Bakeneko

A bakeneko comes into existence when the life of a cat is extended past its normal lifespan, whether through incredible fortune, magic, or other means. With each passing year, the feline becomes more and more monstrous—growing in size, becoming more intelligent, and gaining an affinity for magic. Eventually, they become able to walk upright on their rear legs, pursue new hobbies, and learn languages. Despite this expanded intellect, many bakenekos prefer to enjoy the first decades of their ascension continuing their lives as usual as a (particularly oversized) house cat. For some, they do so because they want to acquire knowledge of the world that they couldn't comprehend as cats, but for others, it's just a desire to live out their lives with their current families and loved ones before moving on to what comes next.

Bakenekos enjoy dancing above all other pleasures and can't resist nodding their heads, tapping their paws, or swishing their tails in time to music. They often animate corpses simply to watch them dance—a pastime that often spells trouble for nearby settlements should the undead get free from the bakeneko's control. Bakenekos typically have a playful and mischievous demeanor, and while they aren't inherently evil creatures, they're still feared for their ability to animate corpses and command fire. Villagers are often frightened half to death by the sight of a flaming cat strolling alongside a walking corpse, and bakenekos' association with evil and the occult has caused some villages in Tian Xia to vilify all cats.

Nekomatas

Bakenekos mostly see their animated but mindless zombies as amusements, though they also use them as guardians or even as agents for revenge. Still, they do their best to ensure that undead they animate aren't left to wander free. Most tales of "evil bakenekos" in fact refer to a similar and much more dangerous creature, the nekomata—a level 6 Medium-sized variant of the bakeneko whose bite causes a debilitating disease of the mind.