Kito'an

The Kito'an are a race of cat humanoids, they resemble humans however often have cat ears and a tail.

## Overview

The Kito'an are a generally neutral race, situated at the center of the major continent on Mekkan. They have access to large amounts of rare and precious resources, such as metals and gems, as such they are a wealthy nation with trade routes across the world.

In the desert, another faction of Kito'an exists. Desert Faction Kito'an are considered tougher due to their harsher environment, they act as both protectors and rebels depending on the current leader.

## Magic

### ESP

Kito'an racial magic consists of different forms of ESP, these involve Telekinesis, Telepathy, Clairvoyance and Intuition.

Telekinesis is the ability to move objects with psychic powers. Telepathy is the ability to communicate through psychic links between two minds. Clairvoyance is the ability to see rare visions of the past, present or future, along with the ability to make minor predictions through means such as tarot cards. Intuition is the ability to see details about an object or person with no prior means to learn the information.

### Fortune

The Fortune gate is located in Kito'an territory, giving them access to Fortune magic, this magic allows them to control both metal and luck.

The metal aspect of Fortune gives the ability to create Mana Steel, along with manipulating metals into different shapes. Metal can also be used as projectiles.

The luck aspect of Fortune allows the user to have a random chance to get good luck, bad luck or no luck, this can result in attacks changing in power or even rebounding on the user. Out of combat it can also allow for good or bad things to occur.

Both their gate magic and racial magic are channeled through their mind.

## Subspecies

### Leonian

Leonians are believed to be one of the rarest types of Kito'an, with most being a part of the royal bloodline. They are well adapted for surviving in the hot climate of Tierra Del Leon, though they struggle to survive in the desert without additional assistance. This variety of Kito'an is capable of both high physical and magical strength. The crowned monarch of Tierra Del Leon has historically been a Leonian thought to be a blood relative of the first ruler, King Aus I.

Throughout history, many Kito'an have noted that the high levels of physical and magical ability shown by Leonians places them at an advantage when compared to the other varieties, their rarity outside of wealthy and powerful lineages of Leonians have been noted alongside this. This perceived advantage has resulted in legends of a small number of Kito'an being blessed with good fortune. Some of the legends depict this as a positive, with suggestions that this blessing has helped all Kito'an to thrive, while others have instead suggested that it creates an imbalance of power sometimes even going as far as suggesting that it may be some form of conspiracy.

### Tigeran

Tigerans are a variety of Kito'an that typically do not show strong magical abilities, instead showing adaptations to help them excel in physical activities. They are more capable of building physical strength and are naturally more athletic than many other varieties. A large portion of active guards or mercenaries in Tierra Del Leon are Tigerans, as the speed and strength of highly trained individuals make them formidable foes, even to strong magic users.

### Leopardian

Leopardians have a strong predisposition towards telekinesis and telepathy, along with being well adapted for physical combat. It is rare for a Leopardian to show clairvoyance or intuition ESP. Leopardians are well adapted to handle the warm climate of western Tierra Del Leon; however, they are not at all suited to the harsh desert climate of the east. Leopardian populations have been established in several colder regions of the world, many of these have adapted over time to handle the cold, becoming a variant referred to as Snow Leopardians.

### Pantheran

Pantherans are a type of Kito'an with a reputation for being more averse to authority, as such they are often more solitary. They commonly show high physical prowess, making them powerful adversaries. Pantherans are also usually quite large and tend to have darker hair. On average, pantherans are larger than all but Tigerans, and unlike other varieties, they mostly have dark hair. While Pantherans do not typically have ESP on the level of Common Kito'an, they have been documented as having an unusually high average number of intuits, this has resulted in theories that their more solitary lifestyle may have adapted in order to reduce the potential mental harm caused by being able to read into the lives, thoughts and conditions of those around them.

### Cheetarian

This variety of Kito'an are often viewed with suspicion, with many writing them off as criminals without evidence. Cheetarians are generally not particularly physically strong, but are predisposed to athletic talent. They often show average ability with magic, though are more likely to have clairvoyance than any other variant of Kito'an. The use of clairvoyance is believed to be the initial cause of their negative reputation, as some Cheetarians may have used this ability to gain an advantage over others.

### Common

Common Kito'an look like humanoid versions of domestic breeds of cats, along with some smaller breeds of wild cat, they are typically better at ESP than combat. Common Kito'an make up a majority of the Kito'an population in more built up areas. It is believed that a mass migration into the desert took place early on in Tierra Del Leon's history, most of the Kito'an who moved at this time were of the Common variety and eventually adapted into Desert Kito'an.

### Desert

Desert Kito'an are strongly believed to be descendants of Common Kito'an after many generations of life in the harsh desert climate. Unlike many other types of Kito'an, they almost always have lighter, sandy coloured hair. Their ears are the most notable distinguishing trait compared to other Kito'an, being more low set and larger, this helps to more easily detect potential threats around them while also keeping them cooler in the high daytime temperatures. The large ears is a trait shared with Fennec Kitsune, another desert dwelling member of a larger race.

### Mole-cat

A very rarely seen type of Kito'an which is genetically distinct enough to be considered a separate species by quite a few. Mole-cats have a more animalistic appearance than their surface dwelling cousins, with fur covering most of their body. A very notable physical trait of Mole-cats is the crystalline formations which grow primarily from their arms and hands, these almost always form in the shape of a large, sharp, shovel-like claw on each arm alongside the hands, these are used to rapidly tunnel and harden as the Mole-cat grows until they can easily break slightly softer rocks and can break harder rocks slightly faster than traditional mining tools.

They are adapted to darker underground environments and thus have relatively poor vision, strong light sensitivity and heightened senses to help compensate for their sight. Mole-cats are particularly good at feeling even the most subtle vibrations, can determine both sounds and smells more precisely and from further distances than most Kito'an, and can detect subtler changes in temperature. Mole-cats tend to have a variety of physical differences based on the mana that they are exposed to, such as the metal plates which resemble less refined versions of those found on Plated Tigers which have been seen on Mole-cats which have been exposed to Fortune Mana over many generations.

## Biology

Kito'an are typically humanoid in appearance with varying skin colour, eye colour, height, weight and more. The skin colour of this species typically leans more towards tanned or dark due to the climate they live in however Kito'an with light skin is not unheard of.

This species tends to have a height range of about 1.5m-1.9m on average, slightly weighted towards the lower end for the most part, although this varies based on the type of Kito'an. Common Kito'an often have a smaller stature, this somewhat applies to Cheetarians and Pantherans and Leopardians as well, on the other hand Tigerans and Leonians are often larger, with Tigerans frequently being above the average range of heights with very muscular builds.

Kito'an tend to grow sharper more claw like nails in a similar way to Wolvians, although they are not quite as sharp due to the much reduced use in hunting, sharper teeth is also a common trait due to the types of food that are often consumed.

The ears of a Kito'an strongly resemble that of animalistic cats, this can often result in their hearing being particularly good, the shape of the ears can change based on the subspecies of Kito'an with some being a bit larger and fluffier while others are more standard.

Certain traits can manifest rarely due to mutations in the genetics of the species, these include but are not limited to digitigrade feet, paws instead of hands and barbed genitalia. It is speculated that these traits were originally more common but have adapted out due to crossbreeding with the other races on mekkan, along with the traits no longer being as useful due to technological advancements.

## Mythology

Many Kito'an tales and legends have been noted throughout history. One of the most famous is the legend of the Sand Panther, a mythological creature said to live within the desert. The Sand Panther is said to be a giant sand beast which can travel at great speeds and eats those it finds in the desert, historically this was a failed attempt to scare the Salamanders away from invading; however, in more recent history the story remains as a warning to those who wish to enter the desert that danger lurks everywhere, or by some bad parents as a means to threaten children into behaving by claiming that if they do not behave the Sand Panther will come for them.

Stories of the Mercury Princess have also been told after sightings of a woman made of living liquid metal were reported, the stories spread like wildfire becoming exaggerated into the idea that a divine being had come to lead Tierra Del Leon into a new era; however, these claims were quickly disputed and later speculation suggests that the Mercury Princess may in fact be Princess Mercuria, cursed into a perpetual existence by some form of evil magic. Legends have sprung up around the newer theories to suggest that Princess Mercuria has returned from the dead to seek retribution against those who follow the one that destroyed the lives of her family in the past.

## Notable Examples

* Leona Nekorin - Princess of Tierra Del Leon along with renowned soldier

* Emilia Nekorin - Queen of Tierra Del Leon, trained by the Battle Tigers. Famous for her open approach to ruling which involves directly meeting any of her people that request it.