Nekomata
Nekomata are Dark faeries that have the appearance of two-tailed anthropomorphic cats. They serve as the engineers and puppeteers of Altairus, having the ability to animate and give artificial life to dead matter.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Nekomata are very similar in appearance to feline talking animals. They resemble anthropomorphic oriental shorthair cats, with a few differences that distinguish them from talking animals.
All nekomata have at least two tails. As they grow older, they may sprout additional tails as their magical powers grow. The record for how many tails a nekomata can sprout is nine. The more tails a nekomata has, the more powerful it is.
In addition, nekomatas' ears are clefted at the top. This gives their ears a "forked" appearance and is in fact one of the reasons why these faeries are also called "forked cats." It is an easy way to distinguish a nekomata from a feline talking animal.
Most importantly, all nekomata possess a crystalline "eye" in the center of their foreheads that looks much like the overturned moon of Darkness. This "third eye" structure is harder than stone and gives them powerful psychic abilities, including their necromantic powers. It can be in a range of different colors, but red and purple are the most common.
Genetics and Reproduction
Like Earth cats, nekomata tend to give birth in litters. This happens once every few years, as the death rate for nekomata is quite low during those first few years, even without the assistance of modern medicine.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Nekomata are obligate carnivores. While they occasionally may eat fruit for the water content, they derive no real nourishment from them besides. Furthermore, nekomata cannot taste sweet things, so they do not derive instantaneous pleasure from eating them, either. That is not to say that they cannot get addicted to sugar, however. They do have a slightly greater ability to metabolize carbohydrates in their food than Earth cats do, and they can still feel the temporary high in their bodies when they consume it.
As for things they do eat, nekomata enjoy a range of meats from beef to pork to chicken to fish. Which is their favorite is up to individual preference, but nekomata are stereotyped as loving fish and shellfish in particular. This is not an unreasonable assessment seeing as how many nekomata can be seen at establishments that serve grilled fish at any time of the year.
Biological Cycle
Nekomata tend to experience "heat periods" when they are exceptionally fertile. These tend to happen during the Wolf Sun each month. Since nekomata can raise their young at any time of the year, heats happen year-round.
Behaviour
Nekomata are intelligent if haughty creatures. Individually, they tend to keep to themselves, only interacting with each other if necessary. It is entirely possible to spend several days surrounded by nekomata and never hear them speak.
This is also because nekomata can communicate telepathically through their third eye crystals. They most often do this with each other. In the past, this helped them hide themselves from prey and from enemies. Nowadays, its most often used when two nekomata want to have a private conversation.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Nekomata that live in the Nekomata Islands abide by a strict hierarchy. The oldest and most powerful nekomata reside at the top, followed by the soldiers, merchants, farmers, and peasants at the bottom.
Outside of the Nekomata Islands, these beings' social structure is far more loose and egalitarian. Frequent interaction with other faery races and the absence of the rulership in the Nekomata Islands mean that nekomata in these situations are more tolerant of others of a different social status.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
In the Circus of Shadows, many of the engineers and mechanics that oversee maintenance of the rides at the Dark Carnival are nekomata. They use their powers of animation to give the rides (which are made out of wood) that much-needed spark that allows them to run. In essence, their magic serves as a motor.
This is true of other magical technology as well; nekomata magic provides a clean energy source for any technology that runs on magic. If humans were still able to visit Altairus through the portals, they would want to curry favor with the nekomata as much as they could, as their magic would decrease the world's reliance on fossil fuels.
Facial characteristics
Nekomata have the heads of cats. Their eyes have slit pupils and glow in the dark. The third eye crystal on their heads always glows in the dark, but its shine becomes more intense when the nekomata is using their magic.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Nekomata can be found all across Altairus. However, they are most concentrated in areas where there is an abundance of Dark magic. Most infamously, they inhabit the Nekomata Islands and travel with the Circus of Shadows.
Average Intelligence
Nekomata are sapient beings that are of an above-average intelligence most of the time. Their psychic powers boost their intellect. Nekomata that have impaired psychic abilities may also have impaired intellect, but not always.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Being feline beings, nekomata have exceptional eyesight and hearing. Their third eye crystal also gifts them with clairvoyance, clairsentience, and many other psychic abilities.
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
Toxoplasmosis infections are endemic amongst nekomata. These infections are usually asymptomatic, but can be lethal in certain populations. Most nekomata do not even realize that they have an infection until they have infected someone else.
Civilization and Culture
Courtship Ideals
It is not uncommon for nekomata females to have multiple male consorts. This practice is strictly enforced on the Nekomata Islands but is much less prevalent elsewhere.
Average Technological Level
Not only are nekomata skilled at bringing life to inanimate things, they have a knack for the instrumental aspects of engineering as well. They have perhaps the greatest level of technological advancement out of all Dark faery races.
Common Dress Code
Nekomata are not as shy about public nudity as are human beings. While the upper crust of the Nekomata Islands tends to walk around decked out in ornate robes and jewelry, most nekomata do not even wear a shirt and may only wear shorts on warm days. Since their fur tends to obscure most of their bodies, this tends to be a non-issue most of the time.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
The culture of the Nekomata Islands is somewhat similar to Imperial Japan. It has a strict caste system and a culture that emphasizes the importance of education and dedication to the nation in its citizens. This persists even in the modern era as its technological level has surpassed all other Dark faery nations.
History
The nekomata are said to have originated in the appropriately-named Nekomata Islands. As time passed, more and more nekomata fled the islands to escape the strict hierarchical system that nekomata society was known for. Valued for their role in magical technology, nekomata quickly spread across the globe.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Nekomata that live on the Nekomata Islands are well-isolated from the rest of the world. As such, they tend to view those of races not their own with polite disdain, even contempt. Nekomata outside of the islands are much more relaxed and accepting of others.
Nekomata are particularly valued for their technological skills. As mentioned above, the Circus of Shadows frequently hires nekomata to build and maintain the rides in the Dark Carnival.
Dark
Nekomata resemble shorthair cats, most often oriental shorthairs. They can be short or tall and be lanky or muscular.
Any color that a domestic cat can be, a nekomata can be. Like cats, their fur color is controlled by genes on the sex chromosomes, so certain fur patterns can only be seen on female nekomata. In particular, calico and tortoiseshell fur is only ever present on females or on those with Klinefelter syndrome.
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