Difference between revisions of "Nekos"

Revision as of 10:01, 25 July 2009

Enishi the cat mage girl. Picture by arseniquez and used with artist's permission. For larger version visit arseniquez's gallery

Nekos are a humanoid species with feline features. They are on average taller than humans and stronger and much more agile. Their name is derived from the Japanese word for cat: 猫 (ねこ/ne-ko).

They often have cat like ears, tails, and claws. Their face and skin are similar to that of a human, and some nekos also have fur on some parts of their body, usually their forearms. Nekos, like cats, purr when happy. It is interesting to note that most nekos are used to swallowing small, living prey when eating, sometimes tinies, similar to how a Felaryan predator eats humans and nekos.

Known Nekos

Aimi

Enishi

Voidfingers

Shallandra

Sonya

Selneit Tribe (destroyed)

Located on the northern side of the Frost Peak Mountains, this tribe was utterly destroyed by Felaryan predators a few years ago. The only know surviving member of this tribe is a female named Shallandra, who has currently taken refuge in the jungle Bowl.

Scorching Claws Tribe

This tribe lives in the Sandfall maze. Their name comes from their powerful fire-imbued weapons and claws which are very painful. Even a giant harpy quickly learns to avoid contact with their long whips and combat staves. While Scorching Claws nekos still often end up in the bellies of the numerous harpies who inhabits the zone, the nekos have make pacts with a few of the harpy tribes. The pacts are an agreement that the nekos will feed the harpies the much more tasty human travelers they manage to capture in exchange for those harpies not eating the nekos. Surprisingly, the pacts have been upheld by both sides without fail for several years, which has allowed for some very odd (but solid) friendships to form between harpies and nekos.

Vite Tribe

In the Great rocky fields, this neko tribe thrives on a nomadic lifestyle. They create homes out of the greenish blue grasses that grow there, making their huts easy to assemble and disassemble quickly. It also gives them a slight protection, as their homes blend in with the grass, protecting them from the zone's many types of flying predators, such as harpies. These nekos hold physical prowess above anything else, and so they regularly train their bodies to survive the harsh conditions the Rocky Fields throw at them. The Vite Tribe emphasizes speed, and they love to race each other more than anything else however. The fur on a Vite's tail and ears are spotted, and they typically look lean and edgy.

The Vite nekos dislike being in one place for any amount of time, a major factor in their nomadic nature. For many of the nekos, even moving their homes every couple of days isn't enough, and they leave the tribe to wander aimlessly in Felarya. Many of these nekos become couriers, selling their speed and racing from village to village to deliver messages, news, and warnings. Many a tribe has been saved from a predator's stomach, from the timely arrival of a Vite neko with a friendly warning. Negav has several of these nekos in it's employ, and they are a common sight, racing through the streets to deliver a message. Of course, some of the nekos who leave the tribe end up running straight down a predator's throat, so to speak. And some rare ones just wander Felarya aimlessly for as long as they live. If you could ever get one of these nekos to sit still long enough to talk to you, who knows what they'd be able to reveal from their travels.

Broken Hill Tribe (destroyed)

This neko tribe was unusual in not only being nomadic but also in its connection to the spirit world. It is (or was) their tradition to send aspiring shamans out alone into the jungle to contact their spirit guide. This spirit guide is usually the spirit of a deceased member of the tribe who connects to the shaman and shares the benefits of a lifetime of experience with them. Sadly, sometimes a shaman is contacted by a different kind of spirit entirely. It’s not uncommon for shamans to be possessed by malicious spirits, and to sometimes turn into creatures of great evil. Some say a few of these creatures are still roaming around.

Sonya is the only known surviving member of the Broken Hill Tribe. The tribe became weakened by repeated assaults from predators, until one day the naga Crisis went on a feeding frenzy and ate what was left of the tribe.

Rosic Nekos

A small neko community situated in the eastern part of the continent, a day's walk west of the coast of the Topazial sea, half a day's walk east from the swamps, and south of the Jewel river. Rosic nekos are said to be the origin of the best music that’s ever come out of Felarya. Their village has surprisingly few defenses and they live on the ground, rather than up in the trees. They have developed a very original way of protecting themselves: they use music.

They can fight almost as well as the average nekos, but they only ever fight animals, deaf predators, or ones that are too hungry to care about pretty music. Most intelligent predators however, and quite a few of the unintelligent ones too, will look for a different meal in exchange for a song or two. In fact, many of the local predators around the tribe somehow protect the Rosic nekos from the more voracious ones. They don’t want their favorite musicians to become lunch! It’s like the saying goes: "Music soothes the savage stomach" ^^

This has allowed the village to prosper amazingly well. Of course, in order to keep up the high standard and reputation the village has, when young nekos reach maturity they have to pass a test: the Rosic test.

On many worlds, in many cultures, youths are sent out into the wilderness to prove themselves. The Rosic test is exactly that: The young nekos go out into the jungle, either by themselves or with a band of friends, and look for a predator. Once they've found one this troupe must use their musical talents to prevent themselves from being devoured. As proof of their deed, the young musician(s) must take a memento from the predator : a naga’s scale, a harpy’s feather, a notch off a mermaid’s fin, etc.

If victorious, the youth comes back and begins a career as a music-neko for hire. If the neko fails to impress the predator, they end up making a different kind of music in its stomach. In this way, the tribe weeds out the unskilled, and makes a reputation for itself among the nearby predators... or at least keeps them fed.

• Credits goes to SilentEric for the design and idea of Rosic nekos and the Vite tribe, and to Zoekin for the broken hill tribe.