Fushiki no Oni
Oni were demonic monstrosities that were the most powerful creatures in the Shadowlands. Oni only gained a physical presence in the realm of mortals if they were spawned by an Oni Lord or were summoned from Jigoku by someone willing to give the Oni their name in exchange for power. [1]
Habitat[]
Oni could be found practically anywhere in the Empire, although they were most commonly found in the Shadowlands. If summoned within Rokugan they would remain with their master until their freedom was gained. A freed Oni would usually go on a rampage of murder and destruction to celebrate its freedom, in the process making its way south toward the Shadowlands. [1]
Personality[]
The personality of an Oni was rooted in the evil and bestial nature of Jigoku, but some characteristics of its overlord or summoner could influence it. If spawned it could be very similar to its overlord, but if summoned the Oni would, after prolonged co-existence with its summoner, begin to act in a manner similar to its master's nature. [1]
Summoned Oni were quite weak-willed creatures. Most often the more powerful spirits of Jigoku could resist the shugenja's summons and thus only lesser spirits could be summoned to Rokugan. Summoned Oni were less powerful than those spawned by Fu Leng. [2]
Despite summoned Oni being less powerful than spawned ones, it would be a terrible mistake indeed to think that such an Oni was weaker than the summoner, be it in power or will. [2]
Summoning Oni[]
Summonning an Oni
Summoning an Oni was a multi-step process. The shugenja would first have to take the risks necessary to learn the maho knowledge needed and then seek out the appropriate summoning scrolls. [2]
The summoning ritual required the caster to have a proper name for the future Oni (See Naming an Oni). The shugenja first drew a circle of powdered bone on the ground. At the center of the circle, the summoner then put a scroll with the name of a living human being written on it. While the summoner spilled blood on the name scroll, the ritual described on the summoning scroll would then proceed, resulting in the destruction of the scroll at the end of the ritual. [3]
At the climactic moment of the ritual, a gate to Jigoku would open to release one of the spirits from inside. The shugenja then had to name the spirit, declare power over the Oni, and make his demands. There was no way to know which form an Oni would take until after it had emerged from Jigoku. [4]
The Oni would then obey, argue the conditions of the summoner's demands, or even rebel against the shugenja and attack them. If the Oni's will was weaker than that of the summoner, it was compelled to carry out the demands of the shugenja. If its will was stronger, the Oni could escape back to Jigoku. [4]
Spirits of Jigoku[]
The Spirits of Jigoku had no natural form. Kami were bundles of energy, positive or negative, and attached to elements. Kansen were the same as kami but attached to corrupted elements of the world. Jigoku's spirits were different from Kami and Kansen as they were formed from the invisible intertwining of dark and corrupted energy. Because of their chaotic nature, when summoned to Ningen-do - which was said to be the World of Forms - an Oni had to be given a name in order to bring it into physical existence. [2]
In terms of physical attributes Oni varied widely and it is virtually impossible to find particular common characteristics. It was not unusual for Oni to be humanoid or bestial, though some were entirely formless. Similarly, their intellectual capabilities spanned a wide spectrum, from mindless destruction to advanced intelligence. Regardless of their individual physical qualities, they were universally driven to corrupt, control, or destroy everything around them with extreme malevolence and evil. [5]
Naming an Oni[]
The name given to a summoned Oni required purpose. An invented name which had no significance in the world or for the summoner and had no roots in the realm the Oni had been summoned to was useless. Only the name of a living human being had enough power for the spirit to subsist on. [2]
One of the following conditions would satisfy the conditions of the summoning ritual and allow the Oni to enter the physical world: [6]
- 1) The host voluntarily had to surrender his name to the Oni without active resistance. Many shugenja resorted to giving their own name to the Oni, since finding someone foolish enough to give their name to an Oni often proved too difficult a task. [6]
- For further information on this section, please see Okura no Oni
- 2) If the host owed the summoner his life, the summoner might give the host's name to an Oni. Once the name had been given, nothing could take it back save the destruction of the Oni. [6]
- For further information on this section, please see Hideo no Oni
- 3) Certain Oni summoning rituals allowed an Oni to manifest a small part of itself in the mortal world, usually a hand, eye, or tooth. If a host could be induced to accept the Oni's gift as part of his own body, his name had effectively been given to the Oni. [6]
- For further information on this section, please see Yakamo no Oni
Link to the Namer[]
The Oni and its namer were linked. They could see through each other's eyes and could track one another from any distance.
The Oni most often assumed the dominant role in the relationship with their namer. They could hear every thought, knew every secret hidden by their namer. They would also influence their namer's dreams with glimpses of Jigoku. These influences developed gradually, and the namer would only sense them after it was too late. The external effects of the Oni siphoning the namer's chi were similar to the Taint: [7]
- Irritability, loss of temper, bouts of anger and murderous intentions
- Loss of appetite, fatigue, amnesia
- Sleep deprivation, sleepwalking
- Symptoms of possession, talking with a voice not one's own, madness
Eventually, the Oni would take total control over their namer if not banished to Jigoku in time.
Banishing an Oni[]
An Oni would take over its namer's soul if not sent back to the Realm of Evil. The ritual Blessing of Purity could sever the link between namer and oni, as well as the spell Banish Oni. However, if improperly performed, the banishing ritual would send the Oni back to Jigoku without severing the link (as was the case when the summoning ritual failed and the Oni escaped back to Jigoku).
An unsevered link led to the Oni overtaking the namer's soul. The namer would then become a pawn of Jigoku. [8]
The Shadow[]
Even the Oni were not immune to the touch of the Nothing. When their faces began to vanish away, they were chained deep within the Shadowlands and left to die there with the madness that followed. [9]
Rogue Oni[]
Seldom do summoned Oni escape into Rokugan. Escaping meant that the Oni had broken their bond to their namer and their summoner. It was not known exactly how these Oni managed to break free, but such occurrences were exceedingly rare. Speculations vary on how an Oni might break free of their summoner's or namer's control. Some believe they did so by devouring their namer's soul; others say that they banished the namer to Jigoku in their stead.
What was known was that an Oni, once freed, destroyed the body of its namer. A bloody mass was all that remained of their namer, as if the Oni had actually burst from within them. The destruction of the original owner of the Oni's name made its existence permanent in the Realm of Mortals.
Once freed, the Oni became an Oni Lord, gaining terrifying power and the ability to spawn other Oni. [10]
Shugenja who were victims of their own foolish mishaps with Oni had their names stricken from recorded history; however, the famous Shadowlands scholar Kuni Mokuna mentioned some of them by name:
Oni and Daigotsu[]
The Dark Lord of the Shadowlands, the human Daigotsu, could possess any Oni he saw at will. The Oni's soul was aware of all actions performed while Diagotsu commanded its body. Daigotsu might return to his own body at will, regardless of range, or might shift his soul to another Oni within sight. [11]
Master of Jigoku[]
In 1173 Daigotsu became the Master of Jigoku, binding the realm to his own will. The Oni were denizens of the realm who possessed free will, and some rejected the Dark Lord's commands. If that was the case, they would flee to the mortal realm to escape his wrath. [12]
Notable Oni[]
See Notable Oni for a list of some of the Oni known to emerge from the Shadowlands.
See Also[]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Legend of the Five Ríngs; Third Edition, p. 282
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 The Book of the Shadowlands, p. 93
- ↑ The Book of the Shadowlands, pp. 94-96
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Book of the Shadowlands, p. 95
- ↑ Legend of the Five Rings; Fourth Edition, pp. 328-329
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Way of the Shadowlands, p. 116
- ↑ The Book of the Shadowlands, p. 96
- ↑ The Book of the Shadowlands, p. 97
- ↑ Darkness Beyond Darkness (Honor Bound flavor)
- ↑ The Book of the Shadowlands, p. 98
- ↑ Bloodspeakers, p. 63
- ↑ Goddesses, Part 4, by Shawn Carman