"We wear the mask that grins and lies..."
Displaying a toned body, Okori stands at roughly six feet, a sight to be seen as he towers over most of the rabble the humans identify with their caste. One moment his amber eyes are drifting lazily about, the next they are filled to the brim with eccentricity, gleaming brightly despite the circumstances. His hair is whiter than his skin, almost resembling the likes of snow. It is also cut short, mainly due to the facet that it fits his style; guys with long hairs, blegh.
Okori's fur sports the same color, giving his ears and tail a snowy pigmentation, though he does attempt to keep his ears hidden to mimic the appearance of humans. Speaking of his tails, there is only one that protrude from him, which is usually a sure sign of him being a full fledged young adult, age-wise.
What this Kitsune lack is a frown on his face; there is no time when you do not see Okari beaming, whether a person is rubbing his belly or is downright being a crude maniac. Nothing seems to really ruin his mood, seemingly... though, there is an off chance that it could be artificial. His amber eyes are always glowing with some sort of hyperactive excitement. Along with that, his visage is moderately feminine.
"My name is Sable! Pleasure ta' meetcha' pal!"Name: Okori
"Look, I know I kinda' look like a girl, but I'm clearly a male, see!"Gender: Male
"I've lost count!... kind of... I'm about a hundred years old, alright?!"Age: one-hundred, though Okori looks to be in his twenties
"Lemme' tell ya, I'm a foxy kinda guy!"Race: Kitsune
"Ooh, ooh, if you think I'm handsome now, let me help ya getta load of this! Bam! Furrier than ever! Now rub my belly!"Alternate Appearance:
If you believed Okari to be a giant in his regular form, then you haven't taken note of what he considers his true form. A beast of a size, he stands about eight feet tall, and "discards" his clothes for a much more furry visage. His face undergoes metamorphosis, taking on a more fox-like appearance, such as adopting a snout which is very, very sensitive to smell. Along with that, the one tale elongate in length and girth, taking on a more bushy appearance. Loves to have belly rubs in this form or be used as a bed.
"It hides our cheeks..."Personality:
Playful and sociable, Okori is a peppy little Kitsune who is very outgoing. In fact, he always goes around with his trademarked smile, giving everyone good cheer and welcomes to others. He seems always ready to crack a pun or two, along with glomping people from time to time; his own master is not excepted from this rule (unless she politely asks him not to do it). Along with that, he seems very energetic, to the point of hyperactivity and ricocheting off walls like a super bouncy ball. This could get annoying from time to time around others, but he seems too oblivious to notice, unless told directly.
There is a mischievous side to our foxy little friend, as most, if not all Kitsunes love to tease and mess around with their human counterparts and Okori is no different. Playing off of what people like, he will alternate between magic and mouth in bewitching others. Eventually, once they fall into his trap, he would probably care less over how they react, depending on who they are. May stop playing tricks if you ask nicely, and...
Okori harbors the same lust that drove many a Kitsune from his village, albeit, unconditionally - the thirst for knowledge over the outside world. Whether it is news over the discovery of a new species or learning over new expansions in the realm of magic, he seems to enjoy it all. It isn't unusual for him to be poking around a library with his partner, or solo in a sense. Seems not too adverse to trying out fresh things, unless it results in any mutilation of his body.
There is a side to him that only one human knows - his hatred for humans. His personality is rather genuine, but only truly to his only friend. Okori abhors them for reigning "power" over others, controlling them like a puppet show. No matter when he goes, he sees the same thing - greed and lies. It's a very, very slow process to get him to truly open up, seeing as he is very xenophobic... With his angered nature, there's another layer to him in which he acts completely solemn and cool to boot... which still somewhat makes him sound irritated.
Above all, prove you aren't some jerkass human, and he might make another exception...
"... and shades our eyes..."Bio:
Wandering the lands for years on ends, the olden nomads known as Kitsunes faded into mere legend. Most of these people were descendants of outlanders, Kitsunes who were dragged from their realms and taken hostage as slaves to serve humans. Their longevity and wit outlasted the humans, their hatred boiling and building. Garnering enough power, the rebelled and fled into the wilds, traversing far away from the prying eyes of the Themis, concealing their path so they might never be pursued. Through their endeavors, they built up hatred against humans that was passed down through generation by generation.
Very seldom did a lone Kitsune drift away from the tribes, forging their own destiny or wishing to discover what the humans were truly like. Either way, they would no longer be slaves. They were content with life on this land; a stray human or two came out this far, but not in droves to disturb the peace and force them to locate... and thankfully, the singular wanderer who departed came back, bearing news and tales of what monsters they grew to be.
Oroki grew up as any other Kitsune babe - born, instructed over the books brought back and replicated, along with their own versions of history to compare and contrast. Through these, Oroki's knowledge expanded, but yet it continued to extend even more. His thirst for wisdom could not be quenched and he soon would set off in discovery, to truly find what these magi were like himself. His xenophobia chained, when he grew older til the age of twenty-five, he eventually left; his friends and family honoring his decision.
Though it took myriads of years to navigate back, he used what information he procured, burning it into his mind... before literally using it as flames. It couldn't hurt to be wary of outsiders, no? After all, humans did put them into forced servitude with awful conditions, so exercising caution would help. Whenever he neared a human, he would always be anxious to approach or talk, instead watching from the shadows of the men and women...
That's when he caught a glimpse of the poor treatment of non-human species. It horrified him, to say the least and reinforced what teachings... but they all didn't worry over such petty squabbles, correct? One rotten apple truly won't spoil the bunch. Eventually, after evading the eyes of wizards, he discovered more life in the Kingdom of Themis... but by then, he was cynical... believing humans to be nothing but mongrels who abused what "rights" they had, excluding others.
It was nauseating.
These creatures were very much akin to his own, though, some lacking fur, others displaying scales. So these were the certain species those books mentioned... dryads to dog people, brothers and sisters in arms. Even worse was the malign treatment which made him broil with rage. To top that off, the politics quite frankly just pissed him off. This was supposed to be simple, yet they argue and fight over the pettiest of things...
... and have a lust for power.
Every where he went, those filthy beings always vied for control over others, even the nurturing land herself was a victim to this growing corruption. This felt so inhumane... and he distasted it. Over fifty years later, living in the shadows,
NOTHINGS changed to him, save his armor souring. They invoked many things - pity, anger, and above all untrustworthiness. As much as he wanted to return home due to this appalling sight, the maltreatment of the poor souls working as slaves got the better of him.
Like a prisoner, he was chained there, feeling the need to help or improve their every day lives. First off, it started with bringing them an extra set of stolen meat or cheese secretly. Over time, he created notes encouraging the slaves to hold on to hope... too bad he did not account over if they were instructed over
how to read. His help only solidified things fleetingly, though life continued to be hard on the slaves, even more so per usual. There was some fear sewn among the fleshy masses of grins and lies with this intervention, not only putting him on high alert, but inspiring horror into him.
The enslaved races were treated with impudence and much more harshly than usual, to the point where some of them corroded and broke down. With thievery in hand, he saw that most of the slaves were returning the meat and surrendering the letters of encouragement (which would in no doubt look like an uprising due to what was written). Even more so, some of the slaves submitted their own food, much to the Kitsunes displeasure. Filled with remorse and grief, Okori resorted to one last thing, one last action that all Kitunes were fabled of.
Trickery.
Whether malicious or playful, the myth had his eyes set on a target - one of the so called "nobles" who falsely held power over the races. He took every resource he could, altering the shadows to his advantage, increasing the mans paranoia. On top of that, he altered his appearance through the use of illusions due to the facet that he could be indoctrinated into becoming a "familiar." Unless someone truly earned some of his trust, that was an idea he called moronic.
Over time, he made the man lose some of his sanity, little by little, causing most to view him as unstable. Eventually, most of the other nobles staged a coup, ousting the man and his family, causing their foundations to crumble. The glory and satisfaction of watching him fall, and the added reason that the workers would be free from the tyranny of the
sun Themis Kingdom!... if it was only so simple. In a moments notice, they were forced into other households such as The Fares or The Soyala family in the blink of an eye.
This was a most ruinous outcome for the creature.
Even more so when a few mages were bargained with prodding into the reason behind the former nobles downfall, discovering some magic being involved in their investigation. This lead to some interrogation among the household, but there was a rumor floating around that was stigmatized - a familiar weaving themselves throughout the place, causing large amounts of disruption, resulting in some nobles verifying the integrity of their slaves out of fear.
Okori continued to live the life of a vagrant, deciding to make an invisible but fair trade over items. Herbs for spices, bloodied beef from his latest kill for fruits and vegetables, and so on... hauled in big game for whiskey and beer though, as he found that to be delicious. Hopefully the owners of bars and inns wouldn't mind the excess food that appeared with the disappearance of some mead. Hey, he may of despised humans, but he wasn't just going to rob them 24/7... still might of not been right though, but still...
This resulted in the rumors being spread around, over an invisible familiar giving some blessings to the commoners... of course, others stretched and twisted it, causing him to be viewed as someone who was to be stopped before he caused damage, while some thought him to be a holy figure. Either way, Okori didn't care - let them live their life the way they wanted.
This eventually lead to him almost being exposed by the guards and magi alike when he began scheming to cause the ruin of another household, the target being Soyala this time around. Reports of strange shadows appeared near there, prompting the dual groups to investigate. Melding into the shadows, Okori jumped from target to target, evading the lit areas of the realm. Soon, he ascended from the darkness, bludgeoning one of the mages over the head with a mace conceived from pure darkness. This disoriented the woman, but did not knock her out completely (as the mace dissolved after one blow), resulting in the others being alerted to his presence. Angry at himself, Okori ran, using his abilities to slink into the darkness, before running off again.
Once the groups were warded off, the fox concluded that the city of Themis would be crawling with higher amounts of guards now, increasing the difficulty in staying hidden. Saddened, this prompted the fox to leave, but not before undergoing a disguise, creating an illusion to give everyone the impression that he was a traveling alchemist. With his ears gone, that snow white hair gave way to ashen black as he traversed into the countryside. It was time to head home.
Okori had many more encounters with other people along the way, heralding a friendly facade. As he moved, he came upon an isolated building, far out in the wilderness. Much to his surprise, this place held hundreds if not thousands of books from what he discovered. Taking a gamble, he ventured into the house in the middle of the night, forcing a window open just slightly so he could crawl through with the use of his magic. Weaving through the window, he appeared from the shadows once more and picked up a book.
He was going to read all of these first, overstaying his visit, then leave.
Of course, he became consumed by the wisdom, finding most of the information interesting. Of course, on his first night there, he was overcome by a thirst and continued, not accounting for the caretaker living in the place... who seemed mildly surprised that someone invaded her private area, but seemingly accounted for the books from what the Kitsune accounted for... and let him, just... stay. She was quite the oddity indeed, but Okori just gave a fake smile to her, and accompanied her as they delved into knowledge. Even with her responses, the xenophobic Kitsune sloughed them off as nothing but humans lies.
Eventually, he felt the need to depart since he was sure this woman would get overly suspicious... that, or this was a conspicuous trap. Either way, he decided to validate if some of what she said was true. On the second day he was there, he announced that he wanted to repay the woman for her kindness, speaking of a treasure he wished to split with the lady. Taking her into the forest, he showered the woman with gleaming gold, jewels and gems...
This would whet a greedy humans excitement... except these items were really a large amount of rocks and boulders he shoved into a mound of sorts. While he expected the woman to salivate with exhiliration, she blankly looked at the pile and said they were all rocks, much to his surprised. Dropping the illusion, the Kitsune stared at the pile as the woman consoled him over his loss, before asking if they could bring a few of these back. This really bemused the Kitsune, who was honestly taken back by her eccentric attitude over rocks. It was like she found actual treasure herself... and yet... it did give him some hope for this person.
The Kitsune complied, grabbing some of the stones and shoving the boulder, the duo made their way back to her abode. After arranging the stones, the woman invited him to some tea. As they spoke, Okori admitted to her that it was a bit of a prank, seeing if she was somewhat sincere, hiding his hatred for humans behind the facet that he was duped more than once... then he had an epiphany. The woman saw through his magic, which meant... she saw him in his true garments, his snow white hair, hell, even his white clothes! Maybe. Regardless, he dismissed the illusion completely, not truly realizing that he dispelled it on accident earlier in the day. It was somewhat comforting to say the least that she didn't try to enslave him, even after this knowledge, though he would still keep a close eye on her.
She seemed excited to learn that he was a Kitsune, a mythical being faded into legend. Okori didn't bother talking about his village as he explained about what he could do. Eventually, they both asked each others names. Hers, Amelia, his Sable... he also explained that for specific reasons, he couldn't exactly give his name in full out to her... but he promised he might, one day. They chatted for hours, before retrieving their books to read. Amelia gave the trickster a home, despite everything... she was a bit naive in his eyes, but her kindness and pursuit for knowledge versus ephemeral power was nice.
While his view over humans remained skewed and jaded, his view over her softened over the nine years they lived together. He made an exception that this girl wasn't so bad, even putting up with some of his jests. Of course, she also gave a reasonable explanation for becoming a familiar, to which he begrudgingly agreed to, but not before requesting that he thought about it... this was another test of character, mind you. He accepted her proposal at the end of the week... and yet, when he was acting was one, nothing truly changed. Amelia never bothered abusing her status over Okori, and made mild requests to stop some of his jokes.
Living with her for nine years, there wasn't a dull moment with each exchange. There was a passerby who would talk about the news from time to time, or he would spin a story which may of been over his exploits or may of not been fabricated to Amelia. Eventually, his first tail finally grew, much to his excitement. The first stepping stone for him to becoming a full nine tailed fox was at hand! Okori felt a sense of accomplishment, and was overwhelmed with gratitude, resulting in the Kitsune delivering Amelia his real name. At his expense, he plead for her not to try and say his real name in public, reserving it for private one on one sessions. Either way, one-hundred more!... years until the next one...
...
When the news of a crown came to their house, Amelia was genuinely excited over this venture, talking about how there was this artifact, and she seemed fixated on studying it. Okori was more worried if the implications of this being a powerful magic artifact was true. Sure, he wouldn't stop Amelia from dating it, but he would request to probably steal it away and hide it where no one would ever find it. After all, who knew what the crown could be planning? After all, the only people he could essentially trust were his own kin, the enslaved beast-folk, and Amelia to an extent. Either way, he was ready to safeguard his friend on this little adventure... hopefully the others traveling were friendly, but he was fairly certain they wern't.
After all, they were humans.
Abilities/Skills/Magic:
Void Manipulation: Or in layman's terms, control over the darkness, the shadows, anything that provides a bit of shade, he can manipulate. This can come from literal maces that are pretty weightless to walls and people the size of him. So far, he can create darkened silhouettes that are as big as him, and can puppet them around. If he wants them to properly last, he must put some time into creating them as well as solidifying them, putting all his focus into said item. This takes some time and must be readied ahead of time to make the said thing effective. The longer he works on the item, the longer said item will last before fading into the shadows again, as these shapes have limited durability (also, depending on the size will . Even if not in use, they will disappear after a period of time, voiding the items until Okori conceives more again.
Another of his basic abilities is melding into the shadows, disabling him from attack, but keeps him from being harmed in the process. This allows for him to pull off stealthy maneuvers, however there has to be some form of shade in the process, otherwise it is completely nullified. He can also pull others into the realm of shadows, but they would have to act willingly to be dragged down into the sea of darkness. Along with that, he can hurl a ball of pure shadow energy at the assailant. Damage done is dependent on how real the opposing party believes it to be real (ex. the enemy thinks it won't do much; the attack doesn't hurt, bolstering his confidence, resulting in the attack being further weakened). Can easily pull this out of the blue, without relying much on charges.
Illusion Magic: Altering what someone perceives is one of the more inherent abilities of the Kitsunes, especially when it comes to deception. Oroki can visually change his appearance, along with other items around him to look like something else, but that is just the extent of his abilities. From making a person see a figure that isn't there, or make people hear shouting to distract them, Okori can disorient enemies... though depending on who said person is, if they are intelligent enough, they could see through the smoke. It gets stronger with age (and training).
Shape-shifter: Even without the familiar contract, Kitsunes can naturally turn from their true form to human form with ease... though, it does take myriads of years for one to accumulate this ability; guess that make Okori a lucky one, considering he could use this magic fifty years before naturally inheriting it. Transforming isn't exactly instantaneous, and can leave him open to attack for over ten to twenty seconds. Regardless, he seems more agile in beast form, and physically stronger in human form.
Elevated Senses: Since he was born a Kitsune, he has all the traits associated with being one, like a strong sense of smell and very sensitive hearing.
Hardened Drinker: When he was a thief, he did drink a lot of whisky, which lead him to becoming inured to becoming drunk. Okori has been doing this for over fifty years, and it has reached a point where a simple mug of mead won't affect him.
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