Cats

> "If you want something barked at, get a dog. If you want something to be *done,* get a cat."
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At least, that's what any prideful, self-respecting Feline would say, as it's common sense among their kind. Cats, after all, don't shy away from the hard facts of life. They face them - no, they *revel* in them, and they *win,* because that's the only acceptable outcome for this dreadfully long war. They've sacrificed too much to do anything as dissatisfying as *lose*.

## General Overview

Despite what the dogs may think, cats, too, are primarily raised in family groups. Colloquially called "colonies" rather than "packs," these Houses are normally held together by feminine-presenting cats and the young children they work together to take care of. Masculine presenting cats tend to wander around the fringes of the colony structure and are more prone to vanishing from the grounds for days at a time. However, they usually come back, and most still consent to take a House name as their own.

This results in a House structure that is oftentimes more... lax than those encountered by Canids, *especially* when it comes to applications - switching Houses is far more easily done, for one. It doesn't happen quite as often as one may suspect, but very few applications are ever denied (barring the cases of a few prestigious Houses). However, these new entrants experience a degree of... adjustment. A period of time where the established members of the House take their *own* measure of the newbie and form their *own* opinions... and these opinions are not always positive. It can take weeks, months, or even *years* for a feline member to fully integrate into a House.

## Cultural Additions

### **Gambling --**

With how troublesome it could be to attempt integration into a new house, why bother at all? Well, the biggest vice of the felines is that they all love a good gamble, of course. Felines tend to adore games of chance, especially when they can win something off of it. Cat curiosity is alive and well, and the plans that have gone off without a hitch go down in history as feats even some *dogs* are grudgingly admiring of. On the other side of the coin, this means their failures tend to be... spectacular. As long as you live to see another day, though, what does it matter, right?

So let it be said: poker is considered a high-brow game for the *true intellectuals* of cat society. Logically, this means that most cats prize those with a good poker face, and a hard-to-read face is often stereotyped as "Oh, you'll go *far*, kiddo."

### **Wildcats --**

The vast majority of feline Houses are, in a sense, "ruled" by those of domestic feline descent. Aside from a few exceptions, their wilder cat counterparts are much more prone to want to lead a life alone - even if, as in canine culture, this means depriving themselves of a whole House's resources, influence, and connections. Wildcats, however, are decidedly outnumbered, making up a third of the total Cat population at *best*; it's by unspoken agreement that they generally agree to follow the lead of their "tamer" cousins and live with them in the family-groups of Houses. They have a tendency to stick to the fringes, but cat society has as few true loners (i.e., houseless loners) as the dogs do.

This also means that there are very, *very,* few Houses that have a larger population of wildcats than it does domestic/feral. Most of them are a mix; the sole exception to this rule are lions, which *are* inclined to form family groups. Lion-dominated Houses tend to be on the smaller side, tending to accept only lion-blooded members, and populated largely by females and one or two males that are the "leaders" of these Houses. Male children are offered a choice to stay with their birth House or attempt to petition and join a different one; most choose to leave.

### **Notable Houses --**

> Not all inclusive - as well, none of the listed are player character Houses.
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*House Sloan:* Mixed/undefined descent. While this house contains some of the oldest recorded cat bloodlines - and competition for petitions to become a scion of this House would be fierce for that reason alone - their true claim to fame is their unusual sigilmancy aptitude. Many children born in these halls possess a higher-than-average compatibility with the sigilmancy arts and offer a sizable advantage over those born without. Their Alpha is Bartholomew. Their Senate Rep is Sasha.

*House Herrera:* Primarily of Norwegian Forest Cat descent. Unusually for the times, the general interest of this house lies not in the battlefield, but in dusty memoirs. While carrying on informally at first, they have more or less been appointed official record-keepers and have done much legwork in piecing together the known history from a feline perspective. Their younger members still serve, of course, but retired soldiers often pursue careers in wheedling and authenticating documents from other houses. Their Alpha is Andrew. Their Senate Rep is Marius.

*House Maddox:*Primarily of Snowshoe descent. It's said that scions of Maddox learn smithing before they ever learn of warfare. Whether this is true or not (and most *do* believe it to be the truth), there is hardly a feline soul alive that does not ache to possess a piece of craftsmanship shaped by the hands of a Maddox member. These weapons sing for canine blood, this armor does not falter. Their Alpha is Nessa. Their Senate Rep is Laxmi.

*House Carlucci:* Primarily of Lion descent. They are discreet. Once bought, they *stay* bought. And they guarantee a job well done. These three things solidify the core of this lion-blooded house that famously produces steadfast bodyguards and premium weaponry. Yes - many of their workers are female, but let's be honest... are *you* going to be the one to tell a lioness what they can and cannot do? Their Alpha and Senate Rep is Nicolai.

## Cat Application

The above information, as well as the [General Species Overview] are useful to know when creating a cat's history, but there are a few tidbits worth noting that are specific to cats when applying:

* Cats have a passive +1 in the AGI category.

### **Classes --**

Here is a small chart that lays out the classes that a cat can go into.

 Sigilmancers
 Support
 Medic

### **Mentors --**

Mentors are mostly NPC characters, with one that is a player character belonging to the Mini-Mod, that are there to act as guides and teachers to the fresh recruits and soldiers. There are three NPC but no player mentor for the cats, with one of each NPC for each of the slayer, sigilmancer, and support groups.

In practice, this mostly means that if you use the !patrol command in chat and encounter an enemy soldier, your character has the option of calling on your mentor to essentially have them "shoo" away your opponent - or in the event that you lose a battle, it will also be your mentor who safely retrieves you.

Mentors have general but not advanced knowledge for the classes within their sphere of influence. They also double as recruitment characters for their respective class types. Feel free to integrate the NPC mentors into your character's biography, should you like!

 Description
 Personality