Oni

Oni, in their true shape, look like eight to ten feet tall demonic ogres with hues of blue and purple, even if red or even green variant has been seen. Where ususal ogres are bulky and often fat, oni are often lean and muscular Their hair is often white-grey or dark, and a pair of horns protruding from their foreheads. How monstrous the the features of their true self varies heavily depending one bloodline of the oni, some are terrifyingly beastial while other could be considered almost comely.

Oni in Demana

Oni in the Chivalric Lands

In the Chivalric Lands Oni acts in various guises. Their natural ability to shapeshift and malign dispositions have led them to take a number of roles; they could be vagrants, leaders of mercenary companies, minor nobles or your next door neighbours. Some are solitary, wandering the lands inflicting their evil where ever they go. Others live in small enclaves, a small village, a trading outpost or the like, where the onis of the group play different parts. Oni are sometimes called ogre mages because of their innate magical ability. Though they are only distantly related to true ogres, they share the ogres’ habit of joining forces with other evil creatures. An oni serves a Master if doing so proves lucrative or provides it with a luxurious, well-defended home. Oni covet magic, and they work for evil wizards and hags in exchange for useful Magic Items

Oni in Ogrimmac

In the wild outlands of Ogrimmac Oni live in the open, being a sort of nobility among the brutish inhabitants

Oni in the Dheasian Sea

Oni once ruled vast portions of the Dheasian Sea as part of the dread empire Yama-Narak

Myths and Legends

Vaprak and the Creation of Oni

Ogres and Oni share the same creation myth. They tell of a time where all peoples of all races were wild and free, unbound from the weakness of civilization. Only the strong prospered and weak were weeded out. In those eldritch times, when man was closer to beast, many barbarous mortal tribes revered Vaprak the Destroyer above all other gods, as pain and violence served as the only absolute law of existence. It was a time of endless war, and Vaprak’s followers called upon his favor with dark rituals and bloody sacrifices. In turn the Destroyer rewarded his devotees with great blessing. His disciples birthed great warriors, hulking brutes twice the height of ordinary men with great claws and thick skin.
But over time the weaker tribes turned away from Vaprak and sought other, more devious deities. The banded together and built walled cities to make up for their weakness. Civilization spread as a disease and eventually only those tribes that descended from Vaprak’s blessed warrior remained devoted to him. The emerging civilized races called them Ogres and Trolls, driving them to the harshest and most remote places of the world.
Still Vaprak refused to accept defeat. Deep in the Abyss, from the ranks of his demonic spawn, Vaprak summoned his most powerful sons. He sent them forth to be born as mortals among his followers and lead his armies to victory over civilization. They were the first Oni and great armies of ogres and trolls formed around these fiendish warlords. Hoards of savage giants spilled forth from the broken places of the world.
Vaprak’s war did not, however, proceed as the Destroyer had foreseen. Although the savage legions left countless dead and untold ruin in their wake, the devotion, invention, and magic of the rising civilization ultimately drove back the beastlike hordes.

Reincarnation

Wrathful at the failures of his followers Vaprak tok his hand from the ogres, trolls and oni. Only by proving themself worthy Vaprak would once more bestow his blessing on his creations. Among the ogres that still worship Vaprak, the ogre sees this as a call to arms. To go forth and wreak violent havoc, to plunder and harry the civilized weaker races. The Oni has a more complex view. They Oni believe they are immortal spirits, Vapraks abyssal brood that has been forsaken by their progenitor. Until they they can prove themselves worthy they are reborn on the material plane over and over again. Only by indulging in their own rapacious cruelty can they reclaim their lost foul divinity

Onit Traits

Psychology

Oni are creatures of dark desires and urges that springs from their fiendish heritage. This, coupled with the belief that their power grows only from indulging these foul inclinations, drives the oni in an endless pursuit of vicious deeds. This makes oni seem brutish and wicked, despite their intelligence. For oni cruelty is the point, taking sinister delight in the suffering of others.
Oni are often hedonistic and greedy. They covet beauty, sensual pleasure, treasure and magic. The oni often steal, manipulate or use plain force to get what they desire from surrounding communities, be it property or persons.
Given the opportunity, Oni prefers to dress as nobility, wearing fine clothing and armor. Oni thrives on the domination of others. Some openly take control of ogre gangs the like, while others wear the masks as bandit chiefs, mercenary captains or robber barons. When they are able, oni like to take slaves and establish harems of humanoids.
It is not unheard of that an oni joins forces with other evil creatures. Oni will occasionally serve a master if doing so proves lucrative or provides it with a luxurious, well-defended home. Since oni covet magic, they will sometimes work for evil wizards and hags in exchange for useful magic Items.

Strains

There are several variations of the oni, known as strains. Strains believed tied to the different demonic origins of oni and varies in appearance and in magical powers Doshi Akumuh Kaga-Beru Gyakuta Butah

Abilities

Oni has several magical abilities

Regeneration

Like some of Vapraks other creatures, the Oni heals supernaturally fast. Even griveous wounds close in a matter of moments.

Shapeshifting

Oni has the power to change their bodies into a humaoid shape, altering borth appearance and size. Some oni assume a multitude of guises, even mimicing specific individuals like Doppelganger s. Others seem only to assume the same shape, wether unable to shift into more shapes or if it is matter of preference is unknown. Flight
Spellcasting