Origin: Calamia
Magical maturity: 18
Special: Orin
Maximum age: 120
The kojin are a race of cat-like humanoids. Little is known about the origins of kojin, except that they are one of the original races of Auraton. While they may be of more diminutive stature, they are a strong race, sensitive to the earth and their surroundings. They are intelligent, resourceful, proud, and steadfast.
Their body structure is primarily feline, with a little humanoid mixed in to their physicality. Their front arms are humanoid, and instead of paws, they have furred hands, typically with four digits and an opposable thumb, although some may have five digits and one thumb. Each finger and the palm have thick padding and end in slightly curved, thickened nails. Kojin walk upright on their lower legs and walk on their toes, making them look like each step is a calculated, elegant dance. Their feet are entirely feline, with retractable claws and thickened toe pads. While some individuals do wear footwear on occasion, many prefer not to, as it can interfere with their agility and climbing skills.
They are excellent climbers and can fall from several stories and land on their feet with little to no injury. Kojin are pretty fast, having agility in the wild that even elsyven envy. Kojin can have a variety of tail shapes, from short bobbed tails to extremely long whip-like tails. Depending on the kojin, their body shapes can vary significantly, much like those of humans, ranging from dainty and slender to athletic, muscular, hefty, or even obese. Kojin don’t get taller than 5”, and the shortest can be 3’5”.
Depending on the clan and region, their fur will range in length, density, pattern, and shade. Every kojin has a coat of fur, which can be shades of orange, red, gold, beige, cream, brown, white, black, and gray. Patterns can vary based on lineage, with some individuals having solid coats and others exhibiting points, patches, spots, markings, stripes, specks, blotches, or rings. Some have ear tufts, manes, and fluffy tails. Kojin can grow thicker, longer coats in warmer weather and shed when the weather warms. The depth of their muscle structure can be hidden under their thick layer of fur, depending on the density, length, color, and pattern. Their skin color is not the same color as their fur, but can be blotchy or toned based on their fur patterns, and ranges from shades of pink, orange, gray, and black.
Their facial features are entirely feline in structure, and if not for their size, could be mistaken for any kind of feline, from domesticated street cats to small lions. All kojin have leathery noses with two nostrils, which can be a different color than their fur, commonly black, pink, gray, or multiple colors. They have a keen sense of smell and are sensitive to powerful, pungent odors. Their mouths contain sharp canines, and their tongues are rough and thin. Their ears are positioned on the crown of their head, their size and shape dependent on their lineage. Commonly, their eyes are often round and large, although some are almond-shaped, rarely slanted, and/or narrow. Their irises are large, taking up most of the eye, can vary just about any color, and have an oval-shaped black pupil, which grows wide and round in low light and extremely narrow in bright light. Given this, kojin have a better transition between darkness and light, and have minor dark vision.
Female kojin do not have breasts like humans, but instead have two to four nipples on their abdomen that only enlarge when nursing. The birth rate for kojin is slightly less than that of humans, because kojin babies are significantly smaller and more prone to death and illness as infants. It is not uncommon to have two to three babies at once, though most kojin typically have one. These babies are born with soft, downy fur, and their eyes are closed. Their fur starts to come in first, usually within the first week, and then their eyes open about two weeks later. Thus, the kojin children become bonded to their parents through smell, sound, and touch, rather than sight. They cannot breed with other races.
A Kojin, on average, lives to about 120 years of age, growing old and frail much like humans. Kojin reaches maturity at the age of 18. However, kojin have one of two possible magic awakenings. Kojin magus are exceedingly rare, though why is not known. A clan might see one magus every forty or so years. Another type of magic, which is more common than a magus but still rare, is an Orin. A kojin can be either a magus or an orin, not both. No other magic can replicate an orin’s ability, and kojin are the only race in which it occurs. Each clan may have its own story as to why this is, be it a curse, a blessing, an omen, or just simply a fact of life. This ability allows a kojin to sense when magic is in use within a range of them. A kojin can smell it, learn to determine the spell type, and know the general direction the spell is cast. If they are close enough to the magus casting, they can feel it, making their fur bristle, and can pinpoint the caster. If they are within five feet of an active magus, and the spell is strong enough, they may even see the magical flows of velanil coming out of a magus. Kojin can also sense magic on items if they touch them, and can determine the type of magic or even if an item is cursed.
The problem with this ability, however, is when they are in a place where magic happens every day. The senses can get overwhelmed, and it can take a lot of time and study to learn how to differentiate all the magic that is happening around them. Large spells can also mask smaller ones, and big spells can disorient. Some kojin orin have gone to larger cities to learn how to utilize their ability better. Less fortunate kojin have been forced to train their ability. The kojin consider the orin's ability both a blessing and a curse. It has saved their people from danger many times, but it is also the number one reason why many of their kind have been enslaved by other races. While many free nations do not engage in such practices and will hire kojin for such tasks appropriately, not all nations or places in the world view kojin as people but as animals.
Kojin who live in clans outside human-influenced regions believe in living off the land. To be at one with the land, they must live and use what is given to them, taking no more than what they need and wasting nothing of use. For this reason, many kojin worship Eleha, Fedroah, and Gaelwin together as the Nature Trinity. They often take residence in their settled regions for short durations, rotating between different places to allow the land to replenish. They use these familiar hunting, fishing, and foraging grounds to gather supplies for their clans. Many kojin specialize in fermenting foods to preserve them for seasons to come. They are excellent survivalists and highly adept at traversing even the most rugged parts of Auraton. Many kojin will keep special resources hidden to maintain a steady trade supply and protect the resources they gather. Many kojin clans have designated merchants that go out and trade with other races, offering furs of different varieties, fermented foods, herbs, mushrooms, finely crafted bone combs and utensils, shells, raw gemstones, and other rare foraged material. In exchange, they prefer to receive pottery, glassware, and handcrafted items, such as weapons, ironware, and utensils.
There are crafters in the kojin clans, these being leather workers, weavers, stone masons, and carpenters. There are also excellent bow crafters, and some of the best hunting bows are made by kojin.
In their culture, there is a group of leaders, a circle of men and women, who make the overall decisions for the clan. There can be no more than ten kojin in a circle, and spaces are either opened every five years or are voted on by the clan as a whole. A clan can also remove circle leaders if they bring shame or harm to the clan. Most clans have their laws and rulings, so each clan is different. These kojin are also more wary of outsiders, especially humans.
Some clans have merged with other nations over the ages, after losing their native lands to human expansion. Joining life in cities or other villages, these kojin don’t live as typical clans do, and live more akin to humans. However, they do have kojin communities within these regions, with a small council to help advocate on the community’s behalf.
