Tōma, the Starved
“You may offer food, but it’ll never be enough”
Description: A thin and haggard figure in ragged, blood-stained garments. His lips are always curled in a hungry grimace, and his pale skin is strained over his protruding bones. His hollowed-out sunken eyes gleam with an odd blue light, staring at everyone that dares to approach him. His breath comes out in sharp, rasping gasps as though he is continuously choking on air, and his fingers are abnormally long and darkened, covered in frostbite.
Unapproachable | Extremely Dangerous
Location & Information
Tōma doesn’t linger within the shrine itself but lurks in the snow-covered forests surrounding it, drawn by the constant food offerings left for the spirits. His presence is only felt when the air suddenly becomes unbearably cold, even for Byakuyakoku’s eternal winter. He does not appear to those who come with reverence, but those that waste offerings, steal from the shrine, or approach with impure intentions.
Many who visit Yukinomiya claim to have heard shuffling footsteps just beyond the torii gate, or glimpsed a gaunt shadow moving between the trees, never quite in full sight. Some have even returned with frostbite creeping up their limbs – despite only moments of exposure–muttering of a voice whispering, “More… I need more..”
The shrine maidens warn travelers to never turn around if they hear footsteps behind them in the snow. If you acknowledge Tōma , He acknowledges you.
Theorized Story | Whispered Among Villagers
Long ago, during one of the harshest winters in Norowarejima’s history, a man named Tōma was banished from Byakuyakoku for stealing food from the shrine. It is said that he once was an esteemed shrine guardian, but in his desperation, he defiled sacred offerings, taking them for himself. When the villagers discovered his betrayal, they casted him out, refusing to let him return.
Starving and well…frozen, Tōma wandered the mountains for days, his body wasting away, for the spirits that dwelled in the shrine didn’t forgive him. In his final moments it is said that he collapsed into the snow, and the cries of hunger were so pitiful that even Tsubakihime took notice. However instead of granting him peace, they cursed him to remain–never able to eat, never able to die, but only left to feel hunger.
Now, Tōma stalks those who disrespect the shrine, searching for food he can never taste, warmth he can never feel. Some say he doesn’t attack immediately– instead he follows his victims for days, weeks even, waiting for the perfect moment when they are alone… and vulnerable.
The only way to escape Tōma’s wrath? Leave an offering of warm rice and miso soup at the shrine’s entrance. If the offering remains untouched the next morning… run.
Written by: @demiboo
“You may offer food, but it’ll never be enough”
Description: A thin and haggard figure in ragged, blood-stained garments. His lips are always curled in a hungry grimace, and his pale skin is strained over his protruding bones. His hollowed-out sunken eyes gleam with an odd blue light, staring at everyone that dares to approach him. His breath comes out in sharp, rasping gasps as though he is continuously choking on air, and his fingers are abnormally long and darkened, covered in frostbite.
Unapproachable | Extremely Dangerous
Location & Information
Tōma doesn’t linger within the shrine itself but lurks in the snow-covered forests surrounding it, drawn by the constant food offerings left for the spirits. His presence is only felt when the air suddenly becomes unbearably cold, even for Byakuyakoku’s eternal winter. He does not appear to those who come with reverence, but those that waste offerings, steal from the shrine, or approach with impure intentions.
Many who visit Yukinomiya claim to have heard shuffling footsteps just beyond the torii gate, or glimpsed a gaunt shadow moving between the trees, never quite in full sight. Some have even returned with frostbite creeping up their limbs – despite only moments of exposure–muttering of a voice whispering, “More… I need more..”
The shrine maidens warn travelers to never turn around if they hear footsteps behind them in the snow. If you acknowledge Tōma , He acknowledges you.
Theorized Story | Whispered Among Villagers
Long ago, during one of the harshest winters in Norowarejima’s history, a man named Tōma was banished from Byakuyakoku for stealing food from the shrine. It is said that he once was an esteemed shrine guardian, but in his desperation, he defiled sacred offerings, taking them for himself. When the villagers discovered his betrayal, they casted him out, refusing to let him return.
Starving and well…frozen, Tōma wandered the mountains for days, his body wasting away, for the spirits that dwelled in the shrine didn’t forgive him. In his final moments it is said that he collapsed into the snow, and the cries of hunger were so pitiful that even Tsubakihime took notice. However instead of granting him peace, they cursed him to remain–never able to eat, never able to die, but only left to feel hunger.
Now, Tōma stalks those who disrespect the shrine, searching for food he can never taste, warmth he can never feel. Some say he doesn’t attack immediately– instead he follows his victims for days, weeks even, waiting for the perfect moment when they are alone… and vulnerable.
The only way to escape Tōma’s wrath? Leave an offering of warm rice and miso soup at the shrine’s entrance. If the offering remains untouched the next morning… run.
Written by: @demiboo