Gondalan tiger

The Gondalan tiger (Bantazi Arazi: balga [ˈbaʊgə]), also called the Bantazi tiger, Marsh tiger or simply balga, is a large feline from Between-Rivers and western Plains of Édain. The Gondalan tiger is a fairly rare apex predator.

Description
The Gondalan tiger is not a particularly large tiger, although it is a very ferocious and agile hunter. Male tigers can occasionally exceed 2 metres in length (and about a metre in height) and 200 kg in weight; female tigers are typically smaller, but not always so and not by a large margin. Gondalan tigers are characterised by sleek build - they are very fast and agile while not packing particularly impressive muscle power.

The pelage of the Gondalan tiger has a rather muddy brown tinge with greyish undertones. The stripes are thin and numerous. Some individual tigers have been described as being "green", certainly because the shade of the fur can sometimes appear mossy, especially when surrounded by green plant mater or stagnant water. The coat is not uniformly coloured - the inner sides of the limbs, the abdomen and the face all show traces of the more typical "golden" fur.

A prominent feature of the tiger is their prolonged and very mobile ears that feature tufts of hair on their tips, reminiscent of those of the common lynx.

Habitat and behaviour
The balga's preferred habitat is found primarily in Between-Rivers, where it hunts and lives in the riparian zones, forests, marches and grasslands; some populations also live in the Plains of Édain. The tiger is well adapted to woods and swamps but also enjoys open meadows.

The Gondalan tiger is a social animal, congregating in small, tight-bound groups of interrelated tigers, typically ranging from three to ten individuals, although larger groups have been observed. Such groups act cohesively to procure food, defend their territory and protect and raise their young. Such groups or "tribes" are led by a dominant female tiger, accompanied by a consort and forming the only breeding pair of the group, and consisting primarily of the matriarch's daughters (and possibly sisters) and their male partners. Young tiger cubs stay with the group for about a year, afterwards the male tigers leave to join another tribe as a consort; female cubs remain with the tribe all their life or until they are banished.

Gondalan tigers pose significant threat to humans - they are well capable of overpowering and killing a grown man. The tigers are also territorial and aggressive when perceiving a threat. For these reasons, they have been actively hunted for centuries, limiting the range further to marshy and inaccessible areas.

However, when exposed to non-aggressive human precise since early age, balgas can grow to be relatively tame and safe for the general human populace. Some bands, adapted to living in relative proximity to humans, live in city and town outskirts, hunting rats and other pests. These tigers, sometimes called "city kittens" are significantly less aggressive, especially towards humans, than their completely wild relatives. Nevertheless, even these balgas are still wild animals that can and will react to threat, real or perceived, with violence, and must be treated with utter caution.

Cultural significance
In Asàel, the Gondalan tiger was the symbol for several noble families, particularly the Nummurezi.

In Arazi folklore, the tiger is a reclusive but wise animal, the holy companion of the Spirit of Woods. The animal was associated with agility, strength, power, as well as the elements of earth and water. In heraldry, iconography and legends, the balga is commonly opposed to the Plain lion.

In Obenist mythology, the tiger appears as an embodiment of primal, savage nature; the man who killed it went on to become the first of the legendary Kings of Mankind. The story serves as a metaphor of humanity's first triumph over the wild nature both without and within themselves, and is the first step towards the promised future (Inheritance of Sutarna). However, the relevant passages in the Surma Caltha, the Obenist holy book, describes the tiger as a very large beast with golden fur and black markings, much more fitting of the Eastern tigers both in size and colours than the relatively sleek and inconspicuous Gondalan tiger.