Kitsune

No race is a better reminder of the long history of the Spheres than the Kitsune. These fox people are the only civilized species currently in existence which pre-dates the rise of the Alliance races. Sadly, as Mong Bal’s jungles turned to deserts, the hidden nations of the Kitsune collapsed. The Kitsune were an elusive people to begin with but now that their species faces extinction, they are an even rarer sight.
Those that have chosen to integrate with the current menagerie of races are often venerated or even worshiped for their affiliation with a culture tens of thousands of years old.
Finding the remains of one of their hidden villages, oftentimes concealed in caves, beneath the cities of other races, or even between folds in The Dream World, is said to bring great fortune even though the Kitsune’s historical indifference toward material wealth means that it’s rare to find anything of value in them. That being said, these fox people are legendary for their ability to hide things, so it’s always wise to take a careful look around if you happen to stumble upon a fox village or shrine.
Kitsune are remarkably solitary, and prefer to spend their time hidden or in conference with the spirits of their ancestors than fraternizing with Alliance officials. However, many Kitsune are sought out for Corsair positions because they are well suited as spies and have strong ties to The Dream World. Some accept such positions out of a sense of beneficence, but at times Kitsune will attempt to use the position’s influence to sway the Alliance toward or against intervening in the civil war on Mong Bal.

Physical Characteristics

Kitsune range from 3’-4’ tall and 25-60 pounds. Their fur is typically red or orange, but white or gray furred Kitsune are not unheard of. They are also known for having multiple tails, though not as many as the nine of which legends often speak.

Racial Edges: Small. -1” to movement speed.
Hidden Civilization Hoarder.Even in their heyday, the Kitsune thrived in places often visited but rarely seen by other races. This makes them adept at finding hiding spots. If a Kitsune is in free action they may hide any small or medium item within a 1 mile diameter of his current location. Unless they were being observed, the item is impossible to find by anyone but them.
Sweeper Tails. When a Kitsune is sneaking, they may erase all or part of their footprints as a free action. This gives any pursuer a -4 penalty to tracking them assuming that they are not with another creature that leaves footprints.
Ancestral Conference. When a Kitsune is on dry land they may search for a hidden fox shrine. If they find one (at the GM’s discretion) their may sleep there to visit Kitsune Ancestors in The Dream World; doing so grants the Kitsune +2 to History, Identify, and Decipher Script checks made during that dream.
Scurry (Sprinting Edge).Dropping low to the ground on all fours in a flurry of tails, enemies will probably see a Kitsune coming at full speed—even if they aren’t sure exactly what is coming. Kitsune capitalize on their small frames to sprint out of enemy reach, meaning they do not invoke attacks of opportunity when sprinting.

Backgrounds

Court Kitsune

The Mong Bal’s obsession with their sphere’s lost decadence make Kitsune citizens a valuable luxury. Mong Bal warlords will often marry Kitsune to infertile or disinherited children just to have a fox in their royal courts. Often these positions are tokens or curiosities, but it does give them unfettered access to the wealth and secretive societies of the walled Mong Bal cities.

Background Skills: Bluff 1d4, Sneak 1d4, Assess Person 1d4.
Background Edge: Rich. Starts play with three times the amount of starting money for the campaign and receive a stipend equal to to 20% of the party’s current funds each month.

Huli Jing

Kitsune who have managed to cling to a surviving hidden village often join the Huli Jing, an honorable order of thieves who are as adept at stealing a golden lion from a coin purse as a secret from a dream.
Huli Jing do not keep their spoils but instead redistribute them to unsuspecting beneficiaries. The targets of the order are often selected to punish the wicked or reward the kind, but many times they will steal and relocate valuables for sheer amusement. The superstitious often carry bits of jerked rabbit in their pockets to pacify any bored Huli Jing that happens to target them.

Background Skills: Sneak 1d4, Disable 1d4 , Astral Stealth 1d4.

Background Edge: Dream Thief. At the start of play gains access to the Lucid Dream Edge and Steal Secret skill.

Politics

Even in their heyday, the Kitsune preferred to live in the shadows of other civilizations than strike out on their own. Ancient clans once built hidden villages within the folds of great cities, and a few still operate within those cities today--or at least their ruins. In these times, Kitsune fell under the auspices of noble families or clans who were responsible for maintaining and protecting a hidden village.
With the fall of the hidden villages some kitsune chose to formally join the societies that they once occupied in secret. Kitsune often inhabit the cities of other races, most commonly Mong Bal--given that was the sphere where the Kitsune originated from and also because the Koan Empire located and eradicated most of the kitsune enclaves on other spheres.
Most modern kitsune, however, strike out on their own, with the spirits of their ancestors being their only connection to their own civilization (or any civilization, for that matter). For this reason, many Kitsune still adhere to and respect the clans and hierarchies of their ancestors--even if those institutions no longer formally exist. However, despite their stature and Kitsune history, an ancestral spirit has little recourse if their wayward descendants choose to eschew tradition or disregard their directives, making the nobility and titles of old more ceremonially significant than an actual governing force among modern Kitsune.

Culture

The Kitsune's unique connection to their ancestors allows them to preserve traditions far longer than other races. Any given ancestral conference is home to a wealth of stories, songs, and secret techniques waiting at the disposal of their descendants (at least those who stay in favor with the dead). In exchange for this wisdom, young Kitsune are asked to do their part in preserving these traditions by following their ancestor's directives in all aspects of life--including and especially in the domains of marriage and childbearing.
The exact mechanics and criteria for becoming an ancestral spirit after death remain murky to most outsiders and young Kitsune alike. However, one obvious requirement is that in order to become an ancestor, you must have descendants. For this reason, ancestral spirits undergo painstaking efforts to matchmake their descendants with other clans--and also because they enjoy living vicariously through their descendants and because such decisions often decide who they might be sharing an ancestral conference with over the next few centuries.
More countercultural kitsune view their ancestors' presence as an unwelcome one, preferring to live on their own terms rather than let the dead control the destiny of the living. Many, however, relish in the guidance and connection to their people that their ancestors' afford them, and do their best to live a traditional kitsune life in hopes to one day join them in the afterlife.

Economics

The Kitsune's view on economics is best described as one of socialist kleptomania. Property rights end at awareness inside hidden villages, and a Kitsune will purloin whatever suits their fancy if they can get away with it. Among Kitsune, possession is ten tenths of the law, and both the losers and takers adopt the view that if you want to keep something, you should either be watching it or hiding it. They take the same view toward shelter, often "building" dwellings within the unseen interstices of pre-existing (and usually occupied) structures.
Kitsune (at least those still living in hiding) show little more respect for the property of other races as they do their own kind. They are happy to take food, necessities, or a nice bauble from anyone who doesn't seem particularly vigilant. These tendencies, however, rarely stem from malice. Kitsune will often return the items they steal once they are finished with them, although sometimes to someone besides the original owner if they stumble across an unwitting beneficiary who they find more deserving of it.
Of course, the traditional lifestyle requires the Kitsune to live among some other group to do their farming and crafting for them. In ancient times, some viewed the Kitsune living among their people as parasites to be driven out. However, in modern times, the Kitsune's population has thinned enough that most civilized people don't mind hosting a kitsune or two in their cities.