Tamamo-no-mei
Tamamo (a.k.a. The Nine-Tailed Shadow, The Phantom Kitsune, Madame Tamamo)
Physical Description
Body Features
Tamamo has an ethereal beauty, with jet-black hair, sharp golden eyes, and an ever-present cunning smile. Her form is typically that of a striking woman of Japanese descent, but her true nature is betrayed by the nine pitch-black fox tails and matching ears that emerge when she chooses to reveal her power.
Special abilities
Tamamo’s most fearsome ability is her mastery over illusions, which are so powerful they can warp perception on a massive scale. She can alter how people see the world, erase or implant memories, and even weave false realities so convincing that victims act upon them as if they were real. With enough preparation, her illusions can extend beyond individuals, affecting entire cities or even recorded media.
Tamamo can influence or outright control others through subtle persuasion, hypnotic suggestion, or full possession. Weaker minds fall easily to her will, while stronger ones may resist but often find themselves manipulated in ways they don’t realize until it’s too late. If necessary, she can completely override a person’s consciousness, taking over their body as a vessel to move undetected.
As a kitsune, Tamamo can seamlessly alter her form, appearing as anyone she chooses. This makes her a master infiltrator, allowing her to assume new identities, forge alliances, and gain trust where she should not. Her transformations are flawless, bypassing even advanced detection methods unless they are specifically attuned to her kind.
Tamamo wields powerful foxfire, capable of incinerating enemies, disrupting magical constructs, and even acting as a medium for curses. Her control over energy extends to other elements, allowing her to summon storms, manipulate shadows, or alter her surroundings to suit her needs.
Those who cross Tamamo often suffer more than simple defeat. She can lay powerful curses that weaken, torment, or slowly unravel her victims over time. She can also corrupt spiritual energies, twisting protective wards, siphoning life force, or poisoning holy sites to render them useless.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Tamamo-No-Maen is an incredibly powerful Yokai whose origins trace back to ancient Japan, where she was renowned as a mesmerizing courtesan in the imperial court. Known for her unparalleled beauty, wit, and intelligence, she quickly rose to prominence, earning the favor of Emperor Toba. However, beneath her enchanting facade lay something far more sinister—Tamamo was no ordinary woman, but a powerful nine-tailed kitsune with a thirst for control.
Legends say she wove illusions so perfect that she could manipulate reality itself, bending even the most astute minds to her will. She sought power not merely for conquest, but for mastery over fate itself, whispering into the ears of rulers and reshaping history from the shadows. Yet, her ambitions drew suspicion, and through the intervention of sorcerers and exorcists, her true nature was exposed.
Hunted as a malevolent force, she fled across the land, eluding capture with trickery and magic. Eventually, a coalition of mystics and warriors cornered her, sealing her essence within a cursed stone—the infamous Sessho-seki, or "Killing Stone." For centuries, she remained imprisoned, her power locked away, her whispers silenced until the spring of 2022, when time and nature finally took their toll on the stone, causing it to fracture and setting Tamamo free once more.
Rejoicing in her newfound freedom, Tamamo wasted no time in spreading discord and ruin, delighting in the suffering of those who had once sought to imprison her. Yet, in this modern age of information and surveillance, she was nowhere near as invisible as before. The improved connectedness of the era allowed her latest spree of magical chaos to be traced, and it wasn’t long before she was confronted by a local contingent of The Thompson Family, working alongside Nagiko Fuun, a skilled local occultist.
Captured once again, she was cast into the horrifying depths of Monster City, within The Tomb of the Old Thompsons. While not the most physically imposing of the denizens there, Tamamo quickly carved out a niche for herself, establishing an elegant yet eerie parlour where lesser creatures dared not intrude. She bided her time, awaiting an opportunity to escape. That opportunity would soon present itself in the form of Rue of The B-Team, whose spiritual magnetism offered a unique opportunity and who she lured into her domain through a carefully woven illusion.
Initially, she entertained the idea of striking a deal—attaching her spirit to the hero and allowing them to carry her out unnoticed. But when Rue refused, she had no qualms about taking what she wanted. Possessing the hero and erasing their memories of the encounter, she ensured her safe passage out of the forsaken depths and into the heart of Bathala City.
Now free once again, Tamamo is poised to unleash her own brand of chaos upon this unfamiliar yet tantalizing world. Cunning and patient, she moves carefully, seeking out new alliances, manipulating those who intrigue her, and orchestrating events from the shadows—just as she has always done. The game begins anew.
Accomplishments & Achievements
To this day, Tamamo's greatest feat was her infiltration of Emperor Toba’s court in ancient Japan. Masquerading as a human woman of extraordinary beauty and intellect, she quickly became the emperor’s favorite consort. Through subtle manipulation and illusion, she exerted a powerful influence over his rule, nearly steering the entire nation toward her own ruinous ends. Had she not been discovered, she could have reshaped Japan’s future under her will.
Failures & Embarrassments
After centuries of waiting, Tamamo’s freedom in 2022 should have been her triumphant return to power. Instead, she overestimated her ability to operate unnoticed in a world of modern technology and surveillance, allowing the Thompson family, working with a local occultist, to track her down and imprison her once again, casting her into the depths of Monster City. She had barely begun her resurgence before she was shackled once more—an infuriating loss that she will not soon forget.
Intellectual Characteristics
Tamamo is a cunning and manipulative kitsune, whose mind makes her a formidable threat to the status quo even before considering her vast magical power. More than just a strategist, she is a master of psychological warfare, understanding the ambitions, fears, and weaknesses that drive people. Her schemes are rarely rushed—she weaves them with patience, ensuring that by the time her influence is noticed, it is already too deeply embedded to undo. Even setbacks serve as opportunities, as she is dangerously adaptable, shifting her approach to fit any new challenge.
Her intellect is matched only by her vindictiveness. Tamamo does not simply seek power—she corrupts it, bending laws, traditions, and even morality itself to serve her ends. She prefers to control from the shadows, making others believe they act of their own free will while unknowingly serving her agenda. To cross her is to invite ruin, often not immediate, but inevitable. Her revenge is slow, methodical, and poetic, ensuring that those who wrong her are unmade piece by piece, until even they struggle to remember who they once were.
Current Location
Species
Conditions
Age
3,119 years
Date of Birth
1094 B.C.
Birthplace
Kyoto, Japan
Children
Pronouns
She/Her
Sex
Female
Gender
Woman
Presentation
Feminine
Eyes
Hazel
Hair
Black
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Jet black hair and fur
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