Kitsune
Kitsune are based on Japanese folklore and have come in a wide variety of interpretations. Below is my interpretation of Scarterran Kitsune.
Kitsune all have innate shape changing powers. Their true form is a fox-humanoid hybrid. They can also take the form of normal foxes or normal humans. While "normal", they are usually aesthetically pleasing, taking the form of very attractive humans or very handsome foxes with full shiny coats. Kitsune are highly magical and always have additional powers in addition to shape changing, but two random Kitsune will probably won’t have the power set.
Kitsune are sometimes nicknamed “nine tails,” but only the oldest and wisest kitsune actually have nine tails. Kitsune grow additional tails as they grow in age and mystic power.
After childhood, Kitsune, like most Fae, no longer age much, so counting their tails is the only reliable way to guess a Kitsune's age.
Kitsune can hide their tails whenever they wish but most like to flaunt their tails whenever they can. This can sometimes be a problem. Almost any Fair Folk that dies in the material plane can have their corpse harvested for reagents but Kitsune tails are especially valuable reagents, so some Scarterrans are tempted to murder them for their tales.
In their true form, Kitsune have sharp claws and teeth, but they are rarely front line fighters. Kitsune are nimble but rarely very strong, so their claws and teeth are not very effective against an armored opponent.
Their magics tend to favor enchantment, illusion, trickery, and rarely have many brute force magic abilities, but Kitsune favor versatility. Most older Kitsune eventually learn a few heavily damaging magical tricks.
About 30% have mild air aspect and about 30% have mild water aspects. About 40% are a hodgepodge of other elemental makeups.
Whether part of the the major courts or one of the minor or acting as a lone agent, Kitsune are socially oriented and love to play games of intrigue and influence.
Kitsune grow new tails as they get older. Babies have a little stub of a tail which takes about five years to grow enough to resemble an actual fox tail.
After the first tail, additional tails have a very small transition phase growing from stub to full tail in a few weeks or even a few days. Typically each new tail takes longer to appear than the previous one. Something along the lines of 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, 40 years, 80 years, etc. New tails often start appearing after a life changing event or epiphany. Kitsune usually undergo their Final Change after around a thousand years of life. Being natural shapeshifters, Kitsune Remnants can take almost any form though they usually have some throwback to having several tails such as a vine heavy plant.
Kitsune can survive losing a tail (or more than one tial) and the tails grow back fairly quickly, but their new replacement tails are never as beautiful as the original and their powers and psychology are never exactly the same afterwards. Kitsune that lose one or more tails in life frequently turn into predatory and violent Remnants after their death or Final Change.
Essentially, a Kitsune’s birth Echo is that they are extremely ill effected if their tails are chopped off. At that same time, while Kitsune can hide or retract their tails, they don’t like to. They have a psychological compulsion to show them off out of vanity.
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