Jack of Harts

The sabertooth cats of San Lucas are the most widespread race on the planet. They were the dominant race on New Brazil, and had major populations on the other continents as well. They prowled the borders of the more advanced cat societies, on the edge of the lands were cats could live. Not too close to the watery shores, not too deep into the jungles, forests, and rainforests that shrouded the great cat empires. They were the monsters that ate unwary cats in the night, or overran small settlements and convoys stuck too close to the edge of civilization. Armed patrols kept them scattered, but they were always a threat to the other civilizations, especially during the wars and rebellions that waged after humanity colonized the world. And when humanity colonized the shores of those continents, the sabertooth cats were waiting for us.

One interesting aspect of the San Lucas sabertooth cats is that they do not mate with a sibling, cousin, or other close relation. Children leave the family and spend several years mixing with other wandering cats. The young cats can wander hundreds of kilometers during those years, sometimes alone and sometimes in groups. And they have an uncanny ability to recognize close relations in those travels, even cousins who have never met each other before. They will often band together for mutual protection, and coordinated hunting, but they simply don’t mate with each other. Most scientists theorize it is a genetic imperative the Albion built into them, likely meant to promote a healthy distribution of their genetic code.