Irusan

"King of Cats" Irusan is an enigmatic figure among the Tuatha who represents the Celtics' fear of dark places and apprehension toward fairies.

Overview

A shapeshifter, Irusan typically appears in the form of a giant, black cat that lurks in labyrinthine caves and other dark places. When not in his giant form, he can shrink to the size of a common pussycat or also take on the guise of a dark-haired human wearing a gilded crown.

Like the cait sith, the King of Cats often travels between worlds in his various guises and is rarely spotted in the same place twice. When he walks among the living, he sticks to the shadows; when he travels through the underworld, he scurries through narrow passageways guarding tormented spirits. Irusan's reputation as both guardian and jailor is what has irritated many Celts over the years – including the great bard Seanchan Torpeist, one of the more well-known Scions of the goddess Brigid. At the goddess’s behest, Seanchan attempted to infiltrate the royal court of Connaught, but failed to charm the nobles with his surly, jealous attitude and refused to eat the King’s food – a crime punishable by death.

A Scion huntress named Sharp-tooth tried to intervene, but Seanchan rejected her and publicly mocked her father, the King of Cats. Infuriated, Irusan waited for Seanchan to leave and did the unthinkable – he viciously attacked Seanchan until Brigid begged him to stop.

Unlike his Scions or his feline charges, Irusan rarely interferes in mortal lives and, instead, works to keep the balance between all the worlds in check. It’s also his responsibility to ensure his cats do not fixate on any one thing, for if they do, they’ll fall prey to a deadly curse – and lose the fae part of their nature.

Associated Powers: Animal (Cats), Magic, Illusion, Psychopomp, Epic Wits, Epic Manipulation, Epic Dexterity
Abilities: Animal Ken, Occult, Investigation, Presence, Athletics, Survival
Rivals: Anubis, Hapi, Lugh, Nebthet, Xolotl, Hermanubis, Bhairav, Cerebus

References

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