Hoi^3 (FT)

The Hoi^3, also commonly known as the Katoku, are a species of sentient cephalopods native to the planet WuAaA^2, commonly known as Aokessho. The term "Katoku" originates from their official Imperial scientific designation, Kangae Tōsokurui, which has been adopted throughout the rest of the Human Sphere.

The Hoi^3 evolved in the oceans of Aokessho over a period of around 50 million years, attaining sentience about 300,000 years ago and developing complex aquatic societies. Initially towards the lower middle of the oceanic food chain, the Hoi^3 gained the upper hand against their numerous predators through tool use, complex organisation, and communication through complex language.

Biology
The Hoi^3 are hermaphrodites and are capable of both laying eggs and fertilising them. Eggs are laid every six years in shallow coastal waters, which are considered neutral grounds and are protected against predators by fortifications. It was the need to protect these spawning grounds that the Hoi^3 first developed the skills to build structures. Typically, it is the pod leaders that fertilise all eggs of their pod, one of the rare times that pod leaders venture out of their deep-water fortresses. Hoi^3 hatch in clutches of several dozen at a time, emerging from their eggs in a feral stage and fight among themselves for food, with cannibalism also a common occurrence. This period of violence is known as the "Shredding" (KwaAA^2 Hu^K). Only the strongest and most intelligent specimens survive this period of violence, often congregating into tribal "proto-pods".

Only after Hoi^3 grow their shells are they considered to be sentient individuals by Hoi^3 society. Before that, they are considered to be feral creatures and may even be eaten by mature Hoi^3 if they feel like it.

Some Hoi^3 avoid the gatherings and end up as solitary, feral individuals. The strongest of these may form their own pods and found their own cultures, typically by strong-arming other outcasts or rounding up fellow ferals. These are often destroyed quickly, but the rare few that survive go on to create whole new societies on their own with unique cultures and language.

After three years, the pod sends envoys to the spawning grounds to recruit the juveniles into their society, mainly capturing the surviving individuals by force or otherwise securing their loyalty through whatever means the envoys feel is appropriate. The juveniles are brought to the deepwater territories of the pods, where they are inducted into pod society and educated on the pod's language and customs.

Language
The Hoi^3 communicate through a combination of vocalizations, clicks, and bioluminescence. Hoi^3 language is extremely complex to foreign observers, and is still not fully understood by both the Hierarchy and Human researchers, though the similarity of Khilsarii communication methods enabled the development of translation devices early on in the first contact between the Hierarchy and the Hoi^3. As with most other species, a vast array of languages and dialects exist in Hoi^3 populations across Aokessho, though at least three "lingua francas" have been observed in use with a majority of the population.

History
Evolving in the pelagic region of Aokessho, the ancestors of the Hoi^3 first began using tools and organised hunting strategies some 3 million years ago. Due to the presence of numerous predators, survival in the coastal spawning grounds and around the deep-sea volcanic vents became increasingly contingent on group coordination and the use of tools such as rudimentary spears and blades fashioned from rocks and shells. As pods grew larger, the need to secure food supplies drove the Hoi^3 pods to expand across the planet's oceans. Over time, the Hoi^3 began to hunt and consume larger prey, transitioning from a largely shellfish-based diet to a widely varied and omnivorous one about 1.2 millions years ago.

The Hoi^3 were mainly hunter-gatherers until about 9,000 years ago, when aquaculture and animal husbandry were developed near the Okubi Trench. Here, the first shellfish farms were established using seaweed lines strung over thermal vents and guarded against scavengers and larger predators. This created a food surplus that enabled permanent settlements to be formed, alongside the domestication of animals. Off the Godo Peninsula, the Eight-Fin Turtle was domesticated and bred for their meat and shells. Aquaculture and a sedentary lifestyle led to the emergence of early civilizations. Around 4,000 years ago, the Hoi^3 in the Yoru Shallows developed literacy through the use of coloured shells and knotted seaweed, initially for accounting purposes.

Through such developments, the Hoi^3 experienced major global developments

Vehicles were made to move large amounts of cargo around; they were basically submarines that first used undersea currents and also oars. They also later developed some kind of water jet system using large bladders based on their own water jet propulsion capabilities. They also made stronger submarines to explore the deeper parts of the ocean.

Eventually an effort was made to explore the land. Based on observing logs and whale corpses washed up on shore, a watertight cylinder was developed that could be rolled by body weight onto land. The discovery of a whole new world outside of the oceans was massive, and soon more explorers made attempts to push ever further on shore.

The cylindrical wheels eventually gave way to oared vessels that used oar-legs to drag them across land. These then transitioned to multi-legged amphibious vehicles inspired by animals spotted on the land. This way, the Hoi^3 were able to explore almost 89% of their planet before the Hierarchy arrived.