Rokkai

Also known as "catfolk", the rokkai are a humanoid species with cat-like features thought to have originated from within the forests of South Osmen. An ancient people, rokkai are widespread across the Known World in various forms and cultural groups.

Anatomy

General Anatomy

While many humanoids share similar general anatomy with a few distinct changes, rokkai are highly unique from other people anatomically.

Their faces are elongated and cat-like, with long muzzles, cat-like noses and whiskers. The teeth are predatory in the front, with large canines and shearing teeth. Toward the back of their mouths, they possess some grinding molars, indicating their varied diets. The ears are on the top or side of the head and are cat-like and mobile.

The body is usually muscular regardless of fat content. Rokkai are much stronger than an elf or human of comparable size, even with little training.

The back is arched a little more than commonly seen in other humanoids, to accommodate for the digitigrade feet. Standing on their toes, a rokkai's legs are longer than in most humanoids because of the digitigrade feet. Most sport a long tail, though some subtypes have shorter or stubby tails. The fingers on the hand are usually slightly shorter than fingers of other humanoids, with the long claws at their tips making up extra length. The palm and fingers have padded surfaces that improve grip.

The "hair" is made up of elongated fur, and is more akin to a mane than true hair. The hair is fluffy, soft and fragile and rarely grows longer than shoulder-length.

Sexual dimorphism

While female rokkai present slightly shorter and more slender than males, rokkai women are often famously strong and fit, and easily match their male counterparts. Male muzzle and face structure tends to be more angular, larger and pronounced. The nose and muzzle profile tends to be flatter, with the female nose ridge having a dipped-in appearance on side profile.

The most obvious difference between male and female rokkai is in mane thickness. Females tend to grow sparser manes/hair than males, with many having no mane at all, or just a small tuft at the forelock.

Subtypes

• Harthi: Thought to be the oldest variant of rokkai, harthi are native to a small region of dense rainforest in Southern Osmen. With vibrant coats, lithe bodies, long arms and the ability to run and climb on all fours at high speed, Harthi are expert hunters with an almost entirely carnivorous diet. Most patterned coats originate from this region Osmen, and are often thought of as a blessing, bringing strength and luck.
• Jarre-Rokkai: The native people of Jarrstone Island, Jarre-Rokkai are small and stocky. Dark, ashy coat colours are most common, with black and grey being the most prevalent. Jarre-Rokkai commonly have distinct white, barred, ticking markings along their ribs and back leading to the common nickname "fishbones".
• Cradle: Cradle rokkai are native to Southern Virias and the Cradle mountain range that extends slightly into Sedia. Stocky but short, with thick, dense fur that blocks out the snow, these rokkai are well built for harsh Veridian winters. They have distinctly long cheek and ear fur, and thick tufts of hair between the toes and fingers.
• Osmeni maneback: Osmeni maneback rokkai are much larger than other subtypes and possess thick jaws and longer teeth. Standing over 6ft tall, they are usually larger in general, and more muscular than other subtypes. Most notably, they have a thick mane that connects more fully under the jaw, giving a lion-like appearance. The mane extends down the back to between the shoulder blades, hence their common name. Osmeni maneback rokkai often come in a distinct "sandy" or "lilac" colouration. Sometimes they also have a special variation of tabby markings restricted to the face, elbows and knees.

Fishbone Ticking by spooktacular

Variable Traits

All rokkai can possess variable traits, caused by genes passed by their parentage. Though some of these traits are associated with certain cultures or lineages of rokkai, they can appear almost anywhere.

• Hairlessness: Caused by a recessive gene, hairless rokkai are often seen as a good omen to a community and are commonly associated with magic and the occult. This gene originated in Osmen, and due to its convenient benefit of keeping cool in the desert, a large population of desert and Osmeni maneback rokkai can be found with the hairless gene mutation.
• Cheek tufts: A dense patch of stiff fur that makes the cheeks appear wider, giving an intimidating look. Often present in Cradle rokkai.
• Mane: Extended manes seem to be an extension of the genes responsible for cheek tufts. Long hair on the cheeks joins beneath the chin, extending down the neck and the shoulders. Manes are highly variable and are seen intermittentlyin all subvariants of rokkai.
• Beards: Very uncommon and usually seen in harthi or Osmeni maneback rokkai, beards are considered a symbol of strength and are often treasured by those who bare them.
• Folded ears: Folded ears are due to a gene that affects cartridge production, causing the ears to flop forward or fold. This can sometimes be associated with joint issues, chronic pain and frailty.
• Bobbed tails: Considered a very beautiful trait for women in Jarre-rokkai culture, this dominant gene is common across many groups of rokkai. The tail is missing save for a few short joints, and often has some fusing of the remaining vertebrae, creating a "kinked" tail. At times when this trait has been especially in-fashion, parents have been known to dock the tail of girls when they are young to meet societal pressures.
• Tail tufts: A tail with mostly short fur, sporting a longer tuft at the tip
• Ear tufts: Elongated fur on the tips and ridges of the ears
• Sabre teeth: Length of the canine teeth can vary, but any teeth that protrude from the upper lip at rest are known as "sabre" teeth. These teeth are highly desirable in many cultures.

Cradle Rokkai by spooktacular

Colours

Rokkai come in variable coat colours. Black, brown, grey and orange are common colours. Most solid coat colours that aren't black are accompanied with some form of patterning, like tabby striping, blotches, ticking or stripes. Some groups of rokkai have unique markings, such as the fishbone ticking seen in Jarre-Rokkai, the sandy and lilac coat colours of Osmeni rokkai, and the bright patterns of Harthi.

Many rokkai also possess random white markings on top of their coat colour, such as white paws and muzzles.

The eyes are usually brown, amber, green or blue

Lifestyle and Cultures

Rokkai have incredibly varied cultures across the known world. Very widespread with multiple subtypes, Rokkai have adapted to almost every climate on the globe, while conquering very few.

Origins

Like many people in the known world, rokkai were a product of magical influence. Following the The Ruination, the exact origin story of the creation of the rokkai was lost. The name "rokkai" means literally, "of the stone", and all variations on their origin story hold this element within them in some way. Some stories tell of how Liesiel created the rokkai from volcanic flames in a fit of passion. Others believe they are a product of fey magic as a symbol of the solid foundation of stone, having emerged from Faera with the other races of the fey. Many Cradle rokkai feel a close connection to the mountains and the Northern Auroras, completing pilgrimages to various summits to reconnect with the magic of the sky.

Regardless of their true origins, evidence of the rokkai can be found in ancient text and art from the First Age in Osmen, Aresia and many islands across the known world, appearing more widespread then than in the Second Age. They are more uniform in appearance when seen in art from the First Age, sporting distinct Harthi-type patterning in almost all depictions.

Lifespan

Rokkai have a natural lifespan similar to that of a human. On average, they live 60-80 years, with exceptionally old individuals reaching up to 120 years. Rokkai usually oppose ressurection, life-extending magic, and many object to various forms of healthcare and medicine that are not in-line with their culture.

Diet

Particularly old subgroups of rokkai are almost entirely carnivorous, but many younger subgroups have more varied diets. Their dentition lends well to carnivory and is not well-suited to harsh foods such as nuts, woody plants or fibrous grains. Most rokkai food across almost all of their cultures consists mostly of meat, milk, fish, eggs, fruit and softer vegetables. Grains are rarely incorporated into the diet unless processed very heavily, and most agriculturally-leaning rokkai groups lean toward producing potatoes or other tubers as a primary starch.

Rokkai stomachs are particularly tough and are well-designed to break down bone and hair. Their stomach acid is highly acidic, and contains useful enzymes that allow better energy extraction from meat sources. They require less vitamins than many other humanoids, meaning they have to supplement with vegetable vitamin sources less. All things combined, rokkai do very well eating almost entirely meat.

Reproduction

Rokkai reproduce as most humanoids do, though their childbirth differs quite significantly. Rokkai "cubs" are born smaller than most humanoid babies, but are almost always born 2 at a time. Rokkai pregnancies are quite stressful due to this, and rokkai child-bearers often struggle to complete basic tasks during the late stages of their pregnancies. Most rokkai communities have strong cultural practices and traditions surrounding pregnancy; it is usually a time for a family or community to come together to help the pregnant person, and is often associated with charity, gift-giving and cooking.

Unlike many humanoids, rokkai are distantly related enough to other humanoid species that they cannot easily interbreed with them. There have been some very rare instances of interbreeding between rokkai and other humanoids, but these usually come with complications.

Cultures

The different subtypes of rokkai are fairly geologically distant, and therefore carry with them distinct cultures. Despite this, many rokkai cultural traits are fairly consistent across their cultures.

Milk and tea

Milk is very culturally important to almost all rokkai, and is fundamental to most of their cultures. It is thought that milk production and tea consumption were both traits of the ancestors of modern-day rokkai. Harthi, the oldest of rokkai cultures, raise large buffalo in the jungles, using them as pack animals and a source of milk, meat and skins. Even in cultures unable to produce milk easily, such as Jarre-Rokkai, mlik tea remains important. Jarre-rokkai on Jarrstone Island persist in raising milk goats despite their harsh surroundings.

Tchhrro is an important cultural ritual involving the sharing of milky tea. Milk creates a profound calmness in rokkai due to the way their stomachs process lactose, making it a sacred, soothing food source. Rokkai across the world have always kept milk-producing livestock; yaks in Aresia and buffalo in Osmen being the most common sources. Cradle rokkai have long been recorded trading with the Relkish for milk from their sheep, so much so that Relkish often make fun of how much one can get a struggling rokkai to trade for a flask of milk.