Catfolk

Catfolk, sometimes known as Tabaxi or Jaguarans, are a race of feline humanoids. They are widespread across the Cobalt Sea, with historic links to many areas of the world. They are well known for their sailing prowess, and operate the largest shipping company in the region.

## History

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## Biology

Catfolk are bipedal mammals, with cat-like features. They tend towards having heightened senses of hearing and smell.

## Sub-Groups

###  Cobalt Sea Catfolk

Catfolk of the Cobalt Sea tend towards short fur in colours reminiscent of cats of the tropics and deserts: leopards, tigers, servals, caracals, and wild cats. Build and size are varied, as Catfolk of the region are a stock with origins from many areas beyond the Sea.

###  Kasharite Tabaxi

Catfolk settled in the Kashar region, south of the Spessartine Desert, have developed distinct physiological differences as adaptations to the hot, arid climate of the region. Their fur is substantially thinner than other catfolk, just thick enough to provide protection from the sun without inhibiting the venting of body heat. Their ears smaller and their noses generally flatter, so as to minimise water loss to the air. Kasharite Tabaxi can therefore go for longer without water and can tolerate high temperatures for much longer, but are also more vulnerable to the cold.

###  Mountain Jaguarans

Mountain Jaguarans are not a single group so much as a collective description for the catfolk in the Hammeroth and Ver'Bolsov, who share distinct physiological traits from living in mountainous and arctic regions, and may share a common ancestry. They are recognisable by their large ears, wide nostrils and thick fur, reminiscent of mountain lynx or snow leopards. Their thick fur traps heat, while their large ears and thick nostrils enhance their already impressive sensory abilities. In places like the Hammeroth, where average daytime temperatures dip below freezing, sound can carry for miles and one can walk for days without encountering a settlement, these enhancements are vital to survival.

## Settlements and Infrastructure

They have gained considerable economic influence in the region by way of shipping businesses, and many other races find it much more convienient to outsource their shipping and transport needs across the region to catfolk than maintain their own commercial fleet infrastructure. Some have turned to piracy and smuggling for a more profitable overturn, and some pirates believe the good luck of having a cat on board goes double for catfolk.

Historically they have few rivalries, and good trade relations generally, but catfolk have a particularly close relationship with humans. Many human refugees from Bastion found work through the catfolk's shipping fleet, and catfolk have welcomed them into their communities.

## Art and Culture

They refer to their communities as "prides", and young catfolk are encouraged to go out and explore on their own as soon as they are able. The regional dialect of catfolk, Pataje is quite an easy language to learn, but few other races can master some of the more complex sounds reminiscent of purrs and feline vocalisations that can infer deeper meaning.

Catfolk are a curious people, often archaeologists, explorers, historians and treasure hunters. There is a wealth of ancient history all around the Cobalt Sea, and encountering catfolk adventurers is common. Catfolk are also raised to be competent sailors and navigators, at home on the waves as they are in the tropical jungles.

### Language

Catfolk speak Pataje, Common, and a often several other languages.

Catfolk name their children for luck, for fortune, and for simple aesthetics. Names are rarely handed down, catfolk preferring to bestow unique names to their children.

**Examples:** Fabienne, Edmée, Canray, Omere

## Society and Relationships

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## Death, Deities and Belief

Catfolk of the Cobalt Sea tend to worship a pantheon of five main gods, with additional deities potentially adopted from other regions and even entirely different pantheons. Collectively they are known as the Heavenly Pride.

### Death Rites

The means of body disposal is of little importance to Catfolk, except for open-air burials, as the removal of eyes from corpses is believed to doom a soul to wander, instead of being able to find their way to the afterlife. When bodies are buried, they were usually buried close to the home of loved ones, to keep them close in death.

### Mourning

Mourning is a communal affair, a mixture of sombre and celebratory. Burials and pyres are often public, open to the entirely community.

### Afterlife and Beyond

Catfolk belief varies, and this has culminated in a mixed view of the afterlife amongst Catfolk of the Cobalt Sea; an afterlife in the vast plains inhabited by the Heavenly Pride, and reincarnation without memory, the energy of a soul split into animals.

## Notable Figures

* All Nine Lives
* Tilly
* Jeanne de Ver
* Tlatla Maquis (half Human)
* Sally Brightmaster (half Dwarven)

## Campaign Events

* event
* event
* event

## 5e Mechanics

### Traits

* Darkvision
* Feline Agility
* Cat’s Claws
* Cat’s Talent
* Born Sailor
* Water Averse (optional)