Material:
Exotic Animal
Material Category
Animal/Tameable beast
Location to find it
The tops of the clouds is most often where these creatures can be found traversing. Preferring to jump cloud to cloud as they hunt bison like creatures. Though the rare cloud tiger can be found down on the ground after falling at a young age. Few manage to live long enough before either being captured and sold or killed by a curious or aggressive predator.
Price
Living
A cloud tiger can go from anywhere between twenty to fifty thousand diamond crowns depending on its size and condition. The difficulty is more in taming one and usually finding buyers for living creatures.
Claws
Commonly sold for around 5 ruby volcanos a piece. The claws are said to be an easy way for new adventurers to gain a decent amount of coin early parts of there adventure.
Pelt
With the difficulty in getting the material, shipping it and ensuring its quality. Few merchants will deal in the pelts of cloud tigers due to the lack of customers who can afford them. With the larger pelts going for anywhere near a hundred thousand ruby volcanos. Some have been noted to sell for up to nearly two million ruby volcanos.
Eyes
Similarly to the pelt, the eyes find themselves sold for a high value as only the most capable alchemists can use them. Thus few are willing to buy, but the average price is said to be nearly fifty to five hundred thousand ruby volcanos.
Fangs
Typically the fangs like the claws are an easy material to gather up and sell. With some going for as near as 10 ruby volcanos per fang.
Cloud Silk
Due to its unique properties, it is said that many magic casters and ship captains will pay top price for the material no matter the cost to them. With some rare cases noting a hundred yards of the stuff being granted in exchange for a fiefdom within the dragon king Mov'asi's territory at one point.
Harvesting DC's
Living
With an experienced druid or animal farmer, one can expect no more difficulty then trying to tame an average commoner. That is to say, they have no more then a below average intelligence, and tend to be anti social creatures. At most moving about in small family units led by the larger male until there cub grows. At which point the cub is sent off and the "parents" are said to split, this all happens within about a year of the cubs birth.
Claws
With an experienced hunter the claws are said to just pop out without any difficulty. Though some adventurers report that it can be up to a difficulty of 5 at most. With many new adventurers taught in guilds how to disect beasts for rare parts using the cloud tigers as perfect examples.
Pelt
Noted to be one of the hardest items to gather from the beasts themselves. With even experienced leatherworkers seeing a difficulty of near 60 to just scrape the material off the body.
Eyes
Though at first difficult, it is common for new adventurers to hunt for these creatures. Thus much of the technique needed to get the eyes has been well documented. Bringing the difficulty down to nearly 10 at the higher end for the less experienced.
Fangs
With an experienced hunter the fangs are said to just pop out without any difficulty. Though some adventurers report that it can be up to a difficulty of 5 at most. With many new adventurers taught in guilds how to disect beasts for rare parts using the cloud tigers as perfect examples.
Cloud Silk
Pulled from the specialty veins underneath the fur of the paws. The cloud silk can be rather difficult to harvest with many noting it to be nearly a 50 overall. Even the experienced adventurer is said to struggle even finding the vein where the silk comes from. As the body tightens on its death and the vein opening usually closes fully within the body and expels the silk as a poison within.
Shelf life per part
Living
Though it is not uncommon for a cloud tiger to live up to a thousand years or older. Most pass due to health difficulties around the age of five hundred or so. At which point the creature has usually hit around the upper end of huge in size. Some have even noted that once the creature grows to the extent of what is classified as "Huge" by the collective, they tend to lose much of there dexterious abilities. Causing many to plummet to the ground when misjudging a jump. Though this is still rare with many passing most often from rival cloud tigers or adventurers.
Claws
Similar to the teeth, cloud tigers have a very low calcium diet and rarely eat the bones of there prey. Thus few are known for having extremely long lasting teeth, instead they fall out quite constantly and so do the claws. Growing back with similar sharpness but less brittleness as each one "pops" out. That claw or tooth is immediately cut off from the little calcium deposits the creature has. While the body focuses on the next claw or tooth to replace it.
Pelt
If treated through buckskin or brain tanning as it is commonly referred as will keep it indefinetly. However, if treated similar to normal leather or not at all, days to weeks will see most skillfully tanned pieces falling apart.
Eyes
Hours after harvest the eyes will naturally dry up like raisens and be almost useless. As the liquid slime the eyes produce within is what most crafters and alchemists are after.
Fangs
Similar to normal teeth, the fangs of a cloud tiger can last quite a long time in good conditions. But will degrade like the average tooth of a beast with a low calcium diet. That is to say, a few years or a cold/wet environment will see the teeth rot within months of harvesting.
Cloud Silk
Two the three days for the commoner who has never worked with the material. It is a cloud-like substance, that is to say wet and sticky, yet very fragile. Even a baby can easily tear it prior to its treatment if not soaked in continous poison.
Common Uses
Living
Though commonly used for hunting creatures within the clouds, Cloud Tigers make great trackers for just about any creature. With an enhanced scent tracking ability that can sense wounded prey at almost a hundred miles away. They are also known for there loyalty if raised from birth, and there cunning to escape when taken from the wild.
Claws
Used for daggers and weapons that need a flying enhancement of sorts. Most often the claws are used to increase the boyancy of magic items or bring them back to the user who made them. This is due to there strange ability they have to launch there paws at prey creatures. Creating a strange cloud like net between the two front paws, they can bring down a creature in a certain cloud like silk material.
Pelt
Though commonly used as a base material for storm and cloud giant armor, the leather from the pelt is said to have a natural levitation property. Allowing for even the younger sky jotuns to traverse the dangerous open cloud tops outside the cities without worry of falling. Beyond this, the leather is commonly used by rich sailors who never learn to swim. With it acting as both a safety net for sky ships, but as well for those sunk beneath the waves. As the pelt of a cloud tiger is said to be so light that it cannot sink in water naturally.
Eyes
Used for true seeing potions most often by storm and cloud jotun raiders who specialize in well guarded merchant vessals. These eyes are said to dilute down with basic alchemical ingrediants to make a liquid slime. And is then added to a low end healing potion that causes it to shift granting its users a greenish red glow around there eyes while under the potions effect.
Fangs
Commonly used for a mixture with sky iron and copper to make the infamous sky metal Cloud Tiron. Said to be used for the weapons and armors of legacy that the sky jotuns where once famous for. The metal is said to be highly magically conductive, especially to sacrificed individuals, with some so pure they can capture souls like soul coins. It is believed that the majority of the "Samurai" as read in ancient slaadee or in common "Those who honor the departed with battle and memory.". Otherwise, the fangs make for great punch daggers with a natural +3 enhancing bonus to any items made with it.
Cloud Silk
An extremely light material that has little hardening ability but makes whatever made from it as light as a feather. With a natural property of paraysis poison through each strand, even master crafters tend to avoid the material. It is said to be highly sought after, and the older the cloud tiger the stronger the poison made from the silk. As well as the stronger and longer lasting the silk is.
Description
Tigers that seem to traverse the clouds chasing light sources or so the story goes. They would descend from the clouds standing 4 to 5ft tall on all fours and almost double that when on there back legs. Though cute and cuddely looking, the creatures are noted for there ferocity and love of meat. They also seem to enjoy extinguishing the lights in many street lamps, as they blow small bubbles towards them once locating the light source.
Discoverer
Dakra "Feline Mother" of Imperlias.
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