KAPPA

By Colin Chapman (col.chapman@virgin.net). See also the Sei.

Description

A popular myth of Japan, the Kappa are ugly, stupid, and murderous, with their fine manners being their only redeeming feature. The rivers are their domains, and in times past they would ambush passing travellers and animals, drowning them and eating their innards (considered a delicacy by the Kappa, especially the bowels). Fortunately, their lack of intellect has made them less than successful, and they are notoriously easy to outwit. They are nearly all of Kage legacy.

Boastful, loud-mouthed and swaggering, they practice Sumo wrestling as a test of strength, virility, skill and manhood, only respecting those that can give them a sound beating. Of course, the more rutal Kappa are very poor losers...

Cucumbers are perhaps their greatest weakness, and eating one produces a great feeling of euphoria in Kappa. In fact, many Kappa will hire out their services (such as they are) for a payment of cucumbers.

Appearance

Kappa are grotesque kith, standing shorter than the average Japanese man. Their skin is green and scaly, and their spindly limbs end in webbed fingers and toes. Their heads feature a flat depression on their crown, filled with chimerical water. Their nose and mouth form a beak, and their eyes are large and round. They all possess a turtle-like shell covering their back. Any hair the possess is sparse and black.

Seemings

Kodomo Kappa are small and awkward, spending their time swimming through the rivers, catching and eating fish. They take great delight in fouling fishermen's lines and nets and stealing their catch. They tend to behave like wicked children.

Sozoshii Kappa are notorious bullies, becoming violent as they gain in strength. They spend most of their time tipping over small fishing boats, beating the fishermen and wrestling with each other.

Toshi-ue no Kappa make the greatest effort to be polite, but are in fact even more brutal than their wilders, going as far as drowning people and animals and devouring their flesh.

Lifestyles

Kappa are incredibly lazy, rarely working for a living. Instead, they live by the river catching their food, practising Sumo, and creating havoc among local fishing communities. Several have tried to become Sumotori (Sumo wrestlers) but have faced difficulty due to their dependence on water, the fact that they tend to get banned for brutality, and the fact that they aren't very big in their mortal seemings. Those that have successfully managed the transition into more civilised society usually become thugs and enforcers for local gangs.

Affinity

Nature

Birthrights

ShellBack: Their hard turtleshell provides them an Armour rating of 3 against attacks from the rear.

Unusual Power: Despite being small and comically thin, the Kappa are surprisingly powerful. Add +1 dot to Str when they reach Sozoshii seeming (not above 5).

Watery Realm: Kappa are at home in the water, swimming at their full movement rate, can see with perfect clarity, and can hold their breath for Sta x 5 mins.

Frailties

Bad Attitude: Exactly like the Redcap frailty, no one likes a Kappa; they suffer a difficulty penalty (+2 or more) in any social situation except browbeating.

Water is Life: Kappa must be very careful to avoid dehydration. If the chimerical water in their head-bowl is ever spilled, they suffer 1 level of chimerical damage per round until the 'die'. It's for this reason that they don't like to stray far from fresh-water, which is what they use to replenish their chimerical supply. This chimerical damage can only be healed by immersion for a number of hours equal to the levels of damage inflicted.

Quote

My humble apologies, for now I must proceed to beat you into a bloody pulp.

Outlook

As with all Japanese Sei, the Kappa have only really met the Eshu.

Eshu: Are all gaijin so easily beaten?

"These brutes have no desire to hear stories. It took my arm weeks to heal after they broke it."

Hengeyokai: They're weak but tricky, so I hurt them.

"Vicious, ignorant and worthless. They don't even have a sense of humour to redeem them."

Oni: Oni are big and strong. Why do they waste time with thinking?

"They know their place."

Tengu: The Tengu are far too cunning for their own good.

"Primitive thugs, and they rarely pass the tests we set them."