Bakeneko//Nekomata//Mazoku

Reserved~


This will be a section dedicated to feline creatures, and demons ~

Nekomata: a brief overview.

One can liken the cat's position in Japanese culture to that of the black cat in European culture and the feline aspect (isis) in Egyptian mythology. In both, the feline is a source of great evil or great benevolence when the whim suits it: so is the same with the feline in the Japanese mythology. However, there exists a difference in the nature of the Nekomata and the western felines: the nekomata is almost exclusively evil.

Origin

The Nekomata itself can be seen as an evolution of the Bakeneko, or monster fox. These bakeneko were felines who had obtained the enlightenment that comes with long life. It is said of most youkai that they attain their magical nature after prolonged life: death is not necessary to become a "spirit" or "apparition" in the japanese conception.

It should be noted that the bakeneko is not an exclusively evil creature: there have been stories of the bakeneko rising in defense of the family in its chosen home. Indeed, the most popular of such myths is that of the bakeneko whose mistress was in danger of a poisonous snake: the cat would persistently annoy the mistress until her paramour beheaded it. Utilizing its youkai power, the bakeneko assumed control over the severed head and felled the snake.

To pass into the state of being a Nekomata, the Bakeneko's tail must fork, at which it will come into its own as a nekomata. Some legends depict this forking as a result of the unnatural length that a bakeneko's tail comes to obtain after living for an extended period of time. This can be related to the legend of the kitsune whose tails increase as they age, or the kisame whose size and power increases with age. With regards to the nekomata, a bakeneko may "evolve" into a nekomata, or it may obtain the power through a violent emotion: rage, anger, jealousy may trigger a nekomata transformation.

There is some confusion, however, in that the bakeneko may become a nekomata upon death. The legends that depict this result, state that the feline in question was something of an ancient cat, well beyond its prime. The age coupled with the circumstances, usually a violent death or a violent emotion, triggered the transformation.

Abilities

The most famed ability of the nekomata would have to be its corpse puppetry. Of course, this has taken upon some embellishment in the retelling but it essentially relates to the remaining "po" or animialistic, primitive, soul that rests within the body of the deceased. The Nekomata interacts with this "po" and gives limited life to the fallen body which results in the corpse acting as though a puppet.

Bearing this in mind, the Nekomata can impart some of its nature, that of an energy feeding youkai, onto a corpse. This would result in a corpse that, like the nekomata, may feed upon the energy of life to maintain itself: this requires more effort on the part of the nekomata as it is literally transferring part of its youkai nature onto the corpse to give it nekomata like attributes.

All things that are dead retain their po for a limited amount of time: sentient corpses typically retain their po indefiniately, where as the corpses of animals, who have no upper soul to speak of, loose their po upon their demise. Animating an animal is typically more difficult than animating a sentient corpse.

Second in importance, if not fame, is the ghost flame f the nekomata. ot unlike the Kitsune-bi of the kitsune, the ghost flame is the fire produced from the nekomata itself. while it can start tinder ablaze, the primary purpose of the ghost flame is to burn away at the life of another creature. Legend has it that the ghost flame leaves mysterious bruises and a lingering pain long after the flames are extinguished. Areas burned by the ghost flame are often barren for weeks after the fact.

Nekomata have also been known to shapeshift without a medium, unlike the tanuki badger. These transformations do not appear to be simply illusion, but some other means of disguise for they are not typically dispelled by the presence of a priest.

Weaknesses

Despite their overwhelming advantage over mortals, Nekomata have a number of unpleasent weaknesses. Foremost among them are their tails. Removing the tails of the nekomata before their fork will remove all of the nekomata's power. It should be noted that the tails will take upon a life of their own, once severed, and become demon snakes: killing these snakes will completely eliminate the nekomata's power.

Holy items and incantations backed with the power of a god, any god, will hold a nekomata at bay. As lower kami, or youkai, they are unable to defy the wishes of a spirit of greater power than themselves. Items imbued with the power of a god, or gods, will cause wounds that will take some time to heal. Barriers erected with the power of a god will also prevent the nekomata from entering or moving through it.