The Jōenki (情炎鬼, Literally Meaning: Burning Passion Demon) are a native species that inhabit volcanic city temples in land of Storms, they are solely responsible for managing the flow of magma through Méihuā and are the keepers of Shōtsuki Castle.
Overview
The Jōenki is a red-skinned terrestrial race that existed for over a millennium in the burning caverns of Méihuā, not much is known about their origin or how they first started let alone how their evolution allowed them to survive such an uninhabitable area within the earth but they were considered the first race to be discovered during the expedition of men around 956 bNb and continued to monitor their activities while establishing the “First Watchmen” that lasted till 71 bNb where the hive of Jōenki was running low of resources and decided to ascend to the surface and begin a great infestation that plagued the entire continent, the resources of the land were devoured, corrupted and women from various races were kidnapped and taken to the “Black Mountain” never to be seen again. During the first initial peace within the war-torn Méihuā majority of the kingdoms banded together and butchered millions of the Jōenki race, driving them back to the land of Storms where they were forced to remain in exile. Over the next several hundred years they were content and quiet in their new home, in several active volcanoes that remain active even now leaking rich and valuable resources they fed, craft, and create temples and underground caverns that connect to the other volcanoes scattered across the country and within the cavern became Iron Incubus City, a city without law nor authority but they adapted humanities trading and marketing to better blend into society but to this day the race still retains their old ways.
Appearance
The Jōenki are all similar in appearance and possess numbers of tails depending on their evolutionary state, their facial features are identical except for the horns that curve different from one another, they have no eyes but normal human teeth, large animalistic set behind them giving them two rows of teeth to eat and lock their prey along with a long purple tongue with short stubs sticking upwards from their
tongues. They seem to possess more feminine physiology with curves and alluring features but lack any of a woman’s bodily needs for reproductive organs to procreate and feed infants, the entire body is red with small horns all over, human-like limbs with long claw-like fingers and long tail.
There are others that have evolved more taking the form of a woman that roughly stands around 233.68 cm (7'8 ft) with a fuller and masculine body, their skin color darkens to a carmine red with black patterns. They all have similar black and red dresses, corsets and black tights with tears on them along with knee high heels. They apparently have no eyes like their sisters in base forms but it's covered in a black mask, they grow smaller and more manageable horns that come out from their skull and neck. Their mother is a rare and unique breed that only one can exist in each generation lasting several hundred years before a new one is born, each mother is a different variant than the last and possess unique colorizations and patterns but they all are albino to milk white with a wide-brimmed hat that match their complexion, they appear to possess a more voluptuous human figure with a long tail that extends past six Jōenki and seem to have a greater height than the rest standing roughly 22.86 cm (9’ inches) and wears a dress that seems to grow from their own body.
Abilities
The Jōenki are intellectual specimens with unique genetics that enables them to survive harsh and uninhabitable environments that inevitably kill anything organic, their biology is unique much different than any species on Méihuā that rarely others would go out their way to either capture one or sacrificing a young woman in order to get a offspring although the DNA would not be pure but the child would inherit the genetics that allows them to survive much like the rest. The Jōenki appear to possess similar abilities to the white zetzu race with other bizarre powers that makes them dangerous and very much a serious threat to avoid or exterminate on sight, many of the common Jōenki drones possess a rare ability that allows them to merge or become blood red trees and use the roots within the earth to monitor what goes in and out of their territory similar to Mayfly but far more advanced capabilities that allows them to merge with any organic lifeform that comes in contact with their roots undetected, sap the life-force or combine others to create a stronger tree that can
Trivia
- The species are a direct inspiration that protects fiery temples like the lion-dogs guarding the entrance or the honden, or inner shrine of many Japanese Shinto shrines or kept inside the inner shrine itself.