Wemic

A wemic is a creature with the upper body of a humanoid and the lower body of a lion. Like centaurs, they are considered "tauric" creatures. Wemics are found primarily in The Shaar.

Description
Wemics are larger and stronger than humans; a wemic can make great leaps with a running start. Their front claws are sharp, and they can fight with both claws and weapons at the same time. They have keen eye sight and hearing, they can also rake with their back claws, The human part of a wemic has feline characteristics around his or her eyes and ears, and perhaps in the nose and teeth as well. Males are generally represented as having long mane-like hair.

Society
Wemics are excellent hunters and fighters. They do not make settled homes, but generally follow the herds they hunt for food. A nomadic folk, wemics are often represented as barbaric, illiterate, and uncivilized; they are famous for being highly superstitious. Others would describe Wemics as nature-oriented people with a rich tradition of oral history; they live close to the earth and are in tune with its magical forces. The magical portions of there culture are deeply shamanistic in origin.

When a wemic must be still for a time, telling stories around a fire, pausing for a meal, waiting for a friend, or just to take a brief rest, the Wemic commonly assumes a posture in which his hindquarters rest on the ground as his front legs remain straight and his forepaws stay flat on the earth. This they call sitting. This is different from a Wemic sprawling (both hind and forequarters on the ground, but with torso upright) or laying down.

Subspecies
Mountain wemic: essentially the same build, but the lion portions replaced by those of a large cougar. Mountain wemics are slightly smaller than common wemics and generally solitary.