Kitsune (Race)

"What is real?"
Kitsunes or 'fox people' are magical creatures that are very talented in deception and illusionary magic. Most people rarely see kitsunes, but it is not because they are that uncommon. Often times kitsunes will disguise themselves as something else and hide their true nature.

Physical Description
Kitsunes look a lot like normal foxes, minus having multiple tails. The more tails a kitsune wields, the more powerful their magic. In order to gain more tails, a kitsune either earns it through rigorous training or naturally gains one once every 10 years. While there seems to be no cap beyond lifespan, the oldest and most powerful kitsune had a total of 11 tails.

Kitsunes age similarly to human and other humanoid bestial races - normally dying of natural causes around 80 years old.

Their fox like appearance can change to what they wish. Like Nekomata's, they can shape shift into a more humanoid form. Normally their fox like tails will remain, but some kitsunes can fully hide their tails at an older age. Their humanoid form is on preference, meaning they can be as tall, thin, or muscular so long as it's within reason. With the help of illusionary magic and other tricks, Kitsunes can also appear to be other things - such as logs, squirrels, and more. Whether they be humanoid or not, their shadow will always give away their true form.

Behavior
Kitsunes are most likely to be tricky and cunning, like the animals they represent. They will often use their magic to play tricks and con others into doing what they wish. Their victims often are humans, elves, orcs, and other beings that do not relate to them. Kitsunes generally enjoy the company of each other, but do not seek it out. Like foxes, they're more solitary with their own species unless to find a mate.

Magical Prowess
As mentioned before, kitsunes hold magic naturally within themselves. While they have the potential to learn more of the arcane, kitsunes will almost always go in the ways of illusion magic.

Their magic includes but is not limited to;

Foxfire: A magical fire that can burn almost any color of the rainbow - never being black or pure white. This fire is generally harmless, most times being purely cosmetic and used for light. However, if a kitsune feels threatened, their foxfire can act like an actual flame, causing burning damage to those struck by it.

Disguise: Kitsunes can go beyond looking humanoid or fox-like, using this ability for multiple things. They could hide themselves as a part of nature, hide their tails, and more depending on just how powerful they are. The older the kitsune, the better their disguise. Those who are perceptive enough can see past it, those who aren't can simply check the kitsune's shadow if there is a light source.

Mirror Image: A splitting image of the kitsune will appear if this is cast. The mirror image cannot attack, speak, or interact with other objects, much like a ghost. When someone attacks the image, it will disappear entirely. Those with 4 tails or more can cast more than one at a time.

Creation and Reproduction
Kitsunes can come to be in many ways. Kitsunes normally can be born from trees linked with magic - making them bound to that tree. Kitsunes born this way tend to be more in tune with the arcane, but at the mercy of those who harm their birth tree. Another way kitsunes can come to be is by either breeding with another kitsune or humanoid creature. Kitsunes born from an orc, human, or other will always come out a kitsune, due to the magical energies that flow through their veins. Ones born this way do not need to worry about a birth tree being destroyed, but the pay off is that they tend to have weaker connections to the arcane arts.