Tabaxi

Tabaxi

Tabaxi (pronounced: /*tɑːˈbæksi/* *ta-BÆK-see* or: */tɑːˈbɑːʃi/* *ta-BAHSH-ee*), also known as leopard people or cat-folk, are a race of feline humanoids native to the jungles of Montabi.

## Description

Tabaxi are taller than most humans at six to seven feet. Their bodies are slender and covered in spotted or striped fur. Like most felines, Tabaxi have long tails and retractable claws. Tabaxi fur color range from light yellow to brownish red. Tabaxi eyes have slit-pupiled and usually green or yellow.

Tabaxi are competent swimmers and climbers as well as speedy runners. They have a good sense of balance and an acute sense of smell.

### Personality

Tabaxi are a reclusive people who often avoided interaction with other intelligent races. However, as each tabaxi possesses a specific feline trait, some have an innate curiosity that compel them to travel and seek out stories, artifacts, new experiences and knowledge, never remaining in the same place or obsessing over the same piece of lore for too long.

In general, tabaxi do not care for wealth, but they have an almost obsessive interest in ancient artifacts, relics and magic items, but not for the items themselves, as much as the stories and secrets they hold. Once an item has been thoroughly examined and studied, and its secrets revealed, it will lose its allure and the tabaxi will quickly lose interest and pass it on.

Not all tabaxi are motivated by curiosity to leave their homeland, however. Some find safer ways to satisfy their fleeting obsessions by becoming traveling minstrels and tinkers, often accepting interesting objects and stories as payment for their services.

### Sub Races

Tabaxi have three Subraces across Aroura, In Montabi there are the Prideheaded, Spottedfur, and Stripebackd

### Combat

Tabaxi are exceptional hunters and utilized these skills in combat. Speed and stealth combined with their natural camouflage mean that tabaxi are particularity skilled at surprise attacks. Tabaxi are even known to disguise their scent with aromatic herbs. Their hunting skills and intelligence make them formidable tacticians. Groups will often drive prey into ambushes, sometime playing with their doomed foe before killing them. Tabaxi clans had berserker warriors within them, these are known as blood-stalkers.

For weapons, tabaxi favor bolas, slings, scimitars, and spears. These weapons are often be made from wood, bone or stone. Tabaxi are just as likely to use weapons as they are to use their claws and teeth. Their preference of simple weapons is not due to a lack of capability. Tabaxi are quite capable of adapting to new technology or salvaged weapons.

Due to their knowledge of hunting, intelligence and sense of smell, it is practically impossible to trap a tabaxi.

## Society

Tabaxi society is built around clans. Clans are split evenly between males and females with 3 to 12 young. Each clan had several Hunts each made up of two to eight individuals. The Hunts patrolled the area around the clan's lair.

Although tabaxi lairs are sometimes just temporary, they are more often small villages of rondavel. When trees are available the several small rondavels can be found in one.

Clans are led by elders. About half of the time, leaders are aided by shamans. Beyond this is The Trade Run, Trade is extremely important in the Societies if teh Tabaxi. The Great Central Markets are at some times of the year as populated as Cities in the Elvish Empire. Each village has One Trader who represents them and one assitant who helps them and learns the skill. not only do they establish goods but relations, as a sort of representative for their clan.

### Language

The Tabaxi language is an ancient form of the Jari language. Those who speak modern Jari and know what to listen for can usually understand about half of the Tabaxi words they heard.

#### TABAXI NAMES

Tabaxi have a single gender-neutral name that is chosen by their clan. They’re based on a wide range of factors including astrology and prophecy and typically take the form of a short descriptive sentence and most tabaxi utilize a shorter nickname derived from it.

Following that they have their clan name, which is usually a simple description of some geological feature in or around their home territory.

The following list of sample tabaxi names includes nicknames in parenthesis.

**Tabaxi Names:** Crescent Moon (Moon), Fire in the Distance (Fire), Game of Chance (Game), Gift of a Guest (Gift), Kite in the Wind (Kite), Lost Guide (Lost), Scratch on Wood (Scratch), Single Drop (Single), Three Coil (Three), Wave on the Shore (Wave)

**Tabaxi Clans:** Angelic Ridge, Anchored Glade, Echoing Mountain, Grieving Fields, Mumbling Morass, Tranquil Bayou, Twisting Fjords, Weeping Cave.

### Religion

The creator figure in the tabaxi pantheon is The Cat Lord, a fickle and tricky entity who bestow each tabaxi with a specific feline trait and is believed to wander the world, watching over them. Tabaxi practice Mewbi, a Necromatic like magic that communes and summons the spirits of their ancestors. Clerics of the Cat Lord are rare and typically access the Trickery domain.

## Interracial Relations

Tabaxi have few enemies and only the most degenerate clans would attack members of other intelligent species without good reason, although they hold a very high suspicion of Dal and non wild elves, They hold Wild elves in high regard, and have even intermingled with them, a lot of Clans have a few Wild elves with whom they consider family.

### Threats

Tabaxi are sometimes hunted for their pelts. Each pelt could be sold for up to 50 gp. Young tabaxi could be sold on the slave market for around 225 gp.

## History

The first time Tabaxi met races of the north is during the Spider Wars. Because of the black market and slave trade that brought them to Karethia, some Stripebacked tabaxi made the grasslands of Rautta their home after escaping captivity only to become servants to the Rakshasa.

## Tabaxi Traits

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2,

Age. Tabaxi have lifespans equivalent to humans.

Alignment. Tabaxi tend toward chaotic alignments, except for Prideheaded, as they let impulse and fancy guide their decisions. They are rarely evil, with most of them driven by curiosity rather than greed or other dark impulses..

Size. Tabaxi are taller on average than humans and relatively slender. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision. You have a cat's keen senses, especially in the dark. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Jari and one other language of your choice.