The Baroka are a pre-spaceflight race that live on an arctic-like planet, grouped into two regions of Landkind (those that live on the frigid continental masses) and Seabound (those that live on the frozen waters that span the globe). They're a large, hardy, scaled race built to withstand the extreme cold of their home planet, but aren't too sociable to those outside their own commune. The Maro, however, are a mutated ruling caste that bears curiosity towards any and and all, and rules over the Baroka with low-level telepathy. They live on the planet Barokaa in the Tiig'Riiba System. For the faction, see this page

• Strong. Very.
• Slow unless motivated
• Hardy scales stop cold and trap heat
• Scales also can stop blades, to a small extent (Around Tier 1, Light Anti-Personnel). A bullet might be slowed, but it’ll still go in unless it hits at an awkward angle.
• Low level telepathic projection of thought
• Strong sense of smell, rather lacking in other senses.

• Adolescence lasts until the age of 30
• Hatchlings are swaddled in molebeast fur until they grow their first coat of scales.
• From their very passive lifestyle, Baroka can live up to 200 years old. If they are more active, (Say, an active duty soldier) they live around 60.
• Gestation for eggs takes about half a year.

This section contains information on the outer bodily systems, I.E. the parts that interact with the environment directly, of the Baroka.

Barokan outsides consist mainly of a type of scales. Unlike the traditional metallic scale, these are made of highly dense hair like fibers, made for insulation against the cold. The sales all stack closely to each other so heat does not escape easily. The scale colour is primarily white with blue splotches all over, sometimes patterned, sometimes random. The shade of blue varies, but in all cases it helps one Baroka identify another. The pattern is unique to the individual, much like a calico cat.

Barokan jaws are powerful and fearful things, surprisingly. It is for their omnivorous diet, no doubt. A row of sharp incisor/canine hybrid teeth constitute the front third of a Barokan mouth with molars constituting the rest.

Their tastes aren’t that developed because there isn’t much need for it. Anything that poisoned food died out long ago, and they generally eat their meat before it gets the chance to spoil. Their sense of smell picks up anything that is actually bad for them before it gets near their mouth, so. . .

Barokan speech generally consists of rumbling tones and growls due to their large body and air capacity. They can maintain any tone they can manage in their range for an extended period of time thanks to their capacity, which lends itself to a tradition of singing and chanting. Otherwise, they speak in a base or baritone voice, with the occasional rare tenor. They also can roar quite fiercely, which serves a good deterrent for the wildlife.

Baroka do not have external ears like humans. Rather, they rely on reptilian system of hearing. Noises of higher pitches are lost on them, and their range is more limited to deeper tones than humans.

Barokans have two nostrils at the end of their extended jaws. Their sense of smell is top-notch, as good as an artic wolf. This is necessary for the wilds where spindly beasts roam in the cold, waiting to pry apart a prey’s scales for flesh.

Barokan eyes are fairly standard in terms of sight, though their range of colour is severely limited. Strong colours come out more blandly, specifically red. Things from the blue spectrum are much more apparent to them. There are two sets of eyelids. The first is a thick casing made to protect their eyes as they sleep. The latter is a translucent cover that allows them to still see, but with additional protection from hazardous weather. It also helps to keep out the insane amount of light coming from the ice and snow.

Generally their eye colour is a deep, navy blue, though other shades are not uncommon. Sapphire, periwinkle, etc. can all be found, though the average is the aforementioned navy colour.

The “Third eye” is not really an eye at all, though it can be open and shut like your general eye. Much like their regular oculus, there are two sets of lids, one for traditional “closing”, and the second as a protective covering in more hazardous climes. This third eye works as an antenna, allowing the individual Baroka to project and receive low-level telepathic thought. By “low level” it is meant that they can give images and speak in the immediate area, allowing for close contact between individuals unwilling to speak.

Barokan legs are powerful trunks that are comparatively built like a raptor’s, though with more of a steep incline in the middle portion that connects the thigh to the calf (think child’s lightning bolt). Their feet are four-toed, with only one joint per toe. They are each capped with a talon like nail, similar in structure to a rhino horn. These nails have only a slight curve to them, giving the Baroka an advantage when climbing and walking on rough terrain. Strong muscles are made for the harsh climate. Seabound have slightly webbed feet and slightly smoother muscle tone.

Barokan arms are also quite powerful, but just as bulky. They also have three major bones, allowing for a bit more flexibility to their reach. Their hands a thick and meaty, with three fingers and one thumb. Each one has a sharp, spike like talon on the end to help with manipulating smaller objects. Seabound have slightly webbed hands and slightly smoother muscle tone.

Average height generally tends to be around 6’ 10”, and varies up to 5”, usually. There isn’t any difference between genders. Weight tends to be hefty due to the muscle and scale content, usually around 300 lbs.

This section contains information on the inner bodily systems, I.E. the parts that process the environment and their surroundings internally, of the Baroka.

The Baroka have the standard suite of internal organs dedicated to filtering, breathing, etc. The three lungs and single heart are higher capacity due to their size and energy expended to move. They have much smaller “filtering” organs because of their extremely limited diet.

There are very few diseases that can survive the cold, so the immunological system of the Baroka is naturally more suited to combating those few illnesses. Their naturally strong exterior prevents most things from getting in, and small cuts do nothing for the most part. If they are faced with an unknown illness, they will most certainly take it harder than anything.

Their minds are average size for a species of their stature and don’t possess any special abilities beyond the “Third eye.”

Their diet consists mainly of a specific type of moss called “Yalla”, though there is a fair amount of underground mushrooms, molebeasts meat (If they are inland), and fish (if they are coastal)

This section contains information on the various mental attributes of the Baroka.

Barokan individuals are much less mathematical and creative compared to humans. However, their survival instinct is much greater than other species, and their associated senses for them are variably better and worse. The “average” Barokan has very little curiosity, and doesn’t really bother with much that is outside of surviving and providing. However, there are certain individuals with extended capacity for learning and discovery (See mutations).

The average individual maintains a communal survivalist outlook, and when they succeed at such tasks they feel as proud as somebody whose favorite team has won, or as an artist views their latest and best work.

The Baroka are slow to speak with outsiders and wary of danger, so they may seem cold but they are ready to attack if somebody tries something.

With more familiar individuals, the Baroka are quite a bit friendlier.

There is but one mutation amongst the Baroka, and that is the Marokan, or the “Thinkers.” The mutation itself occurs in about one in 75, or one for a small village. Their differences are numerous, but the most noticeable are that they grow horns. Depending on their potential, horns sprout from their head on the diagonals, nubby for small potential and large, helix horns if it’s large potential. The only real difference the horns themselves make is that they work as “ramtennaes” and amplifies the range of their telepathy. The Marokan are a much more curious breed of Baroka, and thus are the ones who are more likely to make advancements in science and technology. They are much friendlier than their standard counterparts, and will spend every attempt they can at finding things out from new people. Thanks to landlines, the governing Maro can talk to each other, and they do so nonstop. For future reference, “Maro” refers to the caste, “Marokan” refers to the specific species subtype.

This page was originally created on 2012/11/30 15:35 by moogle. First Draft!