Primordial Evolution Game/Hastun

The tribe of Hastun:

The tribe of Hastun is a southern tentouz tribe that just arrived at the edge of the jungle after being through a long starve. They are smaller than their northern cousins due to this. They have know arrived to a bountiful but dangerous world that they are decided to tame and make theirs. But before trying to understand their story, it is rather important to know their biology.

Biology of the tentouz:

An inside view of the metha-nervous system.

This part is a bit harsh with the technobabble, but as a bio student I couldn't resist to the challenge to make work the chemistery.

Behind the mouth, the food goes in a first stomach full of digestive acid produced by a liver/pancreas-like organ. The organic matter melts and the nutriments are directed to the lymphoïc system (it's not blood, it's a hemolymphoïc fluid that does not carry oxygen). The chime of all the unwanted matter then goes to a second stomach full of a methanogen archaebacteria flora (like cows but way tougher). This stomach is equipped with a valve that opens to spread the gas into the baloon. The atmosphere being rich in oxygen, the methane gives a good buoyancy in the air. Tentouz can float 100km a day, and are able to do so safely at high altitudes.

At the bottom of the "balloon", all around the gas intake sprout, is a layer of neural cells. These cells are able to synthetize thousands of different neuro-transmitter. These organic molecules goes back and forth into the gas chamber where they then exist in two different form, normal and the oxidised one with an additional acid function (R and RCOO-). The reverse methanisation (1) and the CO2 reduction (2) presented bellow are metabolised by the epithelial cells that cover the surface of the chambers (mostly on top).

(1) 2H2O + CH4 -> 4H2 +CO2 (incomplete reaction) | This reaction is constantly working in order to regulate the amount of gas and propulse the tentouz. The high amount of CH4 pushes it in the good way.

(2) NT (Neurotransmitter) + CO2 -> NT-COO- | The way of reducing a CO2 by adding an acidic function to a molecule is a pretty basic biologic reaction.

This oxidation liberates H2 molecules which are known to burst in flames in contact with oxygen. that's why the balloons burst if pierced. When the methylated form comes back to the brain cells, it is interpreted as an information.

The brain works by interpreting the variation of partial pressure of each neurotransmitter. All around the chambers are disposed small neural glands linked to the lymphoïc system. This allows to "save" some neurotransmitter in liquid phase when their partial pressure becomes high in the chamber. This is basically their memory. These glands are also able to deliver into the chamber foreign molecules that were taken in the stomach or synthesised by the organism or "saved" earlier. These can be coloured molecules, bioluminescent molecules, toxins, neurotransmitters, etc. This allows them to adapt their colour in order to communicate, confuse preys...

This system can also deliver into the back limbs to create the deadly bane-bubbles. The back sprouts only deliver H2 and surplus that bursts in contact with oxygen and then propulses the creature.

(3) 2H2 + O2 -> 2H2O + explosive liberation of heat. | Rather powerful in a O2 rich atmosphere.

Their air holes act directly as an interface to extract the oxygen needed for the cell metabolism and have the sense of scent. The oxygen is carried in a secondary system of actual blood vessels. This system does not ever enter in contact with the gas chambers.

They have also a basic nervous system to control their limbs and the various valves scattered between the gas chambers and stomachs. The back tentacle are carved by an extension of their stomach richly vascularized with hemolymph vessels and covered by mucus producing cells. That allows them to create acidic poisonous and flammable bane mucus.

The neuro-transmitter and their receptors on the brain cells are randomly synthesised by random gene splitting (that's the immunoglobuline synthesis way) Then, like the antibodies, these receptor can randomly be sensible to some foreign molecule. This causes to grant tentouz with gradual immunity to poisons in contact with them allowing them to half-sentiently deal with it in their organism and use it. This molecule can temporally become a new "thought component". In fact sentience of the tentouz depends on their ability to absorb various foreign organic molecules in order to complexize their minds. A starving tentouz will become pale and get back to animal stage until it can feed properly again to wake up its mind and have back access to its dormant memory. The aging of the tentouz is very slow, allowing them to last many years even in the dormancy stage.

The tentouz have a very low mechanical power in their limbs. They can't lift great weights nor strike with strength. However, its four opposed tentacle digits are very dexterous. The tentouz have the poorest audition. Their internal ear is almost entirely used for its balance keeping role.

Tentouz have a long lifespan (around 200 years if unharmed) and are unaffected by a lot of poisonous substances. They are hermaphroditic and reproduce by giving birth to a single larvae which have a long growth and needs a lot of nutrients. The tentouz reproduce very slowly.

tl;dr: They fly with methane coming from micro-organisms of their stomach. Brain works with a pool of gas where all the neurotransmitter go. It can adapt with what they eat. They have colour shifting they use to communicate. They push themselves with a gas that burns in oxygen. They can throw bubbles of acidic poisonous mucus. If they starve they become pale and insentient.

History of Hastun:

Prologue:The first tale:

The word of the first tale, sigil of Hastun.

The first tale of the Hastun: "The land that shall bear our lives, shall be ours until the end of times"

The colour shades that may mean this has not been worn for a long time on the hides of the pale remnants of the Hastun. But the words have not been forgotten, still inscribed deeply in the dormant memories since the beginning of the great starve. The prophet of these words may still be living in the pack, as pale and as the others, no longer differentiable from its pairs. They have been guidied instinctively by this obsessive idea to seek for a more bounteous land. Wandering and roaming unnoticed on the desert sky for decades, they have forgotten the way to be themselves. But in a day, a green horizon appears, dawn of a new era. The Hastun catches a prey, feeds on it and awakes. Then he knows that he must stay awakened for ever. A few hours past, and the entire tribe is back on its minds. Their hides turns blue again, and then moving shades start to scatter around in tidal colour waves. The skin on their foreheads pulses and a sketch starts to design itself. The words appear again: "The land that shall bear our lives, shall be ours until the end of times" they become the sigil of the Hastun. All wear it, but then an other word, made of darker shades is formed. The word of their forgotten past, their lost origins. This word becomes sense of obliviousness and sacrilege. Forgetting is forbidden.

Part I: Tame the sky and the lands:

[-> for a post and # for the result.]

->The remains who reached the jungle are composed of 30 adults and 5 larvae. They now need to gather more food to feed themselves properly. 20 individuals stay around their landing point and tries to build deposits the higher they can. They tend to use clubs with stones as lever to move heavier stuff. Act by pairs to transport things. Gather cutting edge objects. A second group goes to south to hunt. They fly higher than the canopy, counting on their powerful eyes to spot herds and big animals on the ground, circle them, and then go down to shoot them with acid mucus bubbles. They try to aim the head to kill quick and avoid spoiling meat, hides and scales.

#Early attempts at figuring out the workings of more complex skills result in suffering. A tribal member is crushed under a rock as it rolls over atop him. thankfully a squish and somewhat robust biology saves the tentouz as gas is rapidly vented preventing rupture. This member will be out of commission and need medical care/ feeding as it recovers. The tribe catches an abundance of suls. they do not taste good, and are a sticky mess, but will fill their bellies tonight.

->The hunters come back successful and are welcomed by frenetic tentacle waving and vivid colours. The meal has for result to reinforce the vigour and elevate slightly the general intellect of the tribemen. The remains of food are stocked in the deposits weakly built. Some try to look for useful parts on the suls but it's a lost cause. They spend a few days on their stocks while at least 5 hastun keep awake to foresee any threat (night-time is not a problem for their superior vision). Some tribemen spend some time on the wood collected to see how they could work it. They first try to use cutting objects but their strenght lacks to work it as they would. They then find out that they can shape it slowly but precisely by pouring acid concentrated mucus on it. They try to build tools that they atatch with strings of llras.

#An accident at the workshop happened! A Tentouz poured too much acidic mucus onto the wood, and it burned a hole through the workshop. Some wooden tools were also liquified in the process.

->The workers only managed to save a bunch of knives from the accident that can merely be used to harvest some more llras or cut the sul meat. They now need to hunt again while some others continue their experiments on wood.

#The hunters only manage to catch some more suls, and just about half of what they caught last time. The woodcarvers, however, had managed to learn from their mistake, and found out the exact acidity used to make wood temporarily pliable. The reshaped wood is then warmed on top of fire to strengthen it. Woodworking learned!

->The woodworker managed to combine various functions in one single tool easy to carry around. It can be used as lever, hook or carry things or liquids inside. They now try to weave ropes with dry llras strings.

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Idiomic language of Hastun:

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  Our tribe, the first tale.

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  Forgetfulness, sacrilegious, anathema.