Cloud tiger

This is a translation of a post originally published in 2015. More posts in English here.

This is a creature from Criaturas de Vacío Celeste, a monster manual I wrote full of flying and ethereal monsters for hovering archipelagos.

"He who rides a tiger is always afraid of dismounting"

—Proverb

Nomenclature. Storm tiger, electric panther, white predator.
Description. A tiger made of clouds and able to fly. It's like an ukiyo-e that wants to kill you.
Number of appearance. 1.
Size. Like the cat that gives it its name.
Armor/evasion. The usual for a tiger.
Endurance. Like five humans.
Intelligence. It is cunningand knows how to set ambushes.
Communication. They can communicate among themselves by transfering electricity. Its roar sounds like a small thunder.
Dispositions. Tries to avoid humans unless it's hungry.
Violence. Always attacks frkm behind with claws and fangs. If it has taken damage, it can attack with electric arcs.
Enemies. Elves train by hunting them.
Goals. Little less than surviving and procreating.
Peculiarities.

• It prefers to hunt among clouds and mist.
• As it takes damage, it becomes more and more dark and stormy, and it can liberate electricity involuntarily.
• It fears human faces, that's why it always tries to attack from behind.

Lair. Dense clouds that allow it to hide and hunt more easily.
Treasure. Non unless you pass by the mkment that it is attacking someone else, so you can take the non edible remains when they fall from the cloud.

When you encounter it, is is...

1. Running away from you.
2. Stalking you, hungry.
3. Stalking someone nearby, hungry.
4. Attacking.
5. Injured, fighting a superior force.
6. Running away with prey in its mouth.

It is said that...

1. They are a strange type of cloud or electricity elementals.
2. Their tongue is long and posionous. That's why many people say that there are snakes in the clouds.
3. The wind sultans keep them in expensive zoos and take great pride on it, as it isn't easy to cage a cloud.
4. They are attracted to music, especially if a virgin is singing. This is one of the main reasons why the air sailors think it is bad luck to have women on board.
5. Some cloud tigers, instead of electricity, let out huge quantities of water when they are hurt.
6. They won't attack on windy days, because they fear being dragged by the current.
7. They are not independent living beings, rather thatn that they are part of the cloud they seem to inhabit, that's why they never appear on clear days.
8. They are the embodiment of the wrath of the sky god.
9. Uttering words that contain the letter L in theri presence is the only way to make them roar.
10. You can't see the cloud tiger on its cloud because it only takes tiger form when it's about to attack. However its eyes are always visible.
11. You can't trap them with common materials, as they are clouds. You need to use glass.
12. All of them come from some lost ruins somwhere in the sky. These ruins are always covered by storm clouds and all tigers always go back to them at some point.
13. There actually is a way to cook them, but it is extremely rare.
14. They are the ghosts of tigers killed without a reason, looking for revegent on hunters.
15. Some tigers, when they become old and unable to hunt, go to subterranean places where they lead the life of an almost complete hermit. There, once they reach one hundred years of age, attain sapience and the power to control their electricity at will.
16. They are especially dangerous in winter, when their bodies are covered in ice fragments sharp like knives.
17. They are extremely vulnerable to poisonous gases, but they don't fear fire.
18. Many mystery cults would pay any ammount for a way to be devoured by one.
19. They are able to speak the language of the birds, but they only use it to mislead them and prey on them.
20. They only devour those that are completely good or completely wicked. They only kill the rest.

Thanks for reading. Valmar Cerenor!