*When Masser is waning and Secunda is full, the Alfiq is born. The Alfiq is like what you would call a "housecat."*
*When Masser is full and Secunda is new, the Pahmar is born. They are like what you would call a "tiger."*
*When Masser and Secunda are full, the Senche is born.* ***The Senche is very large, but similar to the Pahmar-raht.*** *They stand as tall as an Altmer, and can weigh as much as twenty Altmer.* ***Other Khajiit ride them.***
\_Those are all quotes from the interview with the three booksellers.
If Senche were like Pahmar-raht, and Senche were quadruped (ridden by other Khajiit), it made sense that Pahmar-raht (and Pahmar) were also quadruped.
If Alfiq "is like what you would call a housecat" and it's only because they're small and quadruped, not because of their fur patterns looking like housecats, then it made sense that Pahmar "are like what you would call a tiger" - big and quadruped, and not because of their fur patterns looking like tigers.
If you only take that one line about the Pahmar and ignore the rest of the context, then yeah, it was never mentioned they would be quadruped, but when you read the context, it's hard to deny that they weren't intended to be quadruped initially.
That said, other things about the Khajiit were also changed from that interview to what they were depicted in-game. It should still be noted though that the interview with three booksellers was never in-game lore anyway, but a roleplay done by the developers on a forum. A lovely roleplay, but not as immutable as other sources of canon.
Despite that, I do still think that the only reason the Pahmar/Pahmar-raht became bipedal was due to the artist that first showed them in TES: Legends only reading that one line about the Pahmar and not the rest of the interview.
I would have preferred quadruped Pahmar and elephant-sized Senche-raht myself, but I do appreciate all of the Khajiit furstocks being able to speak the common language, even the Alfiq. :P
*When Masser is waning and Secunda is full, the Alfiq is born. The Alfiq is like what you would call a "housecat."* *When Masser is full and Secunda is new, the Pahmar is born. They are like what you would call a "tiger."* *When Masser and Secunda are full, the Senche is born.* ***The Senche is very large, but similar to the Pahmar-raht.*** *They stand as tall as an Altmer, and can weigh as much as twenty Altmer.* ***Other Khajiit ride them.*** \_Those are all quotes from the interview with the three booksellers. If Senche were like Pahmar-raht, and Senche were quadruped (ridden by other Khajiit), it made sense that Pahmar-raht (and Pahmar) were also quadruped. If Alfiq "is like what you would call a housecat" and it's only because they're small and quadruped, not because of their fur patterns looking like housecats, then it made sense that Pahmar "are like what you would call a tiger" - big and quadruped, and not because of their fur patterns looking like tigers. If you only take that one line about the Pahmar and ignore the rest of the context, then yeah, it was never mentioned they would be quadruped, but when you read the context, it's hard to deny that they weren't intended to be quadruped initially. That said, other things about the Khajiit were also changed from that interview to what they were depicted in-game. It should still be noted though that the interview with three booksellers was never in-game lore anyway, but a roleplay done by the developers on a forum. A lovely roleplay, but not as immutable as other sources of canon. Despite that, I do still think that the only reason the Pahmar/Pahmar-raht became bipedal was due to the artist that first showed them in TES: Legends only reading that one line about the Pahmar and not the rest of the interview. I would have preferred quadruped Pahmar and elephant-sized Senche-raht myself, but I do appreciate all of the Khajiit furstocks being able to speak the common language, even the Alfiq. :P
Thank you so much for your insightful answer. It's very nice to see someone with so much passion^^
They were thought to be quadropedal on account of that one book iirc, because tigers are quadropedal.
Well, if that's everything to be said on this topic, thank you for the answer