Vulpine

Cunning creatures found in almost every part of the world, vulpine are a resourceful race known for their quick wit, keen senses, and nimble fingers. Like their cousins the Lycan, they're trustworthy allies and form strong, lifelong bonds. Be warned if you cross a vulpine, however, they're known to hold grudges and will make plans to get you back.

Tricksters

Vulpine have a reputation for pulling pranks and tricks on others. While this is somewhat exaggerated, many vulpine consider their wit to be their greatest asset, and being able to outsmart your opponent is seen as a greater victory than defeating them in battle. Humor, hijinks, and a good ruse are all meant in good fun and to build bonds with others. If a vulpine tricks you, you're expected to trick them back in the future. This reciprocation, unfortunately, is a cultural norm lost on most other species.

Graceful Build

Only slightly less varied in appearance than their lycan cousins, vulpine come in a variety of fur colors, sizes, and shapes. Typically, they have large ears, bushy tails, long snouts, and retractable claws. Coat colors range from snowy whites to deep blacks, autumn reds to sandy yellows. Some have spots or bands of different colors, such as white tail tips or dark grey circles around the eyes. Fur typically takes on a darker, richer texture in colder months, and a lighter one in the warmer months. They're often physically slender; their long limbs moving gracefully as they seemingly glide from place to place. Contrary to old folktales, they don't live for five-hundred years, though some vulpines certainly wouldn't mind.

Folktale Culture

Vulpine history is inextricably tied to vulpine myth - real events and people from the past have become folk heroes and fables to drawn morals or entertainment from. If you directly compare lycan and Vulpine histories of events that both related species were witness to, you'd find a much drier and more accurate version of events in lycan history, and a much more compelling and narratively driven version of events in the vulpine history. Scholars who study vulpine histories and folktales must take great care to try and separate the actual events from the artistic liberties taken by the writers.
The most common folk hero in vulpine myth, found in almost all vulpine societies across the World, is the Nine-Tailed Fox, a mythologized ancestral hero-king who had magic so powerful it couldn't be contained in one tail. The Fox used his wits and powers of illusion to outsmart and outmaneuver every foe who challenged him on his quest, eventually becoming leader of the first vulpine society.
You can use the vulpine personality table to determine a personality trait or to inspire a mannerism for your character.

d6	Personality Trait
1	I lie about my age to strangers.
2	I tend to use hyperbole and over dramatize events.
3	I'm truly bad at pranks and practical jokes, but I keep trying.
4	I enjoy using magic for entirely mundane tasks that don't require it.
5	I've parted a lot of fools from their coin, and have no plans to stop.
6	I downplay threats and issues to seem more capable than I really feel.

Vulpine Names

Vulpine names are derived from folktales and ancient lore of their people. Most names are pronounced quite differently in Vulpix, but have been adapted to better suit speakers of Common. Vulpine have pack names like lycan, but these normally aren't used, and relate to ancestral lands.
Female Names: Inari, Kuma, Jing, Marian, Vish.
Male Names: Huli, Keaton, Kit, Robin, Vuk.
Pack Names: Alois, Delphi, Hushen, Rainard, Umessa.

Vulpine Traits

Your vulpine character has the following species traits:
Ability Score Increase Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age Vulpine age and mature near the same rate as other species.
Alignment Vulpine lean towards chaotic alignments.
Size Your size is medium.
Speed Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision You possess superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Nine-Tailed Spirit You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed. In addition, you know the Minor Illusion cantrip. Your spellcasting ability for this spell is your choice of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.
Sly Fox You have proficiency in the Stealth and Deception skills. In addition, choose one terrain: arctic, desert, forest, grassland, mountain, or urban. While you are in that terrain, you have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to remain hidden.
Language You speak Common and Vulpix.

Origin/Ancestry

Lusia

Lifespan

65

Average Height

5'

Average Weight

110 lbs.

Related Organizations

• Lusia

Vulpine Reputation

While the stereotypes of old have lost some of their sway among the folk of the World, many still see the fox-folk as somewhat untrustworthy due to the cultural traditions of pranks and riddles. The upper-class vulpine of the world carry an air of nobility and intelligence into their dealings with other species, but traveling vulpine merchants or fortune tellers are often the first to be accused of stealing a coin purse or swiping from a market. If presented with an otherwise identical vulpine and Swynn side-by-side, most folk would judge the vulpine as being more noble, but the swynn as more trustworthy.

Fox Fashion

Traditional vulpine clothing has become one of the go-to styles for nobility and the wealthy across the World. Made of flowing silks across a spectrum of vibrant colors and accessorized with jewels, feathers, and furs, the striking designs are adaptable to any climate. Footwraps are often used in place of boots or shoes, bolts of silk contrasted to the outfit are used rather than belts, and hats typical of other species are replaced with headscarves or tied bandanas. It's common for both vulpine women and men to wear jewelry or have piercings as well.

Meeting a Star

I still couldn't believe I'd won the drawing. Me, a humble timus bard, sitting with the Kalia Shalan after her performance! We were on opposite ends of a small table, a pot of coffee and a plate of pastries between us. She broke the silence. "May I tell you a secret? You didn't win by chance. I saw your name in the entries and picked you. I read your first book and quite enjoyed it."
I almost spat my drink out. Kalia famously demanded that any opera house she performed at raffle away seats for free, so the poor could attend as well. The past few, she'd also offered up a chance to meet her afterwards. She smiled her famous toothy smirk. "I thought being interviewed by you might be fun. So, bard, ask me whatever questions burn in your heart."
I went blank. I'd been given the privilege to speak with her one-on-one, the first since she'd returned to touring, and now all pressing questions had fled my mind. I simply spoke the first thing I thought of. "You liked my book?" I'd made her laugh.
We bounced from topic to topic, laughing and telling stories, time flying by. I looked out the window to see the sun rising. "Miss Shalan, I must say, you've shown yourself to be a very different woman than the one you're viewed as."
She snatched the last cookie from the table. "My dear Rodanté, I'd thought you'd figured it out by now. The woman you see on stage, the one who waves to crowds and poses for paintings, that's all part of the act. I've been playing a character since I was just a girl living on the street, inventing a new, sad story each day so strangers would put a coin or two in my hat. I'm a ruffian playing at being an opera star, and not even you have seen through my disguise."
I closed my journal. I wouldn't need to write that down to remember it. She'd suddenly given me the key that explained everything about her that didn't quite click into place. "You must know this is going in my next book."
She smiled once more, taking a bite from the cookie. "I've said nothing a charm spell or two can't erase."
-Rodanté