The races of Hush Blossom
•O•'•K•A•I•
OVERVIEW
O’Kai is the name for three collective aquatic sub-species – the Hapai’a, the Pololia, and the Polokan.
The Hapai’a have a relatively human-looking upper torso, and can be of any gender. A collection of gills runs along their neck and ribs, and many have webbing between their fingers. Their skin colours can be that of more Serenian tones, from pale pink to dark brown, or can match the colours and patterns of their marine lower half. This lower half can reflect any known marine animal – from fish to octopus, dolphins or crustaceans. Those with fish tails are commonly referred to as separate from the Hapai’a – named Ineo – with hair made from a dense collection of fins, along with fins draped across their arms and torso.
The Pololia are a monogendered, all-female race of jellyfish-like humanoids. With an average height of 5”0, their body shapes can range from the lithe and slender, to the plump and pear-shaped. Atop their heads is a giant jellyfish "hood" (also known as a "bell"), from which dangles string-like tentacles and long "oral arms" that can appear as their hair. Body colours can be any shade or gradient, with darker patches on their hood and torso. Little bioluminescent lights also dot their bodies, with the underside of their hood, eyes, and inner mouths also glowing.
Entirely genderless, the Polokan are more amphibian than the other O’Kai. They have large all-black eyes, and moist skin that comes in a range of bright and attractive colours. Completely hairless, small tendrils grow from the back of their head, neck, and spine, and vocal sacs sit beneath their jawline, which expand when they talk or breathe. Their physique is slender and somewhat gangly, and their skin holds a sparkling iridescence. Their noses are small flaps, and they have webbed fingers and toes, and an average height of 6”0.
HOMELAND & CULTURE
The O’Kai as a whole live in a wide selection of aquatic environments across the globe. The Hapai’a are the most diverse, able to inhabit both saline and freshwater biomes, from oceans, rivers, lakes, and swamps. The Pololia primarily take residence in saline environments, found in the world’s oceans and seas. The Polokan tend to stick to freshwater bodies, especially rivers or lakes, and favour swamps.
Hapai’a architecture tends to feature buildings carved from spires of rock on the seabed, whereas the Pololia are more likely to inhabit structures magically formed from coral or crystal. The Polokan build their homes out of water, often large spherical nests comprised of reeds, moss and other plant-life, hanging over shallow bodies of water.
The homeland of the joint O’Kai is largely unknown, with theories to their origins differing for each of the sub-species. All seem to share a common ancestor before evolutionary divergence many millennia ago.
There is one area of the ocean where the Hapai’a, Pololia, and Polokan can be found living in unison – the ancient sunken city of Aina Hanau. Perhaps once a grand city on land, it sunk beneath the waves in some unknown incident.
Above Aina Hanau resides the floating raft-city of Huihui, which acts as a go-between for the O’Kai and land-dwellers in terms of trade and tourism. Many Polokan live here.
HAPAI'A CULTURE
The Hapai’a live in a hunter-gatherer society, and have developed a diverse pantheon of deities, said to number in the hundreds, with each presiding over a certain aspect of the weather, bodies of water, and the animals that live within them. One particular deity rules over the entire pantheon, known as Apau-Makua, which the Hapai’a see as the creator of not only themselves, but also all races in the world, and that one day, all life will become one single entity.
POLOLIA CULTURE
Pololia culture is often compared to that of the Kuri: peaceful, idyllic, and pastoral – although in the case of the Pololia, rather than farm animals, they instead tend to giant, jellyfish-like creatures known as Meli, which produce a glowing gel said to enhance magical abilities. The Pololia believe in an immortal jellyfish goddess called Mahina, whom represents the trinity of the child, the adult, and the elder, her major attribute being that of the moon and rebirth.
POLOKAN CULTURE
Polokan society is nomadic in nature, with the Polokans being the first race to fully traverse the planet’s oceans in great treks determined through expert navigation and curiosity. They believe in a great celestial deity of ever-changing appearance and purpose. This deity is known as The Mua, and the Polokan believe that it represents life as a whole – both good and evil, loving and hateful, orderly and chaotic – and that nothing is simple or inflexible in life. No one person to the Polokan is wholly one thing or the other, but rather the embracing of multiple dualities.
Species
INEO
Species
POLOKAN
Species
HAPAI'A
POWERS & ABILITIES
All sub-species of the O’Kai thrive in aquatic environments, with each being able to breathe beneath water, swim incredible speeds, and are able to withstand the great temperatures and pressures of the sea. But each also have their own unique abilities that set them apart from one another.
HAPAI'A ABILITIES & POWERS
The Hapai’a are able to breathe above water as well as below, but only for a short time, and only if they remain moist. This enables them to converse with land dwellers from the comfort of their own water environment. Depending on their lower half, those with a fish tail are powerful and agile swimmers, or those with octopus tentacles are capable of great strength and dexterity.
POLOLIA ABILITIES & POWERS
Pololia, also known as "sea brides," are able to continuously replenish themselves to the extent of near-immortality, going through a repetitive “lineage reprogramming” cycle for many, many centuries. Of all the O’Kai, they are able to withstand the greatest pressures in the deepest oceans due to the mesoglea matter of their bodies. This makes them invaluable explorers and treasure-hunters. Yet they are not able to survive above water unless encased in a powerful magical skin that keeps their forms from collapsing. Via their tentacles, they are also capable of producing a powerful, toxic sting that can paralyze or kill prey. They rarely use this ability, and only when threatened by the larger predators of the ocean.
POLOKAN ABILITIES & POWERS
Polokan possess incredible endurance and speed in water, able to swim vast distances without incurring overexertion. They have incredible memories, able to remember large amounts of information, especially when associated with navigation. This is why maps are a concept that baffles them, when they can readily recall the exact distance and location of any place they have visited prior. They are also amphibious, able to survive in and out of water so long as their glandular skin is kept moist and they steer clear of dry environments.
Species
POLOLIA
NAMES
Most O’Kai names follow the Hawaiian language, but any other Polynesian languages, such as Maori or Samoan, are also used. Etymology for all three species is not gender-specific, and often describe beautiful scenery, momentous events or seasons, weather, colours, and physical and personality traits.
Pololia names may also sometimes feature a Latin or Greek etymology.
None of the O’Kai use surnames, but the Hapai’a may use epithets if they have achieved some great feat, or if their appearance is of some renown.
Traditional Hapai'a Names: Kaui, Makana, Ngaire, Taema
Traditional Hapai'a Epithets: Strong-Fin, Shell-Crusher, Star-Tail, Shark-Tooth
Traditional Pololia Names: Puanani, Leilani, Medusa, Aurelia
Traditional Polokan Names: Haikili, Whetu, Pua, Kaimana
RACE SHEET
