Oni

Home Ground
 General Alignment

## Life Span

Oni are capable of living 200 years. None of them end up doing that.

## Physical Characteristics

Oni, unlike local ogres, look very human, save for their size and horns. They can vary greatly in size, but typically stand around eight feet tall. There have been many taller and smaller though. Just as with their size, their horns are all unique. Some only have one, many have two, rarely are there three or more, but the horns come in every shape and size.

## Culture

Oni culture is an oddity amongst sentient beings. If Oni hadn't evolved to be the strongest and toughest creatures around, their cultural lives would have lead them to extinction. To know the Oni, one must know their history. Oni are not from this continent, they are from an island nation far away. The large chain of island was host to numerous humans and monsters, and no one got along. Amidst the constant fighting, a tribe of demons worked their way into the fray. Distant relatives of ogres, this tribe moved through the land like a natural disaster. Everything that was in their path was destroyed, in an event that marked the changing of an era for the people and monsters of the land. They called the new era, the era of the Oni.

The Oni themselves didn't even notice they had started a new era. They just didn't like their old home in the mountains and decided to move, it was as simple as that. They looted and burned everything in their path because they hadn't figured the other races so weak. The Era was quick to come to an end after the Oni had found a home in the capital fortress of the island's emperor. They liked it because there were lots of things worth breaking around there. However, after razing the capital, they decided to go elsewhere, but had nowhere to go to, being stuck on the island after all. The massive tribe ended up fracturing into smaller cells, not because of internal disputes, but simply to make things interesting and give themselves someone worth fighting. It was around the separation that a black warship pulled into the capital, a foreign ship carrying demons looking for troops. At first the language barrier was a challenge, but they managed to convey to the Oni that there was a land far across the sea where there were lots of people and monsters stronger then here to fight. Three split tribes heard of this and went across the sea to join in some fighting.

It's important to know the history of how the Oni wound up in Lionsdale, because they themselves do not know. Oni's carry no importance to their history, no importance to their language (Having adopted the local tongue and instantly forgetting their old tongue), no importance to the idea of a together community. To Oni, there is only one important thing, that being the strength of the individual. No one Oni leads a clan, they are more akin to a mob then a community. They often just kill off their elders in their clan, because any Oni that lives long enough to be an elder was cowardly and didn't find a strong enough enemy in their life. The concept of love doesn't exist in their world. Which brings up an important part of Oni 'culture'. Mating and child raising.

In early winter, every Oni gets a carnal desire to return to their group no matter where they are. It doesn't take long for them to go into heat as a dog would. What comes from a group of Oni in heat is a week long nonstop festival. Everyone gets a shot with everyone else, and afterwards they go back to warmongering. Five months later, the women give birth to up to four children. While they are impregnated with a sizable litter, it's rare for more than one to come out alive. After all, even in pre-infancy, the idea to be the strongest is sewn into their DNA. After birth, the children are looked after for about a month, then they're part of the tribe. Of the ones born, it's rare for more then fifty percent to reach ten years old, the maturity age of the Oni.
There are many defining personality traits of Oni. They are naturally stubborn, refusing compromise and orders simply because they hate being told what to do. While generally simpleminded, they have a knack for knowing when people are trying to pull one over them, and treat this as an ultimate insult. They are forward speaking and do not beat around the bush at all, and hate when others do it to them. Because of their simpleminded nature, they have no talents for magic, but because of their evolution, and growth cycle, each one is a highly skilled warrior, which gave them the position as literal siege weapons of the dark army.

## Abilities

Oni have incredibly thick skin, enough to deflect sword strikes with ease, though holy energies can pierce it as if it were human skin. They also have unrivaled strength, enough to single handedly lift a castle portcullis, but this strength comes from the true power of the Oni, their willpower. The willpower of an Oni is their source of strength, Pain tolerance, and resistant to attacks on their minds. Oni's have incredible mental fortitude, but it is never guaranteed. If they get hungry, this fortitude drains quickly, drastically reducing their prowess. If they aren't motivated to be in a fight, then they don't perform well, if they are exhausted, then their willpower can go, though at the same time, a strong willpower can stave off the feelings of exhaustion for some time. Because of this indomitable willpower, they can hold off attacks on their minds forever, the sheer idea of torture makes them laugh, and they can be very, very stubborn. Besides that, they also possess enhanced sense and a knack for sensing holy and unholy energy.

## Other

An Oni's stomach can process anything thrown in it.
There are three Oni Clans that are part of the Demon army. Fujiwara, the largest, Onsanwa, and Matsu, the smallest. None of these clans get along with the other races that well. Although the Fujiwara seem to have taken a large role in the politics of The Dark Republic, and despite their simpleminded goal to fuel the war effort and keep fighting, they have gained a respectable foothold in the government. It should also be noted that the Oni are considered a race of Lesser Demons, and the more powerful ones bordering on Greater Demons.