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. Senkyou Feudal Clans

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

Ancient History

The kitsune were created during the Exodian Empire's golden era. The exodians were known for their mastery of magic and machines, and fused aetherial foxes from the forest with a body of flesh using Humanity as a template. This resulted in a being that was of both worlds, and of neither at the same time. The kitsune proved valuable to the exodians, with superior physical senses and hypersensitivity to aether. Kitsune were a personal favorite of the exodian aristocratic elite, proving to be ideal candidates for elite servants. After the fall of exodian society, the kitsune followed their masters and escaped the cataclysm. They arrived at the Islands of Senkyou through unknown means. Upon arrival, it is believed they killed their former masters and formed their own free society among the islands.

Several small villages would form over the passage of time, and the kitsune population would grow. They developed their own language and cultural traditions during this period, contributing to modern Senkyou culture. Some of these villages would give birth to clans that would grow to a considerable size. The strongest among a clan would be elected as kakenage, and rule over the village they were based in. As kitsune villages grew to a considerable size, the kakenage grew restless for a conflict.

The Clan Wars

An influx of human migrants from an unknown region poured into the Islands of Senkyou, which the kitsune openly accepted them into their ranks. This surge in population was everything the kakenage needed to begin a series of wars. These wars would soon escalate to a period known as the Clan Wars. By the time the clan wars had concluded, almost all kitsune had died in battle. The only remaining kitsune were of the servant caste, in the service of various clans. Being in a domestic role had saved their lives, however they would not be safe from the persecution which would follow.

Feudal Servitude

Kitsune were blamed for starting the clan wars, and now faced harsh treatment as the human populace took revenge on them by way of overworking them or outright executing them. The persecution became so great that many kitsune escaped their life of servitude and fled to small islands in the far north. It was thought that the feudal clans would pursue them, but thanks to a single kitsune, the whole race was saved from extinction. Tenjo Zakushima, known most famously as the strongest and only remaining kitsune in the warrior caste, stepped forward and ended his life to spare all other kitsune from certain death for leaving their masters.

The kitsune population continues to grow very slowly in the small northern islands of Senkyou, their numbers still only a fraction of what they once were. Many kitsune did not escape the various clans of Senkyou, but have since been allowed to live and continue on as servants thanks to the sacrifice made by Tenjo Zakushima. After foreign trade was established in Senkyou by the dwarves in the year 1611 AE, many kitsune ventured to the Exodius Continent in search of a better life. Upon arrival they took up various professions in the human kingdoms of Amestria, however their numbers are so small that most people in Amestria will live their lives never seeing a kitsune unless they happen to be in the right place at the right time.

Society

Politics

Kitsune used to be the leaders of all the Senkyou clans, but have since been replaced by human leaders after the former kitsune leaders all died in battle. In modern day Amestria, kitsune do not have any sway over politics, however the final act of Tenjo Zakushima lives on and has protected the kitsune from further harm.

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 Senkyou religion

Military

The kitsuja of the clan wars era have long since disappeared, but the kitsune's gift in agile combat and subterfuge remains. They excel at tasks which involve high agility or stealth, and are very good at deceiving their opponents. The kitsune which remain in the world today originate from the servant caste, meaning they do not have any combat traditions. The kitsune living on the northern islands of Senkyou have started picking up new combat styles from various samurai which venture into the region. Kitsune which have ventured to the Exodius Continent have picked up the combat techniques of human nations, usually preferring the more agile combat forms.

Economy

Kitsune remain largely uninvolved in the modern day amestrian economy, however small villages on the northern islands of Senkyou have had dealings with the dwarves. There has been a particular interest in firearms, a technology largely foreign to the rest of Senkyou.

Technology

Kitsune are not known for any inventions so to speak, but they are known for the development of kisugu, a special and unique form of magic. While the art of kisugu has long since been forgotten, the people of Senkyou have not forgotten the kitsune's ingenuity involving the aetherial arts.

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

• While Exodia created kitsune in volume, they also created a small number of semi-aetherials based on other creatures during their diabolical experimentation.