-O great spirits of the air, earth and sea-

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This is just a short overview on the Okami RP and the species and story involved. This assumes you know the story of the game. Also, if you don't like Oki/Waka lovin', you might want to leave.

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In the beginning, the story centered around Oki and Waka on a mission to retrieve Amaterasu's stolen weapons. There's some speculation that this was simply a ruse to get them close. Whatever the idea behind it, the result was Oki and Waka becoming mates. Amaterasu helped them to have children, and life went on as normal in the village.

Shortly afterward, Oki was made aware of more information on the Lunaris, Waka's true race. Their evil leader, Tsao, and his corruption. Amaterasu has been strengthening the Oina and her remaining Celestials for the upcoming battle against the Lunaris, as Tsao attempts to reclaim the prophet for his own paranoia.

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The Races

Oina

The Oina are one of the shorter-lived races, due to the harsh enviroment and freezing cold. In the past, very few Oina lived past their forties or fifties. Recently, Amaterasu has adjusted their lifespan to extend it to at least five-hundred years.

For the most part, the Oina are pale, but strong. They have two forms, due a connection with a 'spirit animal', represented by the masks on their faces. Usually, each living Oina has a different animal, but there are rare cases where two living Oina have the same. The masks are what enable them to take canine form. Even if they are not worn, as long as the mask is in the Oina's possession, they can shift shape. The masks are given at a very young age, though it can take up to two years to fully gain wolf form.

Early masks were made of clay, though more recently they have been carved from wood. If a mask becomes cracked, it will be more difficult for the wearer to shift between forms, and if it breaks completely, then they will be stuck in the form they were in until the mask is fixed. Exceptions are Oina with Lunaris wings, as the extra magic in the wings allows them to change back without a mask, though it is very difficult.

If a person joins the Oina tribe, they can also attain wolf form, but to do so, they must hunt and kill, then eat the heart, of their designated spirit animal, unless it is a child, in which case this would not be needed.

Oina also have limited access to magic, such as summoning spears of ice, or altering the size of objects.

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Celestials

Amaterasu's chosen. Very few remain. So far, the discovered survivors are two females and three males, though two new boys have been born, and two half-Oina girls have been born. They tend to have tanner skin then the Oina, and also have a higher likelihood of blond hair. They live on the Celestial Plain with Amaterasu, a very warm place.

The Celestials are identifiable by their wings, on their head above their ears. These are generally small, and cannot be used to hold their weight in the air. They can float, however, due to a powerful level of magic.

Unless their wings are removed, Celestials are immortal. Without wings, their lifespan can last up to twenty-thousand years. Celestial children age at a rapid rate until hitting the teen stage.

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Lunaris

The Lunaris, generally, are incredibly open, in morals and ideas. All Lunaris possess shape-shifting, mostly into wolves, though a rare few can take other forms. There are disorders and diseases in the Lunar Realm, a common one being that the human form will retain the skin color, or other attributes of the wolf form. Aside from that, the skin colors of the Lunaris vary from incredibly dark, to very pale. In size, their wolf forms tend to be very small, though there are some exceptions.

Lunaris starve easily, due to a very fast metabolism.

Lunaris wings are on their backs, and generally not large enough to carry their weight, though there are some exceptions. Akin to Celestials in the respect that they are immortal with wings, and have a twenty-thousand year lifespan without. Without wings, their high level of magic skill (more powerful even then the Celestials), is halved.

Common magics of the Lunaris are the ability to teleport, healing magicks, and various other spells, though there are quite a few with odd powers.

The Lunaris rely on monarchy, and the largest number of territories are in the hands of Tsao, who uses the advanced technology on the Lunar Realm to craft warriors to his desired specifications.

Lunaris wings can be passed to mortals, thereby extending their lifespan to that of a wingless Lunaris. By doing this, the Lunaris who sacrificed their wings takes on the lifespan on the recipient. It stands to reason that the same thing would work with Celestials, but it has not yet been tried.

Like transferring wings, half-Lunaris children also have extended lifespans. This is determined by their wings. If a child is born of a Lunaris and a mortal, and has wings in all forms, then their lifespan is that of a wingless Lunaris. If the child has wings in only one form (for example, the wolf form of an Oina), then their lifespan will be a little less then that. And if the child has no wings whatsoever, then it is half of a wingless Lunaris' lifespan.

Subgroup: Crafted Lunaris

Deep within Tsao's military complex, many experiments are done to create artificial Lunaris. Examples of these would be Corbeau and Nereza.

Generally, these are the ones with the odd abilities, though not in all cases. Almost all artificial warriors are incredibly strong. However, Tsao considers them less then human, and treats them as such, not allowing the majority of them to live outside cells, and not permitting them to breed with normal Lunaris. He does, however, have breeding projects amoung the artificial Lunaris, trying different combinations to see what results he can get.

Most artificial Lunaris do not survive more then a few days after creation, with only a small few having reached adulthood.

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Dragons

The dragons were only recently revealed to the Oina, as they lived on the Celestial Plain, away from the mortal world, but have now been sent by Amaterasu as mounts and soldiers in the coming battles. For now, only a few have been sent. The dragon lifespan can last more then fifteen-thousand years. They reach maturity at four-hundred years.

Dragons come in two types, eastern and western. The eastern are more snake-like, with longer bodies, and usually no wings. The western are more massive, with wings to carry them in flight, rather then magic. The type is given by the male genes.

Dragons have eggs in clusters of three to five. The eggs are the size of a small child. (Note: Even though dragons can now take human form, they can only create a child while in their natural form.) The eggs gestate for five months in the female's belly, then are laid, and after another five months, they hatch. They are raised by their parents until they are able to fend for themselves, at which point they go off on their own.

Dragons mate for life. If one of them is unfaithful, the other has the right to kill the betrayer. If it is a female who cheats, and she gets pregnant, the male must wait until she gives birth before killing her and the children.

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Chalcedoni

A group on another plane, known as the Terra Basin, a large meteor-like object in space, holding many caverns, caves, and air pockets. Like in the Lunar Realm, there are portals that lead to the Mortal world. Most of the caverns have no light, or artificial light, and the outside airpockets are lit only by stars. They have adapted to live in the dark caverns, and in general, they have a strong level of respect and admiration for their god, Sarutahiko, and some level of dislike for Amaterasu.

They are an offshoot of the Oina, having had forced evolutionary changes through their god. They live longer, up to one thousand years, and their souls and powers are held in a stone of gem or mineral that is embedded somewhere in the body of the person. Normally, the stones go unseen, for if they are broken, the person will die. It is considered a sign of weakness for the stone to be protruding from the skin. In addition to the stone, each Chalcedoni has lines. These consist of any type of marking, and any amount, but they are visible in both human and wolven forms. Bright colors are more common, and black and white lines are considered a sign of weakness, like visible stones. Lines change color with age, or in the manner of a simple suntan.

Most carry with them duplicates of the stone inside them, as their powers tend to be weaker without the extras. Many make weapons from their stone, and in such cases, they can form a sort of 'bond' with the weapon, making it more like a comrade then a simple instrument. These weapons are made in preparation for a future battle with the Oina, as their god attempts to reclaim his honor. But the Chalcedoni are not allowed to leave the basin without good reason, as Saruta fears that they will leave him behind.

In terms of reproduction, it occers only when Saruta wishes it, as a baby can only be formed after he has placed a stone in the womb of the woman. This will happen either when a couple comes to him and asks permission (which he almost always gives), or when they attempt to bolster their ranks with planned mating. Twins or triplets are formed when the stone breaks in the woman's womb. In general, the Chalcedoni only reproduce amoungst themselves, not always with a mated couple, planned breedings have pairings that are seemingly random. Very uncommonly, Saruta himself will father a child.

The Chalcedoni, through Sarutahiko, are heavily influenced by greek and roman culture, as the god has a fondness for it.

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Gods/Demigods

The gods are a continually mysterious race. Their origins are forever unknown, and their power is massive. Amaterasu controls all things heavenly and living, and Sarutahiko controls the earth and all the heat and strength is holds. It has appeared that Saruta cannot create life from nothing, whereas Amaterasu can, at least with plants. It is yet unseen if she is still able to spontaneously create more complex life. It is also uncertain as to whether or not the gods can be wounded by mortal hands, or if the only damage they can take is from the divine.

In appearance, both the gods have markings on their bodies, and certain characteristics that are unique to them (Saruta's magma-tipped tail, or Amaterasu's inkbrush tail, for example.) The also have skin colors to match the fur of their animal forms, and in humanoid form, have canine ears and tails.

Demigods are created when a god has sexual relations with a mortal and produces children. For the most part, the demigods carry on the characteristics of the god that created them. This includes the fur-colored skin, the lines, and the canine appearance. However it is not a constant, and some demigods lack the majority, if not all, of these traits. Demigods are more powerful then mortals, but significantly less powerful then the gods. Currently, it appears that the transition from god to mortal comes with various mental illnesses.

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Background image by Raven.