Nazu

Spring on Agathos is quiet and subtle. Small, pale flowers creep into bloom and slowly fade away. Their petals fall from pale trees and dance around two figures in white in the temple yard. Dust rose around their two-toed tabi shoes and flew through the air, mingling with the petals as they sparred. Metal clacked against metal and the audience of feline heads swiveled to follow the midair arc of one of the two fighters as they flew backwards. The fighter still on their feet bowed stiffly and dusted off their white samue. The fighter resembled a human, for the most part: but instead of a head, a cat sat at a small control station. A mask rested on a stand in front of the cat’s face and a takuhatsugasa hat floated above his head. The mask was pale and smooth with delicate red lips. The victor walked to the loser, manipulating the controls seamlessly. The loser was already pulling himself upright, his amigasa hat following the cat. His samue was red, denoting him to be of lesser skill rank than the white-clad monk. The surrounding cats’ machines applauded their appreciation of the fight before resuming the duties around the temple.

Nazu are shaped like housecats of various physical appearances, but their main substantial difference lies in their ability to speak.   

Physical Description: Nazu are, essentially, cats piloting gundam suits. As they mature they build their suit to be what they want it to be, and watching youngsters build and pilot their first suit is actually terrifying. Normally they run around like the lady in the grudge and it’s pretty fucked up''' '''

Society: Nazu live in very small temple groups scattered all around Agathos. The head monk is the best fighter, and from there down they specialize into different classes.  

Relations: Nazu are the Trojan horses of the planet: they seem friendly until you really start speaking to them and then you remember their propensity for violence and willingness to slaughter entire settlements without cause or warning. Everyone is wary of them, but no one is actively hostile toward them. They’re almost what can be called the shadow rulers of the planet. However, sometimes the Josso higher-ups will come to the Nazu seers for their incredibly strong connection to the Divine and ask them for their wisdom. It is up to the individual seer whether or not to ask the Divines: normally the Nazu seer gives a crock of shit.

Alignment and Religion: Nazu can be anything they want to be. Some Nazu are peaceful monks content tending their garden and some Nazu are fierce warlords who leave burning trails of unspeakable horror in their wake. (insert clever religion design here)

Adventurers: Nazu also adventure for no reason other than on a whim. Some monasteries will send younger monks on sabbaticals, some don’t. Some Nazu want to leave their villages and travel, some Nazu want to leave their villages to pillage, some Nazu don’t want to leave their village.