Zinogre Blademaster

Before it was Yakai, before it was called the Dawnlands, the wilds of eastern Peltas were often referred to by another name – the Land of Beasts. Its landscapes provided ample home for all manner of creatures, from the shape-shifting kitsune to the mischievous fire-monkey and from the majestic star bear to the hungering grovewolf. While centuries of war and urbanization have disturbed much of its delicate ecosystem, the people of Yakai still attempt to live in harmony with their land’s original inhabitants where possible. This attitude is displayed no more clearly than by the Moju. These trackers migrate alongside many of Yakai’s various species, seeking to protect them from poachers and unscrupulous hunters, and warn homesteads and farms that dangerous beasts may soon be upon them. Born on one of the Moju’s many migration patrols, Haru was a gifted trapper. Her parents boasted that she made her first snare before she could walk, and that when she did, her tiny footfalls barely made a sound. A lucky boon as Haru never stayed still, constantly ranging beyond the limits of her clan’s patrol to observe the movements of beasts who had also strayed from the path. After spending her entire childhood on the move, Haru’s patrol eventually settled in a small hamlet on the winding Opal River – acting as guides to its growing community of farmers and fishermen. On a routine survey on the edges of the hamlet’s farms, Haru noticed someone had meddled with her traps – each of their delicate mechanisms had been expertly disarmed. Looking closely, Haru noticed the telltale sign of claw marks. A canny Skinwalker? A Fae looking to taunt its would-be captor? After following the trail of disarmed traps, she caught a small figure looming over one in a shady grove. With her trademark guile and gripping her dual daggers, she tiptoed closer. What Haru saw was a cat standing on its hindlegs, tinkering with her creation. Curiosity overriding her fear, Haru hailed the creature. It yelped and spun to face its assailant. Haru introduced herself as the maker of the traps that this mysterious creature had been disarming. It praised Haru for her ingenuity, claiming that her traps were unlike anything it had seen made by the master hunters from its own world. Assuming it was a Fae, Haru scrambled into her pack for some small offering and plunged to the ground in a deep bow, hoping not to have her soul stolen by the creature’s gaze. The cat laughed, responding that it wasn’t some forest god or magical spirit, but a Palico – a being who was investigating traces of a monster from its own world: a Zinogre. While still not convinced that this wasn’t some elaborate game, Haru listened to the Palico’s words – it described a majestic creature that could channel lightning through its own body. Fearing that this monster may disturb the delicate animal migration paths, or turn its ire towards her hamlet, Haru offered to lend her blades to help the Palico. The creature told her that while sufficient for dealing with small animals, Haru’s blades and current array of traps would be no match for this monster. Haru’s blades did, however, mirror a weapon the Palico had seen many times on their adventures with hunters from their world. Struck by inspiration, it rooted around in its bag and pulled out a detailed tome gifted to them by their previous hunter, full of instructions on not only how to defeat such a beast, but suggestions of equipment needed to do so. Haru bundled the manual and the Palico in her arms and raced home, electrified by the thought of this grand challenge. She barged into the local forge, terrifying its elderly smith with tales of talking cats and monsters from another world. She presented the Palico’s manual to the smith and they set about the work, crafting for Haru a set of blades that could pierce the hide of her mysterious prey. After a restless night’s sleep, Haru and the Palico set out – following the ancient migration paths that Haru’s patrol had guarded for centuries. On their way, the two swapped stories of past hunts, and of magnificent creatures from their respective worlds. As they wound their way along the well-trodden routes, the pair found burnt branches, tree trunks cleft in twain, and heard a distant roar. They were getting closer. The hunt that followed became immortalized in the Song of the Lightning Dancer by local lyricists – with them singing of Haru weaving through bolts of electricity and her blades glistening like the moon as she fought the monster. More dramatic retellings have the hunt taking place during a raging storm, with thunderbolts appearing with Zinogre’s earth-shaking roars. All that’s truly known about the battle is Haru’s victory – and the crackling armor and blades she now proudly sports.