Tabaxi

Are you curious about how the world works? Do you believe you're the child of a god? Are you still sure you aren't a furry? Play a Tabaxi!
+2 Dex -1 Wis
Pick Two:
Universal weapon proficiency +2 to Acrobatics checks +2 to appraise checks 1d4 claw attack Vision: Low-light 30 ft. Tabaxi roll 2d10 on death saves rather than 1d20
Movement: 30 ft.
Begin play speaking Tabaxi and maybe Common

Basic Information

Genetics and Reproduction

Tabaxi reproduce much the same as humans do, but often have two children more often than one, that being said, Tabaxi have fewer fertile times than humans do, leading to their generally smaller population.

Growth Rate & Stages

Just like humans, Tabaxi come of age around 16, middle age around 35, and old age around 50

Ecology and Habitats

Tabaxi prefer hot, sunny environments, particularly the desert.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Tabaxi are omnivores, but prefer poultry for food.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Tabaxi are intriguing in social structure. Tabaxi are very strict about their social classes, Tabaxi, and by extent, Jahlbari, culture being rigidly divided into three castes. These castes determine who may marry who and who may dine and live with whom and where they may do say. That being said, Tabaxi are also very free in their own castes. Family structures are loose and confusing because of the Tabaxi openness to polyamory and non-traditional relationships.
Tabaxi society is traditionally matriarchal when it comes to politics, the female being seen as the mother figure and the mother as the nurturer of children, therefore, since since the gods are the parents of us all, and our mothers are the mothers of us all, then our mothers shall therefore be the leaders of the country, for we are all children. Men, since they do not bare children, but provide their seed then, must be beings of the heart rather than the head, therefore they should be the priests who lead the heart rather than the head.
In the caste system your place in society is decided by the god that birthed the race in the society. The highest tier are the children of the sun god, Amman-Suul, and his offspring, the Tabaxi, therefore making them god-empresses in their own right. The middle tier is made up of the Jahlbari, the humans who escaped from Stereos to settle in the oases and planes. At the bottom of the tier are the Gnolls, the servant class.

Facial characteristics

Feline.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Throughout the desert lands south of the inner sea.

Average Intelligence

Same as humans

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Tabaxi have a fairly structure naming tradition. Female names traditionally end in -a, -an, -ah, and -et, and tend to contain more vowels as well as softer and more syballent sounds, though this is not always the case. Male names tend to end in -far, -ul, -bas, and -ad. Male names tend to have heavier sounding syllables and more percussive consonants.
Generally Tabaxi reject surnames, keeping things, in their mind, simpler, as title passes by father, but land and wealth pass by mother, that all female Tabaxi use their mother's name and prefix sal to note them as the daughter of that person and that all male Tabaxi use their father's name and the prefix car to note them as the son of their father.

Beauty Ideals

Tabaxi find great beauty in the natural art of the body, the art of living things. The showing off of natural beauty in art like dance is the highest kind of performance. Tabaxi also love sculpture and abstract images like patterns and swirls, frequently making use of them in their art and architecture. Warfare being considered beautiful is another common them,

Gender Ideals

In Tabaxi culture, women are the leaders of the head and men of the heart. Being a political leader, a bureaucrat, or a public service is considered the ideal for a female. For a male, the ideal would either be to be a soldier, a priest, or an artist.

Courtship Ideals

Courtship is a highly involved process. For official relationships, for those who wed, or those of the highest caste important enough to have concubines, courting is formal, highly public and filled with courtly gallantry and the presentation of affection to one another, particularly in the form of highly personalized gifts such as poetry and jewelry.
The process for courtship is long, having 5 parts: meeting, acquainting, befriending, promising, and finally, the last act of courtship is living as if they are married for three weeks before deciding whether or not to continue the relationship to full blown marriage.

Relationship Ideals

Relationships and marriages are very different ideas for the Tabaxi. Marriage is a political alliance consummated with children, but romance is a free-running river which knows the bounds of no pacts. In a relationship, the woman is supposed to be the planner and the man is meant to be the feeler, their reactions together are the basis of the home, but for the Tabaxi the value of a relationship to have a lifelong friendship with someone of like mind, who can strengthen you. This effect should not be bound by age or gender, but is bound by race.

Average Technological Level

Slightly higher than the other kingdoms of the inner realms

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Common and Dwarven

Common Etiquette Rules

The caste system determines who may speak to whom and so on and so forth. Someone in the top caste may only speak to those lower than them, those below may not speak to those above unless bidden to do so.

Compliments are meant to be given frequently and publicly, honesty not counting, however insults are saved only for times when truth is necessary and are always meant to be taken personally.

Common Dress Code

Tabaxi love to show off the beauty of the living body in their clothing, as a result clothing for Tabaxi tends to be flattering and elaborate.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

It is commonly believed that their emperor or Pharaoh, is a direct descendant of the sun god and therefore has a divine right to absolute rule and his or her line continues with this right.

There are ways by which the rank of a creature in their caste can be changed. A murderer is automatically dropped to the lowest caste, as are cowardly soldiers, blasphemous priests, and traitors. Some actions, heroes in battle, those who aide the pharaoh, those who save their betters, are entitled to move up in caste.

Common Taboos

Interspecies relationships are highly scandalous and prohibited

Execution and torture are banned in Tabaxi society, considered vulgar, yet slavery is completely legal and those who commit grave crimes risk the loss of property, place in society, and their freedom.

History

Tabaxi, the most civilized of the beastkin, set up their empire before the kingdoms of men first spread their fists across the inner realms. They Dwarves and Elves paid them little heed as they were a strange, desert-dwelling folk, but after the religious wars in Stereos which drove thousands if not millions of humans south to the desert sands of Jahlbar their population and influence exponentially. After which the Dwarves became their close allies and helped them complete the Great Desert Underpass, to connect the south and north of the inner realms by a land route through the Underdark. This meant that trade could continue throughout the winter months and nearly double profit for all involved. By this route, the Dwarves and Tabaxi grew quite wealthy.
The Tabaxi were the most violently opposed to the rise of Varien. He threatened their interests, but more importantly threatened their empire. They could be ruled by a half-elf! One who did not descend from Amman-Suul! It could never be done. The war between Varien and Empress Saelleah was fierce, over both land and sea was the greatest of all his conquests. Saelleah died in single combat with Varien. Allegedly their combat lasted 4 hours before he struck her down, breaking both their weapons. After that combat, Jahlbar began paying tribute to Varien, but was the only kingdom that he never fully conquered or absorbed.
In this age Jahlbar remains as it ever was, the trading kingdom on the southern coast, rich and foreign, caught in its own strange past and traditions. They were the fastest to recover their power after the death of Varien and they still have the most fearsome army of all the lands. Ready to conquer and rule, growing rich from their trade with the Dwarves.

Historical Figures

Saelleah: Considered the last of the great ancient rulers. Killed by Varien in single combat during his reign.

Common Myths and Legends

The Revelations of Bashar: A thick tome, thousands of pages long recorded by an ancient traveller holds the basics and tenets of the religion of the Tabaxi as revealed in visions and dreams to a formerly ascetic priest from Stereos. As a result of this religious division Stereos and Jahlbar have rocky public relations.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Humans: Tabaxi get along fine with humans, so long as humans don't try to express lordship over the Tabaxi. The humans of Jahlbar who adopted Tabaxi culture are invaluable and protected by the Tabaxi. Dwarves: Out of all the other races, the Tabaxi most highly value Dwarves, even if they are not religious, as they are the main source of income and technology for the Tabaxi of Jahlbar. They know things and they have helped the Tabaxi build great cities and weapons. Elves: Tabaxi do not like or trust Elves because of their support of Varien and have mistrusted them ever since. Beastkin: Gnolls and Lycans are one in the same, dogs to be treated like dogs, useful as tools, to be trained. Starkin: Tieflings settle here and to the Tabaxi mind are human, fitting neatly in a caste. Dullahan and Aasimar have not been seen in the southern lands in any living memory, but they are treated with a mystical regard, appreciated, but avoided. Goblins: Tabaxi and Goblins rarely interact, Tabaxi are generally amused by goblins, but hardly see them often enough to have a good rapport. Orcs: Orcs and Tabaxi rarely meet and as a result interact little, but they fight against the Lycans and the Elves so they can't be as bad as everyone says... right?

Lifespan

65 years

Average Height

Male: 5'8" Female: 5'4"

Average Weight

Male: 7 stone Female: 5 stone

Average Physique

Anthropomorphic felines, Tabaxi are usually smaller and finer boned than humans beings. They have many of the characteristics as cats, fur, cat ears, paws, and tails. Those who resemble housecats and leopards are the most common, but those resembling tigers, lions, panthers, mountain lions, lynx, and cheetahs can be seen. Like Lycans, Tabaxi also possess hair-like manes they treat like hair.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Various and widely varying, most common are tabby, tortiseshell, and black, followed by other patterns more similarly to the species the individual.

Related Ethnicities

• Jahlbari