"Of all the creatures I’ve seen or heard of in my travels, few exhibit the grace of that most common of creatures."
- —Theodosius Schreiber, Scholar of the Imperial Zoo.[2a]
Emmaretta with two great cats.[1a]
A great cat, also called a wild cat, is a species or group of species of large felines that live in forest and mountain regions away from Human settlement. They are slender, rangy creatures, about the size of a large hunting dog, standing about 2 feet at the shoulder and measuring almost 6 feet from nose to tail. Their fur is mottled with black and brown stripes, providing them with near-perfect camouflage in a shadowed forest. They feed on deer, Giant Rats, and small game of various kinds.[1a]
For the most part, great cats avoid Human settlements, preferring forest or mountainous terrain, though they'll take the occasional chicken or sheep from an outlying farm if the opportunity presents itself. Rarely, a great cat touched by disease or the taint of Chaos becomes a menace to unwary travellers.[2a]
Some Werecreatures can transform into great cats.[1a]
Wild Cats in Tilean Culture[]
A warrior from the southern realms with two domesticated wild cats.
Many farms and smaller settlements in the Empire look to domesticated house cats to keep their vermin problems under control, a job that the felines often handle with aplomb. Throughout Tilea, and certainly in the Casa di Ruggisce, cats are exceedingly well-regarded, but it isn't just simple farm cats that make the southerners' hearts sing. Tileans prefer their deadly creatures to have grace and skill, for they see much of the gladiatore in them.[2a]
Correspondingly, the Casa is ever searching for a new Boia Silenzioso for exhibition in the arena. Some they intend merely for display at times, not unlike in the Imperial Zoo. Others are brought in to hunt wild game across the arena floor for the amusement of spectators. Far rarer are the "Killer Exhibitions" when one of the great cats of the Irrana Mountains, or an Arabyan leopardus, is set against an equally dangerous predator, such as a Tilean Mur. In Remas, such displays in the Great Coliseum are packed by an overflowing and enthusiastic crowd.[2a]
Tilea's great cats are much like the Empire's. They sport thick, multi-coloured fur, ranging from dark blacks to russet. Many bear swirling patterns or stripes, presumably for camouflage. Their long tails sport black rings that are said to indicate their hunting prowess and thus, likely their desirability as mating partners. Hunters claim these beasts are exceedingly difficult to track because they use their tails to wipe away paw prints and so leave no trace of their passage. Their eyes glitter with golds and greens, and miss little.[2a]
While they are usually low of stature, measuring less than a pace high, they can stretch over two paces from nose to the base of the tail. They are quick and deadly beasts, famously near-silent while stalking, only yowling once their prey is dead. Many believe that the cries of great cats can scare away dangerous spirits and that the Undead fear them.[2a]
Children's tales suggest that all cats can lie without batting an eyelid. While this is obviously fanciful, the followers of Ranald have always favoured cats, claiming that that they are phenomenally lucky, and frequently employ different symbols that allude to them in one manner or another.[2a]
Notable Great Cats[]
- Leopard of Luccini - A legendary creature in the service of the minor deities Lucan and Luccina, the patrons of the city of Luccini.
- Lions - Lions are a species of great cat often used as a popular heraldic symbol in the Old World due to their regal appearance. They once lived in the Old World, but are nowadays only found in the Southlands and Araby.
- White Lions of Chrace - A powerful species of lion native to the kingdom of Chrace in Ulthuan with a muscular frame and a sharp, cunning mind, who often serve with the High Elven military.
- Snow Leopards - A species of cold-adapted leopard from the frigid land of Kislev.
- Ice-Tigers - A species of cold-adapted tiger from the frigid land of Norsca.
- Tigers - A species of massive great cats with unique orange and black striping from the Far East.
- Sabretusks - A species of great cats from the Far East who possess massive, oversized fangs jutting from their lower jaw.