Description
When the
Giants of
Zhushen started to conquer
Qinhei, they quickly realized that even with the overwhelming strength disparity, they needed people to till the land and build their palaces. For this they created the
Taurkin or Centaurs, but to keep the large population of human and centaur in check, they needed loyal soldiers and bodyguards. So they decided to try something different this time. They mixed a piece of their own, with that of humans and infused it with magic. Some of their attempts yielded nothing but misshapen Ogres, but eventually they were successful and they created the Oni.
These half-giants look similar to Ogres, but they are stronger and they are capable of casting innate magic similar to (but weaker than) the Giant God-Kings. They became their bodyguards, law enforcers, and if a Giant king was particularly lazy, they sometimes ruled in their stead. But created does not mean loyal per se, and throughout the course of history several Oni have tried to release the yoke of the Giants off themselves. Most of these failed and were killed or forced to flee to neighboring nations such as
Donghae. But the majority has remained loyal, because while they are treated as inferior to the
Giants themselves, they are at least above the rest of the population and their living conditions are generally good.
Oni Yai
Most Oni are only vaguely reminiscent of Giantkin, but not all of them. Whether it is through sheer chance or a particularly powerful bloodline, some Oni display their Giant heritage much more strongly than others. The Oni Yai as they are called tend to be slightly taller and they hold powerful magic related to the element of the Giant type they are descended from. For example the Fire Yai can toss out fireballs or turn into a smoky form. The Water Yai descended from the powerful Storm Giants can match most other Giant types in strength and they can create both tidal waves and powerful bolts of lightning. And the Earth Yai and Air Yai are similarly reminiscent of their specific elements and
Giant ancestors.
The one that seems to strangely differ from its Giant ancestor are the Shan Yai, descended of Hill Giants. They are golden-skinned and somewhat fiend-like in appearance, with four muscular arms with four-fingered claws. They do not seem to have any particular affinity for a certain element, and they tend more towards enchantment magics. They are also much more intelligent than their Hill Giant ancestors, which has created some speculation whether there is something going on with the Hill Giants that caused them to be this way. Are the Shan Yai simply a strange mutation, or an image of what the Hill Giants were supposed to be?
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