Catfolk

The Catfolk are one of the races of Primordiax.

Appearance
The most distinctive features of the catfolk are their lightly furred bodies, their slanted eyes, their sensitive whiskers, and their distinctive fur markings. Very few catfolks have fur of one solid color. Most sport markings much like their feline counterparts. Some are spotted like cheetahs, while others are striped like the common tabby. A very few have the tawny coat of a lion. There are no physical templates for catfolks, for they vary so very much in their appearance. Some have extremely feline features, including a flattened nose and slitted pupils, while others have completely humanoid features with slanted eyes and extremely fine fur with markings as their only catlike traits.

Like all humanoids, catfolk come in various sizes and shapes. A typical male catfolk in his prime usually weighs approximately 90 crowns and stands approximately 7.5 to 9 rands tall. Male catfolks tend towards being well muscled, like the great cats of the world. Female catfolks, however, tend towards sleekness and slenderness, much like a house cat. They stand approximately 5 to 7 rands tall, and the average weight runs approximately 55 to 65 crowns. As they get older, catfolk tend towards plumpness as well as thicker fur, which adds to their rounded appearance. Their fur also turns gray at the tips, giving most elders a more unified coat.

Catfolk have little to no use for tattooing since most tattoos cannot even be seen under their fur. A very few will tattoo parts of their face where the fur is thinnest, but unless the artist employed is extremely talented, most facial tattoos appear distorted on catfolk.

Catfolks sport some of the most interesting hair on Primordiax, as most have two-toned, and sometimes three-toned, hues. Often, the colors will be contrasting and alternating, creating some extremely vivid hairstyles. Most catfolk wear their hair long and loose in order to display their colorful markings, but almost all of them carry leather bands in order to quickly secure their hair. A very few catfolk wear their hair short or cropped, though in most catfolk communities, short hair is a sign of disgrace.

Almost all catfolks boast of long, graceful tails. Some are striped, others are fluffy, and still others are tipped with black. Tails are never to be pierced or mutilated in any way, but the new, popular trend, called "tipping", is to tie feathers or colored beads to the tip of the tail. Several millennia ago, or so some historians claim, catfolks had no tails. Right before the Sundering, however, several sources claim that catfolks were re-gifted with their tail by a nature deity. Before that incident, all catfolks had no tails. A group of fanatics who call themselves the Sheevans cut off their tails or take in babies who are born without tails. The extremely rabid groups will actually steal babies that are born with no tails.

Society
One of the more populous and varied races of Primordiax, catfolk no longer live in secluded, racial towns or cities. Most modern-day catfolk live in one of the three major cities: Chemer, Askagard, or Troj. Troj boasts a large population of the catfolk who take after the greater cats, those that resemble lions, panthers, or jaguars. They tend to congregate towards the southern part of the city which gets more sun than the northern parts. Askagard also boasts an extremely large population of catfolk, most of which have thicker fur than catfolk in more southern climes. One particular Askardic family, the Sekems, resembles the great spotted tigers of Mitralon with their pale blue eyes, shaggy white fur, and steel-gray spots. Chemer's prominent catfolk clans mostly sport short, sleek fur in buff colors.

Though most catfolk no longer live in unified, racial villages, many of their ancient traditions are still observed. Most catfolks still rub the line of their jaw against each other and close friends whenever they are greeting one another. This tradition emulates cats' scent-marking each other and their own homes, though necroptic studies show that catfolks do not have any scent glands along their jawline.

Catfolks enjoy sleeping together in large, purely non-sexual groups and very few are comfortable sleeping alone. Children will sleep with their parents in a big pile until they have siblings old enough to all sleep in another room. Catfolk beds are large frames filled with feathers, sea sponges, and small beads covered by simple cotton or sometimes silk. Up to six full-grown catfolk can fit into one of these beds at a time. Those that intermarry with other races often find difficulty in agreeing upon sleeping arrangements.

History
Catfolk history is fraught with discourse and hardships. The most popular theory of their creation states that catfolks were shaped, created, and loved by a god that was slaughtered by an unknown nature deity. A group of prominent catfolk then brought further hardship to the race by trying to raise a dead god, creating outrage and the slaughter of an untold number of catfolk. Another popular creation theory, however, is that catfolks evolved from shape shifters who spent so much time in their cat forms that they forgot what it was to be human. Though lycanthropy has not been seen for thousands of years on Primordiax (if it ever existed), the great variety of feline features on catfolk across the world lends credence to that theory.

Approximately two thousand years ago, catfolks became a hunted race near the lands of Chemer. With lupkyn and humans dominating the lawless city and catfolks the minority, they became easy targets for thieves, thugs, and then general persecution. In addition, a catfolk prophet by the name of Kelai Proudfoot spoke against the growing corruption in the clans that ruled Chemer. Most of his supporters were also catfolk, so the clans simply spread propaganda against the entire race. In one year, nearly 3,000 catfolk were slaughtered by the town's "guards". The reign of terror did not end until Tertz Grrt came into power.

Regardless of their true origins, modern day catfolks believe that they are entering the Golden Age of their race. Catfolks hold many prominent positions throughout the world, and they no longer suffer any form of racial persecution. Since each family of catfolk often has four to six children, the race has a healthy and growing population.