Kitsunekami (ki.t͡su.ne.ˈkami)

"They are godlike, certainly. But not gods in the sense other people mean it. My mother is one of the Kitsunekami now, and while I revere her as an ancestor, it's not the same thing as worship." - Miyagi Yumeko, attempting to explain the Kitsunekami to a close friend

The Kitsunekami are commonly called the gods of the Chiyu nu Tami Kitsunejin. This is not entirely accurate, nor is it entirely inaccurate. The Chiyu nu Tami do not consider them to be gods that they worship, but they have many of the same qualities and powers that characterize the gods of the Great Ring.

From Kitsunejin to Kitsunekami

One trait that makes the Kitsunekami stand out from other gods is that they are all the products of apotheosis. When one of the Kitsunejin reaches the age of one hundred years old, they undergo a physical and spiritual metamorphosis. The physical component is relatively minor - they sprout a second tail. The spiritual changes are more extensive. A two-tailed Kitsunejin begins to develop magical abilities. If they were a True Mage before this point, they find that they have access to more magical energy than previously. If they did not previously have the ability to cast Magic, they begin to develop a variety of abilities. These can vary widely between individuals, from elemental control to illusions or protection magic. One thing that they all develop is the ability to hide the second tail from sight whenever they wish.

Technically, two-tailed Kitsunejin have become Kitsunekami, but they are frequently still a part of everyday life for the Chiyu nu Tami. They spend a decade or so after their second tail grows learning to manage their new abilities, and many of them compare it to a second puberty. They also begin to spend time in the Dream, usually one or two days each week. This is a consequence of the metaphysical changes happening to them, converting them into creaures of the Dream, if only a little bit at first.

An Ongoing Process

The second tail is only the beginning of the transformation from Kitsunejin to Kitsunekami. Over time, a Kitsunekami will grow a third tail, and then more. The oldest of the Kitsunekami are said to have nine tails, although only after tens of thousands of years. Each tail grants more and more power, but also requires the Kitsunekami to spend more and more time in the Dream. Three-tailed Kitsunekami are in the Dream at least half the time, and four-tailed Kitsunekami spend better than eighty percent of their time there. Older Kitsunekami rarely enter the physical realm at all.

A Cosmic Hierarchy

While the Kitsunejin are aware of the most powerful Kitsunekami, they do not directly worship them, or even address them in prayers or through rituals. Requests to the Kitsunekami are made of the two-tailed Kitsunekami who they interact with regularly. If more power is required, the request may be relayed to older and more powerful Kitsunekami, who will choose either to act, discard the request, or pass it on to another. The oldest Kitsunekami are often dealing with matters of interdimensional importance; only the most exceptional requests will ever be brought to their attention.

Their Mission

Unlike most other pantheons, the Kitsunekami have a specific mission in mind; they are seeking to create The Brightest World. By nurturing and protecting their Kitsunejin of the Great Ring and many other worlds, they are hoping to inspire the bright and glorious dreams that become the next generation of worlds to emerge from the Dream. They also seek to protect their project from the influences of darker forces in the Dream, most of which only the oldest Kitsunejin are even aware of. The Silence is one of the adversaries they face, and many believe that the Hleemeentreezee are agents of some other, unknown force competing with the Kitsunekami for influence over the new worlds. The Kitsunejin are often given directives from their elders that help with this struggle, with the most important to practice Hanakarui, the art of living brightly.

Type

Religious, Pantheon

Related Species

• Numina

Related Ethnicities

• Chiyu nu Tami

Living Gods?

Many scholars claim that the only being to undergo living apotheosis is Tortuka, the turtle-god of the Middlesea pirates. If more of them knew about the progression of the Kitsunekami, they would not make such a statement. The Kitsunekami all are living beings who transition into a godlike state as they grow older and more powerful. Of course, being alive means that they can die, and those who perish are no longer considered to be Kitsunekami. According to the Chiyu nu Tami, the spirits of the dead are reborn as new Kitsunejin, and must grow old again before they can once again become Kitsunekami. According to the legends, many of the oldest Kitsunekami have chosen to die on purpose in order to be reincarnated, only reclaiming their full memory and power as they once again achieve their apotheosis.

Privacy, Please

Very few outside the Kitsunejin are aware of this part of their lifecycle. The advancement into Kitsunekami is a private affair, and only discussed with one's most intimate friends. Also, they have encountered strange reactions from other races when they learn of this - many become violently jealous of the incipient godhead awaiting the Kitsunejin, while others refuse to believe them, or become obsessed with replicating the process somehow. Most of the Chiyu nu Tami simply avoid conversations about the Kitsunekami, and give only vague and cryptic answers to questions about them.

Related Articles