Tod the Fox

"What they're doing to these people - it isn't right. And someone needs to fight for what's right, even if they are outlawed for it."

— Tod the Fox

Tod the Fox was a thief, outlaw, and rebel, fighting against the Clarati who ruled Ynys before the Age of Warlocks. His attacks were mostly focused on Clarion in northwestern Ynys, and were designed to undermine the general belief that the sorcerers were invincible and eternal, a belief they had fostered for a thousand years. By publicly flouting their authority and humiliating them, Tod the Fox undermined their standing with the populace, which then rippled through the Egregoric Force to actually weaken them. In one of his best known escapades, he stole all the monoliths destined to become Petrified Eidolon from a field outside Ystwyth, leading to Clarion throwing a tantrum over how several dozen gigantic stones could have been taken without anyone noticing, or leaving any trace of magic.

He was called the Tod the Fox because of the mask he wore, which bore a stylized fox face. This allowed him to remain anonymous throughout his career, as his actual face was never publicly known. Even his proper name is a mystery - Tod is the Eileanach word for Fox, and was the only name he ever gave when asked.

A Legend Now and Then

Tod the Fox became a legend in his own time. His adventures were told and retold wherever people gathered, and many people attempted to join him when he appeared in public. In addition to the tricks and pranks he played upon the Clarati and their servants, he would also steal wealth and Artifacts from them to distribute among the common folk. In return, they would protect him from the agents of the Clarati, helping him hide, lying for him, and providing him with material support when they could.

During the rebellions that followed the destruction of Sange, Tod the Fox became a symbol of the rebellion, with prominent rebels wearing fox masks and bearing foxes on their shields. To this day, the arms of Bernicia bears three foxes on field of white, in honor of those who wore fox masks during the Age of Warlocks. Songs about his exploits are sung throughout northern Ynys, and every child can tell about when he impersonated Clarion, or freed Gwynn ap Lludd from his bindings under Beinn Neimh.

While Tod the Fox was never part of an established group, his stories often intersected with other significant figures from the time around the Age of Warlocks. The Witch of Rheged was said to be a companion and protégé of the Fox, while Llywelyn the Dragonslayer counted him as a friend and advisor. The final tales of Tod the Fox even connect him to the legendary King Cailtram, claiming that the Fox undertook to wake the King of Dreams and begin a golden age, but was himself lost somewhere in the Dreamlands. One variation of this story says that when Cailtram finally does return to the physical world, Tod the Fox will accompany him to aid Ynys in its hour of greatest need.

Librarian's Note

While most of the stories depict Tod the Fox as a human wearing a fox mask, some people suggest that he was actually a Kitsunejin named Higa Chikara. I have requested information about Higa Chikara from the Gwāsa, and they disavow any knowledge of Higa Chikara being in Ynys, and point out that he would have been over three hundred years old during the period Tod the Fox was active anyway. While this may be compelling for those less familiar with Kitsunejin life cycles, to me it makes many of the more outlandish tales of Tod the Fox plausible, since a Kitsunejin of that age is likely to have achieved their third tail.

Current Location

The Dream

Species

Kitsunejin

Ethnicity

Chiyu nu Tami

Family

Kitsunekami

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