Oni - The Orks of Oyashima & The Legend of Onimaru

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ONI - THE ORKS OF OSKUNOSHIMA

Terrors of Oyashima

INTRODUCTION:
Deep in the interior mountain ranges of Oskunoshima live a people long feared by the commoners on the fringes of Oyashi society with legends of them eating men in one mouthful - Onihitokuchi 鬼一口. They are the Devil Orks of the Oyashiman Isles - the oni.

 

Wielders of great war clubs the size of tree trunks and nodachi requiring two men to lift, the oni take inspiration from the samurai and budo’s extremes with an emphasis on ‘might delivers what one likes’. Many rice hamlets have been raided by rampaging tribes of oni leaving whole villages desolated. Despite the apathetic look at life however, the oni possess a rich culture for all of its positive and negative contributions to the Oyashimans as a whole.

 

HISTORY:
There are two discussed sources of the oni with each depending on who one would ask. The oni believe they are descended from the kami kijo ‘Kagu’, a warrior ancestor, who propagated the oni through her pacts to the other kami hence many oni state they are descended from the Kami themselves with a wide arrange of spirits claimed. Aeldenic historians however believe that orks from the Orcish Badlands west of the Oyashiman Isles had settled on the island of Oskunoshima early on before the modern era after traveling the great Tor Minos Bay battling and more often than not dying to the great kaiju that inhabit these treacherous waters. The orks that did manage to survive however would form tribes far from the sea in the inner mountain ranges of Oskunoshima to rebuild their societies in these newfound lands with great influence from the locals whom they had mixed relations with. While some oni would leave their tribes and settle amongst the Oyashi humans and yosei, many kept to their tribes in the mountains and lived a life of raids and plundering. For the oni who decided to live amongst the Oyashi, public perception remained negative and they were seen as threats and worthy of subjugation or left undesirable tasks. They would become the nuhi (slaves) and kegare (untouchables) of Oskunoshima and put to work on the industrial output of the island.

 

In the modern era, the oni is a rare sight amongst the Oyashiman with few that live amongst the villages, cities and rice hamlets and those that remain being far and few in between as they continue their raids from the mountain ranges before fleeing back into a maze network of caves they call home.

 

An Oyashiman Bandit pvping rice farmers

 

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

These days, the Oni inhabit caves deep in the mountain ranges of Oskunoshima generally only leaving to raid and gather resources for their tribes. Despite their association to barbarism even amongst many of the Oyashimans, oni society boasts a rich and intricate culture that weaves together tradition, honor and the supernatural. They exist in structured and matriarchal hierarchies surrounding the rule of a Witch Mother Kijo called a Majomomo who reigns incharge of her clan den of oni whom consider themselves the descendants of the Majomomo and a kami of her choosing.

 

Some mountain fortresses for the larger oni clans in the more isolated, unreachable parts of the Oskunoshima mountain range have been established nests of hundreds of oni but with minimal knowledge on such bastions save for the rare few oni that choose to leave them for the open world.

 

The devil orks, despite their origins, had adopted some of the practices of the Oyashiman that complimented their own beliefs such as aspects of the way of the warrior code. While the Oni often act on power they in turn will respect when they have been bested, often pledging their lives to those that defeat and spare them after honorable battle. Even harsher aspects such as the brutality of the Shogun’s samurai in quelling rebellions have been adopted with oni more often than not showing no mercy to their opposition be they man, woman and even children at times for the darker of the oni.

 

ONI AMONGST OYASHI SOCIETY:
Oni are relatively rare in greater Oyashi society and are often regarded with fear amidst most Oyashi Man or Yosei. Those who have managed to assimilate into Oyashi society though are often labeled as untouchables and forced to dwell in the slums of cities or made slaves of daimyo. Outside of these outcast jobs though, there is also a practice amongst some of the Oni is to serve those who defeat them in an honorable duel and spare them. Some of these oni rise from such a lowly status to become retainers and even powerful samurai for their lords worth twenty or thirty ashigaru on the battlefield. Outside of battle though there is often little room for the oni to progress in society and often they inhabit the roles of butchers, chefs, construction workers or waste cleaners. More often than not these oni will engage with Oyashima’s underworld and live a life of crime using their natural strength to their advantage.

 

Art by Nikolay Todorov

 

APPEARANCE:

The oni are much like their cousin orcs from the mainland, bearing grotesque tusks and horns and sporting other typical features associated with the demonic. Their skin colors also vary with most common colors being red, blue and purple oni. Green is considered one of the rarest colors amongst the oni, likely a result as to which orks made it to Oskunoshima.

Within Oni society there are three classes mirroring the subraces of the orks.

 

The Oni are primarily of the Uruk subrace and have very similar features of their cousins on the mainland styles and weapon choices aside. A female oni would be referred to as a Kijo. 

 

The weakest and scrawniest of the oni traditionally are referred to as Tengu, often taking features of a humanoid avian through masks and feathered straw vests. Sub-race wise they are most affiliated with the Goblin and they utilize magicks and range weaponry for where their strength is lacking.

 

Lastly the strongest of the Oni are the O-ga, closely resembling and behaving as the ologs of Oyashi Orkish society. Gargantuan in size but slow in wit, they are most often referred to as ‘Majomomo’s favorites’ for they closely protect their witch-mother and in return are fed and taken care of by the tribe.
 

 

 

LANGUAGE:
The language of the Oni, referred to as Onishiman, is a marriage of Blah and Oyashiman developed over centuries of integration with the Oyashiman people. Most often in the realm of descendants this is spoken with a majority mix of common as well. 

 

Personal Pronouns:
I/Me = Mitashi
We = Wariwari
You (sing. & plural) = Latsu

 

Common Vocabulary:
Think = Grukaeru
Time = Tikkan
Good = Hoshoi
Food = Grubono
Hello = Konichi’ug
Goodbye = Sayugnar’ye
Thanks = Arulgato
What = Nani or Wubbu
Yes = Yub’hai
No = Nubbu
Dark/Evil = Kuruz
Kill/Dead = Flatsu
Witch = Majo
Witchcraft  = Majomojo
Oni Clan Mother = Majomomo
Money = Mon
Sword (Katana) = Zultana
Dwarf  = Butahito (pig-man)
Proto-Elf = Katsuhito (chicken-man)
Wood Elf = Shikahito (venison-man)
High elf = Ahiruhito (duck-man)
Human = Usagihito (Rabbit-man)
Halfling = Wagyu
Non-Oni Orks = Gonijin
Non-Oyashiman = Gaijin
Oyashiman Goblin = Tengu
Oyashiman Olog = O-ga

Numbers:
One = Ashsu
Two = Dubi
Three =Gasu
Four =Fushi
Five = H’Go
 

THE LEGEND OF ONIMARU, THE GOLDEN ONI

 

Onimaru also referred to more reverently as Kintarusama or as The Golden Oni is a respected figure of Oni and Oyashiman legend considered to be the Oni Kami of Protection and Honor. Believed to be the son of the kami Machiman and his tribes’ mamamojo, he was born in the Oni mountain stronghold of Ki Castle and he possessed bright golden skin. This did not serve he and his brethren well in their surprise raids. What he did excel in was the use of a humongous naginata he would swing to sweep the most stalwart of samurai off their feet before smashing the polearm’s blade upon their faces. During the many raids upon shiros and villages for his tribe’s accumulation of rice he had collected as many as 999 blades from each samurai he defeated in battle and brought each of these swords to mount upon his cave wall. Although he was once ostracized by the other oni for his easy to spot skin coloring, Onimaru accumulated respect from his oni tribe through his battle prowess and determination going so far as to find himself amongst the o-ga of his Mamamojo’s favorite and her champion.

 

The Golden Oni lived in the times of the Li-Dynasty’s occupation of Oskunoshima though. While large demons of the sea terrorized the north coast and Cathant attempted to board the land from the southern coast, it was he and his oni that terrorized the inner countryside and mountain folk. But the Oni too suffered from the Li-occupations with swarms of Cathant soldiers overwhelming the smaller in number Oni strongholds across Oskunoshima. With the multiple forces terrorizing the great island though, the land was locked into perpetual conflict with no respite for some time. Eventually though, an aging Lord Horoji Ushiwakamaru ventured into the mountain ranges of Oskunoshima with a retinue of thirty men in search of their longtime adversary the Golden Oni in hopes of striking a truce to finally cease the stalemate and retake Oskunoshima from the Li-Occupation. 

 

Upon receiving his audience though in Ki Castle, The Golden Oni laughed at the old Horoji for he was an elderly samurai and not close to the greatest of warriors he had already defeated and waved off the Lord’s pleas for joining together to overthrow the occupiers. Feeling the frustration of Onimaru, Lord Horoji surmised the situation of the great island and the threat the great Li-ren army would eventually pose upon all of the Oni and then offered a challenge to the Golden Oni. One of Horoji’s retainers procured a shogi game set made by the craftsmen of the clan and Horoji issued his challenge - the great Golden Oni would either take the cowards route and have his warband of oni easily slay he and the Horoji retinue while facing the ever-likely threat of extermination by the Li-ren or they would have their duel executed through a strategy game of Shogi and whoever won would take command of the island’s resistance to the Li-ren. Challenged before his tribesmen and mamamojo, the Golden Oni could not refuse without honor and accepted Lord Horoji’s challenge. It was a long game where both the Golden Oni and the old lord spoke to one another, finding some commonality between devil and man. At last though the old lord’s elder experience was able to surpass the Golden Oni not through strength but his strategy and soundly won the duel. Onimaru gritted his teeth but a deal was a deal and for now he and his tribe would be beholden to those they once raided though the oni suspected a trap to be set by the Horoji. 

 

Their campaign began after the quick amassing of a resistance army of 3,000 Horoji retainers and Oni to take a defensive stance at Ki Castle and using the high altitudes of the mountain range to lay a counter battery defense of any invading Li-ren armies. The siegecraft of the Horoji were impeccable but such tactics did not bode well with the Golden Oni who preferred the fight up close. To humor his retainer and warband, Lord Horoji allowed Onimaru to lead nighttime raids upon the Li-ren armies encroaching upon the mountains leading to great results in the beginning for the Oni-Horoji alliance. But the Li-army was great in size and those who were cut down were quickly replaced. During the oni raids, Onimaru discovered the narrow Tunnel of  Jōshō that was secretly being constructed by the Li-ren and at completion. Its intention was to break into Ki Castle through a narrow subterranean path and take the defensive force by surprise and decapitate the resistance. The Golden Oni quickly went to report his findings to Lord Horoji who was forced to prepare last minute defenses to protect themselves from the flank. That night the Li-ren army began to invade from both the front and the Tunnel of Jōshō and the situation appeared untenable for the defense. 

 

In a mix of rage and frustration at the bleak situation of his Ki Castle home, The Golden Oni sought to bottleneck the Tunnel of Jōshō alone while the castle’s defense focused solely upon the external forces attacking the front of the castle. Onimaru was far too big to venture down the subterranean path and instead swung his golden naginata around cutting open numerous invaders that dared step into the oni stronghold with each strike. Perhaps the Oni became exhausted though or perhaps he was simply unable to strike them down fast enough. After killing one hundred invaders the Golden Oni was striked down just as reinforcements had arrived to support his solo defense. The Li-siege camp had been decimated by Horoji’s artillery and the late arrival of the support for Onimaru brought rage to the oni and Horoji retainers who charged down the Tunnel of Jōshō. Amidst the defense it was said that golden white fiery wisps made manifest the spirit of Onimaru in the defense’s sally out, accompanying them into the final skirmish of the siege.

 

Although the war did not end with Onimaru’s death, his sacrifice rallied his brethren to commit to putting the Li-ren occupiers on a backpedal until their eventual retreat and departure from the Oyashiman islands. There remains some discrepancies to the legend of the Golden Oni however, depending on who one asked. To many of the Oni, Onimaru reverently referred to as Kintarusama (an Onishiman pronunciation of Kintarosama)
is a tragic hero and protector of the Oni that was sacrificed in the elderly Lord Horoji’s strategy to defend the castle. He is revered for his honor and seeing his agreed upon commitment to the end and as a result by tradition many oni will often swear themselves as retainers to those who best them in an honorable duel. Some Oni have also looked upon this story as a reason to commit to the raiding of the rice hamlets of the Oyashiman though believing the humans and Yosei to be dishonorable and weak. For the Oyashimans on Gochuso however, Onimaru is often revered side by side with the island’s patron Gochuso to this day, especially on the north coast in hopes that Kintarusama will protect the villagers from the destructive kaiju.

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CREDITS:

Shady/Gundam: Writing. The Legend of Onimaru is based off the story of Benkei
Wowj: Oni consultation.
Dargrind: Oni consultation.
Deepdarksamurai: Oni consultation.
Zhulik/Islamadon: Writing the base Oskunoshima and Clan Horoji lore and general consultation.
Benleft: Based on work of the Oni subtypes from Honma Monjaro's Modern Oyashi Almanac. 
FunTzu: Cultural enrichment.

 

[HugoAntero 760]

I LOVE ONISHIMEN!!!!!

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konichi'ug

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konichi'ug

[SteppeNomad 1552]

MOMO'S FAVORITE ONI TOOK A BIG BITE OUT OF WAGYU

 

 

"KEEEEEE KEEEEEEEEEEE KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"

 

He bellowed out, before resuming olog meditation practice

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konichi'ug

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Konichi'ug!