Fiction:The Firmament/Sphinx

"Riddle me this: why are you not prostrating before me, hm? You would do well to show respect for your betters, mhmm..."

- Renefer, sphinx guardian

Sphinxes are am uncommon species of being who resemble a hybrid of humanoid and feline. They hail from the land of Arkhanset, where they hold great religious, military and political power.

Biology
A sphinx resembles a great lioness with the head of a human with sharp features, including feline eyes and powerful teeth. A large pair of furry wings grow from their backs which grant them flight. They are physically intimidating figures, with paws ending in sharp claws, though their bodies remain lite and elegant in frame. Sphinxes are an all-female race and require males from other humanoid races in order to reproduce, with their offspring always being full-blooded sphinxes. The average adult sphinx is 2.5 meters long and can live over two hundred years.

History
Sphinxes are believed to be the original inhabitants of Arkhanset, far predating its eventual human settlers. According to legends passed by their race, the sphinxes were warned by the goddess Gizanera that a race of men would reveal itself to them and grant them the opportunity for greatness, which led to the creatures to support the Arkhans when they arrived, leading them to become influential members of the nation of Arkhanset.

Culture
Sphinxes are haughty creatures with a natural tendency for greed; they enjoy amassing hoards of valuables and tend to be stingy with their expenses. They are also naturally fascinated with knowledge, leading most among their kind to be well-learned scholars and spellcasters. A common ritual among sphinxes is to challenge one another to games of riddles, and they enjoy frustrating other races by coming up with difficult riddles for them to solve. Sphinxes are very domineering in attitude and enjoy physically overpowering others, be it to assert authority, ward off rivals or to display arousal and affection.

Religion
The sphinxes worship the Arkhan Pantheon, with their matron goddess, Gizanera, being one of its members. Some well-learned members of the race also pay some respect to Sephiara.

Relations with other races
Sphinxes live with the humans of Arkhanset, who they treat roughly as equals - powerful sphinxes usually make harems of Arkhan serfs and husbands, and they treat those from beyond the Great Sea of Sands as exotic and interesting. They do not share the Arkhans' penchant to look down on other races, seeing it as a narrow mindset. They abhor manticores above all else and are deeply offended by attempts to imply that race is related to them in any manner.