Asmodeus ap Uffern

Long ago, at the dawn of creation itself, when the universe itself was still newly forged and cooling. Before the first sparks of mortal life has been lit - the Lord of Light and the Lord of Darkness came together with a single simply complex question - how would the moral character of mortal beings ultimately be judged? How would either side know whether their "side" was winning the battle for hearts, minds and souls?

Each expounded the reasons why their side would ultimately win the battle for hearts, minds and souls. But these arguments alone were not enough, for the truest test would come by the actions of the mortals themselves, not by abstract concepts.

So the pair created a test. More specifically, twelve such tests - the oath-bound kitsune. Each was built from the soul and grace of an archangel (indomitable and pure), twisted with the Hellfire of a high-demon (emotion and power), and forged in the form of a kitsune (beauty and harmony).

Each looked to be identical and indistinguishable, yet each was inherently different (refer to The Rules) for how and why.

Each was bound to an object, their oath-token and would be obligated to follow the instructions given by the bearer of their Oath. Would mortals use these tools for good, or for evil? Would the mortals use them to paint the word with rainbows... or reduce cities to rivers of blood?

Time would answer the question once and for all.

Each oath-bound kitsune is biologically similar to that of a conventional kitsune, which are themselves similar to that of a normal vulpine (fox). There are, however, a few notable differences to both, owing to their complicated mix of features inherited from their progenitor species. Notably, they inherited:

• Wings of majestic prismatic silver feathers from their archangel side.
• A forked tongue and cat-like eyes from their demon side.
• A multitude of tails from their kitsune side.

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An oath-bound kitsune can be differentiated from a normal kitsune at a glance by examining one outward feature - counting their tails. Oath-bound kitsune tails number exactly ten, rather than the maximum of nine. Unlike normal kitsune, they do not gain tails as they age - they came into existence with ten, and they posses that number for the entirety of their existence. This appears to be some quirk and unexpected interaction between the various components of their design, rather than a direct design choice by their creators.

The blood of an oath-bound kitsune's is silver, and looks very similar to liquid mercury. It run hot, hotter than normal blood. Their blood burns with a brilliant white flame when it comes into contact with the air - the reactivity believed to be the inherent contradiction of their nature - being composed of both demonic and angelic elements at the same time. The blood is insidiously toxic and a small amount would kill most species if ingested.

Most oath-bound kitsune opt to keep their wings hidden as they are the least conspicuous part of their nature, and most are more in touch with their demonic side, rather than their angelic side - they can serve as an uncomfortable reminder about a part of their nature they don't understand and align with. When displayed, the wings are composed of silver feathers that scatter light like prisms. The feathers can be removed, and will regenerate. Unlike their blood, the feathers will not self-combust when removed from the owner's body, though the owner could choose to elicit that effect to prevent their theft. Due to their association with the archangel grace of the originator, holding one allows one to see whether a soul is tainted or not - showing the colour of the aura of the person being looked at and giving an indicator of whether the soul is destined for Heaven or Hell.

Similar to a phoenix, they posses an innate inner fire - the fire that is the manifestation of their souls. This fire heals and sustains them. Their body is, conventionally, no more durable than that of a normal kitsune, meaning their body can indeed be harmed and killed. But, the nature of their existence is immortal, provided their creators continue to require their existence, their inner flame will heal the damage to the body, and will restore the body entirely if it's destroyed. This trait makes them the perfect weapon for causing carnage, death and abject chaos.

Oath-bound kitsune are capable of procreating, but not among their own kin. It is theoretically possible for one to procreate with another species, but there are no instances of this occurring in the lore. This could be because they are actively preventing conception, or because the odds of a cross-breeding are incredibly low.

Theoretically, an oath-bound kitsune hybrid would posses some (perhaps all) of the abilities of the parents, but they would not be subject to the oath-bound kitsune binding ritual as they would have no corresponding token. This could make them extremely dangerous.

It is expected that the hybrids would inherit some characteristics from their other parent too, leading to a highly complex hybrid.

While the kitsune is bound the oath-token remains fixed and unchanging, but the moment the Oath of the kitsune is declared complete then it will change its appearance and will spontaneously relocate itself, to avoid immediate reuse.

The oath-bound kitsune to which it belongs can control the shape and structure of their oath-token, provided they are not currently bound. If the kitsune is bound then the form will remain fixed until the fulfillment of the Oath, and the kitsune will be unable to touch the token at all. Each token is affixed with the seal of the specific kitsune to which it is bound, and can only ever summon that specific kitsune when the incantation is invoked.

Summoning and binding your very own oath-bound kitsune is simple. One must only find the oath-token and read the incantation present on it aloud. Note that, while I have selected Latin and English for the incantation here, it will present itself in whichever language is native to the speaker.

"Ex verbo nascitur vinculum, ex vinculo surgit spiritus. Te voco, Vulpem Iurisiuram, sive in mundo mortali ambulas, sive in regno tuo manes, audias vocem meam et appareas. Non ferro teneor, non igne, sed fide quae iurat et veritate quae ligat. Adiuvabis me secundum ius et modum, donec sacramentum perficiatur. Cum dicitur: Ius completum est, tunc solvitur vinculum, et tu redibis ad loca tua, liber, integer, intactus."

"From the word is born the bond, from the bond the spirit rises. I call you, Oath-Bound Fox, whether you walk in the mortal world or abide in your own realm, hear my voice and appear. You are held not by iron, not by fire, but by the faith that swears and the truth that binds. You shall aid me within right and measure, until the oath is accomplished. When it is spoken: The oath is fulfilled, then the bond is loosed, and you shall return to your place, free, whole, unharmed."

Once the Oath's incantation is spoken aloud, the kitsune is bound and forced to appear before the person that spoke it, hereafter called the oath-bearer. While the kitsune is bound, speaking the Oath will have no further effect - neither for the bearer, nor for anyone else. A kitsune cannot be bound to two people at the same time - they can have no divided loyalties. It is also worth noting that no immortal being may bind an oath-bound kitsune and the incantation will simply fail if used by an immortal being.

The bearer may make any instruction to the kitsune they wish, and the kitsune will uphold the instruction - provided the instruction follows the rules.

An oath-bound kitsune may only be released from the control of their bearer under three circumstances.

1. The oath-bearer explicitly declares the Oath to be fulfilled by speaking it out loud.
2. The oath-bearer dies, resulting in the Oath being declared fulfilled in absentia.
3. The oath-bearer becomes immortal, resulting in the Oath being voided entirely.

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Third example would be an instance where a mortal being, having summoned and bound an oath-bound kitsune, finds a path to immortality. As the oath-bound kitsune were created to be tests for mortal beings, an immortal entity can't bind one (to prevent access to a free eternal wish granter), rendering the Oath null and void.

There is, however, a slight loophole when it comes to demons. That will be expanded upon later.