Jinu the Crimson Fox

Jinu is the god of trickery, fortune, rebellion, and the unpredictable currents of fate, and is worshipped exclusively across Han. He is the patron of rogues, gamblers, storytellers, and those who thrive on deception and wit, but his influence extends beyond mere mischief. He embodies the dynamic nature of reality, where no power is absolute, no law is unbreakable, and no fate is truly predetermined.
Depicted as a nine-tailed fox with fur like flickering fire, Jinu is always in motion, his form changing between shadow and flame, laughter and threats. His eyes sparkle with a thousand untold secrets, and his laughter echoes through history, toppling empires as easily as it whispers into the ears of gamblers rolling their last dice. Those bargaining with Jinu may gain everything they desire or lose themselves entirely in his games.

The Unpredictable God

Jinu is more than just a trickster - he is the embodiment of chaos and change, the shifting tide that upends stagnation and mocks the certainty of the mighty. His hand is seen not only in rebellions, but also in the unpredictable twists of fate: the beggar who becomes a king overnight, the clever thief who steals the unstealable, the gambler who walks away from certain ruin with a fortune in his hands.
He is worshipped in hidden shrines and smoky gambling dens, by desperate outlaws and cunning nobles alike - for all know that fortune favors those who play the game with boldness. Yet, his greatest lesson is this: no one plays forever. Jinu grants luck to those who amuse him, but those who grow greedy or arrogant will find that luck is the most fleeting trick of all.

The Fox’s Defiance

Though his followers range from scheming nobles to wandering performers, it is among the rebels and the oppressed that his name burns brightest. The Veiled Republic of Han has long condemned him as a symbol of insurrection, branding his worship a crime against order. Yet, the more they try to erase him, the more his presence grows - his name carved into alley walls, his symbol left at the sites of defiant pranks, his stories passed in whispers between those who refuse to bow.
Jinu is not a god of reckless destruction, but of cunning defiance. He does not favor blind rebellion, but rather the clever schemes and unexpected twists that turn the Republic’s own arrogance against them. A sword may kill a tyrant, but a well-placed rumor can topple an empire.
To his followers, he is a beacon of freedom, a reminder that no rule is eternal, and no chain unbreakable. And when the Veiled Republic finally falls, they say it will not be by war - but by laughter, deception, and a single perfect trick played at just the right time.

Aspects of Jinu

Cunning & Deception: Jinu teaches that a quick mind is sharper than any sword and that true victory comes not from brute force, but from outthinking one’s enemy.
Rebellion & Defiance: He is the patron of underdogs and revolutionaries, guiding those who seek to tear down corrupt rulers through wit and sabotage.
Fire & Chaos: Fire is both destruction and renewal, and Jinu embodies the spark that ignites great change - often through unexpected, explosive means.
Luck & Opportunity: To follow Jinu is to take risks, knowing that fortune favours those bold enough to seize it. His greatest followers never fear uncertainty; they dance with it.

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Jinu by Tillerz using MJ

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A world full of wonders.

Church/Cult

The Twilight Pantheon

Worshipped by

Hani

Distribution

Han

Worship & Rituals

The Trickster’s Mark: Jinu’s followers leave hidden symbols in alleys, taverns, and black markets, marking safe houses, rebel strongholds, and caches of stolen goods. Only those who know how to read them can follow the Fox’s Path.
The Masked Bargain: Before taking a great risk, worshippers of Jinu whisper a secret into a fox mask, leaving it behind as an offering. It is believed that Jinu takes the secret in exchange for a sliver of luck.
The Smiling Sacrifice: Instead of blood or gold, Jinu’s followers offer laughter and cleverness, telling jokes, riddles, or performing tricks at his hidden shrines. A dull offering is believed to offend him, bringing misfortune instead of favour.

Sacred Places

The Ember Maze: A hidden temple said to exist within shifting ruins, filled with fire-lit passageways, secret doors, and ever-changing paths. Only those clever enough to navigate it are said to earn Jinu’s greatest blessings.
The Fox’s Tail: A moving marketplace of smugglers, thieves, and rebels, never in the same place twice. It is said that Jinu himself guides it, appearing only to those who truly need its secrets.
The Ashen Stage: A crumbling theatre deep within Han’s capital, where banned plays and subversive performances mocking the Veiled Republic are performed in secret. Those who watch or perform risk death - but to do so is to honour Jinu’s defiance.
The Laughing Pyre: A legendary bonfire, said to be where Jinu burnt the first tyrant’s scroll of laws, proving that no rule is eternal. Rebels make pilgrimages to this site, hoping to carry its flames into the heart of the Republic.

Sacred or Magical Objects of Jinu

The Trickster’s Mask: A fox-shaped mask said to have been worn by Jinu himself. It allows the wearer to change their appearance at will, slipping through even the tightest security unnoticed. However, the mask has a mind of its own - if worn too long, it may lead the user into unpredictable pranks and schemes, whether they wish it or not.
The Ember Dice: A pair of enchanted dice that always land on whatever number Jinu finds the most amusing at the moment. While they sometimes bring fortune, they are just as likely to bring chaos, trickery, or poetic justice to the gambler who rolls them.
The Foxfire Lantern: A small, seemingly ordinary paper lantern that, when lit, reveals hidden doors, illusions, and even concealed truths. It is rumoured that rebels and thieves use these lanterns to uncover hidden passages and escape routes beneath the cities of Han.
The Scarlet Tail: A red silk ribbon, said to be a fragment of one of Jinu’s nine tails. Anyone who ties it around their wrist gains extraordinary luck in escaping danger - but only if they do so with a grin and a good joke. If used in desperation or fear, it will burn away to ash, leaving the coward behind.
The Ashen Coin: A strange, blackened coin that always reappears in its owner's pocket no matter how many times it is spent or lost. It is said that those who carry it will always find a way out of trouble, but never in the way they expect. Some claim it was Jinu’s first stolen coin, forever imbued with his laughing defiance against the gods.

Noteworthy People Connected to Jinu

Zhou "The Grinning Knife" Feng

A notorious rogue and folk hero, said to have tricked an entire regiment of the Veiled Republic into surrendering by convincing them they had been surrounded by invisible rebels. Some say he is Jinu’s chosen mortal champion, while others claim he cheated Jinu in a game of dice and now lives on borrowed time.

Madame Yueling, Keeper of the Fox’s Tail

A mysterious information broker, said to know every secret in Han worth knowing. She operates from a hidden tea house, where all who enter must pay in gossip and riddles, never in coin. Some say she once stole a secret from Jinu himself - a theft the god has yet to punish.

Bai "Seven-Lies" Ren

A wandering fortune teller, gambler, and con artist, known for telling seven different versions of a prophecy to different people, ensuring that one of them is always right. It is whispered that Jinu whispers his best tricks in her ear, guiding her through a life of endless games and clever escapes.

The Scarlet Band

A secretive group of rebels, thieves, and tricksters who work against the Veiled Republic, not with open war, but through sabotage, misinformation, and humiliating pranks against its officials. They believe that laughter, chaos, and clever defiance will break the Republic’s grip more effectively than swords ever could.

Elder Yun, The Fool Who Danced on the Emperor’s Throne

A legendary drunken storyteller who, during a grand festival, somehow ended up sitting on the Veiled Republic’s throne for an entire night without being noticed. When the dawn came and the real rulers discovered him, he simply winked and vanished, leaving behind only a playing card with Jinu’s laughing face. Whether he was a man, a trickster sorcerer, or Jinu himself in disguise remains a mystery.

Philosophy of Jinu’s Followers

“No chain is unbreakable, no law is absolute.”

“The fool who laughs in the tyrant’s face is braver than the knight who kneels before him.”

“If you cannot win fairly, then cheat spectacularly.”

“The fire of rebellion is never truly extinguished - it only waits to be rekindled.”

GM info / spoilers / plot hooks.

This is GM information

The Legend of Jinu and the Hundredfold Chains

Long ago, before the Veiled Republic’s rule was absolute, a cruel Archmage-King named Wu Jinbao sought to make himself eternal. He ruled with an iron fist, decreeing that no voice could rise against him and that no rebellion could ever be spoken of. He built a great citadel of black stone, where he forged the Hundredfold Chains, an unbreakable curse that bound the minds of his subjects, making them incapable of speaking or even thinking of defiance.
For years, the people of Han lived in silent misery, unable to even whisper their suffering. But Jinu, the Crimson Fox, was not so easily silenced. Disguised as a humble storyteller, he walked into the Archmage-King’s court, carrying nothing but a drum and a smirk.
Standing before the throne, Jinu did not speak of rebellion - for he could not. Instead, he told a story, one of a foolish king who built a tower so tall he could no longer see the people below. In the story, the people did not raise their voices against him, nor did they carry swords to fight him. Instead, they simply laughed - a quiet, knowing laughter that spread like wildfire - until the king, hearing nothing but laughter, grew mad with fear and cast himself from his own tower.

Jinu by Tillerz using MJ

The court sat in stunned silence - for Jinu had broken no law, yet every soul there understood his meaning. Then, one by one, they began to chuckle. A ripple of laughter spread through the hall, growing louder and louder - until even the enchanted guards, bound by the Hundredfold Chains, began to laugh against their will.
The spell shattered. The curse of silence broke, and suddenly, the people of Han remembered rebellion. A storm of voices rose up, and the Archmage-King, terrified of what he had unleashed, tried to banish Jinu with magic. But the trickster god only grinned and flicked his tail, turning into smoke.
When the mist cleared, the king found himself chained by his own spell, bound by the same magic he had used to control his people. The laughter of the people became a roar of revolution, and by dawn, the black citadel lay in ruins.
It is said that the Hundredfold Chains still exist, buried deep beneath Han’s capital, waiting for another tyrant foolish enough to wear them. And Jinu’s laughter still echoes, reminding all who hear it that no ruler, no law, and no cage is truly unbreakable.