Jedi's Critters and Creations

CThompson17 wrote:

The AP-APC.  Hmm...  What to say, other than it being an impressive piece of military technology.  Definitely one of the best solutions of travel I've seen so far.  The price sounds a bit low, but then again, we don't know the exchange rate from the US Dollar to Skevols, so more power to you.  I wish I had more to say about its details and such, but nothing is coming to mind, honestly.  So, I'll just say I like it.

XD Well thanks for that! The price is too low?? I thought it was too high! :O Hmm maybe I hit it right on the head? Have to wait for more reviews to know, but glad you like it! Just let me know if the BAK or anybody wants some. ^_- I'll give them the name of good Geordan Dealer in Negav.

jedi-explorer wrote:

Just let me know if the BAK or anybody wants some. ^_- I'll give them the name of good Geordan Dealer in Negav.

Alright, mate. Will do.

Well, since you're asking so nicely...

jedi-explorer wrote:

Stats:
Height 20 feet.
Length: 45 feet.
Weight: 40 Tons.

M113 armored personnel carrier:
Height 8 feet 2 in.
Length 15 feet 11.2 in.
Weight 11.2 tons.
You're not getting away with this weighing less than 100 tons (assuming it's mostly hollow space so the weight increases relative to the surface rather than the volume): even the M113 was armored with 12-38 mm aluminium.

jedi-explorer wrote:

Price: (New) 150,000 SK (Used) 75,000 SK

If they're carryovers from their previous duty, avoid selling new ones. This goes twice for military material.

jedi-explorer wrote:

Crew Compliment: (Stock Layout) 1 Pilot 1 Gunner and up to five-fifteen other crew members without modification.
Weapons: 1 Top mounted turret, one forward mounted swiveling 0.50 Calibur gun and 2 missile pods mounted on the left and right side of the top section. In addition most Felaryan models also have a large rotor blade than can deploy from the lower foreward section to deal with overgrowth and even predator's fingers.
Extra Features: (Stock Layout) Four large denticles-like treads[/b]

Needs more room for people. At a third of its size, a ninth of its volume, it can already carry 11 people. You'd be looking at 90 people at least... or at downsizing this monster a bit.

jedi-explorer wrote:

The Typical AP-APC has four treads, with heavy plate over the top to prevent jamming by enemy forces, which are covered in dectile-like shark scales( confused? See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermal_denticle#Placoid_scales) capable of grinding away most heavy vegetation. The vechile is made of large metallic plates. Geordan models without any customization have Threngum Plates. A very durable metal that absorbs most non magical energies, however some Felaryan models have the typical casing replaced for larger, or more stream lined models with magically resistant panels.

Alright, seems well-armored to me. It'd be faster to just say it's well armored, though. As for placoid scales... if they'll afford greater traction, that's great. However, chewing away at the roughness of your terrain doesn't sound like a smart thing to do. It's what gives you traction.

jedi-explorer wrote:

After all being in giant tin can, even a heavily armed one, doesn't do you much good if one blast from a Fairy can turn you into a Matchbox Car, right?

For what it's worth, most fairies can't shrink objects longer than 12 feet in their longest dimension.

jedi-explorer wrote:

Other features include a pair of Heads, bathrooms, crew bunks in the Cargo Hold and even shower. One can practically live in an AT-APC and many do. The vehicle also comes standard with a GPS, with built in Long Range Scanner, and over large Subspace Antenna. Most replace the GPS with a magical guidance system or just get a map, but strangely the Geordan Sub Space Antenna works quite well for vechile-to-vechile messages and even interfaces with some offworlder means of communication such as the Deluran Comlink. Usualy this is not appreciated by the Deluran who is trying to radio her squad for back up and instead hears a "breaker, breaker, what's your Ten Four, Over?".

If you're looking at it as a motorhome, you might want to take a look at some motorhome stats while designing it. On a sidenote, compromising between a recreational vehicle and an APC isn't a good idea for a machine meant to be a base of operations. Try instead compromising between an RV and a mobile comm, a tech tank like the ones that house drone operators: this goes double if the monsters that the Geordans still use are painted in bright colors. Brightly colored anything doesn't go in battlefields.

Here's to hoping it'll help you.

Stabs wrote:

M113 armored personnel carrier:
Height 8 feet 2 in.
Length 15 feet 11.2 in.
Weight 11.2 tons.
You're not getting away with this weighing less than 100 tons (assuming it's mostly hollow space so the weight increases relative to the surface rather than the volume): even the M113 was armored with 12-38 mm aluminium.

Okay. So it'd really be that much smaller? Huh. I thought it'd be closer to the twenty footer range, but to be fair I'm not super good at measurements and dimensions. ^^; 100 tons eh? I suppose that does make sense.

Stabs wrote:

If they're carryovers from their previous duty, avoid selling new ones. This goes twice for military material.

Oooh I see now. >_- Why didn't I see that before? They'd always be sold used likely on the Black Market, right? Thanks man! I'll fix that price to just indicate the "used" price as the "new" one since there'd be very little room for it to drop between sales other than good old fashioned price negotiation.

Stabs wrote:

Needs more room for people. At a third of its size, a ninth of its volume, it can already carry 11 people. You'd be looking at 90 people at least... or at downsizing this monster a bit.

Hmm I wouldn't mind downsizing it too much. In fact I may have to create sperate models with diferent sizes, but I would like the base model to be taller than a human by a lot so when you look up at it you know you're looking at something huge, armored and awesome.

Stabs wrote:

For what it's worth, most fairies can't shrink objects longer than 12 feet in their longest dimension.

I did not know that. o.O Where is that writen? In the new article on Fairy Magic in the wiki I'd guess right?

As for the other data where would I go to find stats on an RV? Is it as a simple as Wikipedia or what?

I like the carbuncle idea and how you developed it ^^
The name is familiar though is it an existing creature in folklore ?

Karbo wrote:

I like the carbuncle idea and how you developed it ^^
The name is familiar though is it an existing creature in folklore ?

Indeed! That's also where final fantasy got the idea. It's alos a diasiase and several other things if you believe wikipedia XD But mine were derived from the myth/ the fact Carbunclef from FF8 represents the first creature I said I wasn't afraid to say was cute even though I was a male teenager. And it still is to this day! XD Though Chocobos are cuter.

Okay  so this little idea I had while looking at the wiki and noticing we have a have allot of recreational sports and games but none that seem to to really sharpen one's skills for evading predators. So I made this one:

Felarya Sport Idea: Zagging. (Edited.)

- An explanation -
Zagging is a game that combines all the skills of Marathon Running, Par Kour, and Capture the flag in a very fast paced and adrenaline packed sport that doubles as training to survive predators in the wild.

- Rules -
Zagging's rules are the same as a typical marathon race. The one who makes it to the end of the finish line is the winner. The one additional rule is all players must wear colored sashes. Now at any time a player may attempt to steal this sash from their opponent, representing the risk of beign caught by a Predator and devoured. If they suceed the player must drop out of the race because only a player with their sash still on can claim victory. A sash can't be claimed by technological means nor magical ones. It must be by a player's own hands, feet, tail or ectra except in a League Game.

- The Course -
The track on which this race is run is a complicated maze of obstacles. Not all of which are as simple as walking the right path to avoid spinning bars or leaping over water traps. In fact some can be very diabolical in nature. A popular one in the Jaslow Arena is to use a invisible pit fall filled with a man eating beastie that the Beast Master will likely order to spit up up said player after the games if they audience liked the eaten player's performance, or a zone of high gravity near a less than obvious path so that the player blunders into it and is slowed or pulled into a trap. Others are merely stairs, high bars or that sor of thing that requires a little more than running to get through.

- League Games -
In recent years Negav has formed a National Zagging League comprised of professional players who have won a few Regional Cups or whom impressed the team enough to sign on fresh from the street. In these games focus on the individual is less important than the team as every player who crosses the finish line once earns two points for his or her team. In these games there's no time limit and the game isn't finished till all the enemy players are eliminated. In these more professional games players are aslo required to wear armored gear, sashes with team colors and a robe with the team's mascot and colors on it. League Games are only held once a year in Negav and the prize is a very vauble League Cup made from rare metals as well as generous bonus payout of 500,000 Skevols.

-Recreational Versions of the Game-
In recent years Negavians have complained that the game was only held in the Jaslow Arena and finally after many a petitiion to the Negav City Council the decision was made to create several parks inside and out of Negav where local games could be held. In addition some merchants were allowed to sell non Arena Issue gear and books on how to make one's own courses.

-Gear Required-
As stated you must wear a colored sash, but nothing else is really required unless you want to go pro. If you get signed on a Professional Zagging Team you will be given a special robe with the team's colors and mascot on it along with knee and arms guards as well as a groin guard for those REALLY diabolical traps. You will also be allowed to use your spells or small tools during a League Games, but not your weapons.

-Arenas Outside of Negav-
To the League's knowledge there is only one other Official Arena, a floating barge with it's own personal sea krait bodyguard, who also serves as a opbstacle by popping up every now and then to shoot sprays of water at the opposing team and trying to grab them and take their sashes. This particular arean is owned by a very wealthy, retired Elvish Captain who spends her time making the voyage from Izatem to Chiotia hosting League games in return for paying the the Negavian League a large compensation sum. Less legal arenas are rumored to exist in other parts of the world. However it is not advised you seek them out unless you wish to have an early retirement. The people who run these establishments are mostly of a criminal nature and tend to use lethal trap, live non-freindly fauna or flora in their Arena's design or arm the crowd with weapons so if they don't like a player they can just shoot them as they pass by.

Zagging, ehhhh...

I like the idea of a sport. However, if this sport is gonna be educative, you gotta keep the production costs low. Otherwise, it becomes more of a spectator sport, one of those things that are good only because of the amount of people who can watch. I mean, you have already mentioned a sea krait naga, an area of high gravity, trained beasts that won't kill you... all that stuff costs time, money, effort... it sounds more like a production set for the next LotR movie or like that crazy contest program on TV which involves a course designed for the audience's maximum sadistic enjoyment. Splashdown or something.

So, I'd say, either lower the production values, or lower the expectations and go from something that will prepare you for predators to something that will make people pay for watching you. Could be both (it was a sport, then it sold out! ) but we'd need to know how the sport was supposed to work before it sold out.

Okay made a less expensive version and some parks. And that show you thinking of? Whipeout XD I hate that my atenna can't pick it up anymore. It was one of the bigger inspirations behind Zagging. But anyway tell me if that satisfies the need to be a cheaper easy access sport.

Zagging.. I like that idea XD
The name sounds nice and the sport itself make sense in a world like Felarya. What would be interesting is to try and find obstacles that refer to a type of real danger you could encounter in the jungle I think  

Karbo wrote:

Zagging.. I like that idea XD
The name sounds nice and the sport itself make sense in a world like Felarya. What would be interesting is to try and find obstacles that refer to a type of real danger you could encounter in the jungle I think Smile

Well I suppose if you really like it I can expand with a list of obstacles. ^_^ I'm glad you approve of it! I'm not a sports fan so I'm surprised I could come up with this. I mean I once invented a sport for a sci-fi world to replace foot ball, but it wasn't half as fun as this. XD

Okay in between working on a list of challenges listed in Zagging I'm going to post some of my older ideas and see if they need ironed out. Here's one I was rather proud of:

Mana Hot Spots:

And here's a mineral I made a while back, but I worried like with Storm Crystals, it had already been done before. So if anybody can cite that is has? I'll likely re-make or delete it:

Alzemite:

Those two ideas remind me of my OC Beryl's "hex marks", which I just changed the name of from being "affect symbols". I think the idea of mana hot spots works very well to explain how Beryl's spells work, so if I may, I'd like permission to use the idea if I feel it would be appropriate.

Nyaha wrote:

Those two ideas remind me of my OC Beryl's "hex marks", which I just changed the name of from being "affect symbols". I think the idea of mana hot spots works very well to explain how Beryl's spells work, so if I may, I'd like permission to use the idea if I feel it would be appropriate.

XD Sure why not? I love for my ideas to be used. Go right on ahead.

Okay this one I've been working on off and on for a bit. It was based in Bulvon Wood, but after reading about Mayrla Fen I decided it'd be more appropriate. Note: The name is a working title. I'd love a better one and I will name the Dryad eventually. <.<

Gedonkai City Idea:
Danger: Moderate (But safer than the rest the Maryla Fen.)
Inhabitants: Human sized preds. smaller Mycodrads,Slimoids,Archigates, Fungoids, Carbuncles ,Neeras,


- Backstory -
The town of Gidonkai wasn't founded or built so much as grown. One day it just "grew" out of the muck of Myara Fen around the shadow of a huge Mycodryad who had an talent for creating and shaping the fungus that grew around her. Why she chose to make little buildings that were human sized is unkown but soon populating them were Fungoids, Slug Girls and Archigates who needed shelter from their larger cousins and the harsh environment of Maryla Fen. Soon enough even humans, nekos and other humanoids caught on there was one safe place in the Fen and settled there, however not too many stay permanently due to the heavy order of fungus, the "streets" of slime and the fact that sometimes the  Mycodryad herself will get "peckish" and feels she has every right to pluck a human from the ground and eat them. Furthermore not many inhabitants argue with her about this policy.

Despite all this the city is a bustling and thriving little community and a relative safe haven, but doesn't function as a typical city, what with the roads being paved with slime, the citizens mostly rooted to their spots and seemingly no system of government as humans know it, but they seem to manage to lure traders and business in quite well. Among the lists of service are:

*Slime Facials offered by local Slug and Archigate beauticians as well as a free make over with every purchase.
*Rare and poweful beneficial fungus available so readily that it's actually harder to buy the real kind of medacine.
*A unique stay at the Puffy Palace Inn, a Inn whose beds are all made of the sofest puff ball-like mushrooms.
*Fertilizer! One of the main trade goods inported to the city directly to feed the many fungal inhabitants.
*Tinies! Not illegal to purchase them here. Though most nekos find the dizzying amout of spores and the inconvenient mucus sticking to their feet a nightmare. Many still make the journey to get acess to the uncommon 'Shroom Buncles' who are caught by local Archigate and Slug Girl's slime trails.
*Rent-A-Korazon. A business started by a human who only surived the trip to the city because of his loyal and faithful Korazon. He decided everyone should have acess to one!...For a price.
*Organic artifacts shaped by many master smiths in the area. These living one-of-kind fugal and slime based artifacts are often more durable than factory pressed MUSTs.
*Fine ale houses around nearly every corner. With all the available materials grown by locals they are said to have some very potent brews indeed.

This one just came to me today so it may still be rough around the edges, but I think it's pretty neat!

Mortal Coil:
A plant that tends to grow in areas near temples or ruins. It is shaped like a helix, but is blue-grey in color and has a metalic gold tip. The plant itself is nearly tasteless and has no real medicinal value and less alchemical value than most. It's only remarkable quality is that if it's ingested by a being with devine or unholy magic it immediately dispels all mana in the being and transforms them into a humanoid. Basically by feeding it to an angel or demon they would lose their powers and be rendered to "mortal" status, hence the name. Many Paladins carry a pocketful of this useful herb when seeking out conflict with angels and demons in Felarya. Often hurling a small pouch of the stuff at the predator's mouth and waiting for the results. Some priests and demon hunters are said to bathe in the stuff, but it should be noted the plant must touch the tongue of creature or be fully ingested on contact. Boiling it or trying to brew it in fact weakens it's powers. It should be noted as well that loss of powers isn't usually permanent, but can last decades or even centuries.

Mortal Coil:
A plant that tends to grow in areas near temples or ruins. It is shaped like a helix, but is blue-grey in color and has a metalic gold tip. The plant itself is nearly tasteless and has no real medicinal value and less alchemical value than most. It's only remarkable quality is that if it's ingested by a being with divine or unholy magic it immediately dispels all mana in the being and transforms them into a humanoid. Basically by feeding it to an angel or demon they would lose their powers and be rendered to "mortal" status, hence the name. Many Paladins carry a pocketful of this useful herb when seeking out conflict with angels and demons in Felarya. Often hurling a small pouch of the stuff at the predator's mouth and waiting for the results. Some priests and demon hunters are said to bathe in the stuff, but it should be noted the plant must touch the tongue of creature or be fully ingested on contact. Boiling it or trying to brew it in fact weakens it's powers. It should be noted as well that loss of powers isn't usually permanent, but can last decades or even centuries.

That's an interesting idea, but the colors seem a bit weird for a plant. In fact there's a biological reason why plants are green - because of the chloroplasts (with chlorophyll pigment) that absorb blue and red light, and reflect the light to look green.

There's also the matter of making demons and angels mortal for centuries. Sounds a bit too powerful to me. I'd say even a month is too much, shouldn't be a permanent thing, or semi-permanent in my opinion. I'd say just like salvalopytha (spelling?) only lasts a few hours, this should too.

Archmage_Bael wrote:

That's an interesting idea, but the colors seem a bit weird for a plant. In fact there's a biological reason why plants are green - because of the chloroplasts (with chlorophyll pigment) that absorb blue and red light, and reflect the light to look green.

There's also the matter of making demons and angels mortal for centuries. Sounds a bit too powerful to me. I'd say even a month is too much, shouldn't be a permanent thing, or semi-permanent in my opinion. I'd say just like salvalopytha (spelling?) only lasts a few hours, this should too.

Hmm alright. I was thinking it was the same rule that made the vegitation in the Fairy Kingdom blue to blue green. but you have a point. How about blue green one one part of the helix and grey-blue on the other? I've seen plants that were all grey if that works too. I just want it to look unusual. Really? I suppose cenrtries or even years is a bit much. ^^; Though even a few hours would be enough to run away I suppose. And if you wanted to effect increased you could use more or enhace it magically/alchemicaly. Alright then let me mull that over and I'll edit it.

Okay so hate to double post, but I fixed all the problems that Bael was talking about and added a little hint that if you keep feeding this stuff to a demon or angel that it will keep them mortal for hours. Not decades. =/

Mortal Coil:
A plant that tends to grow in areas near temples or ruins. It is shaped like a helix, but is blue-grey in color and has a light red tip. The plant itself is nearly tasteless and has no real medicinal value and less alchemical value than most. It's only remarkable quality is that if it's ingested by a being with divine or unholy magic it immediately dispels all mana in the being and transforms them into a humanoid. Basically by feeding it to an angel or demon they would lose their powers and be rendered to "mortal" status, hence the name. Many Paladins carry a pocketful of this useful herb when seeking out conflict with angels and demons in Felarya. Often hurling a small pouch of the stuff at the predator's mouth and waiting for the results. Some priests and demon hunters are said to bathe in the stuff, but it should be noted the plant must touch the tongue of creature or be fully ingested on contact. Boiling it or trying to brew it in fact weakens it's powers. It should be noted as well that loss of powers isn't usually permanent, but can last hours depending on how many doses is given. Usually one dose equals about two hours protection. More than enough time to escape said predator and leave them to their fate.

Okay so sorry to tripple post, but this needs to be posted. Long time concept that I needed to re-size. I'm pretty sure it should fit well with it's description now:

-Dimensions-
Length:  19 feet
Width: 19 Feet
Height: 9 Feet
Crew: 2 (One driver one co-pilot/gunner)
Passengers: around 11

The AP-APC is a fine piece of machiniery that oringinally created to transport soldiers from the world of Geordia to Felarya and keep them at least relatively safe while scouting the mysterious dimension for profit potential. The vechicles at first were made of typical Tyhian Steel, a common alloy used in all military projects on their world, but soon an anti-magic material was added after a fairy had the bright idea to shrink the a small convoy and play with them like they were micro machines toys.

The weapons also used to be standard fifty calibur anti-personel machine gun nests, but were upgraded to use much larger weapons add ons and defensive energy sheilds as well as powerfull saw blades that extneded from hidden plates on the front and sides in order to clear away foliage and debris on the ground.

The interior of the vehicle used to be quite spartan, but have been adapted for long range missions and now include a row of bunks as well as a food processor and even a chem toliet as well as a hollowed out botton compartment for storing weapons, supplies or oneself in case of a predator raid. Because of these secret compartments they have been highly favored as smuggling vessels by criminals as well as honest merchants.

Geordians started exporting the vechiles after a member of the Isolon Fist took an interest in their sturdy and durable designs and purchased one as a personal vehicle for "toolin' around" His supiriors saw this and wanted some themselves and beffore long a Envoy of the Republic was sent to Negav to negociate a trade deal with Negavians and the South Geordian Republic. One of the terms was the exhange of magically reactive materials for several Geordian Vechiles including the AP-APC. Now they are quite a common sight both outisde and inside the city walls.

The technical specs depend ont he model though most use Actnite for powering their internal lighting and life support systems where as the actual motor power comes from the Geordian-Negav Magi-Tech engine which sucks magical energy from the air in order to have near endless supply of fuel. Though some models still exist that use the Fusion Core engines to drive their less shiny models. It should be noted very little magic exists on Geordia so the sales of the Magi-Tech Engine based model pales by comparison to the Fusion driven model.

Okay let's dust the off the cob webs of my Idea Maker 1,500 and get back into the game! Or at least try to publish some of my old ideas I haven't gotten around to showing off yet! XD First up is something I made after reading a surprising journal by DoctorWho1 about...Pogs. o.o

Skepogs or Pogvols
A game that has recently become popular in Felarya. The small cardboard disc-like coins are highly collectable and manufactured offworld on Pogonis, a world that makes it's living selling "fad" items to local worlds within reach of it's gate. The discs themselves seem unremarkable, most being made of a slightly slick cardboard with printed pictures of famous modern Negavian Heroes and Predators but for some reason the people of Negav and some ,other areas where the coins have been imported, can't get enough of them. Recent additions include Professional League Zagging stars, Old Negavian Lords and Ladies as well as legendary Artifacts and Locations. Collecting the coins seems to be more than just hobby though. The metal coins are actually vauluble and in some areas can be barted and few of the cardboard ones are so rare that others are willing to pay for them.

---

Next up is a city idea that had been sitting ont he back burner for a while but was finished I think earlier this year then lost in the mess that is my ideas folder. ^^; Recently recovered for your reading pleasure!

Felarya Idea: Hydranis City.

-A Vistor's Guide-

Hydranis City is a mostly human settled city constructed beneath a mamoth Hydra Tree. The city itself is mostly constructed between the roots of the huge tree, though many of it's more well to do citizens make their homes int he boles of the tree or construct special tree houses along the sides of the trunk.

The people of Hydranis, who call themselves Hydrani, were saved from being made into a meal by the Hydra tree and thus worship it as a goddess. They will chip off small pieces of wood and carve a relief of the tree on it and string it aroudn their neck as a protective charm to ward away bad luck and danger while outside of the city, which they try not to do unless abosulety necessary. The people tend to dress in handmade brown or olive robes with long hems. Also depending upon where in society they are they may also adopt a wooden face mask and or armor.

-Tentacles are Cool-
Because the primary and most noticeable feature of a Hyrda tree is it's tentacled branches the people of Hydranis go out of their way to emulate them as much as possible. Their hair is almost always in long, thick dreads that dangles from their heads in every direction, their clothing often features braided pieces of leather that hang like tenctacles and even their flag features a representation of a tentacled Hydra tree. A good deal of them carry small Cat-O-The-Nine-Tails Whips with long, rubbery tentacle-like leather and they even tend to see people who have natural tentacles as a good omen and will go out of their way to help them.

Symbotic Realtionship:
The people of Hydranis believed since they were, adn continue to be saved by the Great Tentacled One they must do all in the power to help protect her. They do this is various ways and everyone in the city is required to help. The following is a list of special guilds dedicated to jobs preformed in service to the Great Tentacled One:

Green Gaurd:
The Green Guard are the front line defense for both the tree and the city. They protect it from harm and also serve as militia in times of crisis. All Green Guard members wear a Tiki-like mask with cheek tentacles and green warpaint. They also carry
heavy wooden clubs studded with thorns added by the Cultavationalist Order as well enchanted wooden armor and a mount.

Sooth Singers:
These Hydrani are in charge of singing to the Hydra tree to promote natural growth and to make her calm and peaceful after a meal. In order to join the Sooth Singers one must possess a not only pitch perfect voice, but a magically powerful one as well. Their magical songs are also chanted over the dying when they are returned to the Great Tentacled One's soil.

Feeders:
This is the least favorite, but most important job of all. Feeders basically have one task: Running aroudn and attracting the interest of predator, then evading that predator long enough to get it to come back to the Hydra tree. Fortunetly the Great Tentacled One only needs to eat once a month so they tend to live well and have almost everything provided by the Preistesshood. Feeders are given high honor because they don't often live long due to the hazzards of their job, but they fast and well!

Cultavational Order:
The Cltavists are a group of specialized mages who aslo act as architects and smiths as well. Cultavists learn only one type of magic: Wood Weaving. A very specific magic that will only work on naturally grown wood. This art allows to them to bend, shape and even exampand the wood they work. This gives them a variety of advantages over cartpenter's as they don't have to shave wood into a square shape, they merely tell it to becoem a block, though most Cultavists would find this vulgar. Nauture is not blocky it is round and thus the artifacts made or enhanced by cultavists attempt to preserve this when working anything form a small Green Guard's Spiked Club to a entire wall of a large building adding natural boles, knots and such. They also specialize in creating Wood Golems and other wonderous things.

Priestesshood:
The main body of government in Hydranis. The Preistesses are incahrge of healign the wounded, sick and for both preforming unions between mates and over seeing the birth a new life in this world. This may make them sound quite simply like midwives, but it woudl be mistake to think they are that benign in nature. The Preistesshood are also powerful sorceresses who live a secretive life mostly within the great Cultivated walls of the Temple of the Seven Tentacles ploting governmental development, overseeing the traning of adepts and advising the High Priestess.The High Preistess is not merely recruited she is born and re-born, or so they believe. Once the old preistess expires or becomes to corrupted by her powers they believe a pure part of her soul separates and flees into a new body. This body will have a mark on it in the shape of a curling tentacle. Once they have found the child she is taken from her parents and sprited away to the temple to learn the secretive magic only she can weild by passing a number of grueling mental challenges and magical puzzles. Once she has passed these tests she learns the secret of the city. A secret only the Preistesses and the High Preistess may know: The High Priestess can talk to the Great Tentacled One and even briefly join minds with her during times of peril to become a formidable force, but it comes at a price. Many go mad from the mental strain, a few grow so powerful they forget they are human and lose touch with their empathy becoming little more than wild animals, but in the last hundred and seventy one years that the city has stood none has lived to her thirtieth birthday. It is a gread burden for those who are forced to take up this mantle, but there is a rumor that while they communicate with the tree they can speak to past High Prestesses.

For some reason, the tentacle-centered culture of these Hydra-tree people reminds me of Cthulhu :p

tkh1304 wrote:

For some reason, the tentacle-centered culture of these Hydra-tree people reminds me of Cthulhu :p

XD Well I suppose that's what everyone who knows what Cthulhu thinks too. I'm sure there's more than one Earth human who ran away screaming "Run for you lives! It's the Children of the Cthulhu!" like in soem old 80's sci-fi. Thanks for the first comment and a positive one too!

Bone-Snatches, Fairy Sub Race

Bone-Snatches,affectionately nick named 'Snatches' are a group of fairies who live deep underground. They aren't overly different from any other species of fairy except that have pale complexions, their hair tends to be kept in dreads, pony tails and other cropped styles and always strung bones in their lockes that sway and click and clack. A sound most find disconcerting but a Snatch will tell you is a wonderful sort of music! They tend to fly around at human size or smaller in small packs spreading this sound to the dark catacombs they call home. Often this sound is eerie enough to other specie's ears to cause them to panic and run in fright away from the Snatches to run into the maw of a hungry ground dweller trying to escape. In way Snatches have a symbiotic relationship with their underground kin. Often lazier Terrestrial Nagas or ground dwelling Dridders will set up shop near Snatches so they save all that chasing and such and just get a wriggling,sweat covered human for their dinner with minimal effort.

Their wings tend to be smaller but more elaborately decorated than their above ground cousins and tend to come in eerie hues like reds, yellows-greens or even very pale ghostly blue shades. They are often splotched with skulls,tribal looking teeth or some other fierce diagrams that increase their spookiness.

Their skin tones tend to be pale due not being exposed to sunlight much. They also have a slight weakness of their eye sight being adjusted for the dark but totally useless in broad daylight. But they have a great advantage in the darkened tunnels of their homes. Because their eyes gather so much light they appear to glow, even when the Snatch isn't using magic, and combined with their eyes that are usually heavily shadowed with paint or tattoos they make for a fearsome sight, especially flying in loose formation with other glowing lights!

-Unique Abilities-
They, like all fairies can freely size change, growing to hundreds of feet tall, but prefer to use their magic on their weapons and tools unless confronted by something too large to easily whack. You see they are called Bone-Snatches because they aren't as squemish about killing, gutting and stripping an animal of it's flesh all to get what they believe is the most valuble bits of the body: the bones.

They treasure these bones above all other parts of animals. This is because they are largely an important part of the Snatches' society. They don't just string them in their hair and wear accessories made of them but also use them to build vast interconnecting nest like structures made from skulls, ribs and other bones all joined together and tied with leather, moss and anything else they can get their little hands on, even clothing from humanoids they capture pre-ingestion!

It should be noted that Snatches love to carve on bones almost absent mindely, their homes, others' nests, their own hair accessories and especially their weapons. The carvings often depend on the indivdual but most are dipictions of gloomy scenes done in a very upbeat comic way.

- Magic -
Due to their itty bitty living spaces they tend to not use size changing magic to increase their own size but rather use it to adjust the size of their weapons. A favorite tactic is to remove a small bone from their necklaces, bracelets or even sometimes rarely from their hair and increase it's size to an equivalent of that of a human sized club. After enlarging they then zero in on their prey, dive in then konk them on the head, shrink them, their club and then fly back home to store them in the special "larder" of their bone constructed homes.

-Society-
Their culture is very based on community. Very few Snatches live away from their group and this tends to make them communal and very social creatures with one another often stopping to hover in tunnels or meeting up in their skeletal homes to speak cheerfully about various topics of interest. Most of which come back to bones somehow. It should be noted that while their name contains the word "Snatch" they frown on thievery and impolite behavior and if one happens to be a treasure hunter comming to steal from them or harm their kin? Likely you'll be serving your time in the community jail/larder.

optimistically morbid is a good way to describe their thoughts. They don't find death as scary as most races. In fact you could say it fascinates them as they see it as moving on to the next phase of life and the dead are lucky to experience these new folds in the great tapestry of the afterworld which they believe is where all their dead are waiting to hold hands, exchange tales and dance and sway to the clicking and clacking of bones centuries old or more. Sometimes they even compose gloomy, bittersweet poems and songs dipicting this "Paradise of Bones and Flesh". Sometimes these songs are mistook for spirits moaning and wailing. Haunting but beautiful. All their literature focuses on exploring aspects of life and death and how they relate. As such their tales are even more tragic to most other races than even the worst Torin Myth.

Despite their fierce appearance and voracious natures many Snatches are quite freindly and talkative and always enjoy meeting new faces and seeing new places. A cute fact is since Bone Snatches admire good bones they often attracted to creatures with large well structured bones and love to tell them how their bones would be useful to make this or that all while the creature is shuddering right in front of them, though they needn't worry. Snatches only harvest bones from humanoids when they are in corpse form.Many would love to leave their dank dark lairs but their photo sensitivity usually makes it impossible till night falls, but even only the fool hardy venture too far out of range of the cave mouth leading back to their underground warrens for exposure to sunlight, even a ray or two is enough to cause them so much pain they would fall out of the air and be temporarily blinded leaving them to be prey for something else.

-Natural Enemies-
Dridders tend to be a problem for these creatures rarely, but they don't usually consider them malicious unless they attempt to prey on Snatches too often , but they consider their true arch nemesis to be the Nexoculas, who fly in and dissolve their kills sometimes along with the precious, precious bones!! Because of this Snatches will attempt to try and drive off Nexoculas if they can or wound them so they will turn on one another and the bravest members of the pack can zoom in and grab bits and pieces of the carcasses, strip them and escape with the precious bones before the fierce butterflies can regroup. They tend to try and grow Sun Eye plants, also known as Deathward and Fly-Ridder, near their cave entrances or place them near corpses they wish to harvest for bones later.

Partial credit goes to Ravaging Vixens for helping me to develop out some of mroe fleshed out, non pun intended, parts of this bio and a bunch to TK for inspiring it to begin with when he was talking aloud in the chat box. ^o^ Thanks guys!! You rock!