Kothama

Kothama

(Creature)

Type

Magical beast
(cold)

CR

10

Environment

Any (Vesk-7 or Vesk-8)

Alignment

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Source: Alien Archive 3, pg(s). 64–65

Kothamas are a species of peaceful frost behemoths native to the two outermost planets of the Veskarium.

Appearance

Kothamas are massive and shaggy with flat faces, four thick legs and two arms. Their four eyes are glassy, inky black and speckled with silver spots, and perpetually face skyward. The average kothama is 18 feet tall and weighs 24 tons.

Ecology

Kothamas are hermaphrodites. When mating, a couple fertilise each other, then part ways to give birth alone. They are nocturnal, exude an aura that makes it difficult for other creatures to commit violent acts, and live for hundreds of years.

Habitat

Kothamas originate from the frozen plains of Vesk-8, and have also spread to Vesk-7 through their shared moon Traverse. They prefer to make their homes in the extreme cold and thin air on the highest mountains of their homeworlds, where they spend their nights alone meditating on the cosmos and deepening their connection to the stars. They can tolerate warmer temperatures, but only feel truly comfortable in the sublime cold of the vacuum. The oldest and most powerful kothama mystics, inured against the vacuum, often fling themselves into the void to meditate and hibernate, becoming especially angry if woken.

Twice a year, when Vesk-7 approaches Vesk-8, the portals connecting the two planets become active, and a small percentage of kothamas undertake a traditional sacred journey from one to the other.

Society

Kothamas prefer to keep things pleasant with other races with their calming aura, only resorting to violence when they need to defend themselves or escape, trampling smaller creatures in the process. When the vesk first landed on kothama planets, they expected fierce resistance but were unnerved by the behemoths' calming presence. Even the few violent kothamas rarely act against others of their kind, due to their calming aura. The vesk are aware that they themselves are also affected, which makes it difficult to enforce discipline on the kothamas, though since kothamas do not challenge Veskarium rule, the two species usually ignore each other and interact only when absolutely necessary.

Kothamas have not adopted communication technology and rely on their biannual journeys to share information between Vesk-7 and Vesk-8. Despite this, the whole species have a largely monolithic culture.

Kothamas are rarely seen outside of Vesk-8 and Vesk-7, except a few who seek to research cosmic mysteries from other vantages and sign on other species' starships for this purpose. Some share their knowledge and theories with other species, founding observatories, temples or cosmonateries where solarians who reject the Cycle could train.

Other kothamas are unlucky enough to be conscripted by the Veskarium. Despite their understanding of the stars and the void, which makes them unrivalled navigators, kothamas are ill-suited to starships due to their size and pacifist nature. As such, they are more often stationed on Vesk Prime to create or update star maps and navigational charts for the military. However, due to the conflict between their peaceful ways and military service, these kothamas often become stressed and die only after a few years if not allowed to return home.

In the aftermath of the Drift Crash, those kothamas who gazed too deeply into the Maw, which appeared around Vesk-8 and Vesk-7, developed an infectious rage. These kothamas, called Mawspeakers, exude an aura of violence instead of peace, and now comprise a sizable minority on both planets.

Religion

Most kothamas worship Ibra but build few temples, preferring to maintain small, individual shrines.