Tabaxi

The catlike tabaxi are an agile, witty, and playful folk who have long lived among the indigenous Ki’Nau people of the Menagerie Coast and in the cold northern forests of the Greying Wildlands. Said to have been born from the dreams of Melora within the jungles of Wildemount's more temperate regions, they are natural hunters with keen senses and predatory instincts. The tabaxi of Exandria are also well known for their social guile. Many are taken with a love of wordplay and debate, often engaging travelers in philosophical conversations meant to challenge the intellect and to subtly gauge the disposition of strangers.
Tabaxi can be found in small numbers throughout Wildemount and are generally well thought of. Some make up small clans in the wilderness beyond the boundaries of Wildemount's major societies. Others are content to stand out among the other folk of those larger nations. Deft at crafts, hunting, and commercial enterprises, many tabaxi find themselves drawn toward an entrepreneurial existence, while some fall naturally into the more dangerous pursuits of an adventurer’s lifestyle.
Politics hold a conversational curiosity for some, but only a few tabaxi are driven enough to ascend to positions of political power, most commonly along the Menagerie Coast. Even so, most catfolk are happier away from the limelight, slyly convincing others to visibly take the risks for them.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Each tabaxi has a single name, determined by clan and based on a complex formula that involves astrology, prophecy, clan history, and other esoteric factors. Tabaxi names can apply to all genders, and most use nicknames derived from or inspired by their full names. Clan names are usually based on a geographical feature located in or near the clan’s territory.
The following list of sample tabaxi names includes nicknames in parentheses.
Tabaxi Names: Cloud on the Mountaintop (Cloud), Five Timber (Timber), Flask of Wine (Flask), Jade Shoe (Jade), Left-Handed Hummingbird (Bird), Seven Thundercloud (Thunder), Skirt of Snakes (Snake), Smoking Mirror (Smoke)
Tabaxi Clans: Bright Cliffs, Distant Rain, Mountain Tree, Red Butterfly, Rumbling River, Snoring Mountain

History

Wandering tabaxi are mercurial creatures, trading one obsession or passion for the next as the whim strikes. A tabaxi’s desire burns bright, but once met it disappears to be replaced with a new obsession. Objects remain intriguing only as long as they still hold secrets.
A tabaxi rogue could happily spend months plotting to steal a strange gem from a noble, only to trade it for passage on a ship or a week’s lodging after stealing it. The tabaxi might even take extensive notes or memorize every facet of the gem before passing it on, but the gem holds no more allure once its secrets and nature have been laid bare.