Oni History, Culture and Clans

[Lance]

HISTORY: As a species, Oni are far fewer in number than Elves or Humans in the realm of Terra Mystica, with an estimated 7000-8000 spread across the assorted kingdoms, some in isolated hamlets, and others in larger villages that are about equal in size to a large town in the still extant kingdoms.

Despite this lack of population, as a culture the Oni posses a storied and Long history that is often woven into the myths of Mankind on Earth, especially in the myths of ancient Japan. It is believed that Oni evolved from the less intelligent Namahage, a species of ogre that are also originally native to Japan, specifically the frozen northern region of Hokkaido. Originally, Oni were far less human in appearance, with wild hair, horns and fangs that gave even the females of the species a fierce and demonic visage.

These early Oni were quite like Namahage in their antagonism towards humans, stealing alcohol and food, and generally ranging from being a nuisance to large cities to being a menace to the more isolated towns and farmland as they spread out from the frigid climes of northern Japan to the more temperate southern prefectures.

It was only due to a Majin priestess, the so called "Mother of monsters", Izanami, that Oni eventually became more than mere Namahage without the love of cold. She traveled to the mountain "city" (More of a massive den) of the Oni, only having a single guard at her side and had an audience with their chieftain, Shuten Douji. Upon meeting him, Izanami made an ultimatum, order his offspring to cease these attacks on humans and other beings living in Japan, or be punished.

Shuten Douji laughed at this threat, and moved to attack Izanami, smacking aside her guard when he drew his weapon to defend her. Izanami was unfazed, save for concern for her guard's safety, and when Douji neared...sent him flying with a sweep of her arm, blasting him back into his stone throne with a mighty blast of arcane power.

Shuten Douji was stunned by this display, Oni were not potent mages at the time, despite being far more in tune with the Arcane than other Ogres. As he saw Izanami kneeling at her guard's side, healing him with a mere touch, he was enthralled by the sheer power this small woman had. The chieftain got to his feet, a club in his hand...and then dropped to one knee, recognizing Izanami's power and pledging herself as her servant. (This meeting would later be retold as the tale of  Minamoto Raikō beheading Shuten Douji beneath Mount Oe. Scholars in Terra Mystica believe this to be a case of both The Castus Cruorem rewriting history in the wake of the end of their war on non humans, and simply time warping dates and names over thousands of years. Raikō was born in the year 948, easily 2000 years after Terra Mystica was warped off of Earth, to say nothing of Shuten Douji's lifetime.)

Izanami did not take Shuten Douji and his kin as slaves, instead using his subservience to educate him and his people, uplifting them and teaching them the arts of magic. She faced a great deal of resistance for this, as many considered Oni to be nothing better than marginally more intelligent Namahage, mere beasts being given magic to torment others with. It took many decades of coaching and education for Shuten Douji to grow beyond his savage warlord tendencies, and those who knew her in life would later claim that the uplifting of the Oni was quote, "The greatest labor and the greatest accomplishment I've ever undertaken, they are like my children, and I could not be more proud of them now."

As the centuries wore on, Oni became more and more beloved, with many becoming legendary until The Castus Cruorem helped alter many of the old Myths. (For example, Kintaro and Momotaro were both Oni, with Momotaro's Oni killing exploits being the act of killing a rogue Oni that had taken to raiding nearby villages.) Susanooh, the warrior "god" who slew the eight headed Serpent Orochi, was a half Oni Majin, the son of a wind elemental monk and a Majin woman sometimes believed to be Izanami herself.

Sadly though, as with many great non-human civilizations, all of this promise was brought low when the Castus Cruorem began their genocidal war against non humans. The great chieftain of the Oni, Shuten Douji XIV (All chieftains took the name of the first Douji upon gaining the mantle, as a way of honoring the father of their civilization.) was slain along with thousands in a surprise siege, in which Izanami was a horrified witness. To drive the knife even deeper, Izanami's only son was killed trying to defend several children, who were also cut down without mercy.

The sight of her son and the people she considered her adoptive children being butchered drove Izanami mad, her mind snapping with grief and rage. She led a counter army of Oni, also enraged by the slaughter, and began to counter butcher human towns and cities, burning, murdering and savaging innocents who had nothing to do with the loss of her kin. Other Majin and Oni clans tried to stop this madness, and many fell to their own brother's arms, branded traitors for saving a species that had killed so many of their own.

Izanami's rampage burned great swaths of japan, and was only ended when a Twilight Oni, Tsukiko, killed her in battle. Tsukiko took the bloodstained Obi that held Izanami's Kimono and wrapped his sword arm with it, keeping it as a reminder of what he had done to save the innocent...and how no matter what he did, he would never forgive himself for having to do so in the first place.

The war only became bloodier and bloodier, Japan's comparatively massive nonhuman population turned the ricefields and forests into a crimson stained nightmare, and it was in this climate that the Oni who remained made one last desperate attempt to hide themselves to covertly save as many non humans and non human sympathizers as possible before Aria and her collective of Mages whisked Terra Mystica away to another realm. Magical glamours could be breached, makeup did nothing for the less mixed bloodline of their people, and some still feared them for what their brethren had done under Izanami's command. In a desperate attempt to hide their inhuman features, the most powerful mages of their race banded together and cast a massive Biomancy spell, intended to shape their flesh to make them appear human...instead, their skulls warped, flesh replaced itself with bone, and thousands died a horrible, agonizing death where they couldn't even scream or cry out as their jaws fused shut.

It was known as "The great maiming" and to this day Oni distrust Biomancers who tamper with the living flesh specifically because of their own folly. a Population that had already been brought low, do no more than 20,000...was more than halved in a moment, Oni had become an endangered species in mere years due to the war.

the remaining Oni fled, taking their history, their stories and their myths with them to Terra Mystica, hoping to rebuild. In a show of heartwarming kindness even amidst the bleakness in the wake the Castus Cruorem's genocide, many other magically proficient races moved to help the Oni, even the Uruk Hai and "Green" Orcs, who were not fond of the Oni particularly (Uruks were essentially more warlike Oni in their culture, and considered the Oni to be rivals at best and pretenders at worst, while Green Orcs had been hunted by Oni for years before their own sentience had been discovered.) offered to help them find homes where they could be secluded and safe enough to rebuild their population and lives.

It was due to this kindness that Oni discovered how to shape the bone that now hid their faces, and it also is what fostered the informal alliance between many of the forest and mountain dwelling nonhuman civilizations as they came together to make a new life in the wake of their wars and pain. In spite of all of their losses, of being beaten down after rising so high...the Oni, like many non humans, endure to grow and live on once again.

[Lance]

CULTURE: Oni are known among the many races of Terra Mystica as an eccentric bunch, with the popular stereotype boiling down to a group of good natured bards and poets who love good food, strong drink and beautiful women. Essentially, a group of horny but loveable party animals. And while some Oni can fit that description as if it was tailor made for them, (One particularly colorful anecdote dating back a couple of centuries describes how an Oni nearly started a skirmish between two duchy's upon sleeping with the Noble wives of their respective Dukes...said skirmish was because the wive's were pregnant, and when told that the father had quote "Come from the Duchy to our west/east." The Dukes assumed the other was responsible. Said Oni was named "Sukebe"...A name that is more of a descriptor, Sukebe is Oni tongue for "Lecher", and he'd used that name as an alias to avoid being arrested.) This preconseption is not accurate at all.

Oni as a whole are generally social creatures, they enjoy being in the presence of others, and tend to find being by themselves either boring or uncomfortable. Oni villages are quite similar to many small Japanese towns and villages one would find in the Human realm, especially Feudal Japan. Anyone who has been to an Oni village can attest to the communal nature of it's inhabitants, when the market square is open at midday, EVERYONE who is not forced to be elsewhere can be found chatting, drinking, singing or just looking for the night's ingredients. This is nothing compared to Oni festivals for the Harvest, Winter or Spring, which often is a place where lovers go to consummate relationships (in private of course) and be wed, something that the Oni in the town will treat as a massive and grand event.

However, as raucous and socially inclined as Oni are, the details of leadership and the day to day needs of their community is still something to be concerned with. The concerns are tended to mainly by the Oni chieftains of each clan, a rank that is, surprisingly, an elected one...to an extent anyways. the Role of Chief is hereditary like in a Royal line, with the eldest son or daughter becoming the next in line to lead. However, the son or daughter in question is not required to take up a leadership role, some yearn to be warriors, or tradesman who travel. When his occurs the succession can be passed in two ways, first to the second born child, or to a hand picked successor who is given the chief's blessing.

The "rank" of Chief is also not ironclad, if the leader in question is doing a poor job, or is seen as unpleasant and cruel, they can be essentially voted out of their position by a popular vote amongst their subjects. Those who are directly tied to the Chief who is being voted on (Wife, Children, chosen successor and their family) are not permitted to vote, as they are considered biased heavily. Another form of ousting is via a duel, these duels can be magical, bare handed or with swords, and generally are submission matches as opposed to the death. If a chief is ousted, they become a mere resident of the group, and a second vote is cast to decide the new leader.

This multitude of methods for removal in the event of poor performance generally keeps Leaders on their best behavior and performance, and the fact that winning a duel does not automatically guarantee victory keeps a local bully from simply abusing an elder to gain control, as the old leader could be voted right back in again if the people feel that he is doing a good job. 

When it comes to cultural exports, Oni are famous for three things. Master Crafted rice and plum wines, Flamboyant and skilled performances, and music. Oni wine is highly sought after, and brewers of these drinks often are only the latest in a line of master wine makers that can reach back to the time of Shuten Douji. Competition between brewers can be intense, sometimes even resulting in a duel due to their products being "slandered" in some way by an opponent, Thankfully these duels are often only to first blood and nobody has died as a result of these spats in over 5000 years. Oni alcohol is known for being sweet and deceptively potent, cautionary tales as to the cost of taking these delectable drinks lightly is second only to the tales of what happens when a Succubi coven's wine is imbibed without being purified first (For the uninformed, "Raw" Succubi wine is a potent aphrodisiac due to the berries used in it's manufacture, it is illegal within the Fire Kingdom to sell unfiltered succubus made Alcohol as a result.)

The world of Oni alcohol is actually expanding as of late, as recent immigrants from the Human realm have shared Japanese style Whiskey and Sochu along with "Highballs", a whisky or Sochu drink made with carbonated water and sometimes with fruit juice added. Several new brewers have opened up shop within the last decade, with one particularly large Sochu distiller having been opened only five years ago within the Fire Kingdom Oni Clan's largest village.

Oni performers and musicians, much like the rest of their kind, are famous for being social butterflies whenever celebrations are near. Oni as a species love a good story, poem or epic, and often enter into competitions with other Races they meet to see who can spin a better yarn. Uruk Hai and Dwarves in particular enjoy having a so called "Bard's battle" with Oni poets, lobbing wild tales of heroes slaying beasts and warriors clashing swords in honorable battle. When mixed with Alcohol and a little bit of Oni music, some tales and poetic epics turn into full blown musical theater, with the Oni taking on the roles of all major players involved with great vigor and enthusiasm.

In an amusing turn, Oni actors have actually begun to adapt human world stories into their own flavor of performance. The famous Oni Operatic Actor, Hashimoto Tekeru, has gained a reputation as being an amazing actor...for DISNEY villains, adapted into Oni as opposed to Talking Lions or Vile Priests. His latest run has been a rough adaptation of The Lion King, renamed to The Ballad of the Lost Cheiftain's Son, which met with rave reviews for his take on the villainous uncle of the hero, Yami. Star Wars is also popular, with Oni language translations and artwork adapting the tales being quite a lucrative business (It might be due to Oni also loving Akira Kurosawa, from which Star Wars takes quite a bit of inspiration from.)

Overall, Oni musicians and Actors are eager to take works from the modern world of Humanity and using it for adaptations, or even to inspire, speed metal bands such as Dragonforce, or Bands like Sabaton who's music details massive battles through human history are wildly liked and adapted using the medieval instruments that Oni from Terra Mystica use. The rapidfire drum solos of such bands are popular as training for those who use Taiko sticks as weapons as well, the insane speed forcing the warrior in question to master their hand eye coordination and stamina.

Overall, Oni as an artistic culture are adaptive and innovative at the same time, creating new ways of playing and performing while also embracing the strange and unique tastes of modern travelers who come to their lands. It makes for a somewhat schizophrenic array of creations admittedly, but somehow that wildness captures the bottomless energy and zeal that Oni are so famous for, and in a way they truly make it their own.

[Lance]

The Fire Clan 


Overview: The Oni of the Fire Clan, as their name suggests, makes up the majority of the Oni who live within the Fire Kingdom's borders. The Fire Clan is the largest of the Oni clans as well, boasting a population off about 3000 members. The clan also has the strongest ties with their "home" kingdom's government, with three prominent clan members being on the Royal Court thanks to their monetary and martial influence.

Alignment: Lawful Good


Political Standing: The Fire Clan is quite patriotic, being proud to call themselves citizens of their home kingdom and feeling incredibly protective of their fellow citizens, as a result many small villages have a volunteer corps of Oni guards who are trained to defend their given area, acting as constables and mediators should conflict break out. This patriotism and zeal have made them quite popular with the Fire Capital's movers and shakers, and the Fire Clan's chief has officially pledged to supply his best warriors to the Kingdom's armies should a full blown war with the Ice Kingdom break out.


Values: Fire Kingdom Oni are taught three core tenants that shape their moral compass: The greatest duty one has is to others, never back down from a challenge when honor is on the line, and that one's actions dictate their morality above all else. These tenants have shaped the Oni of this clan into a group with incredibly strong senses of Justice and honor, and while there are outliers, even the most stern of Fire Oni will show respect to a rival/foe if they act with dignity and a sense of ethics.

This sense of Honor over all else has caused some conflict in the past, especially when the Ice Kingdom and Fire Kingdom were at war. Fire Clan Oni would not harass those of Ice Kingdom blood even if they were opponents, so long as they behaved according to the proper rules of war. This infuriated the more hawkish members of the Fire Kingdom nobility and military, and almost led to infighting were it not for the Clan Chief and King Aldari coming to an agreement to end the crisis.

However, the Fire Clan's sense of duty and obligation are also the reason why they never deserted, and continue to serve their kingdom despite the still strained tension between certain groups that they work with. 

The long and short of it is, if one were to ask for a staunch and unwavering ally when things were dire, one couldn't ask for one more resolute than a Fire Clan Oni.


Relations with Non-Oni: The Fire Clan as a whole generally gets along well with strangers, even those of other kingdoms. This is due to a strong sense of duty and charity, no matter whom the person is, so long as they aren't a criminal or troublemaker of some kind. As a result, among the lower classes Fire Clan Oni are quite well liked if not revered, giving them quite a strong level of influence among the peasantry who do not serve a noble house of some kind.

The Nobility of the kingdom is less one sided in it's love for the clan. More moderate houses, and the King himself, are quite fond of the Oni for their evenhandedness in a crisis. The more aggressive, pragmatic and ambitious nobles are not as enthusiastic, seeing the Fire Clan Oni as soft hearted at best and outright liabilities at worst for one reason or another. In particular, House Hawke, a group of wine makers, have a great antipathy against the clan due to their dueling alcohol businesses.

The armed forces are similarly split, although for different reasons. The rank and file see the Fire Clan as an invaluable resource due to their strength, magical prowess and unflinching resolve in the heat of battle, to the point where many enlisted sergeants have enlisted Oni Mercenaries off the record to help train new troops quickly. The officers and elite are more cautious, seeing the Fire Clan's incredibly strict moral code as a possible liability. Not due to feelings of cowardice, but due to the fact that war by it's nature is impossible to keep "clean and civil", and fears of Oni warriors deserting due to this is something that many Officers keep in mind.


Relations between Oni Clans: The Fire Clan gets along very well with the Earth Clan due to their similar ethical and martial backgrounds, though the Earth Clan's more "fight to win even if it might be a bit dirty" attitude causes friction on occasion. Trade between the clans is also quite healthy, with the Earth Clan providing things like Ore for metalwork and vegetables that don't grow in the more tropical climes of the Fire Kingdom. In return, many Earth Clan Oni swear by the steel and sake brewed by their Fire Kingdom brothers, calling them "masters of their craft".

The Ice Clan and Fire clan have distant, but not unfriendly relations, this is more due to the Ice Clan's withdrawn and secretive demeanor rather than any feelings of antipathy. What can be discerned is that the two clans share information, especially on the Ice Clan's constant efforts to undo the great maiming. Fire Clan Oni are also quick to praise the Ice Clan's mages, oft saying that they display the most precise and elegant control of magics out of any other Oni Clan around. When asked about this, a high ranked Ice Mage said "The Fire Clan is loud, brash, and loyal to a fault. We are better for them being around".

The Twilight Clan and Fire clan are not exactly friendly, while there has never been a reported act of violence between the two, the two clans' ideas of how to fight and protect other people are polar opposites. Fire Oni warriors are disgusted with the deceptive, horrifyingly bloody methods of their shadowy brothers, calling it an act that makes them seem like monsters. Twilight Oni, in return, consider their Fire Nation brethren to be hopelessly naïve and bound to a code that makes them utterly inflexible in times of crisis. That being said, the two clans DO share a pact to protect each other, and the Twilight Kingdom's dedication to ending a handful of lives to save thousands has gained them a sort of begrudging respect from their more honor bound cousins.

The Wind Clan has little to no contact with the Fire Clan, both due to their isolated location and more withdrawn lifestyle. Any Fire Clan dignitaries are politely turned away, being told that their offers of help and gifts are very much appreciated, but not necessary. The Fire Clan accepts this, but still sends an envoy once a year, just in case the situation changes.


Art and Culture: The Fire clan tends to favor grand historical operas and songs over fictional accounts and adaptations drawn from
Human fiction. Their knightly culture lends itself well to this kind of storytelling, and most military bands use Oni musicians in their performances. Fire Oni artwork is similarly focused on famous battles or tales of valor, and tends to favor woodcuts and statues to paintings.

[Lance]

The Ice Clan


Overview: The Oni of the Ice Clan are the most reclusive of the five clans, preferring to keep to themselves within a village that is almost constantly shrouded with bitter snowstorms and ice. Their population is rather small, numbering only about 500 individuals at the most. Their ties to the Ice Kingdom government is unknown, but it's hypothesized that at least one serves as an advisor to the kingdom's royal family.

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Political Standing: The Ice Clan, as far as anyone is aware (or willing to tell), has little to no political influence. This is due to the Clan's strict tendency to isolate themselves, as well as their rules regarding interference with the affairs of state in other Kingdoms.

Values: The Ice Clan's entire mindset is that of detachment, as well as dispassionate, logical approaches to problems. This is a reaction to the great maiming, a desperate act that left their kind as an endangered species, all because their emotions overrode their better judgement. Every Ice Clan Oni is taught this from the age they being to learn magic, that the power of their spells is only used well when the user has complete master of their own inner demons.

This is not to say that Ice Oni are raised to be sociopaths, they still possess empathy, and will attempt to render aid if someone needs it. Where the Ice Oni differ is that they do not go out of their way to FIND people in peril, to them, that would be a reckless act that could escalate a crisis. In general, an Ice Oni can be expected to render aid if someone asks them for it or if they see someone need help, but don't expect an Ice Oni to wander into town hoping to right some great wrong.


Relations with Non-Oni: Ice Clan Oni have, to pardon the pun, rather cool relations with those from outside their isolated group. They are not outright hostile, but as always, prefer to keep their distance. Visitors are always offered room and board so that they can recover from the harsh weather that surrounds the village, but anyone who disturbs a Mage in training or causes trouble will be kicked out the moment they go from a guest to a pest.

When an Ice Oni is outside of their village, they tend to be distant, but not hostile to outsiders. They will simply ask to be left be, and devote their time to studies or other duties that they need to complete.


Relations with other Oni Clans: The Ice Clan and Fire clan have distant, but not unfriendly relations, this is more due to the Ice Clan's withdrawn and secretive demeanor rather than any feelings of antipathy. What can be discerned is that the two clans share information, especially on the Ice Clan's constant efforts to undo the great maiming. Fire Clan Oni are also quick to praise the Ice Clan's mages, oft saying that they display the most precise and elegant control of magics out of any other Oni Clan around. When asked about this, a high ranked Ice Mage said "The Fire Clan is loud, brash, and loyal to a fault. We are better for them being around".

The Ice Clan and the Earth Clan's relations as similarly distant, though not to the same extent as the Fire Clan. The Ice Clan trades their arcane expertise for fresh crops and other things that they can not grow in their native Kingdom. The Earth Clan's main village has a senior Ice Clan member as a personal advisor to their Clan Chieftain as well.

The Twilight clan and the Ice clan do not interact almost at all, between the Ice Kingdom's isolationist stance and the Twilight Kingdom's trending towards the more cloak and dagger side of things. The most that the two share is information regarding potential cures for the Great Maiming as well as any arcane artifacts from the Twilight Kingdom that might be of interest to one another.

The Wind and Ice Clans, at least to anyone's knowledge, have never interacted in a meaningful way. Both tribes' strong isolationist streak, combined with the Wind Kingdom being almost entirely self sufficient has left them separated.


Art and Culture: The Ice Clan's art and Music is far more muted than the other Oni Clans', featuring far more hard angles and shades of grey and white than other Oni artist's. Their music is also more somber, closer to Gregorian chant or Mongolian singing in it's cadence and tone.

[Lance]

The Earth Clan

Overview: The Earth Clan's Oni are probably the most well known in Terra Mystica, being prone to traveling from place to place. Because of this their population is the most decentralized, making an exact number a bit harder to ascertain. The most accurate counts top out at about 1500-2000.

Alignment: Chaotic Good (With a strong emphasis on "Chaotic" given their love for wine, food and fornication.)

Political Standing: The Earth Clan does not involve itself with politics, if at all possible. Combined with their kingdom's lack of an actual government, this makes Earth Clan Oni strictly apolitical.

Values: Earth Clan Oni are on the whole, raised to live life with a zest for enjoying themselves. Drink, food and pleasurable company are things all Earth Kingdom Oni enjoy in spades, making them a bit more libertine in terms of vices than their more stoic Fire and Ice clan cousins. The reasoning for this is simple, the Oni as a species was cut down to almost a quarter of it's former glory when they fled the human world, and it instilled a sense that life is something to be enjoyed while it lasts. It also doesn't hurt that the Earth Clan settled alongside a rather large coven of succubi within a forested valley within the earth kingdom, putting them in close contact with a culture that also trended towards liberal enjoyment of that which brings pleasure in both a emotional and a carnal sense.

Despite this love for the more base things in life, Earth Oni are not mere drunkards or letches. They hold themselves to a high standard of morality, treating those of other races and each other kindly and with respect no matter what one's standing or profession. In the eyes of an Earth Oni, a courtesan is as deserving of respect as any noble, and the fastest way to anger one of the Earth Clan is to be cruel or rude to someone simply because of their social standing.

This respect for others has given the Earth Clan a reputation as soft hearted romantics with a strong sense of justice, something that flatters and embarrasses wandering Earth Oni when they hear it. They see themselves as the noble bard to the Fire Clan's dutybound knight, they offer assistance because they desire to, as opposed to being bound to through a sense of duty.

Relations with Non-Oni: Earth Clan Oni are the most friendly of the clans, being generally easygoing and unfailingly polite unless given a reason not to be makes them easy to get along with and quick to make friends wherever they go. Visitors to the Earth Clan's home village can expect to be treated quite well, being offered food and drink as well as a place to stay in a common house that is well furnished and cared for.

When it comes to trade, the Earth Clan is second only to the fire clan in terms of how widespread they are, the fertile ground of the Earth Kingdom's plains makes it very good for farming, and the vast amounts of grain and fruit make the Earth clan the biggest provider of wine and beer in the lost nations. This has made several farmers very wealthy, and in return this wealth has made the Earth Clan's lands possibly the safest to live in within the Earth Kingdom's borders. Because of this, many small villages are protected by the Earth Clan, and they share a largely interdependent relationship to thrive.


Relations with Other Clans: The Earth and Fire Clans get along rather well despite being polar opposites in terms of temperament, and enjoy healthy trade and personal relations between each other. Earth Clan Oni are known to actually render aid to their Fire Kingdom cousins whenever they need a hand, and in return the Fire Clan always makes sure that traveling Earth Clan members are given proper protection, especially their trade caravans.

On a more personal level, the Earth Clan always sends musicians and winemakers to the Fire Clan's festivals, hoping to share their more relaxed way of celebrating with their cousins. The Fire Clan, while not exactly always approving of the libertine ways of their Earthen cousins, make their appreciation for the gesture well known.

When asked about his thoughts on the Earth Clan, the Fire Clan's chieftain remarked, with no small amount of amusement: "They are the hyperactive younger siblings of our clan, we protect them and in turn they serve to remind us that there is more to living our lives than a sense of duty...though I would appreciate it if I didn't have to shelter another Earth Bard who'd slept with a nobleman's wife or daughter."

The Earth Clan's chieftain, when told about this, simply laughed heartily for a good 2-3 minutes before replying: "I'll make sure to tell him that I'm making that a priority, and we love those stuffy bastards too, we couldn't ask for more reliable friends."

The Ice and Earth Clans are more distant with each other than with the Fire Clan, though this is more due to distance and the Ice Clan being far more introverted as a matter of policy. They do get along however, with a healthy trade of crops for magical expertise and enchanted items between the two. Several Earth Kingdom Oni even have pledged themselves to their Icy cousins, wanting to help them be a bit more open with others...to admittedly limited success.

Despite this however, the Ice Clan doesn't seem to hold this against their kin. There is an understanding that despite the natural friction that results from a bunch of extroverts being close to their polar opposites, they ultimately act only out of concern for them, because of this and their Earthly kin's propensity for helping others, they have a mostly hidden soft spot for their more wild cousins.

The Earth Kingdom has next to no relations with the Wind or Twilight kingdoms, much to their own chagrin. They have attempted to send envoys to their Wind Clan cousins, only to be politely rebuffed with a message saying: "The Wind clan does not require the assistance of others, please tend to yourselves. It is for the best." Needless to say, this has only made the Earth Clan more concerned, but the nearly impassible terrain of the Wind Clan's home as well as their stubborn refusal to accept visitors makes that almost impossible.

The Twilight Clan is a whole other ball of proverbial wax, where the Envoys are accepted, but the Twilight Clan never really attempts to reach out despite this. When asked as to why, they simply respond by saying that the Twilight Clan does not require anything from the Earth Clan, and cannot properly compensate them in return for any aid rendered. Combined with the Fire Clan telling the Earth Clan of the horrific violence that the Twilight Oni perform when striking down threats and criminals, many in the Earth Clan fear that perhaps the "tainted" nature of the twilight kingdom post fall has been negatively effecting their cousin's mental state.

Art and Culture: The Earth Clan's music is most often compared to festival music by those who have "immigrated" to Terra Mystica from Earth. It is lively and energetic, with a mixture of flutes, drums and string instruments (usually a Shamisen.) filling the air with a joyous and relaxed atmosphere.

The Earth Clan are also the most accepting of covering modern Human world music, with a few talented string musicians attempting to replicate the unique tone's of an electric guitar. The find the harsher, metallic sound and the deep reverb that the instrument can make refreshing, to say nothing of what they've heard of the rapid fire solo acts that have been preformed by the speed metal scene. Younger Oni in particular have begun painting their bone "masks" with shocking colors, and adorning them with glued on wigs in neon shades, emulating the Visual Kei style of Japan. The bright, bombastic style and screaming, raucous lyrics are appealing to the more hyperactive youth, while the elder Oni find the technical skill and artistic flair needed to be impressive on a mechanical level (even if the noise is not exactly what some have in mind when they hear "music".) 

Earth Kingdom Oni also paint artwork that tends to be more relaxing, floral landscapes, Ocean waves and Mountains rendered in gorgeous detail on woodcuts or in watercolors are highly prized by art connoisseurs throughout the land, with highly skilled Artists often being asked to create personal works of art for the wealthiest of nobility. (King Aldari commissioned a woodcut painting of the Fire Kingdom's mountain ranges before the attack on his palace in fact.)

[Lance]

The Wind Clan

Overview: The Wind Clan is easily the most mysterious of all of the Oni clans, maintaining a strictly self sufficient and Isolationist stance. Experts can only theorize about the size of the clan, but with how easily they hide in the mountains of the Wind Kingdom, their population is estimated to only reach a peak of about 300-400 individuals.

Alignment: True Neutral

Political standing: None, the Wind Kingdom's demise, as well as the clan's utter lack of communication with those outside of their own kin make the Wind Clan an essential non-entity in any kind of political discourse.

Values: (all of this information is for OOC use, in universe the Wind Clan is a staunchly introverted group, as such most In Character Knowledge is limited.)

The Wind Clan is a strictly independent group, having formed a conclave upon Terra Mystica's displacement, and becoming completely insular after a brutal war led to the Earth Kingdom raising whole mountain ranges within the Wind Kingdom's borders. Many Oni were lost in the cataclysm, and the disaster only strengthened their desire to be by themselves.

However, repeated catastrophe was not the only reason for the Wind Clan's isolation. In a case of truly horrific luck, the Great Maiming, which has taken hold of all Oni, had reacted differently to those of Wind Clan blood. The reasoning is unknown, perhaps an uncontrolled adaptation to their new mountainous homes, or a case of their traumatic circumstances causing a sort of latent reaction that triggered this second change.

Whatever the case, Wind Clan Oni began to exhibit uncontrolled growths, specifically more avian features such as wings and talons. The mortality rate of these mutations was mercifully low, with only the old or sickly being unable to endure the change due to the strain of the transformation, now all Wind Clan Oni experience this change once their bodies mature into adolescence. As a clan, this mutation has actually helped the Wind Oni, allowing them to hunt in the mountains for food, as well as defend themselves from what few outside threats try to harass them.

As far as outsiders are aware however, the wind clan has never changed, and the sight of Wind Clan hunters has led to rumors and myths of "Masked Harpies" among those who have been near the Wind Kingdom's capital.

These repeated trials have made the Wind Clan into a group that values stoicism and self sufficiency, they are easily the most hardy of their kind, with an almost unshakeable will and an ability to shrug off hardship with the kind of ease that would make a Buddhist monk envious. They are also the most...well, grounded of the Clans, avoiding excessive drinking, intimacy or partying. To them, a celebration is something rare and treasured, and excessive drinking or other activities dull the senses and "waste" the opportunity to enjoy the event.

This focus on savoring victories and taking a slow, methodical approach to life are sharply juxtaposed by their fighting style, adapted from observing griffons, drakes and other winged predators. Wind Oni usually use spears or bows, taking to the skies and acting like cavalry, charging their foes with lances drawn, or raining death upon a target. It is a fast, terrifying form of combat to behold, which makes it all the more surprising that it came from a group of pseudo monks with an intense isolationist streak.
 

Relations with Non-Oni: The Wind Clan has little to no interaction with the outside world, the sole exception being the so called "Grey Beards" who live in a neighboring mountain range. The old monks are a group of wind mage ascetics, living among the higher wind currents to reach a so called "Symbiosis" with the magic they command. The Wind Clan provides them with what they can grow, and often send "care flights" to them as a show of respect, which the mages repay by offering shelter and teaching to any Wind Oni that wishes to learn their ways. The Grey Beards also are also reported to be friendly with several wind Wyrms who act as "teachers", but there has never been any confirmation to this rumor, as the monks are just as isolated as their Oni neighbors.

Relations with other Oni Clans: The Wind Clan has, little to no relations with any of the other Clans, politely but firmly refusing any form of assistance from their brothers and sisters. This is not out of malice, but out of a sense of altruism. The Clan as a whole believes that they do not need help from their kin, and instead of accepting unneeded help, they rebuff these shows of support, simply saying that "It's for the best" That their kin save their gifts for their own needs. This unfortunately tone deaf attempt to keep the other tribe from worrying has only succeeded in making many (especially the Earth Clan) more concerned.

Art and Culture: The Wind Clan's Musical Style is incredibly unique, focusing entirely on woodwind instruments. The trick to these instruments, is that by manipulating the air molecules that blow through the flute using wind magic, the player can make *any* sound come out. This allows a skilled musician of the wind clan to replicate any noise, even percussion and strings, by simply using their magic. This is done by altering the air molecule's vibration, this vibration creates sound waves, and by altering the vibration, any sound can be replicated so long as the musician has heard it at least once before.

This is an understandably difficult task, it is ironically easier to simply use magic to play the music whole cloth, translating the mental "image" of the music into sound is as simple as thinking it and knowing how to manipulate the air, allowing a mage's mind to subconsciously replicate the sounds of a song. The task of mentally focusing on the sound, whilst physically focusing on the instrument being played is incredibly hard to do (The player's fingers on the flute holes still control the pitch of the sound). As a result, the art of playing a flute in the Wind Clan style is an intense point of pride, and is seen as the mark of master musician. This is actually how many ONI outside of the Wind Clan replicate things like electric guitars when using an acoustic guitar, as a result, most string instrument players in Terra Mystica are attuned to Wind Magic, and string instruments are considered the most difficult to play amongst the other Oni Clans.

[Lance]

The Twilight Clan

Overview: The Twilight clan, while not as withdrawn as the Ice or Wind clans, is still rather mysterious. The Clan was formed by the Oni warrior Tsukiko, who was the one to slay the Majin Izanami in a desperate attempt to end her genocidal revenge against humanity for the death of her "Children". This event scarred Tsukiko, and led to him taking his kin and heading to the secluded lands that became the Kingdom of Twilight.

Ever since, even when the Twilight Kingdom erupted into turmoil, the Twilight Clan tended to their own house without need of outside assistance. Most Oni who have had interactions with the Twilight kingdom have said that while they are friendly to outsiders (to an extent, anyways), they seem to always keep themselves closed off in some way. This secrecy, as well as the things that CAN be connected to them, paints a rather...grim picture of what the Twilight clan is like behind closed doors. Their population tops out at about 1000 individuals at the most.


Alignment: True Neutral (sometimes bordering on Chaotic Neutral due to their more brutal behavior.)


Political Standing: None, the Twilight Kingdom's demise and the Clan's overall secrecy limit their ability to influence governments, local influence is far stronger due to their vigilante bent and propensity for altruism with what few locals live in the remains of the kingdom.


Values: (As with the wind kingdom, a majority of this information is OOC, anything with the exception of how they present themselves to the outside world is for the benefit of players who wish to create a Twilight Clan Oni.)

The Twilight Clan, as it appears to the outside world, are a group of intensely quiet farmers. They live all in one village, one that is hidden within the rebuilt ruins of an old Twilight Kingdom fort, with the stone battlements merged with sturdy, magically reinforced logs and the village's back right to a mountainside. The farms are built within the walls, supposedly to protect against predators or bandits, and while they engage in modest trade with those within and without the Twilight Kingdom, most Twilight Clan Oni prefer to live a solitary life within their village walls.

Behind this façade however, the Twilight Clan is far more...imposing. Tsukiko, hardened by the experience of killing Izanami, shaped his clan and their decedents into warriors willing to, in his words: "Let blood stain our own hands, and be willing to do the unthinkable to spare others the horror of having to do so."

This so called "Pledge of Tsukiko" is taken by all who become warriors in the Twilight Clan, and as a show of their willingness to "stain their hands", they ritualistically slice their palms and stain a white Obi sash with their blood before tying it to their right bicep. This act, mimicking what Tsukiko took from Izanami's body and tied to his arm as a show of his "guilt", is to symbolize that they are willing to stain their own hands and souls crimson, if it means sparing innocent beings the trauma of having to go to war and suffer.

They preserve this peace in a land so ravaged by banditry and suffering by becoming living nightmares, the warriors of the Twilight clan often carve their bone covered skulls into ghoulish hannya masks, or other macabre shapes in an effort to scare their opponents, some even glue hair or ox horns to their masks to make their profile more imposing. This is taken even further by an act that most Oni consider taboo...they carve their "masks" in such a way that their actual eyeballs are visible. Oni, due to the mechanics of the Great Maiming, do not use their eyes like normal beings do. They use a sort of "Magical Vision" that is a perfect replacement to their bone covered eyes ((A/N - For those who are fans of Star Wars, this is similar to the Miraluka.)), which have atrophied into milky white orbs that stare dead ahead, unseeing.

These eyes, so pale that they almost glow in the dark, and often times terrify other people so badly that Oni now just refuse to let their organic eyes be exposed...the same can not be said for the Twilight clan's warriors, who use this unnerving malformation to terrify their foes, some even go so far as to carefully dye their eyes, making fake pupils and Irises in hellish colors to make their demonic visage even more horrifying.

This tactic of spreading terror to subdue threats before they even become one is intensified by how Twilight Clan warriors fight. They almost never fight one on one, they instead sneak, using magic and the environment to corner, kill and then use the bodies of their foes as a deterrent or even as bait to get more enemies into range of their blades, arrows and knives. When large bandit clans try to attack a village or heaven forbid, the Twilight clan itself, this terror spreading goes even further.

Heads removed and tied to posts, bodies strapped to poles and burned along roadsides, corpses hung from trees by their necks or legs and left to rot in the sun. These are some of the most common "warnings" that the Twilight Clan has come to use to horrify their foes into submission.


Relations with Non-Oni: Despite the brutality and harsh pragmatism of the Twilight Clan, those who live within the Twilight Kingdom, those who aren't bandits anyways, do not fear them. The Twilight Clan makes it clear that villages who do not partake in such brutality are not in danger, and often the less martially inclined Oni bring surplus harvests and supplies to their neighbors to try and help them. Oni apothecaries offer free healing and medicine, and even the warriors of the clan makes it a point to use their glamor magic to avoid scaring the locals, and when that cannot be done, they place a special "eye mask" over their faces, making their eyes look like it is part of the mask that forms their face.



In the end, the Clan, despite its utilitarian brutality still tries to adhere to the oath Tsukiko made all those centuries ago: "We have suffered more than most...but that does not mean that others deserve out suffering. We, as a clan must be the ones willing to let blood stain our own hands, and be willing to do the unthinkable to spare others the horror of having to do so."



Relations with other Oni Clans: The Twilight Clan and Fire clan interact semi regularly, though not by choice on part of the Twilight Clan. Fire Clan "mercenaries" (More accurately described as volunteer warriors.) often tread into the Twilight Kingdom in an attempt to both protect any archeological surveys being done in the kingdom, as well as to simply try and keep the bandit population under control.

This has led to tensions and no small amount of resentment, The Fire Clan's honorable streak contrasts sharply with the Twilight Clan's "Let is be monsterous to spare the world from real monsters" approach, and the tales of desecrated bandit corpses and breaking the taboo on Oni exposing their eyes as a scare tactic is something that upsets them greatly.

In contrast, the Twilight Clan finds the Fire Clan's "Polite" warfare to be naïve and even foolish, and does not appreciate being told by a group of outsiders how their behavior "reflects poorly" on other Oni Clans.

Despite this tension, there has never been an act of violence between the two clans, and the current leader of the Twilight Clan has made a pact with the Fire Clan's leader to render assistance to their brother's should they call for aid. The Twilight clan's willingness to suffer being labeled as "horrors and savages" by the outside world for the sake of those they protect is also seen by less traditionalist Fire Oni as it's own kind of honor, as sacrificing one's reputation in an attempt to quell further suffering is seen as courageous.


The Twilight and Ice Clans do not interact nearly at all, this is chalked up to isolated locations meeting with isolationist stances. They do tend to trade information on Twilight Kingdom artifacts for any biomancy tomes that could undo the Great Maiming however, showing that they do at least have some kind of contact.


The Earth and Twilight Clan have somehow more and less contact with each other than the Twilight Clan has with the Ice Clan. The Earth clan regularly sends envoys to their Twilight Kingdom brothers, these envoys are welcomed accepted...and then sent home without being allowed to give the gifts that they intended to offer their kin. These refusals are met with a simple explanation, The Twilight Clan has no need of crops or wine, and does not wish to take a gift it does not need, seeing it as wasteful. They instead offer an alternative, with the Earth Clan delegates being pointed to a village that is in need of food and drink due to poor crops or other misfortunes, saying that giving their gift to those less fortunate is enough of a present for them to enjoy.

The Earth Clan inevitably does so, and heads back with news of what occured...which only causes some to worry more, as concerns grow that between the rumors of brutal slayings committed by Twilight Clan warriors and the magically unstable nature of the kingdom itself, their brethren may be suffering in some way. This fear is unfounded, of course, but the cloak and dagger nature of the Twilight Clan does not make such concerns easy to ignore for their more hyperactive relatives.


The Twilight Clan and Wind Clan are aware of each other, and that is about the limit of their interaction. Their self sufficiency and isolation have made inroads towards a formal meeting a distant, if not nonexistant concern for both parties.


Art and Culture: The Twilight Clan's music is a lower, almost mournful kind of sound, most Twilight Clan musicians play the Shakuhachi, finding the deeper tones it reaches soothing and good for centering ones mind in an act of semi-meditation. Their artwork is often in the form of wood carvings, little suprise due to the history of intricately carving their own bone covered heads into elaborate masks. Masks, figurines and statuary are the most commonly made and sold Twilight Clan works, these pieces are painted, lacquered and made with either Ebony, Hinoki (A type of Japanese Cypress tree), akamatsu (Japanese Red Pine), and Sugi (often referred to as "Japanese Cedar"). These woods are chosen for their durability, fragrance and appearance. When combined with magic reenforcement, can last for centuries if taken care of.

Twilight Kingdom Oni are also quite good with fabrics, though instead of clothing they tend to make things like banners, flags and sashes. Their preferred fabric is made with a secret type of silk, made from the cocoons of a rare moth species that they guard almost jealously. No outsider has ever been able to see the moths, for fear of them being damaged or stolen...or so the rumors go, anyways.