Bankashi

## The Bankashi

The Emblem of the Bankashi Combine

> "*They are travelers of indeterminate origin, the orphan children of a murdered and profaned mother. I suspect there is likely no force in the universe that could stop them on their quest.*"
> ― Drub[source]
>
>

Hailing from the planet Sarokis, The Bankashi are a species of humanoid aliens. Bankashi are unique in that they are immune to the psychological and spiritual effects of The Bog. Drub describes the Bankashi as “travelers of indeterminate origin,” suggesting they arrived in our universe from “somewhere else”, however this conclusion only raises further questions.

## History

The Bankashi evolved on the living planet Sarokis after it appeared within the Inner Plane. Sarokis gave birth to the primordial Bankashi in the form of Three Titans. These Titans were granted strength, wisdom, and guile and their progeny inherited these attributes. Each individual Bankashi possesses these traits in ratios based on their lineage, or so goes the tale; Those born to families more closely related to the Titan of Strength make better warriors and craftsmen, those to the Titan of Wisdom make better thinkers and scientists, and those to the Titan of Guile make for tricksters and speakers.

The Bankashi united their planet under the banner of a single empire early on in their development: The Bankashi Combine. Planetary colonies spread The Bankashi and their culture across an entire arm of their home galaxy in the span of a millennium, and the home world Sarokis flourished in riches, peace, and prosperity.

The blistering progress of Bankashi society was brought to a screeching halt when the weapon Sorrow cleaved through time and space, sundering The Inner Plane and casting the veil of The Dreaming Sea over reality, striking the very core Sarokis. The planet bled, her mantle shred into an infinitude of pieces and cast across the cosmos while the Bankashi diaspora could do nothing but watch in horror.

The remains of the Bankashi elected to reform their society and devote themselves to healing the blight on reality that was The Bog. A new Bankashi Combine was forged on the day Sarokis died, and now works tirelessly to repel the evils of The Bog, and to hopefully seal it once and for all.

## Biology

### Anatomy

Bankashi are tall, typically 7 to 8 feet in height, and roughly humanoid in overall appearance. Their skin is deeply black and smooth. Bankashi possess an extra joint in each of their limbs making them more dexterous than most bipedal humanoids.

The Bankashi face is relatively indistinct in appearance. They have two eyes, a mouth, and holes where ears and a nose would be positioned on a human.

The internal physiology of the Bankashi is highly unusual when compared to other organisms. Bankashi do not have organs in the strictest sense, instead their body cavities are filled with fluid sacs and bundles of fibers. Bankashi do not have conventional muscles to speak of, somehow the structures in their bodies are capable of generating incredible strength and speed.

## Relationship with the Bog

One of the most puzzling traits of the Bankashi is their immunity to the effects of the Bog including its psychological corrosion and erosion of reality itself. Living things are all part of the Gardener, fragments of the sleeping god's mind, to step into The Bog or an Area of Influence is akin to entering a shared delusion, physically entering your own dreaming mind where thoughts and reality are interchangeable. The Bankashi may enter and exit The Bog at will, and while they are not protected from physical damage within the Bog, they are fully capable of weathering its reality-bending effects for prolonged periods.

## Politics

Since the destruction of Sarokis, the Bankashi have been split into two dominant groups: the re-minted Bankashi Combine (the collective remnants of the original Bankashi empire), and the Bankashi Outcasts (those who preferred nonviolent and constructive ways to seek retribution for the death of their home world). These groups are matched in terms of power, but their war for dominance continues regardless.