The Ptolin (pronounced TOW-linn) are a catfolk people of the Spine. Though they originally resided in the western mountains of the Spine, the Ptolin were driven out of their traditional fog oases and into the Shatter after persistent conflicts with M-Taran. Today many act as mercenaries between the various city-states of the islands, using their well-honed skills to benefit their employers while also carefully maintaining a balance of power.
History
Traditionally the Ptolin maintained semi-nomadic lifestyles in the westernmost stretches of the Spine, moving between seasonal camps in the lowlands and in the fog oases in higher elevations. As M-Taran expanded into their territories they presented the same offer to the Ptolin as they had to other peoples of the mountains - pay tribute in corvee labor and accept relocation when the empire deemed it necessary, and in return be left to their own means. To the Ptolin this was unacceptable. They prided themselves on their independence, and moreover held that forcing anyone to labor on behalf of anyone else was a great crime. Instead they turned towards guerilla warfare, harassing M-Taran armies as they moved through the mountains before retreating back to secret redoubts. While they were able to continue this war for decades, by the later years of the ninety-eighth century the Ptolin had been pushed back into a tiny remnant of their former territory. The outcome seeming obvious, most left the mountains and headed north, into the lowland rainforests and eventually to the Shatter. Most Ptolin now reside in and around the islands, though a small number are said to still remain in the mountains.
Culture
The Ptolin are well-known and renowned for their martial ways. They greatly value physical prowess and ability in combat, and a great many join their various mercenary groups upon reaching adulthood. These mercenaries pledge their services largely to the city-states of the Shatter, though others sometimes find employment elsewhere in the Myg Rainforest. Unlike most other mercenaries and privateers of the islands, the Ptolin are generally regarded quite positively and as honorable allies or foes, with a high degree of discernment in for whom they work. They are careful to avoid upsetting the distributed balance of power in the Shatter too much, a goal made easier when the Ptolin often fight for opposing sides in any given conflict. Though their tactics were originally developed for hit and run combat in the mountains, they have managed to adapt to the semi-tropical islands and urban environments just as well.
Ptolin leaders are skilled warriors and tacticians who often live ascetic lives apart from those they govern. To the Ptolin it is a virtue to observe and know from a distance without becoming involved unless absolutely necessary, and so their leaders are frequently absent in day to day governance, instead letting their trusted underlings take control.
While the cuisine of the Ptolin has by now incorporated much influence from those around them in the Shatter, they still carry some traces of their past, such as their preference for game (especially boar and the like) and their conical clay cooking vessels, brought with them from the mountains. Meals in Ptolin houses and camps are both preceded and followed by elaborate tea ceremonies, especially when hosting guests, considered an important sign of hospitality.
The Ptolin consider it evil to force any individual to perform an action they do not want, and so have taken strong stances against the slavers of the Shatter, sometimes working against them even when not in the employ of the city-states. So strongly do they hold these beliefs that they apply it to all creatures, and as such have no pack animals, beasts of burden, or any animal agriculture whatsoever.