The Onis

At a glance, it is evident that the Onis are the spawn of hell. Sharp horns, scary grimaces, and six limbs are all clues that their ancestors were part of the infernal afterlife fauna, and in fact, many texts point at them as the grunt workers of the afterlife. Once they ended up in the Material World they shared the fate of many other otherworldly creatures and devolved into mundane animals. An Oni is still quite clever for a wild beast, able to use sticks and stones, but their lack of empathy, once necessary to live among the damned souls begging for mercy, makes them cruel predators.

Onis are omnivores but they have a taste for flesh, especially from humanoids. They hunt in coordinated groups, becoming daring and aggressive in the winter, when they alternate hibernation sleep to vicious raids fueled by hunger.

The Onis were driven to extinction in most of Axam in the first centuries after the Accord, but some groups survived in the mountains and, most notably, in a forest of the Orc Kingdom.

The heart of the Oni Forest hosts dozens of packs (called “clans”) of these hellish apes, all defending their territory fiercely from other apes and orcs alike. You know you entered an Oni territory once you see carcasses of wolves, lynxes, and other big carnivores hanging from the branches: an intimidating display of fierceness by the clan. If you hear the drumming sounds of the bark hit by wooden clubs, you have been spotted, and you should run.

Orcs have tried to eradicate the Onis but have always failed. One reason is that sometimes (once in a hundred thousand births, says the legend) a Blue Oni is born. These Onis appear as albinos, but they also have bluish skin and a third eye: they have high intelligence, comparable to humans, and can control other Onis, acting as their kings or queens. Under the “rule” of a Blue Oni, the others manage to take back territories and keep the center of the forest for themselves.

The other reason for the persistence of these animals is that the Orcs are very traditionalist, more willing to accept the occasional cannibalistic assault on a village rather than change their ways. The local culture has many aspects revolving around the Onis, like festivals with loud drum music to scare them, or the commerce around their taxidermied heads, considered prized trophies, and warding talismans, often displayed ostentatiously over the front door.