Okai

The Okai are an endangered race of centaurian tortoises, well known for their warrior culture and sanctified clanship traditions.

Characteristics
Okai are, at a basis, tortoises with a large centaurian build. They are armoured with a very hard shell that mostly resembles samurai-esque armour. Over time, their shells will eventually become overgrown with flora, especially moss. Their bodies are capable of retracting, allowing them to just barely hide within their shells as a form of defence.

Okai have adapted to both land and sea. On land, they may use their gripping nails to dig burrows and quickly traverse on solid surfaces. When underwater, their limbs may morph into flippers to swim with great strength. They also possess enough oxygent stay within water for a long period of time, at least a couple of hours.

Despite their elegancy, Okai are instinctively aggressive and are majorly cautious around foreigners. Angering or offending an Okai would be considered foolish by many.

History
The Okai first flourished on the volcanic island of Aogashima and a few neighbouring islands, in which they named the island chain 'Dazani'. Their presence was elusive and the lands beyond were shrouded to them, thus they respected their homeland as a haven.

The ancient Okai clans were scavengers and invested in the working and casting metal, specifically in the production of tools and masonry. Their clans would spread vastly as they aggressively conquered the territories of other species.

As much as they flourished, the Okai population would catastrophically reduce after a volcanic eruption and several earthquakes. Long after, they would eventually be discovered by human bands from Asian cultures and were hunted down. These disasters would almost lead the Okai to near-extinction and they were forced to temporarily migrate to below the surface. Due to their migration, they would be forgotten by existence and their legacies would be described through mythological stories and legends.

After many passing centuries of wary breeding and isolation, the Okai gradually began to repopulate on land once more with their clans staying bold and noble. Their toleration towards others would not be taken lightly.

Culture and Society
Okai have had a long-running culture of militaristic practices and clanship. In their traditions, honour would equal longevity and to reject ceremonies and ancestral concepts would be shameful. Despite this, younger kin have considered looking into aesthetics and other cultural civics beyond valour and the clan lifestyle.

Warfare
Okai have been regarded as fearless barbarians on the battlefield, relying on psychological warfare and highly aggressive tactics. Warriors are equipped with ridiculously sized blades, axes, maces and throwing spears made from bronze, iron and, to extreme extents, their own shells.

Religion
Whilst the Okai clans are not the most religious societies, their most superstitious belief resolves around the ancestral spirits of gargantuan creatures similar to their kin. They are seen as images that invoke heroism and war, mainly portrayed through effigies similar to totem poles. They are also believed to be physically manifested in the form of fireflies.