The Nakai




Appearance: The Nakai are a bizarre mixture of feline and human. For the most part, they walk upright, have fur everywhere but the neck up, palms of their hands, and soles of their feet, and have claws. They vary from calico to tiger, Siamese to cougar, and so on. In fact, it's very hard to find a pureblooded Nakai, so it's not unheard of to see a black-and-brown striped guy with yellow spots rip another's lungs out for making fun of the yellow spots. With the myriad of different color, thickness, and lengths, there is no specific Nakaic look.

Their faces are their most strange feature. Some have protruding mouth and nose with whiskers, and some are all but human in nature. Noses can be little more than pink triangles, or can be a hook to put any eagle to shame. Though normally furless, some have an utterly bemused look as fluffy hairs sprout all over their face, covering their eyes, nose, and mouth. Their ears are thin triangular flaps of fuzzy skin that reside on the side of the face or the top of the head. The hair completes this confused look, which comes in as many flavors as any other species.

Their bodies often fall under two types: svelt and bouncer. The svelt are, duh, svelt, and can normally make it to around 5'9 at least. They move quickly and quietly, with thin precision claws (retractable). They are often shorthaired and their long tails can be used as something to trip people with. Though muscle must be worked for, it seems unnatural on these slim, elegant types.

The bouncers are big nasty brutes. They may not have the grace of others, but their sheer size makes up for it. They are either fat or bulked up, and usually make it to around 6'2''. Their claws are thick and grooved (non-retractable). A thick, fluffy tail is comical on these intimidating creatures.

Naturally, these two types breed freely with one another, but the children do tend to lean towards one type or the other.

Abilities: The Nakai females are late to reach puberty (around 19), but can have a litter of up to six babies at a time. However, these babies will be helpless until about age 5, but this is made up for by the fact that they normally live to be about 110. Also, just about all of them have good eyesight as well as a natural flexibility and stealth.

History: When the mind of Thanatos shattered, the magic in the world was greatly out of control. The Power manifested itself where it had not before: in the minds of the beasts that crawled the earth, particularly the cats. And the Power changed the cats that they might wield it, and their behavior changed and their shape. The most intelligent were so changed that they began to walk upon two legs, their claws shrinking and their fur receding. They became more like the Human, as that was the shape most capable of wielding Magic. The Human was also affected by the magic that was fluxuating through the world, and so it came to pass that the Human bred with the Cat People. And when the magic settled, such a mating habit was not rejected in their minds, and the children of such ventures were healthy. However, they still faced discrimination from some, and so they fled to breed only with one another.

The Power gave them Reason and Speech. The cougars, the lions, the panthers, the tigers, and the other Cats that prowled the earth became much like the Human, though they retained some of their features from their past, as well as very few of their instincts.

In time it became that the Cougars and the other cats became so mixed together that they were known as the Felines, but this name was degrading, and soon they were only called the Nakai.

In the Age of Elves, these races were bred with the Human and with each other, and so they truly became a race capable of Reason, and so were now accepted as they had not been since the Shattering.

After this, the Nakai still had some troubles. The Seekers eagerly slaughtered them, and defense was difficult. The Elves could hide their ears and simply roll around in some mud. The Dwarves could get really tall shoes. The Abhors were in the background, invisible to all but the most driven Seekers. The Winglies were the only other race as exposed as they were, and there were already very few of them. Since the start of the Seekers, their numbers have been suffering. Luckily, they reproduce at such a rate that it would be difficult indeed to wipe them out, but they still suffer mightily at the hands of Asmodean.

Transportation: The Nakai like horses to get around...their natural balance seems to help. If they can't get a horse, they'll go caravan or walk, or both. The heights of an airship are tempting, but most get violently ill while on them. Staggo Fish and Kerin Flies scare them. Embasaurs are okay, but not preferable.

Religion: The Nakai are fiercely loyal to whatever diety's continent they were born on. A good deal of them worship Dio or Mercu, since Ercus and Deisach have the greatest number of them.

Language: A primitive mix of growls, hisses, grunts, and some Common, Grishk is very hard to learn unless you are Dwarvish or have a lot of cough drops.

Society: The Nakai are for the most part well integrated into society, but they are very cautious. The dark alleys and shady corners of town are either run or avoided entirely by them, as they are all too aware that they cannot hide from Seekers. As such, they normally try to take jobs as bankers, false mystics...something that doesn't let everybody and his aunt see them. They aren't afraid to actually enter the public, they are just very careful. Tom will be sure to run over to the butchers to grab a brisket, but he'll be damned if he's about to go into an unfamiliar part of town alone...unless he's the local crime lord.

In The World: Commonly known as "the second most arrogant thing on the planet", they are seen as aloof, insensitive creatures with an aversion to light (though these are all just personally preference to some). They are renowned as assassins or bodyguards, and many have set up successful schools on these areas of training. They are considered religious nuts, as many have founded local chapters of Aidon on Dzanator, or Thanatos on Ercus. This loyalty would seem to present a disconnect between religion and occupation, but this is their main blind spot in their services. Nakai are disliked by the average people, but once you get to know them, they can be as friendly as can be.