Lion

Lions are ageless supernatural beings that were driven to near extinction by the Koan Armada. During the spheres' early history, prides of lions controlled territory across the spheres that were nearly unconquerable by civilizations. It is said that the roar of lions were powerful enough to break the ranks of armies and send them fleeing from the pride's territory. While appearing as animals, lions possess sapience that meets or exceeds most other races. However, their inability to speak gives them a reputation for possessing boundless ineffable wisdom.
Some myths tell of lionesses ceding territory to worthy nobles, as if they were waiting all of history to find a worthy inheritor, but it is unclear if these myths are truth or just self-aggrandizement to justify a particular civilization of family's claim on territory. During the Koan Empire, lion prides were already becoming a rare sight across the spheres. However, the Koa drove them to the point of extinction during ceremonial hunts called triumphs. It is said that over the course of a century, all of the remaining lion prides were crushed, leaving only a sparse handful of nomads scattered across the spheres.
Lions regained a foothold in the spheres after the fall of the Empire, at least in a cultural sense. Nasser Graham 's companion, Balabar, became something of a mascot for the newly-formed Chimera Alliance (itself named after a creature made up of many others with a lion at its center). The replacement for the Imperial City was named in Balabar's honor, Lion City.