Grymalkyn

The Grymalkyn, also known as the Ocehualli or Shadow Jaguars, have always been the natural predators of the Teryxians. Large black jaguars with a taste for Teryxian hatchlings (and adults), they were less of a daily concern during Quill’s cultural peak. After the Fall, and the loss of so many of the protections of a great society, these ancient enemies of the Teryxians became a more immediate threat, and old stories about lost hatchlings, dark jungles, and slavering jaws suddenly became very tangible and very present.

Despite the Grymalkyn’s sharp claws, huge fangs, a frighteningly canny animal wit, and the hunting aptitude of an apex predator, their most terrifying aspect is surely their ability to shadow walk. This is a power that is greatly feared and not remotely understood. For these hunters are capable of walking into and through naturally occurring shadows as if they were portals or doorways, connecting to other shadows and... somewhere else? Often a Grymalkyn will emerge from a different patch of darkness, surprising its prey with a flanking attack, but other times the big cat will simply not return at all. Being able to manipulate the unlight in this manner feels in direct opposition to all that is good and just about the Overlight, an affront to everything the Folk hold dear. So the Grymalkyn are often spoken of as if they are somehow unnatural, or simply wrong.

Perhaps due to the popularity of Teryxian tutors across the Seven, tales of the Grymalkyn are known to almost all the Folk. They have taken on an almost legendary aura. "Eat your vegetables so the Grymalkyn won’t get you!" Despite persistent rumors to the contrary, there have been no reputable claims of Grymalkyn sightings on shards other than Quill.