HOME | DD

Description

Name: Gaki

Aliases: Preta, 'Hungry Ghost', Jikininki, Egui

Faction: None, solitary or random groups

Status: Active

Alignment: True Neutral - Neutral Hostile

Rank: 1 Kaijin

Measurements: H - 2-3 ft. tall, W - Normal

Race: Yokai

Powers:

Possession - Gaki can possess people if they come in contact with them. Effectively making that person a prisoner in their own body as the Gaki takes a joy ride in that person's body. Briefly able to enjoy a fulfilling human life again.

Shapeshifting - Gaki can take a handful of forms in order to beguile, terrify or interact with people. Among the most notable of these are the forms of snakes, moths, birds, foxes, wolves, tigers and an uncommon few can even take the form of beautiful men or women in order to possess or seduce people. They can also take the form of balls of smoke or fire, especially if they are moving quickly.

Mysterious Illness and Misfortune - Those that slight or offend an Gaki can find themselves on the receiving end of a strange curse like illness or misfortune begins to plague them. While these rarely result in severe injury and death, the cumulative effects are always misery.

Normally Invisible - Like many spiritual entities, Gaki are normally invisible to people and they are only really visible if one is sensitive to ethereal beings or if the Gaki wishes to reveal itself or a form it has taken. This typically lasts until the nightly hours where they become visible all the time.

Hunger Driven Strength - Gaki in their natural state don't look very dangerous at all, eliciting pity more than fear. Despite their horrifically emaciated state however Gaki can be quite dangerous to people who anger them and they attack with the sort of desperation one associates with a man dying of hunger. Especially the ones that drink blood or feed on flesh. They are capable of tearing a person to pieces with their claws.

Weakness:

Being A Hungry Ghost Is Suffering - Being reborn or becoming a Gaki is clearly a horrible existence. Gaki are starving and thirsty nearly all the time. Yet they can hardly satisfy this hunger and when they do, it's often from the most repugnant substances imaginable. This ranges from things like shit, corpses, rotten garbage and urine to stranger things like paper clips, chalk or puzzle pieces. The problem is that most Gaki can never really eat or drink these things in a reliable or satisfying manner. Most Gaki suffer from the common problem of having a mouth the size of an needle head and a stomach the size of a large suitcase. Though the severity of their hunger varies, the majority are in a perpetual state of starvation and dehydration. Their existence is a horrid one and one that is pitied to the extent that a festival is held to help alleviate their suffering at least once a year.

Buddhist and Shinto rites - Considering their state of being, the tiniest bit of relief welcome to a Gaki and certain ceremonies, celebrations and rites can appease them and convince them to not make nuisances of themselves, at least more than usual. Exorcising them is also only possible via such rites. Enigma based abilities can affect them but have the possibility of simply making them desperate AND angry. Using the rites also forces the Gaki to reveal it's true form, severely limiting its mobility and it's aggression

Belly Crawler - In their natural form Gaki are miserable and SLOW. They do not move all that fast at all and their limbs shake with fatigue and pain. Escaping them in such a state is not difficult.

Heat and Cold - As if their hunger and thirst was bad enough, Gaki are also very sensitive to heat and cold. To the point that the moon during the summer feels scorching and the sun during winter is freezing. Those that wander the wastes and deserts of the world and the Toho Plane especially feel this harsh reality every day.

Description: A majority of Gaki resemble a grotesquely emaciated human with a distended belly so large it could almost be a second person. Their mouths are sometimes almost nonexistent though and their necks warped and shriveled into rail thin pipes. Supernatural vapors waft about them and some reek so badly that flies gather. The rare few Gaki that were venerated into 'Ghost of Great Powers' class or were given some form of salvation can appear much like a normal ghost or spirit though have obvious signs of injury or lifelessness. These are few and far between and most look like weathered famine victims.

Personality: Gaki are perhaps the most pathetic of Yokai in terms of being objects of pity. They are the second among the 'three unpleasant births' for their collective suffering caused by their own desires tormenting them. Gaki are created from the deaths of those that lived selfishly with those causing the suffering of others because of it suffering the worst of it. Jealousy and greed tends to manifest Gaki that feed on vile or strange substances while those that were greedy or impious are born as Jikininki who devour human corpses. A thankfully more uncommon sort are the Preta type who occasionally seek human blood. Gaki tend to also form depending on how well a person was venerated after death. Though regardless they all tend to look like grossly exaggerated famine victims with thin throats. Other cases are that the torch mouths, needle mouths and vile mouths. Where the food either burns up before it passes their lips, mouth so tiny no food can pass and mouths so decomposed and rotted that all food that enters is rendered inedible respectively. These make up the Gaki that have 'no wealth' and were never venerated at all after death. Those that were given at least basic veneration can eat small amounts at a time. Finally those that greatly venerated are likewise separated into ghosts of sacrifices, ghost of losses and ghost of great powers. Ghosts of sacrifices live off of offerings made by humans. Ghost of losses live off of things lost by humans. Ghosts of great powers live an almost divine like existence full of pleasures. These three are in comparison much better off and only sometimes suffer hunger and thirst. However these three types are the rare minority among Gaki and most continue to suffer horrific levels of starvation. It is also believed that Gaki suffer so much because they are creatures made from only two of the five Hindu Elements: Air and Void (or space). Because three of those elements are missing, they cannot enjoy physical digestion or intake and must be given the correct rites before they are whole enough to be a complete being. Others acknowledge that Gaki are the result of human vice and suffer the karma they have earned. There are quite a few tales of monks asking for aid, shelter or food and being tricked or denied such charity, and the guilty host dying and being reborn countless life times as a Gaki. In character Gaki are sullen, desperate and miserable. Waiting for their karma to burn out or to be venerated or given offerings so that they can STOP being Gaki. As such they have very little patience for those that would harass or offend them, resulting in them using the dubious amounts of Enigma manipulation they possess trick and harass humans that do so. Most other Yokai keep their distance from them, not out of fear but out of disdain. To give attention to a Gaki is to give it validation. Gaki are treated in the Toho Plane much the same way the homeless are treated on the Material Plane. With Oni, especially those that work for powers in Jigoku, tormenting the Gaki daily as part of the process. For the most part however they wander the wastes, deserts and abandoned villages of the Toho Plane, crawling about in their perpetual suffering, waiting for their existence to finally end.

Description

Name: Gaki

Aliases: Preta, 'Hungry Ghost', Jikininki, Egui

Faction: None, solitary or random groups

Status: Active

Alignment: True Neutral - Neutral Hostile

Rank: 1 Kaijin

Measurements: H - 2-3 ft. tall, W - Normal

Race: Yokai

Powers:

Possession - Gaki can possess people if they come in contact with them. Effectively making that person a prisoner in their own body as the Gaki takes a joy ride in that person's body. Briefly able to enjoy a fulfilling human life again.

Shapeshifting - Gaki can take a handful of forms in order to beguile, terrify or interact with people. Among the most notable of these are the forms of snakes, moths, birds, foxes, wolves, tigers and an uncommon few can even take the form of beautiful men or women in order to possess or seduce people. They can also take the form of balls of smoke or fire, especially if they are moving quickly.

Mysterious Illness and Misfortune - Those that slight or offend an Gaki can find themselves on the receiving end of a strange curse like illness or misfortune begins to plague them. While these rarely result in severe injury and death, the cumulative effects are always misery.

Normally Invisible - Like many spiritual entities, Gaki are normally invisible to people and they are only really visible if one is sensitive to ethereal beings or if the Gaki wishes to reveal itself or a form it has taken. This typically lasts until the nightly hours where they become visible all the time.

Hunger Driven Strength - Gaki in their natural state don't look very dangerous at all, eliciting pity more than fear. Despite their horrifically emaciated state however Gaki can be quite dangerous to people who anger them and they attack with the sort of desperation one associates with a man dying of hunger. Especially the ones that drink blood or feed on flesh. They are capable of tearing a person to pieces with their claws.

Weakness:

Being A Hungry Ghost Is Suffering - Being reborn or becoming a Gaki is clearly a horrible existence. Gaki are starving and thirsty nearly all the time. Yet they can hardly satisfy this hunger and when they do, it's often from the most repugnant substances imaginable. This ranges from things like shit, corpses, rotten garbage and urine to stranger things like paper clips, chalk or puzzle pieces. The problem is that most Gaki can never really eat or drink these things in a reliable or satisfying manner. Most Gaki suffer from the common problem of having a mouth the size of an needle head and a stomach the size of a large suitcase. Though the severity of their hunger varies, the majority are in a perpetual state of starvation and dehydration. Their existence is a horrid one and one that is pitied to the extent that a festival is held to help alleviate their suffering at least once a year.

Buddhist and Shinto rites - Considering their state of being, the tiniest bit of relief welcome to a Gaki and certain ceremonies, celebrations and rites can appease them and convince them to not make nuisances of themselves, at least more than usual. Exorcising them is also only possible via such rites. Enigma based abilities can affect them but have the possibility of simply making them desperate AND angry. Using the rites also forces the Gaki to reveal it's true form, severely limiting its mobility and it's aggression

Belly Crawler - In their natural form Gaki are miserable and SLOW. They do not move all that fast at all and their limbs shake with fatigue and pain. Escaping them in such a state is not difficult.

Heat and Cold - As if their hunger and thirst was bad enough, Gaki are also very sensitive to heat and cold. To the point that the moon during the summer feels scorching and the sun during winter is freezing. Those that wander the wastes and deserts of the world and the Toho Plane especially feel this harsh reality every day.

Description: A majority of Gaki resemble a grotesquely emaciated human with a distended belly so large it could almost be a second person. Their mouths are sometimes almost nonexistent though and their necks warped and shriveled into rail thin pipes. Supernatural vapors waft about them and some reek so badly that flies gather. The rare few Gaki that were venerated into 'Ghost of Great Powers' class or were given some form of salvation can appear much like a normal ghost or spirit though have obvious signs of injury or lifelessness. These are few and far between and most look like weathered famine victims.

Personality: Gaki are perhaps the most pathetic of Yokai in terms of being objects of pity. They are the second among the 'three unpleasant births' for their collective suffering caused by their own desires tormenting them. Gaki are created from the deaths of those that lived selfishly with those causing the suffering of others because of it suffering the worst of it. Jealousy and greed tends to manifest Gaki that feed on vile or strange substances while those that were greedy or impious are born as Jikininki who devour human corpses. A thankfully more uncommon sort are the Preta type who occasionally seek human blood. Gaki tend to also form depending on how well a person was venerated after death. Though regardless they all tend to look like grossly exaggerated famine victims with thin throats. Other cases are that the torch mouths, needle mouths and vile mouths. Where the food either burns up before it passes their lips, mouth so tiny no food can pass and mouths so decomposed and rotted that all food that enters is rendered inedible respectively. These make up the Gaki that have 'no wealth' and were never venerated at all after death. Those that were given at least basic veneration can eat small amounts at a time. Finally those that greatly venerated are likewise separated into ghosts of sacrifices, ghost of losses and ghost of great powers. Ghosts of sacrifices live off of offerings made by humans. Ghost of losses live off of things lost by humans. Ghosts of great powers live an almost divine like existence full of pleasures. These three are in comparison much better off and only sometimes suffer hunger and thirst. However these three types are the rare minority among Gaki and most continue to suffer horrific levels of starvation. It is also believed that Gaki suffer so much because they are creatures made from only two of the five Hindu Elements: Air and Void (or space). Because three of those elements are missing, they cannot enjoy physical digestion or intake and must be given the correct rites before they are whole enough to be a complete being. Others acknowledge that Gaki are the result of human vice and suffer the karma they have earned. There are quite a few tales of monks asking for aid, shelter or food and being tricked or denied such charity, and the guilty host dying and being reborn countless life times as a Gaki. In character Gaki are sullen, desperate and miserable. Waiting for their karma to burn out or to be venerated or given offerings so that they can STOP being Gaki. As such they have very little patience for those that would harass or offend them, resulting in them using the dubious amounts of Enigma manipulation they possess trick and harass humans that do so. Most other Yokai keep their distance from them, not out of fear but out of disdain. To give attention to a Gaki is to give it validation. Gaki are treated in the Toho Plane much the same way the homeless are treated on the Material Plane. With Oni, especially those that work for powers in Jigoku, tormenting the Gaki daily as part of the process. For the most part however they wander the wastes, deserts and abandoned villages of the Toho Plane, crawling about in their perpetual suffering, waiting for their existence to finally end.