F.E.W.: Fox Empire Wars takes place on the world of Inari. Inari is a world of magical, anthropomorphic Foxes. Centuries ago, the Black Fox Empire was driven to extinction after declaring war on the White Fox Empire. After the eradication of the Blacks, the Whites took it upon themselves to act as the general peacekeepers and dominant force in the world, resulting in hundreds of years of peace. But as history would have it, peace cannot last. A rebel sector seeks to overthrow the White Fox Empire from within and a botched assassination attempt leads to sanctions that threaten the livelihood of various kingdoms. In the midst of it, a young Grey vixen discovers a Black Fox child in the depths of the White Fox kingdom. Fearing his life is in danger, she takes it upon herself to look after the fox and try to raise him to become someone the White Foxes would come to adore. They are discovered, but thanks to her pleading, the White Foxes decide to give him one chance to make it up for the crimes of his clan. News breaks out that a Black Fox exists, and with amity toward the White Fox Empire growing, a Black Fox ally could prove to be the very tool needed to take them down. A battle soon breaks out on what should be done with the Black Fox and who should get him. But one question remains... What does the Black Fox child want to do?
This a story idea I recently had that I thought I would try posting every now and then between my other priorities. Look for infrequent updates. Hope you all enjoy it!
Prologue
These days, the world of Inari is enjoying a fragile, but long-lasting peace, but that was rarely a common sight in the days of old. Ask any scholar and they'll recant the stories of wars that lasted for ages. One could rarely go ten years without two of the vast empires declaring war on each other. They say it takes a common enemy to unite kingdoms, and that enemy came in the form of the Black Fox Empire. Although, if one were ask about them, they would simply be described as the Black Empire.
Inari is a world of Foxes, but though the kind of fox that walk on four legs exists, the dominant species are those that walk upright like man. These Foxes identify themselves by the color of their fur: Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, Silver, and White. Although they all look alike in some manner, to them it would be like comparing cats to dogs.
To each's credit, there is one thing each can do differently that the other Fox tribes cannot: magic. The Blues can manipulate water, but they cannot create it. These Foxes live on islands distant from the quarrels of the others. Brown Foxes are known for their terra-based magic, able to shape the ground beneath their feet and create vast underground networks. Green Foxes live in forests, possessing the ability to communicate with nature and create elixirs and potions with supernatural power. The Red Foxes control fire with the precision of an archer with true marksmanship, perhaps one of the most dangers Fox tribes to be around. The Silver Foxes are masters of air, but these nomads are secluded to the point that there are reports that their numbers are not what they once were.
Among the types of Foxes that exist on Inari, there are three special cases: The Blacks, the Greys, and the Whites. Grey Foxes are the most common of all on Inari, the only tribe that freely interacts with all of the others. It is said that Grey Foxes can learn to use any magic that does not come from the Black or White Foxes, but to a much lesser degree. As a result, Greys hoping to learn magic tend to dedicate their craft to one specific type, while others handle the manual labor that others don't appreciate the value of.
White Foxes consider themselves to be the most special of all Foxes, believing themselves to be the direct descendants of the gods that watch over the land. Their reasoning is their magic. Using the power of holy magic, the Whites call upon a blessed light to cast judgment on all those who defy them, bathing their white fur in a golden aura that makes them look absolutely divine. Finally, there are the Black Foxes.
Foxes with Black fur have never been viewed as highly as the others. They cloak themselves in shadows and move mainly at night, their eyes piercing with the blue light of the moon. By surrendering to the shadows, this vulpine tribe transforms into giant, monstrous beasts capable of wreaking havoc and destruction upon all those who oppose them. For this reason, the Black Foxes have long since been feared as harbingers of death.
As the Foxes grew in number and the lands changed, they began to interact. However, they were all so different from one another. Intrigue soon turned to fear, and fear brings about hatred. War was quick to break out as the Foxes vied for land and territory, until the formation of the first empires arose. As the Foxes learned about one another, alliances and friendships were formed, as well as mortal enemies that would never get along.
The one empire nobody dared to pick a fight was the White Fox Empire. Sitting in the northern center between all existing territories, they kept balance and decreed themselves as regulators between all of the empires. When wars finally came to an end, it was the Whites who helped divide territory, though often making sure they got a cut for their efforts of being “peacekeepers”. But there was one empire that had had enough of their shenanigans and high-and-mighty attitudes: the Black Fox Empire.
In the year X1387 of the Unified Inarian Calendar, the Black Foxes declared all-out war on Whites. The Black Fox Empire's territory was shrinking decade by decade as the Whites continued encroaching upon them. The tribe that was feared and therefore rarely messed with had done its best to avoid conflict with the others after the formation of their empire, but no longer would they stand by and allow the Whites to suppress them. Every male and child, and several female capable of battle, embraced the shadows and turned into the monsters everyone had always believed them to be, attacking the White Fox Empire. At night, the Black Foxes pushed inward and forced the Whites into retreat, but as the sun peaked over the horizon, the tides of battle turned and the Whites went on the offensive. Though their fierceness in battle could not be matched, the White Foxes' ability to heal their wounded gave them the slight edge they needed to push the Black Foxes back. Seeing an opportunity to rid themselves of the scariest beings in existence, the Brown, Green, and Red Foxes allied with the Whites and drove them back.
Outraged that the Black Foxes would dare to attack the “descendants of gods,” the White Foxes massacred every Black Fox they could find. Leaving no stone unturned, the White Foxes committed a full-scale genocide and purged the Black Empire off of the map. Those empires harboring Black Foxes would be deemed enemies of the White Fox Empire. With the Black Foxes eliminated, the Whites annexed 75% of the the territory that had belongs to the Blacks, and divided the remaining 25% among the tribes that aided them.
Now possessing the greatest territory of all Foxes, the Whites took it upon themselves to ensure that none of the Fox tribes would come to war ever again. They wedged their territory into every crevice they could find and separated the tribes so that the majority of the kingdoms could not interact without passing through the territories belonging to the Whites. Thanks to the Whites, peace had finally been achieved.
The year is X1903, and there is little needed for the intervention of the White Foxes. The kingdoms are all at peace with one another, constantly intermingling and trading goods and knowledge. The Grey Foxes, lacking a kingdom of their own, have been spread across all of the territories, creating prospering towns and villages in each and becoming part of the various inner circles. To this day, not a single Black Fox had been seen since the wars ended. It was firmly believed they had become extinct.
Yet, despite everything, the scholars who study the past are left to ponder. What would happen if the Black Foxes returned?
