Kitsune

Kitsune
Race
Pronunciation	Kit-su-nay
Archetype	Human
Nicknames	Fox People, Fox Servants, Fox Girls (Gender Specific)
Languages	Common, Kusanji
Vampiric Conversion	Not Possible
Aetherial Affinity	Class S - Naturally Casts Magic
Roleplay Difficulty	Hard
Racial Traits
Aetheriality	Semi-Aetherial
Max Age	Varies (100 Years is Standard)
Strengths	Incredible Agility, Superior Senses, Excellent Aether Control
Weaknesses	Hypersensitivity to Aether, Aether Reliant, Primal Desires
Height	5' to 6'6"
Weight	100 to 280 lbs
Eye Colors	Brown, Hazel, Blue, Green, Amber
Hair Colors	Black, Brown, Blond, Gray, White and Red
Skin Tones	Ranging from Pale to Brown
Average Physique	Slender to Muscular
Aetherial Limit	Power III - Control VII
Significant Demographics
While this doesn't mean your character has to come from one of these places, it's recommended they do. Exodius Continent

The Kitsune are best described as humans with the addition of several large tails, fox ears, and an extreme sensitivity to magic. As a semi-aetherial being, Kitsune are a particularly interesting race. They are characterized by their primal desires and unique culture. Very few in number, most people of Amestria will live their lives never seeing one of these magnificent beings.

Physical Characteristics

Kitsune are very similar to humans, however their aetherial soul has resulted in some divergent physiology. They have standard human skin, hair, and eye colors, but will also have up to nine tails, and fox ears instead of human ears, which will be the same color as their hair. They also have slitted eyes, complete with fantastic night vision. They have a naturally athletic body, and their high metabolism makes it almost impossible for them to gain excessive weight. They also have exceptional agility, having faster reaction times and more precise reflexes then humans. Their ears are quite sensitive to sound, allowing them to hear things at greater distances. Some kitsune may sport whiskers like what a fox would have. Once a kitsune reaches full maturity, they do not visually age for the rest of their life.

Lifespan and Tails

Kitsune are unique in the sense that they do not age the same way other races do. A normal kitsune will mature into an adult at the same rate as a human, being born with a single tail. They can comfortably live around 100 years (similar to humanity) before their aetherial soul starts to deteriorate, ultimately resulting in their death. However if a kitsune's aetherial soul absorbs a very large amount of aether from an aether-rich environment, the kitsune will gain additional tails based on how much aetherial energy their aetherial soul absorbed. For every additional tail a kitsune receives, they are expected to live an additional 100 years. Each additional tail requires substantially more energy to form compared to the previous one. If a kitsune possesses nine tails, they effectively become ageless and can live indefinitely. There have been almost no accounts of any kitsune ever reaching nine tails, no one even knows what level of aetherial energy would be required for the ninth tail to form.

Mental Characteristics

Despite their similarity to humans physically, kitsune are a bit different mentally. They alternate between their human and aetherial beast natures. As they were created from aether beasts, one side of them lacks empathy and has very strong primal desires. The other side comes from their human based body and has empathy and compassion. They constantly flip between the two sides, and it is a constant and unending cycle. As a general rule, they will have more control over their primal desires as they obtain more tails. Kitsune are naturally flighty, being very easily frightened and prone to hiding or running from things they are scared of. Just like the aetherial foxes they were created from, they are very clever and have a gift for deception. They are also partial to being playful, creative and in some cases flirtatious. Most kitsune do not like being around large groups of people and prefer to be in close knit social groups or alone.

Primal Desires

The most prominent aspect of a kitsune are their primal desires, which are a major part of their personality and character. Primal desires come and go much like emotions, however while the desire is present the kitsune will feel a strong urge to fulfill it. These urges are more controllable as the kitsune gets more tails, but can be very overpowering for kitsune with only one or possibly two tails. The following list contains the most common desires and their associated behavior. As a general rule of thumb for primal desires, they are animalistic in nature and are associated with a sub-sentient creature's need to survive.

Primal Desires: (All desires fade after a few hours or a day)

• Flight - The kitsune will feel a strong desire to flee, usually from the rest of society or an object of fear. Commonly results in ending up far away from any other people.
• Playful - The kitsune will feel a strong desire to play with another, perhaps even forcibly.
• Wanting - The kitsune will be compelled to take or grasp a specific object and not relinquish possession of it.
• Hoarding - The kitsune will be compelled to amass a collection of a particular thing (likely food), and will be very aggressive towards anyone who wants to take from the collection or even get near it.
• Aggression - The kitsune will feel a strong desire to either fight or avoid the object of aggression, depending on their personality they may want to fight physically or verbally, or simply display cold behavior.
• Dominance - The kitsune will have a strong desire to assert superiority over others they deem inferior. This may include anything from competitive behavior to all out brawls.
• Procreation - The kitsune will experience a strong desire to procreate with another individual. This does not involve any shared feelings and is purely primal lust.
• Safety - The kitsune will be compelled to hide in an area or space they consider safe and will refuse to leave.
• Hunting - The kitsune will have a strong desire to stalk a lesser animal and kill it if given the opportunity.
• Protection - The kitsune will have a strong desire to protect someone close to them or someone in need, and will be very aggressive towards anyone who threatens the safety of the protected individual.

Aetherial Characteristics

Kitsune are extremely sensitive to the aetherial field, more so than any other race. This sensitivity comes from their aetherial soul and the fact that they are only half-aetherial. Kitsune must eat and drink just like other races, but have the additional burden of needing to remain in an environment which has charged aether. Their aetherial soul needs a constant supply of charged aether which is passively absorbed from the environment in order to survive. If a kitsune is deprived of aether for longer than 2 hours their aetherial soul will cease to exist, and the kitsune's body will become a lifeless husk in the sense that the body will be like a vegetable, with no consciousness at all. While their body in such a state could be kept alive through force feeding, it is considered morally correct to end their suffering so that the kitsune may rest in peace. There are very few environments in amestria known to lack charged aether, making such a death very unlikely.

History

The kitsune were created in Exodia as the final result after a several decade long pursuit, where Exodians had captured and experimented with many different kinds of aetherial beasts. By fusing aetherial foxes with a body of flesh, they were able to create a new race which was sensitive to the aetherial field and physically superior to humanity. The kitsune quickly became servants of the elite, and were considered superior among servants according to historical accounts. After the fall of Exodia, the race was scattered among the countryside. Most would follow their primal desires and live among the forest, while some decided to remain with humanity.

Kitsune forest communities were isolated from the rest of the world, and over time they developed their own language and culture. They considered themselves guardians of their forest, and would protect their forest from being desecrated by outsiders. Many lived in small structures deep within the forests they resided in, which were referred to by humans as shrines. While the kitsune themselves did not have any formal beliefs, humanity would pin many of their beliefs on them through folktales and stories.

In more recent times many kitsune have emerged from the various forests of Exodius, and have pursued a life among human civilization. They are often mistaken for demi-humans, and in some cases actively want people to believe that they are a demi-human in order to avoid unwanted attention.

Society

Kitsune are very in tune with nature, often living in a forest. While they do live a lifestyle often devoid of complex goods, they are by no means a primitive people. Kitsune shrines are often very carefully constructed, with artwork and patterns engraved into the wooden beams. Kitsune are also known to occasionally wield weapons, and use them to thwart outsiders from invading their forest home. While the Arcadian Wilderness is primarily the domain of Sylfae and Centaurs, some kitsune also live there. They are often revered due to their dedication to maintaining balance within the forest they live in.

Not all kitsune live in a forest. Some desire more power or have an aspiration beyond what the forest can provide. In most cases they seek out civilization, and make a life for themselves while attempting to pursue their goals.

Politics

Kitsune have prevented many of the remaining forests in Exodius from being cut down. This has had the double sided effect of causing many nations to take a more militarized approach to clearing forests, often killing kitsune in the process.

Culture

todo shrines and forest lore

Magic

Kitsune are extremely good at sensing the smallest shifts in the aetherial field. Unlike fairies this sense is more physical in nature and has the potential to injure the kitsune if their senses are overwhelmed. Such examples would be large blasts of aetherial energy, and powerful spells which constantly send out powerful pulses. Sudden shifts in the aetherial field could affect the kitsune in less severe ways. Kitsune will experience pain if they try to cast a spell beyond their limits. While they can only cast Power III spells in reality, they can actually try to channel even more aether(unlike other races where their channeling limit is absolute). Unfortunately there is a threshold (after Power III) where the kitsune will start experiencing pain, which quickly progresses to unbearable pain forcing them to drop the spell. Many scholars believe kitsune have the same channeling limit as humanity (Power V), but due to the unbearable pain cannot reach that threshold by any means.

Religion

TODO forest preservation

Military

todo kitsune use weapons

Technology

todo clothing and building

Interbreeding

Human

A human and kitsune pairing results in children each having a 50% chance to be pure-blooded kitsune, otherwise they will be a pure-blooded human. If the child is a kitsune, then their children will always be kitsune if the other parent is a kitsune. If the child is a human, their children have a 75% chance to be kitsune if the other parent is kitsune. However if both the child and other parent are human, then their children will have a 25% chance each to be kitsune, with each dual human pairing after this halving the chance of a kitsune child. After the ninth generation of dual human pairings, it is no longer possible to have a kitsune child.

Myth: If a kitsune is born to a ninth generation dual human pairing after the initial half pairing, then the child will obtain a tail every two years until they have nine tails. This child would also likely succumb to insanity by receiving too much power at a young age.

Assorted Info

• Demi-Humans are considered the precursors to the kitsune, and as such are often looked down upon by the more educated kitsune.