Khajiit

The khajiit are a feline species of beastfolk hailing from the warm deserts and lush jungles of Elsweyr. Agile and quick, with sharp claws and sharp minds, the khajiit tend to be regarded as dextrous thieves or cunning schemers by most races of Tamriel. Those traits along with their unique anatomy had earned them a certain reputation. However, there is far more to the felines than Skooma addicts and cat-burglars.

Unlike most races of Tamriel, the khajiit do not strictly separate the gods and spirits they worship between Aedra and Daedra. While they deem themselves to have been created by Azurah, their culture is far more centered around the worship of the moons of Tamriel and the Lunar Lattice, that influences their lives so deeply as to affect their morphology. Outside of Elsweyr, khajiit clans are virtually alien to most, and they tend to form communities or live as outsiders to most societies.

Primary Stats

+1 Agility
+1 Intelligence
+1 Acrobatics
+1 Sneak
+1 Potential
Permanent Nightvision
+3 Skooma Tolerance
+5 Moon Sugar Tolerance

Furstocks

Cathay

Your character is of the Cathay furstock. They are among the most commonly seen Khajiit throughout Tamriel. Cathay have plantigrade legs.

No changes

Ohmes-Raht

Your character is of the Ohmes-Raht furstock. Ohmes-Raht look similar to Bosmer in many ways. They have Elf ears and a feline tail. Ohmes-Raht have plantigrade legs.

+1 Speechcraft
-1 Intuition

Suthay

Your character is of the Suthay furstock. Their role in Khajiit society is believed to involve being prepared for the end of time. Suthay have digitigrade legs.

+1 Faith
-1 Acrobatics

Tojay

Your character is of the Tojay furstock. They are known for their prowess with the arcane arts. Tojay have plantigrade legs.

+1 Willpower
-1 Agility

Tojay-Raht

Your character is of the Tojay-Raht furstock. They are known for their prowess with the arcane arts. Tojay-Raht have digitigrade legs.

+1 Willpower
-1 Agility

Pahmar

Your character is of the Pahmar furstock. They are known for their large size and impressive strength. Pahmar have plantigrade legs.

+1 Strength
-1 Agility

The Khajiit are the more 'outlandish' of the peoples of Tamriel. They are unique in more than one aspect, and they are as varied as the phases of the Moons. Their very biology is influenced by the moons, sixteen phases for sixteen furstocks, widely varied and different from one another. These differences, whilst deterministic in nature, are far more of a curiosity to outsiders than they are to khajiit themselves. A familly of a Senche father, a pahmar mother having given birth to an alfiq, an ohmes and two cathays is something that would be considered a 'normal Elsweyr familly'.

The outfits of the felines of Elsweyr vary greatly mainly depending on the region they are originally from. After the dissolution of the sixteen Kingdoms and the enforcement of the Riddle'Thar by Mane Rid-Thar-ri'Datta, the two main dominant cultural styles are those of the Kingdom of Ne Quin-al in the north, warrior-like and pragmatic, opposed to the southern style of the Kingdom of Pellitine, lush, opulent and luxurious.

Culture

The moons, Masser and Secunda, or Jone and Jode in their tongue, hold a central role in both the religious and biological life of a khajiit. The moon phases influence the catfolk. A khajiit will be born of a specific breed, or furstock, depending on the current phase of the moons. Sixteen phases for sixteen different furstocks. Yet, there is a unique, seventeeth furstock, born only when Masser and Secunda are aligned, called the Dark Moon by the khajiit. During the Dark Moon, a Mane is born, to be the reincarnation and successor to the previous one. Thus, the Mane carries the wisdom and responsibility of all Manes before them, and lead the Khajiit on both a spiritual and political level.

The unique and outlandish nature of the khajiit beliefs is rooted deeply in their society. The cat-folk do not believe in laws or rules, and have a very 'case-by-case' approach to life. They even call laws "thjizzrini" in ta'agra, "foolish concepts". This chaotic nature, believed to be a heritage of Padomai, makes the khajiit often seen as untrustworthy thieves, peddlers and skooma-dealers by outsiders. Whilst they do have some degree of truth in those claims, the khajiit way is far more complex and nuanced.

Furstocks

The phases of the moons, Jone and Jode for the Khajiit, deeply affect their morphology. Aside from the Alfiq easily mistaken for housecats, the bestial Senche often used as battle-mounts, the small Dagi, the mer-like Ohmes and the gigantic Pahmar-Raht, the playable furstocks are...

Ohmes-Raht: The Ohmes-raht can easily be mistaken as men or elves. Just as men, they also walk on their heels. In contrast to men and mer, the body of an Ohmes-raht is covered by light fur, and they do have a tail. It is said they can be found among kings of men. Ohmes-raht are born when Masser is new and Secunda is waxing.

Cathay and Cathay-Raht: The cathay and cathay-raht are the most commonly seen furstocks outside of Elsweyr. They have plantigrade legs (human-like feet). Usually stronger among their peers, they have a sharp mind in a strong body and would often work as swords-for-hire, dock-hands or thugs. The khajiit caravans that travel across Tamriel are often escorted by Cathay or Cathay-Raht. The Cathay-Raht are, however, slightly taller than regular cathay, without being the hulking felines that are the pahmar. This characteristic is what makes them far more common than their more formidable cousins amongst the armed groups of Tamriel. Cathay are born under when Masser is waxing and Secunda is full. If Secunda is waxing as well, the cathay-raht are born.

Suthay and Suthay-Raht: Suthay are much similar to the cathay, yet they are slightly smaller. Unlike the cathay, they have digitgrade legs (catlike paws) and are said to be prepared for the end-times within the khajiiti society. The suthay are known to be good jumpers, agile, sneaky and having a bold spirit. This makes them good adventurers and traders. They are however not as good warriors as Cathay-raht. They tend to have sharp claws and feline features, as well as varied and widely different shapes and patterns of feline nature on their furs. Suthay are born when Masser and Secunda are new, and when Secunda is waning, the suthay-raht are born.

Tojay and Tojay-Raht: The tojay and tojay-raht are two furstock rarely seen outside of Elsweyr. Tojay have plantigrade legs, and tojay-raht have digitgrade legs. These specific furstocks are more adept in mysterious magics than the other furstocks, and often embrace more spiritual or almost shamanistic ways than their counterparts. Excellent hunters, spellcasters, dancers and spellblades, they show a profound connection to magicka, yet are a rare sight among the khajiit. Tojay are born when Masser is waxing and Secunda is new, and if Secunda is waning, Tojay-Raht are born.

Pahmar: The Pahmar are one of the most formidable furstocks, save except for the mighty senche-raht and the pahmar-raht. Towering above even the biggest of khajiit, they are excellent warriors and have plantigrade legs. Their furs and appearances are far more tigrine in nature, and are often a source of fear amongst outsiders. Mighty warriors, they are often guards to the Mane or important political or religious figures. Yet, their size and strength makes their adaptation to outside societies difficult, and their bestial features make them rarely leave their homelands. Pahmar are born when Masser is full and Secunda is new.

Cultural Equivalence & Influences

The cultural references for the khajiit are mainly a blend between Persian, Arabic and Hindu references. The claw-dancing is akin to Shiva's Yoga, where their warrior culture and codes are more akin to the Sengoku Era bushido, along with the spiritual and political nature of the Mane (compared to a Japanese emperor) and the local kings (shoguns). These references are equally blended and shown in their vestimentary styles and architecture (southern moon sugar fields akin to rice fields, where northern temples and deserts are a blend of Persian and Hindi).

The History of Elsweyr is a topic in it's own. Particularly rich, the region has never been a calm and peaceful one. During the Merethic Era, Elsweyr had a system of shared governance, where each of the Sixteen Kingdoms would lead the region's policies during their own moonphase. However, the Thrassian Plague has hit Elsweyr harder than most of the rest of Tamriel, and this cycling governance was no longer sustainable as a political regime. The remaining survivors of the plague unified under two banners, the northern Kingdom of Ne Quin-al and the sourthern Kingdom of Pellitine. For several centuries, the two kingdoms were at each others throats, until the Riddle'Thar epiphany of The Mane Rid-Thar-ri'Datta had thus devised the Two Moons Dance, as a new system of both political governance and religious belief.

Elsweyr has not remained a self-governed province for long, however, and during the Second Era, as compensation for the Aldmeri help to fight the Khanaten Flu, the khajiit have joined the Aldmeri Dominion in the Three Banners War. Further strife was brought south by Tiber Septim at the End of the Second Era, where the founder of the Septim dynasty constructed and activated the famed Numidium in the Halls of Colossus of an Annequina under Imperial Occupation.

The Khajiit are an unruly folk that do not accept the rule of foreigners easily, as mighty as may they be. Rebellions were numerous, such as the one under the rule of Pelagius Septim II, where Torval opposed the imperial rule so vehemently the Empire had to borrow money to pay mercenaries in order to quell it. By 3E 249, the rule of the Septim Dynasty is -mostly- accepted, however tensions with the neighboring bosmer are on the rise.

The name of the region comes from an old khajiiti saying : "A perfect society is always found elsewhere", and was adopted as the name for the Elsweyr Confederacy born of the marriage of King Kiergo of Anequina and Queen Eshita of Pellitine in 2E 309. The separation between the north and the south of the region is both cultural and geographical, in both customs, architecture and traditions. Where the more dangerous and harsh deserts of Anequina breed the more hardy and pragmatic northerners, the southerners see them as unsophisticated brutes. When the anequinans look south however, they see decadence and drug-abuse, instead of artists, merchants and residents of lush green jungles.

The Khajiit believe they have been made by Azurah to be the smartest, the quickest and the best climbers of all people of Tamriel. The most beautiful too. It comes as no surprise they do not adhere to the usual separation between Aedra and Daedra, and worship the spirits and gods in a different manner to most of the other races. Thus, the khajiit worhsip a Pantheon of gods and spirits, and steer to remain True Cats to be granted access to Lleswer, the khajiit paradise promised by Azurah. The mastery of the spirit and the body go hand-in-hand in the following of this 'Path', and are crystalised in the khajiiti Claw-Dancing. Within this unique belief system, they are believed to be the protectors of the ja-Kha'jay, or the Lunar Lattice, and whenever something attacks and threatens its integrity, the Khajiit are the people who need to set it right.