Background
In 1770 the reign of Empress Go-Sakuramachi was in full tilt in Japan, but all was not well in her kingdom. Her royal palace in Kyoto had been leveled by a Tsunami, the country was suffering from drought and there had by this point been two serious attempts on her life. This strife isolated her from both her family and her childhood friends, There were few to trust and fewer still she could confide in. The Empress grew depressed, increasingly withdrawn and the court grew only more concerned as time passed. Petitioners were turned away, and even serious matters often took days or weeks to be resolved. It seemed then, that Japan was bound for a very troubling time.
Enter Akane and Eito Yoshida, a young couple retained as servants to the palace. Akane in her own time had been a Shrine Maiden to the Goddess Inari before she met her husband, and Eito was renowned for his work as a flower arranger. They were the definition of harmless, removed completely from courtly complications. In april of that year The Empress met Akane by chance alone, and stopped the young servant to ask her what she would name her child. The conversation lingered upon names, and then moved onwards but it didn't stop. Slowly it became less a discussion between an Empress and her servant, and more of a chat between two women. By the end of that week Akane was promoted to the Empress's handmaiden, and from there the friendship grew steadily. She found comfort in Akane's company, and the two grew rapidly into what was widely recognized as a true friendship. Eito and Akane accordingly prospered, and it was expected their child would in time enjoy the patronage of the Empress as well.
On the first of July, the Empress attended a play on the outskirts of Kyoto with her Akane and Eito in tow. Upon their return the royal carriage halted unexpectantly, and Eito stepped out to see what the trouble was. He found the carriage abandoned, and when he heard the shouting of guards rushing towards towards them he turned without heeding their warnings. He never saw the sword which pierced his heart from behind, and he fell where he stood. Akane rushed foreward, reaching for her husband as he fell and received a single savage swordblow to the head as a result. Collapsing in the doorway of the carriage, she bought the Empress precious seconds. Enough time for her guard to catch up and save the life of the Empress, but Eito was dead and Akane seemed sure to follow.
With the best doctors the Empress could find, Akane lingered on. The Empress retreated to the nearby shrine to Inari to pray for Akane and her child, but her prayers were not completely answered. Akane however passed, though doctors were able to save the child. The Baby however seemed largely unresponsive, and doctors had little hope it would survive to see the morning. So the Empress wrapped the child in a fine silken bundle, and returned to the Shrine to pray oncemore with the child at her side. Just before morning, a brilliant comet (Lexell's comet incidentally) lit up the night sky and momentarily distracted the Empress looked away. Just enough time, for a many tailed fox to snag the child's bundle and spirit him away.
Inari for her part had both heard these prayers, and had been moved. It was however beyond her power to repair the child such as it was, so she saw fit to preserve his life in her own way. She bound his soul to her service, and made him into a Kitsune. He would be named for his father in time, and young Eito was moved well South to a secluded shrine to be raised. Inari has but eighty eight Kitsune, and whilst most had been turned as the children it had been many years since the last had been turned. So Eito would spend his early years cared for by shrine maidens and a number of elder Kitsune who were more than happy to help raise the child. As he grew older he was taught the skills necessary for his position, from the tools of war to those of espionage.
There are but eighty eight Kitsune in all the world, and whilst they are best known as divine messengers they have a number of additional duties. They stand as the eyes and ears of Inari, but lesser known is the fact that they also act as her claws when necessary. So by the time Eito was eighteen, he ventured beyond the shores of Japan to begin his work. He spent his initial years of his service wandering China, sending what he learned back home to Inari. Eventually he settled down in present day Tibet, then under chinese rule. Here Eito would remain to act primarily as a messenger between the Dalai Llama and Inari, and whilst occasionly over the next hundred and seventy years there would be cause for him to take up the sword? He spent the majority of this time in relative peace.
1949 brought about the Communist revolution in China, and by 1950 the communist fervor had reached tibet. In the world of divine politics, Inari considered Buddhism to be harmless at worst. The wholescale war on any religious devotion however, gave her cause to worry and so she let Eito off the leash. Unfortunately Kitsune often end up working alone, and they simply aren't built for proper open warfare. He did the best he could, first with his blade and then with captured enemy arms. He adapted quickly, doing what he could to make the best of the situation but it was never quite enough.
Eito fell back into playing a proper clandestine warrior, because whilst there was a proper resistance movement on the ground they would only slow him down. He poured sand in crank cases, he blew bridges and caused rock slides over high mountain passes. He cut phone lines, jammed radio signals, blew up ammo dumps and generally did everything he could to make life hard on the chinese. He picked off lone sentries, granted officers the honor of his sword, and left taunting signs and graffiti where he could. Chinese reports actually mention sightings of a "Huli Jing", an Immortal fox spirit from folklore. CIA intercepts of these messages are about as confused as you can imagine.
By 59' the Dalai Llama had fled the country, and the Chinese had smothered the country under force of arms. Eito had by this point spent nine years at war, and for the most part he'd done it all by himself. He'd had his fill of combat years before, and he was rapidly losing his edge. The sustained effort had taxed Eito to his limit, and he was starting to get injured more seriously and more often. He'd simply found his absolute limit, and it was really only a matter of time before he got himself killed for good. With the war lost, and another Kitsune entirely now working as messenger for the Dalai Llama? Inari pulled Eito out, and granted him a period of time to wander before starting his next assignment.
Eito grabbed a flight out of India without a note of complaint, and spent some time back home in Japan to cool off and recharge his batteries. He crashed at a quiet temple, ate junkfood, listened to rock'n roll and genuinely just lazed about. By 61' he'd made his way to California, bought himself a Karmann Ghia and made his way Eastward. He used the opportunity to explore much of the US, get used to the food and of course put the polish on his American English. He settled into his new assignment that winter, New York City. With caped heroes running about, the UN Headquarters and no end to the politcal intrigue well there is no end of the dirt to dig up.
IC Events
Traits
- Kitsune shapes: Kitsune have three basic shapes they may take as the situation warrants, but despite the rumors only one of these shapes has any inherent juju. They have a singular Human guise, which is entirely mortal in it's capabilities. There is a regular fox shape as well, but this too is gifted only as much as a regular mortal fox. The show stopper then is the shape in between, the bipedal fox Kitsune are so well known for. It gains no real additional height or bulk over it's human shape, but it does gain fox ears, fox tail and so fourth. This form in particular is capable of supernatural feats of dexterity, agility and speed. With sword in hand Eito can reliably swat bullets out of the air, sprint upwards of fifty miles an hour and clear twelve foot fences with aerobatic flourish. The penalty for being such a hard target however, is high. Eito has no additional strength over a mortal man, nor any additional durability. At full sprint a spill alone may well put him out of a fight, and any blow landed is likely to have a detrimental effect on his agility. The actual transformation is quick, and accomplished with an audible crash and a flash of light. In doing so clothing and small incidentals tend to vanish, returning when the previous form is retaken. Things like swords and firearms, anything with much metal or of a complicated nature will not "store" with these alternate shapes. So swords, firearms and so fourth must be carried manually if needed no matter the shape change. They may not be entirely immortal, but with lifespans in excess of a thousand years or so they might as well be. Granted, Kitsune have a high enough rate of attrition that it may be moot in the end.
- Fox Magic: Eito is far from a sorcerer by any means, Kitsune in general lack the raw magical juice to be particularly effective spell casters. They do have magic however, albeit archiac and at times clumsy. Kitsune magic then, is paper magic. The act of using specially prepared ink and applying it to likewise specially prepared paper, to construct a spell matrix and hold it in reserve. This method of spellcraft went out of fashion several hundred years ago amongst humans, and with good reason. It's inflexible, time consuming and the spells themselves are succeptable to damage. If the paper is torn, cut, burned or even just gets wet enough for the ink to run? Carrying too many of these spells at a time likewise tends to artificially damage the stored spell matrix, resulting in a fizzle. So 4-5 relatively minor spells, which are delicate and must be previously prepared. The advantage here is solitary, and thats the speed at which the spells actually light off. Once the paper is brought up and the power word spoken, it basically goes off by itself. The power of these spells is limited however, broken bones or similar may heal in days instead of weeks but no quicker. They are well known for their usage of teleportation of course, but this is very short range stuff (under 20ft) and usually combined with a simple illusion to create the appearance of far more sophisticated spellcraft than actually possible.
- Divine Messenger: When Inari wants to get in touch with somone from a distant pantheon of divine entities, or even mortals or whomever? Well that's the job Kitsune were made for, and they enjoy a few perks along the way. Messages from Inari might come every twenty or thirty years, if she's feeling particularly chatty. When they do come however, Kitsune are typically given directions for delivery and sent merrily on their way. This works both ways however, and with sufficiently skillful use of arcane ritual or good old fashioned godly might a Kitsune may be summoned. Sending messages back to Inari, or even her precious intelligence dispatches at least is simple enough. Theres some classical paper magic, some spoken words and then the message is burned and sent to Inari directly. Of course sending her junk mail is likely to raise her ire, and harassing a divine messenger is frequently frowned upon by those with a more courtly point of view.