From the publisher:
The Kayubis people are the descendants of the God-King Kayuxix of the isle of Antuata, a now-derelict isle off the coast of Tyre. Kayuxix was said to have the ability to morph into an apex predator resembling a large feline when entering battle. The God-King went undefeated for centuries, claiming dominion over an Empire which spanned territory from the Aegean to the Caspian. But, it is believed, that Kayuxix was a non-proficient dabbler in the Aspect of Underworld Magic, tempting fate time upon time and sacrificing more and more of his people, until he was subsequently cursed by the Witch Priest Denitazsh. The curse meant Kayuxix would take on a form between human and feline – an avatar of the beast within and without. This did not prevent Kayuxix from ruling and continuing to sire a line of others like him – the Kayubis – for many more years to come. Kayuxix was eventually overthrown by his son Kybux and the Empire of Kayuxix was fractured by civil war. Surrounding kingdoms sought to their opportunity to strikes, picking off the Kayubis among the populace first. Those of the former Empire of Kayuxix not afflicted by the curse of Denitazsh assimilated into the realms of the empires. The remaining Kayubis split into two groups – the Kayuban, who fled to the jungles of Antuata, and the Kayutor, who entered the caves below the mountains of Antuata. Thousands of years passed before either the Kayuban or the Kayuthorn could claim power again, but as Antuata lies uninhabited following the collapse of the Atlantean Empire, both clans of the Kayubis have re-emerged as powerful in their own right.