Regal and refined, this faithful feline has been at humanity’s side for centuries. Once a relatively rare critter confined to the desert finger, pheliscus now spans the Eastern half of Pandea.
Its popularity as a house pet inspired an enormous population boom as farmers bred their vermin hunters and sold the kittens to whoever was willing to pay. In some cases, the new owners found their pheliscus to be too much of a handful and decided to release the critters back into the wild. Pheliscus were introduced to new habitats, and thrived on the edges of every finger, especially the woodland. This introduction had some grave effects though. Under the pressure of newly acquired predators, there were many critters that couldn’t cope. Numbers began to dwindle, both in the small rodents and birds, but also among some other predators. Where pheliscus moved in, other critters were forced out. Several species were lost due to this invasive feline flood, and it was this event that sparked the formation of domestic critter regulations that we have today.
Despite their part in this multiple genocide, pheliscus have only risen in popularity, and numbers. The continued incline is not solely due to excessive breeding. Pheliscus have an exceptionally long life span. Once believed to be immortal, with documented cases of pheliscus surviving fires, trampling, and even in one case re-growing entire limbs, it is now understood that pheliscus possess an incredibly potent, but limited power to heal themselves. Nine times over the course of their lives, Pheliscus can completely rejuvenate their body to the point that it was at its peak. The story of how it came to wield such phenomenal power is an interesting one.
How Pheliscus got Nine Lives
Many centuries ago, long before any beast had been tamed by man, a ringless pheliscus wandered through the desert. Not an unusual sight, many a pheliscus would stalk the sands by night, and in that time, none of them had rings, neither on their tail, nor around their necks. This particular feline was different though, and its actions would go on to have world altering significance.
It was pursuing a lone eleompette, the little rodent had been separated from its heard and was forced to scamper through the dunes in search of somewhere to hide. The pheliscucs pounced, trapping the eleompette beneath its big paws. Saliva dribbled down its chin. It lifted its front limbs to see its prey but all that came to meet its eyes was a small hole. Lunch had gone.
The pheliscus began digging, desperate to retrieve its meal. It broke through the sand and found itself in a large stone room. The slanted walls were covered in strange markings, all four met together in a point at the top. Not deterred, the pheliscus darted around the edges of the room in search of the rodent.
“Who disturbs our slumber?” a voice boomed through the chamber, echoing off the oddly shaped walls. The pheliscus turned. The room was still empty. Nothing else was here with it, the noise had come from nowhere. Rattled, it continued its search. “You, beast. Have you come to free us from this cursed prison?” The voice had definitely come from the centre of the room. The desert cat stalked slowly towards it, hackles raised.
A large see through stone was set in the floor at the middle of the chamber. Something seemed to be moving beneath it. Perhaps it was the eleompette. A pale paw darted out and tapped the block. Maybe if she asked it would let her inside. The block began to rise. Eerie green smoke poured from beneath it, filling the room.
“Well done little cat.” A pale blue figure rose from the hole where the block had been. It stood seven feet tall, was dressed in elaborate silks, and had a crown, encrusted hundreds of gemstones. “For centuries we have longed to see the light of day once more. Alone, we could not leave, but now we have you.” A blue streak darted out of the hole and crashed into the pheliscus’ face. The critter was thrown into the air by the force, writhing in pain. Another streak flew at the cat, and another, each one provoking a hideous scream. “My brothers and I thank you for your gift.” The eighth spirit entered the cat, leaving it panting on the floor. “Each of us will ride with you for a lifetime, and each, upon leaving shall grant you life anew.” The spirit knelt beside the exhausted critter, stroking its head and back. He placed his hand over the pheliscus’ neck. “Nine lives from nine fallen kings you shall carry with you, nine lives shall be the gift passed on to each of your descendants.” As he spoke a golden collar appeared around the feline’s throat, and nine rings materialized and adorned the creature’s tail. All thoughts of its prey forgotten, the pheliscus rose to its feet, shaking, and hobbled out of the room.
The Truth Behind the Story
That is the story of how pheliscus came to possess its power over life and death. A pretty tale, but of course, no more than a fable. At least that’s what it would appear to any modern eye at first read. No one entered the ruins with the pheliscus, so how could there possibly be an accurate record of what happened within. Until a few years ago I too would have written this story off as pure fiction. However, two years ago I was part of an archaeological expedition into the desert finger. That expedition discovered proof of an ancient civilization that existed pre humanity. A civilization of people in tune with the arcane weave of Pandea. A civilization for whom the resurrection and rejuvenation magic that pheliscus possesses could have been entirely possible. Not only that, but we discovered, buried beneath the sands, a stone room with slanted walls. A pyramid, whose interior was filled with the same strange letters found upon pheliscus’ collar. In the centre of this room, a glass block sat beside a hole in the floor. A hole leading into another room beneath.
