8) Magic: Kitsune abilities, foxmagic, and foxtails.

Kitsune were known for many abilities. The list of things kitsune were capable of seemed to change from story to story, but for the most part, many things were common enough to warrant being listed as 'kitsune powers'. These powers are called 'fox magic'.

Illusion

To a kitsune, their illusions are reality. What they make, for them, and for others, is as real as anything found or crafted in nature. Anything that a kitsune builds or transforms, becomes what the kitsune desired. A kitsune can make people, animals, and objects, which can't be distinguished from the real thing.

The more kitsune team up to make things, the more can be made. A handful of kitsune can build a city if they desired.

Realms

Kitsune, as spirits, have abilities that are hard to explain. One is the kitsune's domain. Kitsune are able to make small pockets in reality, folding space and time to suit their needs. They can turn a hole under a floorboard into a small estate, and turn a small field into a kingdom, complete with people, animals, and weather. Time seems to flow faster inside these realms. For every day in the real world, up to seven years can pass in the realm, for those who are in it.

Kitsune Seduction

A form of mind control, the kitsune ability of 'seduction' is one of the most commonly-mentioned skills in legends. By using their tail or tails in a swaying manner, or by meeting the gaze of a target, the kitsune is capable of taking over their mind. While under the control of the kitsune, the victim sees, thinks, and lives in a world designed by the kitsune, all inside the target's mind. The target is controlled until someone breaks the magic the kitsune's using. This mind control is purely by magic, mind you, and can be broken by certain magics, or wards.

Foxfire (Kitsune-bi)

By rubbing their tails together, a kitsune can make lightning or fire. The kitsune can also, to a small range, breathe out fire. Kitsune can also make small 'fox lanterns', by producing small balls of fire to float around them, and guide their way. This fire can be used as a weapon, or as a toy.

Possession

We went into detail about kitsune possession earlier, but to mention again... kitsune, being spirits, can possess things...

Shapeshifting

A kitsune can transform into anything found in nature. This means they can turn into trees, forests, rocks, water, or other people. The limits are that the transformation does not give them the innate abilities of the form they have taken, and they are vulnerable to what can harm that form. Kitsune who are possessing someone can not use this form of transformation, unless they are doing it through illusions.

The Kitsune's Ball

Kitsune have things called kitsune balls. What this is, is a small white ball. It doesn't glow, and doesn't appear to have any powers. The kitsune guard this ball closely, and if you can get your hands on one, you can have the kitsune promise to aid you.

Most kitsune use the ball just like it appears... a normal children's ball. One theory, though, is that the kitsune places a portion of their power into this item, while possessing mortals, or while in human form.

Kitsune tails

Kitsune are usually depicted as having more than one tail. The most commonly depicted are one-tails, five-tails, and nine-tails. For most kitsune, the number of tails shown is usually one. This could be for a number of reasons, though, including the idea that a kitsune could be in a human or fox, possessing it, or may have been born in a mortal body. In either case, why would the kitsune suddenly sprout more tails?

Some of the legends say a kitsune gains a tail every hundred years. Another myth says that a kitsune gains all nine tails when they reach nine hundred years old. When a kitsune becomes a nine-tail, their fur becomes either silver, white, or gold. This isn't a strong and fast rule, but it's what is seen most often.

To the kitsune, the number of tails they have are a show of prestige, skill, age, and rank. A kitsune may gain a tail for bringing honour to their family and clan, or could lose one for breaking kitsune law. A kitsune may also lose a tail, by dying, but this isn't always the case, considering Tamamo-no-mae was killed more than once, and was still a nine-tail.

Kitsune don't ask for extra tails. Instead, they are simply rewarded for their actions, or punished. Some kitsune train under others, hoping to gain wisdom and favour with their teachers. Some kitsune even take quests or go on journeys, to gain wisdom or power, hoping to find ways to gain in prestige and rank among the other kitsune, or with The Lady or Inari.

The Lady

The Lady. Either a ten-tailed kitsune, or a thousand-tailed kitsune. Either can be correct, but I am not certain. As it stands, she is unique. There are no other kitsune with more than nine tails. She is the mother of the kitsune race, and all serve her in one manner or another.

I can understand her having a thousand tails, since having so many can make sense, from the Indian origins of this race. As it stands, she is unique, and she is the archetype of all kitsune.

From FoxKnight, when we discussed The Lady:

This rings of the Indian "Ten-thousand-armed-god" philosophy. This would also make sense if the Kitsune myth was originated in India, as you have said before.

New question: tail philosophy. The multi-armed god image is fairly easy to understand, as a metaphor of the multi-faceted ways which the supreme being could interact with the earth (i.e. an arm for each member of the spirit hierarchy under the deity's control, or possibly an arm for each element or power it possesses) but what is the symbol behind the tail? This is certainly the driving force behind the mythological power of the Kitsune. Why the multi-tails?

FoxKnight raised a very good question when he asked me this, and I have yet to come up with a good answer. One theory someone presented to me, is that each tail is a step of enlightenment. They used this theory to argue that since there is only nine steps, there is no Lady, since she has ten (or more) tails. Hmm... could being truly enlightened surpass each step? If so, The Lady could have surpassed the nine-steps. It's worth debating, but not here.

Kitsune Weaknesses

Religion

Those of certain faiths who actually possess faith (read: Clerics, Priests, Monks, Healers) do not see kitsune illusion. In fact, if they touch an illusion made by a kitsune, the illusion will dissolve. The distruction of a kitsune's illusions by faith is a traumatic event to a kitsune, as their concept of reality gets destroyed.

Continuing on this vein, members who have faith can also remove the connection a kitsune has with someone who has been fed from, preventing the kitsune from being able to drain them again. They can also ward themselved from a kitsune's innate abilities, or protect someone from said abilities.