Grimalkin

Table of Contents

The Grimalkin are a cat-like species that reside in Palia.

Zeki, the General Store shopkeep, is the only Grimalkin among the Villagers that the The Player meets.

Biology

Being cat-like, the Grimalkin have many of the distinctive features one would expect: a body covered in fur, a long tail, and a muzzle with whiskers; but their most distinctive feature is two sets of ears. When frightened, they emit a mean yowl and jump two to three times their own height.

Not all Grimalkin are the type to climb trees.

History

The Grimalkin are a spacefaring race that hail from another planet which they refer to as the "Old World". ^{[citation needed]} They traveled to Palia a few centuries ago and have since lost track of the location of their home planet and lost connection to their original culture. It's unknown whether the current Grimalkin culture with cartels and debts is similar to the one on the home planet.

At some point in the past, the Majiri had a trade war with the Grimalkin and "basically lost." In truth, the Cartel Trade Wars were not, in fact, a war in the traditional sense. They were a series of assassinations, court battles and political smear campaigns resulting in many members of the First Council being deposed and Cartel leaders being arrested. The wars ended with the landmark case Sunsnatcher vs. the First Council, where the Unification Treaty was appended and the existing Flow laws applied only to the Palian Majiri.

Culture

Upbringing

Grimalkin siblings refer to each other as littermates.

Grimalkin babies sleep on a pile of gold so they can be trained to defend it early.

Once a Grimalkin youth has been weaned away from their parents, they are not supposed to maintain contact, instead they are encouraged to become self-reliant and fiscally independent.

Religion

Similar to the Majiri's entity of worship, the Grimalkin have Dunya the Chimera. She is seen as the "tough love" type. So rather than pray to her for guidance, they are encouraged to solve their own problems.

Profession

Grimalkin are encouraged at an early age to go into business for themselves. While some Grimalkin become pirates , others get entangled in questionable cartels where they are trained in their craft in exchange for taking on a debt.

Technology

The Accord of the First Council of the Palian Republic deemed it illegal for Palians to be in possession of Flow-powered objects. The Grimalkin, however, are exempt from this law due to Zurian's efforts to help ensure that Grimalkin could continue to practice their magical craft as long as they did not sell the items to the Majiri. Because of this, they are known for traveling all over the world and collecting "the coolest things" even while the dealings of their cartels remain troublesome for The Order.

Grimalkin have their own version of teleporters for space travel.

Holiday Traditions

During Winterlights, all the kittens hang up socks filled with toys by the fire, in hope of luring Sandy Paws, the Winterlights pirate. Sandy Paws is supposed to come and try to steal the goodies, but the kittens booby trap the room beforehand. If the traps are successful, then the Grimalkin youths are able to steal toys and candies from the fat old cat, otherwise they are the ones that get their goodies stolen.

Death

It is the tradition for Grimalkin of high stature to leave their vault of treasures to the "cleverest 'Malki" to scour.

Zendrick Starcrusher, a Grimalkin who apparently had to outdo Zalon Goldtooth in getting Kilima on a bigger map before death, has been memorialized in Remembrance Garden.

Cartels

While most of their business activities are perfectly legal, Grimalkin Cartels are not known for being kind or benevolent organizations. Most notable is their treatment of members: piling on debt, marking them with tracking runes, and using blackmail and manipulation in order to force their servitude. Far from being fluffy and cute, they deal in the supply of arms, thievery, and ransoming.

• Adder Cartel - Zeki joined this cartel as a kitten.
• Mantis Cartel - Zeki's mother is second in command of this cartel.

Trivia

• Zeki referred to himself as a "Malkie" ^{[citation needed]}