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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Set" data-source="post: 4808047" data-attributes="member: 41584">Oni - the villagers of Town X used to hold rituals every spring to keep the Oni's away, and part of the ritual was leaving offerings out for good spirits to protect them. There was a local Oni, something of a loner among it's kind, who would come at night and take the offerings, and return to it's home in the hills, where everyone knew to never go. The year has been lean, and the new village headman, appointed by the local governor, has cancelled the festival. Even more ill-advisedly, he has also ordered the villagers to begin cutting wood from the forbidden hills, where everyone knows it is not safe to cut down trees. The Oni is deeply angered by this 'betrayal,' as it was convinced that it had an 'understanding' with the villagers (misunderstanding the nature of the 'offerings' which it thought were tribute!). It is not the brightest sort, and marches straight into town, and when the new headman comes out to confront the brute with a half-dozen shaky spearmen, the peasant militia breaks ranks and the Oni smacks the newly appointed headman over the head with it's club, killing the pretentious upstart instantly. Now the Oni sits in the center of town, wearing the headman's robes as a scarf (they didn't fit over his body) and demanding *daily* tribute from the terrified villagers. Perhaps somewhat unusually for it's enormous size and bright red coloration, the Oni is a master of stealth, having spent many years unseen in the forests (perhaps magical stealth?) and also claims the power to curse those who displease it (either it does have such a power, or other 'debuffing' effects like Ray of Enfeeblement or Touch of Fatigue or, most likely, based on Oni lore, Contagion or Blight or even lower level storm summoning spells or tremor-inducing magics or something). It claims all sorts of things, such as the power to affect the weather, and the villagers are afraid that even if they kill it (somehow!), the clouds will run away and the rivers will be befouled and their sons will sicken and wither! (For the Oni has claimed all these things and more!)  Even standard Ogre Magi powers could serve such an Oni well (cone of cold to blight farmland at night, invisibility and polymorph to explain it's incredible stealth, etc.). The heroes must not only remove the threat of the demanding Oni, who is devouring so much 'tribute' that he's beggaring the village, but also deal with the local governor, who is outraged that the 'rebellious villagers' have refused to pay their taxes and is sending tax men and soldiers to 'teach them a lesson.' And if that's not enough of a complication? The villagers will hide and protect the Oni, because they fear his promised curses of plague and famine if he is harmed!</blockquote>

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