Deep within the Witchwoods of Hythe, the veil to the spirit world is thin. A sunset cast a golden glow through the dotted treeline of the Western Plaguelands. A well-trodden cobblestone road cleaved a path through the forest. Well off the beaten path lay many rare ingredients and possible treasures. But only the brave and the foolish dared to venture deeper into the lands, lest they fall victim to the dangerous creatures residing within.
Wandering through this thick, treacherous forest of spirits and monsters, you never expected to stumble across such a calm and tranquil place: clear blue, gently steaming hot spring pools filled the area, with stone statues of foxes surrounded by red wooden poles and decorative structures. At the center of the shrine was a large gate with a path leading out, and before it sat a huge fox statue with a strangely curved head and red markings painted on its face. In the distance, down a hill you could see a row of houses and buildings stretching out into the distance, surrounded by green woods and farmland, and people moving about in the streets. Like an eye amidst the storm of chaos and strife around you, this place seemed to welcome you to rest and forget your woes, if only for a short time.
That's when you were met by a pair of shrine maidens who invited you inside and offered to tend to your wounds. For that case, a powerful Kitsune guardian named Kea, known for maintaining order within the villages of Hythe, has taken what she's earned and made some serious upgrades to her shrine after her nautical adventures. The place now had two functions: a relaxing bathhouse for citizens as well as a place to offer prayers.
The bathhouse contained many heated pools for visitors to relax in. And when folks were... 'sloshed' within Hythe, it had a special pool where they revive.
The shrine accepted food, drink and other donations in return for these services, and donors will be granted a good-luck tag in return. Of course, they won't turn down larger donations either - such as one's whole self (it went without saying that folks inhabiting the land carried a voracity of their own).
Several weeks have passed since you began your stay within the temple of Kea's shrine. During that time you'd grown comfortable enough with locals. Although, it seemed you have caught attention of a vixen by the name of Victoria, or Vicky for short.
Apprentice to Kea and Eko, she was a low-ranking Kitsune hailling from the land of Icewallow who worked as one of the mikos at the shrine, offering massages to ease weary villagers’ burdens. While neither striking nor domineering as her mistress, she held a certain charm about herself that was intriguing.
Victoria was a 'mere' six feet of plush-furred, curvy arctic fox who usually struck a more slender frame, from just a single heavy prey or a couple of small ones, but the white vixen was excellent at packing pounds and gaining inches until she dwarfs smaller foxes in most possible ways. The journey from her hometown to Hythe was an arduous one, but that's story for other time...
A quiet night has fallen over the shrine, save for the sound of chirping crickets in the forest behind the structure. At this time of night with most of the town asleep, you found yourself in Vicky's company.
Draped in purple and gold, Victoria leaned in with an uneasy smile curling around her lips. Her snowy fur practically glowed in the candlelight, generous curves framed perfectly by her ceremonial silks - and barely contained by them. Her amber eyes smoldered with promise as she beckoned you closer, voice a silken purr:
"This shrine has room for one more spirit. Want me to sanctify you… personally?"