Parting of the Ways (Fortune: Evolution Game)
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.
Forest Tick descendants
Forest Ticks
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)
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.
Mountain Troll (bull Chomper)
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.
Spitter Crab
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 quadrupedal 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)
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.
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 (Jungle)
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 (Jungle)
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.
Rainbow Blimpie
Smiler (Jungle)
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.
Skullroot
The Skullroot (Osmunda meloidogyne) [Osmunda is the name that a lot of ferns that grow Fiddlehead Ferns, which is actually a curly green, take. I thought it appropriate due to the Skullroots connection to the Curly-Q line. The Meloidogyne is based from the Root-Knot Nematode what the Skullroot was originally based on as a parasite. Both add into the Skullroots evolution it very subtle ways.]is an exclusively female specie that relies heavily on the Asparagus Trees for their continued survival as a specie. The parasites have thus developed a relationship with the tree that is putting them in the place of a glorified walking fruit that regurgitates the seedlings, and young, to continue the Equatorial Jungles Asparagus Trees line alive and fruitful. The young Skullroot spends three cycles(3 years) within the Resin Packets that the Asparagus Trees produce in order to grow to their maximum size of 2'9" and capture the maximum amount of Tadseeds (male sperms) for future usage. When it has reached maturity the Skullroot is expelled from the Resin Packet and crawls down the side of the tall trees with its 5 tendrils and 2 arms. Once reaching the ground it begins its first task, to begin reproducing. Once finished the Skullroot travels and once deeming a spot acceptable will dig a spot and essentially "throw-up" its young with the seedlings to ensure mutual continued survival. The Skullroots do this for the next 3 to 4 years, eating small bugs to help it produce more Resin, its lifeblood and throwing up the remains as fertilizer. When the Skullroot has spit up its final off spring it will die within the next 2 weeks and likely finds a spot and digs in its tendrils thus allowing the plant on its head to take over and grow a new Asparagus Tree.
Facts: Skullroots do not hear, they rely heavily on camouflage and the dark of the underbrush.
Skullroots are incredibly high in protein due to their resin blood, and thus a lovely snack for predators.
Skullroots are incredibly terrotorial and will kill others on site to ensure their own lineages continue.
Tadseeds are glorified sperm cells that once attached to the Skullroot fuse into her body until only their gonads remain. The have highly functional eyes that hep the Skullroot develop their 4 easier and quicker.
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 (Jungle)
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 lengthen 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
An endless sea of grass, amber waves of grain. The Prairie is a vibrant ecosystem in a land where trees never evolved or took root (pun intended).
Camelback (Prairie)
Camelbacks are terrestrial herbivorous repto-mammals found in temperate to dry plains & steppes as well as deserts.
Camelbacks are horse-sized nomadic herbivores that are built to survive harsh, dry conditions. They mainly do this through the use of the fat cells stored in their "hump", allowing for them to, in emergency or drought, to survive for about 3 weeks without food, noticeably shrinking their humps. Should this happen, the Camelback will gorge at the next opportunity, attempting to replace the lost storage. Their bodies are also adept at storing water, including thick jowls (like a Bloodhound's) that trap saliva in the cheeks, allowing it to be reused rather than lost via drool/evaporation.
Camelbacks travel in herds of anywhere from a dozen to nearly a hundred animals, grazing and lazily migrating across their habitats. These herds are the primary family unit, and while hatchlings are cared for mainly by their biological parents, Camelbacks often have 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). Camelbacks even have the curious practice of "adoption", where, if the parents of a baby or juvenile Camelback perish, a mated pair without a child of their own will take the youngster in. At times this is done even if the mated pair already has a child, and other times one of the non-breeding "daycare" females will take the orphan in.
Imperial Wolf (Prairie)
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 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 (Prairie)
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 palette 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.
Piranha Fly (Prairie)
Piranha Flies are terrestrial predatory insects about the size of a horsefly, and are common to the Jungles of Alpha, the Prairie of Beta, the Desert of Beta, and the Highlands of Alpha.
Living in solitude for the most part, a Piranha fly will find a host to latch on to, and over a period of many days, drain away small portions of blood. When the creature has had its fill, it leaves the parting gift of a painful bite, taking a pill-sized chunk of flesh. The reason the Piranha Fly is called as such is because of their mating season, which, for the fly's neighbors, is the stuff of nightmares. Piranha Flies gather from miles and miles around, flying high into the air in swarms of almost a million, buzzing a low droning sound that can be heard far away from the swarm's centre. Piranha Flies, after mating and laying their eggs (about 500 for each female) in calm bodies of water (they need not be stagnant), the flies then proceed to earn their fearsome reputation. Much like salmon on Earth, Piranha Flies mating takes a lot out of them, unlike salmon, the Piranha Flies have found a way around the death that would normally accompany this. The swarm of a million descends on some unlucky bastard of a creature and every one of them proceeds to take a single bite from the victim... this one creature dies horribly, be it Camelback, Smiler, or even the normally unmolested Shogun Walrus. As a result of this practice, a Piranha Fly can survive and mate up to five seasons in a row. After this one creature, the flies are satisfied and they move on, to return to their solitary existence.
Proboscis Scorpion (Prairie)
The Proboscis Scorpion is a herbivorous terrestrial ectothermic insectoid common to the Jungles and Highlands of Alpha and the Prairie of Beta.
The scorpion is about the size of a human palm, and possesses wings rendering it capable of short bursts of flight, as well as a sharp ovipositor that's sharp enough that, in a pinch, can be used as a weapon.
Female scorpions will store fertilized eggs for extended periods of time, until they can use their stingers to inject hundreds of eggs under the skin of a larger creature, where the young hatch and develop.
They begin their life as carnivorous larval creatures consisting of little more than powerful jaws, and begin eating their host from the inside out. Most of the time this will kill the host, though in the case of larger creatures it may simply deliver irreparable damage. They develop into their adult forms while inside the host, the final stage being losing their jaws and developing a proboscis/tongue, upon which they will burst out of the host. This host will serve as their first meal. After that, the Proboscis Scorpion will dine on grasses and the occasional Piranha Fly. Sometimes these creatures serve to groom others, becoming a welcome remedy to P. Fly infestations.
Spitter Crab (Prairie)
Spitter Crabs are omnivorous, terrestrial crustaceans common to the Prairie of Beta and Highlands of Alpha. The vast majority of the crab's diet is vegetable matter, but every once in a while, the creatures will scavenge, dining on the dead. They've never been observed chasing or hunting prey, and it's likely they do not do so.
Spitter Crabs are not very large, being about the size of a laptop. They do, however have one ingenious defense, and that is their spit attack for which they are named. The Spitter Crabs possess a gland that produces a thin filmy fluid that is a powerful deterrent against predators, as once it comes into contact with exposed skin, it burns like pepper spray. Few enemies are determined enough to endure the pain long enough to strike.
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
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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.
River Spearfish Descendants
Skimmer Tridenfish
Cuckoo Fish
Bog Wyvern
Saltspike Frog (Swamp)
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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 lengthen 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.
Saltspikes are truly amphibious, able to breathe both in and out of water.
Saltspike (Swamps) Descendants
Saltbeaks
Smurf Frogs
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.
Swamp Tick Descendants
Bayou Beetle
Swamp Tick
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.
Strider Crab Descendants
Strider Crabs
Hell Hammerer
Naked Bullstrider
Ambusher Mudcrabs
Big Jawed Strider
Hell Climber
Smiler (Swamp)
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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.
Smiler (Swamp) Descendants
Platodile
Bog Smiler
Smiling Boar
Bladed Smilers
Valley of the Giants
Demolisher
Behemoth
Marauder
The Abyss
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.
Shadow Raveshark
Abyssal Ravedragon
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.
Rock Slug
Stingers
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
Much like Earth, the planet of Fortune's surface is, for the most part, covered in liquid water. Also similar to Earth this alien world's seas are full of plants and animals. So thick is the biodensity contained within, that these bodies of water resemble a veritable "soup" of life.
Analogues of Earth's fish, sharks, Cnidarians, whales, dolphins, squid, and algae all call these blue deeps home.
Common Spearfish
Spearfish are carnivorous fish native to warm-to-tropical waters of the Open Ocean.
These wolf-sized pack predators are almost exclusively adapted for hunting Rainbow Blimpies, to the point that *any* change in their prey's 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 gliding 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 animal, attempting to spear one with the mandibles, fatally wounding it in a single strike (often dive-bombing their soon-to-be dinner, using gravity to add punch to their strike), 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, allowing it around an hour, maybe two, above the surface. Were they to become stranded on land, they are capable only of limited movement using their flippers 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.
Oceanic (Openwater) Ravedragon
The Oceanic Ravedragon is a descendant of the Ravesharks, but this twelve-foot long solitary or mated-pair predator that will even go after the massive Bloat Whales. The lining of their digestive system is incredibly toxic, making sure that any creature they swallow whole will soon die to the poison. This paralytic prevent struggling while inside the Ravedragon's gullet, as such thrashing could severely damage the predator from the inside.
Unlike their cousins, these ectothermic bony jawless fishes possess their bio-luminescence on the massive "frill" behind their skull (though, again, only on the males). This dazzling sexual display in unique to each individual and can include almost any colour in the visible spectrum.
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 (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, remaining an ambush predator, relying on a single decisive strike to grab prey before it has a chance to react.
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)
The Common Searay 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
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.
Windsail Dolphin
The Windsail Dolphin is an ectothermic, bony, jawed, carnivorous fish native to the Open Ocean's surface to mid-range depths.
The Windsail Dolphin uses its large fins to be blown around by the wind, conserving energy by letting the breeze and tides carry them. Windsails are about as big as their dolphin namesakes, and have a similar diet, mostly small fish, like Shadow Ravesharks, but they are also known to dine on Stingers, though that's a gamble as the poisonous Stingers look no different than the non-poisonous.
Why the sails developed is unknown, but the features get plenty of use during the semi-annual migration of the species, travelling from one end of the planet to the other. For a few years, the species lives in the northern hemisphere, slowly moving southwards, until, 3-5 years later, they near the edge of the region and begin migrating towards the southern hemisphere, gradually moving north, from whence they will return to the northern areas. This long process is in place to avoid "overfishing" an area, gradually moving once food hits a certain low, and returning many years later when prey populations have recovered. Each "pod" of about 20-35 individuals has its own migration routes.
There is a point though, every decade or so (in Earth years) that the Windsails gather around the equator and exchange members of their pods, to mate and spread the gene-pool. It's a momentous event, thousands of Windsails from all across the planet, swimming in and out as part of their courtship dance and exchanging members, breeding and eventually giving live birth (the gestation period being only around a week or two). In about 6 years the babies born will be adults, with four years with their families before the next mating season when they'll go and live with another pod.
Raveshark
An ancient lineage of carnivorous, bio-luminescent bony fish. It is the mating dance of these creatures that gives the family its name (though these are no longer borne by all species of Raveshark, having multiplied into many different forms since Part 5). The different light patches on the creature's fins all light up separately, and prospective partners will put on a dazzling light show of colours, strobes, and flashes, hoping to attract a partner.
Common Raveshark
Common Ravesharks are carnivorous, ectothermic (cold-blooded), bony, jawed fish common to many areas of the Open Ocean of Fortune's PotW period. They are about 5-7 feet long from nose to tail and possess bio-luminescence on their two dorsal fins and on the tips of the tentacles obscuring their mouth. They swim either by opening and closing the frill behind their head (the motion likely resembling an octopi or a jellyfish), or by left-to-right paddling with their dual tails, alternating between these two modes as one gets tired.
The bio-luminescence that gives the C. Raveshark its name is only present on the males, and they use it a sexual display in order to gather mates. A male may end up breeding with multiple females should his laser show impress lots of ladies. Females are also promiscuous, mating with up to three different males, should three exceptional specimens present themselves (doesn't happen that often, but it's not unheard of). The female will then lay her many eggs (around 2,000 of them) in a foamy mass, either in some underwater cave, a coral reef (or whatever Fortune's equivalent would be) or a seaweed grove. She then leaves, returning to the solitary hunting that is C. Raveshark life. If multiple partners were selected, then one fraction of the eggs will belong to one father and another fraction to the other father (and so on and so forth) even though they were all laid at the same time.
The fry hatch in about 3 days and must immediately fend for themselves. They grow to full size in about a month, but only around 6 or 8 of the original two-thousand reach adulthood on average, the rest providing food for the ocean's many aquatic predators.
Shadow Raveshark
Shadow Ravesharks are carnivorous, ectothermic, bony, jawed fishes around 3-4 feet in length and swim in schools of a few dozen. Despite being part of the Raveshark family, the Shadow R. does not possess the bio-luminescence of its ancestors, abandoning them once it stopped living in deep-sea trenches.
Shadow R. mating is little more than a breeding frenzy, with the whole pack weaving in and out mating with multiple partners over the course of about an hour. It's a mad rush to be last, as only the most recent donor's genetic material will be accepted by the female's body. Eventually, the pack dies when they exhaust themselves (much like salmon). The females lay their eggs in the open water, where they sink to the bottom, spread all across the ocean floor. Ocean currents direct almost all of these eggs (from anywhere in the world) to only a few hotspots from where almost all baby Shadows are born.
These mass of unrelated Shadows hatch and break off in groups of unrelated individuals around 12-30 individuals and hunt in packs much like piranhas. At the end of about 3 years, the mating frenzy begins and the cycle continues anew.
Stingers
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
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.
Shadow Raveshark
Common Raveshark
Rock Slug
Fire Guppy
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
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.
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.