Silinratath (Sah-lin-ree-tath)

… then there are the abominable elemental felines of the underworld. What accounts have reached us tell tales that these monstrous creatures are changelings that shift and alter their appearance wherever you find them. Wrought out of the very elements themselves, some even cast from molten earth, an entirely preposterous idea to say the least…

— The Venerable Teague - Codex of Beasts and Beings, 3rd edition.

Found in some of the most inhospitable reaches of the underworld, these striking elemental felines have adapted to survive in these hostile depths by developing a particular taste for crystal, precious minerals and crystalline based beasts that live in its depths. These highly intelligent with keen senses they are formidable hunters and foragers with an eye catching appearance. No Silinratath looks the same, each of these majestic beast is strikingly different, ranging from beautiful and beguiling to absolutely terrifying. A wild Silinratath can be quite unpredictable and should not be approached, many ignorant explorer venturing into the underworld has fell afoul of these beasts, through their own wantonness or sheer stupidity.
Highly prized, and sought after by numerous cultures in The Sunless Realms, the Silinratath have been bred over the centuries for a diverse variety of roles. Ranging from beasts of burden, guard animals and mounts or as the prized additions to a wealthy nobles menagerie. These intrepid felines have successfully evolved and adapted to any environment or situation they have found themselves in, whether through natural means or domestication.

Mushroom Variant - Female by Morf-en

Volcanic variant - Male by Morf-en

by SerenityOnyx

Behaviour And Ecology

These creatures are social and live in packs of up to several members consisting of one male and it's mates and offspring. It is not uncommon to see lone bachelor males roaming the realm having no pack to call their own. These lone males have often been driven out by the dominate male when they reach maturity, or to they attempt to challenge him for position as the dominate male. It is not uncommon for these lone bachelors to shadow packs, and attempt to entice females away and start their own pack, many of which are chased off when the dominate male catches wind. The pack will typically occupy an area, establishing a territory. This typically coincides with availability of food, fresh water and safety for the offspring.
Litters usually consist of 1 to 4 cubs commonly born but larger litters can sometimes occur (most often in captivity) when the pack is very well fed and environmental stresses are low. Typically, mothers will raise their own young, but if the mother is not around, the pack will become protective and work as a whole to care for the pup.

Physiology

The Silinratath is a large elemental feline, that adapts to its environment. The exact method this has been achieved has still been undetermined by many scholars, what is understood is that it is a combination of their natural evolution and their natural diet. Taking on the physical traits and attributes of their environments and the diets they consume. Consequence of which affects the overall appearance of a Silinratath varies greatly according to the region of The Sunless Realms it originates. With the most common forms coming from the crystal chasms, mycelium rich forests or volcanic plains. Silinrarath thrive best in mineral/crystal rich areas but have been also (rarely) documented existing in the coastal reaches of the Mist sea where precious stones and creatures are rumoured to exist, as well as the strange climates of the vast subterranean Dsja'taresh desert.
Possessing incredibly powerful jaws and teeth capable or grinding crystalline and rock formations down with relative ease, and a ribbed tongue to help filter out any sediment or detritus from its food. They also possess large front claws specially designed for digging out embedded food and breaking down and exterior shells or defences of their prey.

Male and Female differences. by Morf-en

There is notable sexual dimorphism between male and female Silinrataths, with the latter being consistently smaller. The average male can stand from between 10 to 14 feet long and 4 to 5 feet tall at their shoulders, whereas a female stands between 9 to 11 feet long and 3.5 to 4.5 feet tall at their shoulders. Males tending to weigh almost twice as much as a female, and possess noticeably wider forepaws, and larger claws and a more pronounced mane. It has also been hypothesised that body size of different Silinrataths populations may be correlated to the environments and diet habits they have acclimatised to survive. This was particularly focused upon by breeders during the domestication process, capturing and selectively cultivating desirable traits and sizes.

Their coats colour, and patten often reflect their native diet too; and breeders of Silinratath often will experiment with feeding their broods on solely one type of crystal in hopes of creating the most extravagant and sought after pattens and colours (example the rose quartz pink silinratath pictured on the right) And while wild Silinratath are not commonly found to have such unique and striking (while somewhat unnatural colour palettes) it is not uncommon to be able to identify the native region and diet based on its colouration and markings.
The tail of a Silinratath is equally varied in length and shape and the magical residue of its diet (the flame as it is sometimes known) grows and diminishes depending on how well fed or starved the individual is.

Domesticated Silinratath by M4wie

by SerenityOnyx

Lifespan

Wild; 10 - 15 years. Domesticated; 20 - 25 years.

Average Height

Males; 4 to 5ft. Female; 3.5 to 4.5ft

Average Weight

705 – 1,200 pounds (320 – 550 kg)

Average Length

Males; 10ft to 14ft. Female; 9 ft to 11ft.

Geographic Distribution

• Dsja'taresh Highlands.
• Phyraxgia
• The Caverns of Amaranth
• The Dsja'taresh Desert
• The Sea of Spores.
• The Shimmering Depths.
• The Sunless Realms

Diet
Crystal, Ore and Mineral deposits, Crystalline and elemental creatures.
Natural Predators
Vzhare
Skrixx'shaa

Domestication

The first recorded instance of Silinratath being domesticated is by Dvergar miners during the first age. Silinratath proved to be effective for breaking up ores, minerals and other difficult geological formations that would normally hinder progress. Invaluable to miners prospecting throughout some of the more inhospitable regions of the underworld, the Silinratath elemental resilience enables them to overcome such obstacles with relative ease. Due to their size and physical prowess, males in particular, were also used as beasts of burden to haul carts and wagons back from such expeditions. As Dvergar innovation began to revolutionise mining techniques, the use of Silinratath began to steadily diminish.
It wasn't until centuries later, when the Dral'azie would begin to establish their presence in the sunless realms that a second concerted attempt to domesticate the Silinratath would begin. They too, like the Dvergar recognised the benefits of taming and utilizing the Silinratath in the early years of their settling into the sunless realms, as they did with so many other beasts of the underworld. This was by no means a straight forward process, compared to the Dvergars method of enticing the wild elemental Silinratath with the promise of reward, the Dral'azie instead sought to breed a more docile and obedient variant. Trappers struggled to acquire live adult specimens, and even when they did they were notoriously stubborn and volatile. Instead, they were snatched away as pups and reared to trust their new masters. Generations later, various breeds of domesticated Silinratath now populate the Dral'azie city-states and beyond. Most either utilized as mounts or prized possessions.

by SerenityOnyx

Size and shape of the ears is another aspect breeders are particularly finickity over. Having bred generations of Silinratath for desirability qualities, the shape and size can sometimes be all the difference between a pure-blooded domestic pedigree and a common mongrel.

It's one thing petting those dainty pure breeds the Dral are so damn fond of, but you try even go near one them wild one. It'll have your arm off, or worse.

— Warning of a Dvergar trader to his apprentice