Family: Cat
Type: Undead
Habitat: Ruins, human settlements
Disposition: Loyal, grumpy, lustful
Diet: Blood, meat, spirit energy
The bakeneko is a vampiric werecat-like monster with mysterious origins, but most will agree that the first was born from the union of a vampire and a nekomata. Most bakeneko have piercing red eyes and shades of black fur. Unlike a nekomata they have a singular cat tail and are different from other catfolk in that they have human hands and feet.
Similar to the nekomata the bakeneko can assume a cat form with her fur taking the color of her hair. In this cat form a bakeneko still has the ability to speak human languages, which assists her in drawing in prey to alleys or deeper into ruins. Once the prey is lured away from others the bakeneko will appear in either of her forms and make eye contact as her tail sways behind her putting the victim in a trance. At this time the bakeneko strikes to feed on the prey's blood, sinking her fangs into it. A bakeneko’s bite causes pleasure to spread through her victim as her saliva has an anticoagulant to keep the blood flowing until she's full.
If a bakeneko finds a liking to the taste of her prey the prey may wake up finding they own a new cat with a vague memory of taking a stray home. The bakeneko will roam the home in her cat form till nightfall when, as her prey lays down to sleep, she will switch forms and straddle them to feed. There is a chance during these types of feedings she may forget to put her prey into a trance and lose her chance to run if the prey can resist the pleasure from her bite. If the prey chooses to shove her off and run or to grab her hips to take control the bakeneko will be shocked in place giving the former prey the perfect chance.
Bakeneko share the same weaknesses as vampires and other cat monsters. Matatabi and garlic will send a bakeneko into a drunken heat, their throat aching with a dry thirst for a mate's blood and their groin soaked with need. During the day a bakeneko is unable to shift forms and often gets stuck as a cat until nightfall. They also experience a similar restriction during pregnancy; the inability to turn into their cat form is an early tell for good news.
Name That Mamono: Cleo
Cleo is a bakeneko with long black hair and a black cat tail that is tipped in white. Cleo wears only the bare minimum in her mamono form, preferring to remain in her cat form when able. Cleo is a servant of a banshee noble who, on orders from her mistress, assists in taking care of a blind woman and her children. She was given orders not to touch the blind woman for feeding, so she's only fed on the occasional passer-by and hasn’t gotten a proper meal for many years now. Even with her tendency to stick to her cat form Cleo is dutiful in her tasks before lazing around as a cat being petted by the human she must watch over.
Bubali are a breed of beastman that feel most at home in the humid environments of flood plains, river valleys, and wetlands. A bubalus’ most distinguishing feature is usually the pair of large, beautiful horns upon her head. Bubali are said to have the most magnificent horns among all mamono and an especially large and beautiful pair is a matter of great pride for one of their kind. Their horns are of such appeal that some scholars have posited the possibility that there is some magic at play as well. Those hypotheses remain unconfirmed however, as no bubalus would willingly let any but her husband touch or examine her horns in detail. Bubali grow tall and strong, even by mamono standards, and heights of 8’ 2” (2.5 meters) are no rarity. In spite of their size and strength bubali rarely tend towards violence and prefer to settle disagreements through nonviolent means. Towards that end most communities will have their individual traditions, such as a strong culture of debate or settling disputes through games and challenges.
Bubali are intensely social mamono, and though they do not necessarily mind others that are not of their kind they will feel most at ease when living in a community of other bubali. As a result their kind is not very well distributed across the continent of Arcadia. Instead, most of them live in the wetlands surrounding the rivers of northern Kioko. There they live simple, agrarian lives in communities of up to 200 individuals in harmony with the surrounding nature and whatever neighbors live close to them.
Bubalus social hierarchy is intuitively defined by the question of which member of a particular group is the most beautiful. Naturally, the quality of an individual’s horns is of particularly high concern in determining individual appeal. Most communities will hold a festival once every year where the most beautiful among their ranks are determined. Winning these competitions not only grants respect and authority, but also improves an individual bubalus’ chance to attract a partner. This is particularly important since, in spite of their social nature, bubali will almost never share their husbands. These competitions are usually reserved for those bubali who are yet to find a mate as the beauty of those who have succeeded in finding a husband is beyond reproach anyway.
A man married to a bubalus can typically expect a peaceful and quiet life as part of her community. He will help tend the fields and tend to his wife’s needs. These needs not only include becoming a regular part of her beauty routine, but also the regular and vigorous consummation of their marriage. Like just about all mamono bubali experience intense feelings of lust and desire, though they will rarely aggressively seek out sex and prefer for their partners to initiate the act instead. The exception to this rule comes into play if the lust of one of their kind gets driven over the edge by something like excessive teasing. In such cases they may grow aggressive and roughly fuck their partners all through the night, only to feel sorry the following day for their lack of self-control.
Name That Mamono: Nakone
Hailing from the small village of Ranjin in northern Kioko, not far from the sea, Nakone has only recently turned nineteen years old and is convinced that she possesses no less than the most beautiful horns in her entire village. She is a little shorter than the average bubalus, but that is not something that can get her down. Not when her horns are as magnificent as they are. They are large, smooth and curve elegantly. Truly, Nakone knows that she is nothing short of spectacular. Her mother and father have often said so as well.
Every day, when she is not busy working the fields along with her fellows, she is busy grooming herself in general and her horns in particular to improve their luster even more. To that end her people have developed a wealth of natural medicines, tinctures, and polishes and Nakone never hesitates to employ these in order to maintain her edge over the competition.
This is especially important as her village's annual festival approaches and Nakone is more than determined to show every single one of her fellows what she already knows; that she is, without a doubt, the most beautiful bubalus of the village. Especially so given that a rumor is making the rounds that there will be a special prize at the coming competition.
