Pard

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History:

Living on the vast savannah and southern edges of the steppes, the Pard hunt their prey. The name refers to them collectively, their tribal groups, and themselves individually.

Physical:

The Pard have faces similar to humans, but there is a light covering of fur on their bodies, lightest at their faces with none around their lips and nose. Their jaws protrude and can hold prey two to three times their own weight. Their noses have a very slight bridge and are usually darker at the tip. Their eyes are adapted to seeing in the dark, with vertical pupils and irises in a variety of inhuman hues so large they conceal the whites of their eyes. However, their eyesight is poor. Ears at the top of their head move to track prey and this rather than their physical prowess is their best aid in hunting.

The males are usually near seven feet tall with females a half foot shorter on average. What power exists in them is often hidden in their sleek, thin forms. They move with speed and grace with tails providing balance and, during the hunt, they can drop to all fours. The joints at their hips are high, giving them a swaying gait. Humanoid hands have retractable claws instead of exposed nails, but their feet are large, broad pads whose claws do not retract. In the savannah, their coats are light brown to blonde with black spots allowing them to blend into their surroundings. In the steppes their coats are darker until colder weather causes them to shed to a near white coat Ð the spots always remain.

Culture:

They are strictly carnivorous hunters pack hunters, preferring ambushes but capable of running down their prey, as an innate seventh gift allows them to predict the flight patterns of animals. They are territorial to an extent, but not foolish enough to challenge more powerful tribes for land. If faced with conflict, they will respond with brutality or retreat to the safety of carefully-monitored cave structures along their hunting grounds. There is little tolerance for other races and little regard to them as anything more than food. If the opportunity presents itself, a quick meal is made of any lone creature wandering through their territory.

While older Pard are respected, the old and weak are outcasts, and it is with great personal honor that the infirm seek their death alone in the savannah. Sometimes the outcasts form their own tribes if they survive. Mages are never tolerated and are condemned to death for their insanity.

 

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