Draug's harem of bizarre ideas

So it's time for me to think of more things that aren't just characters. So I'm posting here a sketch for one thing that I showed in one of my last stories. Feedback is more than welcome, as I feel that even though it's not a bad idea, I'd like people to say what's good, what's bad and what they'd add or modify.

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Bocave

Size: Varies

Threat: Medium

Usual locations: Deep caves in mountains, underground and similar (reports say at least one is known to live in a tunnel of Direwind Hills).

Bocaves are strange creatures that, as their name suggest, live in caves, the deeper the better. These beings are large in size - a bocave grows all over a cave's walls, ceiling and ground -, although they're actually more like a hive-mind, composed by little organisms, each one with a different function, acting for a greater good: the life of the whole bocave.

There are three distinctive parts in bocaves. First of all, their skin is similar to rock and mimic the one they're growing on. Surficing this skin, bocaves have sensorial organs with the form of colorful blobs and their 'hearts' - even though they don't work as an animal's one - are visible and with the form of shining and warm crystals.

The blobs act as sensorial organs, being able to change colors depending on their function: green ones mainly act as the eyes and ears of the bocave, collecting visual and audial information and retreating in case of danger; yellow ones react to any stimulus, usually in a fierce way, as a warning to anyone that might be dangerous for the bocave; finally, brown ones will attack anything within their range, even forcing the rest of the blobs to turn brown and attack their menace. It is possible, though, that there might be other colors for the blobs.

The 'hearts' keep the right conditions of light and heat for the bocave to live, as many changes in such conditions will either make the bocave burn - for example, with very high temperatures - or freeze - with either low temperatures or insufficient light. This is why, for example, a blob accidentally leaving a deep cave will freeze and shatter, as conditions are lower than those required for a bocave to live.

As it has been noted, bocaves grow all over the cave they've chosen to live in, and for anyone else it's easy to confuse the bocave with the actual cave. They only need to feed on the minerals that compose the cave, slowly eroding it and growing in size as there's more space. However, bocaves can eat any possible menace in their range. The brown blobs will engulf the dangerous prey, slowly fusing it with the rest of the bocave.

Even though they don't hunt as they'll simply eat anything dangerous stepping in the cave, some bocaves are also known for attracting future preys. For that, they use both their crystals, slightly modifying their lights within the right conditions for their existence, and a sweet smell generated by their green blobs.

Trivia: 'Bocave' is the combination of two words: boca (Spanish for 'mouth') and cave, and is pronounced boh-cave.

Very intriguing idea. It's like a Mimic from DnD taking over a whole cave system instead of say, a chest or a room. Creepy AND awesome to think about

Thanks, and truth to be told, I didn't think of D&D's Mimics when I came up with this creature while I was writing this story. xD But it's true I wanted something that could be deceiving, but not too obvious - actually, it would be hard to say that this miracle of nature, with its shining crystals and blobs, is actually a giant being - or dangerous. That's why the main food of bocaves is the rock of the caves they inhabit, preys aren't that common as food for them.

Makes perfect sense to me. The way you describe them is fittingly alien, too. Almost fungoid, even

hehe nice description ^^ it was a relly intriguing creature from your story

And it still is. I wanted something unusual, even for Felarya, though it's the kind of creature you won't meet that frequently.

Slimetoad wrote:

Makes perfect sense to me. The way you describe them is fittingly alien, too. Almost fungoid, even

My first idea for that story was that it would be a colony of sentient fungi, some even with psychic powers. It was a bit of a lame concept - and I was ripping of the Frutmaka from Ascendancy, though Frutmaka aren't lame at all xD - and then I thought of a 'living cave', and then the bocave was born.

A colony of psychic fungi that mentally assaulted passerbys to feed on them is sitll a great idea though

Still, the evident comparison with the Frutmaka would still be there:


By the way: yes, this is a Frutmaka. Ugly, huh?

But just for now, I won't totally discard the idea. I remember I already stated a rumor of some sentient fungal beings in the Bulvon Wood a long time ago - but it never made it into the wiki -, so I might recycle the idea once again in the future.

Oh man i forgot about those guys! They're brilliant!

And i thought Felarya already had sentient fungi with the mycons and fungus dryads. But you can never have enough mushroom monsters!

Yes, but with psychic powers? xD I know, fungoids and mycondryads are humanoid fungi and a symbiosis of fungus and a dryad, respectively, but as you say, we can't get enough mushroom monsters - not like we're bringing goombas.

Also, my idea for the fungus species was more of the Frutmaka side - again, I repeat, it would have been a blatant rip-off of an already existing alien species -: looking and acting like fungi as they're basically that, but with some intelligence, just having extrasensorial and psychic powers making up for their near immobility. Still, they'd have many limitations and others I'm thinking of, but mainly related to humidity.

Maybe they could subtly control some variety of giant insect to carry them around, just like real-world Cordyceps fungi exploit ants to spread their spores

Slimetoad wrote:

Maybe they could subtly control some variety of giant insect to carry them around, just like real-world Cordyceps fungi exploit ants to spread their spores

I was thinking of that in a larger scale, even using humans for that. I still have to work on that idea, though. That and thinking of something else, I don't want to get stuck in a cave-like monster and some intelligent fungi. xD

Then i'm imagining that any creature enslaved by them would be warped by constant exposure to them, and end as wandering, mindless figures with warped proportions and completely covered in mold to head to toe, so they resemble little else but fuzzy, living mannequins

Well, after giving this some thought and thanks to some ideas thrown by Slimetoad, here we got something new. Once again, feedback is more than welcome and if I have to change something thanks to it - or even ditch the idea -, it'll be done.

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Dikarum

Size: From 3 inches to 2 feet.

Threat: Minimal

Location: The Bulvon Wood, Great Marshes (specially Mycoria Forest)

Dikarum are a kind of fungi found in the most humid zones of the Bulvon Wood and the Mycoria Forest. They're similar to usual mushrooms, with a bright red (the Bulvon variant) or greenish brown (the Mycoria variant) flat cap, forming gills in its lower part, and a long white stem. Their size varies according to their supply of food and water - only the Bulvon Wood and the Great Marshes seem to have the right dampness conditions for them to live - in the zone they are. They usually live in colonies of dozens of mushrooms, as a result of the spreading of their spores either by the action of wind or thanks to animals that carried the spores until they were dropped somewhere with the right conditions for their existence.

Despite their simple forms, in their tranquility these mushrooms have developed instincts and a lesser intelligence. Centuries of evolution have improved their intelligence, still based on these first developed instincts, so Dikarum act according to three principles: feeding, reproduction and danger. This has even granted them with limited psychic powers to serve their instincts. Since they live in colonies, their powers can be enhanced for either getting food closer thanks to telekinesis or for ordering dangerous creatures to leave them in peace with a temporary mind control.

They're pretty much harmless beings, as they only feed on dead organic matter and never hurt others, even in danger - as stated, they'll use mind control for defending themselves, forcing intruders to leave.

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Prodikarum

Size: From 4 inches to 1 feet.

Threat: From Low to Medium

Location: The Bulvon Wood, Great Marshes (specially Mycoria Forest)

At some point in their evolution, some Dikarum colonies, known as Prodikarum, became parasitary beings. They look like usual Dikarum, just a bit smaller. They are known for depositing their spores only on some small and middle-sized animals, and the spores fuse with the animal's skin. The victim rarely notices this, as the Prodikarum colony uses lesser mind control to hide this feeling from the host.

The newborn fungi develop in an apparent symbiotic bond with their host - a bond that, in the beginning, cannot be broken -, but as they grow up, they slowly take control of such host until the animal is nothing but a puppet covered in mushrooms. The Prodikarum keep growing until nothing of the original host is left, being now part of the woods' environment, waiting for a future victim for their offspring to live on.

Fortunatelly, Prodikarum are even more sensitive to humidity than the original Dikarum: even in some regions of the Bulvon Wood and the Great Marshes where usual Dikarum can live, the dampness isn't enough for Prodikarum to survive. Even if they are already fused with their host, the Prodikarum will die and fall apart, leaving marks on the host's skin that will last for a week or less. Some think this has happened as they've become so attached to their animal hosts that they've grown physically weaker than the original breed.

Now THAT'S what i'm talking about! Amazing work on these. Dikarum sound absolutely adorable, i keep imagining them making little squeaky noises while they send things away with psychic powers.

And the Prodikarum are awesomely warped as well. Really scary to come upon, too

Haha, thank you. Well, at least seems that this is working, though I'm currently out of ideas for new things. Oh well, when the flow is back, I'll work on whatever comes to my mind - I was thinking of the giant moles and the tentacled monster in the same story the bocave appeared, but... they're just moles and some kind of cave squid, nothing big. xD

So? Fauna is fauna, no matter how small or weird or insignificant. Felarya needs VARIETY here!

Support is always welcome. Anyway, since the squid is nothing but that, a giant squid in an underground lake, the mole-like species from "Underground dridder" will have a little description for them... now! (Once again, feedback is welcome for improving them... these guys might need some of it ;P)

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Talpidus

Size: From 20 to 60 feet.

Threat: Medium to High

Location: In underground caves and tunnels (some have been discovered in Direwind Hills and the Akaptor Desert)

Talpidus are nothing but gigantic moles, with short fur that varies from light grey to black, and live in families that range from 4 to 12 members in even larger communities. Used to a life engulfed by the darkness of the underground, Talpidus have no eyes. They guide themselves thanks to their enhanced smell - their noses are long and able to detect scents other beings couldn't - and hearing senses - they emit loud noises for guiding both themselves and their groups.

They use their long sharpen claws for digging tunnels at a very impressive rate, when in other matters they are quite slow. It is said that even though they originally lived only in the underground tunnels of Direwind Hills, their passion for digging ended in a series of tunnels under the Fairy Kingdom and straight into the Akaptor Desert, just for discovering new places, smells and sounds. Such tunnels communicate the different Talpidus communities. Each community possesses a varying number of chambers where Talpidus can store food and the females can raise their children.

Talpidus' diet consists mainly in mushrooms and invertebrates they can find and catch thanks to their smell. However, they also eat larger underground animals. Some Talpidus form hunting parties and even though their large size and low speed could be a problem, their numbers and razor-like claws compensate for that. Aside from their claws, Talpidus can also bite their prey, as their saliva has a toxin able to paralyze their victims for hours. Hunter Talpidus take their victims to the community and store these larger animals in their chambers for later consumption - which includes feeding their babies.

Despite looking calm, Talpidus tend to be too competitive when it comes to food and reproduction, and will fight - even to the death, though they usually don't get that far - for meat or for a female, slashing randomly in the air.

Niiiiiiice : D I like how you describe them as obsessed with digging


I would add, tho; moles tend to leave prey paralized with strategic bites and store them for later. Talpidus could have these big chambers where they keep a larder of crippled victims, and regularly return when they feel like eating instead of digging. Stumbling upon that would be ghastly for sure

Due to them being digging-lovers, I can't believe I forgot them digging a chamber or something. And I don't know if Talpidus could paralyze their victims as they are more of using their claws when hunting, but sure those strategic bites could justify why they're also in high level of threat.

Thanks for that. I'll think of something else to add or change before editing...

EDIT: Done. I've made the paralysis a toxin-effect and also changed a bit of the Talpidus' lifestyle.

Another idea I have come up with. So adding to the living caves, the psychic mushrooms and the giant moles, we have... giant bulls! D8

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Aurock

Size: Males: 25 feet, females: 18 feet.

Threat: Very Low (High if you make them angry)

Location: Great rocky fields

The Aurocks are a very large species of ox-like animals, and differences between male and female specimens are quite evident. The male Aurocks are larger and their fur ranges from brown to black, and they have a set of two long horns on the top of their heads. The female ones are shorter and resemble giant farm cows, with spotted fur and two little horns on their heads. Despite such differences, both have something in common: the large stone plates on their backs that serve as a defense against airborne predators, as their claws can't grab such plates without slipping and missing their prey.

Aurocks form large groups that calmly roam the fields in search of fresh grass to eat. Even though being quiet animals, once they stop to eat and rest, Aurocks tend to be very protective towards the territory they currently occupy. When an intruder is nearby, they'll first try to scare them with loud noises, but if the intruder either ignores this or tries to attack the group, the largest male - the leader of such group - will pursue the unfortunate fool, and Aurocks tend to be very fast and violent when this happens.

Oh the pun-manity XD

Still is very original and creative as usual. Those would be quite the something to see when exploring

Ah, so that's where Negav get its mammoth burgers. Another mystery solved!

Slimetoad wrote:

Still is very original and creative as usual. Those would be quite the something to see when exploring

Thank you. I imagine them more like the usual big herbivores, but instead of going for big dinos or something along those lines, I went for something easier: big bulls and cows with stone parts so harpies and other airborne preds won't feed on them... not so easily.

Sean Okotami wrote:

Ah, so that's where Negav get its mammoth burgers. Another mystery solved!

You'll have a hard time trying to get some Aurock burgers, not even with an armored tank. xD Still, I was thinking on a domesticated version of the Aurocks, a bit smaller and with less stone parts. Might update the Aurock post with that later...

wow seeing a giant taurus charging at me would totally scare the shit out of me
I had a rather close call with oxes when I was little ^^