Why do these villagers not have masks?

Another discovery.

These characters never have masks in this cut-scene. It's not pre-rendered as you can see Yoshiro's clothes can be changed.

Even though any villager can equip any mask(except for shaman and sumo wrestler) during game-play, lore-wise only the descendants of an ancestral deity can use its mask.

So..is that what this scene is establishing? That only the descendants may use the mask?

Even though I've put archer on everyone here, only those shown in archer clothes would be allowed to actually use the mask? (but cannoneer and woodcutter will show up on the masked villagers...)

Or are these villagers outsiders who moved here and so would not be able to use the mask?

If the boat capsizes, their cocooned bodies float away (RIP)

Extremely amusing.

A new discovery after 400+  hours. The third clip is me realizing it.

Soh is nothing like Amaterasu.

Soh wearing Amaterau's outfit is ironic as they're opposites. 

Soh doesn't seem to care much for the villagers and sees Yoshiro as a tool to purify her mountain (although she's nice to her sometimes). 

It's implied she warms up to Yoshiro since she ends the pact. (Or does she gain such power, she can longer be defiled?)

You can interact with animals at the base but you have no interaction with villagers or Yoshiro. Aside from ordering them around.
Even if they can't see Soh, they could've added some form of interaction if they wanted to portray an amicable relationship. But she really couldn't care lol

Yoshiro can greet Soh, and the villagers too with a talisman, but Soh herself has no interaction with them. You can't press 'o'.

Ammy, on the other hand, assist everyone in need. Her character left a big impression on people because she's an active God who cares. Her loving and carefree nature inspires.

Soh's attitude is justified though. Humans living in sin and defiling the mountain, your mountain, is not going to leave you with a good impression. Worse is they offer up a young girl regularly so they can continue their ways. (I actually hate them lol)

The human sacrifice made to atone for humanity's wrongdoings is a pure and innocent girl who goes willingly. In myths, human sacrifice of the martyr to absolve humanity must be willing. 

They let the defilement build up so much that a sacrifice is needed. Like letting your house get so dirty and rancid, you need to demolish it.

Defiling the mountain defiles the Goddess and so a Maiden, as her substitute, purifies the mountain and in doing so, the Goddess?

(Also, Cursed Soh is not Amaterasu lol I was so wrong about that idea)

The Cannoneer's Eye.

When the Cannoneer aims, the eye on their helmet looks to the target alongside the nozzle of the canon.

Those glowing blueish jewels are often placed on the 'eyes' of the masks.

'Spirited Away'

When the villagers become cocooned, they've been spirited away, taken into the lands of the spirits or gods.

So during levels, we are in the lands of the spirits and gods but cannot be perceived by the villagers. Only by Yoshiro. We can be felt by them, certainly. I have a few videos running circles around them and spooking them.

When we return to base, I believe we return to the normal world. Soh's presence can no longer be felt by villagers at all. Yoshiro can still sense us but we're not as 'corporeal' as we were before.

At times, Yoshiro seems to not be able to see us but she can hear us. In the tent, she'll listen to Soh but not look at her, seeming to not be able to. Other times, she looks directly at us.

Just a theory though. It might be referring to all the missing villagers, the ones we don't meet or have control over in the game. Perhaps they were the ones spirited away.

(originally part of 'An oath beneath the lunar light.' but moved to its own post)