The Oni are an entire race of large, primitive humanoid spirits that occupy the region of Desoria, in the far northeast of Eredwyn. They are driven primarily by a natural instinct and desire for violence and combat, seeking primarily to wipe out the mortal world with their sheer numbers and extreme strength.
They originate from the spirit Rekonitar, The Great Arm. This is a spirit whose appearance is that of a large, white arm that remains in the same place. Because of this appearance, Rekonitar is mute and rarely moves, yet he is worshipped by all oni as their progenitor.
The isolated region of Desoria has an incredible and curious proximity to the Spiritual Plane, as if the veil that separates both planes were thinner and more easily crossed in that region. Added to the fact that the spirit Rekonitar apparently resides in a place on the Spiritual Plane whose corresponding place on the Material Plane is in Desoria, the people of that region are ravaged by the vast and violent hordes of oni that shake the ground of whatever Plane they are on.
Despite their numbers and immense strength, the oni were, throughout their countless attacks against the Desorians, continually repelled by the immense will, martial mastery and magical power of the people of Desoria. But everything changed when the Beast arrived.
Gralgor alone managed to weaken and destabilize Desoria’s defenses, paving the way for the oni horde to eliminate and overwhelm those who faced and hunted them.
The most prominent oni at the time was placed as ruler of Desoria by order of Gralgor, this being Hanadon. Of all the governments instituted by the dragon, the one that was most exempt from Gralgor’s surveillance and demands was Hanadon. Even though the oni did not possess a high intelligence, they were absurdly loyal to their divine idol, the spirit Rekonitar, the Great Arm. Thus, while it was not practical to demand worship from these beings, the oni made up for this small amount of dragon worship with a large monetary contribution. Not being attached to jewels and treasures, the oni provided absurd amounts of taxes extracted from Desoria through the slave labor of the conquered Desorians. Due to this high supply of treasures, even with little or no worship directed towards him, Gralgor was quite satisfied with the oni occupation that he propagated and allowed in Desoria.
Now the dominant ones of the isolated region in the northeast of the continent, the oni now seek to consolidate and further strengthen their occupation, but always seeking opportunities to march and plunder lands beyond their borders, and not even the natural isolation of Desoria stops them.
Reproduction
Due to their origin, oni have no gender and do not even reproduce sexually.
The vast majority of oni are born directly from Rekonitar itself. The arm, even when still, continues to grow stronger, and from the spirit’s muscle fibers, it generates oni, which come out through the pores of the Great Arm. This process is continuous and uninterrupted.
The longer an oni lives, the larger it becomes, although this growth slows down over time. However, fighting accelerates and improves the process of growth in size and strength. Until it reaches a certain point, at which an oni’s arm becomes so monstrously strong and large that its power can no longer be contained within its own body. When this level is reached, the arm, or all of it, is dismembered by the oni’s own body,. The oni that owns the arm gains a new, completely regenerated arm. This type of reproduction is the closest thing that oni have to family among themselves.
Culture
The Oni base their culture on arms and physical strength. The bigger and stronger the oni, as well as the bigger and stronger his arms, the more authority and respect he will have in his species. Strong arms are a symbol not only of experience and many battles, but also of power. Because of their worship of arms, the oni refuse to wear any type of armor or clothing that covers their arms, as every oni has an obligation to show the symbols of his strength at all times.
Being a race based on strength, the onis, when they are not at war, seek out various exercises and activities to continue strengthening themselves, often fighting and competing among themselves to see who is the strongest, and these disputes normally result in death.
Traoniktor
Unlike casual competitions for trivial reasons, a Traoniktor is a formal and declared challenge within the oni culture. The reason for the challenge is irrelevant, whether it is to see who will eat first, or a direct challenge against the boss for leadership. What matters is that the Traoniktor is a one-on-one fight to the death, with no possibility of giving up or showing mercy.
In Traoniktor, weapons or strikes involving the legs are not permitted, these only serve to move during the fight. To actually fight in Traoniktor, only the use of the arms is permitted. Similar to boxing, but pulling, dragging, pushing, squeezing, and of course, punching are permitted. As long as you only use your arms against your opponent, the Traoniktor will be honored.