HK-36
The Iron Lord Protector (Neutral Good)
Name: Nocur
Designation: Non-Sentient
Homeworld: Abregado-Rae
Language: Squawks for calling out to other members of their pack, shrieks to alarm other members of the pack of incoming danger, soft clapping of their beak to show comfort, enjoyment, or affection, and screeching roars to show hostility and scare off any intruders or attackers.
Average height of adults: 3 meters when standing on back paws.
Skin color: Ranging from shades of pink to shades of tan
Hair color: Ranging from shades of brown to black with their display humps having blue, red, orange, or violet colors.
Breathes: Type 1
- Strengths: Claw Strike- The Nocur have strong claws and their bodies are capable of strong sweeps, attack they developed to bring down the largest of prays they feed on in their native environment. While they are capable of tearing through armor light and some medium armor with simple slashes, much like Leovi, it is with direct hits at the height of the speed of their sweeps that they are able to deliver maximum damage. In comparison, the slashes caused by Leovi are much like slashes from a knife, when getting hit full on by a sweep from Nocur would be like getting hit by a pick-axe or a mace with spikes on it, and their claws have been toughened through their development as top predators on Abregado-Rae, tearing through tough hides of banthas, Leovi, Magru, hunting or wandering Gados and Moochers, and anything else that stands in their way. As such, simple cuts and scratches of Nocur claws can tear most armor between rating of 1 and 4, much like the claws of Leovi, however, a good direct hit would cause the Nocur claws to puncture the armor like spikes, able to pierce through armor between ratings of 1 and 6, however, all of this strongly depends on what material the armor is made from, Nocur claws are ineffective against Beskar, Phrik, and some types of alchemized leather, if the leather was enhanced against physical damage.
- Beak Crush- Just like the Leovi, the Nocur's strongest weapon is the grip of their durable beak. In the wild, the animals use the powerful muscles in their jaws to cut deep into flesh of their prey, piercing through blubber, muscles, and breaking bones in the iron-like grip of their beaks. While the Leovi beaks were already strong enough to crack most medium armor, the Nocur's beaks are stronger still as these animals do not rely on speed and ambush like the Leovi, but on brute force instead. The Nocur can use the beak on tougher armor much like a clamp, a crushgaunt, or a nutcracker, breaking the armor and shattering it by exerting steady pressure over time, for Nocur this is an effective way of dealing with armor between ratings of 1 and 8, threshold slightly bigger than that of Leovi, as the Nocur muscles are able to exert more power. However, this does not happen instantly and really it works the best on armored prey who is already stunned, especially since due to the properties of their eyes they are unable to look at their prey when they are crushing them in their beaks, otherwise by the time the Nocur will be able to start cracking the armor in the vices of their beaks, their victim would be able to fight back. Nocur beaks can also damage over time by cracking too much tougher armor, a very painful and crippling experience to the Nocur. For example, it would take two or three 7th class armor to start damaging Nocur's beak, but after just one 8th class armor the Nocur would begin feeling painful sensation when biting. All of this, of course, highly depends on the material from which the armor is made, as for example Phrik, Beskar, or alchemized Metal or Leather treated to withstand physical damage would not be susceptible to cracks by Nocur beaks.
- Special Oil- Another extraordinary property of the Nocur physiology are the feathers covering their bodies. The structures of their feathers excretes an oily discharge, much similar to oils and mucus discharge by the Hutts, that has resistant properties against heat and energy-based weaponries. Originally, it was an adaptation the Nocur have developed for when the species used to migrate through plains of Abregado-Rae towards colder climates as seasons changed. Their bodies susceptible to heat, the Nocur developed the oils to protect themselves from over-heating by exposure to the sun during their walks or hunts in the plains, where there is little to no cover. These properties of their oily discharge have translated into limited resistance towards heat-based weaponry as well and blasters and lightsabers, however, this resistance is not total, nor is it permanent. The oils can be found only in the beast's feathers, which includes their backs, arms and hind legs, as well as necks, heads, and rumps, the areas that during venture in the wild would be exposed to the sunlight, their bellies, underbellies, armpits, and throats do not have the same protection from the oils, still leaving them exposed to energy damage, especially when the beast stand up to strike the enemies with both of their paws or to intimidate them.
- The oils dissipate the energy damaged caused by blaster bolt or glancing hit from a lightsaber, and only glancing hits, but they also burn at the contact, burning out patches of feathers and fur on Nocur body, in some rare cases even briefly igniting them, and creating puffs of black smoke. This is a very painful experience for the Nocur, arguable as painful as if the blaster bolt would penetrate their body, often sending them into rage to strike blindly, charge, or flee the scene before such sensation would repeat. When a lightsaber makes contact with the oily feathers, its blade is stopped at first by the coating of resistant oils, however, these oils burn away after no more than two seconds of contact with a lightsaber, making the oily feathers an effective defense only against glancing blows of the energy swords.
- Due to the properties of this oil and the fact it is strongly bound to Nocru feathers, it cannot be extracted easily, the oil loses its properties over time when taken off of a Nocur, and deceased Nocur do not seem to produce more of it while getting close to one of the beasts to extract some seems foolish or suicidal at best.
- Tough Hide- The Nocur have developed tough, sturdy hides in order to survive hunting the larger animals on Abregado-Rae, such as Magru or Leovi. The hide of an adult Nocur can be compared to an armor of rating 4 or, rarely 5, as the beasts are able to withstand multiple slashes from the Leovi, another large predator on Abregado-Rae they contest with, although a high-speed charge from the Magru is able to pierce their hides and inflict often lethal damage. When it comes to firearms, 5 good shots from a good blaster or slughthrower should suffice in bringing one of these beasts down, although it is much more recommended to use heavier vehicle-mounted weaponry such as heavy repeaters or machine guns.
- Limited Scent Tracking- The Nocur have limited capabilities in tracking trails of scent, it is not their greatest sense as the Nocur in the wild use it mostly to find burrowing creatures such as the Moochers, and to track them through their tunnels before digging them apart in order to find colony of tasty snacks. The Nocur are able to track prey who left scent for up to an hour ago before the scent would start to become lost on the Nocur. It is simple enough to fool Nocur's sense when tracking scent by rubbing oneself with some other sort of scent, aromatic leaves for example, or taking a quick swim in a river.
- Strong Body- Nocur are creatures of brute power and strength, they prefer to run straight at their pray, knock them down, and just go to town on them by ripping and clawing them apart or crushing within their strong beaks. One good swing is enough to send even a man in full armor onto their butts, unless something like mass projector is used, and the Nocur have enough carrying capacity for armor to be placed over their bodies and they would still be able to carry a fully armored rider. However, if that does happen they will also be extremely heavy and very slow when compared to their speed without armor, therefore, if one does end up taking Nocur as their mount, it is advised they would don light armor if the Nocur will be given additional armor, or medium armor if the Nocur will be unarmored. Even though Nocur are large, they are not slow, in their sprint the Nocur are able to gain enough speed to outrun an average human, as well as to catch up with the swift Magru. However, the Magru do beat them over long distances, and Leovi are still faster in sprints, Nocur use powerful bursts of energy from their muscles to sprint at fast pace, if it wasn't for their heavy bodies, they would be able to outrun the Leovi.
- Darkvision- Nocur have developed cylindrical tube-like eyes, rather large when compared to their heads. This adaptation has given them incredible eyesight, especially in low-light environments, the Nocur are able to hunt well using their sight whether it is day or night, spotting their pray from long distances. However, the downside of this is that the Nocur are not able to move their eyes, at all. Instead they rely on pivoting and swiveling their heads to look about their environments, this provides some down-side during combat, of course, if they grab somebody in the grip of their beaks, it is impossible for them to look at what their pray is doing, making it very easy to counter-attack them, as dangerous as it is to be in the grip of their jaws. During the day, and whenever light shines on them, the rays of light reflect from the pupils in their eyes, giving off what looks to be a ghastly light-blue glow.
- That Creepy Thing They Do When They Can Look Behind Themselves- To make up for the fact they are not able to move their eyes, the Nocur are able to swivel their heads about in approximately angle of 270 degrees, making it easy for them to look behind themselves, to the sides, up and down. However, this only really works when the Nocur are standing on their hind paws, when they are moving about on all fours, they are unable to use this trait to its full extend as their large bodies, and their mating display humps, are blocking their view. Therefore, whenever they move on all fours, the Nocur have to sacrifice portion of their field of view for mobility. Also, it looks extremely creepy when the Nocur stand on their hind paws and turn their heads almost all the way around.
- Weaknesses: Photosensitivity- Due to the nature of their eyesight, and as drawback for their ability to see in low-light environments, the Nocur can vary easily have their eyes overwhelmed by sudden large bursts of light. This weakness makes flashbangs and explosives very useful against them as it can either stun the animal or make them flee. It also makes them act in peculiar ways when in presence of lightsabers, blasters, or other energy weapons that cause plenty of flash. The Nocur can become distracted by such flashes as blaster fire, irritated even and disoriented. To prevent a Nocur from going wild during combat, the beats have often been blindfolded to avoid them getting too irritated with light shows, this limits their combat abilities, of course, as Nocur then attack wildly when they close to enemies, blindly sweeping as they do not see where they can hit. A Nocur can be trained to get used to flashes of blasters during a fight, making them more resistant to going wild in combat without need to be blindfolded, however, this procedure takes time.
- Charger- The Nocur like to charge down their pray to knock them out before feeding, much like a bull or a boar would do, this straight-forward tactic makes them easier to spot and take down once they do attack. After all, if they move in a straight line, right at their enemy, all the prey would need to do is raise their firearm and pull the trigger, or raise their melee weapon and let the Nocur impale themselves on it. Thankfully, the Nocur are harder to take down, it would take multiple shots to bring them down, although a good strike, such as decapitation or impalement of their head, would be able to stop Nocur in its tracks.
- Big Target- The Nocur are big and heavy, they are about as hard to miss as the side of a barn, it is easy to shoot them on a battlefield, although in the wilds they are not as easy spotted. However, they are much like tanks, what they lack in finesse and ability to dodge attacks, they make up in durability of their bodies. The size and weight of their bodies also means that in softer terrain they can sink into the soil, such us in bogs or quicksand, this is a very exploitable weakness as the Nocur do not often linger about such terrains and would not realize that they are a danger.
- Sensitive Hearing- Much like their eyesight, the Nocur have acute and sensitive hearing as well. Their inner ears are placed in asymmetrical design (like that of many Earth's owls), which enables them to determine distance between them and their pray at a distance through hearing. However, this can be easily overwhelmed by loud noises like those produced from a flashbang, any explosive detonating, or a sonic grenade, giving more opportunities for the beasts to become stunned, disoriented, or go into a blind rage. As with their photo-sensitivity, Nocur can be affected by battlefield noises, such as gunshots, with irritation, however, they can be trained to resist such distractions, with time and patience, but they will never lose their vulnerability to loud explosives, flashbangs, or sonic grenades.
- Overheating- Due to the protective layer of blubber, fur, and feathers, Nocur retain heat very well, while this is a helpful trait during stay in cold climates, or in dark places like caves or floors of dense forests, it also means that Nocur can very easily over-heat and become sick. To compensate for that, Nocur in the wild spend much of their free time in caves, where they are protected from sun-lights heating contact, or nearby water sources, like rivers, ponds, or lakes, where they can cool down by having a sip or going for a quick swim. However, Nocur living in captivity need to be kept in air-conditioned storage units to prevent them from over-heating as this can lead to heat-stroke and eventually can be fatal to a Nocur. Of course, this is something that can be exponentially quickened by use of a heat-based weaponry on a Nocur, like flamethrowers or barrages of blaster bolts. If for some reason direct damage from such weapons won't bring a Nocur down, there is always a risk that overheating due to contact with such weaponry will. In mild cases of over-heating, a Nocur can throw up, as it becomes worse it can pass-out, if the condition will not improve the Nocur can die.
- Aggressive- Nocur are very, very aggressive animal, in the wild they can attack and eat pretty much anything except their own species. This makes capturing and training Nocur very dangerous, as even Nocur born in captivity have a hard time letting go of their instincts and often attack their trainers. Fortunately, these attacks happen while the Nocur are still young cubs and instead of killing their trainers outright in an attack, they can deliver shallow or deep slashes or brake a bone or two. Due to this aggressive behavior, very few Nocur have been captured and successfully trained as such an endeavor is a dangerous one, and few people ever are willing to risk it. Their aggressive nature also makes them a rather solitary animals, Nocur can often be found in the wild alone or in very small packs of between 3 to 5.
- Territorial- Nocur do not like intruders on their pack's hunting grounds, whether they be unfamiliar Nocur or somebody else. Many instances have been noted in which a pack of Nocur would kill another Nocur who wandered into their territory and have not promptly backed out, just the same some packs have been killed by a wandering Nocur who claimed their territory in stead. A Nocur territory can be noted by barks being ripped off of some trees at the edges of their grounds. This behavior makes it easier for strangers to potentially take the Nocur eggs before the young hatch as the Nocur can be baited out of the cave where they made their nest with imitations of wild Nocur calls. The small numbers of individuals that make up their packs often means that there is nobody to stay behind and guard the eggs should both male and female leave to protect their territory. During hunts, it is often the male that stays behind to keep the eggs safe while the female prowls and rawrs to provide for the family.
- Low Reproduction Rate- The Nocur do not have many young at once, often the numbers ranging between 1 and 4, with the Nocur being able to reproduce at age ten, and being out of the nest by then, and laying eggs approximately every ten years until death. It means that during 60 years of their average lifespan a Nocur will have maximum of 12 to 16 young raised. This is rather low when compared to other species on Abregado like Leovi, Magru, or the Moochers. As such, government of Abregado is careful to condemn over-hunting of these animals, not wanting to risk the Nocur going into endangered or extinct status.
Distinctions: Owl and bear traits mixed into one, cylindrical eyes, ability to swivel head at 270 degrees, powerful limbs, strong beaks, unique oil with limited heat and energy resistant properties on their feathers.
Average Lifespan: 60
Races: Polar Nocur, identical except with white coats of fur and silver and blue feathers, living in the colder tundra regions of Abregado-Rae at either of the magnetic poles of the planet.
Diet: Berries, fish, mushrooms, Moochers, Leovi, Magru, bantha, pretty much anything that moves on Abregado-Rae.
Communication: Vocal, as described in the Language section, and some pheromones to mark the territory.
Culture: The Nocur are very territorial predators living either solitary or small-pack lifestyles. They often make their homes in caves where they nest and lay their eggs, hunting under the shade of trees where they can blend in and have an easier time of attacking their pray from closer range. The Nocur are very caring and protective of their young, due to the small number of eggs they lay at once, they need to take good care of them to ensure survival of their species. During their mating seasons, the males and females interact each other in dance-rituals in which they call to each other with melodic squawking and shrieking while rolling and shaking their shoulders back and forth, making their display humps dance and wave to their partners in sensual displays of affection.
Technology level: None
General behavior: Nocur are very aggressive, very territorial species. Especially in mating season when the males contest for affection of females and hormones rage all about Abregado-Rae, and the nesting seasons when the Nocur raise their awareness in order to provide protection for their young. In those times it is a very dumb idea to come close to Nocur territories as the creatures will most likely attack any passer-by's without much warning. Otherwise, their presence could be known from shrieking, a signal to ward off any intruders, letting them know that there is a Nocur about and it will be very pissed if you came closer to it. The Nocur tend to prefer forests and caves of Abregado-Rae, places where they can have plenty of protection from the sunlight and where their vision in the dark can serve as an advantage against their prey. As such, they rarely go out into the plains of Abregado, if they do it is most often because a herd of Magru wandered too close to their territory and the Nocur can snatch a few of them for dinner, or because they could not find any pray in the forest, so they venture to try their luck in the plains.
Although aggressive towards strangers, Nocur are quite affectionate towards their pack-mates, often licking their young and nibbling on them to keep their feathers clean, adult Nocur would play with their cubs in order to teach them how to hunt and fight, the cubs often return the affection by nuzzling their parents and cooing.
History: Nocur are closely related to the other avian predators on Abregado-Rae, the Leovi. However, while Leovi bodies became nimble, lean, and grew wings, the Nocur became strong, sturdy, and large humps have formed on their backs where Leovi would grow their wings. Throughout Abregado's history the Nocur fought with Leovi over title of Abregado's top predators, and while Leovi may have won the skies, the Nocur rule the ground, making their homes in forests and caves, being considered most often the apex predators of Abregado.
To Gados and Moochers, the natives of Abregado, the Nocur were a symbol of strength and endurance, brute beasts who could slay pretty much anyone, monsters lurking in the dark depths of forests and caves that scared children in chilling stories. Moocher queens have often chosen the Nocur name for their tribes, calling the beasts by a silly name of Bear-Owls, while Gados hunters and warriors took liking to wearing pendant of Nocur beaks and claws, a good luck charms they believed would give them the strength of the great beast. From such traditions the phrases "As strong as Nocur." or "As vicious as Nocur." or "Yo momma's so fat, Nocurs be lookin' at her goin' 'Damn, that's a lot of blubber beneath tha' fur'" came forth.
Gados have rarely tried hunting these great beasts for sport, it often ended with one of the Gados hunters dying, instead, few ambitious farmers and beast trainers through the planet's history attempted to domesticate these beasts and use them for their own purpose. Many died during such trials, as having a limb cut off by a Nocur beak was deadly to Gados due to their physiology. However, suprisingly, some were succesful in such notions, and small populations of Nocur have been kept in captivity. Unfortunately such populations were never large due to their low reproduction rate and the unruly nature, making the training a difficult and long process.
The few domesticated Nocur have been sometimes used as mounts by fearsome warriors, leading charges by riding right into battle to tear away at their enemies, knocking back whole lines of troopers. The Nocur have also been sent by themselves as beasts of war, unleashed onto the lines of enemy soldiers, sowing chaos and panic with their large presence and the fearsome piercing shrieking roars.
As to Moochers, they just tried to stay away from the Nocur's path, least they would become easy pray to them. The Queens in Moocher tribes often used Nocur as scare tactic to keep the less-intelligent members of their tribes in line, by warning them that in exile the only thing they'll meet would be a Nocur's beak.
Notable Player-Characters: None at the moment
Intent: To provide an apex predator, fearsome and scary woodland creature, and war beast to Abregado-Rae to bring more flavor and RP possibilities to otherwise bland and dull planet with few species, and even fewer species actually described.
