Arigan

Arigan is the setting for the currently on-going Arigan Evolution Game. The planet started with three basic species of animals and two species of plant. From there, /tg/ got shit done and ended up creating a highly diverse ecosystem. There have been two major events since the game's inception, a longterm monsoon and a meteor impact.

The Beginning

There were three species in the beginning. These were the Skrelp, the Felg and the Burz. Skrelp served as the basis of the ecosystem as they were the only herbivore around at the time. They used three tendrils to feed on algae and their sense of smell to find algae patches. They were propelled by a single tail and reproduced via large clutches of eggs. Felg were waterborne predators and scavengers, who alternated between hunting Skrelp and feeding on carrion floating on the water's surface. They reproduced via the use of egg clutches. A single large "tooth" served as a means of scraping off flesh from prey and carrion. The Burz primarily fed on Skrelp and were capable of hovering indefinitely should the need arise. They hunted Skrelp with the use of light-sensitive patches on their heads, diving down and catching the hapless creatures with their mandibles. They reproduced via egg clutches laid on leaves overhanging the water.

The plants, Basic Ferns and the Thunngus

More to come.

The Impact

It seemed that things would go on as they had for generations, with the insectile species native to Arigan adapting, eating and changing in the low-lying swamps all over the planet’s surface. From the heavens came a great object of destruction, smashing into the surface of Arigan and throwing the planet’s ecosystem into a state of complete upheaval. The beasts whom once stood on top of the food chain, such as the mighty behemoths of Arigan’s fresh water oceans, became extinct as the dropping temperatures made their food increasingly scarce. Only their smaller cousins survived, facing an uncertain future as ice slowly crept over their lakes and solidified the muddy shores which they used as their hunting grounds.

For a time, death and decay was the order of things for Arigan. Scavengers such as the Sand Scralls found themselves perfectly at home among the large quantities of carrion washing up on the shores. Returning to their old behaviours, the Sand Scralls did very well out of the refuse and putrid slurries forming on the top of the fresh water lakes.

Even algae, the most basic foundation of Arigan’s ecosystem, was impacted by the chilling cold enveloping the planet. With not nearly as much sunlight to promote algae growth, aquatic herbivore species such as the Aqlurz had their number drastically reduced. In time, omnivorous species of Aqlurz became the favoured members of their species, as they continued to develop teeth just as suited for catching prey as it was for grinding up plant matter.

The Durrd, the strange and lanky insects of Arigan, were forced to move further and further away from their watery origins, instead hunting and gathering food on dry land. As ice and snow became increasingly prominent, the Durrd which had better grip on the new developed slippery surfaces of the land survived, while those who could not traverse the changing landscape were left behind to die.

The loss of food sources did not merely impact those on top of the food chain, however. The Barge Thungus, a provider of sustenance to many species, slowly died out when they were unfortunate enough to not have a family of paddlers adopt them. The only remaining species were the ones who were most suited as paddler homes.

Most species developed means of absorbing as much heat as possible with means such as fur or wide tails to catch as absorb as much heat as possible, though there has yet to be a species of warm blooded animal to rise from the evolutionary crucible of Arigan. What new species may emerge in the increasingly cold climate of this fledgling planet? Only time will tell what will happen.