Tescaliuar

Many of the gods of Covenant have their own servants, such as the lammasu and man-scorpions that serve Sakkal's gods of good and evil. Tezcatlipoca, the Cipactlin god of chaos and the night is served by jet-black jaguars, as if formed by shadow, itself. These are the tescaliuar, servants of darkness and strife.

One of These Things is Not Like the Others
Now, Covenant has a ton of creature entries. Each "specialized" land has 2 with a couple more besides. Most are D&D originals that slot into the role (like lung or linnorms) or are from folklore (like literally everything else).
Not these kitties. These are a me original, mostly because Cipactli is really hard. Ahuizotl are Aztec, but that's practically the limit I could find. I could have done werejaguars, from freaky-looking Olmec carvings, but those belong with other lycanthropes.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Tescaliuar are not of the mortal plane, and are not bound by the physical anatomy of mortal creatures. Instead, they are fiendish beings seemingly composed of pure darkness. A black vapor seems to emanate from the creatures' feline bodies. The only features they have with any light or color are their eyes, which glow with red light.
Their fiendish nature grants them several unnatural powers. They can teleport to any location in darkness or shadow. Their shadowy claws and teeth are bitterly cold and capable of draining the life from those they strike. In addition, they are as fast, agile, and strong as any real jaguar.
Finally, these creatures are also talented in conjuring or shaping illusions. They use these abilities to disguise themselves, and deceive potential victims. It isn't known just what limitations these abilities have, as their activities are not very well documented.

Ecology and Habitats

First and foremost, these creatures are servants of Tezcatlipoca. As such, they exist to serve his will and reside on his home in the Planes Beyond. It is said this is a place of dark caverns and howling winds. It is claimed that madness is just as much a part of this place as the stone in the walls.
When they do come to the mortal plane, they tend to stay with civilization, even holy Teotlticlan, doing their master's will among the people of Cipactli. They always go out of their way to avoid the light, and it is believed it has some effect on their powers.

Behaviour

As the tescaliuar are servants of a god of chaos, they are more dedicated to spreading chaos than anything else. Left to their own devices, they spread mischief and mayhem wherever possible. Sometimes these tricks are little more than pranks that even amuse their victims, and sometimes they are utterly lethal.
When these creatures are directly in the service of Tezcatlipoca, they are unflinchingly loyal in the performance of their duties. When they fill such a role, they don't speak. This leads many to believe that they are simply as unintelligent as any jaguar, but this is far from the truth.

Lifespan

Immortal

Average Height

3 - 4 ft.

Average Weight

2 - 3 lbs.

Average Length

7 - 8 ft.