Tabaxi
Pride of Kythas
"The world has already hidden every secret worth finding. The only question is who reaches it first."
Tabaxi are graceful feline humanoids driven by boundless curiosity and an enduring desire to explore the unknown. To a tabaxi, every distant horizon promises another story, every forgotten ruin conceals another mystery, and every stranger carries a tale worth hearing. Few races wander as widely or return home with as many remarkable experiences.
Covered in soft fur displaying countless patterns of spots, stripes, and solid colors, tabaxi resemble upright cats in both appearance and movement. Their expressive ears, long tails, keen eyes, and retractable claws reflect their feline heritage, while their agility and balance allow them to navigate rooftops, forests, cliffs, and crowded marketplaces with effortless grace. Every tabaxi's markings are unique, making them as recognizable as a fingerprint.
Tabaxi communities are uncommon and often transient. Some dwell within jungle cities hidden beneath dense canopies, while others gather in traveling caravans, bustling ports, or mountain trade routes before moving on with the changing seasons. Many tabaxi spend only part of their lives among their own people, believing that experience gained abroad is a treasure meant to be shared upon returning home.
Curiosity shapes nearly every aspect of tabaxi culture. Stories, songs, maps, unusual objects, forgotten languages, and local customs are all collected with equal enthusiasm. Wealth is appreciated, but only because it allows another journey, another expedition, or another opportunity to satisfy an unanswered question.
Names among tabaxi are often descriptive phrases reflecting memorable events, admired qualities, or hopes held by their families. As their lives unfold, many acquire affectionate nicknames or shortened forms chosen by friends from other cultures, and few object to carrying several names throughout their lives.
Other races sometimes mistake a tabaxi's endless questions for distraction or frivolity. In truth, observation is second nature to them. A tabaxi entering an unfamiliar room instinctively notices exits, unusual objects, interesting conversations, and opportunities for adventure long before deciding where to sit.
Among tabaxi, the greatest gift one traveler can offer another is a story no one else has heard. Such tales are traded as eagerly as precious gems, and a well-told account of an impossible journey may pass through generations unchanged, carried wherever curious feet next decide to wander.
"If a tabaxi asks to borrow something, ask how exciting the story behind its return is likely to be."
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Scientific Name
Felis sapiens
Lifespan
70–90 years
Average Height
5 ft. 2 in – 6 ft. 6 in
Average Weight
90–180 lbs
Geographic Distribution
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