Clan Pantheron

“So they’re super-cyber cat-girls?”

“Never, NEVER call them cat-girls. Remember when you called the Elan cat-girls? The doctors still haven’t figured out what to call your new orifices. Same here; they’re not cat-girls, they’re PANTHERONS.”

“They have ears, they have tails, most of them run around in skimpy bikinis; they’re definitely cat-girls. Raver cat-girls.”

“They have claws, they have lasers, they have pets that can chew your limbs off before they start on your face. They insist on being called Pantherons; I respect that.”

"NEVER ask "does kitty want some cream?"

...It's just safer for everyone, and it cuts down on property insurance premiums.

"She says she's attracted to you.."

"YESSS!!"

"- as a scratching post. You want me to call the cybersurgeon or do you want to make the reservation yourself?"

"I'll never forgive Hoyt Sparks for throwing that robot mouse in my lap....."

Clan Pantheron

Pantheron
Parent Tribe(s)	Horrorwoods
Where First Encountered	Other Verse
Tribe Size	Extensive
Tribe Organization	Matriarchal
Tribe Composition
Female %	75
Male %	25
Berserker	34
Neshemar	19
Male Scouts	15
Highest Caste Class	Warchief
Tribe Facts
Home Environment	Temperate Earth-like
Technology Level	Megadamage Age
Relations With Outsiders	Indifferent
Relations With Other Shemarrians	Open
Prefered Mode of Combat	Terrorism
Prosperity	Well-Off

Clan Pantheron is a very large offshoot Fringe Tribe of the Horrorwoods, though they seem to be inspired by the example of the Wolf’s Path in patterning their culture on an animal icon. In the case of the Pantherons, it is felines of all sorts, but especially the large predator cats. 

Little is known of the culture of the Pantherons, despite their openess, but their history is apparently one of a Horrorwoods colony rifted to another universe and subjected to great privation, until divine inspiration came to them in the form of some sort of felinoid. Like the Wolf’s Path, the nascent Pantherons took the animals to be role-models for their behavior and society. Like the Sapphire Cobras, the Pantherons see celestial messengers in the form of cats, and cat iconography features heavily throughout their society. 

However, the Pantherons also see evil in the form of cats, having somehow acquired a hatred of Raksasha demons. It is possible that this hatred is tied to the original time of privation that led to the clan’s formation, but the Pantherons are tightlipped on the details of the cause of their enmity against the demons. 

Compared to the Wolf’s Path, Clan Pantheron is much more laid back, with members more inclined to ‘do their own thing’. If not for their hatred for the Raksasha and their campaigns of terror on their enemies, one would think that the Pantherons are more inclined to lay around and enjoy themselves, but they are far more serious than appearances would lead the casual observer to believe. 

The Elders of the Eleven are still debating whether to accord the Pantherons full Tribe status or to regard them as provisional members, effectively as junior members of the Horrorwoods. The Pantherons don’t seem to care either way, as long as they get to attend High Council meetings and trade freely with the Tribes. 

Statistics

Motif

Stylized black feline head in black, fanged mouth open and snarling. 

Origins

Offshoot of the Horrorwoods Tribe. 

Where First Encountered

First encountered in another universe, lending credence to their story of being a Horrorwoods colony cut off and time-lost by dimensional Rift storms. They have since been in contact with their Three Galaxies and Rifts Earth cousins through various means. 

Tribe Size

Extensive; 800,000 members. Typically are encountered in ‘prides’ of 100-500 members. 

Tribe Organization

Matriarchal, with trial by combat often determining ascension in status. 

Tribal Composition

Berserkers make up the largest portion (34%) of their population, followed by Warriors (17%), NeShemar (19%), Acolites (7%), Male Shemarrians (15%), and the remaining 8% is a mix of Tinkers, Warchiefs, and other miscellaneous members. 

Clan Pantheron is fairly liberal when it comes to recruiting, and have no problems with adopting NeShemar into their ranks.

Highest Caste Class

Warchief

Gender Division

75% Female, 25% Male

Home Environment

Temperate Earth-like worlds, though the clan has an affection for a world called Alloun, an ice-locked glacial world that the Pantherons claim is where they acquired their identity. The planet is still home to a small enclave of Pantherons who retain claim to the planet and its scant ecosystem. 

Technology Level

Megadamage Age. About roughly equivalent to the Tribes of Rifts Earth. When traveling through space, the Pantherons have to acquire ships from other sources or, more often, hire the services of other Tribes with space capability to transport them. 

Relations with Outsiders

Indifferent. Can effectively be considered Anarchist and Unprincipled in their dealings with non-Shemar, friendly and accommodating one day and aloof and haughty the next, though they are less arrogant and cold around humans and feline aliens. 

Relations with Other ‘Shemarrians’

Open. The Pantherons have traded extensively with the Horrorwoods and Blood Riders, and are looking to trade for mystech with the Wayfinders. They also get along well with the Sapphire Cobras. They tolerate the Hawkmoons if only to cultivate closer relations with their Kirn allies. They avoid associating with the Wolf’s Path, if possible, and tend to mock the rigid conformity of the Silvermoons. The Darkwaters are hired for their transport services, but otherwise the two groups are indifferent to one another. The Pantherons have worked with the Lost Eclipse from time to time (especially when stalking and terrorizing prey). Indifferent about the Ghost Riders and Skullcrushers. 

Purpose

Crusade; in addition to the inherited hatred of the Splugorth, the Pantherons seem to have acquired a burning hatred of the Raksasha tiger-demons, and the Pantherons have vowed to expunge the demons wherever they are found. Thus far, however, the Pantherons have been disappointed in their efforts, as the masters of magic and deceit have often used their sorcery to thwart their attackers, and evade destruction, leaving the Pantherons to deal with armies of minions. 

Preferred Mode of Combat

Terrorism; the Pantherons prefer to use quick commando strikes against property and personnel, doing damage meant to demoralize their enemies. They like to toy with weaker opponents, stalking and bleeding them, before pouncing for the kill. 

Unique Attributes

While the Pantherons have their own distinctive warmounts and some unique weapons, the Pantherons’ most distinct feature is their unique warriors. While the Pantherons as yet lack any specific Elite caste, their own Warriors and Berserkers are Upgraded above and beyond the standard as to almost count as Elites unto themselves. 

While the clan elders have been trying to acquire mystech means to better fight the Raksasha, in the interim they have been training their warriors in powerful cat-inspired combat styles (Fu-Chiao Pai, Pao Pat Mei for example; the cyborgs and androids do not get Physical Stat bonuses, but benefit from the Special Katas and attacks). To facilitate this, they have gone so far as to enlist the espionage specialists of other Tribes to help them recruit, acquire, and even kidnap teachers of powerful combat styles or talents (it is rumored that when a Blood Rider NeShemar who was known to have experience in a particularly powerful martial arts form refused to have anything to do with the Pantherons, the tribe recruited a Domimatrix to track down and bring in the Blood Rider’s flesh avatar equivalent also known to have the same skill). 

Prosperity

Well-off, but the grinding progress (or lack thereof) against the Raksasha has the tribe elders looking to bolster the fortunes of their clan by revamping and charging up both their Upgrades programs and weaponry. Acquisition of magic is also high on their agenda. 

Signature Upgrades

All Pantherons have the following (unless otherwise noted)

Cat Tail

Often the subject of Upgrade to prehensile and armed . 

Cat Ears

Located above and behind the antennae. Some will have the ears upgraded with parabolic mics and other enhanced audio sensors.

Retracting Claws

Claws on hands and feet. +1d4 MD to a punch, kick, or rake. 

Molecular Analyzer

Improved sense of smell, nearly as good as the Wolf’s Path members, though not nearly as good as that of most Warsteeds or E-animals. Clan Pantheron Shemarrians can Track by smell at 60%, and Recognize scent at 65%.

Improved Leaping/Falling

Increase leap distance by 30% and fall x3 maximum leap distance without problems. 

Spinal Flexibility

+2 to Maintain Balance/Right Self while falling. 

Armor

Clan Pantheron body armor isn’t as baroque in its styling as other Tribes’. They favor more streamlined styles, often decorated in cat-like patterns, such as tiger stripes, jaguar rosettes or leopard spots. 

Unique Weaponry

Eshe-CPP-04 ‘Cat’s Paw’ Projectile Pistol

A gauss pistol firing needles that can be coated with venoms.

Warmounts

Clan Pantheron can be considered equivalent to the Wolf’s Path in their dotty affection for animals, in particular felines. Where a Wolf’s Path pack would have canine cyberanimals, the Pantherons have robotic versions of felines, from small housecats to both feral and cyborg versions of the Panthera-Tereon and Dragon Cat. They also use a modified version of the Rhino-Buffalo known as the ‘Aslander’. From the Blood Riders, they have managed to acquire the templates for the Incindar BattleCat and they also have a number of Sphinex heavy Warmounts. They are notably lacking, however, in aerial Warmounts, and have been forced to rely on antiaircraft weaponry and manned vehicles to provide aerial coverage.

Aslander

A large feline warmount loosely based on the rhino-buffalo frame.

Sherak

A six-limbed feline warmount based on the Dragoncat, created with aid from the Horrorwoods.