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A tressym was a magical beast resembling a small winged cat. Its wings were bat-like, extending from their shoulders with long, hollow finger bones. The leathery skin between these was covered in feathers, which could display impressive designs and peacock-like "eyes" at their tips. On their bodies, they had fluffy, short-haired coats that could vary as much as any cat, though were often gray, black, or tabby. With owl-like faces and tufted ears, they were widely seen as simply adorable.

A tressym combined the acute senses and hunting prowess of cats and owls in an agile aerial predator. Tressyms preyed on insects, rodents, and birds, which found no refugee in the sky, but they were wise not to over-hunt. They had a unique ability to detect all kinds of poisons via smell, touch, or taste, yet were entirely immune to poison themselves. Although cat-like in nature, they were quite intelligent—more so than many humans. Shy and skittish in nature, they could be mischievous, known to tease dogs from the air. Curiously, they were deadly rivals to stirges and manticores, gathering in packs against them.

Although rare, they could be found across the warm and temperate lands of Faerûn, and were most common in northern Cormyr, especially the village of Eveningstar, where they were praised as lucky mascots and vermin control. They were popular as familiars for good wizards, like Lord Tessaril Winter and Tsarra Chaadren, Blackstaff of Waterdeep. They could also be companions to druids, and generally pets and friends. They formed close bonds with individual humanoids, and stories told of heroic tressym sacrificing themselves for their friends. (Archive | Read more...)