N'kenge is a big, brawny black panther'taur, roughly seven feet from head to toe and nine from tip to tail. Her frame shows subtle but telling signs of low-grade bodysculpt. Something about the muscle structure of her six legs and four arms looks unnatural, maybe even unmammalian. Those who knew her before her disappearance may notice new signs of age, a little grey around her brow, a little extra crease by her eyes when she sneers, a little more regret in her pitiless snarl. This neither adds nor detracts from her handsome looks, but sure as hell makes her look witchier.
Her black headfur is neatly cornrowed with little beads, under an African-style cap woven with small red and green triangles. Ribbons of mirrored silver wrap the enormous cat here and there. They make impressionistic hints at garments, just enough to keep her decent, plus a bit of decoration near pulse points. The ribbons flutter constantly around her, entirely heedless of wind currents; they even leap off of her now and then, often bringing small presents knotted in their lengths when they return. One ribbon loops her neck in a loose band, hung with a silver ball pendant; closer inspection reveals it is a glass sphere filled with quicksilver.
N'kenge is an aspiring master of kordelopathy, a pseudo-magical art native to her homeland, involving the projection of willpower through specially treated ribbons and other textiles. She came to Puzzlebox seeking two of its most famed exports -- power and self-indulgence -- but both have so far escaped her.
After her first disappearance from the public eye of the Mess, N'kenge tried to trick her way into the master artisan cabals of Topwarp, seeking new forms of clothmaking to integrate into her craft. Unsurprisingly, she totally failed to ingratiate herself to any section of Topwarpian society, and learned very little that her tutors gave willingly or knowingly -- which is not to say she learned nothing.
Eventually, the Ccirhoibakoa, a Chitinous sisterhood of silkweavers, grew tired of finding her spy-threads in their baskets. They sent a drone to recite to her a polite suggestion -- in the most formal possible terms, including eerily cordial offers of an "indentured apprenticeship" -- that N'kenge would benefit from removing her scent from Topwarp for the next several thousand years. N'kenge took the advice to heart -- though not before paying an unannounced and rather fleet-footed visit to (or rather, through) a Ccirhoibakoa hatchery, wearing a dozen homemade scarves impregnated with purloined Ichor of Abasement. If N'kenge knew the Ccirhoibakoa had not a single queen born to them that season, she would climb to the roof of Downwarp and laugh her arse off.
Since then, N'kenge has been living inside a drained megatanker truck marooned on the Ballardway. She has converted the enormous vehicle into a curiosity shop which has already gained some infamy. The locals are dealing far better than the Topwarpers with her mercurial streak and her charming habit of destroying every inanimate object in her presence when frustrated -- as a matter of fact, it has improved her bartering position, since her clients know what they find there once may not survive till they return.
N'kenge is a boisterous, haughty, unpredictable cat. She's prone to indulging her whims, both cruel and kind, without consideration for the social consequences. She's content to let people think her a fool for this, but she really just can't imagine any reaction worth her concern. Underneath her impulsive exterior lies a crafty personality skilled at gathering secrets, discovering weaknesses, and tormenting the shiny. She absolutely loves holding things over people's heads, and loves letting an enmity simmer until the time is just right. It is virtually impossible to get to her by embarrassment or shame. One of her few virtues is knowing when to pretend to drop a grudge. Another is an occasional whim to champion an underdog, though on the surface this usually involves as much cruelty as her vendettas.
A few of the known or hypothetical capabilities that N'kenge has through her ribbons:
Positive: