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The Obake Beastiary of Kaidan

"Kaidan" is an old Japanese term (archaic) for "ghost or horror story" of ancient connections.


"Obake" (o-BAH-keh) is a Japanese term to describe all supernatural beings and phenomena of old Japan including: undead, demons, spirits and yokai monsters.


"Yurei" (YU-ray) is the Japanese term for ghost. All undead beings of Kaidan are yurei, though unlike western ideas of undead, Kaidan ghosts include all corporeal, incorporeal, from ghouls to vampires and everything in between. All are considered ghosts. Each yurei ghost is unique and what "type", consistent powers and means of destruction can not be discerned on how they appear. Thus skeletons may be the animated, or may by a Warrior Ghost or worse.

Nine categories of Yurei Ghosts:

  1. Onryo - vengeful spirits
  2. Goryo - vengeful spirits of aristocrats
  3. Funayurei - those who died at sea
  4. Zashiki-Warashi - young children spirits
  5. Warrior Ghosts - fell during Genpei War
  6. Seductress - post-death love affair spirit
  7. Jikininki or Gaki - ghouls, eaters of corpses
  8. Ikiryo - enraged spirits of living beings (!)
  9. Awakened - awakened items a century old

Oni-demons appear as horned ogres of red or green skin with fiery yellow eyes, fearsome claws and toothy maws. They are inhabitants of the Wheel of Life Hell realm in a twisted reflection of dark Kaidan itself. Wielders of dark arcane spellcraft, they are the source for dark sorcery powers on the material world and require pacts made with oni-kind to work it.

Bakemono - goblin beings of multiple form, size and color dwelling the high mountains of Kaidan are said to be Least-Oni who escaped the Hell realm, long ago.


Spirits can be divided between "nature" and "demon" types.

Nature Spirits are associated with pristine wilderness locations of great beauty and holy power, serving as gateways to the realms of divine beings protecting these nature sites on Kaidan. They form the "gods" of the Hengeyokai or barbarian animal shape-changers of the Animal realm.

Demon Spirits are "nature spirits" of the Hell realm who have escaped to the Kaidan material plane working foul magic and treachery to all those they confront. Yuki-onna the snow woman and Hebi-onna, snake woman are two examples of the many types of demon spirits.


Yokai are shape-changer beings, all Kaidan monsters fall under this classification, as well as the Animal Realm dwelling Hengeyokai (player character race) animal barbarians. Many of the monster yokai are bizzare creatures like the Obake Cow - a dairy cow that joins a found herd, and when unnoticed shape-changes to a huge spider and feeds on cattle in the herd.

Aside from hengeyokai and monsters there are a few other types of Yokai including: tengu, kappa, and other odd humanoids of Kaidan.

Shogun Taira no Kiyomori the military ruler of the Empire