MOKUBITO

[spaazmatism 1018]

 

MOKUBITO [木人] [もくびと] 

 

ORIGINS

 

Many years prior to the unification period, a clan of forgotten name had escaped the mainland of Oyashima in fear of utter annihilation in the crossfire of constant war. They were not remarkable in any particular aspect, not enough for solid documentation to have survived in history, but it is theorised they carried voidal knowledge. 

 

By sailing north, they stumbled upon a cold island. Not deadly or immensely perilous as though it were touched by a greater force, but cold enough that the snow season would last half the year. On the northern island lived a clan of oni, though irregular; put simply, with no one around to pillage and destroy, they had grown more amenable than the average oni. The meeting of the indigenous people, a clan not overly eager to kill, and the newly arrived clan, one who had left their homeland due to an objection to war, would coalesce in a natural communion. Perhaps not pacifists, but absolutely not warmongers. 

 

Over time, their cultures would converge, their bloodlines mix, and thus born would be a hybrid race of towering men befitting of the name “tree people”, the rough translation of Mokubito; they do not live in trees or have such a connection to them, but their height and cultural accessories make them look like walking arbor. Hair most often jet black, sharp towering gazes, and skin of dull tones with varying levels of oni features, the Mokubito are a peculiar sect of half-oni. 

 

Long ago, their culture had flourished. However, some time after the successful occupation of Oyashima by Cathant, such invaders would sail north and strike upon the Mokubito. While the cold was particularly dangerous for the coming invaders, the Mokubito were not at all prepared for such an invasion, nor experienced in war, and were quickly overwhelmed and vastly obliterated. Due to their culture being passed by word of mouth, a large portion of things they have called their own, for example, an entire dialect of their language; the orcish influence on the way they speak has dissolved.

 

Cathant occupied the island for a while, making attempts to survive its harsh environment, but not particularly thriving. When the Rebel Prince Kais had reclaimed Oyashima, the Cathant forces of the northern island had to retreat and focus their efforts on fighting against the rebellion in Oyashima, especially since the mainland had much more value. With the Cathantese driven out, the freshly culled and vastly thinned in population Mokubito would come out of hiding and begin to make do with what remained, reforming what remained of their culture into what we know today, and while they remain who they once were, the invasion and near genocide of their race had instilled a new fear in them, and thus a little bit of reawakened ancestral bloodlust. 

 

THE HORNS

 

The defining trait of the Mokubito besides their size and demeanor is their horns. Of course, many lack horns, and while the more orcish examples do have their own, the horns of the Mokubito are a sort of cultural garb. When a member of the Mokubito is born, their father will hunt a great horned beast and slay it, and save the horns or antlers for years. When the main family of the child as well as the extended community decide they are worthy, the child’s mother will craft an article of clothing featuring the horns, typically a hat or head wrap, and the child will be granted the piece to symbolize their growth and entrance into adulthood, to which they will wear whenever outside of their own home. These horns of adulthood are known in plain oyashi as juutou [獣兜] [じゆうとう]. Warriors incorporate their juutou into their combat helmets, known then as juukabuto [獣兜] [じゆうかぶと], as their training to become proper warriors would begin as soon as they reach adulthood, though being a soldier is different to being a hunter. As horns are very easy to be broken in combat, however, the Mokubito take utmost care of their juutou, and throw no fit should they be broken in combat. Even so, should anyone destroy a juutou out of malice, it is an absolute declaration of enmity to the Mokubito in question. Historically, they would use the horns of goats or deer, but in recent times, they have taken a particular liking to those of oxen and cows brought over by Cathant. 

 

SOCIETY

 

Mokubito are also notably incredibly interconnected between villages, the primary indicator of such being the common practice of alloparenting; when a child is born, the responsibility to raise, teach, and protect them is placed upon all adults of the village, including young men and women who had only recently been granted their juutou. As such, the knowledge of how to care for a child is common, and children are generally treated with a level of respect necessary to earn their respect in turn. Individual opinions and worldviews of the Mokubito tend to be quite broad and open-minded due to this style of bringing up their children, but the topics of Mokubito religion are solid, important, and deeply ingrained in all Mokubito from a young age.

 

RELIGION

 

While not necessarily discernible from their appearances alone, be it themselves or their settlements, a sort of voidal religion is an immensely prominent force in the zeitgeist of the Mokubito. While the Void as a whole is simply referred to as Kyo [虚] [きよ], the connection one may have achieved to the void is denoted as hiraki no Kyo [開の虚] [ひらきのきょ], though often said in short as hirakyo [ひらきょ].  The Mokubito make this specification due to the core of their belief; they view the Void as their almighty creator deity. While in common belief and fact, the Void is instead the source of such creator gods, the Mokubito believe the Void itself is a powerful deity, and due to the nature of voidal evocation, the ability to construct basic elements of the world from naught but the limitless potential of the void, the assumption and rigid belief that the Void is the deity that created all stands true. 

 

Those who unlock hirakyo, the voidal mages of the Mokubito, are referred to as shumo [シュモ]. The word is derived from an old word once used by oni to refer to others who engage in such communion with entities beyond the physical world. When becoming a shumo, a straight vertical incision is made down the left cheek of the shumo, then blackened by charcoal; this results in a sort of tattoo scar. The ultimate goal of the most dedicated of shumo would be to achieve the highest level of hirakyo, one in which the individual is completely connected to Kyo to the point that a sliver of the Void’s great consciousness, an apparition known as a kyoshin [虚神] [きょしん ] is attached to them directly. Those with such connection are heralded as religious leaders, to guide their followers in the direction the Void desires, and are known as daishu [大シュ] [だいシュ], being christened by another blackened scar in the shape of a cross (+) in the middle of their forehead. It is said by daishu that, were it not for their faith and loyalty to that which created all that there is, they would never wish to become a daishu due to the cruelty that the kyoshin inflict upon the mind and body. Even so, to be a daishu is to be immensely dedicated to the reverence of Kyo, and is often taken up later in the life of shumo due to the onset of weakness and large food intake.

 

Practices of Kyo worship extend beyond simple voidal magics, those being but one way to directly praise Kyo and its boons. There is but one core principle behind the faith for all involved, including both shumo and normal folk, and it would seem to be correlated in some way to the necessary lifestyle of the Mokubito in their snowy environment: yaritori [遣り取り] [や り と り]. In order to properly respect that which is brought about by Kyo and the perpetuation of its existence, one must maintain the balance of the natural world, and carefully manage their own give and take. The Mokubito tend to lean towards an ascetic lifestyle focused primarily on hunting and gathering, making the absolute most of whatever resource they acquire, and carefully keeping track of said resources. Often, village leaders, of whom tend to be older shumo approaching daishu, will use the wisdom and knowledge of nature gained over their lifetime to define how much is to be taken from nature and how much is to be left, creating fairly rigid and surprisingly efficient and structured resource management in small villages spread across the northern island. While not many have made contact with the Mokubito, those who have would tell you their skills would be incredible for industry.

 

RITUALS

 

A ritual often considered to be less directly tied to worship of Kyo than the rest, the yearly winter kizu-ato no kagura [傷痕の神楽] [きずあとのかぐら], or ‘scarring festival’/’festival of scars’, serves as a method for the Mokubito to satiate their orcish bloodlust, gathering Mokubito from all over the northern island to do so. The ritual also serves to present a grand ceremony for Kyo as well as kyoshin to show that the Mokubito fear not what lies beyond life nor the pain and suffering that lead up to it. Thus, they set up a grand arena, brandish weapons made specifically to be used against humans—not to kill, but to injure—and throw down in cycles until no one can fight anymore. The scars they get from the festival, while often covered by their winter-made clothing, are a mark of pride and courage. Though, due to the diminished strength of shumo, they fight separately to the rest of the population, in their own cycles after everyone else has finished. 

 

Another method used to quell the bloodlust of the Mokubito is their preferred method of criminal execution. In order to earn execution in the first place, a criminal of the Mokubito must be known as either a chronic doer of misdeeds and crime, or a slayer of children. The chief and the heads of the families in the village, in cooperation though overlapping with the shumo, will deliberate as to the punishment. Typically, the punishments are sort of freeform, and will most often involve banishment to the wilderness or being dropped into a very deep hole used as a jail, but in the case of such criminals that require direct execution, the method is simple. They are tied to a pole, a bag of lard is strapped to their chest, and a shumo with expertise in flames will ignite the lard and use their abilities to detonate the criminal, exploding them in a gruesome shower of crimson, blood and flame combined.

 

The week of indulgence, known as Enkai [宴会] [えんかい], is another relevant event in Mokubito culture. It is a short time near the end of the summer season, where the strictness of the Mokubito lifestyle is lessened; they are permitted to hunt and gather not just to eat, but to feast, and artistic pursuits flourish during this time, typically only available during times where a village may approach excess and more pressing work is not necessary. It is during this time that many weapons which would go on to be used during kizu-ato no kagura are made, and many plan their pregnancies so that their child may be born during this week, for the purposes of celebration, and there is the freedom to construct extravagant juutou. Even so, once Enkai concludes, all adults must fast for the next week, only permitted one minimalistic meal at the beginning of each day, so as to restore yaritori. 

 

THE PATHS OF THE SHUMO

 

Besides becoming a daishu, there are two alternative paths for shumo who wish to hone their skills. Whilst daishu occupy the more priestly and spiritual role amongst shumo, there are other occupations derived from hirakyo and being a shumo that fill other niches. Senshu [戦シュ] [(せんシュ] are able to regain their strength and wield weapons in combination with their hirakyo, marked by their initial blackened-scar being mirrored on the other cheek. Due to the lack of invading forces or particular need for war, Senshu are not particularly common, especially since most of the combat done by the Mokubito is either hunting or during kizu-ato no kagura, but when hard times come and more manpower is required, some shumo will become senshu for the sake of their village, to mount war or otherwise. On the other hand, those who dip further into the magical aspect of Kyo rather than the faithful, will eventually be able to evolve into Mashu [魔シュ] [まシュ]. The name can translate anywhere from being a magical shumo to a demonic shumo, which would check out, as many mashu isolate themselves in dedication to the craft of growing in sheer power, and are harshly regulated otherwise due to their potent magical strength, and are marked by a distinct blackened-scar cross (X) with its centerpoint at the bridge of their nose. Some villages with certain interpretations of their worship may scorn mashu for taking more than what is necessary from Kyo, without giving nearly enough in return, but dare not anger any mashu in fear of destruction.

 

THE GREAT RIOT

 

The fear of mashu is not unfounded. The most relevant historical period of the Mokubito, an event known simply as Douran [動乱] [どうらん] took place many years ago, and is the reason mashu are named for demons, as well as the reason many modern practices of bloodlust regulation and resource management are in place.

 

When the worship of Kyo had only recently spread to the entire Mokubito race, there were only shumo, and a single daishumo at the centre of it all. Many villages were still being educated on the doctrine of the original daishumo, but due to the nature of the oni heritage of the mokubito, it involved quite a bit of violence, and the island was thinned out by a large margin. There were still a quantity of voidal magicians who rejected the faith and did not call themselves shumo, as the voidal knowledge seemed to have sat with the race since their inception, but they were slowly wiped out by the zealots of Kyo. The period was known as Shin no Kari [信の狩] [しんのかり], roughly translating to ‘hunt of faith’.

 

A little over half a century after the bulk of the conversion and intracountry crusades had concluded, however, a voidal magician would rise to eminence, a concept not yet named under Kyo faith. The name of the person was lost to time, and so too were many specifics including gender and early life, but they are referred to in history with a simplistic moniker not at all emphasising the influence they had: Mataro. Mataro was a powerful and wrathful voidal mage, and while some theorise their spite came from perhaps a family of theirs wiped out during Shin no Kari, it is still incredibly possible Mataro was just a very evil man. The argument persists between historians of the Mokubito and different documentations between villages, but the fact remains: they caused the greatest riot in their history. Hence, Douran began.

 

Mataro’s wrath was not simply immense destruction. While they did have oni heritage, it was not prominent enough to defeat their force of will and restraint, and so they enacted their riot in a calculated sequence. First targeting the least faithful villages, especially ones who had previously been struck during Shin no Kari, Mataro would break the faith of children first through smooth speak, then annihilate the faith of adults by brandishing their immense power, and rally the village through the principle of bloodshed that inarguably rung true for all Mokubito. Thus, shumo would revert to voidal mages and join their cause. 

 

The one daishumo who once led Shin no Kari not too long ago had since passed, but in his place had risen three more to act as balanced religious leaders for the worship of Kyo. It was then their task to defend the people and fight against Mataro. While the power afforded to them would serve useful, they could not hope to stand against Mataro by their force alone, as Mataro was slowly converting villages into militias and spreading voidal magics faster than the daishumo would ever allow whilst also employing rapid evolution into senshu for, effectively, every mage they had that would not become eminent. While it would seem legitimate soldiers would stand enough of a chance against many hastily trained voidal mages, Mataro had not only converted various powerful voidal mages who had once approached daishumo and instead became eminent, but his influence would spread to the leading daishumo as well, creating a traitor by appealing to his abject misery, enacting an assassination, and whittling Kyo’s already meager three down to one. 

 

Straits were not simply dire. The faith, and perhaps the race itself, began to deconstruct itself from the inside as Douran continued, many villages being wiped out by the newly refreshed bloodlust and the flashy voidal obliteration afforded by Mataro’s reign, but their widespread influence would soon become their own undoing. A band of mages dissatisfied with Mataro’s reign but intelligent enough to go along with it and lay low would begin to plan a coup. Mataro would become careless, and be struck with immense wounds in the crossfire of their raids. As Mataro began to die, without a leading force, the powerful mages loyal to him would argue and battle to see who would assume their place as the ruler of the northern island, and the assassination would have its target switched to the next most charismatic mage. Over a period of only three years, Douran would end in a terrible bloodbath of infighting between the most powerful voidal mages in Mataro’s forces, and the commoners who remained and were freed from their will would quickly begin to either shed voidal magic entirely or revert to their true faith of Kyo. 

 

In the coming centuries, the worship of Kyo would steadily rise once more, the hope in continuing to live afforded by having such a faith allowing it not to be entirely scorned, and so too would villages summit and come up with regulations and practices to prevent Douran from ever repeating. Thus, eminent shumo were named mashu, and the scar upon the Mokubito race as a whole would cause great overhaul. It was with such developments that worship of Kyo had evolved into what it is today, emphasising balance and never taking more than you would then give, forcing villages never to thrive, only to survive; almost paralleling the voidal sickness that would come with hirakyo. Some may consider it cruel, and it was this intentional weakening that allowed Cathant to invade so easily in the coming years, but it was with these developments, especially kizu-ato no kagura, that the Mokubito could properly settle into who they are today.

 

NAMING TRADITIONS & GARB

 

Names of the Mokubito are primarily of Oyashiman origin, with fringe cases exhibiting an orcish sound to them. However, where they differ is the surnames. While Oyashi have full surnames that precede their given names, Mokubito surnames are always only a single kanji and most often only a single syllable, added as a suffix to the given name. For example, Takamaru’juu would show the given name Takamaru, and the surname Juu. Their written language lacks the punctuation necessary to denote the pronounced separation, but such is necessary when written in alphabetic languages and for those unfamiliar. Common surnames include:

 

Juu [獣] [じゆう] - Originated from the word for ‘beast’

Kyo [虚] [きよ] - Originated from the word for ‘void’, specifically The Void

Cho [鳥] [ちょ] - Originated from the word for ‘bird’

Gyu [丑] [ぎゅう] - Originated from the word ‘ox’

 

For their garb, it is typically a little heavier due to the semiboreal climate, but it is still artful; they are quite keen on organised patterns, almost akin to certain rugs, be they angular or bevelled. Reds, blues, whites, and purples dominate their wardrobe (resembling real-world ainu clothing). Their juutou often are sewn with the same patterns, nothing particularly stand-out as headwear besides the horns or antlers firmly attached. 

 

ooc footnote:

Spoiler

the objective of the mokubito is not to directly recreate any historical culture, but rather to create something new that can only exist in the unique world of Lord of the Craft, taking inspiration from real-world cultures

written by @spaazmatism and @Raenask18
formatting by @Metamancy
drawing at the end by @Raenask18
dm me (spaazmatism) on discord if you are interested in making a mokubito character

if u got here thanks for reading!!

 

 

[Metamancy 1767]

heh i formatted that

[lemonke 6014]

Spoiler

More oyashimen cultures! That's pretty cool

 

[camuyshounen287 36]

yeahhhh !! what do you mean you dont have mokubito? it came free with your new map 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥