Nekomata

"Don't let the fluffy tails fool you, these kitties want nothing more than to kill you and everyone you've ever cared about."
-Jace Cartwright, retired adventurer

Sokoku is a land of strange and often terrible creatures, fey known to the locals as "yokai", many of them taking animalistic form. Few such creatures are more terrible than the cat-like nekomata. These are predators, whose eyes shining in the darkness mean only death.

Basic Information

Anatomy

As with many yokai, the true form of the nekomata resemble animals. In this case, they look like monstrous cats with two tails with wicked claws that walk on two feet. Like many fey, they are shapeshifting creatures that can take on the form of a humanoid or a normal feline.
Their strange fey magic grants them many powers, such as the ability to command cats and reanimate the corpses of those they kill. The yowling call of these creatures can cause a paralyzing fear in those that hear it. As they age, they also gain the ability to conjure and command fire.
These creatures also have their share of vulnerabilities. Like any fey native to Duanjia, these creatures can be held at bay by the wood of a peach tree. One weakness specific to the nekomata is an ingrained fear of dogs. When one sees a dog, they can become paralyzed with fear and vulnerable to attack.

Ecology and Habitats

There are two main habitats where these creatures can be found. Most commonly, they live near people, sometimes even in cities such as Oketura. These nekomata tend to lair out of sight, either in dens just out of town or in places in a city where hunters are unlikely to search.
Others live in the mountains to the northeast of Sokoku. Stories tell that those who live here are the oldest and wisest of the nekomata. Indeed, the nekomata of the mountains tend to be more powerful, but none know if they truly are the eldest of their kind.
Nekomata only eat intelligent beings, but there are those who believe they do not need to eat at all. This is because those nekomata who live in the deep mountains can very found in very isolated places, yet still survive without issues.

Behaviour

Nekomata are incredibly sadistic creatures that exclusively prey on people. They bear no hatred for those they devour, and some are known to even show respect to those they hunt. Still, they do enjoy hurting people more than anything else, and take every opportunity to bring pain and death wherever they go.
These creatures tend to have an unfortunate level of creativity, preferring new and different methods of bringing harm to their prey. They enjoy subtle methods, such as shapeshifting. Most feel a great deal of satisfaction in using their powers against the unwary.

Lifespan

Unknown

Average Height

7 - 8 ft.

Average Weight

300 - 400 lbs.

Geographic Distribution

• Duanjia