try to make a new village. Sometimes it works out fine, sometimes it results in a bloody fight with the other Tengu. It really depends on the personality of the chief in question, as all sorts of events had spun off from that situation. Tengu of both genders are capable of breeding with both Oni and humans though the result of these unions always create a clone of the non Tengu parent with no Tengu genes actually passing on. Only when breeding with a Tengu mother can a hybrid be born but even then the child has more Tengu in it than the other parent.[/hider] [hider=Kitsune]To the west of the central Baji Islands there is another medium sized island that isn't found on any normal map, nor will the currents/waves ever take you there on their own. An island only visible and accessible to those with a deep connection to the spirit world or those with certain abilities. This invisible island is what the Kitsune call home. Much like the Xerin of Southern kios they appear as humans with fox ears and tails. Theorized to have similar origins as them, they are beings of spiritual energy instead of chi and mana. They have very youthful smooth skin at all ages unless they are sick and are much heavier than their average sizes would imply, each normally weighing several times (often 5-8 times as heavy) as much as a human of the same size (Spiritual energy is very dense when given a physical form). They typically have large fluffy tails ranging from 1 to nine, the tail numbers and size are based solely on their strength at any given time so through training one can grow more tails and through illness or prolonged laziness one can lose tails. Their tails are much heavier than they look with a healthy one often weighing anywhere from 50-100 lbs by itself, despite being as easy to move as a finger to the Kitsune. While difficult to remove, if one manages to destroy a Kitsune's tail they become weaker in every way and must train their body and mind to regain what they lost. They are powerful mages and expert hunters, having an innate ability to cloak their bodies from anything unable to see hidden spirits only their faintly glowing tails remaining visible and often serving as a lure for prey. The same tails also serve as indicators for sources of strong magic, always swaying in the direction of the nearest source no matter the actual direction of the wind. While many humans assume them to be immortal in terms of aging, they are in truth just very long lived with a health individual capable of living to be 10,000 if they avoid conflict and illness (the average lifespan is about half that). On their island they live in clans similar to the Bajin humans, with each clan owning a number of towns and villages. Every Kitsune lives in a very long partially underground home they called their dens, each one holding every member of their family up to 5 generations and is ran by the oldest member. A single Kitsune town can have over a hundred members yet only a couple of houses due to how they live. Their entire society is ran by the oldest members, with new leaders only coming when one dies and the second oldest takes their place. Kitsune women outnumber their men 20 to 1, a fact which often leads young kitsune to the other islands to find a human to marry often either bringing the children back to their invisible island or waiting for the man to die first if they truly love him. Another common reason for leaving is their homeland is very resource poor, so they often send traders elsewhere to bring things back as well as to test their magic in more diverse regions leading to them being uncommon but not rare in the other Baji islands.[/hider] [hider=Neko]When humans first entered the islands many had cats with them, and many wild cats wandered to the region the same way humans had. But while humans only began to feel the effects of the land over many generations the cats were immediately changed by the energy of the land and the spiritual energy flowing beneath them. The energy and spirits of mystic beings long gone entered their bodies and the entire population of cats was transformed into beings known as Bakeneko. They grew much larger each cat now being as a large as a man and suddenly they were as smart as well, capable of speech and having full knowledge of a language unknown to the humans they came with. With their knew knowledge they left humans and scattered into the forest of the Isles where they continue to live, having mostly solitary lives or occasional family groups. They are drawn to magic vents and are capable of learning magic much quicker than humans and can often master spells simply by watching them. They have little use for money or human goods and normally stay away from settlements, though every now and then they will team up with human warriors to down threats to their domain or to banish outsiders from their forests. Those that manage to live long enough and hunt enough magical prey grow a second tail and become much larger; the now house sized cats becoming known as Nekomata and possess powers akin to local gods powerful and are often sought by people as great teachers or hunted as monstrous demons. Others chose to use their powers to make a mostly human form and live amongst people these individuals often breeding with humans and leading to a small but notable number of Bajin humans with cat tails and ears and higher than normal aptitude for magic often known simply as Neko or Nekomimi.[/hider] [center][h2]Historical Races[/h2][/center] [hider=Tanuki]When Humans first arrived they were quickly greeted by short stout humanoids (about 3-3.5' tall) with furry raccoon like tails, whiskers, dark rings on their face, and light fur scattered across parts of their body. The Tanuki were skilled at manipulating mana to creature illusions or to alter the effects of their hand crafted tools to become much more useful than they appeared. Their magic also made them capable of shape shifting into any living thing although they were never able to remove the dark rings from their face no matter what form they took. These curious people initially did like they normally did to the native races and were generally friendly but often played tricks on human settlements or taking advantage of their lack of knowledge of the land. After humans became more widespread and knowledgeable, the Tanuki began to move their villages to be closer to humans and would often serve as a race of merchants making various goods and enchanting existing ones in exchange for protection or human trinkets. For many generations they were mostly friendly to each other but as the human population increased the Tanuki population began to dwindle as the humans and the also growing Oni populations began to compete with them for land and desperate clans began to attack them in hopes of gaining their power. Eventually the Tanuki all but disappeared with the last contact by a large clan having been 200 years ago. Some people however say that the Tanuki didn't die out but instead they all took human form and simply integrated into human society, using make up to cover their facial markings. Every now and then people report seeing one, but no tanuki has been captured since the last official meeting and if any clan has contact with them they have been keeping it a secret.[/hider] [hr] [center][h2]Other Realms[/h2][/center] There are more realms on the planet than just the physical plane. Each of these spans the whole planet or in the case of the Spirit World, all reality. These realms are not specific to Baji, but their existence has had an effect on the cultures of it. [hider=Spirit World]The Spirit World: Also known as "The Other side", The Great beyond, The Spectral plane, and countless other names is a realm that runs parallel to the physical universe. It is a seemingly never ending world filled with its own native life forms and guardians, with a combination physical and gas like nature that would make most visitors assume they simply stumbled across an alien world. It houses the spirits of sentient life forms after they perish and serves as both a permanent home for consciousness as well as a waiting area for souls which are processed by powerful deities that have arrangements with the guardians. Animals and monsters don't end up in the Spirit world but plenty of creatures are exclusively found there, as well as certain mystical beasts capable of entering and leaving as they please. Spirits within the realm are still capable of feeling pain and other sensations but cannot be destroyed any longer only temporarily (specific time depending on the spirit) dispersed causing many who were warriors in life to spend their afterlife fighting one another constantly. The realm itself is deadly to humans and most other physical races (basically any without large amounts of spirit energy themselves) the energy of the plane destroying most people instantly unless they come specifically prepared with the proper tools. Unlike most other dimensions and planes, portals to the spirit world are only capable of forming within solid matter and even then only below the surface. These gateways are often very large and can cover entire nations and regions, the Baji Isles being one of them. While the human majority is unable to access the gateways beneath their land or even really notice it for that matter, it does have a very notable effect on them in the form of spirits. Due to the portals location the Baji Isles have a very large number of spirits that enter the realm, as well as the humans having a much easier time actually summoning specific ones forth or even speaking with their ancestors. The effect of these leading to ancestor worship being commonplace, and summoning magic being the most common form of sorcery within the isles with armies being consulted by ancient warriors and sorceresses using powerful spirit beasts or samurai ghosts for protection.[/hider] [hider=Kougari/Dark Realm] Beneath the surface of the world exists a place known as the Dark Realm, a forever separate yet connected world beneath what most people call Kios. Drawing its name from the sky only alternating between dark gray and dark red, this world within a world is the source of all dark energy and black magic within Kios. Like most realms it has its own ecosystem full of unique plants and animals dotting its jagged landscape. Most importantly however are the intelligent life forms that evolved there. As in known with Kios, energy only can build up for so long before it ends up changing form. In the Dark Realm that energy became Kougari In the ancient days of Kios, the buildup energy began to draw in thoughts from the realm above, the powerful emotions reacting with it and forming the ancient Kougari lords of old. Hungering Kiku-Tunka, Bahu of Shadow, Lunkr of Filth, Painful Cen Hup, and Rageborn Ri-Sun. These ancient demons were masters of their realm, soon spreading out to the other parts of Kios and making their mark known. They were still new to life, obsessed with bringing their bodies and minds newfound pleasure driven by impulse and little more. They spread untold destruction across all planes of Kios, until one by one they were forced back into the dark Realm with Kiku-Tunka and Cen Hup being sealed between realms in a state between life and death. When they returned those things were different, there were other Kougari now, weaker yet more complex ones, it had became a species. With very rarely ones like them forming from individuals drawing in so much magic over time and becoming a unique entity. The Kougari are a collection of intelligent life forms formed from the dark energy of the world, while they had roots in random formation they are now creatures in every sense of the word reproducing through sex and needing "food" to survive. They lack any form of true society their species too diverse for its own good as they have thousands of variations with vast differences; most preferring to live in packs of their own kind so they can focus on fulfilling their desires. Every now and then individuals crop up who want to forge more but all attempts fail, or only last for either short term of small groups normally resulting in the more social Kougari to move into Raiki cities and live among them. The countless variations normally saw their genesis in a reflection of a fear or thought from the surface, creating things such as succubi/incubi, rage beasts, love demons, fear feasters, etc. As such many feed on raw emotion, ideas, and concepts instead of actual physical meals although many are capable of doing so. Their natural connection to the energy that forms their realm allows them easier access to the other realms much like their ancestors before them, making their primary hunting ground against the races that live on the surface. Their hunts shaping the various species as great enemies of the majority of intelligent life living above them, the Kougari themselves having no organized view on other creatures and simply hunting them because it was fun and useful to them, with some actually liking them. They have a rather unusual biology in the sense that the magic within them allows them to breed either any life form no matter how radically different from them. If it can reproduce sexually they can impregnate it or be impregnated by it, the Kougari normally taking said creature back into the dark realm with them making it not an uncommon sight to see non demons or Raiki amongst Kougari packs or settlements but such are normally slaves or toys, and only rarely are they there out of love. Mixed children with the Kougari are always Kougari but possesses traits from whatever the other parent species is, ones that happen a lot becoming their own sub races over time.[/hider] [center][h2]Bestiary of Non Youkai[/h2][/center] [Hider= Rontu] Name: Rontu Physical Description: [hider=Rontu][img]http://i.imgur.com/JWGBlZEl.jpg[/img][/hider] Dark red hide, and light red hair, eyes are also red Size: At adulthood about 6 feet tall from hoof to head. 8 feet from tail to head in length. Location: Wild populations on each island, with a few clans specializing in breeding them. Diet: Mostly feeds on tall grasses and other vegetation. In Society: It is the most common form of transportation for 1-2 people, and often used as mount for military actions. They are very strong and are often used to pull carts as well as people. Lifespan: 10-20 years Behavior: They are docile creatures towards people, rarely showing signs of aggression unless attacked by them. Towards other animals they are the same unless it's a predator in which case they will try to run away. Generally speaking a Rontu will wander around, eating and running in a large circle when left alone by its owner. They'll try to stay in the area for a day, after which if no sign of their owner they'll leave to head home.[/hider] [hider=Koze] Name of Creature: Koze Physical Description: Gigantic turtle like creatures with hard shells capable of being withdrawn all the way into, with enough room to bring food as well. Their shells have small vents in the top that they can close off with a thin membrane and open up to filter water into their shells. They have two tusks protruding from the sides of their mouths, each about as long as the creatures head but thicker on females. They have no other teeth in their mouths though they do have spiny protrusions in their throat to keep fish and other prey from escaping. They have relatively short but very thick and muscular tails that can be moved back and forth on their own. Each of their four feet has large but blunt claws that are used to digging nests and foraging through other animal dens. Size: Average 10 feet high from feet to head, around 14 on top of shell. 15 feet long from head to tail and about as thick as a family van. Very old and large ones (normally in the seas) can reach 5 times that size. Location: Various lakes and seas across Kios, anywhere with a lot of water has the chances of one being nearby. They have been known to wander into settlements and can be found walking across roads and highways in some regions. How common: Rare but they live so long and have such a large range that despite their low numbers they have been seen a lot all over the world. People in practically have every city have encountered at least one, and in Bajin lands villages have to shoo one off at least once every couple of years. Diet: Mostly Fish and various aquatic birds, they frequently supplement their diet with plants that grow in or very close to bodies of water, often times leading them to wander into village cropland. Threat: At maturity their shells become tough enough to withstand powerful bombs, and ignore blows from otherwise powerful entities such as war demons or Oni Berserkers. They are capable of pulling ships hundreds of times their size with their natural strength and are notable for being able to manipulate water via elemental magic. In a direct fight it would be hard for any warrior to take one down. Luckily for people they have childlike intelligence and can easily be calmed down or simply lead away. They often ignore people even when wandering into the middle of combat zones in wars, only really fighting when they are hurt or their nests are invaded. Lifespan: Several Thousands of years Behavior: They spend most of their time wandering around the lands traveling from lake to lake or sea to sea. At any given moment large streams of water can be seen flowing around them, as they have a natural affinity with magic and can control water in all of its forms, using it to funnel fish and such into their mouths as well as wet their scales. This ability to manipulate water has led many to theorize that ancient mages learned water magic from studying them, and some villages think of them as holy creatures. They are friendly by default to people, not thinking of them as prey or predators. This natural friendliness means they have no qualms about wandering into villages and city outskirts and just generally being in the way as well as eating crops and stealing fish. They can be highly territorial over their nests and stashes of food in general that they plan to bring back to their nest instead of eating on the spot like normal.[/hider] [hider=Okami] Much like cats the magic of the land changed wolves from what they were into something else entirely, though instead of them transforming into a new intelligent race they were mutated into several different new species. While small populations of normal wolves remain, these following species are more prominent and each a very fearsome beast in the region. [hider=Mist Fangs] Physical Description: Large muscular wolves with dark think coats of dark purple fur, and large almost transparent fangs. Their eyes have the glow of spiritual energy and seem to change colors based on what the person observing them is feeling. Size: 3-3.5 feet from foot to shoulder. 6-7 feet in length. Location: Most common near the mountains of the central islands, but they have been spotted hunting all across the Baji Isles. How common: Rare most seasons, but are seen more frequently in the winter months though they are still uncommon. Diet: Flesh of any creature they can catch. They only eat the meat if it was killed within the last half hour, while its essence still clings to the flesh. Threat: An individual of this type of Okami is capable of easily killing an unarmored human with its powerful jaws alone. While a more athletic human could fight one off, their ability to close gaps with a short distance teleport means they will almost always get the drop on their prey. If one can dodge the teleport lunge, one can easily kill one with any of the common weapons. Their most threatening aspect however is that they travel in packs of up to 20 okami all hidden within the shroud of mist they produce, meaning they can often make short work of groups of all but very experienced warriors. Lifespan: Unknown Behavior: How they act in the spirit realm is unknown, for they are only seen on the surface when hunting. They appear out of nowhere, magical sensations filling the air as a thick mist begins to move across the land, within it dozens of the wolves sprint and teleport around in chase of whatever their prey is. They are frightened by magic flames and many small villages use it to keep them away, but undefended villages have had heavy losses from packs in the past. They will attack almost any animal, save for those born of even greater magic such as Kaiju. Of the intelligent races they seem to prefer the taste of Tengu, but freely hunt Humans and Neko as well (the part human nekos and man sized Bakeneko. Not Nekomata). They will hunt young Oni but adults can often scare them off, though larger packs will attack to fight Oni as well if they are desperate. [/hider] [hider=Reihono] Physical Description: Large white wolf with a mane made of flowing blue flames. Size: 5-8 feet from foot to shoulder, around 10-12 from head to tail Location: Around and in Mountains on all of the Baji Islands How common: Uncommon but large enough population that if you go looking for them, you will likely find one. Diet: Anything they can catch, though mostly smaller mammals that live around the mountains. Threat: Being large wolves they are a threat to most people even without their other abilities but their mane is what makes them threats to whole settlements. Their mane is actual fire and capable of burning whatever it touches, with the wolf itself able to shoot fireballs from it. They normally try to stick to their homes near the mountains but when desperate or forced by other creatures they will run through villages (normally Tengu but also isolated human ones) their mane scorching buildings as they pass through in search for food, and the fireballs flying at any one that comes near. Lifespan: Around 15-25 years Behavior: These wolves live in very small groups, normally of just one pair and their children with occasionally a related male wolf as well. They mostly stick to the areas around the mountains and focusing on hunting the local animals. They aren't as aggressive as other Okami and tend to avoid people if they can, but if people go too far into their territory they will attack people in order to make them leave. When food is scarce in their normal range they will get more aggressive and be willing to attack settlements in order to steal food, often causing severe damage in the process thanks to their fire abilities. If one is captured or found young they are relatively easy to tame but due to their fire abilities most clans don't bother trying as it often results in buildings and crops being burned down. [/hider] [/hider]