Parting of the Ways (Fortune: Evolution Game)

The placement of the continents during the "Parting of the Ways" (PotW) Era.

"Parting of the Ways" is the sixth chapter in the evolution game run by FortuneHost. The name is a reference to the lyrics of an Irish protest song, but also refers to the splitting of the continents that has occurred. For now, these are tentatively named Alpha, Beta, and Delta continents. Unlike other games, Part 6 is split into regions, with a thread dedicated to each area rather than the world as a whole, as now creatures are separated and should evolve differently in their varied environments.

Arctic

A frozen holdover from the long-gone days of the Ice Age, the Arctic is a cold, foreboding wasteland of ice and snow. Life, however, clings here nonetheless. Several varieties of the endothermic crustaceans known as the Snow Crab live here, huddling together for warmth, and the gelatinous Imperial Wolves traverse the white dunes of this frozen desert. White-furred Wretches prowl, hoping to dig up some measly meal to eat, and hoping to avoid the monstrous Demolisher, still a fearsome predator even in this white Hell of a biome.

Demolisher

If God is dead, as Nietzsche so famously said, it is not humanity that killed him, but the Demolisher certainly has the chops for such a task. The size of a schoolbus, armoured in a second skeleton and spiked back, to prevent cannibalistic fathers from consuming it, this creature is a walking tank, all fury and muscle.

The Demolisher is an endothermic carnivorous repto-mammal. Fearsome though it be, it is also thankfully incredibly rare, as an ecosystem can only support a few. Demolishers are ambush predators, and in the Arctic, their bone-white camouflage lends towards such a strategy. The creature will wait, for days if necessary, and once prey, like a Wretch or protein-rich Imperial Wolf, appears, it strikes out, with its long sticky tongue (half again the length of its body) or goring it with its might tusks. Such an attack could be compared to a freight train. A train made of teeth and murder.

Imperial Wolf

Imperial Wolves are agile pack hunters descended from the Shogun Walrus. While still capable of eating dirt, they prefer the rich protein and nutrients found in live prey. The wolves have several tools which make them competent hunters, the most important being numbers. Wolves live in large families that send out several hunting parties of 6-8 to search for food. Scouts will use a form of modified echo-location to search. When a scout finds something, it alerts the other wolves through a series of nasal burps who will then attempt to hunt down and surround the prey. They will then either shoot acid at the eyes and limbs to immobilize it or make a series of leaping rams in an attempt to gore it with their reinforced tusks.

What allows Imperial Wolves their greater mobility is a rudimentary form of hydraulic muscle. Each 'limb' is a gel filled mass able to squeeze and contract allowing for more able movement. The wolves have a primitive lung and modified trachea which allow them to either intake air for complex pack commands or pool acid in preparation for a like spray (typically used as an escape distraction).

Snow Crab

A study of the sexual dimorphism in Snow Crabs.

Snow Crabs are scavenging terrestrial crustaceans common in the Arctic Circle region, though they are occasionally seen in the upper reaches Northern Wildwood.

Snow Crabs are a reminder that evolution often moves slowly because, like your bum hippy cousin, it only works when absolutely neccesary. Snow Crabs evolved from Pretender Crabs, who would lure creatures in by pretending to be the plants their prey ate. The thing is, neither of the plants that Snow Crabs resemble even exist anymore, having moved on to other forms. The Snow Crabs, however, have been succesful enough that there has been little need to change their features, though it is possible that the "pretender stem" that is their species' legacy may eventually atrophy, or they may find use as a mating display. Only time will tell.

Snow Crabs live in colonies or "clutches" of 20-50 individuals, with singles, mated pairs, and offspring all present. There is no rank here, no alpha male or matriarch present. The reason Snow Crabs gather together is for warmth. While they are invertebrates, Snow Crabs are endothermic (what some call warm-blooded), and the body heat generated from close proximity helps keep hypothermia away as the creatures sleep under large snow drifts.

As previously mentioned, Snow Crabs are by and large scavengers, consuming those creatures who failed to survive in the cold land where the crabs make their home. There is little discrimination in what is consumed, and even a fallen clutchmate, a stillborn offspring, even a deceased mate will be devoured. Meat is meat, after all, and food is scarce.

Snow Tick

Snow Ticks are terrestrial bloodsucking parasites common the Arctic Circle on Fortune. Snow Ticks are currently identical to other Tick species in everything but colour, discounting the Blood Ants.

A Snow Tick, showing the colouration common to individuals living in the Arctic Circle.

The Snow Tick takes advantages of the many large animals in it's habitat, using it's sturdiness and strong claws to cling to their skin, while an adapted leg siphons blood from it's host. Demolishers and White Wretches are their most common hosts. As it feeds, it grows bloated and ever so slightly more fragile as its skin stretches to accommodate the fluid within. Once full in this manner, the Snow Tick leaves its host, hibernating inside a tree hollow or under a rock until it hungers again.

Snow Ticks spend a great deal of their lives asleep. Long slumber (3-4 days) punctuated by gorging themselves on a host and the occasional mating (sometimes done on a host if that's where they meet) comprises the entirety of their lives. Gross to humans, from the viewpoint of the tick (if it had one as a nonsentient) life is good.

Desert

Longnecks

Longnecks are terrestrial repto-mammals inhabiting the Desert region of Fortune. Though descended from Camelbacks, Longnecks are largely insectivorous, preying on the many parasitic bugs of Fortune's desert, and only rarely supplementing their diet with limited plant matter, as well as the Bloodsucker Lichen that occasionally infects them.

Longnecks are typically about the size of a medium dog, such as a border collie. They possess a relatively slender body, given their ancestry, storing little fat. Their intelligence is comparable to that of a hyena, and on average they have a lifespan of 15-20 years.

They often use the relatively advanced claws on their forelimbs to pick off parasites from their own, and eachother's skin. Grooming is an important practice to Longnecks. They also use their claws for digging, allowing them access to subterranean insects, in particular the Blood Ants and their blood honey, a favourite meal for Longnecks. Their eponymous neck, as well as their elongated snout also help in snatching insects, while their superior mobility allows them to catch things such as the Sandhopper. The greatest asset the Longnecks have in hunting bugs, however, is their long tongue. They are capable of rapidly shooting it out of their mouths with some force, crushing or knocking out most insects, catching them with the sticky substance covering its bulbous tip.

Longnecks move in groups of 20-40, forming tight communities. These groups often bond through grooming, and will care after children communally, often by a group of older females past breeding age that act as a sort of "daycare" for the herd as a whole (similar to meerkats on Earth). An interesting practice among Longnecks is that hatchlings are often given access to the most nutritious foods available, such as blood honey.

Blood Ants (Sand Tick)

The Blood Ants are a species that is as a whole predominantly male; reaching a maximum size of 2 inches a piece they tend to use swarm tactics and sheer numbers to accomplish their goals. Within the nest only a single female(6 inches, roughly fist sized) lives, any others are taken once they are mature enough to reproduce to foster their own Blood Cacti. Blood Cacti tend to reach a height of about 6 feet and a diameter of 3 feet at its base. Within it are triangular "bloodcombs" where the blood that the Blood Ants collect are stored and processed. Entire fields of Blood Cacti can be found all of which are related to one another from a singular source hive.

The Blood Ants are capable of short burst of flight like their brethren Ticks and use this to latch onto any unsuspecting beasts genital areas to siphon off blood en masse. The high diet of blood has caused them to produce a Carmine acid(used often in red dyes) and has changed their overall color to a deep red, this does little for the creatures camouflage in the desert but in terms of hunting the Hordes color seems to be as effective as a singular larger predator. Scarring off pack animals to leave he weakest behind to be swarmed and siphoned of blood within the hour.

The Blood Honey the B. Ants produce is their entire livelihood, it feeds and waters them in the harsh desert landscape and despite its nature is often the target of ignorant Camelback variants due to its nutritious nature. The Blood Ants will protect their Cacti with mass aggression stabbing and pinch any creature they can find. But are easily placated by the Skunk Camels stench(much like smoking out a beehive) and is thus an easy target for the beast.

Gel-Moles

The desert, a dry arid environment proved to be hard for the Gels at first. Forced into the sandy rocky soil they were forced to develop new and novel ways to save moisture. At first this was a nocturnal habit, only breaching the surface at night to asorb dew off the stones, Over time however they were driven deeper as the deserts grew, reaching down to the under ground rivers that had flowed since time immemorial.These reservoirs proved to be vastly important. Greedily they adapted ways to horde water. Carving areas in the stone forming pockets where these water laden stones could freely collect, forming underground ponds and puddles.

The gel mole, seeking to ensure a way of nourishment worked the soil and formed the first underground oases, where algae and fungus to feed the moles could grow. And, in return a place for the roots of greedy water seeking plants to reach into.

Skunk Bison (Binger)

Skunk Bison are large terrestrial repto-mammals found in Fortune's Desert region. Generally around the size of a large yak, they practice a nocturnal nomadic lifestyle due to their unique physiology and dietary habits.

Being very large creatures in their own right, the Skunk Bison's impressive size is further amplified by the numerous cells of fat stored throughout their body. The majority of it is found in a single large hump on their back, or within other clusters located throughout their body. A noticeable consistent layer is found everywhere underneath their skin. This blubber renders them incapable of travelling during the day on Fortune's deserts, as such, they are nicturnal creatures, digging small ruts in which they spend the day. They are able to travel for many weeks at a time without food or water, crossing the desert at night, however, a defining feature of Skunk Bison is that when they do find food, they will typically consume all of it in a massive binge, leaving nothing in their wake.

They have a unique sex dynamic as well. Typically young males will follow a solitary lifestyle, however, over time their event glands develop to produce not only extremely potent smells, but also pesticidal effect, proving to be extremely effective on the various parasites the bison are host to. This is advantageous to females, who will form a large herd of up to several dozen at a time, following the older alpha bison for the pesticidal qualities. Male bison who survive but do not form a large herd will often instead bond with a single partner. The bison also use these scent glands for other purposes, generally as a form of communication. They are also capable of letting out loud roars, which they make use of coupled with various scents during mating season.

They have the beginnings of tusks in the form of molars which outgrow the constraints of their mouth over time. Their incisors and other teeth are also similarly oversized in order to aid them in consuming large quantities of food quickly.

Sultan Roo

The Sultan Roo is a mostly hairless member of the Gel family native to Fortune's Desert. It is a direct descendant of the Shogun Walrus but has a form of hydraulic muscle similar to that of the Imperial Wolf and Czar Boar sub-species. This muscle is especially strong in the legs and tail which allowed the Sultan to be the first species of Gel able to walk upright. The Roo has also developed hands to replace its former fore-feet which it uses to dig for pockets of moisture. They are actually able to sense these pockets, or rather the Gel Moles that make them. Because of this, the Sultan Roo will migrate across the desert, following the Mole on its underground journey.

Sultan Roo’s are a light shade of blue, this has far more implications then one might think at first glance. The blue color is from its high ammonia diet. Years of eating high amounts of ammonia have had a significant impact on their digestive system; namely, the fluids of the primary stomach chamber have become entirely basic in nature while the Roo’s secondary stomach chamber still produces acidic fluids. Sultan Roo's mix their basic fluids with the acidic fluids by pooling them together in the second chamber. After a period of gestation the fluids will neutralize each other and produce water, which it will then store for times of need.

Forests

The forests are a temperate wooded region covering the majority of Delta continent. It possesses four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Trees grow in thickets all over Delta, sometimes so thick that sunlight only barely filters through, but also spreading into clearing in other areas.

Webspinner (Forest)

An adult specimen, seen from above.

Webspinners are terrestrial insectoids that prefer cool, damp spaces and are commonly found in the shade of the trees. A separate population of these creatures also lives in the jungles of Alpha continent. Someday these may develop into a distinct species all its own, though for now it is identical to its Delta cousins.

The web of this Funnel Spider is a good approximation of what a Webspinner nest looks like.

Webspinners are predatory creatures about 3 inches long and make their homes in the boughs and shade of trees. It is here that they build their nests, spinning them into tightly woven funnels, held between two small branches like a sideways hammock. While Webspinners do not build web traps like many Earth spiders, the Webspinner can, however, fire a sticky mass out of their abdomen (the same area from where their web comes from, incidentally. Usually this is used to bind the webbing of their homes to the bark of a tree, but it is also how the creature catches prey. The aim has to be precise, but once a smaller creature gets stuck within, there is little escape. The prey is either glued to the tree branch or, if flying, falls to the ground.

Should the fall not kill the flyer, the Webspinner will soon put it out of its misery. Shooting a creature out of the sky is far more difficult than firing at a target situated on the branch, so the Webspinner usually prefers to hunt more land-bound food as an ambush predator, sneaking up and pouncing on the prey (or immobilizing it with sticky goo) before it has time to escape or react at all.

Silverwyrm (Arctic Serpent)

Arctic Serpent

The Silverwyrm is an arboreal mammal whose main diet consists of insects and prefers forests with a cold to temperate climate. They are found in the region known as the Forest Region.

The Silverwyrm is one of Fortune's few mammals, giving live birth and with lactating females. While their ancestors burrowed underground to escape the cold, since the meltdown, they have returned to their arboreal routs, hanging in the boughs of trees in groups of up to a dozen. Here they eat the many insects that are (surprisingly) common in Fortune's colder regions. The Silverwyrm is one of the few species on Fortune displaying sexual dimorphism; males possess a 'hood' on their necks, which can be opened to appear larger and intimidating, this is enhanced by their thick mane. An average male is probably about the size of a large dog, like a Great Dane, while females are generally a little smaller.

Barkworm

Barkworm

Barkworms are omnivorous insectoids that make their homes inside burrows carved out of tree-trunks. They are found wherever there are trees, and so are most common in the regions of the Forest Region and the Jungle Region.

Barkworms are a creatures that has changed very little in millions of years. They inhabit the inside of trees, helping to clean out dead bark and rotten roots, the way cleaner fish pick dead skin off larger fish on Earth. The Barkworms will also not hesitate to eat deceased animals either, provided they are not far from the creature's burrows (such burrows are either bored into the tree itself or are in the dirt beneath its roots).

Barkworms are about the size of a human hand.

Tunnelsinger (Howling Snake)

Tunnelsinger

Tunnelsingers are subterranean mammals with an omnivorous diet (roots as well as insects).

The Tunnelsinger lacks eyes, its head instead being covered with a number of short digging arms, each ending in a fingernail-like structure, which they use to dig their extensive warrens, not unlike those of Earth's prairie dogs.

To compensate for their lack of eyesight, the Tunnelsinger has developed extremely powerful hearing, and a flute-like structure on its face capable of creating a wide range of sounds, used for echolocation, communication and defense.

When a dangerous creature enters a Tunnelsinger family's territory, the first snake to notice will let out a deep warning bugle, with other snakes passing it on and retreating into the warren. They will proceed to let out frequent high pitched 'hoots', attempting to scare off the predator.

They use other, more specialized cries for communication, such as mating calls. They will occasionally 'sing' in groups for seemingly no reason, an entire warren spontaneously launching into noise, possibly as a method of exercise for their 'voices'. They also use hard thumpers on their tail to create a somewhat drum-like beat by banging in against the walls of their burrows.

These creatures give birth to live young, about 2-4, and upon emergence, sniff out their mothers teats, and survive on a diet of milk until about 3 months, after which their mother weans them onto insects and roots. They live in small family groups, consisting of around 10-20 individuals.

In terms of size, Tunnelsingers are around the length and thickness of a human arm.

Gardenback

Although it looks in need of a diet, the creature's bloated belly is in fact the result of gases that allow for flotation rather than blubber.

The Gardenback is an aerial terrestrial herbivore found in the Forest Region of Delta Continent. About the size of a pony or so, the Gardenback is covered in green fur reminiscent of dense foliage and its belly is the colour of stone, all the better to blend into copses of woody trees and undergrowth. This is especially aided by the growth of plants on the creature's back. Like its cousin the Rainbow Blimpie, the Gardenback possesses a modified stomach, open to the air in the form of a bowl. Here, rainwater collects and quenches the creature, rather than the more familiar process of drinking. In this small pond, the seeds of small waterborne plants can fall and germinate, to decorate the creature. While the main benefit of this garden is blending into surroundings (very important, as the Gardenback floats at a leisurely pace, even at its fastest) it can also provide a quick snack should food prove scarce. There are even reports of Greenbacks picking and intentionally planting shoots and saplings into their pond-bowl, using their split-trunk like a clumsy manipulator.

Heater Bug

On the left, the Bull caste, on the right, three members of the Kamikaze caste.

Heater Bugs are thumb-sized subterranean herbivores that live in underground nests similar to ants. They only leave their homes to find food, snipping off bits of leaf and returning them to the hive, where they are stored for the group as a whole. Heater Bugs possess on their abdomens an orange organ that radiates heat, and this is what allows them to live at the temperatures that they do.

Heater Bugs are split into two castes, the bulls, which are akin to workers and soldier ants, and these are the majority of the colony besides the bloated queens. The second caste is the kamikaze, filled with an irritant acid that they spray at predators. These suicidal beetles can also willingly explode. The combustion doesn't hurt predators, but it's painful as all Hell and will quickly discourage further intrusion onto the hive.

Wood Beetles

Wood Ants and their various castes.

(Copypasted from the threads)The Wood Beetles of Delta continent are scavenging terrestrial insects. They develop a rough row of keratin 'teeth' and claws over their mouths and on their 'hands', respectively, which they use to scrape every last scrap of flesh from a carcass' skeleton. Regions of the forest where Wood Beetles reside are littered with pearly white bones.

Snow Beetles develop a node on their rears which, despite its colouring, emits heat and a soft glow.

The Snow Beetles retreat underground and heat the area above them en masse, inviting more wildlife during the winter months, which they monitor from below by detecting vibrations. Once they sense a creature dying above their nest, scouts emerge from the various tunnels hidden around the area, pull and saw (Scouts have evolved saw-hands, shown in the drawing) chunks of the carcass apart and drag them underground into food storage.

Scouts grow saw-like claws which are used to cut and drag carcasses to bring them back to the nest. Workers grow shovel-like claws to aid in digging and expanding the nests. Caterers guard the food storage and dispense it around the colony, workers usually get the majority share though successful scout parties are rewarded with first pick of their spoils. Scouts and workers tend to be male and caterers female, though this is merely a trend, rather than an absolute.

Cleaner Tick

Cleaner Tick

Evolving from groups of Snow Ticks whose usual lifestyle was impeded by Bloodsucker Lichen covering their host, these herbivorous insectoids adapted to a drastically different niche.

They use their strong punchers to peel Lichen off from the skin of their hosts, feeding upon it while keeping the host healthy. They are welcomed by most animals on Fortune, and will occasionally gang up and fight off other tick species from their hosts.

They typically get attached to one host and may spend multiple generations on just one creature, slowing the advance of Bloodsucker Lichen heavily, but never outright stopping it. If their host fell to a predator, they will attempt to spread to said predator, otherwise they will spread out, looking for the nearest creature to attach to. They use their wings in order to keep up with a host, including the occasional blimpie. They favour furred hosts, as they will often lay their eggs in the fur, using the host's warmth to incubate them. Cleaner Ticks are a dark green, being visible on the hides of most animals, scaring away other parasites.

Grey Wretch

Grey Wretch

The Grey Wretch is a carnivorous terrestrial repto-mammal that makes its homes in Fortune's cold to temperate forests and plains.

Grey Wretches are grizzly bear-sized solitary predators of the north, though they are also sometimes seen in pairs. Interestingly, Grey Wretches (like their ancestors) only seek breeding partners near the very end of their lives (somewhere along the last few months or so), and when they spawn, their death soon follows (similar in this respect to Earth's salmon population). Outside of this, Grey Wretches are highly territorial, duelling via their large horn and head plates. Though their thick shells will generally keep their heads safe, the horn can be quite fatal if the wretch chooses to target a different spot, and casualties are not uncommon among more aggressive wretches. Generally cannibalism is only practiced among the younger specimens, however.

The female lays up to a dozen or more football-sized eggs, burying them in a large pile of dirt or snow-drift. When the young hatch, they are about the size of a chihuaha, and stick together for safety, catching insects and other small prey, until they are old enough for larger game. Once they reach 60% of their adult size, the juvenile Wretches part, leading solitary lives, though by this point, there is rarely more than 5 of the original clutch left.

Prior to the Parting of the Ways, the Grey Wretch often went after larger herbivores and smaller carnivores, but with the splitting of the continents, here on Delta, the main prey it can find is the two snake species, or, if desperate, the Gardenback, though the latter doesn't really have a lot of meat. The Wretch will have to adapt fast in light of these changes.

Forest Tick

A Forest Tick male, though there's really no way to tell without dissection, as this creature does not currently possess anything in the way of sexual dimorphism.

Forest Ticks are terrestrial bloodsucking parasites common to the Delta Continent of Fortune. Forest Ticks are currently identical to other Tick species in everything but colour.

The Forest Tick takes advantages of the many large animals in it's habitat, using it's sturdiness and strong claws to cling to their skin, while an adapted leg siphons blood from it's host. Grey Wretches and Gardenbacks are their most common hosts. As it feeds, it grows bloated and ever so slightly more fragile as its skin stretches to accommodate the fluid within. Once full in this manner, the Forest Tick leaves its host, hibernating inside a tree hollow or under a rock until it hungers again.

Forest Ticks spend a great deal of their lives asleep. Long slumber (3-4 days) punctuated by gorging themselves on a host and the occasional mating (sometimes done on a host if that's where they meet) comprises the entirety of their lives. Gross to humans, but from the viewpoint of the tick, life is good.

Highlands

Garden Crab

Garden Crabs are omnivorous terrestrial crustaceans with a tendency to grow their own food.To support their lifestyle, the crabs stay at the equatorial regions near rivers or bodies of fresh water.

An average full grown garden crab can reach up to half the size of an adult male human measured from the base of their grabbing arm, and can be twice as long. The crabs have thick plates of light green carapace covering most of their bodies except their eyes, which have a yellow sclera and normally small red pupils. They are octopedal, where the 6 back legs have 3 limbs each, allowing the crab to easily stand up to reach its flying prey; while the front two legs allow the crab to keep balanced allowing it to move forward.

Though they are crustacean, the gardening crab lays eggs more like a turtle does, digging a hole in the ground, laying its eggs, burying the eggs to keep them well insulated. The male garden crab will usually keep vigil on the egg mound for six months, when it dies. The eggs will hatch not long after, using their already developed spades to pry open their father's shell to digest the meat- all instinctively. The mother will return from hunting to teach the kids how to farm, using its bounty to fertilize the plants. Garden crabs mature after ten years, during that time, one would learn how to garden, fish, and hunt.

Tunnelsinger (Howling Snake)

Tunnelsinger

Tunnelsingers are subterranean mammals with an omnivorous diet (roots as well as insects).

The Tunnelsinger lacks eyes, its head instead being covered with a number of short digging arms, each ending in a fingernail-like structure, which they use to dig their extensive warrens, not unlike those of Earth's prairie dogs.

To compensate for their lack of eyesight, the Tunnelsinger has developed extremely powerful hearing, and a flute-like structure on its face capable of creating a wide range of sounds, used for echolocation, communication and defense.

When a dangerous creature enters a Tunnelsinger family's territory, the first snake to notice will let out a deep warning bugle, with other snakes passing it on and retreating into the warren. They will proceed to let out frequent high pitched 'hoots', attempting to scare off the predator.

They use other, more specialized cries for communication, such as mating calls. They will occasionally 'sing' in groups for seemingly no reason, an entire warren spontaneously launching into noise, possibly as a method of exercise for their 'voices'. They also use hard thumpers on their tail to create a somewhat drum-like beat by banging in against the walls of their burrows.

These creatures give birth to live young, about 2-4, and upon emergence, sniff out their mothers teats, and survive on a diet of milk until about 3 months, after which their mother weans them onto insects and roots. They live in small family groups, consisting of around 10-20 individuals.

In terms of size, Tunnelsingers are around the length and thickness of a human arm.

Smiler

The Smiler, or Smiling Chomper is a herbivorous terrestrial repto-mammal found in the the Highlands, Jungle, and Swamp regions of Fortune.

The Smiler is a gorilla sized herbivore that travels in family groups not unlike Earth chimpanzees. The troop is led by a leading mated pair, and child-rearing is overseen by all females of the group. They are most at home in grasslands, but the species does well in forests too. Smilers are well known for their use of tools, unique on Fortune. They use the spikes of the Spineroot plant to dig up large roots and tubers as an alternative to their regular diet of grasses. It should be noted, though, that there is no sense of ingenuity or invention in this, and that it is almost purely instinct. For now, the Smiler's intelligence has plateaued.

Smilers get their names from the creepy looking grin that, because of their jaw structure and musculature, is permanently etched onto their faces, enhanced by facial markings superficially resembling large teeth.

Dwarf Chomper

The smallest of the Chomper species, the Dwarf Chomper is a herbivorous terrestrial repto-mammal. An off-shoot of the bull chomper, they have grown very different to their cousins, growing to about the size of a domestic sheep.

They subsist on a fairly specialized diet, consuming varieties of bluegrass almost exclusively. Their digestive system is host to a variety of beneficial bacteria, giving them something of a gut. They generally attempt to eat every part of the bluegrass, from the nutritious bulbs at the top, to the roots, using their forelimbs and snout to dig them out. A favourite meal of the dwarf chomper is the Fruit-bearing Bluegrass, which they are a chief pollinator of. They seek out the plant for it's sweet-smelling berries, and when they stick their face in the plant's 'goblet' to eat the berries, the pollen on the plant sticks to their wrinkles, eventually transferring to the next plant the chomper finds.

Their snout has shrunk over time, becoming extremely flat, and their eyes shrunk to be less sensitive to damage while digging, resulting in them having a fairly wrinkled, squished face. They possess proto-hooves, forming a small flat sole on their hindlimbs, and a larger hoof on their forelimbs, however, they still maintain the remainders of their fingers, which they use to help in digging.

They travel in large herds for protection, but there is little structure to them - dwarf chomper herds split and join up at a whim, the only constant being younger chompers following their mothers until they can support themselves. As they grew smaller, with a more specialized diet, their lifespan also decreased to an average of 12 years. On the other hand, they reach sexual maturity more quickly and propagate more frequently. With the largely unstructured herds, breeding tends to be indiscriminate, with haphazard sexual selection. Generally the more powerful specimen which survive for longer will simply have more offspring. Their eggs require little time to incubate before hatching, supporting their somewhat nomadic lifestyle.

Czar Boar (Jelly Boar/Metalhead)

Czar Boars are a bulky, napalm spitting subspecies of the Imperial Wolf. Years of feeding on a combination rocks and rock-slurry have made significant changes in the Boar; most obvious being its rusty color palate and most notably its explosive saliva. The “saliva” is actually a volatile combination of stomach acid and mineral oil that when put together, create small but powerful explosions. This is actually the boar’s way of “chewing” its food into smaller bites before digesting it, but it has an even more dangerous side effect. Usually kept apart through a thick membrane inside the boar, should the sacks rupture through some accident or predator attack, the boar will explode and usually take any attacker with it.

In order to manage its heavy diet the boar as developed a large internal gland that stores oils synthesized from the minerals it eats. This alternative digestive system stores nutrition that would be otherwise unusable under normal circumstances. The glands location in the boar is what caused it to develop its large humpback. Their once lustrous main now has a metallic sheen and is as sharp as porcupine quills.

Highland Tick

Highland Ticks are terrestrial bloodsucking parasites common to Highlands of the Alpha Continent of Fortune. Highland Ticks are currently identical to other Tick species in everything but colour, discounting the Blood Ants.

The Highland Tick takes advantages of the many large animals in it's habitat, using it's sturdiness and strong claws to cling to their skin, while an adapted leg siphons blood from it's host. Brown Wretches and Mountain Trolls are their most common hosts. As it feeds, it grows bloated and ever so slightly more fragile as its skin stretches to accommodate the fluid within. Once full in this manner, the Highland Tick leaves its host, hibernating inside a tree hollow or under a rock until it hungers again.

Highland Ticks spend a great deal of their lives asleep. Long slumber (3-4 days) punctuated by gorging themselves on a host and the occasional mating (sometimes done on a host if that's where they meet) comprises the entirety of their lives. Gross to humans, from the viewpoint of the tick (if it had one as a nonsentient) life is good.

Brown Wretch

The Brown Wretch is a terrestrial repto-mammal currently found almost only in the Highlands. A relatively recent split among the wretch line Predators. To better survive in the warmer clime their fur comes in lighter, with the added effect of a fur-color shift that better matches the surroundings.

Unlike their cousins these creatures are able to rather easily go from a bipedal to a quadrapedal mode of movement as a result of an advantageous mutation in spine structure and leg musculature. This allows them to not only get at food higher up but also to escape some of their slower competitors (something which they are not adverse to). The flip-side of this is that their jaw power, bone density, and overall takedown ability has suffered.

Though still solitary predators, the brown wretches seek breeding partners more often. Though to match this their lifespan seems on average to be shorter.

Whether what is essentially a chance mutant group will have what it takes to survive in the lively world, is yet to be seen...

Jungles

Webspinner (Jungle)

An adult specimen, seen from above.

Webspinners are terrestrial insectoids that prefer cool, damp spaces and are commonly found in the shade of the trees. A separate population of these creatures also lives in the forests of Delta continent. Someday these may develop into a distinct species all its own, though for now it is identical to its Alpha cousins.

The web of this Funnel Spider is a good approximation of what a Webspinner nest looks like.

Webspinners are predatory creatures about 3 inches long and make their homes in the boughs and shade of trees. It is here that they build their nests, spinning them into tightly woven funnels, held between two small branches like a sideways hammock. While Webspinners do not build web traps like many Earth spiders, the Webspinner can, however, fire a sticky mass out of their abdomen (the same area from where their web comes from, incidentally. Usually this is used to bind the webbing of their homes to the bark of a tree, but it is also how the creature catches prey. The aim has to be precise, but once a smaller creature gets stuck within, there is little escape. The prey is either glued to the tree branch or, if flying, falls to the ground.

Should the fall not kill the flyer, the Webspinner will soon put it out of its misery. Shooting a creature out of the sky is far more difficult than firing at a target situated on the branch, so the Webspinner usually prefers to hunt more land-bound food as an ambush predator, sneaking up and pouncing on the prey (or immobilizing it with sticky goo) before it has time to escape or react at all.

Barkworm

Barkworm

Barkworms are omnivorous insectoids that make their homes inside burrows carved out of tree-trunks. They are found wherever there are trees, and so are most common in the regions of the Forest Region and the Jungle Region.

Barkworms are a creatures that has changed very little in millions of years. They inhabit the inside of trees, helping to clean out dead bark and rotten roots, the way cleaner fish pick dead skin off larger fish on Earth. The Barkworms will also not hesitate to eat deceased animals either, provided they are not far from the creature's burrows (such burrows are either bored into the tree itself or are in the dirt beneath its roots).

Barkworms are about the size of a human hand.

Garden Crab

Garden Crabs are omnivorous terrestrial crustaceans with a tendency to grow their own food.To support their lifestyle, the crabs stay at the equatorial regions near rivers or bodies of fresh water.

An average full grown garden crab can reach up to half the size of an adult male human measured from the base of their grabbing arm, and can be twice as long. The crabs have thick plates of light green carapace covering most of their bodies except their eyes, which have a yellow sclera and normally small red pupils. They are octopedal, where the 6 back legs have 3 limbs each, allowing the crab to easily stand up to reach its flying prey; while the front two legs allow the crab to keep balanced allowing it to move forward.

Though they are crustacean, the gardening crab lays eggs more like a turtle does, digging a hole in the ground, laying its eggs, burying the eggs to keep them well insulated. The male garden crab will usually keep vigil on the egg mound for six months, when it dies. The eggs will hatch not long after, using their already developed spades to pry open their father's shell to digest the meat- all instinctively. The mother will return from hunting to teach the kids how to farm, using its bounty to fertilize the plants. Garden crabs mature after ten years, during that time, one would learn how to garden, fish, and hunt.

Tunnelsinger (Howling Snake)

Tunnelsinger

Tunnelsingers are subterranean mammals with an omnivorous diet (roots as well as insects).

The Tunnelsinger lacks eyes, its head instead being covered with a number of short digging arms, each ending in a fingernail-like structure, which they use to dig their extensive warrens, not unlike those of Earth's prairie dogs.

To compensate for their lack of eyesight, the Tunnelsinger has developed extremely powerful hearing, and a flute-like structure on its face capable of creating a wide range of sounds, used for echolocation, communication and defense.

When a dangerous creature enters a Tunnelsinger family's territory, the first snake to notice will let out a deep warning bugle, with other snakes passing it on and retreating into the warren. They will proceed to let out frequent high pitched 'hoots', attempting to scare off the predator.

They use other, more specialized cries for communication, such as mating calls. They will occasionally 'sing' in groups for seemingly no reason, an entire warren spontaneously launching into noise, possibly as a method of exercise for their 'voices'. They also use hard thumpers on their tail to create a somewhat drum-like beat by banging in against the walls of their burrows.

These creatures give birth to live young, about 2-4, and upon emergence, sniff out their mothers teats, and survive on a diet of milk until about 3 months, after which their mother weans them onto insects and roots. They live in small family groups, consisting of around 10-20 individuals.

In terms of size, Tunnelsingers are around the length and thickness of a human arm.

Smiler

The Smiler, or Smiling Chomper is a herbivorous terrestrial repto-mammal found in the the Highlands, Jungle, and Swamp regions of Fortune.

The Smiler is a gorilla sized herbivore that travels in family groups not unlike Earth chimpanzees. The troop is led by a leading mated pair, and child-rearing is overseen by all females of the group. They are most at home in grasslands, but the species does well in forests too. Smilers are well known for their use of tools, unique on Fortune. They use the spikes of the Spineroot plant to dig up large roots and tubers as an alternative to their regular diet of grasses. It should be noted, though, that there is no sense of ingenuity or invention in this, and that it is almost purely instinct. For now, the Smiler's intelligence has plateaued.

Smilers get their names from the creepy looking grin that, because of their jaw structure and musculature, is permanently etched onto their faces, enhanced by facial markings superficially resembling large teeth.

Deathmasque

A Proboscis Scorpion infected with a Deathmasque.

A divergence from the main line, the Deathmasque is a variety of Skullroot that, instead of infesting Asparagus Trees, infects an insectoid host, turning its head and face black with red markings (hence the name). As the fungus-like parasite spreads, it kills the host, but the body remains, so the Deathmasque grabs the reins of the creature's nervous system, creating a walking corpse. Now the Deathmasque is running out of time, it must mature and spawn before the host's body decomposes. The Deathmasque must reach a certain "critical mass" of infection to reach reproductive age, and once it does so, it "drives" the zombified victim to the highest point possible, like the top of tree, where the Deathmasque dies, spreading its foul seed on the wind.

Saltspike Frog

The Saltspike Frog, or simply Saltback is a terrestrial amphibian that dines almost exclusively on the Salt Cactus, a plant that, despite its name, grows on the banks of freshwater bodies in warm to tropical areas as well as swamps and wetlands of a similar climate. Thus it is that the Saltspike dwells here also, being native to the Swamp region of planet Fortune.

While the creature has lost its shell since evolving from the Shellfog, the Saltspike does retain a decoration of sorts, an assortment of salt crystals adorning its back (hence the name). This is the result of the creature's body filtering out the high sodium content of its diet, too much of which will dry the Saltspike out like a slug. As the frog matures, some of the crystals lenghten and sharpen, forming protective spikes making the frog unpalatable for most predators.This display is sometimes used in courting rituals, as a thick crust of the stuff indicates the individual is well fed, and a large number of spikes is generally a sign of a creature that will avoid predation.

Saltspikes are small, the biggest are around the size of an outstretched palm. That said, these small critters are a prolific bunch, not to mention loud. During the mating season (anywhere from late spring to midsummer), males and females will croak to each other, and within these chirps and ribbits, the health, size, age, and gender of the frog making them is made apparent (to other Saltspikes, anyway).

When a frog hears a mate that it likes, it will follow the sound to the caller and try to initiate the courtship dance. If the other accepts, they will mate and lay a foamy mass of around 700 of eggs. The pair will then separate, not to see each other again, except perhaps next season. The young are but miniature version of the adults, unlike Earth frogs, though they do breathe through gills at this stage, eventually, these gills will be replaced with lungs as the young mature.

Jungle Tick

Jungle Ticks are terrestrial bloodsucking parasites common to Jungles of the the Alpha Continent of Fortune. Jungle Ticks are currently identical to other Tick species in everything but colour, discounting the Blood Ants.

The Jungle Tick takes advantages of the many large animals in it's habitat, using it's sturdiness and strong claws to cling to their skin, while an adapted leg siphons blood from it's host. Smilers and Rainbow Blimpies are their most common hosts. As it feeds, it grows bloated and ever so slightly more fragile as its skin stretches to accommodate the fluid within. Once full in this manner, the Jungle Tick leaves its host, hibernating inside a tree hollow or under a rock until it hungers again.

Jungle Ticks spend a great deal of their lives asleep. Long slumber (3-4 days) punctuated by gorging themselves on a host and the occasional mating (sometimes done on a host if that's where they meet) comprises the entirety of their lives. Gross to humans, from the viewpoint of the tick (if it had one as a nonsentient) life is good.

Prairie

Demolisher

If God is dead, as Nietzsche so famously said, it is not humanity that killed him, but the Demolisher certainly has the chops for such a task. The size of a schoolbus, armoured in a second skeleton and spiked back, to prevent cannibalistic fathers from consuming it, this creature is a walking tank, all fury and muscle.

The Demolisher is a rare endothermic carnivorous repto-mammal. Fearsome though it be, it is also thankfully incredibly rare, as an ecosystem can only support a few. Demolishers are ambush predators, capable of a brief rush of extreme speed. The creature will wait, for days if necessary, and once prey, like a Camelback or protein-rich Imperial Wolf, appears, it strikes out, with its long sticky tongue (half again the length of its body) or goring it with its might tusks. Such an attack could be compared to a freight train. A train made of teeth and murder.

Imperial Wolf (Gel Wolf)

Imperial Wolves are agile pack hunters descended from the Shogun Walrus. While still capable of eating dirt, they prefer the rich protein and nutrients found in plant and animal flesh. The wolves have several tools which make them competent hunters, the most useful being their numbers. They live in large families that send out hunting parties in search food. Scouts will use a form of echo-location to search for live prey and when a scout finds something, it alerts the other wolves through a series of nasal burps who will pursue and attempt to surround the prey. While chasing they shoot acid aimed at the eyes and limbs to immobilize it. With larger prey and when acid is not enough they will make a series of leaping rams to gore their prey with reinforced tusks.

What allows Imperial Wolves their greater mobility is a rudimentary form of hydraulic muscle. Each 'limb' is a gel filled mass able to squeeze and contract allowing for more able movement. The wolves also have a primitive lung and modified trachea which allow them to either intake air and make a series of bellows for complex pack commands or pool acid in preparation for a large spray (typically used on demolishers as a smokescreen for escape or as a distraction).

Czar Boar (Jelly Boar/Metalhead)

Czar Boars are a bulky, napalm spitting subspecies of the Imperial Wolf. Years of feeding on a combination rocks and rock-slurry have made significant changes in the Boar; most obvious being its rusty color palate and most notably its explosive saliva. The “saliva” is actually a volatile combination of stomach acid and mineral oil that when put together, create small but powerful explosions. This is actually the boar’s way of “chewing” its food into smaller bites before digesting it, but it has an even more dangerous side effect. Usually kept apart through a thick membrane inside the boar, should the sacks rupture through some accident or predator attack, the boar will explode and usually take any attacker with it.

In order to manage its heavy diet the boar as developed a large internal gland that stores oils synthesized from the minerals it eats. This alternative digestive system stores nutrition that would be otherwise unusable under normal circumstances. The glands location in the boar is what caused it to develop its large humpback. Their once lustrous main now has a metallic sheen and is as sharp as porcupine quills.

Prairie Tick

Prairie Ticks are terrestrial bloodsucking parasites common to Prairie of the Beta Continent of Fortune. Prairie Ticks are currently identical to other Tick species in everything but colour, discounting the Blood Ants.

The Prairie Tick takes advantages of the many large animals in it's habitat, using it's sturdiness and strong claws to cling to their skin, while an adapted leg siphons blood from it's host. Demolishers and Camelbacks are their most common hosts. As it feeds, it grows bloated and ever so slightly more fragile as its skin stretches to accommodate the fluid within. Once full in this manner, the Prairie Tick leaves its host, hibernating inside a tree hollow or under a rock until it hungers again.

Prairie Ticks spend a great deal of their lives asleep. Long slumber (3-4 days) punctuated by gorging themselves on a host and the occasional mating (sometimes done on a host if that's where they meet) comprises the entirety of their lives. Gross to humans, from the viewpoint of the tick (if it had one as a nonsentient) life is good.

Swamps

The Swamps are a murky bog, humid, muddy, and a breeding ground for reptilians and insects. The dirty water conceals many predators well, and visitors are advised to keep their eyes peeled, for a predator could pop out from any moment. A good Earth analogue would likely be the Bayou, the swamps in American state of Louisiana. The Florida Everglades also bears similarities to the Swamps.

River Spearfish

Spearfish

A recent branch off from the Common Oceanic Spearfish, River Spearfish carnivorous fish that are adapted to survival in the watercourses of Fortune, inhabiting the Swamps region of Alpha Continent. The River Spearfish is about 5ft long upon reaching adulthood, though individuals of up to 6 feet are spotted from time to time.

River Spearfish are heavily adapted to freshwater, only rarely entering oceanic waters. They are smaller than their cousins, and travel in smaller packs. They share the hunting tactics of their ancestors, 'winding-up' the muscles in their tail, putting all their energy into a tremendous burst of speed, and leaping out of the water. From there, the creatures can achieve limited flight, or glide for extended periods of time. They are slightly more mobile on land than the Common Spearfish, possessing claws which are generally used to cling to and climb trees, though they also make traversing some terrains easier, though they are still bound to return to the water eventually, due to the limited capacity of their primitive lungs.

Spearfish evolved in order to hunt Rainbow Blimpies, however, this species is not present in the swamp, so its anyone's guess as to how the creatures will evolve now, with different prey available.

River Spearfish lay thousands of soft slimy-coated eggs in smaller waterways, attempting to hide them with rocks and river-flora. The young hatch into small thumb-sized fry that must fend for themselves from the moment of birth. On average, only around 6% reach adulthood.

Saltspike Frog (Swamp)

The Male Saltspike frogs' pouch is coloured a vibrant red, as opposed to the females' who "ribbits" with a pouch that matches the rest of her.

The Saltspike Frog, or simply Saltback is a terrestrial amphibian that dines almost exclusively on the Salt Cactus, a plant that, despite its name, grows on the banks of freshwater bodies in warm to tropical areas as well as swamps and wetlands of a similar climate. Thus it is that the Saltspike dwells here also, being native to the Swamp region of planet Fortune.

The brain and lungs of a Saltback. Shown here because they're located in unusual places within the body.

While the creature has lost its shell since evolving from the Shellfog, the Saltspike does retain a decoration of sorts, an assortment of salt crystals adorning its back (hence the name). This is the result of the creature's body filtering out the high sodium content of its diet, too much of which will dry the Saltspike out like a slug. As the frog matures, some of the crystals lenghten and sharpen, forming protective spikes making the frog unpalatable for most predators. This display is sometimes used in courting rituals, as a thick crust of the stuff indicates the individual is well fed, and a large number of spikes is generally a sign of a creature that will avoid predation. The salt also develops a "lens" about the creatures eyes, creating an effect similar to a spyglass. This grants the creature telescopic vision.

Saltspikes are small, the biggest are around the size of an outstretched palm. That said, these small critters are a prolific bunch, not to mention loud. During the mating season (anywhere from late spring to midsummer), males and females will croak to each other, and within these chirps and ribbits, the health, size, age, and gender of the frog making them is made apparent (to other Saltspikes, anyway).

When a frog hears a mate that it likes, it will follow the sound to the caller and try to initiate the courtship dance. If the other accepts, they will mate and lay a foamy mass of around 700 of eggs. The pair will then separate, not to see each other again, except perhaps next season. The young are but miniature version of the adults, unlike Earth frogs, and must grow quick should they wish to survive.

Saltbacks are truly amphibious, able to breathe both in and out of water.

Swamp Tick

Swamp Tick

Swamp Ticks are terrestrial bloodsucking parasites common to the Swamps of the Alpha Continent of Fortune. Swamp Ticks are currently identical to other Tick species in everything but colour.

The Swamp Tick takes advantages of the many large animals in it's habitat, using it's sturdiness and strong claws to cling to their skin, while an adapted leg siphons blood from it's host. Smilers are their most common hosts. As it feeds, it grows bloated and ever so slightly more fragile as its skin stretches to accommodate the fluid within. Once full in this manner, the Swamp Tick leaves its host, hibernating inside a tree hollow or under a rock until it hungers again.

Swamp Ticks spend a great deal of their lives asleep. Long slumber (3-4 days) punctuated by gorging themselves on a host and the occasional mating (sometimes done on a host if that's where they meet) comprises the entirety of their lives. Gross to humans, but from the viewpoint of the tick, life is good.

Strider Crab

Illustration of a Strider Crab

The Strider Crab is a terrestrial crustacean with a diet mainly consisting of small fish that it catches with the brutal "hook" atop its back. It is found within the murky Swamps and sunny coasts of Fortune, where it wades through shallow waters with the use of its long legs.

Strider Crabs are about 3 feet in height, and lay their eggs in small holes they dig in the ground. They lay fewer eggs than other crab varieties, but tend to have a higher survival rate.

Strider Crabs possess an uncanny curiosity, but no real intelligence has emerged from it as of yet.

Smiler

Artist's rendition of a Swamp Smiler

The Smiler, or Smiling Chomper is a herbivorous terrestrial egg-laying reptomammal found in the swamps and bogs of Alpha.

The Smiler is a gorilla sized herbivore that travels in family groups not unlike Earth chimpanzees. The troop is led by a leading mated pair, and child-rearing is overseen by all females of the group. They are most at home in grasslands, but the species does well in forests too. Smilers are well known for their use of tools, unique on Fortune. They use the branches and sticks to dig up large roots and tubers as an alternative to their regular diet of grasses. It should be noted, though, that there is no sense of ingenuity or invention in this, and that it is almost purely instinct. For now, the Swamp Smiler's intelligence has plateaued.

Smilers get their names from the creepy looking grin that, because of their jaw structure and musculature, is permanently etched onto their faces, enhanced by facial markings superficially resembling large teeth.

---

The Abyss

Tentacle Leech

Tentacle Leech

A horrifying blood-sucking parasite, the Tentacle Leech can be found wherever there are Ravesharks.

Tentacle Leeches evolved from a species of slug-like leech that attached to many aquatic species, especially the Ravesharks. After feeding on, and being eventually eaten by, their Raveshark hosts, a chance mutation making the leech's ancestors "taller" with longer tentacles proved to be a vital change for the species. While many of their cousins continued their normal way of life (and these eventually became the Slugiformes, see the entry for: Rock Slugs), the new, longer, taller leeches began infiltrating the Raveshark's tentacles, latching on to them at their base, gorging on blood until the tentacle withers away, and then the leech takes its place, eventually fusing its body into the shark's as it uses its twin tentacles to feed the rave shark and its durable rocky shell to protect from its host's ravenous maw. The hosts appear either to not notice or not care about the replacement of a few tentacles in this manner.

The anonymous poster who created the Tentacle Leech has stated that this creature was inspired by a real-world parasite called the tongue louse (Link not recommended for the squeamish).

There are a number of species of Tentacle Leeches adapted for particular breeds of Ravesharks, with bioluminescent spots simulating the 'light show' of the sharks.

Aquabeast

Aquabeast

The Aquabeast is a carnivorous aquatic repto-mammal that lives in cold saltwater habitats, usually inhabiting the mid-range to deep ocean depths. It makes its home in the Abyss and the Open Ocean.

The Aquabeast is about the size of a whale shark, roaming the mid to near-surface depths of the ocean. While most of its body is covered in dense bony armor, its underbelly is adorned with slick blue hairs, stuck close together, similar to a penguin's feathers. Being such a large beast, this creature's digestive system is wonderfully efficient, even the bones of prey are digested. The calcium present in these goes to the upkeep/growth of the Aquabeast's impressive armor (which, is actually a modified second skeleton). While the Aquabeast is only moderately fast, it does have the advantage of a long tongue, one that can extend it body length away. In this regard, the Aquabeast has changed little from its Spineback predecessor, it remains an ambush predator, relying on a single decisive strike to grab prey before it has a chance to react.

Stingers

Adult-form Stinger

The Stinger is a strange, jellyfish-like creature common to all ocean regions, and is common from deep to sea-floor depths.

Stingers are entirely dependent on the Ravesharks for the propagation of their species. At the beginning of their life-cycle, they float in the sea covered in a tough shell as fertilized eggs, only hatching once ingested by a Ravedragon. Once hatched into voracious little medusae, they feed greedily on the Ravedragon's intestinal tract as well as any partially-digested food they can find within, all the while constantly spewing gametes behind them. This results in a spray of fertilized eggs and Stingers the next time the Raveshark defecates. Being ejected in this manner marks the end of the Stinger's medusae phase. Now free-floating in the ocean, the Stingers balloon up into large filter-feeding free-floating jellyfish. Unlike other species, Stingers actually lose the ability to reproduce as they age (rather than gaining the ability with maturation) They do not mate again, living a pointless existence until eaten by some other animal.

Stingers, as evinced by some similarities in their life-cycle (the presence of a parasitic medusae phase as well as the need to be eaten by a Raveshark) are actually close relatives of the Rock Slugs, having split off from their "parent's" genus near the end of the Ice Age. Another trait shared with its cousin is the segment of poisonous individuals within the larger species. If ingested by the specific species of Raveshark called Ravedragons, the medusae will steal some of the creature's toxin cells "on the way out" granting the adult-form stinging tentacles of its own.

Open Ocean

Common Spearfish

Spearfish are carnivorous fish native to warm-to-tropical waters of the Open Ocean.

These wolf-sized pack predators are exclusively adapted for hunting Sea Bloats, to the point that *any* change in the Sea Bloat population has a corresponding and profound effect on Spearfish numbers.

The main hunting tactic of the Spearfish is to "wind-up" the muscles in their tail, putting all their energy into a tremendous burst of speed, and leaping out of the water. From there, the creatures can achieve limited flight, or glide for extended periods of time. They will split up into two squads while hunting, one remaining in the water, while the more flight-capable take to the air and dive bomb a single bloat, attempting to spear a Bloat with their mandibles, fatally wounding it in a single strike in order to bypass its defenses, meanwhile, the second squad will remain in the water, defending the dazed flyers and keeping scavengers away from their prize.

Eventually, though, the Spearfish must return to the water (as it possesses only primitive lungs), and gravity takes its toll. If they were to become stranded on land, they are capable only of limited movement using their primitive hindlimbs and wings, though with some effort they can take flight again.

Spearfish lay thousands of soft slimy-coated eggs in underwater caves disguised with sea-flora. The young hatch into small thumb-sized fry that must fend for themselves from the moment of birth. On average, only around 7% reach adulthood.

Aquabeast

Aquabeast

The Aquabeast is a carnivorous aquatic repto-mammal that lives in cold saltwater habitats, usually inhabiting the mid-range to deep ocean depths. It makes its home in the Abyss and the Open Ocean.

The Aquabeast is about the size of a whale shark, roaming the mid to near-surface depths of the ocean. While most of its body is covered in dense bony armor, its underbelly is adorned with slick blue hairs, stuck close together, similar to a penguin's feathers. Being such a large beast, this creature's digestive system is wonderfully efficient, even the bones of prey are digested. The calcium present in these goes to the upkeep/growth of the Aquabeast's impressive armor (which, is actually a modified second skeleton). While the Aquabeast is only moderately fast, it does have the advantage of a long tongue, one that can extend it body length away. In this regard, the Aquabeast has changed little from its Spineback predecessor, it remains an ambush predator, relying on a single decisive strike to grab prey before it has a chance to react.

Bloat Whale

Bloat Whale

Bloat Whales are large orca-sized filter feeders common to most areas of the ocean, with the exception of the Abyss and the Tropical Gulf. They are found in Near-Surface to Deep depths.

Bloat Whales, as they age, often play host to certain algaes that live on their skin, like barnacles latching onto a ship. This causes the creature no pain.

Common Searay (Northern Ice Ray)

Common Searays are carnivorous fish that make their homes in the northern arctic to temperate waters of the Open Ocean. Common Searays have extremely flat manta-ray like bodies and hunt either solitarily or in a mated pair. They mate for life, and in fact, if one of the pair dies, the other will waste away, refusing to eat, seemingly mourning its lost partner.

Common Searays are semi-nocturnal, occasionally hunting at night, where they come closer to the surface. Here, in the moonlight, at seemingly random intervals, they gracefully somersault and backflip in the water. These hauntingly beautiful "dances" are a complete mystery, and no one has any idea as to why they are performed. These dances are rarer in the northern species, as they exist under the threat of surface-dwelling Aquabeasts. To avoid this threat, Common Searays spend most of their time floating with their white belly sticking either up or down depending on where a potential predator is located, attempting to camouflage themselves among the small floating ice formations of the arctic waters.

Searays are near the size of a dolphin, but almost 2-3 times as wide, owing to their "wingspan", the modified fins that 'flap' through the water, providing locomotion.

Tentacle Leech

Tentacle Leech

A horrifying blood-sucking parasite, the Tentacle Leech can be found wherever there are Ravesharks.

Tentacle Leeches evolved from a species of slug-like leech that attached to many aquatic species, especially the Ravesharks. After feeding on, and being eventually eaten by, their Raveshark hosts, a chance mutation making the leech's ancestors "taller" with longer tentacles proved to be a vital change for the species. While many of their cousins continued their normal way of life (and these eventually became the Slugiformes, see the entry for: Rock Slugs), the new, longer, taller leeches began infiltrating the Raveshark's tentacles, latching on to them at their base, gorging on blood until the tentacle withers away, and then the leech takes its place, eventually fusing its body into the shark's as it uses its twin tentacles to feed the rave shark and its durable rocky shell to protect from its host's ravenous maw. The hosts appear either to not notice or not care about the replacement of a few tentacles in this manner.

The anonymous poster who created the Tentacle Leech has stated that this creature was inspired by a real-world parasite called the tongue louse (Link not recommended for the squeamish).

There are a number of species of Tentacle Leeches adapted for particular breeds of Ravesharks, with bioluminescent spots simulating the 'light show' of the sharks.

Stingers

Adult-form Stinger

The Stinger is a strange, jellyfish-like creature common to all ocean regions, and is common from deep to sea-floor depths.

Stingers are entirely dependent on the Ravesharks for the propagation of their species. At the beginning of their life-cycle, they float in the sea covered in a tough shell as fertilized eggs, only hatching once ingested by a Ravedragon. Once hatched into voracious little medusae, they feed greedily on the Ravedragon's intestinal tract as well as any partially-digested food they can find within, all the while constantly spewing gametes behind them. This results in a spray of fertilized eggs and Stingers the next time the Raveshark defecates. Being ejected in this manner marks the end of the Stinger's medusae phase. Now free-floating in the ocean, the Stingers balloon up into large filter-feeding free-floating jellyfish. Unlike other species, Stingers actually lose the ability to reproduce as they age (rather than gaining the ability with maturation) They do not mate again, living a pointless existence until eaten by some other animal.

Stingers, as evinced by some similarities in their life-cycle (the presence of a parasitic medusae phase as well as the need to be eaten by a Raveshark) are actually close relatives of the Rock Slugs, having split off from their "parent's" genus near the end of the Ice Age. Another trait shared with its cousin is the segment of poisonous individuals within the larger species. If ingested by the specific species of Raveshark called Ravedragons, the medusae will steal some of the creature's toxin cells "on the way out" granting the adult-form stinging tentacles of its own.

Tropical Gulf

Tropical Searay (Southern Ice Ray)

Tropical Searays are carnivorous fish that make their homes in the warm waters of the Tropical Gulf, being found at Near-Surface to Mid-Range depths.

Tropical Searays have flat manta-ray like bodies and hunt either solitarily or in a mated pair. They mate for life, and in fact, if one of the pair dies, the other will waste away, refusing to eat, seemingly mourning its lost partner.

Tropical Searays are semi-nocturnal, occasionally hunting at night, where they come closer to the surface. Here, in the moonlight, at seemingly random intervals, they gracefully somersault and backflip in the water. These hauntingly beautiful "dances" are a complete mystery, and no one has any idea as to why they are performed.

Tropical Searays are near the size of a dolphin, but almost 2-3 times as wide, owing to their "wingspan", the modified fins that 'flap' through the water, providing locomotion.

Tentacle Leech

Tentacle Leech

A horrifying blood-sucking parasite, the Tentacle Leech can be found wherever there are Ravesharks.

Tentacle Leeches evolved from a species of slug-like leech that attached to many aquatic species, especially the Ravesharks. After feeding on, and being eventually eaten by, their Raveshark hosts, a chance mutation making the leech's ancestors "taller" with longer tentacles proved to be a vital change for the species. While many of their cousins continued their normal way of life (and these eventually became the Slugiformes, see the entry for: Rock Slugs), the new, longer, taller leeches began infiltrating the Raveshark's tentacles, latching on to them at their base, gorging on blood until the tentacle withers away, and then the leech takes its place, eventually fusing its body into the shark's as it uses its twin tentacles to feed the rave shark and its durable rocky shell to protect from its host's ravenous maw. The hosts appear either to not notice or not care about the replacement of a few tentacles in this manner.

The anonymous poster who created the Tentacle Leech has stated that this creature was inspired by a real-world parasite called the tongue louse (Link not recommended for the squeamish).

There are a number of species of Tentacle Leeches adapted for particular breeds of Ravesharks, with bioluminescent spots simulating the 'light show' of the sharks.

Treasure Fish

The Treasure Fish is a herbivorous relative of the Shadow Raveshark. Native to shallow waters near the coasts the Treasure Fish's scales gleam like molten gold in the sunlight. Sometimes it's even difficult to see against the glare off its scales as they reflect the tropical sunlight.

Treasure Fish live together as mated pairs. They mate for life but do not tend their young. When the young (young Treasure Fish are called "dubloons") hatch they band together, in all their hundreds, in schools called "hoards". The young eat, play, and hunt together. When two hoards meet, the males and females of each often pair up, separating and leaving their hoards to live with their mate. Of course, the ratio of males/females isn't even, so often what is left is a small token hoard of fish, and they will search for other hoards to pair off with.

Stingers

Adult-form Stinger

The Stinger is a strange, jellyfish-like creature common to all ocean regions, and is common from deep to sea-floor depths.

Stingers are entirely dependent on the Ravesharks for the propagation of their species. At the beginning of their life-cycle, they float in the sea covered in a tough shell as fertilized eggs, only hatching once ingested by a Ravedragon. Once hatched into voracious little medusae, they feed greedily on the Ravedragon's intestinal tract as well as any partially-digested food they can find within, all the while constantly spewing gametes behind them. This results in a spray of fertilized eggs and Stingers the next time the Raveshark defecates. Being ejected in this manner marks the end of the Stinger's medusae phase. Now free-floating in the ocean, the Stingers balloon up into large filter-feeding free-floating jellyfish. Unlike other species, Stingers actually lose the ability to reproduce as they age (rather than gaining the ability with maturation) They do not mate again, living a pointless existence until eaten by some other animal.

Stingers, as evinced by some similarities in their life-cycle (the presence of a parasitic medusae phase as well as the need to be eaten by a Raveshark) are actually close relatives of the Rock Slugs, having split off from their "parent's" genus near the end of the Ice Age. Another trait shared with its cousin is the segment of poisonous individuals within the larger species. If ingested by the specific species of Raveshark called Ravedragons, the medusae will steal some of the creature's toxin cells "on the way out" granting the adult-form stinging tentacles of its own.

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Pickle Island

Pickles

A pickled cucumber (commonly known as a pickle in Australia, Canada, and the United States or generically as gherkins in the UK) is a cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, vinegar, or other solution and left to ferment for a period of time, by either immersing the cucumbers in an acidic solution or through souring by lacto-fermentation.

Goes finely with Ice Shrub juice.