Tabaxi

= Origins = The tabaxi species is believed to have started developing during the Age of the Dragon, as a form quite separated from the current cat-like humanoid species that inhabits the north of Harstrom. They resembled four-legged fairy-winged cats instead, and were called the koshka. As fae creatures, they traveled the world attempting to help whoever they can, especially from the clutches of dragon-kin. As time went on, the koshka gathered into clans to further their ambitions. Additionally, they had been slowly transformed by the latent energy of the humanoid races they encountered, and started developing humanoid traits, such as bipedal ambulation and the removal of the wings.

Prior to the end of the Age of the Dragon, the koshka, or as they were increasingly being called, the tabaxi felt a wellspring of primal magic draw them to the north. Every clan and lone tabaxi was led to the frozen north of the continent, where they developed a deep connection to natural magic. After the end of the Age of the Dragon and the isolation of the island of Harstrom, the traveling ambitions of the tabaxi were cut off, and they instead focused on the snowy tundras. They maintained their helpful attitude towards strangers, but as time went on and dragons became rarer they forgot their history with the creatures. Now the several tabaxi tribes roam the wastes of the north, hunting to stay alive and practicing druidcraft.

 

= The Hunt = Although hunting is a common feature of tabaxi life, they often refer to an event known as the Hunt. The Hunt refers to the cycle of life and afterlife the tabaxi express. Tabaxi have a system of recycling souls, where the fae souls are brought back into a new body, essentially continuing that tabaxi’s life. Memories and life knowledge are kept through each reincarnation, with some souls remembering what happened tens of thousands of years ago. Occasionally, a new soul is introduced into the Hunt, generally by magic ritual or fae influence. When a First Soul is born, their existence is highly regarded and celebrated, and they are extremely magical. It is believed that a First Soul is connected on a much deeper level to the fae origins of the tabaxi, giving that tabaxi an incredible magical potential.

An important part of the Hunt is the Okhota, or the first hunt. Every reincarnation, the first kill of that soul is a celebrated occasion and considered the transition from adolescence to adulthood for that particular reincarnation. The Okhota is even more special for First Souls, as it is their first kill in their entire Hunt, and considered the moment that soul is finally a tabaxi.