Khajiit



The Khajiit are a race of feline humanoids hailing from the province of Elsweyr, well-known for their keen intelligence and agility. While these Traits make them superb thieves and acrobats, Khajiit are also fearsome warriors, although seldom gifted with the Skill to harness magical forces. This is not to say that Khajiit do not possess the ability, merely that strenuous training must be undertaken to make wielding magic a serious option, either in passive or aggressive actions.

Physiologically, Khajiit differ greatly from both the varied races of man and mer, not only in their skeletal structure (possessing a tail and, in some forms, a digitigrade stance, i.e. toe walking) and dermal makeup (the "fur" that covers their bodies) but in their digestion and metabolism as well. The Khajiit, along with the Argonians and the Imga, make up the so called 'beast races' of the Empire, due to their therianthropic qualities. The divergent appearance and mannerisms of the Khajiit often lead bigoted members of other races to look down on them.

The title "khajiit" is derived from the Ta'agra words "khaj" and "-iit", a literal translation of which would be "one who deserts" (where "desert" in this case is the noun referring to a dry place, and not the verb referring to abandonment). The Khajiit themselves, however, point out that the only Action of value that may be taken in a desert is to walk; as such, a proper translation would be "one who walks in the desert". For this reason, "khajiit" is translated in short-hand as "desert-walker", and thus are many Khajiit known.

History
The kingdoms of the Khajiit existed long before recorded history. Elsweyr consisted of 16 kingdoms of about 20 different types of Khajiit early in the First Era, which were a model of cooperative specialization and harmony compared to other races of the time. The Thrassian Plague would upset this balance in 1E 2260, leaving only two primary kingdoms. The province was fashioned into its modern state in 2E 309 when Keirgo of Anequina and Eshita of Pellitine combined their long-feuding domains and gave the land its name, sparking a class struggle that briefly threatened to draw outside intervention. The people of each kingdom found themselves drawn together by their leaders, which was considered a betrayal by many, as the northern Anequina saw Pellitine as depraved and decadent, while the Khajiits of Pellitine thought Anequina barbarous.

Peace was eventually restored amongst the Khajiiti by the generally non-partisan Mane, Rid-T'har-ri'Datta, who "bestowed to the classes equality under the bi-lunar shadow, dividing their power in accordance with two-moons-dance". What this established, in a more understandable sense, was a rotational power base in which both sides of Khajiiti society, the southern city-dwellers under the nobility and the northern nomadic tribes under their chieftains, shared alternate control of the region based on the phases of Masser and Secunda, which are held in great reverence in Khajiiti society. The terms of this measure, the Riddle'thar, were overseen by the thinly-veiled dictatorship of the Mane himself. The efficacy of each individual Mane has varied greatly, and some led the Khajiit to periods of strife and war throughout the Third Era, especially with the Bosmer. They have historically achieved greater peace and prosperity under Imperial rule (according to Imperial scholars), yet often rebel against their authority in keeping with their unique view of the world.

In 4E 98, the moons Masser and Secunda vanished, creating fear and strife amongst the Khajiit. When the moons reappeared two years later and the Thalmor announced they had used magic to restore them, the Khajiit praised them as their saviors. In 4E 115, popular support for the Thalmor led to a coup against the Imperial-backed government in Elsweyr and the reestablishment of the ancient kingdoms Anequina and Pelletine as client states of the Thalmor.

Society and Religion
The Mane, while the unofficial head-of-state, is no more a "breed" of Khajiit than any other is, he is simply unique. Khajiit tradition holds that only one Mane may be alive at any one time, since the Mane is one entity reborn in different bodies with the passage of time. The veracity of this is unknown, but there has been no recorded instance of multiple Manes contending for power. The Khajiit are divided by two disparate ways of life: the civilized jungles and river basins of southern Elsweyr, which have ancient mercantile traditions, a stable agrarian aristocracy based on the exportation of saltrice and Moon Sugar, and a thriving artistic culture, which contrasts greatly with the nomadic tribe or pridecentric Khajiit of the dry northern wastes and grasslands, where aggressive and territorial raiders occasionally unite under a single chieftain. It is widely held that the greatest force amongst the Khajiit are the Clan Mothers. It is they, ultimately, who control both the harvest and refining of Moon Sugar, and thus they who are seen as the most influential.

The Khajiit often refer to Moon Sugar as "crystallized moonlight", trapped by the glimmering waters of the Topal Sea and washed to the sugarcane groves of the Tenmar Forest by the tides, under the guidance of Hermorah. The Khajiit believe that by consuming it, they are consuming a small portion of the eternal souls of the moon gods, Jone and Jode. It drives them into fits of ecstasy and abandon, purportedly leaving the streets of Elsweyr's major cities strewn with catmen shivering in the grip of sugar-fits. Despite the extremely addictive nature of the sugar, it is an integral part of Khajiit life and the chief export of Elsweyr, where it is smuggled out in both raw and refined forms.

The typical bipedal Khajiit dresses in an ample shawl of brightlycolored cloth, known as a budi, for defense against the harsh rays of the sun. This shirt is tightly fastened in braids down the right side, in order to prevent any part of the torso fur from being seen, as the exposure of such in public is deemed both offensive and unsightly. In battle, those who walk upright traditionally don medium-weight Armor in battle, exquisitely fashioned from loosefitting leather overlaid with lacquered and highly-burnished metal plates. While leather caps are generally preferred, those with the means to procure such will often don helms of fluted silver. Furthermore, most Khajiit bedeck themselves with jewelry, trinkets, and occasionally even herbs such as Nightshade. Their tattoos often have deep cultural and religious significance, as they signify their race, tribe, and the gods of their worship.

Over the years, Khajiits frequently have had to deal with the worry of being kidnapped and sold into slavery, especially in Morrowind, so they have to take self-defense seriously. While the majority of Khajiit prefer to use their razor-sharp and retractable claws as Weapons in numerous forms of Khajiiti martial arts like Goutfang, Whispering Fang and Rawlith Khaj, many have mastered the use of the sabre, scimitar, dagger, and longbow. Their chosen mastery is often reflected in male Khajiits' names, through which they display their status in life with the prefix; though care is always taken, for the use of two titles is perceived as the result of either great pride or ignorance.

A monomythic society, the Khajiit are led in their beliefs by mysterious figures known as "Clan Mothers", whose duty it is to disseminate the cultural myths among their kind, and who maintain autonomy from the Mane and the disparate tribal leaders. On the origin of their species, the Khajiit believe that life originated with two litter-mates, Ahnurr and Fadomai, who gave birth to the first cat, Alkosh. To Alkosh was given the guardianship of time, and whose birth prompted Ahnurr and Fadomai to bring forth further life into the world, thus they created Khenarthi, guardian of the winds; Magrus, guardian of the sun; Mara, guardian of love; and S'rendarr, guardian of mercy. In time, Ahnurr and Fadomai wished to share the happiness they felt in life with further children, and so, Fadomai gave birth to Hermorah of the tides, Hircine of hunger, Merrunz of destruction, Mafala of the Clan Mothers, Sangiin of blood and life, Sheggorath of insanity, and many others.

Sub-species
Khajiit are each subtly bound to the Lunar Lattice, a mysterious force entitled the ja'Kha'jay in their native tongue. The Lunar Lattice determines the form a Khajiit assumes in life, according to the phases of Masser and Secunda at the time of their birth; while Khajiiti newborns appear incredibly similar to one another at birth, their future form becomes clear in a matter of weeks. This is due in part to the fact that, although born smaller than the children of either man or mer, the Khajiiti mature at a significantly faster rate. ==Khajiit Characters== The following Characteristic baseline, Skills, Talents, Traits, and Powers apply to all Khajiit Characters of the listed breed. Although not every Race receives an Item in from every category.

Suthay-Raht
Similar in height and build to the race of man, the Suthay-Raht are one of the most common breeds of Khajiit. Their coloring ranges from dark brown and orange, to light yellow, both with and without stripes and spots. Talents: Suthay-Raht Characters may begin the game with the Light Footed (Ag) Talent.

Traits: Dark Sight, Natural Weapons

Ohmes-Raht
Similar to the race of men, save for their short, light-colored fur, the Ohmes-raht may easily be mistaken as men at a distance. Unlike the many other species of Khajiit who walk like cats upon the balls of their feet, the Ohmes-raht walk upon their heels. They often serve in positions of ambassadorship and trade. Traits: Dark Sight, Natural Weapons.

Cathay
The Cathay are similar to the Suthay-raht in appearance and bipedalism, however possess greater stature and strength, and are often described by non-Khajiit races as “jaguar-men.” Traits: Dark Sight, Natural Weapons, Deadly Natural Weapons

Alfiq
A quadrupedal form of Khajiit, the Alfiq is, in many respects, similar to a common housecat. Although diminutive in form, the Alfiq retain the keen intelligence of the Khajiiti, having the ability to understand the spoken word of others, although unable to respond. Skills: Alfiq Characters may begin the game with the Arcane Art (Mysticism) (WP) Skill. If so, they begin with the Telepathy Spell.

Talents: Alfiq Characters may begin the game with the Catfall (Ag) Talent.

Traits: Dark Sight, Quadruped, Size (2).

Other: Alfiq cannot speak, or use Weapons or normal Armor. They also do not roll for additional Wounds.

Ohmes
Similar in many ways to the Bosmer, although generally of lesser stature. In order to avoid being mistaken as one of the Bosmer many Ohmes tattoo their faces to resemble a feline-aspect. The Ohmes is the most common form seen outside of the province of Elsweyr, taking advantage of other races' preference to their appearance to serve in positions of ambassadorship and trade. Traits: Dark Sight, Natural Weapons.

Dagi-raht
Similar in all respects to the Dagi, while somewhat larger, however not overly so as they are able to dwell in higher tree branches of the Tenmar forest, like the Dagi. It can be assumed that, like their smaller cousins, they are naturally skilled in the use of magic. Talents: Dagi-Raht Characters may begin the game with the Catfall (Ag) Talent.

Traits: Dark Sight, Natural Weapons.