Fox Clan
The Fox Clan
One of the Great Animal Clans, the Fox Clan are a mischievous and powerful family of spirits hailing from Maboroshi Forest - an unexplored and treacherous woodland of Shimogakure perpetually surrounded by thick mist impenetrable even to talented Sensors. Said to be the masters of deception, cunning, stealth and trickery amongst the Animal Clans, the Fox Clan are the predominant wielders of illusions among the natural world. Wielding such powers, it is said that the Fox Clan are at once both the closest and furthest from Humanity - constantly stalking amongst them as capricious pranksters or curious sleuths - yet remaining completely unknown, hidden behind their veils and masks.
The Fox Clan prize matters of the mind and sharpness of tongue over direct conflict and mystical power - amongst them it is the most clever, the most persuasive and the most evasive that are vaunted. As such, they make for poor warriors and mystics compared to the Frog and Snake Clans, lacking the discipline or bravery needed for Sage or Warrior Arts. Very few, if any Humans have learned the Sage Arts from the Clan, as they lack a tutor's regimented mindset and insight to teach those without natural intuition for it. Instead, those with contracts to the Fox Clan often exhibit a heightened grasp of Genjutsu and other, subtler methods preferred by its members.
While not malicious, the Fox Clan are as much a bane as they are a boon to those who catch their attention. Curiosity, mirth and impulsiveness drive these creatures far more than any code of morality and - despite their elusive nature - they do not engage in half-measures. A poor refugee from the Wars to Shimogakure might find themselves inexplicably in the possession of a gift of brilliant gems, little knowing that elsewhere in the world an orphan that offended the Fox Clan now mourns the loss of her mother's necklace. Though typically associated with luck and misfortune in equal measure, the Foxes pride themselves not on being arbiters of fate - but spiteful of it - and enjoy little more than causing discord, for better or worse, in matters they consider overly stagnant or repetitive.
To those who make a contract with the Fox Clan, fealty is not paid in deeds, oaths or favours, but in keeping their interest piqued - those who stagnate or settle too long may find one day that their Summoning Jutsu goes ignored, or otherwise replaced with another, more chaotic creature than they were expecting. The Librarians of Shimogakure's Grand Library possess a somewhat cordial relationship with the Clan as - though not disciplined academics - many Foxes satiate their curiosity with the voracious acquisition of knowledge, secrets and stories, of which they return the favour in blessings of good fortune or secrets taken from other sources.
Their siblings are the Dog Clan and Cat Clan, who share a tenuous alliance that few Human scholars have been able to fully understand. To the Fox, the Dog is loyal and strong, but stupid and naïve - they fear the Dog's power, but mock what they believe to be a simple and brutish mind. The Cat instils much jealousy in the Fox - for the Cat's feline grace and powers of persuasion outmatch even theirs, but to the Fox they are also lazy and stagnant. Though the three will inevitably quarrel, bicker and - at times - fight over their rivalry until the end of their days, they are as siblings, and it is a rare case where one can truly threaten Cat, Fox or Dog without drawing the ire of the others.
Maboroshi Forest
As with many of the Sage Lands inhabited by the Animal Clans, Maboroshi Forest is both close by and far away. Mount Myōboku, ancestral home of the Toad Clan, is known to technically exist within the Land of Fire, but is known to be impossible to travavel to outside of mystical 'secret paths,' taught to the worthy by its inhabitants. Ryūchi Cave, sinister as the Snakes it houses, is hidden by the deaths of its explorers - none may say where it exists, for those that survive its clutches are sworn to secrecy. Maboroshi, in accordance with the fickle nature of its Clan, is not only well-known in its exact locale within Shimogakure, but lies so utterly unhidden that even a wandering child might enter it. To most, it is simply a large evergreen patch of forestry, shrouded by perpetual thick mist - to Sensors, it is unique in its obscuring haze betrays its supernatural power. Nothing - not Sensory Jutsu nor even the legendary Byakygan can pierce its mist very far, with even masters of the art stretching their perception a few dozen meters rather than kilometres.
Instead the Trial of the Fox is simple - to reach its centre where the Clan lives is all that is required to earn their respect. Unfortunately for wayward explorers, they show no restraint in treating those that enter Maboroshi as playthings. Even a seasoned explorer might find themselves walking in circles for many weeks beneath powerful illusions - or a warrior might be seduced by a creature from their dreams only to find themselves awoken beyond the trees' borders, missing their ancestral heirlooms as payment. The Foxes rarely kill intruders unless roused to anger, but their alien minds leave little empathy for Humanity's customs - some have entered the Forest and returned decades later, only to have aged a few days and found their friends and families lost to time. Only those who manage to make their way through the illusions - either by dispelling the trickery or entertaining the Foxes with their reactions - may find the settlement at its centre and bargain with the Sages for Summoning Contracts.
Fox Clan Techniques
Like the other Animal Clans, the Fox Clan have developed a wide array of abilities independant from Humanity. Though many of their more advanced abilities are beyond the scope of a shinobi - requiring their natural qualities as Sage Animals - it is not unknown for them to teach approximations of their mystical powers in the form of Jutsu. The final culmination of these, Sage Arts, is technically possible, but virtually unheard of from the Fox Clan - their own Sages are too flighty to dedicate serious time to training a Human in the craft.
Virtually all Fox Clan techniques are highly reliant on the manipulation of Yin energy and rely on a culmination of creative thinking, intuition and an adaptive mindset over will, discipline, physical power or emotional control. As such, few Shinobi and even fewer Samurai are suited for their techniques. Spies, Sensory Types, Genjutsu Specialists and others of a more cerebral nature are therefore most common students of the Fox Sages.
Basic Techniques
Fox Companionship (Animal Companionship Alt)
Although common foxes are not members of the Fox Clan they - like many other Clans - bestow a significant amount of favour on the less supernatural of their kind. Indeed, many scholars believe that the common fox is considered so lucky because of the patronage of the Clan - the fact that many of them may take the form of a common fox as a disguise has only further confused the issue.
Shimogakure citizens commonly take common foxes as pets, both to venerate the Fox Clan and due to their affectionate but mischievous nature - life in the Land of Frost is sometimes considered exceptionally dull, caught between the necessities of constant winter survival and cultural expectations of constant scholarship, so the chaotic mirth of a fox companion is often a frustrating but welcoming change of pace.
Those with affinity for chakra, whether shinobi, librarian or samurai can bond further with a common fox companion. From this partnership the fox develops a control over chakra of their own - becoming smarter, stronger, tougher and swifter, as is common for shinobi animals. More advanced practitioners of this bonding find their own senses and cunning heightened, with many fox-bound shinobi and sages proclaiming that their companion 'taught them how to think for themselves.' Such a companionship inevitably gives both parties many tactical and sensory advantages, but even the most powerful common fox holds little talent for combat, making them a poor companion for warriors, unlike the powerful and loyal Dogs of the Inuzuka Clan.
Dream Viewing (Hell Viewing Alt)
In the world of the shinobi, Genjutsu is used primarily for two purposes, control and distraction. It is not unexpected then that the Hell Viewing Technique - one of the simpler Genjutsu - has been perfected throughout the Academies for its effectiveness in causing fear, panic and pain. The Fox Clan, ancient masters of the Illusory Arts and largely unconcerned with conflict, instead developed the Dream Viewing technique as a means of manipulation and confusion.
In theory, the application of Dream Viewing is much the same as Hell Viewing - though the Fox Clan themselves can naturally create he effect without Jutsu, they have developed the handsigns necessary to emulate it alongside their shinobi allies - it requires very little chakra, very little control and does not require eye contact. Much like Hell Viewing, the downside lies in the lack of control over the illusion - with the target capable of simply ignoring the sensations with enough will or skill.
Unlike the Hell Viewing Technique, Dream Viewing's effects are considerably more subtle, if less potent. One caught in a Dream Viewing finds their senses and thoughts becoming hazy and erratic as the environment around them takes on an almost dreamlike quality - though it does not compromise or attempt to control their mind, such a state of minor delirium is more than enough to cloud their perception or increase their chances of making mistakes, both physical and mental. Common symptoms include dizziness, confusion, drowsiness or even tranquillity over the fear and pain of Hell Viewing.
As a Genjutsu, the effects are subtle enough that a victim might not even realize they are caught in it and might rationalize their slightly poorer performance as bad luck. The more perceptive, cunning or strong-willed the victim is, however, the more likely they are to recognize the trickery and attempt to break the illusion.
Advanced Techniques
Delusion Arts (Illusory Arts Alt, Req. Dream Viewing)
An extension of Dream Viewing in much a similar way as common Illusory Arts derive their fundamentals from Hell Viewing, Delusion Arts are less concerned with the direct control or distraction of a target and are more focused on manipulation and deception. In many ways, Delusion Arts attack the user's emotions rather than their senses and as such cannot be immediately activated by sight, sound, smell, taste or touch - practitioners of Delusion Arts must simply accept the burden of complex handsigns and a longer casting period.
Delusion Arts largely fall under two major categories, both of which are often used simultaneously. The first is an expansion of the Dream Viewing technique to cover all emotions - fear, rage, anger, happiness, lust, tranquillity and the like - through the application of Yin energy, the user can force the target's chakra network to 'overwork,' the portion of the target's brain responsible for such emotions. Though the control is far less complete than modifying memories or thoughts, it is exceptionally subtle and difficult to recognize, particularly when leveraged by a skilled wielder.
The second is in the application of those emotions to an existing thing. In this manner, Delusion Arts cannot create entirely simulated realities like regular Illusory Arts, but can instead modify the target's perception of their surroundings. A foe might appear far more dangerous - or far less - than they might otherwise seem. A cup of pure sake might appear as poisonous to the target's instincts - or a cup of poisoned sake might appear unsuspicious and welcoming. The practical limitations of Delusion Arts are far more restrained and less powerful than wider Illusory Arts, but the 'augmentation,' of reality in opposition to the 'rejection,' of it makes it subconsciously more difficult for a target to recognize they are in a Genjutsu.
Fox Clan Summoning (Summoning Arts Alt, Req. Fox Companionship)
A contract with the Fox Clan is much the same as with other Sage Animals - Toad, Snake and the like. A sacrifice of the user's physical energy in the form of blood and a large expenditure of chakra - most commonly augmented by the usage of rituals, scrolls and tools to prevent the summoner from exerting too much energy - opens a spatial gateway to call the Fox Clan for aid. The more powerful the user's chakra, the more skillful their jutsu and the better their standing with the Clan, the greater the Fox that can be conjured. The Foxes are, almost without fail, clever and deceptive masters of Genjutsu rather than warriors or powerful elemental masters, though some among them dabble in the ways of Taijutsu and Ninjutsu.
One minor exception defines the Fox Clan's Summoning technique, the selection process of the creature summoned. While a Summoner can petition for a specific individual, it is known that the Fox Clan's contract defines that a call is ultimately made to the collective Clan itself. Of those available, the differing members of the Clan will either accept or reject the call - those who accept bid their case to the Great Fox Sage, who makes the inevitable decision of who to send. In this manner, Fox Clan Summoners who possess significant reputation amongst the Clan might be able to summon creatures above their normal paygrade, but those with poor reputation or a poor case for requiring assistance may find only weaker Foxes, or none at all, arrive.
For those who truly anger or inspire the Fox Clan, it is not unheard of for the Great Fox Sage to select another creature entirely, held forever in their Forest beneath Genjutsu. These creatures can take any and all forms, sizes and powers - the Great Fox Sage will pick whichever of their servants they believe will be most interesting. The Summoner must therefore learn to adapt on the fly and embrace whichever gifts - or curses - the Great Fox Sage deems fit. Those who curse the Fox Clan for such a betrayal inevitably find their contracts revoked - while those who embrace the surprise thankfully can earn more favour with their capricious allies.