Okynagans

A sea dwelling mammaloid distinct for the membranous fin-like protrusions atop their heads, running from forehead to nape similarly to hair. These fins detect vibrations in a form of echolocation that is even more effective underwater. They have humanlike but sharply angular faces, large black eyes for low light vision and thin lips that conceal sharp, thin teeth. They have circular ear holes, often behind fin-like protrusions located at the ear area. Their bodies tend to be tall and slender, with sinewy muscle built for speed and stamina. Their fingers are long, with a single sucker at the fingerprint and sharp talons. Their feet consist of three long toes extending from the ankle with webbing between them.   Skin tones vary between shades of blues and greens.

Okynagos are drawn to wet environments, namely aquatic worlds and have a tolerance for cold that surprises many, known to lay exposed in the snow of arctic worlds to wet their skin. Their second preferred environment is cool and moist, with regular cold rains. Hot, humid environments come in a distant third, as the moisture makes it very survivable but heat is not appreciated and is known to shorten their tempers. Arid climates are dangerous to live in as their skin is evolved for a wet environment, an Okynagan will need a steady supply of water and clothing that minimizes evaporation or they will quickly die of dehydration, with water loss through their skin potentially making it within a few hours in extreme hot-dry climates.

Okynagan are omnivores like humans but with a heavier focus on meats. Due to technically being marine mammalians their bodies are accustomed to higher intakes of salts and thus need higher salt content if eating outside of ocean water.

Temperamentally they tend to be cool headed, yet impulsive, dispassionately following their instincts and figuring it out along the way. Debts are of great importance, the Okynago will do all in their power to pay what they owe, and woe to someone that crosses them as their grudges run deep and their patience in enacting a vendetta is legendary. With singular interactions the Okynago have the expression, "Follower for a day, friend for a lifetime." Meaning, if a new acquaintance catches their attention they engage in a sort of trial period where they will do almost anything the acquaintance suggests, which commonly comes in the form of the Okynagan following them around for the day to see their interests and how they live. Once the Okynago believes they've taken a measure of the other's character they will accept or reject their friendship. Should they feel the other was not really interested in their companionship, refuses to reciprocate favors, see them as untrustworthy or find something else lacking in their character they will usually disengage entirely and treat the other as a stranger. Should they like what they see they tend to expect to spend a lot of time with their new companion and regularly exchange favors. This often can lead them to being taken advantage of by those with ulterior motives, and is often perceived as fundamental naivety, however it is more a characteristic of their impulsive nature seeking novelty experiences and testing their preconceptions. Despite being easily convinced to do things by strangers, they are highly perceptive of when they are being taken advantage of or deceived, but usually will not call it out unless their life is in danger, and sometimes not even then. It's a sort of game to them, part of it is the Okynagan wanting to see what the stranger is planning and how accurately they were able to figure it out. Another part is them enjoying the emotional journey, simply going along to see what it feels like, even if it is bad as the experience will make them wiser. Of course there are times when they simply find the other uninteresting, or their lifestyles simply don't align. In these cases the other party would generally think of the Okynagan as a distant yet reliable acquaintance.

Okynagans have a pack mentality, gravitating towards small, close-knit groups.

The fin-like protrusions on the Okynagan head are receptors for a form of echolocation. While more effective underwater this sense also is effective on the surface.

Living in an ocean environment there was not an ability to advance far in technology. Tools and weapons were primitive, made of natural materials, such as animal teeth tethered to bone. In their early history, groups of Okynago would shelter in natural caves near the shore. However as their population grew this became insufficient, and the next stage was harvesting shells of large ocean crustaceans to serve as structures, and hardened clay. A segment of the population ventured farther inland in search of more materials, while others remained in the seas where they live in floating villages. Over time this led to a great divergence, with the land based Okynagans becoming industrialized and the sea Okynago remaining in a primitive state. Although they did not develop space flight themselves, trade and espionage allowed them to begin fabricating spaceships of their own, although it is more common for Okynago to have purchased or stolen a ship rather than it being built by their own kind as advanced components tend to need to be imported from off world.

Okynago gravitate to small, close knit groups, like hunting packs, and are fiercely loyal to those in their bond circle. These groups are generally generational, meeting in youth and sticking together throughout their lives, although groups will often split or combine over time by necessity, grievance or circumstance. Even in larger communities, individual social circles of a handful of individuals tend to have limited interaction with each other and rarely form or join crowds. Larger communities tend to have an adverse effect on Okynagan socialization, causing them to become more isolated and keeping to themselves as much as possible. Okynago are commonly drawn to physical strength and skill, deferring to them as the Alpha. Slavers and others who seek to control them have used this to their advantage, keeping them housed in large communal areas, breaking up small groups and cultivating informers to degrade trust. When social ties are broken the Okynago tend to obey whoever holds power over them, their loyal nature gravitating towards positions of strength in the absence of normally developed bonds, making them popular as slaves or as enforcers and assassins for criminal syndicates, as well as other powerful entities. Having not developed interstellar travel on their own ironically caused the Okynago to become one of the most widespread species in the galaxy, as more advanced species took them as laborers for their utility in underwater environments, often against the will of the Okynago, something that fuels their distrust of outsiders. Most civilized planets have a significant Okynagan minority, but a population majority is extremely rare off of their own planet.