Tabaxi

"Humans have thumbs, which is useful for opening jars. Cats have grace, which is useful for everything else. The Lord saw fit to give us both. We are the best of the hunter and the best of the maker. Now, if you would be so kind, please move. You are standing in the only sunbeam in this tavern."

— Lady Velvet, Matriarch of the Silken-Paw Colony

Origins: The Lord's Design

• The Feline Lord: Their creation myth revolves around Lord Malkin (or The Hearth-Lord). Legend says Malkin looked upon the Humans (with their useful hands and endurance) and the Cats (with their perfect reflexes and senses) and decided that the world needed a bridge between the two. He spun the first Tabaxi from a ball of silver yarn and breathed curiosity into it.

 
• The Domestic Diversity: Because they were made to fit into the world’s nooks and crannies, Tabaxi in Cruinlagh resemble domestic breeds rather than wild predators.
• The Snow-Coats (Maine Coon/Norwegian Forest): Huge, fluffy, and cold-resistant, living in the coldest peaks and mountain-forests
• The Sleek-Walkers (Siamese/Shorthair): Vocal, social, and agile, often found near trade routes.
• The Skin-Kin (Sphynx): Hairless and heat-seeking, often the most magical, relying on elaborate knitted clothes to stay warm.
• Rare & Secluded: They know they are rare. They view themselves as "Valued Assets." They live in small, hidden colonies (often called "Clowders") tucked away in secluded glades, abandoned libraries, or high rooftops. Places where they can watch the world without being bothered by it.

Cultural Values: The Art of Comfort

• The Sacred Nap: Tabaxi view sleep as "charging." They operate on a burst-energy cycle. They might sleep for 14 hours, but in the remaining 10, they will get more done than a Human does in a week. They do not apologize for resting.
  

 
• Curiosity with Boundaries: They are intensely curious, but not reckless. They want to know what is in the box, but they will poke it with a stick first. They are collectors of secrets, shinies, and stories.
  

 
• Grooming as Rhetoric: How a Tabaxi grooms themselves is a language. A Tabaxi who licks their paw and smooths their ear while you are talking is politely saying, "This conversation is boring." A Tabaxi who grooms you (straightening your collar, fixing your hair) is claiming you as family.