Cats

One of the main species who live on Spire Albion.

## About

Cats are one of the species of the Spires along with Humans and Warriorborn. They live along-side them but separate from them. The have their own culture and language. There are only a few humans that can understand their language and fewer still that can speak it. Cats are extremely intelligent and think themselves superior to humans. Even so, some of them form close relationships of affection—or working relationships—with humans. There are some humans that look down on them as vile creatures, but most are oblivious to them and disregard them one way or the other.

### Place in the Spire

Cats live as second-class citizens in the Spire, and some humans are hostile towards them.

They maintain the safety of the Spire by hunting any creatures that make their way inside from the ground. If the creature is large, then cats can usually take it down as a concerted effort.

Shortly before the attack by Spire Aurora, they were acknowledged as legal citizens of the Spire, with the rights associated with that status.

### Clan Chiefs

Tribal chiefs—like Maul and Naun—held their position through a dense, complicated network of one-on one connections, through building a general concensus, and the use of personal pressure and face when necessary.

### Culture

Cats have their own language. They are able to easily understand human language, but most humans cannot speak theirs, and they do not seem able to speak the human language.

The cats are divided into many tribes scattered throughout the habbles, each one led by a chief. However, cat nature means that they do not like to be seen working as a group, and often disagree on virtually everything. They do not live in large groups except in time of crisis.

### Kits

They are extremely protective of their kittens, and humans rarely see them. Even those whom they are fondest of will rarely see kittens. This is to prevent humans from teaching the kittens to accept food rather than hunting for it.

### Hunting / Defense

Cats loved the hunt. By working cooperatively they could stalk and take down prey much larger than themselves. Cats only worked together in groups to hunt and defend territory. It would be only a loose collaboration and very temporary.

### Cat "Diplomacy"

Cats go through a ritual power-struggle display that can last for hours in which two Cats all sit in near proximity ignoring each other and grooming themselves. The idea is to establish which is the least impressed with the other—"a more capable cat is never more impressed by a less capable cat."

## Human and Cats

Cats and humans frequently clashed resulting in mutual pain. Humans have handed out many indignities and injustices toward Cats over the centuries. Including hunting cats, blaming them for things cats would never do, and trying to poison their water and food.

Many humans are unaware of how intelligent cats are, seeing them as little more than "clever beasts". And most cats consider humans as dimwitted and untrustworthy.

### Characteristics / Traits

* Cats would never allow themselves to appear as though they were working with other cats—"such lack of independence would be seen as unacceptable.
* Getting a group of cats to agree on anything was nearly impossible.
* Getting several hundred cats to move together, to live together as a group, or abandon their territories, was unheard of.

### Tribes / Houses / Clans

* House of the Silent Paws
* House Nine-Claws
* Shadow Tails
* Quick Claws

### Tribal Positions and Duties

* Clan Chief
* Heir
* Whiskers: hunters and spies
* Scouts
* Warriors

### Ventilation Tunnels

* Air tunnels that Cats use to travel by. Some of the tunnels are claimed by certain tribes. Lately, some Cats have been reported missing after traveling through the tunnels—particularly Whiskers and Scouts.
* Cats preferred the smaller ventilation tunnels for habitation.

### Human Allies

* Longthinker — Lord Albion
* Wordkeeper - Franklin Tagwynn
* Littlemouse — Bridget Tagwynn
* Shiptrees — Captain Grim
* Captain Esterbrook — possibly
* Gwen Lancaster — possibly
* Tribesaver - Benedict Sorellin-Lancaster

### Details

* New Creatures (spoiler link) in the Ventilation Tunnels of Albion have proved to be a threat to the local cat population of Habble Landing.
* Cats consider being called a "scavenger" to be a deadly insult.
* Cats feel uneasy when a human looks at any specific cat in a gathering for more than a second or two.
* Cats are willing and able to bring down human beings if they chose to.

### Named Cats

#### House of the Silent Paws

* Rowl
* Clan Chief Maul
* Mirl

#### House of the Nine - Claws

* Clan Chief Naun
* Neen

## Connections

* Bridget Tagwynn
* Team
* Folly
* Captain Esterbrook
* Spirearch
* Auroran Marines
* Sycorax Cavendish
* Silkweavers

## Events

### 1. *Aeronaut's Windlass*

Mirl reports to Rowl that cats have been going missing in the Ventilation Tunnels. There are "new things" in the air shafts—the Silent Paws scout reports have been confirmed by Longthinker. Reports of cats from tribes of other Habbles have also been heard. Rowl and a cat from the Nine-Claws tribe act out the cat's version of diplomacy by laying in proximity to each other but ignoring each other for hours—while Bridget and Folly wait. Bridget, Rowl and Folly visit the House Nine-Claws cat tribe in an intersection chamber of the Ventilation Tunnels of Habble Landing.

## Quotes

* "One learns patience, working in a vattery. It doesn't matter how much one wants a batch to be done. It won't happen any faster; it's the same with cats." — Bridget Tagwynn to Folly
* "Ought we stand up?" Folly asked her jar worriedly. "Wont' it be seen as disrespect if we do not?" ... "A human who is sitting down is a human who cannot possibly pounce on a cat faster than it can spring away. Stay sitting. It's more polite." — Folly an Bridget Tagwynn
* "Cats are not to be rushed. On the other hand, it's rather difficult to slow the down, once they've excited to start." — Bridget Tagwynn to Folly

## Book References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 33, p. Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; name "CS1ch33" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; name "CS1ch33" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; name "CS1ch33" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; name "CS1ch33" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; name "CS1ch33" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; name "CS1ch33" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; name "CS1ch33" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; name "CS1ch33" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; name "CS1ch33" defined multiple times with different content
2. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 34, p. 316
3. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 29, p. 278
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 29 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; name "CS1ch29" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; name "CS1ch29" defined multiple times with different content
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 34 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; name "CS1ch34" defined multiple times with different content
6. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 33, p. 309
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 6
8. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 10