Editing Pugmire (section)

==Cats of the Monarchies==
Living further inland from Pugmire, with their northernmost border separated from Pugmire by the monster-infested Fearful Forest, the cats of this world exist in a collection of six Houses, or city-states, that are collectively known as the Monarchies of Mau. They are a fractious breed; it was only within living memory that the city-states were truly united, and the monarch who achieved that has been dead for a year.

In fact, there was once a seventh House - House Smilodon - but they went on a great expedition and... something happened to them, something so terrible that the remaining cats have expunged all memory of them.

Such is the importance of House to a cat's general lot in life that cat naming style goes (Personal Name) (Family Name) von (House Name).

Cats who reject membership in a House are known as "Moggies", and are analogous to the "Strays" of Pugmire.

===The Precepts of Mau===
Unlike their canine counterparts, cats are not inherently spiritual. In particular, they have formed quite the opposite picture of the Old Ones to dogs: whereas the dogs of Pugmire believe they were created to serve Man, the cats believe that Man was ''their'' servant! There is no equivalent to the Church of Man amongst the Monarchies... but there is an analogue to the Code of Man.

These are the Precepts of Mau; a set of commandments, one part spiritual and one part secular, that form the basis for the newly unified monarchies when it comes to conduct and discipline. There are four '''Accepted''' Precepts, which represent the guiding rules of all catkind:
* Always trust your instincts.
* Always pounce upon minions of the unseen.
* Always reward loyalty.
* Always respect an honor duel.

However, each House also has its own defining Precept that it follows as a personal philosophy, but which was rejected by the Ruling Council from becoming part of the Accepted Precepts. These are what the cats call the '''Disputed''' Precepts, and consist of the following:
* Always pursue knowledge (House Angora)
* Always operate with discretion (House Cymric)
* Always strike when least expected (House Korat)
* Always act with honor (House Mau)
* Always push boundaries (House Rex)
* Always revere the past (House Siberian)
* Always Seek Vengeance (The Shadow Bloc)

===Feline Spirituality & Magic===
Catkind, like dogkind, has no great context for the true technological nature of the relics they unearth. But whereas dogs are generally more content to place such items in church-controlled museums, cats seek to actively study and replicate this "magic", even if it means destroying an artifact in the process of unearthing its secrets. Thusly, whereas dogs wield magic through their Artisans and Shepherds, cats do so through Mancers and Ministers. Dogs focus on improving relics, whilst cats destroy them to absorb their magical energies.

Whilst they lack a powerful church like dogkind, cats do have a sense of spirituality. Their religion is centered around the concept of reincarnation, with the central belief being that each cat is born to live nine lives, and must strive in each life to prove worthy of past life legacies and for the lives they will be reborn into. Because of this belief, cats have no aversion to [[necromancer]]s, instead viewing their magic as a kind of blessing that allows a cat to extend and augment each individual life. This is a sticking point with the dogs of Pugmire, who find necromancy to be scary and unnatural.

One strange thing about cat magic is that, whilst cat "spells" are more powerful than those used by dogs, it's less stable.

===Feline Callings===
As with the dogs of Pugmire, Callings are the cat equivalent of classes in a Monarchies of Mau game.

'''Champions''' are the [[Fighter]]s of the game. There's little else to say about them.

'''Footpads''' are the cat equivalent to [[Rogue]]s, and much more respected than their canine Ratter counterparts. They represent everything from acrobats and scouts to investigators, assassins and thieves.

'''Mancers''' are the cat equivalent of [[wizard]]s, using bone focuses to draw out magical energy they have absorbed from ancient relics they've dissected.

'''Ministers''' are the cat eqivalent of [[bard]]s, using their voices to channel inherent magical energies, although their focus on ministering to the mental and spiritual health of their fellows means they fill a social role equivalent to [[cleric]]s.

'''Trackers''' are the cat equivalent of [[ranger]]s, although culturally they are closer to demon slayers. Membership in this calling requires following a new oath: '''Murder the Unseen'''. They are the warriors of the wilderness, dedicated to purging the land of monsters and demons, one kill at a time.

'''Wanderers''' are cat martial artists, the equivalent of [[monk]]s, who hone their unarmed combat skills as part of pursuing their personal spiritual enlightenment. They are natural nomads, constantly roaming the known world in pursuit of opportunities to hone their skills and to simply sate their desire for spiritual growth.

===The Houses===
Such is the importance of House membership in a cat's life that it replaces the Breed aspect from Pugmire in a Monarchies of Mau game. Thusly, "House" is analogous to D&D's "Race".

'''House Angora''' is a house of scholars and intellectuals, dedicated to the finding and preservation of knowledge and magic, maintaining the libraries throughout the Monarchies. Secretly, their hunger to know things means they will readily delve into topics that other Houses view as too dark or sinister - even the summoning and controlling of the Unseen.

'''House Cymric''' is a house of diplomats, negotiators and entertainers - a weird mix, until you realize that the charming tongue and pleasing form of a minstrel or actor can ferret out secrets as well as any diplomat. Secretly, they yearn to oust House Mau as the de facto leaders of the Monarchies.

'''House Korat''' is the military House of the Monarchies; a proud and warlike clan who champion strength, combat skills, and force. Life is tough in this House, where the physically frail are unwelcome. Whilst stereotyped as thick-limbed and thick-headed, their cunning and tactical skills should not be underestimated. Secretly, they yearn for a second War with Pugmire, in order to prove their superiority to all other races on the battlefield.

'''House Mau''' is a House of leaders and judges, known for their honor and their diplomatic skill. It was a member of House Mau who united the Monarchies into their present form, and to this day they openly seek to preserve the current form of the united nation. Secretly, they actually hope to consolidate power in their own paws, building up their popularity with the lower classes until they can openly topple the other Houses and become the sole rulers of all catkind.

'''House Rex''' are the most open-minded and individualistic of all the cat Houses, and can be seen as the most liberal of them all. They are a clan of explorers and outsiders; the first cats to explore beyond their borders, and the first to encourage peace amongst races. They are the one cat House to be on good terms with the dogs of Pugmire, and openly speak in support of strengthening ties. To the aggravation of the other Houses, especially the ever-scheming House Cymric, House Rex doesn't seem to ''have'' any secrets. With these cats, what you see may actually be what you get.

'''House Siberian''' is the conservative bloc within the Monarchies, championing tradionalism above all other things and carefully measuring progress, striving to direct it into utility above all else. The other Monarchies mostly tolerate them for their skil as medics, but they underestimate the Siberians' capacity for destructive ferocity. Secretly, House Siberian wants to dissolve the Treaty of Unification and return to being a self-sufficient monarchy like they were before.

'''The Shadow Bloc''' represents the unified voting power and standing of catkind's minor houses, organizations and so forth on the great Ruling Council. This conglomerate nature makes them naturally anarchic and hard to predict or manipulate by the other Houses. Secretly, remnants of House Smilodon have infiltrated the Shadow Bloc and hope to use it as a way to pursue vengeance.

[[Category:Roleplaying]]
[[Category:White Wolf]]