Kirishune (5e Race)

Kirishune

“	There's a bit of superstition among us in the executioner's circles. They say that the sword tester's strokes are clean... but anyone who causes pain will bring something worse than the kasha a-calling when burial is due. Kitsune? Something like that, I guess you could say...	”
—Matsuoka Irie, Imperial executioner

Physical Description

By Yanied

The kirishune are eerie creatures that rose from dead human bodies. Their form is usually that of an adult, male or female. The human part stops at the neck, which is always hacked off, with no matching head atop. Instead, a bloodred mass forms above the neck. It often looks like a mass of bloody tendrils that wound together to form something like a head. This mass can sometimes appear just like a sphere or even a human skull. More often than not, it forms a vulpine shape, with indented spaces for eyes. This face is malleable and allows kirishune to change its shape. However, it remains a bloody color no matter what shape it is. The body below this is often pale and lifeless-looking. Kirishune will usually wear loose clothing and hide their true forms.

History

Most agree on the undead origins of kirishune. They are a sort of bogeymen in folklore by status. There are stories of people who died horribly due to botched decapitations by dull swords or unsteady hands. Such executions caused immense pain that is said to echo from the soul for people. It was an impetus for negative energy to gather, the same from emotions like grudges and sorrow. These corpses twist in a fashion depicting pain and have the potential to rise as kirishune if not destroyed. While it sounds very logical to just torch the bodies, there was an enduring superstition about the intervention of kitsune and kasha in these corpses, and that anyone who destroyed them would be horribly cursed. As a result, many kirishune rose and remained throughout the land long before they began to destroy any suspicious dead. It is said that kirishune know how to raise others as their own, and many fear them as evil necromancers. Despite this fear, evidence of violence or malice from kirishune is rare. Most seem to elicit simply uncomfortable emotion due to their appearance, while others outright unnerve people by refusing to leave them alone.

Etymology

The origin of kirishune is unclear. A smattering of etymological mixtures render its name a puzzle as well. "Kiri" means "to cut," but can also refer to the blood mist that is known to gather about the bodies that become kirishune. Due to the phonic similarity, some say kirishune are actually a type of kitsune. The ending "-une" sound of the kirishune is believed to be tied to the word "kune," which means wriggling. This can allude to the positions of the bodies as they grotesquely turn into kirishune, with the bloody tendrils wriggling out from the stump of their neck.

Society

Kirishune are not known to be particularly social creatures. However, they have been observed to occasionally travel in very small groups. There are generally two kinds of kirishune groups, though neither are exactly large enough to be considered real communities. They are the Oda and Onlo, both originating from the eastern continent. Rather than true subraces, these two groups are more like social groups of kirishune. The Oda are known to have largely integrated into human or other humanoid societies, somewhat. They are known to be very good at dressing tastefully to keep their unnerving identity under wraps and usually know many languages from their common job as traveling merchants.

In contrast, the Onlo are kirishune who come to reject the world that persecutes them for their differences. Onlo are also known as hermit kirishune, since they tend to live antisocial lives away from others, particularly non-kirishune. They are known to secretly practice necromancy and may even rob plots of funerals for bodies to create more of their own kind. Needless to say, Onlo kirishune are looked upon as more of the criminal sort. In truth, all kirishune have some aptitude for necromancy, but the Onlo actively act upon it. They sometimes believe it to be their birthright or something.

Personality

For most kirishune, they are cognizant of their unnatural, and often unwelcome, presence among others. The way they accept it will often impact how they act. Ono kirishune are the ones who generally still interact and see worth in maintaining relations with others. Onlo, in contrast, reject those who they see as not accepting them and have a tendency to reciprocate ill will. Either way, both kirishune kind have a tendency of developing low self-esteem being rejected by the world. Even those who seem aloof may bear a burden knowing they can never truly belong among the living. Some kirishune believe they were cursed by other spirits. Most kirishune do not retain the same personality their bodies had before death. They are not all necessarily dreary, but can tend towards that way.

Kirishune Names

Names for kirishune are corruptions of their former name. They often take on darker connotations, alluding to dour themes of death and mortality.

Male: Shindo, Kuroki, Daredare, Endo

Female: Chiko, Hitsugi, Fuyu, Tsubaki

Kirishune Traits

Blood-headed fox creatures...
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age. Kirishune are usually risen from humanoid bodies of various ages, though never that of extreme youth. They are known to be undying, being undead, and so do not age nor die of age after rising
Alignment. They tend to be secretive to a degree, keeping many mannerisms in half-truths. While not entirely evil, they are very mischievous and will act chaotically if their impulse so desires.
Size. Kirishune tend to be slightly taller than humans by a few inches. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Undead Nature. You are a risen dead body through odd means. Your creature type is undead instead of humanoid. As such, spells like cure wounds don't affect you, and you are immune to spells like crown of madness or dominate person because they specifically target humanoids. You are immune to poison damage, being poisoned, and diseases. You do not need to eat or breathe, though you may do so if you wish. Rather than sleeping, you enter an inactive state for 6 hours each day. You do not dream in this state; you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal.
Necromantic Tendency. You have the strange, natural ability to wield the seemingly unnatural powers of anti-life. You know one cantrip of your choice from the school of necromancy. At 3rd level, you learn one 1st-level spell from the school of necromancy. You must finish a long rest to use this spell again. You only need somatic components for spells you know via this trait, and Charisma is your spellcasting modifier for them.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Abyssal.
Subrace. Choose either the Oda or Onlo subrace

Oda

Named after a famous person's surname, the Oda kirishune are those who continue to bear connections with those who might reject them as outcasts. They have developed many skills to avoid detection as a result.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Mask in Crowds. The Oda kirishune have many ways known to disguise their true natures to blend in. You are proficient in the Deception skill.
Well-Traveled. Moving from place to place to avoid rousing suspicion means you need to fit in fast, which is simpler for the Oda kirishune. As part of a long rest, you have the option of spending time in an unfamiliar location, like a city or township. At the end of that rest, you have a better grasp than most of the local politics, news, language, mannerisms, and other things that may escape attention about the locale.
Phase Through. When things get rough, an Oda kirishune needs a getaway. Their bodies allow them to seemingly phase through danger and escape in the form of a bloody mist. When you use the Move action on your turn, you can choose to you teleport up to your base walking speed to an unoccupied space that you can see. You must finish a short or long rest before you can use this trait again.

Onlo

The Onlo are named after a supposed saint of necromancy magic. Onlo kirishune are reclusive and suspicious of people, as they know many do not embrace undead. They craft their skills of necromancy in secret, believing it to be their right of practice.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2.
Reinforced Sense. Onlo kirishune pride themselves in a keen sense developed from their undead nature that allows certain influences to pass them by. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed.
Necromantic Instinct. The energies of death are highly apparent to you and you are sensitive to them as well. When a spell from the necromancy school is cast or is active within 30 feet of you, you immediately know its location. If it is a creature casting it within range, you are aware of them. If it is a corpse being animated, you become aware of the corpse if it is within range.
Hermit's Life. The life living on the fringe lends some sturdiness and endurance to Onlo stubbornness. You are proficient in the Survival skill.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
4′ 6''	+2d10	90 lb.	× (1d4) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

Suggested Characteristics

When creating a kirishune character, you can use the following table of traits, ideals, bonds and flaws to help flesh out your character. Use these tables in addition to or in place of your background's characteristics.

The kirishune character is one of mystique and tragedy, to a degree. They are aware of what their existences can do in a world that is suspicious of necrotic creatures

d8	Personality Trait
1	I like to scare the people I talk to by talking in a very mysterious and threatening voice.
2	To better appear approachable and totally not suspicious, I will make a fool out of myself.
3	I like to be around those with money and act like I have money, too.
4	I have a fixation on something I encountered through my travels and I will always find some way to navigate a conversation towards it.
5	I have issues with authority and either freeze up or act in defiance of them constantly.
6	I tend to be wishy washy with choices so I don't get burdened with responsibility.
7	I seek greater power because I know that I am not accepted without it...
8	I will laugh at things that most people cry at. It's not that I find it funny... but I just do.

d6	Ideal
1	I want to find the power that created me and why...
2	I just want to find people who will accept me despite who I truly am.
3	I have strange flashes of memories regarding this family that I feel I must find...
4	I bear a strange hatred for this one authority figure and my thoughts are consumed with the will to kill them...
5	The world rejects me as a creature from the dead, so I will hone this power that sets me apart.
6	Through many trials and tribulations, I have come to simply want true peace.

d6	Bond
1	I should not have memories of my life before dying, and yet I have these strange dreams and memory flashes...
2	Whilst being hunted, I was saved from certain death by a certain someone to whom I now owe a debt.
3	I want to improve my skills at knowing people and hiding my true self so I can get more friends.
4	I don't need anyone in my life. I can go alone.
5	Because the world rejects me, I reject and scorn everyone else.
6	There are a few things I will willingly die for, and allies are one of them.

d6	Flaw
1	I am too narrow-minded and fixate on one thing too easily.
2	I care too much for money and appearances over substance.
3	I despise my true self so much that it is detrimental and crippling.
4	I cannot let go of past wrongs.
5	I have little tact and react poorly to social cues.
6	My rebellious streak means I will often run into danger if it means defying authority.

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