The Nokari is a small scavenger native to the Asari Region and later spread to the Ralar Region. Despite its nickname “Nokari Mouse,” it bears little resemblance to terrestrial rodents. Its strange, insect-mammal hybrid form and fungal symbiosis make it one of VOI 700 D’s most distinctive opportunistic species.

In addition, the Nokari Mouse maintains a symbiotic relationship with a luminescent fungal patch that grows on the arch of its back. This glow is faint, usually hidden by fur, but visible when the animal is stressed or overheated — a signal used in both defense and communication.

• Body Length: 20–25 cm
• Weight: 280–350 g
• Fur: Dense gray-white coat capable of shifting tone (gray, white, faint blue) for camouflage in snow and twilight environments
• Body Shape: Compact, barrel-like torso, conserving heat in tundra climates
• Limbs: Six in total — four for locomotion, two smaller forelimbs near the head for digging, grooming, and handling food or scraps
• Head: Flattened, triangular skull with no eyes; surrounded by a collar of whisker-fans that detect vibrations, airflow, and heat
• Tail: Split, stiff, semi-prehensile; used for balance, carrying small items, or producing rhythmic tapping signals
• Fungal Symbiosis: Rounded hump on the back hosts bioluminescent fungal fronds that pulse when the creature is stressed or overheated, glowing communally in colonies

• Vibrissal Fan: Primary sensory organ, replacing vision and allowing detection of tunnels, predators, and prey.
• Six-Limbed Locomotion: Skitters like an insect but can rear up on hind limbs for sudden leaping bursts.
• Bioluminescent Fronds: Glow pulses when stressed, alerting colonies and disorienting predators.
• Tail Grip: Split prehensile tail can hold small objects, fibers, or food scraps.
• Adaptive Camouflage: Fur subtly shifts tone for concealment against snow, stone, or twilight shadows.

• Armor Class (AC): 11 (fur camouflage + compact body)
• Hit Points (HP): 8
• Speed: 25 ft. (skitter/leap), Leap 10 ft. (as bonus action when startled)

• Defensive Bite: +1 to hit, 1d2 piercing damage (used only when cornered)
• Leap Kick (escape action): +2 to hit, 1d3 bludgeoning; pushes attacker 5 ft. away on hit.

• Vibrissal Sense: Advantage on Survival checks to detect tunnels, hidden predators, or warm refuges.
• Bioluminescent Glow: Emits faint light in a 5 ft. radius when frightened; predators attempting Stealth in this glow roll with disadvantage.
• Tail Grip: Can carry objects up to 0.5 kg using its split tail.

• Diet: Omnivorous; consumes dried flora, fungi, worms, scraps, and insects.
• Social Structure: Solitary for most of the year but will cluster in loose colonies around stable food or warmth sources.

• Thermal Nesting: Builds burrows beneath snowdrifts, often lined with glowing fungal mats.
• Opportunist Scavenger: Thrives near Exohuman settlements, hitchhiking in cargo or nests near heat sources.
• Alarm Glow: Stress glow warns the colony of approaching predators.

• Gestation Period: 3 weeks
• Litter Size: 3–5 pups
• Maturity: 2 months

• Average Lifespan: 2–4 years
• Population Turnover: Rapid, allowing survival despite high predation

At first glance, it is mouse-like — small, furry, twitching. But then you see the split tail curling around a scrap of cloth, or the faint fungal glow along its arched back, pulsing in the dark. Its flattened snout brushes the ground, whisker-fans spreading wide as if it is “tasting the air,” before it springs away on powerful hind legs in a jerky, unpredictable leap.

When a group scatters, you hear tiny claws scraping across stone, short bursts of squeaks, and the faint shimmer of light vanishing into snow burrows. In the tundra, their glow is seen by Natives as a sign of warmth nearby — to Exohumans, it is a sign that their food has already been found.

The Nokari Mouse’s uniqueness makes it a perfect flavor encounter in both Habitual Belt and Dark Side adventures:

• Glowing Clues: The stress-glow of fleeing mice might reveal hidden burrows or hint at predator presence.
• Cargo Hitchhiker: Infested supplies could cause food spoilage or accidentally transport them into new zones.
• Native Belief: Tribes may see them as omens, making encounters with players symbolic and culturally significant.

• VOI 700 D
• Asari Region
• Ralar Tundra
• Trade Route
• Halfway Inn
• Known Wildlife of the Asari Region
• Known Wildlife of the Ralar Region

Known Predators (Asari Region):

• Arr

Known Predators (Ralar Region):

• Glaciok
• Korozo
• Xzonomi
• Zapor