Post by Admin on Apr 11, 2008 10:44:27 GMT -4
There are just as many species of Youkai in the world as there are animals. Approximately one-fifth of the population of any given animal is likely to be Youkai. They are also referred to as Animal Spirits in the English speaking world. For the purposes of this RPG, the main interaction with Youkai takes place in Japan and thus will be referred to in Japanese terms and locales.
Created by the Shijin, youkai are able to communicate with the natural world on a much more intimate basis than their mortal counter-parts. As such, they are capable of utilizing many forms of magic, including mortal magic and elemental magic.
Youkai have at most three different forms which they are able to shift between upon reaching maturity. They have a form that is solely the form belonging to the variety of animal they are, such as a wolf form or lion form; they also one that is totally human and one that is somewhere in between both. As youkai, they can change into a youkai "half form", which is their human form with distinguishing animal attributes such as ears or a tail, and sometimes elongated teeth and nails.
Because of the second form, they are able to live among humans if they so choose. Most live in small groups within the larger clans that consist of every race in their species. The largest subdomain within a clan is a Tribe which consists of youkai belonging to the same species. Ultimately, however, most Youkai live within groups of their immediate and sometimes extended families, just as human beings do.
Every tribe has a leader and those will be listed in the seperate posts for each clan. Youkai worldwide, however, are ruled by one individual, The Youkai-ou, which is selected though the process of a trial that occurs every 100 years. The dominate clans rotate which tribes will compete in the trial process and ultimately which clan will produce the next Youkai-ou. Youkai live between 300 and 400, and so there are usually three or four--in rare cases--opportunities to become a leader based on capabilities in wisdom, strength and general leadership skills (i.e., ability to rouse, rally, and motivate the surrounding--and sometimes distant--youkai communities).
As stated, there are just as many Clans of youkai as there are Mortal animals. The clans are named after the Taxonomic ranking "Order" and will thus be referred to as such when speaking about more than one Species of youkai. Since there are many orders, for the purposes of Archives, only those that were previously created or those which members which to detail will be listed here as the dominant Clans.
Dominant Clans
Canidae
Felidae
Cervidae
Ursidae
Leporidae
Squamata
Aves*
* The Aves class includes birds from all over the world. The distribution of Orders is so large that it would be superfluous to list to list everyone. Instead, if there are members who wish to have a character that is some sort of bird youkai the contact me and we'll work out the Clan.
Created by the Shijin, youkai are able to communicate with the natural world on a much more intimate basis than their mortal counter-parts. As such, they are capable of utilizing many forms of magic, including mortal magic and elemental magic.
Youkai have at most three different forms which they are able to shift between upon reaching maturity. They have a form that is solely the form belonging to the variety of animal they are, such as a wolf form or lion form; they also one that is totally human and one that is somewhere in between both. As youkai, they can change into a youkai "half form", which is their human form with distinguishing animal attributes such as ears or a tail, and sometimes elongated teeth and nails.
Because of the second form, they are able to live among humans if they so choose. Most live in small groups within the larger clans that consist of every race in their species. The largest subdomain within a clan is a Tribe which consists of youkai belonging to the same species. Ultimately, however, most Youkai live within groups of their immediate and sometimes extended families, just as human beings do.
Every tribe has a leader and those will be listed in the seperate posts for each clan. Youkai worldwide, however, are ruled by one individual, The Youkai-ou, which is selected though the process of a trial that occurs every 100 years. The dominate clans rotate which tribes will compete in the trial process and ultimately which clan will produce the next Youkai-ou. Youkai live between 300 and 400, and so there are usually three or four--in rare cases--opportunities to become a leader based on capabilities in wisdom, strength and general leadership skills (i.e., ability to rouse, rally, and motivate the surrounding--and sometimes distant--youkai communities).
As stated, there are just as many Clans of youkai as there are Mortal animals. The clans are named after the Taxonomic ranking "Order" and will thus be referred to as such when speaking about more than one Species of youkai. Since there are many orders, for the purposes of Archives, only those that were previously created or those which members which to detail will be listed here as the dominant Clans.
Dominant Clans
Canidae
- Ookami (wolf)
- Kitsune (fox)
- Inu (Dog)
Felidae
- Shishi (Lion)
- Tora (Tiger)
- Neko (Cat)
Cervidae
- Shika (Deer)
Ursidae
- Kuma (Bear)
Leporidae
- Usagi (Rabbit)
Squamata
- Tokage (Lizard)
- Hebi (Snake)
- Mizu-rikujou (amphibian)
Aves*
* The Aves class includes birds from all over the world. The distribution of Orders is so large that it would be superfluous to list to list everyone. Instead, if there are members who wish to have a character that is some sort of bird youkai the contact me and we'll work out the Clan.