Although Chaos was pleased with her creations, and the demons she had converted, she wished for more creativity and flexibility. So she took snakes from Claeryn’s realm and created the nahgam, a race of deadly artisans. They quickly became some of her favorites, and were found commanding troops and gathering information alike. When Claeryn saw them, he was angered at the abomination Chaos had created. He sent Falirne to find a suitable base for a new race of his own, one that would far out stride the nahgam as a worthwhile species. It did not take her long to find a fox that showed some promise, clever, crafty, and mischievous. However, the fox resided in Tyrea’s sacred grove. Not worrying about the impact of taking the fox, she snatched it away and gave it to Claeryn.
Claeryn was pleased with the fox’s demeanor and surprised at its skills. Tyrea had begun making her own modifications so that the fox had an affinity for nature, and plants in particular, that was very unusual. He made some slight modifications to that affinity, making fire the closest to their souls. Soon after, Falirne returned with an exceptional mate for the first fox, one with a natural sense for the forces around her, such as magic and the weather. Claeryn strengthened these extra senses, and felt it was good.
He then began making the physical modifications. First, he gave them the ability to shape shift into a biped form, lithe and beautiful. He enhanced their speed and strength, the better to stand up to Chaos’s abominations. He looked at them, and decided to mark them as his own by giving them multiple tails both in and out of fox form. And then he allowed them to mate.
The kits bred truer than Claeryn could have hoped. They inherited their mother’s senses, and their father’s soul affinity for fire. However, some of the kits showed an almost equal affinity for other elements, such as plants and light, making them even more powerful. Claeryn was very pleased, and went to show them off to his siblings.
The first was Aeryon, who thought they were beautiful, if limited by their lack of flight. Laugar found them impressive, but had a slight concern about the how they had such powers, as only he was privy to Tyrea’s experiments. When Tyrea saw them, she was as angered as Claeryn had been seeing the nahgam, and more, for she had been developing them for a far different purpose. She admitted that they were impressive, and left quickly. And so the kitsune became the second of the new races created by the gods.
According to the kitsune, their origins are from an isle a fair distance to the west, or perhaps to the northeast; others insist it never existed. In those early days, the worries of the kitsune were few; they spent their time tending nature peacefully, occasionally gathering together to eat and spend long hours discussing the properties of people and the world.
However, some became dissatisfied with their small domain, and built ships with which to explore the world. When some returned centuries later with their tales of the outside world, others ventured out as well, spreading the kitsune population across Calacia, including Shadow Star.
Barely had the clans of Shadow Star had time to settle before Chaos came, conquering and enslaving as they did every other race on the island. Some fled, some were caught and enslaved, others escaped and returned with vengeance in their hearts. Those clans that remained and managed to avoid Chaos's eyes became like ghosts in the mountains, helping wayward travelers, leading to tales of mountain spirits that appear to the lost.
Their numbers remain small to this day; it's estimated about half of the current population lives on Shadow Star. The majority of the remainder reside on their island of origin, Kilkeiran, with scattered families on various islands here and there.
Kitsune on the whole are often whimsical, fun-loving, and many are polyamorous. They prefer to honor and work with nature, not unlike druids, and are largely opposed to unnecessary violence. Some are, however, entranced by the smooth movement of martial arts and practice for meditation purposes. Kitsune tend to lean toward being easygoing and laidback, and tend to live for the moment rather than planning ahead.
On average, they're much taller than humans, with the males ranging from six and a half to seven feet and the females about half a foot shorter. Kitsune are often broad-shouldered and smoothly muscled, like the foxes they were made from; it is difficult, though not impossible, for a kitsune to gain weight or additional muscle. They resemble humans, but have triangular fox ears and one or more tails. These tails indicate their age: they gain a tail for every hundred years they've lived, up until their ninth. They can live up to a thousand years and are considered adults after they gain their third tail.
Half-kitsune are often referred to by kitsune as 'halflings'. They can have access to the unique kitsune Talent or may have innate Talent from their non-kitsune parent, although they cannot have both. They also cannot shift into a fox's form. Depending on their genetics, their abilities and physical traits will vary, although half-kitsune will rarely if ever have as sharp senses and physical abilities as their parent. Most have the kitsune fox-ears, though, and they can have up to three tails. Within a kitsune clan, halflings are considered adults at 150 years of age.
Kitsune have a clan structure, made up of several families. Clans are run by a council, who tend to be the oldest of their clans. Kitsune in clans are taught a strong family-oriented culture and to respect their elders; the oldest are assumed to have the most wisdom by default. Families within a clan are usually distinguished by which elder they show allegiance to, although the social structure tends to be loose. Family relationships are usually defined by blood. Kitsune, younger ones in particular, often hate being tied down in a single monogamous relationship.
Other races are treated cordially, but as outsiders and rarely if ever allowed into the kitsune clans. Kitsune have sometimes pursued romantic or sexual relationships with non-kitsune, however. Guests who misbehave are usually escorted away from kitsune lands. Half-kitsune may or may not be adopted into the clan.
Kitsune have three annual, loosely organized festivals. The first is sometime in late spring or early summer; there is no exact date. Kitsune clans gather to eat, talk and play games, much like a large family reunion moreso than a festival. The second, In Remembrance, takes place in mid-autumn and is held by a stream or river to honor the kitsune that have died that year. Each kitsune is given a small boat woven from leaves, with a small wax candle set in the middle and a small sack of flower petals. A short prayer is said, the candle is lit, and then the boat is then placed in the stream and flower petals are tossed over the boat as it floats away. After all boats have been sent off the clan leader says a blessing and they all gather for an evening feast. The final gathering is held for a week in midwinter and is a bit more organized than the spring meeting. It largely consists of a week-long feast, games, and lots of discussion. Kitsune are expected to bring food to cook, and many bring homemade alcohol as well.
A kitsune's physical abilities are on average greater than the average human. They also possess a number of innate and magical abilities due to both Tyrea's and Claeryn's involvement in their creation. Because of their sharpened senses, they can sense magic by scent and can also sense changes in the environment that would indicate a major approaching storm, much like an animal. They also have the ability to shapeshift into a large, almost ethereal multi-tailed fox.
Kitsune do not have normal innate Talent, and thus cannot use normal magic that requires such talent (for example, kitsune cannot be telepathic or cast a "normal" fireball like one would learn at the Mage Guildhall.) Most, however, do possess some magical talent unique to kitsune. This talent is nature-based and tends to be largely defensive; Claeryn's gift of offensive fire-based magic tends to be best utilized by wilder, tempestuous kitsune. Kitsune must be trained by an experienced kitsune in order to utilize their abilities. The exception is their Ghost Lights spell, which can be learned innately by all kitsune.
Two kitsune masters who practice different types (say water and light, or water and electricity) can collaborate to perform magic jointly, but this requires a great deal of practice, focus, and control to be done safely.
Skill levels in learned magic are denoted by color, which appears as the kitsune’s aura:
Kitsune magic is elemental. Each kitsune has access to Fire, along with one other element or subelement. In addition to the four basic elements (Fire, Air, Earth, and Water; Chaos is inaccesible except to a kitsune that has defected, as this is an ability granted by the Nameless One) there are three subelements: Plants as a subset of Earth, and Light and Electricity as subsets of Air. The following is a standard list of spells accessible to each element; a creative master may come up with new uses.
FIRE
EARTH
PLANTS
WATER
AIR
LIGHT
ELECTRICITY