The Many Faces of Khajiit: Senche-Raht

((Written for Beyond Skyrim and Tamriel Rebuilt, based on official lore.))

You want to know more about the Khajiiti furstocks? This one explains.

This one tells first the story of the Senche-Raht. Senche-Raht are big cats, much bigger than mer. One hears them compared to the great white bears of Skyrim sometimes, and the elephants of Hammerfell at other times. This description confuses this one, for elephants have long skinny snouts, not at all like Rashida’s! As you can see, her own is just the right size, with plenty of good teeth.

The Senche-Raht are very useful, very powerful, both at home and during wartime. In battles Senche-Raht carry many, many smaller Khajiit on its broad back. The Dagi and the Alfiq, they like Senche-Raht the most as comrades, leaping down in hordes to cast spears and sling spells.

Khajiit hear the Imperials and the Dunmer haggling; they want these big cats, see, to haul their fearsome siege engines. They offer big money, sometimes to Senche-Raht, but most often to each other. Why, this one asks? To chain a Senche-Raht is to muzzle him; a Senche-Raht chained to a heavy wagon cannot fight as is proper to its form! Silly men, silly mer.

But you must not be fooled by the Senche-Raht’s fierce appearance, no. They are gentle giants, yes? Very good with the cubs. Many watch cubs when they grow too blunt of tooth and claw to work. They pick up the bad ones by the scruffs and hold them up high until they behave, see?

Equally good with the animals, this one knows. This one once sees Senche-Raht pick up an angry bull and squeeze it until it quiets, until it goes back to chewing cud with no more hissing or raised fur or other bad attitude. Know just what to do with the big angry animals, do the Senche-Raht. They have much experience with being big and angry themselves, this one thinks.

But the greatest Senche-Raht this one ever saw was Khajiit at the Trainsitions’ celebration. Bright Khajiit there, painted many colors, with Cathay and Suthay doing somersaults off Senche-Raht's back. But Senche-Raht get very upset when carnival tells him to get on the ferry home, yes. This Senche-Raht say, there is no boat made yet to properly house his grand self, and he promptly began to walk down the river bank! This one thinks maybe he was just afraid of water.