Dreams, ideas, and miscellaneous nonsense

Just a thread for any ideas I come up with. Feel free to comment and critique.

I noticed there is very little in the way of preds of the Miragia Forest. Given its dimensional instability, I get that there would be few established creatures, with most being warped creatures and migrants from other areas. I decided to try a few ideas for preds/creatures that would be in the Miragia Forest.

Constructive criticism would be appreciated.

Void beetle

Size: 3 inches

Threat: Very low

A small blue beetle that lives primarily in the Miragia Forest. It resembles a longhorn beetle to some degree, with a narrow body, no pinchers, and a set of long, thin antennae, but has a line of spikes running down its abdomen. They are herbivores that pose no real threat to anything besides vegetation, at least until provoked.

If threatened, the void beetle will curl its abdomen, the spikes on its belly scraping together. The spines are actually triggers that activate a small, hard, beadlike organ inside the beetle through a network of nerves. This organ can create a five to eight foot field around the beetle that is basically an airless, magic-less vacuum.

While the beetle can go into brief suspended animation and thereby avoid suffocating, Anything caught in the vacuum will be unable to breathe or use magic while in the field. Not a perfect defense, however, as anything with a closed, alternate source of oxygen or the ability to hold its breath for a while would be unaffected. The field also only lasts about ten minutes, and can only be done once every few hours.

It eats most types of plant life, but favors Planar Chorydium as it is an endless supply of food. Some beetles can go for their whole ten week life cycle staying on and eating a single chorydium. The bane of spellcasters, and fairies, because its void negates magic. Mirror birds are their main predator, usually getting the beetles after the void defense had been dropped and is recharging.

If harvested, the organ in the beetle is called a 'Voidstone', and sudden disruption (such as being thrown and striking an object) can make it perform its void ability. Very useful as a fairy deterrent, but it can only be used once, as it can no longer recharge as it did while in the beetle.

That's actually pretty decent. Although, that's just me, but I don't think beetles have flexible back exoskeleton, so it wouldn't be able to curl. I think that's pillbugs, but don't quote me on that.

Thank you for the input.

There are a few beetles that have flexible abdomens. Not many, but a couple. The bombardier beetle that lives in the Americas can curl its abdomen around to the front and spray a kind of acidic chemical at predators.

Any other points or comments, anyone?

I'm realy liking that idea ^^
It would really come at a surprise for anyone bothering that little bug, and in such an unstable zone it fits really quite well
I'd like to add it this one. You are right, Miragia forest could use more attention. So do you agree with the disclaimer ? ^^

Yes, I do. Thank you.

Ah, damn, you've made me the thing I hate the most. All I can say here is that the void beetle is good work, and there's no feedback I can offer you.

I look forward to more by you.

Thanks. I have this, also.

Rift-Runner

Size: 20 feet

Threat: Moderate

The rift-runner is a rather bizarre creature. It looks vaguely like a weasel, but it has very long fur that makes it look more like an elongated mop. This fur can range in color from russet red to dark brown and is very messy, usually full of detritus and other things that have been tangled up in the thick pelt.

It has a multitude of clawed legs hidden in the thick fur that allow it to run very quickly, the claws and strong gripping pads on its feet allowing it to charge across any solid surface, even up vertical obstacles and along walls. They are constantly hurrying about in the Miragia Forest, and have a peculiar ability that is well suited to this zone.

The rift-runner can push its way through dimensionally unstable parts of reality, portaling to other dimensional instabilities nearby, and jumping back into reality. This unpredictable movement makes them a serious hazard to smaller creatures and humans.

It does not actively attack prey, but instead runs into it, tangling the hapless creature up in its hair. Once it jumps through a dimensional instability again, it will reappear with the creature it captured gone, eaten while it was out of reality. Thankfully, they HAVE to run in between dimensional rifts in a straight line, and more than one adventurer has had one these beasts appear only to run right by.

If one were fortunate enough to kill and skin one of these creatures, they would find that the hair will flex in the direction of nearby dimensional vortexes and portals. Useful in avoiding predators that use portals to catch prey, such as dimensional trappers.

On the other hand, a few sentient predators have caught on and use rift-runner pelts to locate whiplash portals that may have deposited some tasty and confused morsels into Felarya . . .

Lightbloom
Rarity: rare
Danger Level: Moderate

A rare and very peculiar flower that is exclusive to the Evernight Forest. Composed of a short, thick stalk with many leaves topped by a large, closed flower with twenty petals, these plants are generally grey-green in color and can grow to two meters tall and almost twice as wide. They are actually carnivorous, with several mouths at the base of the stem.

They are possessed of fifty or so extremely long feeding tendrils, which are spread on the ground around them and covered in very fine, very sensitive hairs. When triggered, the tendril grabs whatever touched it and reels it into one of the mouths, where the food is pulled into one of several digestive organs encased in the root system. The length of these feeding vines means that the plant can literally make a minefield of hyper-sensitive tendrils surrounding it with a diameter of close to sixty meters.

Despite resembling a giant artichoke with tentacles, this flower shows its true beauty when any light is shone on it. Be it torchlight, the beam of a flashlight, or one of the rare rays of sun that occasionally appear in the forest, the reaction is instantaneous. The leaves on the stem, which are highly reflective, will maneuver so as to direct the light into the clear orbs embedded in the stem. The light is then reflected and concentrated through a series of complex lenses. Then the petals open and release the light, many times magnified and stronger, in a brilliant corona that is comparable to sunlight.

If tempted to shine your light on one, however, keep in mind that this is a hunting mechanism; the plant will immediately swing the tendrils around to gather up any blinded creatures, including humans.


Miragia Forest sub-zone: Languid Vale
Danger level: Normal

A very unusual area at the northern edge of the forest. It is a small valley that has, amazingly enough, a settled, stable disturbance of physics.

In this area, time runs about 1/3 the speed of the outside world, reducing all motion to a syrupy pace, and has only 1/2 the gravitational pull. Considered very relaxing (to those who can reach it), it actually is not quite so calm as it looks. It is littered with "fast spots", small holes in the altered timeframe, that, when entered, instantly return the object within to the normal speed and gravity.

The altered physics mean that many things that are normally simple can be difficult, and usually impossible things easy. For example, in this place it is plausible to run on water and jump thirty feet to a bound, albeit at a reduced pace, but unbelievably hard to judge trajectory and attempting to move a large object without something solid to brace yourself against is an exercise in futility. The 'fast spots', as well, can range from nuisances to deadly pitfalls depending on the situation. Jumping down from fifty feet up in a tree with no fear of repercussions could end with a pair of broken legs or worse if there is a fast spot at the ground you are going to land on.

Interestingly, this place is less prone to dimensional disturbances, and the reduced pace makes it easier to spot danger and have a longer time to react to danger.

Nice. If I may make a suggestion, have a way to counter-act parts of the area, like a way to move normally time-wise. Just an idea.

I'm liking a lot that languid vale idea ! Very original and with many possibilities

The Miragia Forest can be pretty dangerous, but these ideas fit in pretty well.

The Light Bloom in particular made me chuckle.

@ sparky: Well, there's a few ways to do so, but they aren't going to be available to the average person. You'd need either a magic artifact or some kind of physics-distorting device to do it. The distortion is very pervasive and not really something you're supposed to be able to counter.

Thank you for the comments, guys.

Red-belly Leech
Size: 2 inches
Danger Level: Very Low

A parasite that lives in wet areas, in particular the Bulvon Wood. The red-belly leech is actually not aquatic, but arboreal, living in the damp moss that hangs down from tree branches. It is from there that the leech detects its prey below, and drops down onto it, indistinguishable from a raindrop because of its clear body and minimal weight.

Once aboard, the leech will wait until the creature it is on goes to sleep, then crawls onto the stomach to feed. In fact, the "red-belly" part of the name comes not from the leech itself but from how a person with a large amount of leeches on them looks. The translucent leeches turn red from blood while feeding, and several feeding on one person can give the appearance of a crimson stomach.

While this feeding is fairly harmless, much like an ordinary leeches feeding, the red-belly tends to feed in large groups, and this can cause fatigue and dizziness, even death if there are enough of them.

Miragia Forest sub-zone: Silverfell
Danger level: Very High

Should you ever find yourself in Silverfell, you are in deep trouble. It is a large hollow that gets it's name from the Planar Chorydium that literally covers the forest floor there, giving the whole area the look of a silvery, slightly luminous carpet. At night, the whole place glows silver, and is rather rather beautiful. Other than that, though, little enough is known about the area, due to the fact that is also extremely unstable and a veritable minefield of highly dangerous vortexes and instabilities.

The Silverfell area is practically empty of life because of this, and any creature not able to negate the numerous dimensional disturbances would do well to steer clear.

Love the SIlverfell idea, but I have no idea wtf a "Planar Chorydium" is.

http://www.felarya.com/wiki/index.php?title=Plant_life#Planar_Chorydium

Pendragon wrote:

Love the SIlverfell idea, but I have no idea wtf a "Planar Chorydium" is.

It's a plant that grows in Miragia Forest. People theorize that they're the cause of all that is fucked up there.

Oh.

Ornery little buggers, aren't they?

A landmark I mentioned in Cigarettes and Faires.

Landmark: Amthei Tower

A very peculiar tower in Ur-Sagol.

It is made entirely of an unknown metal, some four hundred feet tall and so large it would take more than a hundred people to encircle it with their arms. Though very tall, it is broken in half, metal ripped. Around the base of the tower are seven man-sized spikes that float above the ground and rotate in a circle around the spire. These spikes are obviously some kind of defense, because they will speed up their revolutions and attempt to stab anyone who gets too close. It is for this reason that no one has yet been able to enter the tower and find out what is inside. The metal, too, is rustproof and so strong even a punch from a diamond naga wouldn't put so much as a scratch on it. It makes the fact that it was torn right in half by the destruction of Ur-Sagol all the more frightening.

It is often called the Sunspike tower because of the fact that it glints brightly in the middle of the day like a pointed shaft of sunlight and is visible from just about anywhere in the ruins.

Added the Silverfell and languid vale ^_^
Please tell me if you agree with the disclaimer

Of course I do. Thank you.

Well, apologies for the double post, but here we are. Some ideas for the Venmys-Pieaug library.

Cascade Ivy - a kind of luminous vine that sometimes grows on the shelves of the deeper library. It is very long and can "flow" down the shelves in large, phosphorescent "waterfalls" which are quite interesting to see in the dim light. The flowers are large and glow with a blue light. These blooms can make useful (if a bit weak after being plucked) light sources for those brave enough to enter the depths of the library.

Verbatim Beast
Size: Varies
Threat: Varies
Occasionally, books with descriptions of creatures and plants in the library become traps from the pervasive magic in the area. When opened, the words describing the animal will peel off the page and form the shape of the creature they were about. Depending on how much description was given, this simulacrum can be anywhere from the size of a mouse to big enough to fill up a room. Depending on the creature and size, they may be harmless or flat-out lethal. Opening a wordy text on nagas may release a life-size replica made of words on the reader. Difficult to harm, they can be destroyed with fire or water, but normal blows will do little. Their weak point is the book itself, and shutting the tome will immediately send them back into the text.

Ameyal
Size: 1 foot
Threat: Minimal
A creature that looks much like a pile of papers. It is actually a kind of odd, blob-like animal with slightly sticky skin. Moving about in the library, their skin gathers papers lying around and they wind up resembling a sheaf of documents tossed into a pile. When sitting still they are nearly impossible to detect due to this camouflage, but luckily are only about the size of rabbits and completely harmless.

(Venmys-Pieaug Library is Moonlight-pendent13's)

I can't see anything wrong with any of these ideas. (Note to self be careful what books I read from now on)

Snippet Bug
Length: 2-3 feet
Threat: Very Low

A large insect that lives in the Kyromia Fields. Very low-slung and flat, they tend to spend most of their time sitting in one place, snatching up small animals that go by. They have a method of camouflage that is highly effective. They use their trademark mandibles, which are up to a foot long and very sharp, to cut down flowers, which they then attach to their back with a natural resin that they can exude. Missing one is easy, so one must be careful to avoid stepping on a snippet bug. The pinchers can cause some nasty injuries to ankles and legs.

Dakelth
Height: 43 feet
Threat: High
A rare, terrifying creature residing only in the deepest parts of the Jungle of Perils, they resemble gigantic red and black striped spiders, but with mantoid slashing forelegs and a thin, mobile, almost wasp-like abdomen. They are highly resistant to magic and ferocious, actively hunting rather than spinning webs. Indeed, they have no spinnerets, only a vicious stinger full of a paralyzing, flesh-softening venom that lets then rip their prey apart all the easier.

Yumenari Serpent
Length: 3-5 feet
Threat: Low
A rather beautiful snake with pale scales that reflect a myriad of colors in sunlight. Mostly found in Ur-Sagol, they are venomous, but not lethally so. Their venom is peculiar, a neurotoxin that paralyzes and causes hallucinations and delirium. It uses this to incapacitate food and potential threats. Though usually avoided becuase their poison is likely to leave an adventurer completely helpless in the wilds, they are valued for their skins and a watered-down version of their venom that is used as Yume juice (Dream-juice), a type of hallucinegenic-anasthetic drug, favored for the paralysis that prevents the user from harming themselves or others during the hallucinations. The snake is rather rare because of this.

Dustgrass
A type of tall plant that is well-known among travelers for being highly annoying. The weed, usually growing in the Great Rocky Fields in large, waist-high patches, is immensely hated and avoided by most animals. When brushed against, it releases a thick grey-green dust into the air, which clogs up the lungs, coats the mouth, and plugs up the nose. It also absorbs moisture on contact, so much so that it can dry out the sinuses and lips until they crack and bleed. An excellent hiding place from predators, but only for the desperate.

Those are pretty good ideas. You should specify the location of the snake, though.

Nice job on those

I especially like the dustgrass. it looks intriguing. I'd like to add it if you agree with the disclaimer ^_^