Yokai

Yokai, the word itself means a mysterious spirit or a phantom, some godly apparitions and others inhuman monsters which stalk the lands. They were originally recorded in the tales of Izanagi and Izanami, being demonic creatures that were created by Izanagi in the depths of Yomi, best indicating their nature artificial. almost like Angels, Yokai are not created through natural means or born naturally but are instead created through godly will or human ineptitude. There are two cases where this comes to light, firstly through divine intervention or through great trauma, either way only the inanimate or the dead may give birth to Yokai, their souls having needed a void to flourish. In most cases they are physical beings, some bordering on the spiritual and semi corporal nature; these Yokai are those capable of giving birth, of having children and in most cases are the Yokai not born from the dead. On the other hand there are spiritual Yokai, ghosts and apparitions born from the dead that do not exist as part of the purely physical realm, these Yokai in most cases are those born from dead things and in most cases can no carry on their lineage through giving birth to their own kind with few rare exceptions.

Almost all Yokai are dangerous, most of them having some sort of supernatural enhancement that gives them an edge over most living things thanks to their nature. Yokai are in a way a bit like Kin as they are able to exude what is in a sense magic but not, as it gives them near magical abilities and in some cases elemental control yet they do not pull from or generate Mana from their bodies like the Kin, as it seems this was something they were born with and comes from them naturally just like an Aura. This is matched with some known facts about Yokai, firstly their hair and fur are made of perfectly interwoven fibers, in a much more study design than most. This means that not only is it harder than diamonds but it can be matted and flattened down which lets it work as a perfect set of armor and be as sharp as blades. Secondly, no one knows how but Yokai have shown the ability to have skin as hard as diamonds whenever they wish, none knowing just where this comes from though it doesn't seem to imply to the inside of their body or things like the ears or eyes. Third, Yokai nails, claws, and fangs are not only become diamond hard when they wish but are retractable, shaping themselves whenever the user wishes. Most human-shape Yokai do not present this ability but animal human-shape Yokai and animal-shape Yokai have been shown to not only grow multiple teeth and fangs rapidly but to have them instantly shape into their monstrous shape the same with their nails and claws becoming battle ready almost instantly.

There are a few things to note about Yokai; firstly the thing is that almost all Yokai may be born biologically male or female but they are non binary born with both a male and a female form that they can freely decide between the two for which they can choose to be; some deciding to change their gender during their life or to life as they were born. There are however certain Yokai that are born as a single gender and only that gender, well known cases being Harpies or Akkorokamui which are born only female with no males of the species born.

While they are commonly known as Yokai thanks to the Japanese having the most accurate record of them from the Kojiki forward, Yokai have appeared in multiple cultures and races as they are beings that are created almost like Golems and thus have multiple names. For the Greek and Roman empires they are known as Anima, usually seen as the servants or workers of the Gods such as in the shapes of Harpies or Sirens. In the Middle East, they are known as Djinn, though these texts do not reference their creation it is clear that they are supernatural beings that were seemingly created and differ from Angels. In parts of Europe they are known as Daemons, a literal translation of their names being 'a thing between man and god' thus reflecting more of their nature and how important they to the mortal realm. Native American peoples had multiple names for them, sometimes multiple names for within the same religion and peoples meaning the countless names for them are almost too vast to count. The Egyptian gods also have Yokai but they are not given a proper term name, things such as Sphinx or Set Beasts are Yokai in the purest form much like the other Yokai but they are not given a proper defining term or name to bind them all together and are named on term by term cases. Lastly, the African Yokai are the same as the Egyptian Yokai, while they do exist they do not have specific overlap term but instead are named over a case by case basis considering their beings.

The reason that the Aztec, Mayan, Asian, and Aboriginal religions do not have terms or names for these beings are as follows. For the Aztec and Mayans, the Gods of these pantheons did not have servants they created but were instead natural beings or in some cases Demons that they worked along side and focused mostly on them and humans, meaning they did not create them. For many of the Asian the do not have the given term for them, but they do appear in their mythologies and share many of the same beings with different names. Lastly, the Aboriginal people did not have Yokai, these being people who existed in a time when the first world existed before such time as Yokai came into being, meaning that their original people and mythological times never coexisted with in same time-period of Yokai.

## Types

### Bakemono

These are known as the shape shifters of the Yokai, known mostly as monsters or supernatural creatures they are what are commonly called animal-shape or animal-human shape; they appear as the common Yokai who are either half human or full animal type Yokai ranging from the playful Kitsune to the monstrous Jorogumo who are able to shift from human to full monstrous animal as they see fit; these are often born with a human form, an animal form, an a hybrid form somewhere in between. These Yokai were created through the the Gods or through humans, usually born for a purpose or reason instead of being brought to life

### Obake

The Obake are the second kind of Yokai also known as haunting or phenomenal Yokai, in this case Yokai that were at one point either living creatures or beings so closely and completely linked to nature that they are a part of or indicate an oncoming phenomenon. In this case they are only human-shape, having no animal form, though they are known to become giant monsters in certain cases. Not entirely known as being entirely alive, many of these beings are actually partially dead or almost undead in certain cases. These Yokai were created through human souls passing through nature or through the Gods, not always born with a purpose in some cases being created through unknown methods and wills.

### Yurei

Yurei are the final kind of Yokai, known as the spirit or monster Yokai. These beings are not the monster Ayakashi that Yokai can become but instead Yokai which are known as mischievous or evil spirits, some appearing as humans while others appear as giant monsters that are unable to take human form. Often these are known as the dangerous spirits and monsters hunting those in the darkness, closer to actual monsters but with a sense of life and death to them. They are mostly born from corpses or the dead, ranging from single dead beings to thousands of dead people being resurrected as a single being. These Yokai, keeping in either human-shape or animal-shape, rarely keep in purely natural forms, with almost wild features adorning. These Yokai are not born at all through the gods but are instead born only through mortal hands and mortal curses if not their will existing through death.

Yurei are almost always accompanied by phantom lights, orbs of spiritual energy which follow around their being. The more orbs following a Yurei the more powerful a Yurei is as after an orb grows too full with spiritual energy it splits into another.

## Empowerment

### Kami-Den

This is known as the God state that can be accessed by certain Yokai thanks to the wells of Yomi spilling onto Yoma from within it's core. These wells contain the remains of the godly essence of Izanami and Izanagi, known to elevate Yokai beyond their current state and returning the full host of Godly essence within them to it's true power. This allows for the Yokai to push past their normal state, turning into a much more powerful form for as long as they can maintain such a state.

It is accessible to Bakemono and Obake, as they are the only ones that are known to have the actual godly energy needed for the Kami-den to activate and take affect. For Yurei, it is known to not only burn but to kill them meaning they will not have access. While in this form the Bakemono are wrapped in a cloak of blood and aura, muscle covering their body and their animal features not only exaggerated but made weapons as bones cover them. This turns them into what could only be considered the inner workings of a great God beast, but this is as far as they can go.

When an Obake enters into this state they do not become the near blood and aura monster like the Bakemono, instead they become what can only be described as an elemental. This starts by first covering their body in spiritual energy and their own elemental phenomenon empowering their being held in place by their flowing aura much like the blood coat of the Bakemono. They do not gain bones or monster/animal features but instead they appear with powerful Mana spilling from their being and what could be considered armor around different parts of their body, sets and parts differing from one another.

### Kaiju

This is the Beast state that Yokai were able to achieve thanks in part to humans trying to improve upon the Yokai through magic. During the dark ages humans would regularly create magical contracts with Yokai, summoning them forth to use in combat, the issue to be found here was that they thought they were not getting enough through the contract and decided that they would try to make Yokai even more powerful and so they would use curses denoting Madness and Monsters when summoning Yokai, turning them into the great Kaiju. This left these Yokai in a completely berserker state that lasted well after their summoning had ended. This was passed down from generation to generation which left them with the ability to control themselves and the form more freely.

this state is only known to appear in the Bakemono and the Yurei; the Bakemono carry it thanks to the old summoning pacts with man and through Yurei as the curses can be called forth without a persons knowledge during their death. in the Bakemono it causes them to become a giant beast form of their animal form, one which not only extends their magical nature and weaponizes it but makes them a completely combat suited beast, an apex predator in almost every regard. They are giant monstrosities, usually behemoth beings standing anywhere from thirty to sixty meters tall, their bodies dangerous to the touch and capable of destroying entire cities in moments. At the very core of their being is their original being, connected to the giant Kaiju until the behemoth is killed.

Yurei on the other hand do not have an animal being they instead take on what could only be considered a giant corpse form. Made of a mix of what appears to be corpse parts, gore, hair, and limbs they appear as a giant blight hat drags evil and malevolent spirits along with them spreading death and misfortune with every motion. They are uncontrolled and as close to Ayakashi as a Yokai can come without losing their souls, hungering for the flesh and blood of the living as if wanting to regain what they had lost in becoming Yokai.

## Contracting

Humans had learned to contract Yokai for generations, leaning to create a contract with them and call upon their power in return for not only an offering but pulling Aura from the contractor in order to call forth the much more powerful Yokai at their full strength. This contract is done in steps, first contacting the Yokai and creating a commune with them, a partnership to which they can work with one another. From the commune they both write a magic circle steeped in their blood, this being the basis for their summoning and creating the iron chain of binding, forcing whatever they pull from their Yokai partner to bow to their will. From there the magic seal becomes a part of them, allowing them to pass it on freely and allow others to pull upon their contract.

### Visage of the Servant

This allows the contractor to summon forth what amounts to a phantom of the Yokai they have contracted. This phantom appears as the Yokai appeared to them relating all of their physical features and abilities. This Phantom while having its own intelligence and will usually follows along with the will of the summoner, going along with their plans and attacking as they see fit. However, this phantom will not be able to transform into any of the other states the Yokai may possess or use the Yokai's Aura or the ability they may have (An Ookami could still breathe fire but not use magic for example)

### Visage of the Beast

The original start of the Kaiju form, this contract allows the creator to summon forth a giant beast form of whatever Yokai they have contracted. This form is only obtainable through the contract and is not the Yokai's true Kaiju form but instead a mirror of what they truly are. These beasts are unable to enter into a human state and are unable to be reasoned with, more beasts guided by the chains of the contract. This contract is not to be taken lightly as the beast always strains against its constraints and upon breaking free will go on a rampage destroying anything around it until such time as the seal that summoned it is broken.

### Visage of the Aura

One of the more popular contracts, this contract allows the user to not only pull from the Yokai's Aura but to allow them to temporarily use any skills or abilities linked to said Aura. This ability removes the normal drawbacks of using ones abilities, instead giving only the abilities and boons that it might bring, the damage and usual repercussions lost to the contract and magic seal. Due to it's nature it only lasts for a few moments before the seal breaks and the contractor looses the ability to use the contract for a short amount of time.

### Visage of the Weapon

The last type of contract ever written up, this contract allows for the contractor to slowly pull forth the Yokai's nature (their diamond skin and half spiritual nature) and abilities through as a weapon (Contracts with a Tanuki would warp metal and earth, contracts with a Nekomata would create burning toxic gas). Often used as a go to contract due to the utter and total ease of control, these weapons are pulled through and usable until such time as they are broken, though these weapons rarely do break. This contract does have the rare downside of draining Aura the longer the contract is in use.