Race:Tokay

Tokay is a playable race on Hyrule Castle. As one of the nine uncommon races, a player must either be a Veteran, or acquire a Race License specifically for this race to create a Tokay character. Although Tokay are generally peaceful and nonviolent, they are foreigners to Hyrule, and bear appearances Hyruleans would typically find monstrous. Thus most ignorant Hyruleans may regard them as monsters, attack them on sight, and refuse them entry into Ruto or the numerous settlements of Northern Hyrule.

Canonically, Tokays have appeared solely in Oracle of Ages.

Character Creation Brief

In the distant and uncharted regions of the Eastern Sea, there exists a place known as Crescent Island. This location is the origin of the strange, lizard-like race known as Tokay. Their society would appear primitive to those from Hyrule: they use a simple barter system for economy, most dwellers walking around without clothes, and the language is an extremely primitive form of Hyrulean. To the residents of Hyrule, this manner of speech, the Tokay's general unfamiliarity with mathematics, and other traits, can come off as primitive, if not stupid.

However, Tokay are just as intelligent as most other races. It is simply that their culture has never highly valued intelligence or knowledge, and as a result it has never experienced the many luxuries--and many banes--of a more mind-centered culture such as Hyrule. Although Tokay culture does not value intelligence much, it does however emphasize amazing physical traits, such as agility and strength. Their bodies don't look the part, but Tokay have evolved to be extremely deft athletes, possessing above-average coordination, power, and concentration, making them formidable in ways which make up for their feral and primitive nature.

It is particularly unusual for a Tokay to find themselves in Hyrule, as its existence isn't even known on Crescent Island. Being amphibians, they do, however, possess the ability to swim to it from their isle, though it would be an arduous and long journey to an unknown destination--after all, many Tokay don't even believe there is more to the world than their island and the ocean. However, every once in a great while, a Hyrulean will set eyes upon one of these long-necked, scale-covered, orange-chested, pot-bellied, long-tailed, sharp-clawed creatures... and quite possibly run in fear for their life.

A Okay begins with a PWC of 2/2/1, 2/1/2, or 1/2/2. In effect, a Tokay can begin with a +1 to any two different aspects of PWC. Using the Exception racial perk during character creation, a Tokay can begin with a 3 in any one aspect, and a 1 in the other two aspects.

A Tokay has an innate racial perk called Claws, and another known as Foreign Language. On top of these, a Tokay character can have up to three additional racial perks of choice. In addition to the general perks available to every race, a Tokay can also choose from:

• Amphibious: a trait which enables the Tokay to breathe underwater as well as it breathes air
• Hoarder: a trait which makes it easier for the Tokay to gain small trinket-like items
• Nose for Treasure: a technique which enables the Tokay to earn an extra few rupees or a material per quest
• Seed Collector: a trait which enables the Tokay to find a free seed per quest
• Seed Expertise: makes it easier for the Tokay to acquire Seed treasures, gain a free Seed Supply
• Sense: a defensive trait that warns a Tokay of nearby enemies, as if by some sixth sense

Recommended Origins

If you've never made a Tokay character before, this example origin may provide inspiration for your character.

Hunter

You’re a hunter within your clan, and as such have spent your life catching fish and hunting small animals on Crescent Island. You might be handy with a spear or a slingshot, or perhaps your claws. Your village has few athletes swimmers who could be stronger or more skilled than you. Although your people rarely war with each other, you’re the closest thing the Tokay have to a fighter, and are the first line of defense for your clan.

A Tokay Hunter begins with a PWC of 2/1/2. Its racial perks include Claws, Foreign Language, Amphibious, Hoarder, and Sense.

Gatherer

Tokay gatherers are few in number, but essential to providing a balanced selection of food to their clans. You routinely forage for seeds, fruits, and vegetables, but spend most of your time in close range to your village, likely preferring to avoid combat with monsters or interactions with other tribes. Since seeds of course don't grow anywhere near water, you likely haven’t entered the sea since you were a hatchling.

A Tokay Gatherer begins with a PWC of 2/2/1. Its racial perks include Claws, Foreign Language, Hoarder, Seed Expertise, and Seed Collector.

Trader

As a Tokay trader, you are a pioneer within your race, making a living off of bartering with other tribes rather than searching for food. You’re probably more well-traveled than most Tokay, having spent your life moving from clan to clan and creating the groundwork for a real trade network. You may even be among the few in your tribe who is familiar with the Hyrulean continent, having traded with distant strangers.

A Tokay Trader begins with a PWC of 1/2/2. Its racial perks include Claws, Foreign Language, Hoarder, Nose for Treasure, and Business.

Physiology

While not vital information, the following includes further detail on the race's appearance and biology.

Like many amphibians, the life cycle of a Tokay begins with an egg. Tokay lay eggs in clutches of eight to twelve which must be incubated for at least six months before hatching. Like most races, Tokay have two genders, but unlike most sentient races, a Tokay’s gender is not determined until several months into incubation. Male Tokay hatch from eggs near the center of the clutch, which are typically kept warmest; female Tokay hatch from the cooler eggs on the rim of the clutch. Tokay parents typically arrange their clutches to produce an even number of each gender, but they can just as easily arrange for more of one than the other if needed.

When Tokay finally hatch, they are largely defenseless for the first few months, and few survive this infantile period. Tokay begin life with a form not dissimilar to a salamander, moving on four legs and possessing slimy skin. Their gills are much more prominent in the stage, and the scales are far softer. Young Tokay spend much of the time in a shallow pool of water within their parents’ dwelling, as they cannot breathe raw air yet.

The offspring which survive this period undergo metamorphosis. It is at this point when a Tokay will grow their lungs, develop their forelegs into working arms, grow claws, and begin walking on two legs. At this stage of development, a Tokay is considered a child, rather than an infant, as they now display almost all the traits of an adult Tokay, although they will not be true adults for another ten years, during which time they live with and learn from their parents.

A Tokay at adulthood is usually at least as tall as the average Hylian, and sometimes taller. Adult Tokay scales come in various shades of green, orange, red, or blue, and are usually more lightly colored along their belly, chest, and neck. In spite of the prominent scales, Tokay are more amphibian than lizard, and their soft scales are little more protective than a mammal’s skin. Tokay have five fingered hands, each of which is tipped with a sharp claw, but only a single claw on their toeless feet. Their tails range from half to a third of their total height, and are powerful swimming aids. Although most Tokay retain their gills into adulthood, they are less visible now, generally only becoming apparent when a Tokay submerges in water.

In spite of their round, almost goofy faces and pot bellies, Tokay are, as a race, very physically gifted; their bellies are so prominent because all their fat storage is centered there. They also exhibit absolutely no sexual dimorphism and either gender may incubate eggs, so gender roles are essentially non-existent within Tokay society as a result.

Culture & History

While not vital information, the following includes further detail on the race's origins, development, and society.

The Tokay are a young race, and their culture is relatively primitive as a result. To them, barter is a somewhat new invention, and only the most basic of tools has been discovered. The entirety of Tokay civilization exists on Crescent Island, which they believed to be the entire world until very recently. Despite this, the Tokay are just as intelligent as most other races, and they are very welcoming of outsiders.

The origins of the Tokay are unknown, but they likely arose on Crescent Island and only reached true sapience relatively recently. While they have a simple language, they have not yet developed writing, and most Tokay struggle to wrap their minds around the very concept when exposed to it. As such, their history is passed down orally, and is inextricably linked to their mythology. Few Tokay have heard of the Goddesses; instead, the Tokay worship a variety of nature gods which reflect their tropical environment.

Tokay society is centered around hunting and fishing, and their communities, what few of them there are, reflect this fact. Tokay live in small clans scattered around the island, the populations of which are limited by their utter lack of agriculture. Their dwellings are typically simple wood frames draped with the leaves of tropical plants. These homes seldom have walls, but always have small pools of water in them for Tokay hatchlings to swim in.

As a hunter-gatherer society, Tokay have few possessions and very little understanding of personal ownership. This is liable to change with the recent introduction of a barter system, but many Tokay think of stealing as a harmless game, as they tend to place importance not on individual possessions but on the number of possessions one has. The direct result of this is that Tokay tend to hoard items and collect seeds without really paying much attention to the contents of their personal hoards, which are often left unattended and in the open within their open houses.

Although more civilized cultures might perceive the Tokay as monstrous beasts, they have little knowledge of the outside world and are largely untouched by its conflicts.