Von

The panther, when unsummoned, dwells within a cave on the snowy peak of the great mountain Io, which is the mountain of the dream. He is the lieutenant, messenger, and agent of the goddess, Darja, who is also called the angel of solace.

The panther, too, is an angel of solace, one who lives by the Healer's Oath, but not absolutely. Possessed of a great cat's teeth and claws, he has the potential to act as a guardian over chosen wards of the goddess.

Von--for that is his name--is the sole example of the species Panthera apotheosus and as such exhibits these features: he is purely black, not simply a melanistic mutation of a typical jaguar or leopard. No spots are visible in his coat, nor were they ever there. His coat is seamless ebony.

He is much larger than any earthly panther, with a mass and stature equivalent to the largest of African lions, though obviously without a mane.

And lastly, his eyes are a very pale gray.

Von is often referred to as "the panther in the snow", due to the white expanses of his homeland, and his tendency to appear in winter. The winter is his time of greatest influence, the season that his spirit springs from, though he can travel into any month.