The First Lorekeepers

The Kitsune Lorekeepers see value in preserving history. The Lorekeepers make it their personal duty to do so for as many places as they can manage.

“Come, sit down beside me, Little One. I have a story to tell you. A story of our race's biggest secret and task. Yes, Little One, it is about the Lorekeepers and their Sanctum. Of its founding and why they do what they do. So, listen close and keep this story close to your heart.”

The Kitsune have been a part of the world since the dawn of time, much like many of the other races. As the world grew and flourished, so too did its peoples and the Kitsune lived openly with them. A time when they held no fear in flourishing their tails proudly. The binding of the Elemental Gates to the world has fascinated the Kitsune for as long as they could remember. They have long sought to understand why this has happened and to learn the reasons behind it. It was after the world had regained a semblance of balance after its forceful bindings that some of the Kitsune began to realize that in their long lives, they would see things most would never hear of or remember. And so a small group of Kitsune came together, each with this same realization and desire: to protect and preserve the wisdom and the history of the world.

In the years to come, this group of Kitsune set about finding a location to safeguard this knowledge. This group of Kitsune decided to call themselves Lorekeepers. By this point, the world had been split into elemental regions, forever changing the landscape of the world. Locations that may have been useful before were no longer an option. At long last, they settled on a location: the region of Ice, Eiri. Near the edge of the region called the Shards, a deep mountain pass would prove perfect for the Kitsune’s repository of knowledge. It was far enough away from civilization that it would be safe from prying eyes, dangerous for most to even make the trip, yet close enough for a Kitsune to reach it safely. It would take nearly 10 years before the new Lorekeeper Sanctum would be completed enough for use.

Word of the Lorekeepers began to spread throughout the rest of the Kitsune. Many would come to join its ranks and take up the goal of going out into the world and of preserving history. Secret couriers would be set up, drop off points created, and a special symbol that only a Lorekeeper would recognize. This symbol is often personalized by each Kitsune who often creates one that represents them so at a glance, another Lorekeeper could recognize who it was from. Unless one knows what they’re looking for, this symbol slips past unnoticed by the vast majority of the world.

With the Lorekeepers established by the Kitsune, those who took to this goal to preserve history began to spread out to the corners of the world to observe and record. Knowledge of the Lorekeepers was quietly spread throughout the Kitsune race, its location and purpose kept close to heart. Kitsune who became of age, would be told of it, told of the purpose and the importance of keeping it secret. It soon became a primary purpose for the Kitsune race as a whole and their biggest secret. They were encouraged to contribute something, at least once in their long lives to the Sanctum no matter how small or large or how important it may be to others. Anything and everything was welcomed and preserved.

However, tragedy would strike at the Kitsune. Some say that during wars or battles that would occur, a Kitsune was almost assuredly nearby watching the events take place. Rumors started to spread throughout the lands that whenever a Kitsune appeared, bad luck and misfortune was sure to follow. Despite attempts to quell these rumors and refute them, the Kitsune race as a whole were branded as Harbingers of Despair. Kitsune became targeted, hunted, and killed by the nations of the world. Driven by fear and desperation, the Kitsune tried to fight back whether peacefully or by force, but it was not enough. Soon the Kitsune realized they had to hide. Where once they could walk freely in the open, the Kitsune began to vanish from sight. A proud race that once held a large population, was nearly wiped out. There are rumors amongst the Kitsune that at their lowest point, there were less than 2,000 Kitsune left alive.

Utilizing their innate ability of illusion magic to hide their features, Kitsune took to blending in; some hiding as humans, half-humans or as simply Vulpines. All they wanted was to survive. Yet they were still hunted down. Hunters started utilizing magics and tricks to expose and break through the Kitsune's illusions. One such trick was the discovery of a specific type of jade from Zul that upon being enchanted, carving a hole and looking through it, one could pierce a Kitsune’s illusion. These were often made into monocles for a hunter to wear.

For over 500 years, the Kitsune were hunted and killed. Eventually, laws were put in place, people started to realize the horror and mistake that had been perpetrated. The Kitsune began to pass into legend, with many thinking they no longer existed. However the Kitsune race survived, living hidden in plain sight.

The Lorekeepers continued their mission of traveling the world, keeping watch to record and preserve history. Tomes, scrolls, and more are carefully cataloged and stored within the Sanctum, the Sanctum itself growing as more space is needed. Though one may never get to see it, the Lorekeepers hold the most comprehensive and complete history of the world for the past 2,000 years. They do hold records even older than that, but much to their dismay that time period is incomplete in their holdings.

“This is our race's greatest secret, Little One. You cannot tell anyone outside of our kind. If this story has inspired you, should you wish to partake in the preservation, I can reach out to the Keepers. I’m sure they would love to welcome another into their Sanctum.”