|
||||||
|
||||||
|
The Kran Tiger is a common term used to describe a large feline creature. The Kran Tiger is the biggest known wild feline on Solaris. It has large muscles used for endurance running and for overpowering prey. It also has large claws on its for paws that are extremely strong and sharp. They can get big enough so that it, while standing on all four legs, will exceed the vertical height of an average Solarian. These sizes are not obtained by all of these creatures and it is usually only obtained by the males, the larger and stronger of the two genders.
Kran is an old term meaning regal or exquisite, and the Kran Tiger lives up to the term. Its fur is very fine and soft like silk and vibrant in color. It is very popular for glamorous apparel and because of over hunting for the Kran pelt, laws have been instituted in the past illegalizing the hunting of this creature. Even forcefully defending oneself from an aggressive attack was frowned upon. These laws, of course, are out of date since the happenings of the Second Flux. In addition to the texture of the Kran pelt, it is also of vary vibrant colors. The pelt colors are of either a collection of dark reds, light blues, or greens. The color of its pelt reveals much about the individual tiger. A dark red Kran Tiger is attuned to the element of fire: its hide is hot enough to burn flesh and its footprints can set fire to the soil on which it walks. A light blue Kran Tiger is attuned to the element of sylphid: it is able to move at remarkable speeds, despite its massive size, and its movements push the wind about, creating gusts and whirlwinds. A green Kran Tiger is attuned to the element of fauna: it is considered to be the most powerful, the most intelligent, and the most beautiful. Slight color variations can be found in the species, but every Kran Tiger will follow one of the above elemental attunements and properties. Kran Tigers prefer forested areas, and they prefer the Osperian Forest over others, mainly because of the easier prey. A tiger living in another forest or in another area, such as possibly the open plains, will be significantly stronger. Kran Tigers are strictly carnivores and strictly hunters, so it is important that they are stronger than and can kill something to eat near their home. Kran Tigers are an old race, dating back to the times before the wars that happened before the emergences of the three great floating cities. From civilization to civilization and generation to generation, these tigers have been hunted and killed almost to extinction over and over again. Travelers want their hide because it is strong and resistant to the elements. Aristocrats want their pelts for their beauty. Warriors want their claws as tools and as weapons. Hunters want their heads as trophies. The Kran Tigers just wants to survive, and over the years, they have become very protective and very aggressive in order to live on. Kran Tigers are strong, fast, and smart, and this can make a terribly rough combination for anyone interested in their fine pelts. The tiger will gain momentum by running wide circles around their opponent or opponents, occasionally expertly weaving through trees so they cannot be followed. When it has the speed required, then it shifts course and attempts to plow right into its enemy. Its massive body is enough to topple or cripple even powerful characters, and once bones are broken, the sharp claws of the Kran Tiger gut the victim with ease. Kran Tigers are very intelligent and usually will not fall for obvious traps or similar tricks. They will react cleverly to an enemy’s fighting style, and will pick out more powerful or more important players in a group to take out first and foremost. Red tigers will us the heat of their bodies to burn paths, create walls of flames, or suffocate combatants with smoke. Blue tigers will throw their enemies to the ground with their manipulation of the winds before crushing them. Green tigers will call upon the help of the trees and dirt itself, summoning pits, columns of stone, or entangling roots. If an attack fails, the tiger will adapt. If an attack was very successful, chances are the tiger will attack again in a similar fashion. If you are someone who wants a companion that is powerful, intelligent, and down-right a pleasant sight to look at, the Kran Tiger is for you! Kran Tigers can form empathic links with other races, allowing them to communicate with its master telepathically from even several hundred meters away. The tricky part is to get one. Kran Tigers hate people. The hate Humans, Solarians, Lunarians, Demons, Gorgons, Vampires, and pretty much any race who has ever senselessly killed one of their kin for the purposes of making a pretty coat, and this encompasses most every race, excepting possibly Elves and Pixies. Even people of these hated races who would not ever harm a fly are shrouded with animosity from this race. These creatures are storytellers to their children and every generation makes the stories of these evil killers more and more furious and more and more vile. The only way to gain the companionship of a Kran Tiger is to gain its trust and this is no easy task. Also, a Kran Tiger who has a mate and raises kittens will be less likely to join an adventurer due to its family obligations. Like most felines, the Kran Tigers reproduce sexually and the female will give live birth to a litter of kittens. The fur on these babies is always white and will gain its color during adolescence and grow more and more brilliant and coveted as it matures into adulthood. Kran Tigers have mates for life – they are only separated by death. And if a Kran Tiger loses its mate to death, it will not replace him or her and will spend the rest of its life without mating. Though the tiger will never mate again, a female without a mate will still help raise kittens of the pride. The Kran Tiger social structure is not unlike that of a Human or Solarian village. A group of Kran Tigers, known as a pride, will elect a chief, which is known as the Kran Prime. This tiger, which is usually a male, is the biggest and strongest of the pride. Tigers in the pride will hunt together and often help each other raise the youth of the pride. However, members of the tribe do not live together, like most beasts. Mated tigers and their offspring live together, separately from the pride. The males will gather to hunt then split the hunt to bring back to their respective families. The Kran Prime and the tigers who do not mate might live in close proximity. A pride of a dozen mate pairs may live over the area of several acres. Spreading out is an adaptation of survival they have developed. If you come across the home of a Kran Tiger and decide to attack, for any number of various reasons, the defending tigers can call for the help of their pride members, but if they fall, the heartless murderer is not led directly into the heart of the pride. A Kran Tiger rely on its mobility to fight, and so restricting this makes it difficult for the tiger to defend itself. Also, its most effective method of attack is to collide with its opponent, so a quick warrior that uses ranged or magical attacks and keeps its distance has a severe advantage. A Kran Tiger’s hide is what makes it special, and also what makes it such a great catch. Against all ranged and melee physical attacks, a Kran Tiger (or Kran Tiger leather armor) provides twice the amount of defense as normal hide. (Game mechanics-wise: this effectively doubles the endurance stat of all Kran Tigers.) Depending on its color, a Kran Tiger will have absolute immunity from certain elements: red tigers defend against fire and lightning; blue tigers defend against air, water, and ice; green tigers defend against fauna, earth, and demi. The color of the tiger will not provide any increased vulnerability to opposing elements. Though equipment made from these pelts will also have these elemental properties, the equipment will not provide immunity. |
© 1996-2012 Solaris RPG. All rights reserved.