Fennec, Kin

Name: Kin Fennec
Age: 35
Birthdate: 4/15
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Pansexual
Rank: Kouyakage

Village: Yokuchigakure no Sato
Element(s): Suiton || Doton || Raiton || Hariton (Glass)
Specialties: Ninjutsu || Kenjutsu || Fuuinjutsu || Kyuujutsu
Special Characteristics:

Spoiler:

Height: 6'0
Weight: 160lbs
Hair Color: Silver
Eye Color: Golden
General Description: A blank expression and wise eyes; that's the first thing most people notice about Kin. Raised to show nothing to outsiders, those of the Fennec clan are almost the exact concept of desert nomad; stoic, stone faced, and somewhat hesitant of outsiders. Not hostile; they welcome visitors and travelers into their camps with little protest; the laws of the desert and the nomads wouldn't allow them otherwise. Unless he was traveling into the cities; he wears the normal bundled robes and head-coverings of the desert; nothing showing but his eyes, and not even that at times. Bright colors; thick, but still light materials; and any number of foxes dancing between the camel's legs; the clan standard. If his head-covering was removed; the ears stand out quite starkly; even with the coloration being the same as his hair. Large and fox-like; the mark of his blood. Within the cities he would dress lighter; fewer layers but still full coverage, and a special head-scarf that covered his ears and most of his face; leaving only his eyes unless he felt like showing more. His ears made people stare; and when they stared they wouldn't buy his wares. He was a merchant, just like the rest of his people, after all.


Personality:  In a single word? Contradiction. Quiet, but loves to talk. Almost prudish in his dressing style; but flamboyantly colorful. Although, this is as much about his home in the desert (with all of the sandstorms and blazing sun), as much as it is a personal choice. Quick witted, sharp mind; naive in his viewpoints of the world. Honey tongued merchant, purveyor of truth. About the only thing that was absolute about him was his love for his home, his foxes, and his people. His loyalty to his people was absolute; the desert nomads could afford little else. This makes them fierce allies as well; to those they feel worthy. Kin fits into this mold perfectly; although he is wary of outsiders to a larger degree then most. This doesn't stop him from his duties; it just make him... cold, at first. One he warms to you; you've found a life-long friend; and one that can be counted on at all times. He carries one of the small foxes that gave his clan it's name; a young adult he hand raised from infancy. The kit had been orphaned in one of the worst sandstorms any of them had seen since the Great Storm that led them to the oasis; and he'd taken the baby in. Called nothing more inspired then Kit; the little fox never leaves his side; normally napping somewhere in the many folds and pockets of Kin's robes, or riding on his head between his ears.

History: How to quantify the life of the nomads; even ones that have a home to return to. Kin was born in the shaded paradise of his clan's homeland; under the gently swaying date trees and the smell of water, salt, and sand in the air. Foxes of all ages sat and watched, chattering and yipping to themselves and the older clansmen that stood nearby; speaking of how strong the young baby sounded, the color of his hair, and even the ever increasing instances of the fox-ears he was born with. It was a time of celebration and cheer; the clan was large; but highly scattered, and to have a birth in the oasis was somewhat rare. More likely to be born in the city or widely scattered villages in which they traded their wares.

His childhood was easy enough; he was one of the lucky few that was able to stay in the oasis for most of his young life; only leaving for short times to follow the elders on local trades near by; or into Yokuchi for the yearly supply runs. His world was water and green and shady trees them; a paradise in the desert sands. The foxes loved him, and he them: his ears made it easier to hear their talk, and he was especially fond of several of the yearlings that had been born when he was first old enough to help take care of the new kits. There was one; the runt of a litter of 6 (large for the Fennec Fox); that intrigued him more then the others. They had the same coloration you see; the little kit was different from it's darker siblings; and Kin found him to be beautiful. Then, the sands threatened to overtake their homeland: a storm the likes of which where seen only one, maybe twice in a generation hit and many of the elder foxes where lost in a cave in. This left many of the young kits orphaned; but never alone. The clan took care of it's own; and the foxes where their closest friends. The kits would live, and they would thrive under the nurture of Kin's family. In this time; he took the baby runt under his wing; became it's caregiver and he Kin's closest friend. From then on they would be inseparable; Kin's young mind having no name for the baby but Kit; the term for all the youngster, but which had taken on a deeper meaning between them. They where both orphans now; as Kin's father and mother had been lost trying to save the foxes. They where both orphaned kits now; and they had to stick together.

It was not long after this that the recruiters from Yokuchi began to eye the Fennec as they brought their older children into the city to learn the merchant ways. The Fennec where strong, stronger willed, and highly valuable as allies: the clan was exceedingly rich by most standards, even if they did not flaunt this. The knew the trade routes and the secret locations of the spice and salt mines; the water holes and shaded valleys; everything of the desert existed in the minds of the clan. To have them in the ranks of the village's ninja would be a blessing and an asset. It was then that the clan was approached with a deal. Favored positions and reduced taxes on their trades and sales; a lucrative contract to supply the village itself, and not just the markets; and freedom of travel anywhere the desert sands touched. The clan was... interested, and said so. Then the rest of the deal. To turn over their youth to become part of the Yokuchi ninja... it was not something they where ready to do. They where merchants; not warriors after all. However; they would consider the offer. A week later; they had summoned home all of the clan that they possibly could and presented the offer from Yokuchi. Then, they gave the youngsters a choice. Stay, and train as merchants; or go, and become ninja.

Most chose to stay.

Some chose to go.

Kin was one of them. In his mind; he felt the strength of the ninja would allow him to protect his family; so that another tragedy like the sand storm cave in would never happen again. And he knew that his people would benefit greatly from the increased trade opportunities.  They could provide for Yokuchi the goods that where needed to thrive and become truly great; and in return would be free to continue the life they had always known. Freedom from the laws and rules of the city-dwellers. Freedom in their ancient home. The life of the merchants would continue; but they where not above change. They would adapt. They would grow. The balance would be maintained. They where wiser then most; they would not fall into the pit-traps of gain for the sake of gain.

Kin would make sure of it.

Years passed and while he learned the ways of these city dwellers, these warriors that called themselves ninja. He took on their abilities, learned their skills and their lore and their histories, all while never loosing what made him Fennec, the heart and mind of a merchant. He maintained his businesses, they where even his main source of income and support. He had little taste for the missions and jobs the ninja did; he only did them because it was required, and on the rare occasions they thought to give him a team to work with, he did was was asked of him without complaint. The city itself realized quickly that while Fennec where amazing in teams, able to work with anyone without problems, they where not about to give up the travel and semi-nomadic ways of their people; for much of the year many of the ninja of the clan where gone; and those in charge realized that making them caravan guards meant that everyone was happy. They did a job that few others were willing to take; better even than the 'experienced ones at that; and the Fennec where still able to travel and trade and work as they needed to. Compromise, the clan had brought the concept back to the city, and it was working well.

Little need be said of Kin's time among the lower ranks of the ninja, however it does bare telling of the story of how he gained his constant companion and dearest friend, another fox child; although not of his clan; named Sephora. For a long time, the problem of bandits and thieves plagued the city; this was something that everyone in the merchant community detested, but had come to plan around and budget for. On occasion, one of the thieves was caught, and summarily disciplined; however this particular time was a hair different. A new 'thief king' had appeared; a bandit lord with enough power to lay claim to such a fanciful title, and one of his little thieflets had been cornered in a cave outside of town. The city merchants had risen a massive call to arms, and had attracted the attention of the sitting Kouyakage; a demonic looking fellow by the name of Zaiaku Koran. Not a man that Kin had ever met personally; he quickly found that he rather disliked the abrasive and strange being, who had taken upon himself to corner the thief within the cave. While the other merchants sat on their horses and stood in the small bits of shade offered by the rocks, Kin's fox ears picked up on every bit of conversation that had occurred between the two; and was less than pleased when the demon man exited with platitudes of having 'dealt' with the problem. Kin waited until a moment was had, he snuck into the cave himself and found the little thief; his dear Sephora, broken and beaten and starving and terrified. His better nature prevailed, and he risked his reputation and his own safety to sneak her from the cave; bringing her to his own home and making sure she received the medical treatment and such that she deserved; no living creature could be left in the state she was in.

What drove him to take her under his wing; to pay for her debts and buy out her contract as a slave, he never bothered to think on. This things and more he did; without a second thought he provided her with a home, an education, a purpose in life; and in returned gained the companion he never even knew he wanted, as well as a partner in business and all things. Never once in all the years since that day has he regretted his decision, nor would he suspect that he ever would.

More years passed, and he slowly made his way up the ranks of the ninja. He had little care for power, his rank came from his knowledge of the underworld; his and Sephora's; as well as his success at cleaning out the black markets of slavery and human trafficking. A major problem within the desert, the sale and abuse of humanity was something the Fennec had never abide; whenever they could they would buy out the contracts of slaves and release them; often time given them jobs and a chance to repay society, versus repaying them. They had no need for money, they had plenty of their own via legitimate business. They made more money using paid workers than broken slaves, anyway.

This stance, and this success, is why he was given the title of Kouyakage when he was. The people had grown tired of the ways and policies of the former Kage; the demonic man was brass and singular minded, yet never in ways that benefited the people. His refusal to compromise, his refuses to deal with the thieves and bandits and slavers and the darkness tainting the heart of the village; it was his undoing. The merchants banded together, a call was made. Replace the man with someone that would work for the people; not abuse and leave them to the winds.

A decision.

Expulsion.

The replacement?

The merchant king; the people's favorite.

Kin.

Sephora at his side, he took on the mantle of Kage, and mobilized the ninja to do what he could not alone; cleared the city of den of darkness and savagery and returned the safety of the land to the people. In less than five years he accomplished more than the former Kage had in fifteen, and the people adored him for it all the more. His policy of maintaining a light touch in manners of laws and money made him even more beloved by the merchants; his adjustments of taxes and the like made everyone, from the poorest street urchin to the richest noble even richer, and his policies to help the disenfranchised and suffering meant that everyone benefited. With more money in their pockets, the people spend more, which made the merchants happy. The people joining the ninja and city guard where stronger and healthier, which made the military leaders happy, as it meant the city as a whole was stronger and safer.

With coffers overflowing and the people content, Kin has settled into this life of leadership with his usual stoic acceptance; so long as Sephora stands by him he could care less what happened. It will all work out in the end, and that is how he likes it.


RP Sample: The setting sun was prismatic off the sand of the desert; recently turned and churned from the passing sandstorms. There would be rain soon; the smell of the water was in the air. The fox kits danced in the cooling air, enjoying the soft light and drinking the smell of the coming life that would blanket their home after the rains. Even the grasses on the edge of their oasis lake would not bloom until the rains fell; the signal for the start of the short growth season. He could hear the shouts of of his elders and cousins transplanting the newest crop of date seedlings; they would grow best if their first drink was of the blessed sky rain; filled with the energies of rebirth.

A night of celebration under the cover of the rocks with their foxes and families; a time to roast the rare cow they had acquired  from an allied merchant group. They would celebrate the changing of the seasons; the new life coming to the desert; and maybe even the birth of a new litter of kits.

It was a good night to live in the desert.

Faceclaim: Tomoe - Kamisama Hajimemashita

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