=== Major Planetary Zones | (Twin) Sections of the Habitual Belt | Regions | Wildlife ===

====== MOKA ======

{{ :moka_gg_scenic_2d.png?200|}}
===== Overview =====
The Moka (Hexapodus agriventris) is a medium-sized, hexapodal browser domesticated across the [[asari|Asari Region]] of the [[equator_sections_east_and_west|Eastern Equatorial Section]] in the [[habitual_belt|Habitual Belt]] on [[the_planet_voi_700_d|VOI 700 D]].
Bred by [[the_humans|Exohumans]] in the [[beta_age|Beta Age]] for shed fiber (“pen-felt”), light pack work, a mild buccal “cheek-curd,” and eggs, Mokas became staple pen animals. After the [[peace_treaty|Peace Treaty]] of the [[the_gamma_age|Gamma Age]] and the vegetarian policy, meat/curd/egg consumption ceased; herds persist for fiber, manure, traction in gardens, and breeding stock.

===== Physique and Appearance =====
  * **Shoulder Height:** 0.9–1.1 m  
  * **Body Length:** 1.4–1.7 m  
  * **Weight:** 60–95 kg
  * **Build:** Low barrel torso; six legs — short fore probe-limbs for scraping/foraging; robust mid & hind pairs for gait.
  * **Hide:** Matte, suede-like dermis with callused plaques on flanks/shoulders; slate–umber mottling; dust/mud in seams.
  * **Head:** Broad, flat muzzle with keratin rasp pad and prehensile split lips (no beak, no exposed teeth).
  * **Eyes/Ears:** Large dark eyes (horizontal pupils); leaf-shaped heat-vaning ears.
  * **Tail:** Short, bristled counterbalance.
  * **Brood Anatomy:** Ventral brood plates (flexible keratin lamellae) that fold down to shelter a nest; oviposition slit posterior to pelvis.

==== Special Features ====
  * **Ovipositor & Brood Plates:** Females scrape shallow bowls with probe-limbs, lay leathery eggs, then cover them with warm brood plates.
  * **Cheek-Curd Glands (Beta Age use):** Buccal fermentation sacs expressed under handler techniques (prohibited Gamma Age).
  * **Heat Vanes:** Ear lamellae radiate heat during hot twilights.

===== Game Mechanics =====
  * **Armor Class (AC):** 12
  * **Hit Points (HP):** 28
  * **Speed:** 40 ft. (land)

==== Attacks ====
  * **Shoulder Shove:** +4 to hit, 1d6 bludgeoning; on hit DC 12 Str save or pushed 5 ft.
  * **Stamp (Threatened):** 1d4 bludgeoning; disadvantage to hit if two other Mokas are adjacent (herd milling).

==== Special Abilities ====
  * **Herd Calm:** Advantage on saves vs. fear within 10 ft. of two+ Mokas.
  * **Sure-Footed:** Advantage on checks to keep footing on scree, mud, or pen debris.
  * **Nestwise:** Advantage on Survival checks to locate or conceal nests in pens or reed beds.

===== Behavior =====
  * **Diet:** Reeds, sedges, tubers, crop waste.
  * **Social:** Herd animals; settle to low humming cues from handlers.
  * **Activity:** Most active in cool twilight; dust-bathing is communal.

==== Survival Strategies ====
  * **Freeze-and-Mottle:** Drops low; flank mottling breaks outline among reeds and shadow.
  * **Alarm Hiss:** Ear vanes flare; a soft expulsive hiss ripples through the herd.

===== Domestication and Use =====
  * **Beta Age:** Eggs (soft-shelled, leathery), cheek-curd, shed fiber, light pack, manure.
  * **Gamma Age:** Animal products banned; eggs only for **breeding**; fiber/manure permitted; traction in gardens.
  * **Handling:** Halter loop behind ear bases; probe-limbs respond to tap commands.

===== Reproduction and Lifecycle =====
  * **Clutch:** **6–12 leathery eggs** in shallow **moss-and-silt bowls** (often communal “creche rings”).
  * **Incubation:** **5–6 weeks** under brood plates and warmed compost.
  * **Hatchlings:** Precocial; follow dam within 24 hours; brood plates used as windbreak during first week.
  * **Weaning:** 4–5 months; breeding maturity ~2 years.
  * **Lifespan:** 18–22 years (captivity).

===== Look and Feel =====
At dusk in a scrap-and-timber pen, a female Moka settles over a shallow nest: six legs tucked, probe-limbs tidying the rim while **ventral brood plates** tent a cluster of speckled, leathery eggs. Dust hangs in the air; ear-vanes breathe heat into the cooling light.

===== Tactical Advice for Dungeon Masters =====
  * **Egg Heist/Rescue:** Poachers target fertile clutches; stealth and tracking challenges ensue.
  * **Spooked Herd:** A nest disturbance triggers milling and visibility penalties.
  * **Supply Threads:** Salt bricks (historical curd practice) vs. Gamma Age bans create legal/ethical quest hooks.

===== Related Pages and Further Information =====
  * [[habitual_belt|Habitual Belt]]
  * [[equator_sections_east_and_west|Equatorial Sections East and West]] (Asari)
  * [[asari|Eastern Equatorial Section of the Habitual Belt]]
  * [[wildlife_of_asari|Wildlife of Asari]]

**Known Predators:**
  * [[arr|Arr]] (targets calves)
  * [[moar|Moar]] (rare, on open slopes)