Kitsune

foxlike beings of great power, kitsune enjoy tricking and misleading people, though they almost never harm people outright. Kitsune also watch over the harvests of grain, and ensure that the grain is plentiful.

Basic Information

Anatomy

look like humans, with fox ears and a number of tails. the number of tails is dependent on the age and power of a kitsune. most adult kitsune have five tails, with a new tail appearing rarely unless a kitsune becomes an adventurer.

Biological Traits

Kitsune are for the most part identical to humans, except for their ears and tails on the surface, but enjoy a greatly extended life with minimal aging probllems.

Genetics and Reproduction

Kitsune have a gestation period of one year, and give birth to live offspring. newly born kitsune typically have one tail, and are the size of human babies. multiple offspring from a single birth are rare, but not unheard of, and are said to be blessed with additional power.

Growth Rate & Stages

when a Kitsune is born, they will be about 51 cm. and weigh about 3.5 kg. over the next twenty years, they will gain height and weight until they are about the size of a twelve-year old human child. over the next eighty years, they will remain the same size, until their hundredth birthday, when they will gain their third tail, the second having been gained on their twentieth birthday. the second century of a kitsune's life will be similar to the puberty of a human teenager, though lessened in severity. most kitsune becoem fertile around the time their fourth tail is grown, at age 150. upon the growth of the fifth tail at around 200 years of age, kitsune are considered adults. from that time on, kitsune have around two milennia to live, though growing a new tail, something very hard to do for sedentary kitsune, may prolong their lifespan. when a kitsune dies, they simply vanish, their body melding with the essence of nature and being carried far and wide on the wind.

Ecology and Habitats

Kitsune tend to live in dense woodlands or sparsely woodeed hills and mountains.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Kitsune are primarily omnivorous, but are partial to fruits, certain types of beans, and chicken.

Biological Cycle

Kitsune tend to remain closer to home during winter months, but otherwise pay little attention to the seasons.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Kitsune live in small family groups of five to ten people, headed by the kitsune with the most tails, though someties a wiser kitsune will act as an adviser.

Facial characteristics

slightly angular faces, similar to half-elves. fox-like ears rising from the top of the head, and fox tails extending from the lower end of the spinal column. eyes tend to be slightly canine in appearance, and are often green or blue.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

forests, wooded hills and mountains.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Kitsune have a hearing range beyond humans, and eyesight much keener. kitsune also have a very sensitive nose, one strong enough to track animals like a bloodhound.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Kitsune tend to take japanese names, with an emphasis on water, earth, or grain related names.

Beauty Ideals

the more tails a kitsune has and the more well-kept they are, no matter which gender, the more beautiful a kitsune is seen.

Gender Ideals

both male and female kitsune are expected to be short, with about 1.8 meters being the upper limit of "ideal" height.

Courtship Ideals

Courtship between kitsune can occur between any unrelated kitsune, regardless of social standing and age differences, though kitsune more than a millennia apart in age tend to not enter courtship. courtship shares many similarities to human courtships, except that the courtship can last decades before a true relationship starts.

Relationship Ideals

relationships between kitsune typically last until an agreed-upon event, typically childbirth or a number of years, upon which a relationship can be renewed or broken. kitsune who were in a relationship often remain in the same family unit, and a courtship can start between the former lovers.

Average Technological Level

Kitsune commonly use most inventions available in the Meiji Restoration of Japan, where western items became known, though unlike in the real world, the kitsune develped these inventions themselves.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

most kitsune speak Inal, a language similar to Japanese except for a simplification of the characters.

Common Etiquette Rules

politeness is expected in conversation and business dealings as a matter of course. every kitsune expects a small bow and a offer of relaxation from even an emperor. Most kitsune, when hosting guests, will prepare a tea, commonly mint or willow bark. If visitors stay overnight, a heated bath and places to sleep will be arranged. baths are used for relaxation, with soaps applied outside the bath and water used to rinse before entering the tubs.

Common Dress Code

kitsuen tend to favor a conservative and practical dress code, with tunics, pants, and sandals the most common choice of attire, though when receiving guests, kitsune will dress in fancier clothing, often lightly patterned.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

kitsune live a very monastic lifestyle, and enjoy a variety of simple and complex pleasures including, but not limited to: gardening, ink painting, music and dance, writing, meditation, and perfection of martial arts, both armed and unarmed.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

It is customary to give a gift of a certain metal when a kitsune gains a new tail, with the metals pertaining to tails as follows: copper for two, brass for three, bronze for four, iron for five, steel for six, silver for seven, gold for eight, and platinum for nine.
when a kitsune dies, the entire family will work to erect a memorial. this memorial will be anywhere from two to ten feet high and carved from stone. typically, the older the kitsune, the smaller the memorial stone.

Common Taboos

to kill another kitsune is the gravest of taboos, and those who do kill are attacked on sight. attacking another kitsune is also considered taboo, though less so, especially in sanctioned spars.

History

the origins of the kitsune are shrouded in mystery, their origins so far back in the mists of time to be lost to the kitsune themselves, though decaying ruins in the oldest forests point to a long-forgotten empire. could the kitsune have been the masters of this empire, of which evidence suggests was continent-spanning?

Historical Figures

most family units of kitsune remember to previous generation of kitsune, but common historical figures are unheard of.

Common Myths and Legends

THe kitsune are strictly aethiest, a result of their innate power and lifespan. an individual kitsune may see as many as twenty different religions become established during their lifetime, and as a result, the older a kitsune becomes, the less organized their religion becomes, save for the fundamental belief in the cycle of the world.
The cycle of the world is the one unifying kitsune belief. It states that whenever a person dies, a baby is born somewhere.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

kitsune tend to keep to themselves, only hosting guests occasionally. kitsune will occasionally waylay single travelers with tricks, forcing them to stay the night, however.

RPG Datasheet

The Traits of the Kitsune are as follows:
Favored Class: Divine Vessel/Druid: Kitsune naturally tand to channel the power of the land through them. While many are divine vessels, they seldom worship deities due to their ties to the land.
-2 strength, +4 intelligence, +4 wisdom, +4 charisma. Kitsune are naturally very thoughtful and charming, but tend to rely on their mind more than their body.
+5 racial bonus to hide, listen, move silently, search, and spot checks. Kitsune naturally can call upon their animalistic traits to aid them in silent movement, and their senses are very keen.
Spells: all Kitsune can cast spells as a tenth-level sorcerer. Kitsune are strongly connected to the land, and mystical blood runs through their veins.
30 ft base movement speed.
Automatic proficiency with the Katana and the Wakizashi. Kitsune were the ones who created the techniques for making and wielding these exotic weapons, and it is considered a point of racial pride to be able to use one.
Low light Vision, Track Feat, 120-ft Darkvision. Kitsune’s enhanced senses allow Kitsune to see perfectly even in pitch-darkness.
All kitsune start with five levels of monstrous humanoid
Level Adjustment: +10

Lifespan

2 milenia.

Average Height

1.4-1.9 meters

Average Weight

50-91 kg

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Kitsune tend to have pale skin, with green or blue eyes. kitsune lack facial hair, and what hair they do have tends to be red, white, or brown.