Azuma
Overview
Localized Phenomena
Yokai
The yokai of Azuma are simultaneously a classification of creature and a phenomenon unique to the continent. Yokai are an incredibly diverse set of creatures, originating from beasts, the dead, humans, and even raw emotions, but all are the result of Yamata-no-Orochi's blood seeping into the continent. Whether a yokai comes about from an animal achieving an abnormally long lifespan or as the supernatural byproducts of powerful emotions, all yokai have some unifying traits.
Yokai are inherently more ruled by emotions and personal desire than most sapient creatures, whether for good or ill. A yokai's primary concern is to fulfill its own wishes, maintain its own happiness, and avoid anything that could cause it harm or negative feelings. This is especially pronounced for younger yokai or those with shorter lifespans: much like a human child, the social rules of the world must be taught and reinforced, and most yokai without especially long lifespans live among their own kind or in isolation, preventing them from learning these rules. In some cases, the circumstances of a yokai's creation instill a powerful negativity or malicious will in them from the beginning, making it even harder for them to change: most phantoms are spawned from such powerful negative emotions that the only option for them is exorcism.
However, it is not impossible, and all yokai are still self-actualized individuals. While it is more likely for longer-lived yokai to learn empathy and benevolence, the environment any yokai is raised in can also contribute to their growth. The Heavenly Kitsune, for example, are entirely in service to protecting humanity, largely due to the example of their leader, the Oinari, and the instinctual need of all kitsune to be accepted by their kin. The nekomata all come from cats, but one raised among caring folk might choose the life of a maneki neko to bless its found family, while a feral and untrusting cat may choose the life of a bakeneko and live in carefree trickery. Even yokai deemed inherently malicious can choose: the tengu are the supernatural dregs of respectable and skilled individuals who were conniving or spiteful in life, but the current daitengu who leads them is fully in service to the kitsune and their protective goals.
For those yokai who cling to their malicious ways, a variety of techniques have been developed to keep potential victims safe. Many yokai have peculiar and highly specific weaknesses, such as the kappa who become paralyzed if they lose the water in their heads, but more general methods exist too. Blessed kitsune statues have been installed around major cities, villages, shrines, and roadways, which ward off malevolent yokai in a large radius; exorcists make use of paper sealing talismans that adhere to yokai or cursed objects and bind their powers; and, in a pinch, a handful of soybeans can sting an ill-intentioned yokai like angry bees. Many of these techniques may not work against yokai of stronger wills or greater power, but they are enough to make day-to-day life manageable.
Elemental Aspects
Contents
Details
Type
Continent
Included Organizations
Owning Organization
Related Ethnicities
