Ryokaku no Oni possesing a victim
Ryokaku no Oni, the "Demon of Purity", [1] also known as the "Demon of Marriage", was an oni who kidnapped samurai of pure body to marry with them [2] every decade or so. [3]
Appearance and Abilities[]
In normal form the demon was an armored warrior with two mouths. It could turn itself and a single victim into black fog, surrounding its chosen with its own ghostly shape. Victim and oni would fly off at the speed of the wind, returning to its lair. [2]
Wedding[]
The oni dropped an article of the victim's clothing into a cauldron of boiling blood, divining if the victim was of pure body and honorable ancestry, and therefore suitable to become its spouse. During the ceremony, Ryokaku was usually surrounded by troll guards which forced the victim into fashionable wedding clothes. [2] Trolls appeared to serve the demons more-or-less willingly. The Crab believed these demons might have made some sort of bargain with the king of the trolls centuries ago. If the woman was found wanting she was generally the dinner at the marriage feast when the Ryokaku found a replacement mate. There were also rumors of female Ryokaku no Oni who stole handsome and virtuous men as their mates. [3]
Weakness[]
If challenged to an iaijutsu duel, the oni was magically bound to duel fairly, and such is the only known account of a victim being rescued and saved from marrying the demon. [2]
Rise of the Lost[]
Ryokaku no Oni had been pleased by the rise of Daigotsu and the Lost, welcoming the rise of a new society within the Shadowlands that reflected their own highly unusual set of values. They had begun recruiting among the ranks of the Lost as guards to add a more cultured touch to their palaces. [4]
See also[]
References
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