LunarTotems/Cat

Introduction

After receiving many flowery compliments and eager bows by the dignitaries the Tri Khan had sent to show her Chiaroscuro, Ledaal Ayana, at last, rejoined her richly decorated room and laid on the bed, weary and exhausted. This diplomatic mission was getting more and more boring, yet she should remember of its importance for the future of the Realm... and her own career. Smiling at the though of all the honors she could bring back with her, she found sleep quickly.

Back on the street, a pair of green eyes had followed carefully her movements through the windows of the most wonderful Chiaroscuro glass. As soon as the Dragon Blooded was seen sleeping, Black Velvet took her Beastman shape and started stealthily climbing the building, her paws clinging to the smooth material like on the ground itself, her dark silhouette invisible in the night's shadows. With one lithe leap, she was inside, and two guards had a throwing knife inside their throat, before they could warn anyone. She addressed their body one of her Cheshire grin : you had to be fast if you wanted to catch her.Shestopped at the Dynast's door, inspecting the complicate lock. She shaped her fingers in the form of a key, and with one small 'click' the door was opened. She sneaked inside, silent and wary not to wake the Blooded. Quick and efficient, she started searching the luggages for the precious documents she had been asked to retrieve. Looking inside a bag, her eyes caught the gleam of Jade by the side of the woman's head, and immediately her hands had snatched it without but disturbing a hair on the Dragon Blooded's head.

'Oh, nice !', she though, admiring the Chakram's aerodynamic line. Destroying the Realm's plot was good, but getting shiny things for yourself was better. Swiftly, she found the papers, and after addressing a mocking kiss to the sleeping figure, she disappeared of the room and soon took back the shape of a cat to stalk on the city's roofs.

By Luna, she loved her job !

Black Velvet, Changing Moon Catburglar

Symbolism : Cats are an image of wholeness - a merging of the physical and spiritual, the psychic and the sensual. For a cat, these are not separate worlds, but one.

They have been tagged with a variety of traits, including curiosity, nine lives, independence, cleverness, unpredictability, and healing. Like the moon it the cat comes to life at night, escaping from humanity and wandering over the house-tops with its eyes beaming out through the darkness. Many people believed the cat was the child of the moon and it was said that 'the moon brought forth the cat'. This curious link has been regarded as due to 'the changeableness of the pupils of the eye, which in the daytime is a mere narrow line, dilatable at night to a luminous globe.'

From the magic of their eyes arose the belief that cats were seers with strong mediumistic powers. In the East the cat is said to bear away the souls of the dead, and in some parts of West Africa, is is accepted that the human soul passes into the body of a cat at death.

Charms :
Finding the Spirit's Shape (Cat)
Deadly Beastman Transformation
Humble Mouse Shape
Shaping the Ideal Form
Tool Hand Technique
Predator Grace Method
Sense Sharpening Change
Ever Wary Fox Technique
Stealthy Fox Method

Cat form : Str 2, Sta 2, can fall from great high without harm

Beastman form : Dex +2, Str +1, Beastial Reflexes, Spider Foot Climbing

Tell : catlike paws

Black Velvet is a thief for hire, though she will often steal for her own interest. As a cat-burglar, she will take the most daring challenges, for but the boldness of it and the Renown it brings her. One of the thing she likes the most is stealing artifacts and rare stuff.

This is a character I've made to actually play her (full stat and story here) as such, I didn't totally go with the symbolism, beside the play on words. Cats make excellent City Lunars, especialy one into illegal stuff. They are quick, mysterious, always looking like they know more than you do, love their independancy and are delightfully selfish. They make very good Changing Moon totem for their charism and trickster attributes, excellent No Moon sorcerer and spirit talkers as well with all the magic and mysticism linked to the ever-slipping selves, and could certainly work well as a Full Moon tomcat.