Tabaxi

Tabaxi are feline humanoids who inhabit the coastal regions of northern Austrolaria. They are short, lean, and agile creatures with slender, flexible frames. Their physiology resembles that of leopards, jaguars, and the other large predatory cats of the New World. Their coats are usually golden with black or brown spots, with rare cases of pure black or pure gold coloration. They are known for their exceptional climbing abilities, unparalleled in the known world. Their cities often contain sharp vertical structures which prove difficult for other species to traverse.
History
The Tabaxi homeland consists of a patchwork collection of small kingdoms, ruled by dozens of dukes and princes and petty kings, called jaguarlords by outsiders. Most of these kingdoms are urban and mercantile in nature, subsisting off their control of maritime and overland trade routes. The Tabaxi have been building cities in this region of the continent for thousands of years. The oldest of their settlements date back nearly to the founding of the ancient lizard empire. Most of these early cities were destroyed during the tumult of the Age of Crisis however, and most modern Tabaxi kingdoms are newer, having been established during the Age of Heroes or in more modern times. The tabaxi have feuded with the lizardmen since the days of the Ancient Empire. They have long maintained that they are the most cultured and civilized of the New World civilizations, and that the lizardmen are dimwitted savages. No one else takes these claims very seriously however. The Lizard Empire of old made many efforts to conquer the wealthy and strategically located tabaxi cities. These expeditions met with variable levels of success. In good times, the lizardmen managed to extend their hegemony all the way to the north coast of the continent. However, their control over the Tabaxi kingdoms was always temporary and unstable, waxing and waning with the fortunes of the empire. Both sides claim victory in these conflicts. The lizardmen-tabaxi feud continues into the 16th Century GR. Sporadic war and raiding between border kingdoms on both sides is as common as it has always been.
Culture
The tabaxi kingdoms are mercantile states that thrive on the lucrative trade in gold, hardwoods, and other natural resources which flows through their homeland. This has given rise to a culture that is staunchly capitalist, and materialistic. Money is power in tabaxi society, and competition for wealth is fierce and constant. Their society is also deeply individualistic, placing a great emphasis on personal autonomy and independence. The ruling caste of Jaguarlords mostly rule as constitutional monarchs with strictly limited authority and most tabaxi cities have written constitutions of government. The tabaxi pride themselves on this element of their society, considering their civilization a beacon of liberty and individuality, in sharp contrast to the lizardmen with their god-emperors and cultish devotion to the state. The Tabaxi generally have friendlier relations with the Old-World colonists than their reptilian rivals. They are more than open to doing business with the foreigners and lack the deep seeded xenophobia which dominates lizard society.