Inua

The Inua are one of the kiths of the Nunnehi, the fae native to North America.

Overview
The northernmost native tribes, the Inuit and Aleuts, believed that all things, whether animate or inanimate, contained a spirit. The inuas were the conduits and guides who assisted their shamans in communicating with these spirits. They also served as the guardians of tradition and ensured that no one in the community broke any taboos.

These Nunnehi spend much of their lives studying the deeper secrets of the spirits and walking the paths of the Upper World. They are reputed to be the wisest and most knowledgeable of the Nunnehi. When interacting with mortal shamans they prefer to take the shapes of animals so as to conceal their true identities. Most frequently, they assume the forms of foxes, caribou, seals, ravens, walruses, and polar bears. They are always small versions of these magnificent creatures so that they can easily enter a shaman’s home or place of power. Inuas live in communities, often in or near the fringes of human tribal settlements. They consider themselves to be the caretakers of the nearby villages.

They look much like members of their human tribes. Broad-faced with black hair, most still follow the custom of using elaborate plugs of ivory, bone, or other hard materials inserted beneath the lip to form a chin decoration. Among the other Nunnehi they are known as “the pierced ones.” They wear the traditional clothing of their tribe. When acting as a spirit advisor, the Nunnehi takes the form of an animal important to the tribe.

Affinity: Fae

Birthrights
Imbue Amulet — Inuas can invest an amulet with  any single power from any Art. Anyone bearing the amulet can activate this power to use it at any time. However, this power is one use only. The Realm associated with the Art must also be determined at the time of creation. Once used, the power is gone, and a new amulet must be made.

Change Form — Inuas have the power to change into the form of any wild animal native to their region. The player may pick one type of animal at character creation, and then can learn additional forms by spending experience. Each form costs experience points equal to (the current number of  forms x 5). The second form costs five experience, the third costs 10, and so on.

Frailties
Susceptibility — Inuas are especially susceptible to artificial chemical toxins and pollutants. When in the vicinity of a pollutant (within five yards), an inuas loses one die from all dice pools. If actually in contact with a pollutant (this includes a smoggy day, or swimming in polluted waters), the penalty increases to two dice.