Rokain

**Lifespan:** | >1,000 years

The **Rokain** are a reptilian species native to the planet Rokai.

## Biology

Due to the brutality of their homeworld, natural selection has played a significant role in the evolution of the Rokain. Unlike most sentient species, Rokain eyes are wide-set - on Earth, this is common among prey animals, and in this case it gives the Rokain 240-degree vision, giving them greater visual acuity and awareness of approaching predators. Rokain eyes have narrow pupils. Their irises may be red, green, amber, or blue in color.

Once, the Rokain could reproduce and mature at an astonishing rate. Females are known to produce clutches of up to 1,000 fertilized eggs over the course of a year. However, the introduction of the Rokain blight led to a severe drop in viable female births.

Their large shoulder humps store fluids and nutrients, enabling them to survive extended periods without food or water. A bigger shoulder hump is seen as a sign of high status, showing how successful an individual Rokain is at hunting. Their thick hides are virtually impervious to cuts, scrapes or contusions, and they are highly resistant to environmental hazards, including toxins, radiation, and extreme heat and cold. Consequently their diets can include food and drink which would prove very dangerous to other species.

Rokain typically stand over 7 feet. Heavy creatures, krogan have been known to weigh at least 150 kilos, upwards of nearly 200 kilos for above-average specimens, and counting guesses by non-Rokain observers even estimates of 800 pounds are made.

The most amazing physiological feature of Rokain biology is the multiple instances of major organs. These secondary (and where applicable, tertiary) systems are capable of serving as back-ups in the event of damage to the primary biological structures. They have, for example, two hearts, four lungs, and four testicles. This reflects in their slang, where they often speak about a "quad" where a human would use the words "balls" or "pair". Rokain also have a secondary nervous system using a neuroconductive fluid, meaning they are almost impossible to paralyze. Rokain bleed a yellow or orange fluid when shot, which may be this fluid or actual blood.

Aside from redundant systems, the legendary Rokain "blood rage" adds to the race's reputation for being notoriously difficult to kill or incapacitate in normal combat scenarios. In this state, Rokain become totally unresponsive to pain and will fight to the death regardless of injury level, with the side effect of reducing their capacity for logic and self-control.

Sheer physical hardiness means an individual Rokain can expect to live for centuries.

## Culture

The harsh Rokain homeworld conditioned the Rokain psychology for toughness just as it did the body. Rokain have always had a tendency to be selfish, unsympathetic, and blunt. Sometimes, when Rokain disagree, one of them will head-butt the other to show dominance. They respect strength and self-reliance and are neither surprised nor offended by treachery. Their worst insult is to call someone "not worth killing".

The weak and selfless do not live long. In their culture, "looking out for number one" is simply a matter of course. Rokain have powerful territorial instincts which serve them well in combat, but can create problems; when traveling on starships, for example, Rokain find sharing quarters nearly impossible.

Most Rokain trust and serve no one but themselves. This solitary attitude stems in part from a deep sense of fatalism and futility, a profound social effect of the Rokain blight.

### Religion

Rokain religion centers around a pantheon of deities. In the ancient times on Rokai, the Rokain worshiped a deity known as Vaul.

Rokain also believe in afterlives such as Kruban.

## History

The Rokain society was once rich with cultural, architectural, and artistic accomplishments. However, the onset of the industrial age led to a massive explosion in the population, leading to massive wars breaking out across the planet.

These wars led to the degeneration of Rokain society into feudal warring clans fighting for what habitable areas remained on their homeworld. This would continue until the arrival of the Jelna.

Seeing a great race reduced to barbarism, the Jelna attempted to uplift the species, giving them advanced technology and relocating them to planets not choked with radiation. However, the Jelna had an ulterior motive. At the time, they were at war with the neighboring Adarin species. The Jelna had hoped that with Rokain foot-soldiers, they would be able to turn the tide. Their plan worked and the Adarin were driven back into their own territory.