wethecreature
New member
Minecraft Username: wethecreature
Activity Level: I am a member of the lore team and am on Discord regularly! I'm on the minecraft server on a semi-regular basis to check in on things and look around a little.
List previous Warns/Bans: N/A
List previous Yokai Applications (if any): None!
[THE STAG | ใชใน้นฟ]
Homebrew - Elder Spirit
Lore:
The Doe's Bones - [1,068]
____________
Here is a collection of journal entries written by the now institutionalized (as reported by superiors) senior park ranger of the Southern Forest, Jiro Matsui, presented alongside relevant research into the existence of the urban legend, The Stag.
____________
The first accounts of strange forest deer began long before Norowarejima's government began to monitor forests and parks. Written accounts of abnormal behaviors from sika deer had begun centuries prior to the formation of its current local government, farmers and hunters claiming to see disturbing activity as early the 17th century.
____________
Journal Entry #1
The sun set over the ranger's cabin early in the evening, painting the forest a sharp crimson as it grazed the mountains' peaks. I followed the trail which wrapped around the inner forest before I came to a halt, the sight of the meadow's fresh scene burning into my vision. The grass clearing was painted with vulgar colours: the brown of deer fur, the white of bone, and the red of blood.
The limp remains of the deer lay scattered in discordant circles, torn sharp and deep with some precise instrument, perhaps the claw of a bear, or the end of some huge blade. I hauled the corpse of a doe that was still largely intact back to my station, and began to examine the cuts.
____________
Throughout isolated cases, frequent visitors of the forest have claimed to see deer (in all cases, a deserter of the herd) standing over the corpses of other slain deer, some even claiming that the deer attempted to make use of their fallen kin for food. Hunters have recounted lone deer following them silently through the forest, stalking them until they left.
____________
Journal Entry #2
I parted the walls of the wound, taking note of the thin, narrow canyon that ran through it in one, firm slice. This was far from the work of any forest predator I knew. The cut was as precise as a blade's, but deep and without mercy, delivered with the kindness of a gruesome bite.
To discover the nature of the hunter, I've nested a camera in the branches of a tree on the sika herd's path. Hopefully it will capture whatever thing was responsible for the massacre.
____________
Historians trace many of these deer sightings to a specific description, one not only cited in reports but also in imagery from centuries ago, family emblems, carvings, and esoteric art. This deer, regarded as The Stag by some urban legend enthusiasts, is described as a deer with a gaunt frame and spindly legs, its fur pressed onto jagged bones. Often, it's described with odd eyes that appear strikingly humanoid.
____________
Journal Entry #3
In reviewing camera footage, I found that the sika herd was not killed by anything I am familiar with. As they grazed on the grass, an inky figure that was noticeably out of focus as compared to the deer stepped into frame. I saw as the deer fell one by one as the figure descended on them, hands devoid of any instrument, just pure, unfiltered wrath. What for? I cannot determine.
After bringing the footage to my final place of hope, the Byakuyakoku Monastery. One of the senior priests proposed that the deer killer was neither human nor animal, but an angered nature spirit. With the intention to bless the area and appease the angered force, I have decided to meet two priests at the site of the killing to perform a ritual. In hopes to connect the ceremony to the herds, I'll bring a set of bones from the deer I'd collected previously.
____________
Certain families, religious organizations, and academic groups draw some connection the iconography of The Stag, whether only in their seals, or even in their research or beliefs. Some groups have regarded the legends of the strange deer and The Stag itself to be holy experiences. Some who've been stalked by the recurring creature claim to have visions, and sometimes even leave their state with healed cuts or odd new marks. Though, it's best to keep in mind that none of these miracle recoveries have been proven factual.
____________
Journal Entry #4
Disgorging a section of bone from the doe's remains, I moved towards the ravaged clearing in which the deaths had happened, the remains of the herd still littered around like street trash even the birds wished to avoid. I planted myself with the priests as they lit the candles, setting the barely cleaned bones beside the candles as their gentle scent wafted upwards into the cold sky.
Yet in the darkness, we were not met with a forest spirit, and the bones did not return peacefully to the soil. Instead, they shattered.
____________
The most brazen claim of those who postulate The Stag's holiness is that it is connected to the art of ritual, connecting it to a case in the November of 1997 in which a ceremony was performed unsuccessfully in the Southern Forest. An off-duty park ranger and two priests from Byakuyakoku were present, the park ranger showing signs of psychosis after the events that transpired, claiming that he had been gifted vivid dreams by one of the forest's deer. The priests, although never demonstrating any effects after that night, abandoned work at the monastery soon after to pursue 'greener pastures'.
____________
Journal Entry #5
The doe's bones did not go with a rocket, flying across the clearing. Instead, it broke with a clean crack, the bones splitting when met with one, unseen strike. From the dimly lit forest came a tall, unkempt deer. Its eyes pierced at mine with the sharpness of razors and its legs jutted out jagged, thin like a spider's. Its muzzle was painted scarlet, decorated with clumps of deer fur.
The priests raised their heads, looking at the deer with confusion, before looking to me. I did not look back to them, though... I could not look away from the stag that towered before me. It walked to me, hooves digging into the bloody dirt as it came to meet me where I sat. It opened its toothy maw, gasping for any semblance of air that could pass through its narrow throat. And then, with the sound of a battered violin, it spoke my name.
"Ji... ro."
____________
Strengths & Weaknesses:
Strengths:
Invoking Visions - It is said that The Stag has the ability to cause intense, mind-altering visions in certain individuals. Often, this will be followed by strong shifts in emotion (sadness to euphoria) or in a complete loss of sanity, often characterized by sudden paranoia or shifts in everyday behaviour.
Altering the Body - The Stag is said to, in the fashion of blessings and curses, be able to alter other being's forms. Some claim to have their wounds healed by the deer, while others claim that they gained a horrible affliction after crossing paths with it. Certain scholars even note claims that The Stag can heal or injure the soul.
Shifting Forms - It has the minute ability to change forms whilst maintaining deer-like characteristics, even in more humanoid forms.
Tracking - The Stag appears to be skilled in tracking and following forest visitors and has a tendency to appear at failed rituals, as certain incidents seem to indicate.
Weaknesses:
Starvation - As alien as it appears, The Stag is still bound by certain aspects of the natural order, and must find food or be fed so that it does not go hungry, which will cause it to weaken, or in certain severe scenarios, lose its form entirely.
Endowed Weapons - It can be hunted as any deer, but weapons must possess certain powerful qualities to harm it wholly.
Worshippers - The Stag, as a holy image, is affected by its worshippers. Their deaths, beliefs, and goals may shape its own intents.
Antler Shedding or Clipping - When its antlers shed or are damaged, The Stag loses its abilities to alter the state of other beings (healing, injury, visions) until they are healed.
Soul-Death Mechanics:
Even in death, no spirits are immortal. All spirits are at risk of being consumed, banished, or put to peace. I completely understand that this Soul-Death is possible for my yลkai and will keep this in mind. For The Stag, it is bound by certain changes to the natural order, able to weakened greatly by starvation and endowed weapons, and in certain cases, its worshippers may have the ability to destroy it. Though The Stag is not repelled more or less by cursed objects or blessed objects, it seemed to appear more often during occult rituals or when cursed objects are used, though it's not clear if this is because it's drawn to the negative energy or if it's offended by it.
Curse & Blessing Methods
The Stag does not lay a curse on an individual out of spite, only as a defense, or as part of some twisted miracle. Though some have claimed The Stag has injured them spiritually, it is most known to physically warp certain features, some individuals going blind, gaining strange, uncomfortable markings, or small, horn-like growths affixed to the head. Curses often follow visions, and if not, the process will only be more painful. Blessings are much the same. Though they may heal an ailment, the process is one of violent mending that will still leave marks behind. The Stag is holy, but it does not bear any golden decoration to its ways.
Warding & Invoking Methods
Warding:
It is difficult to ward off The Stag, however, in some scenarios, it can be frightened like a sika, and will leave the one it follows alone. Instead of creating a protective barrier during rituals to protect oneself, they can rely only on the accuracy of the instructions they possess. Those seeking to ward the deer's effects may seek to return to it for solace, or request the help of other spirits, who may have the power to undo a curse or lessen a blessing's side effects.
Invoking:
The Stag is invoked simply. It is naturally drawn to failed or sacrilegious rituals, like the Ouija Board, and can also be invoked through the addition of animal bones, especially sika bones, to communing rituals. Invoking The Stag is a gamble that can pay off greatly, or leave you forever wounded.
Yokai Description:
Alignment:
Neutral. The Stag isn't evil or good, it just is.
Role:
Varies through interpretations from deity of ritual, nature spirit, or forest witch.
The Stag appears as a lumbering, dark sika stag with slightly unnatural features the majority of the time. Its legs are spindly, its form gaunt, its eyes and smile far too human, like something else hiding in a deer's skin. It moves with silent demeanor at all times, stalking and following silently through the forest. Even in acts of violence or of kindness, it does not express hatred or love, only animalistic, instinctive action. The Stag is disconnected from moral ties, or any desire to be worshipped or holy. Yet, still, something about it is far from just an animal, its power calculated and grandiose in its use, and its eyes reflecting something ancient.
Do you understand that with acceptance, your spirit is forever at risk of SOUL-DEATH?
While an extreme punishment, the faction lead may revoke your spirit character with valid reasoning.
Absolutely.
Please provide proof of your eligibility for a spirit role.
For example, a death certificate, โTrusted Playerโ tag, Lore Team, or an Admin rank.
I'm on lore team!
Activity Level: I am a member of the lore team and am on Discord regularly! I'm on the minecraft server on a semi-regular basis to check in on things and look around a little.
List previous Warns/Bans: N/A
List previous Yokai Applications (if any): None!
[THE STAG | ใชใน้นฟ]
Homebrew - Elder Spirit
Lore:
The Doe's Bones - [1,068]
____________
Here is a collection of journal entries written by the now institutionalized (as reported by superiors) senior park ranger of the Southern Forest, Jiro Matsui, presented alongside relevant research into the existence of the urban legend, The Stag.
____________
The first accounts of strange forest deer began long before Norowarejima's government began to monitor forests and parks. Written accounts of abnormal behaviors from sika deer had begun centuries prior to the formation of its current local government, farmers and hunters claiming to see disturbing activity as early the 17th century.
____________
Journal Entry #1
The sun set over the ranger's cabin early in the evening, painting the forest a sharp crimson as it grazed the mountains' peaks. I followed the trail which wrapped around the inner forest before I came to a halt, the sight of the meadow's fresh scene burning into my vision. The grass clearing was painted with vulgar colours: the brown of deer fur, the white of bone, and the red of blood.
The limp remains of the deer lay scattered in discordant circles, torn sharp and deep with some precise instrument, perhaps the claw of a bear, or the end of some huge blade. I hauled the corpse of a doe that was still largely intact back to my station, and began to examine the cuts.
____________
Throughout isolated cases, frequent visitors of the forest have claimed to see deer (in all cases, a deserter of the herd) standing over the corpses of other slain deer, some even claiming that the deer attempted to make use of their fallen kin for food. Hunters have recounted lone deer following them silently through the forest, stalking them until they left.
____________
Journal Entry #2
I parted the walls of the wound, taking note of the thin, narrow canyon that ran through it in one, firm slice. This was far from the work of any forest predator I knew. The cut was as precise as a blade's, but deep and without mercy, delivered with the kindness of a gruesome bite.
To discover the nature of the hunter, I've nested a camera in the branches of a tree on the sika herd's path. Hopefully it will capture whatever thing was responsible for the massacre.
____________
Historians trace many of these deer sightings to a specific description, one not only cited in reports but also in imagery from centuries ago, family emblems, carvings, and esoteric art. This deer, regarded as The Stag by some urban legend enthusiasts, is described as a deer with a gaunt frame and spindly legs, its fur pressed onto jagged bones. Often, it's described with odd eyes that appear strikingly humanoid.
____________
Journal Entry #3
In reviewing camera footage, I found that the sika herd was not killed by anything I am familiar with. As they grazed on the grass, an inky figure that was noticeably out of focus as compared to the deer stepped into frame. I saw as the deer fell one by one as the figure descended on them, hands devoid of any instrument, just pure, unfiltered wrath. What for? I cannot determine.
After bringing the footage to my final place of hope, the Byakuyakoku Monastery. One of the senior priests proposed that the deer killer was neither human nor animal, but an angered nature spirit. With the intention to bless the area and appease the angered force, I have decided to meet two priests at the site of the killing to perform a ritual. In hopes to connect the ceremony to the herds, I'll bring a set of bones from the deer I'd collected previously.
____________
Certain families, religious organizations, and academic groups draw some connection the iconography of The Stag, whether only in their seals, or even in their research or beliefs. Some groups have regarded the legends of the strange deer and The Stag itself to be holy experiences. Some who've been stalked by the recurring creature claim to have visions, and sometimes even leave their state with healed cuts or odd new marks. Though, it's best to keep in mind that none of these miracle recoveries have been proven factual.
____________
Journal Entry #4
Disgorging a section of bone from the doe's remains, I moved towards the ravaged clearing in which the deaths had happened, the remains of the herd still littered around like street trash even the birds wished to avoid. I planted myself with the priests as they lit the candles, setting the barely cleaned bones beside the candles as their gentle scent wafted upwards into the cold sky.
Yet in the darkness, we were not met with a forest spirit, and the bones did not return peacefully to the soil. Instead, they shattered.
____________
The most brazen claim of those who postulate The Stag's holiness is that it is connected to the art of ritual, connecting it to a case in the November of 1997 in which a ceremony was performed unsuccessfully in the Southern Forest. An off-duty park ranger and two priests from Byakuyakoku were present, the park ranger showing signs of psychosis after the events that transpired, claiming that he had been gifted vivid dreams by one of the forest's deer. The priests, although never demonstrating any effects after that night, abandoned work at the monastery soon after to pursue 'greener pastures'.
____________
Journal Entry #5
The doe's bones did not go with a rocket, flying across the clearing. Instead, it broke with a clean crack, the bones splitting when met with one, unseen strike. From the dimly lit forest came a tall, unkempt deer. Its eyes pierced at mine with the sharpness of razors and its legs jutted out jagged, thin like a spider's. Its muzzle was painted scarlet, decorated with clumps of deer fur.
The priests raised their heads, looking at the deer with confusion, before looking to me. I did not look back to them, though... I could not look away from the stag that towered before me. It walked to me, hooves digging into the bloody dirt as it came to meet me where I sat. It opened its toothy maw, gasping for any semblance of air that could pass through its narrow throat. And then, with the sound of a battered violin, it spoke my name.
"Ji... ro."
____________
Strengths & Weaknesses:
Strengths:
Invoking Visions - It is said that The Stag has the ability to cause intense, mind-altering visions in certain individuals. Often, this will be followed by strong shifts in emotion (sadness to euphoria) or in a complete loss of sanity, often characterized by sudden paranoia or shifts in everyday behaviour.
Altering the Body - The Stag is said to, in the fashion of blessings and curses, be able to alter other being's forms. Some claim to have their wounds healed by the deer, while others claim that they gained a horrible affliction after crossing paths with it. Certain scholars even note claims that The Stag can heal or injure the soul.
Shifting Forms - It has the minute ability to change forms whilst maintaining deer-like characteristics, even in more humanoid forms.
Tracking - The Stag appears to be skilled in tracking and following forest visitors and has a tendency to appear at failed rituals, as certain incidents seem to indicate.
Weaknesses:
Starvation - As alien as it appears, The Stag is still bound by certain aspects of the natural order, and must find food or be fed so that it does not go hungry, which will cause it to weaken, or in certain severe scenarios, lose its form entirely.
Endowed Weapons - It can be hunted as any deer, but weapons must possess certain powerful qualities to harm it wholly.
Worshippers - The Stag, as a holy image, is affected by its worshippers. Their deaths, beliefs, and goals may shape its own intents.
Antler Shedding or Clipping - When its antlers shed or are damaged, The Stag loses its abilities to alter the state of other beings (healing, injury, visions) until they are healed.
Soul-Death Mechanics:
Even in death, no spirits are immortal. All spirits are at risk of being consumed, banished, or put to peace. I completely understand that this Soul-Death is possible for my yลkai and will keep this in mind. For The Stag, it is bound by certain changes to the natural order, able to weakened greatly by starvation and endowed weapons, and in certain cases, its worshippers may have the ability to destroy it. Though The Stag is not repelled more or less by cursed objects or blessed objects, it seemed to appear more often during occult rituals or when cursed objects are used, though it's not clear if this is because it's drawn to the negative energy or if it's offended by it.
Curse & Blessing Methods
The Stag does not lay a curse on an individual out of spite, only as a defense, or as part of some twisted miracle. Though some have claimed The Stag has injured them spiritually, it is most known to physically warp certain features, some individuals going blind, gaining strange, uncomfortable markings, or small, horn-like growths affixed to the head. Curses often follow visions, and if not, the process will only be more painful. Blessings are much the same. Though they may heal an ailment, the process is one of violent mending that will still leave marks behind. The Stag is holy, but it does not bear any golden decoration to its ways.
Warding & Invoking Methods
Warding:
It is difficult to ward off The Stag, however, in some scenarios, it can be frightened like a sika, and will leave the one it follows alone. Instead of creating a protective barrier during rituals to protect oneself, they can rely only on the accuracy of the instructions they possess. Those seeking to ward the deer's effects may seek to return to it for solace, or request the help of other spirits, who may have the power to undo a curse or lessen a blessing's side effects.
Invoking:
The Stag is invoked simply. It is naturally drawn to failed or sacrilegious rituals, like the Ouija Board, and can also be invoked through the addition of animal bones, especially sika bones, to communing rituals. Invoking The Stag is a gamble that can pay off greatly, or leave you forever wounded.
Yokai Description:
Alignment:
Neutral. The Stag isn't evil or good, it just is.
Role:
Varies through interpretations from deity of ritual, nature spirit, or forest witch.
The Stag appears as a lumbering, dark sika stag with slightly unnatural features the majority of the time. Its legs are spindly, its form gaunt, its eyes and smile far too human, like something else hiding in a deer's skin. It moves with silent demeanor at all times, stalking and following silently through the forest. Even in acts of violence or of kindness, it does not express hatred or love, only animalistic, instinctive action. The Stag is disconnected from moral ties, or any desire to be worshipped or holy. Yet, still, something about it is far from just an animal, its power calculated and grandiose in its use, and its eyes reflecting something ancient.
Do you understand that with acceptance, your spirit is forever at risk of SOUL-DEATH?
While an extreme punishment, the faction lead may revoke your spirit character with valid reasoning.
Absolutely.
Please provide proof of your eligibility for a spirit role.
For example, a death certificate, โTrusted Playerโ tag, Lore Team, or an Admin rank.
I'm on lore team!
Thank you for reading my application. This was super fun to fill out!
