Physical Description:  Feline. Maktir look like humanoid cougars complete with tails and rounded cougar ears.  Their legs, through all their evolution, have remained very cat-like. The knees appear higher than a human's and the ankles very far up the leg. As with all cats they walk on their toes. Even though they are very comfortable bipedal their standard form of running is down on all fours. They do not wear shoes or gloves as it restricts the use of their claws.  Maktir have narrow hips and shoulders with a chest that has an incredibly flexible rib cage.  As with most cats, if they can get their heads through an opening then their entire body will pass easily. It is in the face that they differ from their wild cousins in that their muzzle is less pronounced giving them the appearance of an odd looking human. Were a Maktir to be seen in the wild, unclothed, as they usually are, it would not be hard to mistake them for a normal cougar should they be on all fours. Maktir females do emulate humanoids in another way, they have a single pair of breasts instead of the usual four pairs found in other felines.

Hair color: Cream color chest and belly with a golden color overall. Some Maktir have a darker brown on their head, ears and down their back. Maktir do not have manes so this trait in other races fascinates both sexes.

Eye color: yellow, amber, tawny

Height M/F:
    Male 5' - 6'
    Female 5' - 6'

Weight M/F:
    Male 100 lbs - 150 lbs
    Female 100 lbs - 150 lbs

Aging:
    Baby (0-5): 6 months
    Youth (6-13): 6 months to 1 yr.
    Adolescent (14-20): 1 to 3 yrs.
    Adult (21-40): 3 to 40 yrs.
    Matured (41-60): 40 to 50 yrs.
    Venerable (60+): 50+

Alignment:  Neutral and Chaotic. Maktir do not understand the concept of Good and Evil, they are still very close to their racial ancestors.

Language Name:  Maktir, for the sake of humanoid ears. It is actually unpronounceable by humans but an elf with perfect pitch might be able to speak the word.

General Racial Associations:  Maktir are fascinated by wild elves and think of them as friends. For a Maktir it is very easy for one to become enthralled with the elvish way of life, until something breaks their train of thought.  As they are killed regularly by humans that mistake them for wild big cats, Maktir tend to dislike humans as a race but find individuals fascinating.

Racial Enemies: The Leucrenn are natural enemies to the  Maktir and have been for so long the Maktir have come to recognize the Leucrenn voice immediately.

Society:  Maktir are solitary creatures by nature, often growing to adulthood with only their mother as a companion. This makes a Maktir very socially inept. They do not understand politics or money or social morals.

Habitat: The Maktir's normal habitat is wooded mountainous terrain. They can be found above the tree line or down in the foot hills but usually avoid the plains. For the most part the race can be found in the mountains along the south western edge of the Plains.

Family: Family? Mom feeds the cubs, teaches them, protects them, for about 3 years, then boots them out on their tails.

Heirerarchy/Government: The closest the Maktir have to a government is the Gatherings, an irregular meeting of Maktir during which the Storytellers relate news and history while learning new stories. It is during these times that 90% of cubs are conceived. Also, cubs are taught new skills and decisions concerning all are discussed. For the most part the Gathering is a democratic process with all having an equal voice, male or female.

Rituals/Beliefs/Religion:  The Gatherings are the closest thing the Maktir have to a ritual.

Deities:  ...er....deities? What are deities?

Inherent Abilities:

Physical:
    Very good night vision but not to the level of Infrared.
    Like all cats they appear to be double jointed and all can only be described as contortionists.
    Like all cats they have the uncanny ability to land on their feet and survive amazing falls.
    On all fours they are very fast over a short distance, about 40 mph up to about a half mile.
    Very acute sense of smell that allows them to track by scent alone.
    Claws and fangs. The claws aid in climbing anything the claws will sink into, like trees and wooden walls. It also helps in hand to hand combat.
    Like all cats they have incredible reflexes and consequently they have a very high dexterity.

Spiritual or Mental:
    Photographic memory, as they are not long lived they tend to learn very quickly and remember nearly everything.

Specialties:

Susceptibilies/Aversions:
    ...er...catnip? A Maktir will go generally nuts with the stuff around. They act like kittens, playing with everything and get very amorous. A Maktir on catnip can be hazardous to a mating partner, claws and fangs get used in the heat of the moment.

Disadvantages:
    Aloof - Maktir tend to be standoffish and appear disinterested.
    Flighty - Maktir make great transitory friends but they lose interest quickly, leaving the friend often hurt and puzzled.
    Short attention span - Maktir get interested in something easily and lose interest just as easily.
    Carnivorous - FRESH meat is preferred, actually personally killed is better. Fish is a favorite. NO Meow Mix, please.
    Totally unmagical - Maktir do not do magic, ever.
    Hedonists - Maktir have very little regard for the feelings of other, in fact Maktir have no word for 'love' in their vocabulary.  Good and Evil are also a foreign concept to them. If is feels good, most Maktir cannot resist trying it.
    Very hard to read - Maktir body language is very difficult to read, causing a deal of trepidation to humans and elves as they always sense they might be missing something. The exception is to an observant cat lover the tail of a Maktir can be a good mood indicator.

Racial History:  No one is sure why the  Maktir evolved intelligence.  What is natural selection or was it the work of some great Mage?   Maktir proclaim loudly "We are not constructs!" but none are really sure.  The race appeared first about millennium ago in the Mountains but have expanded very slowly.  The population is estimated to be under ten thousand.  Recently a new Gathering of Maktir has appeared near Carse but this may have been an aberration.