A Leoparth Loranor Warrior from the Chui Watu Kingdom, Zarhuy
L E O P A R T H, Felidae Panthera Pardus
Race: Leoparth
Class: Cat People
Species: Loranor
Other names: Leopard-men, leopards, spots
Allegiance: Independent
The Leoparth are a race of the cat-people, Loranor, that lived in Aels, Zarhuy and Hieyoks.
Description[]
The species' success in the wild is in part due to its opportunistic hunting behavior, its adaptability to habitats, its ability to run at high speeds, its unequaled ability to climb trees even when carrying a heavy carcass, and its notorious ability for stealth.
The leopath consumes virtually any animal (or person) that it can hunt down and catch, being agile and stealthy predators, and their habitat ranges from rainforest to desert terrains.
The Leoparth show a great diversity in coat color and rosette patterns. Their rosettes are circular in East Zarhuy but tend to be squarer in southern Zarhuy and larger in Hieyoks populations. Their yellow coat tends to be more pale and cream colored in desert populations, more gray in colder climates, and of a darker golden hue in rainforest habitats. Overall, the fur under the belly tends to be lighter coloured and of a softer, downy type. Solid black spots in place of open rosettes are generally seen along the face, limbs and underbelly
Leoparths may sometimes be confused with other Loranor, as the Cheetahri and Jaggars. However, their pattern of spots are in each different, as well in body build.
Ecology and Lifestyle[]
Leoparthss have the largest distribution of any Loranor, occurring widely in eastern and central Zarhuy.
They are exceptionally adaptable, although associated primarily with savanna and rainforest, but as well in the Hieyoks Far east, they inhabit temperate forests where winter temperatures reach a low of −25 °C. They are equally adept surviving in some of the world's most humid rainforests and even semi-arid desert edges.
Leoparths are elusive, solitary and largely nocturnal. Activity level varies depending on the habitat and the type of prey that they hunt. They are known for their ability in climbing, and have been observed resting on tree branches during the day, dragging their kills up trees and hanging them there, and descending from trees headfirst. They are powerful swimmers, although are not as disposed to swimming as some other Loranor, such as the tiggers. They are very agile, being capable of running at high speeds, leap long and jump high, and aside of their languages -and some human, kanov, orcs and elven languages they may learn- they produce a number of vocalizations, including grunts, roars, growls, meows, and "sawing" sounds.
In their social structure and home range, normally the Home ranges of male leoparths vary between 30 km2 and 78 km2, and of females between 15 to 16 km2. There seems to be little or no overlap in territory among males, although overlap exists between the sexes, and aggressive encounters could happen between the same genders for invasion of territory.
When the Leoparths abandon their nomadic and lonely natural behavior, living in villages and settlements -as happened during the Loranor Kingdom in Nubla-, their settlements were small, of only a few dozen of individuals. Occasional war-bands, to face invaders, would be a more common -and less permanent- form of social organization.
Leoparths are versatile, opportunistic hunters, and have a very broad diet. They feed on a greater diversity of prey than other members of the Loranor species, and will eat anything from dung beetles to 900 kg male common elands, though prey usually weighs considerably less than 200 kg. Their diet consists mostly of ungulates, followed by primates, primarily monkeys of various species, including the Vervet monkey. However, they will also opportunistically eat rodents, reptiles, amphibians, insects, birds, fish and sometimes smaller predators, and neither there seems to exist a cultural taboo of eating other sentient species -non-Loranor-. They stalk their prey silently, only to pounce on it at the last minute, giving the final strike.
In search of safety, leopards often stash their young or recent kills high up in a tree, which can be a great feat of strength considering that they may be carrying prey heavier than themselves while they climb vertically.
Leoparths must compete for food and shelter with other large predators, animals (such as their closely related animal counterpart, the leopards, or lions, tigers, hyenas, bears, wild dogs) and persons (other Loranor, K'Nir, Gnolls, Draak-Harg, Orcs). These may steal the leoparth's kill, devour its young or even kill adult leoparths (although other Loranor, due some cultural taboo, are most likely to kill and not eat young leoparths). Conflicts over carcasses often end without bloodshed, because the leoparth will often begrudgingly cede their kills if they encounter a larger-bodied or group-living predator that can potentially kill them.
Depending on the region, leoparths may mate all year round. The estrous cycle lasts about 46 days and the female usually is in heat for 6–7 days. Cubs are usually born in a litter of 2–3 cubs. But mortality of cubs is estimated at almost half during the first years of life.
Leoparths live around 40-50 years.
Leoparth Nation of Chui Watu[]
In the case of the Loranor kingdom of the Chui Watu, in the southern part of the continent of Zarhuy, they were bitter enemies of the human kingdom of the Chui Himaya.
Often, they will clash, and the skins of the human would be a coveted prize to the Loranor warriors, used as clothes.
In the same way, the Chui Himaya did the same, and is disputed who began such practices