Latest revision as of 00:54, 1 June 2005

A Tiffa/Challenge character. I think I'll take a lot more time with this one. Lunar! Changing Moon! Physical-Social-Mental! Survival, Stealth, Dodge, Larceny, Medicine!

Kumiho, the Invisible Fox Prince (Challenge #2)

"Gather round, children, and a tale I shall tell you,
of a wondrous Prince of Foxes
and his magical ways;
And if you listen close
And are quick when you look
You may see the Invisible One;
But not for long."

 -Legend of the Invisible Fox Prince

The Magical Fable of the Wondrous Invisible One

To the reader- this baudy folktale, told amongst the people of the East who know the tales of Kumiho, is the story of his birth and training in the ways of the People of the Moon. It is unknown if this is the absolute true tale of these happenings, but as it is supposed to have been told to a blind farmer by the Duke of Illusions himself, we can be assured that it has some truth in it.

The Story of Tsukuya (The Birth of Kumiho)

Once upon a time, in the branches of Mu Hur, the Great Tree of Shelter, there lived a young woman named Tsukuya. Now Tsukuya was not a person of the Mu Hur People, who were tall and thin and had gourds for heads; she was a beautiful girl, you understand, of the Tall House People who live in the mountains on the edge of the Land of Sand, and her name was not a Tall House Person name, but a name of one of the Empress' People.
Because she was so beautiful (especially when compared to the ugly women of the Mu Hur people, with their lopsided heads and knobbly feet), all the Mu Hur People were jealous of her, and they forced her to live in a cramped knot-house on the north side of the Great Tree of Shelter, where the cold winds blow from the Land of Snow. She lived all alone in the knot, with only a cloak for a bed and a little pot to keep her things in, and all day long she scavenged among the lower branches for the scraps that the Mu Hur People dropped when they ate their dinners of fruit (sloppily, of course).
Eventually, Tsukuya learned that all the the Mu Hur Men were repulsed by their women (You would be, too, if your woman was 7 feet tall and gangly like a giant, and had a head the shape of a mouldy squash). She discovered that it would be very profitable for her to sell her body, which the Mu Hur Men lusted after, and, like any young, impulsive woman, she did so, and gradually saved up enough money from her sales that she had nearly enough to leave.
But then, the Mu Hur Women came stamping to her door, incensed and extremely angry (You would be, too, if your husband had been lumping around all day with some jiggly tramp with a rounder head than yours). They struck Tsukuya's door over and over, until they left a great huge dent in it.
Tsukuya, of course, came to the door and opened it. The Mu Hur Women peered inside, only to see their husbands, standing about, waiting their turn. Naturally, Tsukuya was embarrassed (for herself), the Mu Hur Men were frightened (of their women), and the Mu Hur Women became even angrier (at both Tsukuya and their men).
Immediately, the Mu Hur Women rushed to seize her and toss her from the Great Tree of Shelter, to fall to her death many feet below (which was, of course, the punishment which was given for crimes, insults, or general dislikability among the Mu Hur People), but the Mu Hur Men (who were in actuality rather decent despite their harridan wives) ran forward to save her, and in the resulting scuffle, Tsukuya was, indeed thrown from the tree, and fell, down, down, down, into the deep forest floor, where she fell into a deep pile of loam which was the nest of ibeku-bird.
Very soon, though, Tsukuya discovered that she was alive, which she knew because she sat up and was not faced with the ghostly choir of her ancestors (who would have, no doubt, nagged her unmercifully about her rather short, dull, and boringly-immoral life), but with a rather different sort of choir, that of the Flute God, Basho, who said to her:
"Hello there, little mortal. What manner of person are you who drops from above like the pepesh-fruit?"
To which replied Tsukuya:
"I am not a pepesh-fruit, but I do have juicy flesh!"
The Flute God chuckled, and blew upon his flute a merry tune. Then, he said:
"Dear girl, you have a leaf in your hair."
Tsukuya reached up and with her dainty fingers plucked the leaf from her long black hair. When the leaf came out, there also leapt out Kumiho, the little fox-boy, the Invisible Fox Prince, who laughed and leapt and kissed his mother, and then, promptly, ran away, knocking over the Flute God, Basho, in his haste.
Tsukuya, of course, was terribly surprised, not aware that she had been with child, but since the birth had not ruined her figure, nor caused her any sort of pain, and since she had never met her child, she was unconcerned within a moment, and went on to marry Basho the Flute God, with whom she had many adventures with which we are not concerned.

The People of the Moon

Kumiho, who was a little child, whirled through the forest, dashing amongst the trees and prancing upon the heads of the very surprised Sloth People who were consumed with climbing slowly about on the floor of the woods.
As he pranced, Kumiho became aware that he was being followed (for he was no normal child but a magic boy who knew himself), and hid himself within a hollow strip of bamboo. Watching from the tip of the leaf, the Prince of Foxes watched as a great huge bore, covered in silver scars, burst forth from the brush and grunted loudly.
But the boar then raised itself upon it's hind legs and sat down heavily, and said: "You may come out, little fox-boy. We People of the Moon know you are there."
Sheepishly came forth the little boy, and stood before the scrutiny of the boar, who said: "I am King Boar."
Immediately thereafter emerged many of the People of the Moon- one-eyed Queen Lemur, grumpy old Hornbill Warrior, the slithery Master Snake, and of course, Wolf, who was king of all the People of the Moon in all of the Creation.
Said King Boar: "What shall be done with this child who is upon our lands?"
"Eat him, eat him!" shouted Queen Lemur, who was one of those horrible women who think they are better than men.
Hornbill Warrior shook his black-and-red beak, and ruffled his feathers, and said: "I shall take him in my beak and snap his spine like a twig, I shall. We People of the Moon must provide a harsh example, lest other young boys think to trespass upon our lands and steal our fruits and magic silver."
Dropping from a tree, Master Snake said in his sibilant hiss: "I ssshall sssstrangle him, and we'll drop hissss body in a lake for the Water God to eat."
But then, they all sat and respectfully looked toward Wolf, who was sitting with a solemn look on his face.
Wolf stood up, and circled Kumiho. He sniffed him up and down, and left and right, and examined his eyes and hands and leg, and tasted the magic in the air. And when he was done, he went back to his place, took out his pipe, filled it with smokeleaf, and began to puff contentedly upon it. Then, he opened his mouth as if to speak and said:
"Wu."
Kumiho was quite surprised: "Wu? Is this all you have to say for sniffing about and prodding? I am offended!"

... More to come ...

His Magnificent Person

Human Form: Compared to the staggering array of brilliant and regal forms given him in his tales, Kumiho's human form is almost disappointing. He is a short, whip-thin, lithe man with long arms and legs. He has dark-brown eyes with epicanthic folds and a flattish nose. His teeth are white and clean but gapped in the front. His hair is a lank and shiny-black, hanging in wide strips around his head and in his eyes. He has bushy sideburns. He appears very young, perhaps early 20s at most.
He rarely uses this form- most often he utilizes a similar form with more pleasing features and golden hair, that of the leader of the tribe which he sometimes leads.
In both of these forms, Kumiho's Tell is quite obvious- a long, flowing fox tail. He wears long, knee-length sleeveless jackets, and silken fineries, and wears his famous Extensible Spear hanging on a golden chain from his belt. He goes barefoot most of the time.
Kumiho's movements and gestures are smooth and rapid. They seem slightly slippery, as if one cannot quite grasp the point. He illustrates his words with slow, silky gestures and enthusiastic little snaps. He seems to be very endearing.
His voice is melodious and smooth; he speaks with a slight Eastern accent, and has a very small lisp.

Animal Form: Kumiho's animal form is that of a large and sleek red fox. His dark liquid eyes hold a revealing intelligence, and his movements have more in him of nobility than of the sly cunning native to the fox.

Heavenly Literature of the Duke Of Illusions

Name: Kumiho (styled the Invisible Fox Prince, Duke of Illusions, et cetera)
Concept: Extravagant shapeshifting Robin Hood who harries the Guild
Nature: Gallant
Caste: Changing Moon

Virtues:

Compassion: 1

:Succor: 

Temperance: 2

:Cunning: 

Conviction: 4

:Mettle: 

Valor: 2

:Valor: 

Attributes:
Physical: Strength 4, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4
Social: Charisma 4, Manipulation 4, Appearance 2
Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3

Abilities:
Survival 3, Melee 3, Brawl 2, Stealth 4, Dodge 4, Larceny 3, Medicine 1, Awareness 3, Craft 2

Backgrounds:

Artifact - 2
The legendary Extensible Spear, weapon of heroes, wielded by Kumiho, and by the Great Hornbill Warrior before him, and created to battle the eight-eyed evil sorceror Bat.

Cult - 1
His myth cycle and folktales are well known, but it is a rare few who view Kumiho as a god. Shrines to him are tiny, household affairs, where self-reliant individuals and those who require blessings of thievery pray to him as the Duke of Illusions.

Heart's Blood - 3
Kumiho can take the shape of two rather ordinary looking humans (a male and a female) and of a selection of ten animals from throughout the eastern forests, including a small elk, a forest dog, a badger, and a pair of birds.

Mentor - 1
Kumiho's mentor, an elderly and ailing Lunar named Shadows Under Water, is possessed of a supernatural disease which eats away at his Essence and cripples his mind. He is thus unable to leave to visit anyone, much less the well-traveled Kumiho. The Prince of Foxes, for his part, has very occasionally visited out of sense of obligation, but he was not an apt pupil during his tutelage, and was never very close to Shadows Under Water.

Renown - 3
There is a cycle of legends told of Kumiho among many of the people of the East, and he is a known (though not generally readily familiar) name through the Silver Pact. Due to his insouciant manners and lack of respect for tradition, many elders consider him a young upstart (though some more respect his courage and brazen nerve).

Charms:

Shapeshifting: Finding The Spirit's Shape, Hide Of The Cunning Hunter, Masking The Brilliant Form, Humble Mouse Shape
Unarmed Combat: Body Weapon Technique
Melee Combat: Sensing the Deadly Flow
Perception: Sense-Sharpening Change, Every-Wary Fox Technique
Stealth: Stealthy Fox Method, Chameleon Skin Disguise

Base Initiative: 6

Inspired Commentaries of the Divine

WORK IN PROGRESS!