Oni

The Oni are a type of Asian Other, the remnants of a grand attempt to seperate Others from humanity. Those Practitioners who deal with them are Oni Mages.<ref name=":0">Oni themselves are the result of past

attempts to break away from humanity and create an independent spirit

kingdom. Many Others were embroiled in the cause, and shed their labels

and natures to share out their strength.  As such, Oni have elements of
Faerie, Goblins, Spirits, Ghosts, and other forces, typically clad in

iconography and traditional dress that marks them as something turned Oni. One that was once Faerie might be very attractive and slender, with old fashioned clothes, but it is not Faerie anymore and does not harbor the same weaknesses.

- Oni Mages </ref><ref name=":1">Ties to an era when spirits attempted to establish their own province and

domain separate from humanity, and even went to war with humanity,

sending forth brutes and assassins. Oni magic is subtle and deceptive, aimed at infiltration, distraction, hampering and creating openings. Oni Magic stands in contrast to many practices in that it is actually more effective if not used in a way that spirits are made familiar with over time. Oni magic is typically learned as a series of ‘tricks’ taught by hard to access Others, with added benefits if the use of the trick surprises the spirits (that is, is unexpected or creative, and/or hasn’t been used in a long time), rekindling old memories and passions, or if it is dramatic and interesting. -

Pact Dice - The Practices </ref>

Description

The Oni shared their power, blending their natures to the point that they no longer retain their original natures or weaknesses. An Oni may have some visual cues as to it's original nature, but little more.<ref name=":0" />

The Oni magic they forged together is weak/subtle compared to other forms of magic, but grows stronger when it defies convention and established patterns. To surprise the spirits and stir up old passions once again is a source of strength. Individual Oni will have their own specific tricks and abilities.<ref name=":1" /><ref>When they lost the war, the Oni were bound to convention. The ongoing struggle to escape and bend the rules of convention has led to a form of practice which works against many common assumptions. Oni Mages are stronger when they defy pattern and convention. While weak on their own, techniques are stronger when used infrequently or as a surprise, to the targets and to the spirits. [...]

Most Oni Mage practices are traps, backstabs, deceptions or misdirections aimed at combat, and general-use anti-practice stuff.

Why be an Oni Mage?

Oni

Mages have some advantages in that they can deflect or bypass some

practitioner offenses and defenses. They are weak against direct assaults and hard barriers, but are otherwise fairly effective at working against practitioners and making their lives hard.

They

can also bypass some weaknesses.  It's common knowledge that an Oni

Mage family had an artifact that allowed one lie every three years. Such knowledge colors the interactions of councils with families of Oni Mages.

Oni themselves are versatile and varied, but again, are weak against direct assaults and favor flanking, traps, setup, or conditions. Some have gimmicks, like sapping strength for every word someone says around them, or stealing your face if you make eye contact.

- Oni Mages </ref>

Physically, Oni have certain markers they have taken on as a part of their movement, especially high-ranking Oni (whose uniforms can fill entire rooms with their volume.) They may float independently or be carried by subordinates if they are impractical to carry personally. These symbols are:

symbols of binding or restriction (cuffs, collars, chains),
paper/scrolls
old clothing or weapons (pre-1600s),
natural weapons (horn, fang and claw) or personal decoration (masks, gloves, tattoos) echoing them.

They also tend to display cultural blending, and stark contrasts of light and dark.<ref name=":2">Oni typically have masks, traditional symbols of binding or restriction (cuffs, collars, chains), paper, old clothing or weapons (pre-1600s), cultural blending, stark contrasts of light and dark and either natural weapons (horn, fang and claw) or personal decoration (masks, gloves, tattoos) echoing these things. Oni are broken up into castes and successively greater Oni tend to take more and more of these decorations

and play them up, with the greater ones bearing clothes, scrolls,

and/or weapons to the point that they fill a room. A moderate oni noble

could bear a weapon rack on his back with a dozen weapons, with

pauldrons and gauntlets fit for a giant floating in the air around him, autonomous. If these things are not floating or carried, lesser Oni may

bear them or may bear the greater Oni on a palanquin. - Oni Mages</ref>

Culturally, they have a formal caste system,<ref name=":2" /> and a deep resentment for humanity - extracting steep prices and/or only dealing with Oni Mage families who sided against humanity in the war. They cling to history, grudges, and their lost cause. Many are Peddlars, either creating cursed magic items that will prey on humans or contracting with Practitioners to create them (sometimes multiple Practitioners, each doing only a part.)<ref>Oni Mages typically pick up their art

through family lines, tracing back to the time when spirits and Others

tried to divorce themselves from humanity in a stab at self preservation. In Practice and in the eyes of other Practitioners, they are functionally assassins, thieves, and deceivers with a strong combat focus. Part of their dark reputation stems from distant history, when practitioners took the side of the spirits in the war against humanity, gaining power for their betrayal.

In

terms of terminology, Oni Mages draw heavily from Eastern influences in
naming and reference, even though they can be from anywhere.  A

practitioner who was taught by family is frequently referred to by their

House name, the family line that their craft was derived from.  A

plural of such practitioners might simply be called ‘House Kuro’, while a

single practitioner might be ‘Son of Yama’ or ‘Blackhedge Mage’ for the
houses of Yama and Blackhedge, respectively.

The

remainder of practitioners are taught by an ‘oni’ or self-taught with

the assistance of some item or source of power, and are termed Ronin Mages.

- Oni Mages </ref><ref>In terms of disposition, Oni are merciless, first and foremost. They are defined by hate and spite, cold

resentment, and an inclination to cling to history.  Very frequently

they won’t deal with people not from Houses, or they will only deal with

people with a steep and inevitable price to be paid.  As such, a given

Ronin may only have the Oni with her teaching her things because she has

agreed that when she has murdered everyone on her list of people who

wronged her, she will lose her life and her spirit will be dragged into an eternity of darkness. Complex cursed items with a tendency to find their way into the hands of mundane mortals and perpetuate their own existence are common Oni items that they contract from practitioners (if

they don't have different practitioners make different parts so the

item's course might be harder to avert).

- Oni Mages </ref>

References