NIKDO ARMOR AND MOUNT

Nikdo Armor:

The Nikdo have enjoyed unfettered freedom of movement across the many lands of Anomaly. They are, however, considered “unclean” and aren’t so much “invited” as they are “tolerated” for their vital function as carrion feeders. Without them, disease would consume the races as quickly as the warm summery gusts that whip across desert can spread it. A handful of Nikdo over the years have taken advantage of their “lack of status” and sought the wisdom of the Masters to follow The One. Some of these Noviates also took up the sword and other means of self-defense in case they should be called to defend the weak, as is necessitated by some interpretations of The One.

Nikdo are not typically viewed as warriors, and no follower of The One wants to bring the ire of any race against their brethren. To bridge the call of duty and realities of Anomaly, such “warrior Nikdo” all wear armors built to their diminutive dimensions. Heavy use of war paint is used to further conceal their appearance. Most Nikdo followers, however, tend to be teachers.

GRAELKRA: “Nikdo Mount”

The Graelkra have only been seen in and around the Valley of Deamhans, the home territory of the Nolacs. For this reason alone, there is virtually no information available on the species. Graelkra, like their neighbor Nolacs, are tunnelers. It is unknown if the Nolacs use trained Graelkra as “structural scouts” before turning their own impressive skills towards a new project. The scarcity of the Graelkra has left the Nikdo, the only race other than Nolac to freely traverse Deamhans, to describe the characteristics of the bipedal diggers to me.

The average Graelkra is approximately three times as tall as the standard adult Nikdo, and about five times as long from snout to tip of tail. They have elongated front limbs with arms and hands well developed for gripping and digging purposes. Their eyes are small, indicative of their largely underground existence. Nothing is known about their feeding habits, though Nikdo have been spotted giving various fruits and vegetables to their mounts while the Graelkra happily consume them. This belies the evolutionary function of their rows of needle-like teeth. The short snouts give the head of the creature a shovel-like profile.

Graelkra are known to have shallow tunnels as well as immeasurably deep ones. The shallower tunnels might be to tap into various root systems for sustenance, which might help explain to some degree their contradictory diet and feeding structures.