Jiuweihu

Bipedal humanoids closely resembling humans in overall physique. They're uniquely distinguished by their tall, fox-like ears and fluffy tails which can vary between one and nine tails. These tails originate out of their spinal cord through the human-equivalent of a tail bone, comfortably protruding out over the buttocks. Their eyes are slitted. Their nails (both fingers and toes) are enlarged and claw-like, being natural weapons if not excessively trimmed down. The feet, forearms, hands, and shins are paw-like and covered in fur, though the actual size can vary between large and nearly human-like.   They are mildly sexually dimorphic in much the same ways humans are. The females have wider hips and enlarged breasts, while the males have a lean muscle definition. Of the two sexes, male fur is sleek while female is fluffy.   Their colors are nominally earthen in nature, but can come to reflect their living environment. As a consequence they are visually diverse and easy to confuse as separate races. Their eye colors tend toward gold and silver, but crimson and jade are not uncommon either.

Incredible Life Span – Jiuweihu live for long periods, measuring in the centuries if not millenniums easily.   Vulnerable Infancy – Despite their life spans, they are not physically robust at first, meaning death at a young (to them) age is common. The older one becomes, the more power they accumulate, and thus the easier it is to survive.   Magic Fixation – They're mistresses of magical power, commanding it with an expertise from a young age most others only begin to see in old age. However, as they themselves learn and specialize in a magical path, they become unable to turn away from it. In this sense, a jiuweihu is eternally bound to the way they've chosen, where as something like humans can pick and choose at will.   Heightened Senses – They have higher sensory capabilities than most other species, finding it easier to hear, see, and smell their way through the world. This is not to any degree of being supernatural, unless augmented magically.     Their ears are highly sensitive, to the point that even a mild petting can be irritation-causing. As such, there are a range of taboos limiting touching of the ears, and it is sometimes considered decent to have a hat cover them. Nonetheless, the practical need of having their hearing available has kept that practice from mainstream cultural adoption.   The tails are, while not as nearly crippling as their ears, a highly sensitive area as well. Some are more sensitive to this than others. Thus, they treat it with a social respect one does say, a woman's breasts–grabbing the tail without invitation or in public is a faux pas of the greatest severity.

Hybrids inherit their father's coloration and also suffer a reduced life span, measuring in the centuries at best. In the case of reptilian off spring, they can sprout scales amongst their fur, giving rise to the name of 'dragon foxes', much to the unamused annoyance of actual dragons.

Jiuweihu are drawn to driven and determined souls, whatever the cause may be. In a world of ever changing shapes, species, colors, and more, finding a cause to attach themselves to is powerfully attractive. As they age, they tend to incorporate their younger learnings in a more worldly view, seeking to draw in those who were similar to what they loved in the past.   In this sense, they're enamored with the experiences a potential mate can bring them. This can have a number of meanings, from hedonism to even a monk-like existence. As they more readily find their place in the world, they try to find peace with a lifestyle they can live with until the end. Self-aware of this fact, they do often try to select people who embody the best values their present self can envision, trying to guide their own habits toward desired outcomes.

Their long lives and innately magical nature give all jiuweihu a strong disposition toward spiritualism, and that of being connected to the world. They can watch lands remain unchanging for centuries, or change more times than can be counted in a few decades. To them, introspection of a such a perspective is necessary to make sense of their lives. This does in turn benefit the shorter lived races, who regard even banal jiuweihu contemplation as worthy of consideration.   While not inherently malicious, their vastly different perspective on the world can make some of their habits alien or bizarre. A journey of ten thousand miles may, in a sense, be as invigorating to them as any human–but the lifelong impact of such a thing may not be nearly as immense. Similarly, imprisonment for a hundred years is quite harsh but still fairly survivable. Their dedication to something can be measured in decades of concentrated effort, making them intensely inflexible when it comes to change.   They're notorious for their love of art and sensual pleasure, be it of the body or the soul. The transience of life is a burden upon them, and capturing it–however futile or fleeting–is a glorified pastime. Love of the younger races ranks up there in popularity, either to be observed or be involved with themselves. It is, however, also a source of many tragic romances. Not all of them can handle the burden of such cyclical pains, and the older jiuweihu tend to be far more reclusive than their younger counterparts.

Curiously split between a nomadic lifestyle and setting down roots, the jiuweihu are a species concerned about worldly experiences. From very early on in their history, they've branched out across the world, exploring and experiencing everything they can. As such, a number of vivid tales, books, and other memories were their first great creations.   However, when it became apparent that the more developed races were going to outpace them, they begrudgingly came together.   Forming intricate clan social structures, the jiuweihu split between the wanderers and those who elected to settle down more permanently. Though they all invariably have a desire to explore, their separate approaches have created a notable schism in the following millennia. Regardless of how, more and more jiuweihu came into contact with the other species, intertwining them with the ways and issues of others. This has had an interesting side effect given the natural longevity of their species.   Jiuweihu are, for the most part, a kind of spiritual people, constantly seeking meaning in a world they can watch remain unchanging (or change very quickly) for hundreds of years. This has, both intentionally and by proxy, moved them into a sort of religious role for their neighbors. Often, they take on governmental functions as well. While this helps bring a relative degree of stability, the jiuweihu are surprisingly inflexible once installed into these positions.   This has painted their species overall with 'interesting' colors. On the one hand, they're wise teachers and persons of knowledge; on the other hand, they're sticklers for tradition and notoriously difficult to convince to change. If the trends of the people they oversee change quickly enough, sometimes the only way to remove jiuweihu from power is through revolution. Later generations learned from these past mistakes, and now they stay in positions that aren't seemingly too important.   The wanderers have not fared much better, finding a warrior's lifestyle necessary to make do in the world. They were most prominent during the downfall of the Imperium, but since have distinguished themselves a number of times. Jiuweihu warriors command terrifying respect on the battlefield, for each is often not only a survivor, but victor of dozens (if not hundreds) of conflicts. In due respect to their potency, they are highly selective of the causes they fight for, increasing the prestige of earning their service.   Over time, as the world has begun to mature, they've found themselves out paced by the faster, livelier races. In a sense, this has cause another schism in the jiuweihu communities. Some advocate with taking on a parental advisory role as they always have, while others disagree. The largest of these divided factions have adopted more extreme measures, seeking total isolation or culling of the upstarts. In turn, the species' legendary reputation has decayed, leaving them surrounded by increasingly hostile peoples.   Today, the modern jiuweihu seeks to maintain their family legacy, however possible. The young are burdened to find new means of increasing status, leaving them with little recourse. The elders keep to their fortresses (proverbial or otherwise), playing the political warfare game with their neighbors and the other races. The ways of humans have proven most interesting to them, even if they struggle to keep up with such intensely lived, but short lives.