SOLSTICUNES
Solsticunes are flame spirits that possess the form of shapeshifting fox-dragons. They’re born from eggs which only hatch at extremely high temperatures, so groups tend to cluster around volcanic (or otherwise warm) areas. Eggs may hatch by chance during particularly hot days in any area, and since solsticunes will naturally create heat a hot summer day can easily cause a chain reaction of hatching eggs, unnaturally high temperatures and “swarms” of solsticunes.
They’re found in three forms - full feral, furry and kemonomimi. Note that even though all solsticunes have the ability to transition between these forms, we will only be designing for a single one of these forms - the remaining forms will be up to your imagination.
Socially, solsticunes form tight bonds with others born in the same area, creating tribes. They’re considered a pest species and a trickster species due to their tendency to start wildfires but will “haunt” a territory for as long as possible until they’re chased out.
Magic for solsticunes includes fire creation and manipulation which comes naturally to them. While they can create and spread fire easily, many of the less disciplined will find it difficult to control fires, and even harder to extinguish them completely. More skilled solsticunes can extend their manipulation to other forms of energy - electrical, kinetic, or even lifeforce - sapping or restoring energy, emotions, or willpower from and to other living beings. Adult solsticunes have the ability to completely or partially immaterialise their body, turning into flame.
The amount of magical ability possessed by a solsticune is usually determined by the temperature at which their egg is hatched. Higher levels of magical skill will manifest physically in the form of more flames and horns on a solsticune’s head. The average solsticune has two horns and one flame, while two horns and two flames is uncommon but not unusual. More than this number of horns or flames is rare - the highest level of solsticune may have a crown of horns or halo of flames, though this is practically unheard of.
Sometimes other parts of a solsticune’s body catch on fire, idk what’s up with that it just looks cool. Flammable areas include the ears, tail, feet, back, hair and shoulders. Note that these flames don’t count towards the head-flame count, so for example this solsticune: 24.media.tumblr.com/13fe8dc438… has 2 horns and 1 flame, not 2 horns and 3 flames)
Solsticunes will die when all their fires are put out, making them quite a vulnerable species - if a solsticune is already weakened or sickly, even a strong wind could blow out their flames. Some are born with a heart flame, an ever-burning, internal flame which makes them immune to wind or water (you can still put out their external flames, but they will re-light after a few minutes). These are much hardier than regular solsticunes, though in exchange they lack magical prowess. You can choose if you want your solsticune to have a heart flame, it’s not a visible attribute though they may find their flames burn brighter.