Kzinti

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

The kzinti (singular, kzin) were a race of sentient feline carnivores native to the Alpha Quadrant. Kzinti were highly sexually dimorphic, at least in terms of intelligence; only the males were sentient, a trait that kzinti sometimes forgot that other species (such as humans) did not share. The kzinti were enthusiastic carnivores and disdained other sentient species, such as vulcans, that used only plants for sustenance. Since making first contact, the kzinti initiated no fewer than four wars against mankind, but were defeated on each occasion; the last such conflict was concluded by the Treaty of Sirius (also known as the McDonnell-Rishal Treaty), which remained in force for centuries thereafter, despite occasional incursions and rogue aggressions by renegade kzinti.

While it was easy, and in fact common, to assume that kzinti were related to other felinoid races such as caitians, vedala, sivaoans, eeiauoans, ferasans, or m'dok, there was no documented proof of any common ancestry with the kzinti beyond the possibility of common seeding resulting from the Preservers. This theory was further supported due to the genetic and reproductive compatibility kzinti appeared to have with the various humanoid races. Although such pairings required a fair amount of medical assistance to carry to term, this was believed to be the result of kzinti genetic tampering to enhance their own evolution in recent ages rather than any fundamental uniqueness in their origin as a species.

It should be further noted that, based on the similarity of names, the kzinti were also mistaken to be another, distant off-shoot of the xindi, although this was also proven untrue as the species did not originate in the Delphic Expanse and did not share the same common genetic markers as other members of the xindi.

Ironically, some felinoids encountered by the Federation, while believed to be independent races, were in fact merely extended kzinti prides operating independently of the Patriarchy. These included the kytharri, lyrans, grond and the mirak.

Physiology

On average, kzinti stood much taller than humans with a large male standing as much as eight feet (or 2.4 meters) in height and weighing nearly 500 pounds (or 226 kg) and females being slightly shorter and less massive. The kzinti homeworld had a gravity approximately 1.2 times that of the Earth with a higher atmospheric concentration of oxygen which contributed greatly to their size and strength. In addition, their homeworld was, on average, 5 degrees colder than Earth, resulting in the additional genetic adaptations below.

It should be noted that despite the perception that kzinti were large, in comparison to the native fauna of their homeworld, they were considered small. Typically, large land predators took prey no more than twice their weight, and usually less than their weight. By contrast, lone kzinti would stalk and kill zerkitz up to ten times their weight, and hunting parties would take a a'kdzrow of up to twenty-five metric tons. Because the primitive ecological structure did not allow the kzinti to assume the niche of large predators due to competition from the v'speel stalker and the pack hunting grlor, it is assumed that the kzinti were, instead, forced into the intelligence niche resulting in a society based in cooperative hunting.

Kzin were bipeds, standing erect on short, digitigrade legs. They were typically covered in dusky brown or tan fur with individualized black markings not unlike that of a terran tiger most commonly appearing on the face and hands. This coloration allowed their ancestors to blend into the more mountainous regions and cave systems of their world to avoid detection by prey. Specimens with full black fur were rare and all who had them are taken by the Black Priests. They were powerfully built, with thick limbs and torso and, although mammalian, did not have a mammal-like rib cage, instead possessing a latticework of cartilaginous and bone struts encasing their torso. They had long, semi-prehensile tails and possessed tetradactyl hands ending in three thick fingers and an opposable thumb, all possessing fully retractable claws, while their feet had three toes, also with retractable claws, and a dewclaw.

Kzinti possessed a tri-cardial cardiovascular system, consisting of two semi-independent and redundant circulatory systems and a third, transitory proto-heart that controled pressure between the two systems, allowing blood to transition between them as necessary. As a result, a kzin could suffer cardiac arrest in any one of the hearts only for it to be restarted by the remaining two while blood flow remained relatively unaffected, perhaps causing only a slight light-headed sensation or transitory vertigo. Further, blood born pathogens and contaminants, including injections, were much slower to affect a kzin, often requiring to five or six times the standard time frame to take full affect unless both circulatory systems were affected (or injected) simultaneously.

All kzinti possessed a region analogous to a cat's "scruff" situated from the base of their neck down between their shoulder blades. Stimulating this region, through massage, kneading or gentle gripping pressure could cause involuntary weakness, pacification and even receptiveness in a kzin. This was a conditioned response, theorized to be a hold over from ancient evolution, and many kzinti kept this area covered; although the triggered response was not strong enough to off-set actual aggression, hostility or other such visceral emotions.

Kzinti were obligate carnivores to the point that they were incapable of gaining any nutritional value from eating plant matter primarily due to a lack of the necessary enzymes in their digestive track to extract the proteins to live. They were known to regularly hunt even sentient species and to regularly consume the spoils of these hunts although these were "officially" declared as punishments for crimes against the Patriarchy.

Senses

The head of a kzin was quite cat-like in appearance, although with a large cranial bulge. Their eye colors varied from yellow to near-red, with round pupils instead of cat-like vertical slits. They possessed a tapetum lucidum, which was a reflective layer behind the retina that sent light that passed through the retina back into the eye. While this improved the ability to see in darkness, it reduced net visual acuity, thus detracting when light was abundant. This gave the kzin a minimum light detection threshold up to seven times lower than that of humans and also had the effect of causing a kzin's eyes to glow slightly in response to light sources. Kzinti eyes had a visual range between 200 and 850nm allowing them to see into the ultraviolet and infrared spectra unassisted.

Kzinti ears were structurally similar to fans and parasols, allowing them to fold tightly against the skull to the point of closing. Humans and kzinti had a similar range of hearing on the low end of the scale, but kzinti could hear much higher-pitched sounds, up to 64 kHz, which is 1.6 octaves above the range of a human, and even 1 octave above the range of a terran dog.

A kzin's sense of smell was about four times as strong as humans' as a result of the kzinti olfactory epithelium possessing almost twice as many receptors. As a result, the average kzin had a more acute sense of smell than human. Unlike terran cats, however, kzinti did not possess a vomeronasal (or Jacobson's) organ. Further, kzinti typically lacked the ability to taste sweetness, which aided in their uncommon dietary nature as their modified sense of taste caused them to ignore plants as a potential food source, a large part of whose taste appeal derives from their high sugar content, in favor of a high-protein carnivorous diet, which would still stimulate their remaining taste receptors.

Kzinti possessed roughly twenty-four movable vibrissae ("whiskers"), in four sets on each upper lip on either side of the nose and in tufts over the eyes. The structure of the brain region which received information from the vibrissae was similar to that found in the visual cortex which would permit the kzin to create a three-dimensional map of its surroundings. This doesn't mean that sensing with vibrissae was a type of vision as it was still a touch sensation and environmental information was built up incrementally in small steps. Vibrissae aided sensation and navigation. The upper two rows of whiskers were able to be moved independently from the lower two rows for greater precision during measurement. These whiskers were more than twice as thick as ordinary hairs, and their roots were three times deeper. They had numerous nerve endings at their base, which gave extraordinarily detailed information about nearby air movements and objects with which they make physical contact. They enabled a kzin to know that it is near obstacles without it needing to see them.

Finally, all kzinti had an innate empathic sense referred to as ziirgah that allowed them to instinctively sense the emotions of others through a mixture of observation and extrasensory perception. However, this sense was seldom developed beyond its natural, instinctual base and many were loathe to attempt to employ the ability with any conscious intent. It was this empathic ability that caused some kzin males to be born telepathic, although the telepathy gene was mutually exclusive to the gene that causes black fur, thus no kzin with completely black fur possessed telepathy. Those who exhibited telepathic ability were forced into addiction of a drug derived from the lymph of an animal called a sthondat. Sthondat lymph extract significantly increased telepathic ability, but it was addictive, and was toxic with long-term use, causing muscle atrophy and thinning fur. Only one out of every thousand Kzinti telepaths retained their sanity, but became shivering neurotics. The effects of the drug were a major ordeal to even the most accomplished Kzinti telepaths; none would take a telepathy-inducing dose unless ordered. One dose of the drug lasted for eight hours and the telepath needed to sleep for at least twenty hours afterward or suffer severe health problems.

Once under the influence of the drug, the telepath lapsed into a relaxed hypnotic state and could probe the minds of targets up to 2500 kilometers away. The ordeal was disgusting, painful, and exhausting for both the telepath and the target. Any person caught in the mental grip of a kzinti telepath stiffened convulsively and experienced rolling waves of pain in the forehead and neck and the target could sometimes go so far as to lose consciousness. Kzin telepaths were able to read the minds of any intelligent species.

Telepaths were tolerated by the warrior class due to the specialized use of their skill, otherwise they endured a low-caste position in society, just above the status of slaves, with the occasional slave being considered of a higher social status. Telepaths rarely, if ever, earned a name, and were legally forbidden to breed. Kzinti telepaths were easily identified by their unkempt appearance, matted fur, and bouts of shivering. They slept for most of their leisure hours and their bedraggled, distraught appearance was considered shameful for a kzin.

Reproduction

Female kzinti, also referred to as kzinrett (pl. kzinretti) were only semi-intelligent, having long since been bred into sub-sapience by the Patriarchy, and were kept closely guarded in harems and treated as little more than chattel by the males. Females were primarily instinct-driven and typically did not speak and generally only understood a limited number of words and phrases, seldom exceeding a hundred. Those demonstrating higher intelligence, as tested by the Black Priests, were put to death at an early age by decree of the Patriarchy. Kzinti females were in heat only when fertile, and kzinti generally engaged in sex solely for reproduction.

Only kzinti males, or kzintosh (pl. kzintoshi), who had earned unique names through great deeds were permitted to acquire mates.

A fertile female kzin had only three or four estrus cycles in her lifetime and although litters typically always consisted of twins -- one male and one female -- kzin population growth was extremely slow and kzin males competed strenuously both for females and for the resources to support them. A high proportion of kzin males died to challenge duels resulting from this competition, and in the adult population females outnumbered males in a ratio of three to one. In other words, two thirds of all male kzin kits could expect to die in combat, either at the hands of older and more established kzin or as a result of the vast military machine and open conflicts perpetuated by the Patriarchy against other species. Combat death among males began in late adolescence and rose to a peak in young adulthood, declining steadily thereafter. This single fact dominated the entire kzinti social structure: the entire Patriarchy was built around the requirement to redirect the aggression of young males outward to prevent them from completely destabilizing the hierarchy. It was this high death rate that allowed the extended polygamous mating structure that was the core of kzinti social life. Adolescent kzin, regardless of station of birth, could only look forward to a lifetime of status-driven combat with a better than even chance of violent death.

Psychology

Kzinti are bad-tempered, take offence at almost any slight, and have a society and a code of honor that compels them to react violently if an apology is not immediately forthcoming. The same code of honor also permits no apology if the kzin in question believes himself to be in the right. As such, kzinti society has developed a great number of ways of reducing such conflict, but this is not always successful.

Honor is considered so personal, so important that a dishonored individual might as well not live. The kzinti system of honor means that they will not lie to anyone under practically any circumstance and they will not mistreat prisoners or torture them needlessly (but they can kill and eat them if they are useless). Honored prisoners (eg. kzinti with complete or partial names) are permitted an honorable death, which means a hopeless - or nearly hopeless - fight usually resulting in the prisoner's death.

A kzin attacking appears to be properly berserk to human eyes, as they seem to attack with no caution and ignore all but the most catastrophic damage. In fact they are usually quite cool during battle, but headstrong and willful to an inhuman degree. It was commonly believed by humans in the latter stages of the Man-Kzin wars that kzinti weren't a threat because they frequently engaged in conflict before they were prepared; to the kzinti, however, there is no honor in a battle when victory is assured. In fact, kzinti respect those with strength, or to a lesser degree, intelligence, and may even bestow great honors upon members of other races if they prove worthy.

Aggressive and territorial, kzinti have much more need of "elbow room" than do humans. They see themselves as the lords of creation, and believe military expansion and subjugation of other races to be their birthright as granted by the Fanged God.

Kzinti honor forbids outright lying to anyone, and the unnecessary torture of prisoners, although verbal abuse and a bullying outlook are common, if frowned upon. Prisoners are seen as practically devoid of rights, and can be summarily hunted down and eaten if they are not of immediate use.

Scientists and scholars are generally looked down upon in kzinti society, however the greatest of such kzinti are respected in the same way as our own men of learning and geniuses.

When time permits they frequently perform grooming, such as brushing their fur.

Language

Speech and Writing

The written script is based on claw-carvings in wood and is often described as 'dots and commas' by humans.

The language, itself, is known as kzintsu'ng and sounds clashing and terrible to human ears, but is in fact pitched and cased with several modes with the mode being dependent upon to whom you are speaking. Although there is only one main language (the Heroes' Tongue), it has many modes including mocking, deferential, technical and royal, which is only spoken to and by members of the Patriarchy. Such modes are strictly tonal and are not represented in the written version of the language. A human with plenty of spit and a good falsetto can learn the basic modes of the Heroes' Tongue and be understood anywhere, but pronunciation will be difficult; similarly kzinti can learn to speak Federation Common with some difficulty.

In conjugating kzintsu'ng, if the word ends in a vowel sound, the tense replaces it but if it ends in a consonant, the tense is tacked on to the end. For example, su means "to slash" and hrung means "to think." Thus, se (su + -e) means "I slash," while s'rrti (su + -'rrti) means "they slashed," and hrungk'taahr (hrung + -k'taahr) means "you (all) will think." To convert from simple tense to continuous/progressive tense, add the prefix aat'- (literally "to do") before the conjugated verb, and for perfect tense, add an additional un-. Thus, aat'unhrungk'taahr (aat'- + un- + hrung + -k'taahr) means "you (all) will have been thinking" and unhrungk'taahr means "you (all) will have thought". To negate an action, append the suffix -chssee to the end of the conjugated verb such as sechssee or "I don't slash."

Subject	Present Tense	Past Tense	Future Tense
First person, singular	-e	-'rre	-k'te
First person, plural	-ex	-'rrex	-k'tex
Second person, singular	-aa	-'rraa	-k'taa
Second person, plural	-aahr	-'rraahr	-k'taahr
Third person, singular	-tosh	-'rrtosh	-k'tosh
Third person, plural	-ti	-'rrti	-k'ti

Micro-Lexicon

One unusual feature of kzintsu'ng is that words are not shared between different grammatical elements. For example, while the word "light" can be a verb, a noun, or an adjective in English, such would not be the case among the kzinti. Instead, each would have its own distinct word. Conversely, kzintsu'ng is not a particularly flowery language and thus lacks a great many synonyms in favor of more precision.

Nouns and Pronouns		Adjectives, Adverbs and Modifiers		Verbs
animal	ta'sskin	a	vuul	to adapt	k'sarung
concubine	prret	and	yahuung	to be	tai
future	totek't	deep	zeri	to bite	kshrats'
he	to'k	female	-rett	to decay	tadi
hunt	jeehaz	for	t'kaat	to defy	ya
I	k'tze	from	prrewr	to die	hmadizhr
it	vraang	great	kchee	to differentiate	tsoewrre
klingon	k'liingon	lethal	ztazzksom	to do	aat'
klingon language	k'liingontsu'ng	male	-tosh	to follow	mearowet'aatrurre
life	eelo	may/might	hrreo'-	to have sex	ch'rowl
luck	hrowks'maat	no	chss	to live	t'kovar
meeting	reet'ss	not	-chssee	to say	raoowh
past	totek'rr	of	nar	to scent	hvraf
prey	tui	on	g'kzu	to slash	su
she	ta'k	or	rao	to speak	tuyk
spear	chugra	plural	-i	to stop	tauurre'
sun	kshinn	possess	u'-	to think	hrung
that	arow	the	zhe
they	to'kzi	uh	h'rr
this	sero	vengeful	kzarr
tool	maarra	when	totekupf'
vengeance	kzaii
warrior	t'kzintar
we	k'tzi
what	hrrwweo
you	chojj

Common Phrases and Proverbs

• K'sarungaa yahuung t'kovaraa rao tadaa yahuung hmadizhraa. -- Adapt and live or decay and die.
• Totekupf' chojj kshrats'aa, kshrats'aa zeri. -- When you bite, bite deep.
• Arow raoowhtoshchssee hrrwweo chojj hrungaa vraang raoowhtosh. -- That does not say what you think it does.
• Arow hrreo'taitosh ztazzksom. T'kaat chojj -- That may be lethal. For you.
• K'tze techssee k'liingon. K'tze tuykechssee k'liingontsu'ng. -- I am not a Klingon. I do not speak Klingon.
• Tsoewrretosh u'wtsai prrewr u'skceri -- Can't tell his wtsai from his sk'ceri. (literally implying stupidity, ignorance or incompetence such as "can't tell ass from hole in the ground"; but also a euphemism meaning someone who overcompensates or exaggerates such as "doesn't know the difference between their sword and their penis")

Mathematics

Kzinti count in octal, which means decimal-ten is represented a o12, d100 as o144 and so on.

Body Language

Body language is, of course, very different from that of humans. A list of kzinti expressions and gestures follows:

Emotion	Manifestation
Worry	A flattening of the fur
Frustration	Open-shut flare of nostrils, ticking noise from throat
Readiness	Ears laid flat
'smile'	Twitching of ears
Slyness	Slight lidding of eyelids; could also mean calculating thought
Laughter	Twitching of ears and tail
Dismissive shrug	Yawn
Confusion	Careful sniffs of air, slight raise of muzzle
Threat	Bearing of teeth/fangs
Salute	Claw rake in front of own face.

The tail is a great indicator of a kzin's mood. A lashing tail signifies worry. A dragging tail shows depression, a raised tail happiness. If the kzin's tail is hidden between it's legs, it is badly frightened. A slow, teasing motion of a kzinrret's tail-tip is considered extremely sexy by males, as is a cool, defiant stare.

The ears, too are highly expressive - a twitching indicates amusement, laid flat they indicate nervousness or readiness; and fanned out they indicate intent concentration or alertness. Sitting, standing or lying down with the legs splayed is considered obscene in both males and females.

Body language is also important in social encounters. Those of lower social status keep their eyes averted, except when challenging (and that in its correct place). Submission is signaled by covering of nose with paws, prostrating oneself or, in extreme circumstances, exposing belly and throat. A kzin who is about to attack or challenge will often adopt a threatening posture. The ears fold back to prevent them from being ripped or torn, the fur bottles out to hide the shape of the flesh, the tail becomes stiff and erect, ready to whip an opponents legs from under him. The lips pull back from the fangs in challenge, and the claws emerge ready for a fight. A kzin in this posture is about one second away from screaming and leaping - a favoured method of attack.

Kzinti also use scent a lot. They scent-mark with glands in cheeks and hands, occasionally using their urine. Their hormones are far more active than humans: a gingery smell signals excitement - either anger or fear.

Home World

The Kzinti homeworld orbits the star 61 Ursae Majoris at a distance somewhat greater than that at which Earth orbits the sun. It is a larger world, with gravity 1.2 times that of Earth's. Its year is roughly one and a half times longer than Earth's, and its day is 27 hrs and 36 minutes long. The climate of this world is cooler and drier than Earth's, and since it has a definite axial tilt it also has seasons. It receives less light from it's star, which is redder than Sol; and is consequently dimmer. The atmosphere has a higher concentration of oxygen than Earth. It has two moons, the Hunter's Moon and the Traveler's Moon.

The Kzinti refer to this world only as "Homeworld": it has no other official name in the kzinti language, but is named "Kzin" or "Kzinhome" on Federation star charts.

Fauna

• a'kdzow: Animal native to Kzin that can weigh up to 25 metric tons.
• frrch: Animal native to Kzinhome prized for its pelts.
• grashi: Small burrowing animal on Kzin.
• grik-grik: Kzinti food animal.
• grlor: Pack hunting animal native to Kzinhome, they are 20 meter long carnivores with a long neck, sinuous build and a mouth big enough for a human to stand in, best described as a wingless dragon.
• hrhan: Scavenger birds native to Kzinhome with a 15 meter wingspan, long necks and razor-sharp fangs used to rip flesh.
• k'ldar: Forest-dwelling larger cousin of Zianya.
• kood: Animal the Kzinti imported to Shasht.
• krrach-sherek: Fast animal native to Kzin.
• kshat: a herbivore capable of digesting offal
• Kudlotin: Cold-climate animals native to Kzin and prized for their hides.
• kz'eerkti: (singular Kz'eerekt) a Tree-dwelling animal native to Kzin, similar to a monkey. (also used as a derogatory term for humans)
• mzail mzail: Venomous lizard creatures native to Kzinhome.
• oolerg: Kzinti food animal.
• p'charth: Kzin animal that feigned death in order to lure prey close enough to spit a neurotoxin in their face.
• raaairtwo: a large herbivore 2 metres high at the shoulder, covered in shaggy orange hair, it typically weighs about twelve tons and has the temperament of a rhino with a spiked ball on its tail making it well capable of defending itself
• rapsari: Singular: Rapsar; Genetically engineered creatures created for use in combat, and can be engineered to different specifications based on task. They have a hybrid gill/lung structure allowing for the extraction of oxygen from both water and air, allowing them the operate well in either. They have suction cups for grip, and lack any digestive system, having been designed to live for only a couple of weeks. They also have large, forward-set eyes, large external eardrums (allowing for a sonar system), and a skin that has both chromatophores and scent camouflage glands, allowing them to hide effectively.
• rarchtha: Unspecified animal who's fat can be used to mask one's scent.
• saberwing: Flying predator native to Kzinhome which has gray wings.
• sherrek: animal native to kzinhome
• slashtooth: Muscular but agile animal native to Kzinhome, sometimes used in gladiatorial style battles where a Kzin must battle increasing numbers of them until their inevitable death.
• sthondat: unfit for kzinti consumption; sthondats feature in a great many colorful kzinti insults, and an extract of the blood is used by telepaths.
• terrenki: a rather strong, fast animal which fights ferociously when cornered
• tuskvor: Ancient Kzin animal, described as a hulking beast which organizes into herds. The adults can reach 50 meters long, described as a long-necked sausage with legs like tree trunks and shaggy fur. They have large tusks that protrude from their upper jaw and large horns in the forehead, and small eyes. Although they are herbivores, the herds are known to charge and trample other creatures when threatened.
• vatach: a creature analogous to an earless Terran rabbit; the meat is reputedly tasty, but the animal is considered too tame for kzinti sport
• v'pren: Flying carnivorous animal native to Kzinhome. Can grow to the size of a human thumb and has powerful jaws. A swarm of them can kill a Kzin.
• v'speel: A stalking animal native to Kzinhome.
• whrloo: They resemble a cross between a turtle and a rhinoceros beetle, one meter high, with six limbs, long eyestalks and translucent wings which give them the ability to fly, at least on the low gravity of their homeworld - they require a gravbelt on Kzinhome. They are relatively rare and thus are prized.
• zerkitz: Kzinti prey animal, which weights as much as 10 times a Kzin's weight
• zianyas: a herbivore, and a favored kzinti food; They are built to deal with the constant thread of predators, having long, powerful legs for acceleration and tremendous lungs for endurance.
• ztirgor: a herd beast used by the kzinti for freight haulage; capable of dodging skillfully but has no other defenses.

Culture & Customs

The Kzinti social system is draconian in its complexity but ultimately simplistic at its root: kill or be killed.

One way to improve a kzin's social caste comes through ritual dueling with a ceremonial dueling knife known as a wtsai. Whether the loser of such a duel is killed outright as honor demands, the victor may and often does remove the loser's ears. It is not uncommon for kzinti to carry such dried ears as trophies on their belts. The terms 'earless' and 'nameless' are synonymous for having no honor in kzinti society. It should be noted that such duels are subject to cultural protocols dictating when and against whom they may be conducted.

The Dueling Traditions serve to limit the damage of inevitable conflict. Skatosh sets the limits on a challenge duel, and prevents the brother of a slain warrior from claiming vengeance if the fight was fair, which also prevents a squabble from becoming a pride-war. Skalazaal exists so that when pride-wars occur worlds are not sterilized as Pride-Patriarchs contend for what they might wrest from each other.

-- Destiny's Forge: A Man-Kzin Wars Novel by Paul Chafe

Another, more convention manner by which a kzin may raise in rank is through the awarding of achievements -- bust most notably, achievements of renown that benefit the whole of the kzinti people, the Pride, or the Patriarchy.

Naming Conventions

Unlike traditional feudal aristocracies, any kzin could earn a name. The Patriarch did not earn his title through great deeds (though his acts of courage were countless), but by challenging and defeating his father, the old Patriarch, in single combat. Courageous acts that advanced the Paramountcy were grounds for a brave kzin to earn a new hereditary name to pass on to his descendants. A full name also meant that the kzin was entitled to better education, land, a harem, and the breeding rights.

A kzin that had not earned a hereditary name was called by his profession, for example, Speaker-to-Animals or Slaver-Student; these kzinti often had tattoos on their ears displaying their proficiency. Kzinti with partial names like Chuft-Captain represented intermediate recognition of noble birth, substantial service, or conspicuous gallantry. Addressing a kzin by his previous job-bearing title was a grievous insult.

Honor and the Dueling Traditions

The Kzin call themselves "Heroes" or the "Hero Race" and because they believe themselves to be "heroes", their society places a very high value on "acting Heroic" and behaving in a heroic fashion. To Kzin society, "heroic" means being honorable and having integrity. Honor being more important than profit, they neither lie nor bluff and promises are binding, and personal danger is never taken into consideration.

Kzin honor, called strakh, is similar in many ways to the samurai code of Bushido. Strakh serves as almost a sort of currency or favor system, since they do not use money in their culture. For example, if the Patriarch gets meat from a seller's market stand, the seller gains considerable strakh, which will bring honor to the seller allowing him to get better customers, in turn leading to more strakh, giving the seller a higher status within the community.

In addition, combat between kzin, whether as individuals or as prides, are governed by a set of simple rules known as the Dueling Traditions:

"As skatosh tests the strength and skill of warriors, skalazaal tests the strength and skill of Prides. In skalazaal as in skatosh, no slave may carry weapons for its master, though it may otherwise serve the Pride in a any way. As in skatosh, no warrior may use a weapon that does not strike with his own strength. As in skatosh, no Patriarch shall leap his pride without the challenge scream. As in skatosh, skalazaal must be declared and open for all to bear witness to the honorable combat for the contending prides. As in skatosh, skalazaal sees no victory without honor. As in skatosh, skalazaal is judges by the Conservers and their edict is final."

-- Destiny's Forge: A Man-Kzin Wars Novel by Paul Chafe

In short, the Dueling Traditions require that first only kzin may carry weapons; slaves may not be sent to fight in their master's stead, although nothing prevents the slave from serving as a convenient shield. Second, honorable combat between kzin requires the use of martial weaponry. Weapons making use of artificial propulsion such as phasers, guns or even crossbows are forbidden. Third, striking an unaware enemy is similarly forbidden. Combat is only permitted once a challenge has been issued such that both parties are prepared for combat and said combat is open for others to observe. These dictates preserve the perception of honorable combat between kzin with members of the Conserver Cult serving as the ultimate authority in such matters.

Conquest

It is the purpose of the Patriarchy to direct the naturally aggressive tendencies of the various Kzinti prides outwards in conquest rather than inward where they could threaten to tear the race apart and lead into a destructive spiral of engagements strictly to fulfill the vengeance required as a part of their code of honor.

Kzinti refuse to perform menial work or practice animal husbandry. Therefore they must have slaves to perform these tasks, "or be barbarians roaming the forests for meat". A "conquest leader", leading the conquest of a planet, is entitled to one percent of its wealth for life.

Clothing

Partially due to their naturally insulating fur and partially due their inherent reluctance to undertake tasks such as animal husbandry or textiles, there is no real demand for clothing among the kzinti. There is no stigma for nudity and almost all females spend their entire lives unclothed. Males will, on occasion, wear artifacts that are more ceremonial or serve as a convenient place to holster items or display trophies from their hunts, but this amounts to either a series of belts, pouches and, most infrequently, something akin to pants; but for the sake of freedom of movement, they remain averse to anything resembling shirts. When circumstances dictate, kzin males will wear full armor or environment suits, but these are usually specific to military engagement when the strength of flesh and the speed of muscles would likely prove insufficient defense against an enemy.

History

Great Migration In order to avoid the Mage-Kzin, Rritt-Pride continued to move westward into the savannah.

The Battle of Hungry Years and the Birth of the Patriarchy

Mythical battle in which the first Kzinrretti betrayed the Fanged God and Kzintosh, for which they lost their souls.

The Long Peace

Unspecified period of Kzinti history during which no major wars among themselves were fought.

The Great Hunt and The Red Age

An unspecified period in Kzinti history in space.

The Man-Kzin Wars

Just over a century had passed since the inception of the Great Hunt and the expansive growth of the burgeoning Kzinti Paramountcy when the first official contact was made with the monkey-descended humans. History sensationalists maintain that this first contact lead to a series of wars that ultimately decimated the Earth while finally leading to the defeat of the kzinti at the conclusion of the fourth war. This, however, is quite far from the truth as the kzinti never actually set foot on Earth but instead laid seige against an unknown human colony in the Alpha Centauri system. Beginning in 2049, following the detection of the UNSS Icarus in the system, the kzinti descended upon the planet and initiated what would later be called the First Man-Kzin War. The Centaurans were human descendants of the ancient Greeks transported from Earth in the 3rd Century but, alone, were little match to the more powerful kzinti. Fortunately, thanks in no small part to the crew of the Icarus, the kzinti vanguard was driven back.

Two additional conflicts arose between 2054 and 2058 as an ever-increasing armada of kzinti warships began to arrive in the system, each time to be driven back by the unpredictable nature of the humans and the ingenuity of the Icarus crew. At the conclusion of the so-called Third Man-Kzin Wars, it was apparent that the next such incursion would end with the kzinti victorious and the planet solidly under their control.

Meanwhile, on Earth, humans discovered the secret of warp technology with the maiden voyage of the Phoenix in 2063. This monumental leap forward in space travel allowed the humans to reach and reinforce the colony in a fraction of the time required by the Red Age vessels of the kzinti. The fourth and final conflict proved the most decisive by far, with the arrival of a fleet of converted DY-500 ships equipped with warp drives. With far greater speed and maneuverability, the humans were easily able to defeat the kzinti and force them to abandon any future ambition for the system.

A year later, in 2065, the Treat of Sirius (also known as the McDonnell-Rishal Treaty, so named for the co-writers) saw an end to the conflicts between humanity and the kzinti. Among other things, the treaty ordered the complete demilitarization of the kzinti with only a small police force being allowed to operate in its place so as to maintain the peace. Another clause was that Earth, and later the United Federation of Planets, were allowed unrestricted access into kzinti territory, including the surrender of several kzinti held worlds. For their part, the kzinti had but one demand: that any and all knowledge the humans had acquired regarding the kzinti or their technology be highly classified and thus knowledge of their ignominious defeat would not be widely known.

2293: In the 2290s, representatives from the Bureau of Interplanetary Affairs were discussing and renegotiating the terms of the treaty with the Kzinti. (TOS - Crucible novel: The Fire and the Rose) [note: time of the khitomer accords; Undiscovered Country, Generations]

Government & Military

Kzinti are superb fighters and great empire builders. With little more than sublight vessels they managed to carve out a large empire to the galactic west of Earth, populating it using a model similar to the ancient Romans of Earth. The Great Hunt, as this expansion was called, was initiated by the patriarch of 700 or so years ago, and proceeded almost unchecked for around 400 years.

Kzinti occupation was an exercise in extremes. On the one hand, kzinti cared little about their subject races, and so tended to leave them to their own devices, provided they obeyed their laws. On the other hand, an expanding kzinti population requires a vast amount of space, and the ongoing war effort demanded natural resources, so subject races tended to be pushed together as kzinti lands grew. If a crime committed by a member of a subject race committed a capital or treasonous offence, the usual method of execution was usually a hunt, as kzinti enjoy the challenge of hunting (and eating) sentients, and make no attempt to hide it. To be fair, they have always demanded the same of their own criminals, with the difference that cannibalism is taboo (merely the lands and wealth of the defeated is taken).

Planetary Holdings

• Ansrarw: Unspecified Kzinti world.
• Ch'lat: Unspecified Kzinti-controlled world.
• Meerowsk: Kzinti world temporarily invaded during the fourth Man-Kzin War.
• Reessliu: Unspecified Kzinti world.
• Sårng: Planet on the far end of Kzinti space, with an atmospheric pressure of a couple tons per square inch. The Kzinti have been using floating habitats in an attempt to Kzinform the planet for over a thousand years.
• W'kkai: Kzin colony planet which often saw skirmishes during the Man-Kzin wars

Former Planetary Holdings

• Fafnir: An ocean world orbiting a yellow dwarf star with no polar caps. Has one continent, Shasht, where the industry is, and thousands of coral islands, used for residences. Its day is 22 hours long. Natives of Fafnir typically are in no hurry to go anywhere. Native life tends to be deficient in metals, requiring supplements or off-world foods. It was formerly a Kzinti world, before the humans took it in reparation after the fourth Man-Kzin War.
• Hssin: Formerly Kzinti-held system closest to Alpha Centauri. Consists of a red dwarf sun named R'hshssira and a non-terrestrial planet, on which the Kzinti have a sealed habitat protecting them from the poisonous atmosphere. It now lies within the demilitarized neutral zone known as the Chord of Contact that serves as the border between the Federation and Kzinti space.
• Skrullai: Kzin colony world that later was liberated by humans.
• Vz'vzmeer: Kzinti planet that was believed razed by human forces.

Ships of the Fleet

Starship Type	Class	Notes
Battleship	Conquest Fang	Kzinti battleship class, capable of interstellar travel, doing damage to planets, and self-manufacture fuel, parts, and weapons.
Dreadnought	Ripper	Class of Kzinti dreadnought
Warship	Ripping Fang	Kzinti warship class around the 4th Man-Kzin War.
	Swift Hunter	Class of kzinti warship
Destroyer	Prowling Hunter	Class of small Kzinti warship.
Scout ship	Prowler	Class of Kzinti scout ship
	Raptor	Class of Kzinti scout ship.
	Slasher	Class of Kzinti scout ship.
Interceptor	Scream of Vengeance	Kzinti inteceptor class, typically a two-kzin vessel but can be converted to hold three.
Attack Fighter	Rending Fang	Kzinti cloaked heavy fighter.
Courier	Swiftwing	Class of Kzinti courier ship.

Mythology

The kzinti religion, called Kzedf'sraz is led by the chief Conservator, Hrazkagk wtunu zhu Kzsuzttukz T'kizhb (Priest of the Dark Pelt) Sizhfa-Ch'johr (Prayer-Writer) and exemplifies the ideals of kzinti society--Individuality, Success, and Effort (all combined in the concept of Heroism)--through the analogy of The Great Hunt.

• The Great Hunt is an analogy for life.
  • Goals are, of course, analogous for prey...
  • ...but it is the Hunt, the struggle, which is most important.
  • Kzin work ethos believes that adaptation and effort brings success while stagnation brings failure.
• If one hunts with honor and skill, one proves their worthiness to the Fanged God and hunts for eternity.
  • This is not species-specific... but all hunters in the afterlife are kzin. Of course.
  • Honor is generally equivalent to sportsmanship; skill ranges from actual dexterity to creativity and ingenuity.
  • Slyness is not a bad thing if it's for the right cause--the best Heros use their brains as well as their brawn.
  • Success is paramount, but not the degree of success. If two Heroes fight their hardest and one wins more than the other, but both win, then both have proven their worthiness. Success is defined as meeting personal challenges of import--setting a difficult life-goal and attaining it. Lawyering the issue--arguing that it is difficult to eat a hundred Twinkies in one sitting and making that a guarantee for paradise--is frowned upon greatly; the Fanged God does not listen to lawyers.
• If one hunts poorly and dishonorably, one simply ensures their continuance as prey into the afterlife.
  • Anything non-kzin in the afterlife is prey. This means if one wakes up as a rabbit, the one is not on the good side of the Fanged God.
  • Prey get the short end in that they get resurrected in the afterlife to be prey once again. This is the kzin analog to hell.
  • Dishonor is cheating, lying, and stealing (as usual); 'poorly' includes a general lack of success (being a "nice guy loser" is not sufficient Heroism to attain paradise).
• The afterlife belief structure is summed up as: "Hunter in life, hunter in death; prey in life, prey in death."

The Unspoken Power of the Black Priests

"...And the Great Prides and the kzintzag alike adhere to the traditions because the Patriarch does. Some traditions serve the species, like the code of honor, and the Dueling Traditions, but many serve only the priesthood, and the priesthood serves the Black Priests. [...] The High Priests stay in their temples and seek unity with the Fanged God. Perhaps they achieve it, who knows? We say the High Priests are most powerful because they sanctify the ascension of the Patriarch, but this not power because they cannot choose not to do it. We say the other cults serve the High Priests, but this is like saying you serve your slaves by providing them food and shelter. The Black Priests act for the High Priests in the waking world, and what High Priest even knows what a Black Priest does? A Black Priest comes into a Pride-Patriarch's stronghold and says 'The High Priests have so commanded,' and who can question them? The Black Cult are many things, all of them dark, all of them powerful, and their stranglehold on our species stars with the Kitten's Test. They are the Bearers of Bad Tidings, and what tidings are worse than the news that a promising son will be taken to become Telepath, that a daughter still suckling will be abandoned to the jungle verge? Who in all the Patriarchy does not fear the Black Cult?"

"They are just one order among many, and others are more dangerous."

"You speak of the Hunt Priests. The Black Cult are too stealthy to ripple the drinking pool, but they are the ultimate power in the priesthood. All the orders are pledged to obey the High Priests, but it is the Black Cult that speaks for them. The Hunt Priests do not apply the Hot Needle save at the order of the Black Cult. The puzzle traps of the Conundrum Priests hold their enemies, the Practitioner Priests in every Pride serve as their eyes and ears and noses. They do not often show their power, but they are playing a long game, as are we."

-- Destiny's Forge: A Man-Kzin Wars Novel by Paul Chafe

Kzinretti Sub-Sapience

"It is told that in the time between the wet season and the dry Chraz-Rrit-Star-Sailor won the fortress of K'dar from the Sorcerer Pride. Among his prizes he took the kzinrett P'rerr as his own. His consort V'rere became jealous and betrayed him to his enemies in order to gain his empire for herself, and so Chraz-Rrit was nearly slain in an ambush at Hrar. While he lay wounded the Sorcerer Pride attacked the Citadel, and V'rere too was nearly slain in the defense. The Fanged God became so angered that V'rere's ambition had so nearly destroyed the Patriarchy, and so commanded that all kzinretti surrender their reason, so that never again would consort and sire contend against each other. P'rerr wished only to be with Chraz-Rrit and so submitted to the Fanged God's will, but V'rere refused in her pride, and so the Fanged God banished her to the jungle forever. As a reward for her loyalty P'rerr was told that the line of the Patriarchy would forever flow through her."

Pouncer waved a paw dismissively. "This is a kitten's tale."

"Every kitten's tale carries truth init, or at least wisdom. There is more to this one. It is told that after her banishment jealous V'rere scheme to again by by Chraz-Rrit's side, and so when once more the cool season turned into the hot, and she came into her fertility, she disguised herself as P'rerr. She stole into the Citadel and played with P'rerr and told her stories, and because P'rerr had given her reason to the Fanged God she did not notice that V'rere was disguised as she. When V'rere had P'rerr's trust she gave her the tea of the zee flower, and P'rerr fell into a deep and dreamless sleep. In the dead of the night, still disguised, V'rere came to the Patriarch and mated him, and when the hot season again became cool she bore him kits. Knowing she could not maintain her ruse forever, she put her kits beside sleeping P'rerr and stole out into the desert once more. When P'rerr awoke she thought they were hers and suckled them. But Egg-Stealer the grashi had been hiding in a burrow in the Patriarch's Garden and saw it all happen, and when V'rere had gone he ran to the Fanged God and told him everything.

"The Fanged God was enraged at V'rere's trickery and to punish her he commanded the prey animals to leave the jungle, that V'rere would be forced to follow them across the desert and know thirst. Then he commanded the Black Priests to examine every kit of the Patriarch's Line in their fifth time around the seasons, and to banish all who carried the signs of the Line of V'rere. Finally, his anger abated, he turned to Egg-Stealer and thanked him for his warning and granted him a boon. And Egg-Stealer asked that his line become to plentiful that it would never end, and the Fanged God made it so, and this is why the grashi flourish in flood and in drought and on every world, why even when the kzinti leave a place the grashi remain where they have been."

-- Destiny's Forge: A Man-Kzin Wars Novel by Paul Chafe

Differences between the Fanged God and the God of the Humans

"You have your Fanged God, and we our Bearded God, but they might almost be two faces of the same entity. Both of them demand truth, honor and justice of us."

"But your Bearded God also demands that you love your enemy," the kzin rumbled softly. "And the Fanged God does not."

-- Man-Kzin Wars XIV by Larry Niven

"Some of us believe Fanged God and Bearded God have their own kingdoms. Others have conceptions more subtle: that the Fanged God is the heroic aspect of the Bearded God, who being omnipotent has no need for heroism."

-- Man-Kzin Wars X: The Wunder War by Hal Colebatch

The Extended Pantheon

"Do you have a god that watches over travelers?"

"We have a saint. Saint Christopher."

"Ah. For us, the brave traveler, who dares the unknown, comes under the attention of Amara, third male kit of the Fanged God. But he lives on the Traveler's Moon, which orbits Kzin with the Hunters' Moon. I am not sure how much attention he pays to the goings-on of this world."

-- Man-Kzin Wars XIV by Larry Niven