Kodls

Kodls are a fictional humanoid species widely used in speculative fiction and tabletop role-playing settings. They are native to the archipelagic world Atlora, a water-rich planet where most of the surface is ocean. Physically, Kodls are generally about 1.2 to 1.4 meters tall, with smooth, green-blue skin, webbed fingers, and large eyes adapted to dim light. A distinctive feature is their bioluminescent skin patterns, which change in response to mood and environment and also serve as a social signaling system. They possess gill-like structures enabling short bouts of underwater respiration and lungs for air when on land.

Kodls have a semi-aquatic lifestyle; communities live in coral-reef complexes and floating settlements. Their social structure is decentralized, organized into kin-based clans that form councils to make collective decisions. Leadership is typically earned through service and consensus, rather than hereditary rule. The economy centers on sustainable fishing, seaweed farming, and artisanal crafts; energy is derived from tidal generators and solar-foil systems.

Language-wise, the Kodli language is tonal and uses body language and bioluminescent signaling in underwater contexts. Literacy relies on a combination of tactile scripts and water-ink tablets.

In fiction, Kodls are depicted as curious, trade-oriented, and technologically adept, often collaborating with land-dwelling civilizations on climate resilience and ocean stewardship. They appear in novels, RPG campaigns, and world-building anthologies and have become a common example of a sea-adapted humanoid culture.

See also: List of fictional humanoid species; Atlora.