Hakutaku
Overview
Most celestial yokai of Azuma are sought after for tangible blessings: health, fortune, strength. The hakutaku, however, are revered for their incredible wisdom, for it is said there is nothing in creation they do not know. Appearing as hairy white oxen with nine eyes and six horns (three eyes and two heads each on their head and both flanks), spotting a hakutaku is an auspicious event in itself, much less managing to speak with one.
Despite their infinite wisdom, hakutaku live in extreme isolation and do not freely give out their knowledge. Hakutaku reside in remote regions of Azuma, primarily the most isolated mountains of Byakko and the floating islands of Takamagahara, always in places that would be nigh-impossible for an ordinary human to reach. If a person does manage to come face-to-face with a hakutaku, the yokai will only answer the person's questions if they prove themselves righteous and virtuous, either through some act in their past or a new task given by the hakutaku. Even then, only the most worthy would be given free reign to the hakutaku's knowledge.
And yet, as with all things, hakutaku grant exceptions. In cases of impending calamity, hakutaku have been known to share teachings that would avert total annihilation. One village in Byakko, isolated by recent landslides, records that a plague had begun in their small settlement that would surely wipe them out had a hakutaku not come down from the mountains and taught them a protective medicine that would spare the dying and protect the healthy. Some truly virtuous seekers of knowledge may even find a stern, yet valuable tutor in a hakutaku willing to take them on as an apprentice.
Contents
Details
Origin/Ancestry
Celestial yokai
Lifespan
Immortal
Average Height
8 feet
Average Length
15 feet
Geographic Distribution
