Ruxa

The great land mass of Runaka, the massive Southwestern peninsula of continental Suneka, is an enchanted land. In the distant past of the Divine Era, the Architect Halycon both blessed and cursed this land with a variety of strange and mysterious creatures. Some are frightening, some are helpful, some are simply strange. These include:

• Hokzin or Hokzipol, aka The Guardian Lion, a scaled lion of great size that bestows blessings on those who are brave enough to treat it with friendship
• Atapili, aka The Forest Child, a small humanlike creature that perches atop trees and looks similar to both old man and infant child
• Armilzin, aka The Thunder Ape, a howler monkey with the ability to physically launch people and objects with its howling- though people are always uninjured by this
• Mezopo, aka The Shadow Goblin, a tiny grey humanoid that wears formalwear and is always excited about cooking (specifically tofu). They are incredibly shy and easily persuaded into minor errands (often by other Ruxa). 
• Poro-ixo, aka The Low-Eye, is a strange humanoid able to take the form of a normal traveler. They have an eye instead of an anus and use this to unnerve people.
• Olkum or Olkupili, aka The Underworld Fox, is a fox that, if it makes eye contact with you, speaks in a dreadful voice your own destined last words.
• Burakazin, aka the Hungry Mantle is a living cloak with a mouth on the back. It is willing to protect the wearer in exchange for great deals of food
• Buratekra, aka the Vampire Mantle is a living cloak that will seek to lure a stranger into donning it, only to consume them. The only Ruxa actually made by The Masked One. 

These creatures flutter in and out of the world, ephemeral and mysterious. Are they the same immortal spirits in many forms and times? Are they breeds of creature from a place mortals cannot tread? Not even the Immortals know. 

Cultural Impact

The Ruxa are incredibly important for both the religion of Suneka and other religious traditions indigenous to Runaka. Good or bad, the Ruxa are seen as powerful spirits closer to the divine nature of things than we are. They warrant respect. 
Two Ruxa in particular are extremely important to the Suneka: Olkum and Hokzin. Traditionally, these Ruxa are seen as the physical embodiments of these spirits, which occupy important enough spaces in the mythology to be called Gods. There are those who reject these creatures as actual manifestations of the Gods, and call them "Hokzipol" and "Olkupili" to differentiate them instead. Even to these revisionists, the Guardian Lion and Underworld Fox at least are the closest beings to the Gods and are therefore worthy of immense respect. 
That isn't to say that Armilzin, Burakazin, and Mezopo aren't considered important in their own rights- and even Poro-Ixo and Buratekra for some. Runakan Suneka reverses all the Ruxa as fundamental divine manifestations, proof of the fluidity of material and spirit.

Geographic Distribution

• Suneka (place)