Category: East Asian Legends
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Umibōzu; the Sea Monks
Off the coast of home lay a scattering of islands, seldom visited and rarely spoken of by our people, who favoured the safety of our familiar mainland. Perhaps they did well to leave the islands alone, because one in particular carried a harrowing past. The island was home to an…
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Kuchisake Onna; Slit Mouthed Woman
I had ventured home late; perhaps around 3, 4 in the early hours of the morning, when the birds had begun to sing and the usual hum of daily life had faded into stillness. The road I walked was empty, enveloped in a deadly silence, but it was a comfort…
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Bake Kujira; Ghost Whale
The great boat lurched through the furious waves, dragging the desperate men with it. The deck was soaked with seawater, slick and treacherous beneath their feet, and the ocean howled around them. The sky above offered no reprieve from the torrent of rain that battered down from an endless mass…
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Diao Si Gui; Hanged Man
Many stories had circulated around town about the tree just beyond our walls. They used it to hang people, you see, and the grounds had grown sour with the bitter scent of death, the air heavy with blood and guilt and broken flesh. They called it the Hanged Man’s Tree.…
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Kappa
The Kappa is a vulgar demon believed to inhabit the rivers and spaces of water across Japan. They target humans in particular for their lifeforce, the mythical organ ‘Shirikodama’, by dragging it through their anus. APPEARANCE AND ATTRIBUTES Despite their diminutive size, likely no bigger than a small toddler, Kappas…
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Rokurokubi; Japanese monsters
A Japanese urban legend tells of the horrifying Rokurokubi, an apparition whose head can detach from the neck and wanders the night. In other interpretations, the Rokurokubi is depicted with an unnaturally long neck, coiling around the creature. Appearance and nature Rokurokubi are generally evil in nature, seeking out unsuspecting…
Ethereal Chronicles 