Unreviewed Kogai

[FN-999 (restored)]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To create a unique sentient species native to the custom world of Caragach.
• Image Credit: Reptilian alien species design by Nora Pikoszky
• Canon: N/A
• Permissions: N/A
• Links: Caragach

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Name: Kogai
• Designation: Sentient
• Origins: Caragach
• Average Lifespan: 80-90 years
  
  • Youth: 0-12
  • Adulthood: 13-65
  • Elderly: 65-90
  • Venerable: 90-110
• Estimated Population: Planetary (~692 million as of 905 ABY, 91% of which are on Caragach)
• Description: Part mammalian, part reptilian, and part avian, the Kogai are one of two sentient species native to the planet of Caragach. Kogai are natural predators whose speed, strength, and endurance make them among Caragach’s greatest warriors. Yet in spite of their savage appearance, the Kogai are a highly disciplined species whose civilization has travelled the stars and flourished for millennia.

PHYSICAL INFORMATION

• Breathes: Type 1
• Average Height of Adults: 1.85m (female), 1.70m (male)
• Average Length of Adults:
  
  • Excluding Tail Length: 27 cm (female), 25 cm (male)
  • Including Tail Length: 1.30m (female), 1.16m (male)
• Skin color: Green, brown
• Hair color: Brown, black, white (elderly individuals)
• Distinctions: The Kogai have a blend of mammalian, reptilian, and avian features that make them evolutionarily distinct from nearly any other species in the galaxy. As a result of Caragach’s relatively strong gravity, Kogai are short and stocky compared to other species with similar mass. Their heads are distinctly reptilian, with a toothy maw and large, well-developed nostrils. Kogai have hair on the back of their head, which while surprisingly similar in structure to the hair follicles of humanoids are far thicker and less numerous. Kogai exhibit sexual dimorphism, with females on average being larger and broader than males. Notably, Kogai do not weaken until very late in their lifespans, making most elderly Kogai just as physically powerful as their younger counterparts with the benefit of further wisdom.
• Races: Kogai ethnic groups are largely determined by two factors: skin color and the world they’re raised on. Green-skinned Kogai and brown-skinned Kogai are considered separate ethnic groups, and green-skins have historically been discriminated against by their brown counterparts. Around 5% of Kogai are neither distinctly green or brown, instead being a blend of the two colors. Such individuals are often considered an entirely separate ethnic group with highly varied relations with other Kogai. Additionally, Kogai born on worlds with weaker gravity compared to Caragach can grow over generations to be slightly taller and leaner than their Caragachi counterparts.
• Force Sensitivity: Standard

Strengths:

• Lizardman Strength: Kogai are a naturally muscular species that can easily overpower most humanoids.
• Speedy: Kogai can sprint at over 50 km/h and sustain speeds of up to 30 km/h for tens of kilometers before tiring.
• Hellhounds: Kogai have a superb sense of smell, capable of tracking far subtler scents over far longer distances than most humanoids.
• Tail Strike: The muscular tail of an adult Kogai can be swung like a whip with enough force to break bones.

Weaknesses:

• Overstimulated: Especially strong or pungent smells can temporarily stun a Kogai or even knock it out in extreme cases.
• You Can’t Make Me Eat My Broccoli: Nearly all edible plants are poisonous to Kogai, even killing them in sufficient doses.
• Tail Struck: A Kogai’s tail is generally exposed and highly sensitive to stimulation. Seriously wounding it or cutting off the tail is almost guaranteed to put a Kogai in a comatose state.

CULTURE

• Diet: Kogai are exclusively carnivorous creatures that especially prefer fresh meat. Though most Kogai prefer meat cooked or with a little bit of seasoning, they are perfectly capable of eating unspoiled meat raw without any health issues. On the other hand, plant tissues as well as fruits and vegetables are poisonous to Kogai since they their digestive enzymes actively degrade in their presence.
• Communication: Kogai have vocal cords similar to those of humanoids, allowing them to naturally speak Basic as well as most other common galactic languages. The Kogai are unique among the natives of Caragach in their extensive vocal and linguistic range, having dozens of native languages with various degrees of mutual intelligibility. Regardless of what language they speak, all Kogai have a low growl to their voice that becomes increasingly prominent the louder they speak.
• Technology level: Galactic Standard
• Religion/Beliefs: The Kogai have no unifying religion or beliefs as a species. However, many Kogai worship the mythical leviathans of Caragach and seek the spiritual guidance of their ancestors during times of strife.
• General behavior: Kogai are raised in broods corresponding to sets of eggs laid by females. Young Kogai are quickly encouraged to pick up practical skills in order to leave the brood and most Kogai seek careers as soon as they become adults. As a highly individualistic species, the Kogai value entrepreneurship and personal success above all else. They desire in partners other Kogai who they believe share their drive to succeed and can produce promising children to further honor their legacy. Kogai are a naturally aggressive species, often manifesting in the form of ambition, martial pride, and an unrelenting drive to innovate. A sizable portion of Kogai serve in armed forces or mercenary groups across the Unknown Regions, where their speed and strength makes them skilled soldiers.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The Kogai species first developed sentience in 11,982 ABY, which would henceforth become the first year of the Caragachi calendar. Soon afterwards, the Kogai encountered the Vasir, the planet of Caragach’s other sentient species. Despite initial strife between the Kogai and the “walking boulders”, the Kogai recognized the strength of the Vasir and thus sought to cooperate, if only to use them to their own ends. As civilization on Caragach developed, the Kogai and Vasir developed an effective segmentation of responsibilities across nations: the Kogai were the generals, engineers, researchers, and warriors, while the Vasir were bureaucrats, farmers, diplomats, and laborers.

Several thousand years later, the nations of Caragach developed spaceflight and as they attempted to settle the planet’s nine moons, they had first contact with the Zuti-zudi of Malkin, Caragach’s fourth and largest moon. Viewing the Zuti-zudi as weak and senile, it was the Kogai that most eagerly pushed for war over Caragach’s moons. After a series of escalating diplomatic and military incidents, the Vasir were convinced as well, beginning a brutal 40-year war between the Kogai-Vasir alliance of nations and the Zuti-zudi. Over the course of the war, the Kogai gained a degree of respect for the Zuti-zudi thanks to their advanced technology and formidable military capabilities. Once a peace deal was finally reached, most Kogai were more than willing to cooperate with the Zuti-zudi for the collective advancement of Caragach and its moons.

The first golden age of the Kogai came to an end with the emergence of the Gulag Plague. In a matter of weeks, the offworld populations of Kogai had been eradicated and the Kogai on Caragach and its moons did not fare much better. The devastation brought about by the Gulag Plague was so great that the surviving Kogai gladly acceded to the Act of Union forming the united Caragachi Enclave. Over the next two centuries, the Kogai slowly but surely rebuilt their number, eventually rising to become the most populous species on Caragach - as numerous as the Vasir and the Zuti-zudi combined.

In recent history, many Kogai have supported the conservative Principlist alliance in the Caragachi Senate, sympathizing with its support for traditional values and strong centralized authority. Following the Principlist victory in the Four-Day War, it was the Kogai who saw the greatest benefit, with many taking prominent government offices formerly held by Vasir in the Progressive alliance. Nonetheless, not all Kogai support the new order in Caragach and some even seek to end the treaty-enforced Principlist domination of Caragachi politics.