Huli Jing

"I have kept my fox-word, as I am sworn. It's only my interpretation that displeases you."
-a kitsune to her "patron"

Whether known as "yaogui" by the Jiayuanese or "yokai" by the Sokokans, fey are strange creatures-- often bewitching and always deceptive. Among the most infamous in all of Duanjia are both bewitching and deceptive. These are the fox spirits the Sokokans call kitsune and the Jiayuanese call huli jing.

Basic Information

Anatomy

In their true form, huli jing resemble simple foxes. The primary difference is that their number of tails varies based on their age and power. The youngest of them have a single tail and are effectively indistinguishable from normal foxes. The oldest have nine tails and pure-white fur. Nine-tailed foxes are incredibly rare and are each archfey in their own right.
They are, however, rarely encountered in their true form. They usually take the form of either a normal fox, or that of a humanoid. They seem to have a strong preference for the female form, and are consequently often believed to be all-female. While they can take a hybrid fox-like form as well-- almost resembling the hybrid form of a lycanthrope-- they are almost never seen in this form.
These creatures have incredible powers of enchantment, although the exact extent of which is not known through much more than legend. One of their most frightening powers is that of possession. They do this to hide their activities, and are perfectly capable of using all of their powers when possessing a host.

Ecology and Habitats

Huli jing spend much of their time in the Otherworld. The least of them create dens that resemble those of common foxes. The greatest of them build palaces much like royalty. Those of nine-tailed huli jing are greater even than those of the emperors of Jiayuan and Sokoku.
They are, however, most often encountered in the mortal plane. There they mostly stay hidden. The least powerful tend to stay near the edges of civilization, trying to avoid detection. Others try to hide in plain sight, even in major urban centers such as Ganhuang or Oketura.

Behaviour

Huli jing are tricksters of the highest order. They often cover themselves in disguise after disguise, and disguise their words even harder. They use such abilities to carry out schemes so intricate they couldn't have come from a mortal mind. The ends these schemes work toward are an utter mystery, if they even exist at all.
Their deceptive nature belies an incredible integrity. Huli jing always speak nothing but the absolute truth. Thus, any pact they make is bound by their word. This too, is often deceptive, as their word is often interpreted in a manner that is far from the intention of the other party. More than anything, huli jing delight in this manner of deception.

Lifespan

Immortal

Average Height

16 - 24 in.

Average Weight

15 - 30 lbs.

Average Length

20 - 38 in.

Geographic Distribution

• Duanjia