Parting of the Ways (Fortune: Evolution Game)
"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
Demolisher
Imperial Wolf
Snow Crabs
Snow Tick
White Wretch (Grey Wretch)
Desert
Sailbacks (Sailed Wretch)
Longnecks
Sand Crusher
Blood Ants (Sand Tick)
Gel-Moles
Skunk Bison (Binger)
Sultan Roo
Sandhopper
Screamer
Spearcow
Piranha Moth
Forests
Webspinner
Webspinners are terrestrial insectoids that prefer cool, damp spaces and are commonly found in the shade of the trees of the Jungle Region with a separate population in the Forest Region. Over time these may develop into two different species, but for now, they are physiologically identical.
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)
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
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)
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
The Gardenback is an aerial terrestrial herbivore found in the Forest Region of Delta Continent. 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
Wood Ants
Cleaner Tick
Grey Wretch
Highlands
Garden Crab
Tunelsinger (Howling Snake)
Mountain Troll (bull Chomper)
Smiler
Dwarf Chomper
Czar Boar (Jelly Boar/Metalhead)
Highlands Tick
Spitter Crab
Brown Wretch
Jungles
Webspinner
Barkworm
Garden Crab
Howling Snakes
Rainbow Blimpie
Smiler
Skullroot
Saltspike Frog
Jungle Tick
Prairie
Camelback
Demolisher
Imperial Wolf (Gel Wolf)
Czar Boar (Jelly Boar/Metalhead)
Prairie Tick
Spitter Crab
Swamps
Spearfish
Saltspike Frog
Swamp Tick
Strider Crab
Smiler
Valley of the Giants
Demolisher
Behemoth
Marauder
The Abyss
Tentacle Leech
Shadow Raveshark
Abyssal Ravedragon
Aquabeast
Rock Slug
Stingers
Open Ocean
Spearfish
Openwater Ravedragon
Aquabeast
Bloat Whale
Common Searay (Northern Ice Ray)
Tentacle Leech
Windsail Dolphin
Common Raveshark
Shadow Raveshark
Stingers
Tropical Gulf
Tropical Searay (Southern Ice Ray)
Tentacle Leech
Shadow Raveshark
Common Raveshark
Rock Slug
Fire Guppy
Treasure Fish
Stingers