Dinosaur fauna

For a dimensional crossroads, Felarya's fauna sure seems pretty well modelled after modern day animals. If we have volasaurs, naturally wouldn't we have other neo-prehistoric beasties?

Here's a few I took the time to compose:

Noctor
sketch

A massive theropod adapted to a feline shape, these predators are mostly found in the jungle of perils. They tend to lurk in the trees, snagging demon harpies from the air. They've been known to prey on lone kensha beasts as well, though the kensha's pack mentality generally keeps them from being regular prey.

Huge claws quickly neutralize prey, as do colossal canines. A series of pivoting dorsal spines and a thagomizer-tipped tail protect the noctor from larger predators.
Normally solitary, noctors mate every few years - the larger of the couple usually eating the other after.

Noctors CAN be domesticated, but only the hardiest of human and neko tribes have pulled it off.

Tulak
sketch

Descended from sauropods, the tulak is a monstrously large creature, adapted for hunting small prey like humans and nekos. A small head and flexible, muscular neck allow it to quickly snatch prey up.
Tulak are otherwise simple enough creatures. They've been known to suppliment their diet with leaves and ferns when small prey isn't available. Their great size prevents most predators from approaching them, though noctors and kenshas can be a bane.

Tulaks can be found all over the jungle, though they tend to be solitary, only gathering to mate.


Triax
(No pic)

Essentially a coleophysis on a colossal scale, the triax's slender body, long, flexible neck, nimble arms, weak jaws and three vibrant cranial crests render it VERY distinct.
Up to a full hundred feet in height, the triax is strictly a human and neko hunter. It relies primarily on its hands to seize prey, keeping its body high above the foliage and out of sight.

Triax are not only solitary, but reproduce asexually and can't stand the notion of another of their species. When two triax cross paths, only one of them walks away.
Triax fight not by biting or clawing, but by fighting fist to fist. Like humans, their clawless hands can form excellent fists, allowing them to beat one another senseless.


Tyrannosaurus Felarya(most natives prefer to still call it T-rex, mostly due to it being easier)
No pic. Too simple to bother.

There's no arguing that the tyrannosaurus was the single most advanced, most efficient, most fearsome dinosaur known to man. As such, it's only natural that they adapted for the Felaryan jungle.

T-rex is very much like its earth counterpart, save for some minor differences. Its size if far greater, towering up to a full hundred feet in length for some specimens! Their height is roughly forty to fifty feet from talon to brow.
A projectable, froglike tongue is the T-rex's weapon of choice against human-sized prey. Its signature bone-crushing jaws remain, however, for use against larger prey. Slightly longer arms with opposable thumbs also aid in capturing small prey.
Serrated brow ridges aid in warding off what predators the T-rex may encounter.

Tyrannosaurus Felarya tend to be solitary, but mated pairs do exist.


Xyron(I've posted them already, but they're relevent for this thread)

Xyron are an extremely rare breed of part-humans, modelled - quite distinctly - after carnivorous dinosaurs.

Xyron
average fifty to eighty feet in height, with considerable variation in
build. Human from the waist up, xyron stand on the lower torso of what
basically amounts to a semi-upright tyrannosaur. Unlike typical
theropods, however, the tail is flexible and extremely muscular, though
hardly prehensile.
Their arms, while not inhuman, are notably
scrawny and tipped with scaly hands and short claws. They are
deceptively strong, however, as they're capable of suspending a
similarly sized corpse by their own power.
Their primary physical
weapons are their jaws. Concealed inside their lips are colossal,
shredding teeth, each one as tall as a fully grown man. Worse still,
when so needed, the jaws are capable of popping out of place, allowing
them to engulf immense objects. This not only allows them to completely
swallow prey which other predators would have trouble with - such as
chilotaurs, young nagas and the like - but also wrench monstrous bites
of flesh from their enemies. Indeed, very few creatures are capable of
fighting on after a xyron has taken a bite out of them.

Notable
is the xyron roar. From their wide throats, aided by massive lungs,
xyron are capale of emitting an ear-splitting roar, so loud it can
fracture large boulders. This roar wreaks intense pain on similarly
sized creatures, but moreso, it's designed to stun smaller ones. Many
explorer teams have been left in ruin from the loud roars of these
beasts, only to be gobbled up helpless and semiconscious.

Xyron
swallow prey whole as often as they can. In fact, some sicientists
theorize that this is the entire purpose of their distending jaws, as
it maximises food intake.
Xyron, when faced with similarly sized
humanoid prey, such as fairies or giants, can and will swallow it
whole. Their guts are extremely stretchy, allowing them to house insane
quantities of meat.
When faced with large prey, such as nagas,
dridders or centaurs, however, xyron tend to get messy. Even so, a full
sized centauress can be choked down in as little as three bites.

Xyron
are normally solitary hunters, but occasionally travel in small sibling
groups, sometimes with offspring in their company. They're responsible
parents and don't attack one another's offspring. Part of the reason
for this is due to the species' rarity. Indeed, xyron respect one
another's territory and do everything they can to get their species
back on its feet.

Xyron, naturally, favor hot, steamy jungles,
though they hardly object to desert or mountanous regions. In fact,
various subspecies have popped up.

Xyron, like most Felaryans,
are dominantly female. In fact, only one male is born for every
thousand females. He, of course, fertilizes all eggs en masse.
Males are much larger than females, posessing muscular arms, heavy tails and pronounced bony protrusions all along the spine.
What's
more, through means that defy known science, males are capable of
igniting their roars to the point of spewing not intense sound but a
terrifying blast of flame, so hot that its color is blue rather than
orange.
Currently the only male xyron is known as Gyjilla, who
resides on his own personal island not far from the main continent.
Female xyron gather on the beach during mating season and deposit their
eggs for him to fertilize at his leisure.
Gyjilla is an old and
experienced xyron with more guts than a sandwyrm, but a very tired
disposition. Currently he's one of the few beings with enough gall to
make occasional raids for food on Negav, though this is extremely rare.


Xyron culture is virtually nonexistant. Due to the species'
rarity, very few groups are alike. Many are nomadic, roaming the
jungles, though some live with other races. As a dying species, after
all, they can't afford to be prejudice.
Xyron are well known, but not very well understood, giving rise to countless rumors, some of which may or may not be true.

Hey, some of these could make perfect predators when you are sent back to the past in Akaptor Desert. I could use some of them for my second story arc.

You can give their size please.

Quote :

You can give their size please.

I did. For each of them.

Your description of the Xyron sounds like one of the creatures I saw on the monster girl website a long time ago. I would post a link but I have no idea where it would be in that looong list of pictures they have. I really like the idea though; I think every think could stand to have a little dinosaur mixed into it. And there movable teeth are an original idea that I think is pretty awesome. Good idea all around.

Great design ! ^_^
I agree with Sean, I can easily imagine some of them in Akaptor desert

I has moar.

Clobbersaurus

This man-sized upright built theropod is mostly found in the jungle of perils. It's also widely considered the single most frickin' annoying animal in Felarya by many residents.

The clobbersaurus doesn't eat, drink, sleep or do anything except hop around and punch people in the face with its massive, bone-studded fists. The amount of muscle packed into each arm is incredible. It's been witnessed to knock harpies off their feet and has been reported to, on at least one occasion, uproot a dryad, knocking her over in a much more painful manner.

The clobbersaurus tends to pull its punches against humans and the like. No one's ever been decapitated or directly killed in any way by these creatures. Some scientists theorize that instead of pulling its punches, the clobbersaurus automatically adjusts its own personal physical laws so that each punch has only just enough force to knock its victim off their feet(or the equivalent).

Nothing else is really known about these creatures. It almost seems as though they derive sustainance from beating people up. Not just people, in fact, as the clobbersaurus will go out of its way to knock anything with a face into the dirt, only to hop away before they can realiate. Entire platons of explorers have been given bloody noses by a single clobbersaurus.


Dodecaceratops

Proof that quantity is indeed better than quality, the dodecaceratops is widely considered the arch-rival of the T-Felarya. Towering up to thirty feet in height, these twelve-horned ceratopsians are strict herbivores, but are known for being ornery and aggressive, going so far as to knock down neko tribe trees after one resident so much as blows a rasberry.

Beyond this, the dodecaceratops is fairly similar to the triceratops of its ancestry.

The idea of the Clobbersaurus is very funny
I, find the description of the Dodecaceratopsvery poor when we look the others

Dryptosaurus

Literally meaning "Leaping Lizard", the dryptosaurus is an effectively daikaiju-sized theropod which even humanoid predators fear. The smaller specimens stand around 130 feet in height while larger ones can be as massive as 180.
Muscular and robust, the dryptosaurus devotes most of its muscle to its legs and neck. A pair of rhino-like horns grow from its face, composed of bony cores sheathed in horn.
Probably a descendant of tyrannosaurids, the dryptosaurus is found in mountainous regions, where it preys primarily on flying creatures, particularly sphynxes.

The dryptosaurus' powerful legs allow it to execute frightening leaps. Normally it can launch itself up to twice its own height, but rumors fly of some bounding as much as five times their own height.

The dryptosaurus hides among large trees or rocks, stalking prey. Typically, the dryptosaurus preys on flying creatures, like harpies or sphnxes - though as far as past events have shown, the sphynx is generally more likely to place itself in the position to be caught, due to frequent challenges to the saurians on the sphynx's part.

When it spots a victim, the dryptosaurus will launch itself right at their target, burying its horns into their flesh and bringing them down. Normally this kills the victim right away. If not, they'll find themselves quickly disabled within the beast's jaws.

Some have been known to chase down centaurs, though this usually requires the use of ambush tactics. Curiously, the dryptosaurus seems immune to the equally mysterious sixth sense found in humanoid predators. This allows it to remain hidden when presented with enough cover, and strike without warning.
Of course, given the chance, the dryptosaurus will gorge itself on anything large enough to catch its attention.

Because of their great size, adult dryptosaurs tend to ignore humans and other small beings, in favor of more satisfying big game. However, smaller ones may prey on humans until they reach maturity.

Dryptosauruses are HIGHLY territorial, and will not tolerate the presence of another of their species. If one should invade, the dryptosaurus will do everything in its power to drive it out.

One notable rumor speaks of a large blue dragon entering a mountainous region. This was unfortunate partially because the dragon chased off a group of harpies who were harassing a sphynx, and partly because this particular species of dragon just so happened to sport a large nasal horn. A local dryptosaurus was outraged by the newcommer, thinking it to be a rival and viciously attacked. So furious was it at the invader that it continued to attack, even after losing one of its eyes to a lightning bolt on the dragon's part. The dryptosaurus didn't let up until it had won the battle and made a meal of the newcommer.

Whether or not this is true is up for debate.

However, dryptosaurs are never found anywhere near one another, not even to mate. Curiously, dryptosaurs seem to be all female and reproduce aesexually. They lay a clutch of five to ten eggs, all of which hatch dryptosaurs identical to the mother.

It's a very interesting beast

Edit:You seem to know many things about dinosaur beast. I have two ideas who in mind I want to know your opinion about them.

The first is a dinosaur biped but which can swim, climb trees and it is omnivore: can eat vegetable and meat.

The second is a beat of the past, a dinosaur like harpy afterthe dinausaur are the ancesters of the birds

What do you think

gwadahunter2222 wrote:

The first is a dinosaur biped but which can swim, climb trees and it is omnivore: can eat vegetable and meat.

Oviraptoridae. Particularly Citipati Osmolskae; they're more bird-like than saurian in appearance, but they definitely fit the bill for what you want.

gwadahunter2222 wrote:

The second is a beat of the past, a dinosaur like harpy afterthe dinausaur are the ancesters of the birds

Archaeopteryx. Any species.

@Gregole: Wow... I like. I also agree that prehistoric-style beasties are underrepresented. Looks like you're off to a good start on correcting that, though.

Noctor:

These, I like a lot. Modelled after two of the most perfect killing machines nature's devised? Again, I wish there was a thumbs-up emoticon. The spines and tail are a nice touch, but I'm assuming the cultures who manage to domesticate them only use them as guard beasts or warbeasts? They seem somewhat poorly suited for riding or use as beasts of burden.

Tulak:

I swear, I know I've seen something like this before. Did you get the inspiration from a Kaiju movie? Not sure why, but they seem vaguely familiar, and not just in a "resembles a sauropod" manner. I like the idea, and the general look of the creature; the fin-like structures on the head and back, the placement of the nostrils, and the way you drew the eyes seem to suggest it is at least semi-amphibious, though. I could see the head spines folding back so that the frill lies flat, while they lie submerged in the water, with only their nostrils and eyes above the surface. You know, like a crocodilian. A party of explorers passes by, suddenly they whip their neck out and snatch one up before anyone knows what happened... when the rest of the party looks around, all they see is one of them missing, and a disturbance far off in the water. Eerie.

Triax:

Very interesting. I'm a bit uncertain about a giant coelophysis- it just seems like they should be mid-sized at most, to make the best of their agility- but I love the idea of a theropod whose MO is hand to hand combat. Talk about unexpected.

My thoughts on the rest later, don't want this post to be too huge.

hahaha I totaly loved the Clobbersaurus idea XD

TheQuantumMechanic wrote:

gwadahunter2222 wrote:

The second is a beat of the past, a dinosaur like harpy afterthe dinausaur are the ancesters of the birds

Archaeopteryx. Any species.

Try Microraptor. They're stranger in that all four of it's limbs serve as wings.

TheQuantumMechanic wrote:

Oviraptoridae. Particularly Citipati Osmolskae; they're more bird-like than saurian in appearance, but they definitely fit the bill for what you want.

Thanks.
I will prefer saurian but it can be interesting. The main idea I have they are biped but they can swim to cross river. They can climb tree, they are a serious threat, they are serious threat for mother harpy and nagas because they eat their eggs or attavk the youngs.
But there is something which make them very dangerous, they live in general in solitary but they meet their fellow creature they for a tempory pack just the time to hunt a bigger prey before to disband.

If it gives you some ideas please tell me

TheQuantumMechanic wrote:

Archaeopteryx. Any species.

Thanks, I have no idea about their name or their shape, all I know they are theorized as the possible ancestor of the harpies. They can be seen as mirage of the past in the Akaptor deserts, many mages and scientist try to communicate with them to have some infromation about the past of Felarya but very few succeed or come back to report what they learn.

Their language seems to be not ery developped but it's not case for their insult who seems to be lengendary among the harpies. So many harpies tries to learn from them the ancestral art


If someone has ideas to flesh that he/she is free to use this

Hmmm. I have a few ideas starting to come together that I think you'll like, I'll post them in a little bit. Working on something else right now.

TheQuantumMechanic wrote:

Hmmm. I have a few ideas starting to come together that I think you'll like, I'll post them in a little bit. Working on something else right now.

Ok no prob

Tyrannosaurus Felarya:

Mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, it's waaaaaay overused. On the other, it's the freaking T-Rex. You gotta respect it. I do like that you tried to make it more distinctive, with the frog-like tongue. Not sure if it's enough, but I'll tenatively say I like it? If I can make just one suggestion, though? The name, we've got to do something about that. Can I suggest "Tyrannosaurus Imperator" instead? It sounds a little less generic, and if the T-Rex is the "King of Tyrant Lizards", surely this guy is the Emperor?

Xyron:

I really, really like these guys. Pretty much everything about them is great, but I really like their killer smile. This is a pretty good example of a species that could be deadly, even at a much smaller size. :thumbs up:

Clobbersaurus:

Seriously, just

Love the concept, even though it's humorous to the point of parody. It's just awesome, and it gives me so many hilarous mental images.

Somewhere in Felarya, a mad scientist gleefully explains her latest experiment to her assistant while splicing genes.

"... And it just jumps around, randomly punching people in the face?"

"Yes! Exactly!"

"Um... why?"

"Because random violence is awesome, and I thought up a creature that feeds on it before nature did! Take that, evolution!"


Dodecaceratops:

This is an example of good design. Conceptually, the creature isn't really that original, but you've managed to put a lot of personality into it in just a few sentences. Somehow, I picture intra-tribal warfare between nekos involving pissing one of these creatures off, and then running as fast as they can towards the rival village, to let the dodecaceratops chasing them wreck havoc.

Dryptosaurus:

Vicious.

"When it spots a victim, the dryptosaurus will launch itself right at their target, burying its horns into their flesh and bringing them down. Normally this kills the victim right away."

No kidding. I don't have much to say, other than fantastic. And maybe contemplation on whether or not those horns can be crafted into weapons for humanoids? They must be fantastically strong and resilient to impacts.

Okay, Gwada... now that I'm finished.

For the first idea, this is something that I was working on seperately but hadn't really developed much yet. When I read your post, it got me to thinking, and I decided to fold the concepts you wanted into it. Lizardfolk/Lizardmen. But with a Felaryan twist. Presenting, the Gila (Hee-La, as in "Gila Monster" or "Gila River"):

Gila are a humanoid saurian species, rare in that they are one of the notable non-chimeric sentient races native to Felarya. While they are biped and intelligent, they do not resemble humans in appearance; the race is theorized to have descended from Felaryan dinosauria species. However, some biologists and naturalists remain convinced that Gila are descendants of dragons, despite their inability to conclusively prove or disprove these theories.

Gila typically range from six to seven feet in height, although some rare specimens (possibly members of a subspecies) have been known to reach nine or even ten feet in height. In addition, there are rumors of a subspecies called Pygmy Gila which have an average height of three feet, but if they even exist they are so reclusive no one has seen them. Gila are muscular and lithe, and all of them possess a tail that can measure in length up to half their height.

The Gila are agile and primarily aboreal, living most of their lives in the canopy of Felarya's jungles. As one might expect, they are excellent climbers and acrobatic, capable of leaping several times their body length to travel among the trees. In addition, however, Gila are also fantastic swimmers- they have no fear of the water, and are capable of lurking submerged just beneath the surface for hours at a time, thanks to the placement of their nostrils and extended snout.

A Gila's entire body is covered in rounded, bead-like scales. These individual scales vary widely in color, in different shades of pink, black, orange, yellow, and green; this creates a visually distinct pattern that is unique to each Gila, and one of the primary methods by which they identify one another. In effect, a Gila's "name" is comprised of its pattern, scent, and other notable traits about the individual (eye color, scars, etc.).

Scales colored white, blue, red, purple, and green are rare and usually don't appear very often even on the same individual; rarest of all is a Gila born with all its scales of one color, this is typically seen as a fortunate event and marks the Gila as one with a special destiny. Gila shed their scales frequently throughout their life, usually in small patches rather than shedding their whole skin (this occurs rarely, usually once or twice during their lifespan during periods of great growth). The pebble-like scales are usually kept, and used as a rough sort of currency among the species, with scales of the rarer colors being worth more. Occasionally, neko tribes who come across discarded or lost Gila scales use them to make jewelry and simple craft items.

Gila have a primitive tribal culture, and tend towards small societies; a Gila village is typically a small meeting place where they gather, rather than one where they live together. As such, most Gila live alone, or in small familial groups away from the village, which tend to consist mostly of marketplaces, and the tribal council.

Gila villages are overseen by a council of chieftains (the heads of various familial groups living close to the village) and shamans. Particularly powerful or renowned members of the community (including great warriors but also important merchants, artists, and musicians) are also given a voice in the council, which exists mostly to settle disputes among the community, and organize the entire village against threats of predators and enemies.

Although their culture is primitive, and their tools and weapons are very crude, Gila have a very complex language, consisting of reptilian hisses and roars that just can't be produced by the human tongue. Some of the sounds their language utilizes are higher or lower than the range audible to humans, and the tone of the noises is very important in determining the meeting. With just a few hisses, Gila are capable of conveying a very detailed description of an event, the people involved, the location it happened, and when it happened. Even without the translation effect of Felarya, they are capable of learning human speech, but would have great difficulty pronouncing words without lapsing into the hisses and rasps of their own language.

Their long, black tongues are used for smelling as well, due to the presence of a Jacobsen-like organ at the back of their throat. Unlike lizards, Gila can not detach their tails to escape a threat; however, they are powerfully muscled and often used as a weapon to lash opponents. In addition, Gila possess other deterrents that make them a threat even to large predators. Their scales are very tough, and provide slight protection against edged weapons, sometimes enough to deflect a glancing blow from a blade or arrow.

Gila are also venomous, possessing a single large venom gland located in their bottom jaw. Their teeth are slightly grooved, but they lack the injection fangs of spiders or snakes; instead, a Gila must bite and chew, or hold onto its prey for a while to envenom them. Even a small amount of Gila venom is enough to cause a creature three times its size to become sluggish and numb; a large dose leads to the slow onset of paralysis. Against a large predator such as a giant Naga, multiple Gila will attack it at once, and attempt to bite it repeatedly in vulnerable spots, the venom eventually having a cumulative effect and taking its toll.

Even with a massive dose, Gila venom is not fatal; only the large muscles of the voluntary muscular system are affected; it will not stop a creature's heartbeat or respiration. Even when totally paralyzed, the victim is conscious and aware, but numb to pain; this makes Gila venom suitable for some uses as a topical anasthetic.

Some Gila have been known to coat the tips of their weapons in their own venom, to provide them with a greater effect; however, they can also work up a glob of venom and saliva in their mouth and spit it at an opponent. The venom isn't quite as effective this way, however, the sticky mixture can pose a threat if aimed at the face or eyes of a predator. It is capable of causing momentary blindness, and repeated globs can even numb a Naga's jaw enough that swallowing prey would be difficult, if not impossible for a short period of time.

Gila are omnivores, and somewhat rapacious eaters- they will attack creatures larger than themselves, including giant predators, if they possess the numbers. They have also been known to attack and eat human-sized creatures (including humans), although there is no real malice involved. They are intelligent, and can be befriended, but their mindset is foreign and they often struggle with human logic.

Like most Felaryan species, they swallow prey smaller than themselves whole, which can include insects, Tinies, and Neeras, but also whole fruits and vegetables. They use their teeth and sharp claws to rip chunks and strips of flesh from prey their own size or larger, which they in turn swallow whole. Cooking food is rare, and more a practice of individual Gila rather than a widespread one.

... Whew, I didn't realize I had typed up so much stuff.

It's very impressive I like it a lot
It's better than I thought

Quote :

However, some biologists and naturalists remain convinced that Gila are descendants of dragons, despite their inability to conclusively prove or disprove these theories.

This sentence make me laugh a lot
Good work

And what about the second, idea

I was just about to post it...

Furies:

Creatures that only exist as mirages in the Akaraptor desert, Furies are thought to be the common ancestor from which all species of Felaryan Harpies descended. Many scientists have tried to study them, but as they rarely physically materialize in this time and space; most of what is known of them is based on fleeting observations of their immaterial state.

A Fury resembles a colossal Harpy in the same way Leviathian Mermaids are humongous Mermaids; they are one of the largest aerial creatures recorded on Felarya. They seem to have existed ages ago, and it is thought that when the various Harpy species began to emerge, they evolved to become smaller, faster, and more agile.

Furies are unusual in that they have four wings; their front pair resembles those of Rock Harpies, with a clawed forelimb that extends into a feathered wing. Their legs have a similiar structure, with reverse-jointed knees that end in clawed toes, with feathered vanes running down the entire length of the back leg that serve as a second pair of wings. Their scaly claws are somewhat weak compared to those of Harpies, however, and are not very suited to grasping objects or prey. Furies also possess very long, wide tails that contain many vertebrae. Much like those of an Archaeopteryx, a Fury's tailfeathers are broad and fan out all along the edges of the tail, providing a stable control surface for flight.

Instead, Furies use a long, flexible whip-like tongue to capture their prey; the very tip of their tongue terminates in a hardened, tooth-like spur that has a groove in it. There is a gland at the base of their tongue that uses muscular pressure to shoot venom down a channel and through the spur, allowing them to weaken their prey. Fury venom is a hallucinogenic toxin, and quickly overwhelms the mind of their prey, leaving them dazed and confused. Repeated stings could leave even a large Tonorion twitching on the ground.

The eyes of a Fury are more reptilian than avian- they have a simpler lens structure that provides a wide field of vision, but very little focus. They primarily hunt by motion, and have difficulty focusing on stationary objects unless they are brightly colored or otherwise stand out. They have somewhat poor hearing as well, but are capable of sensing air currents through their feathers, which provides them with a sort of sixth sense and allows them to move out of the path of incoming projectiles easily.

Due to their wing structure, they have great difficulty walking, and spend most of their time perched or in flight. They avoid travelling on the ground when at all possible, and usually only climb objects in order to launch themselves into flight. Although they have poor terrestrial movement, Furies are great fliers; their powerful wing muscles allow them to gain altitude and change direction quickly despite the bulk of their large bodies. In addition, a full-force blow from one of their wings packs tremendous power, and is capable of knocking down a tree... a typical Fury combat tactic is to divebomb at an enemy and strike with all four wings at once, which hits with enough force to crack stone.

Fury culture is primitive and... bewildering, to say the least. Researchers still haven't quite figured it out yet; in fact, the name "Fury" derives from their puzzling behavior. Fury communication seems to consist largely of violence and insults, ranging from severe beatings and shrieked curses, to light smacks upside the head and eloquent put-downs. Oddly enough, they seem to be casually vicious to their friends, and almost polite (well, as polite as a Harpenoid can be) to their enemies- The Fury equivalent of saying "Hello" to a close friend seems to be punching them in the face and swearing eternal vengeance (Furies are big on vengeance) and curses at the top of your lungs. In contrast, acknowledgement between rivals might consist of little more than lightly thumping one another and coolly making reference to things the other's mother does with trees when no one is looking.

So far, an in-depth study of Fury behavior has just not proven possible, due to the nature of the Akaraptor desert... and also because Harpies of many species flock to locations where images of Furies are commonly sighted, hoping to learn at the wings of their ancestors. What little observation has been done has yielded some interesting theories about the origins of Harpy culture and language, however...

There you go. One part Harpy, one part Microraptor, one part Erinyes... with a dash of Thanagarian thrown in for good measure. I like the idea of a much less refined sort of harpy, that's rowdy, crude, and violent with the people they like... and polite when they want to be rude to someone. Hmmm... in fact, I wonder if normal Harpies act polite to one another when they want to really insult someone...

Edit: Also, the reason for the venomous tongue is... well, Harpy. If anybody's tongue could be called venomous...

o_o Furies = <3

TheQuantumMechanic wrote:

I was just about to post it...

Furies:

Creatures that only exist as mirages in the Akaraptor desert, Furies are thought to be the common ancestor from which all species of Felaryan Harpies descended. Many scientists have tried to study them, but as they rarely physically materialize in this time and space; most of what is known of them is based on fleeting observations of their immaterial state.

A Fury resembles a colossal Harpy in the same way Leviathian Mermaids are humongous Mermaids; they are one of the largest aerial creatures recorded on Felarya. They seem to have existed ages ago, and it is thought that when the various Harpy species began to emerge, they evolved to become smaller, faster, and more agile.

Furies are unusual in that they have four wings; their front pair resembles those of Rock Harpies, with a clawed forelimb that extends into a feathered wing. Their legs have a similiar structure, folding at a clawed "knee", to continue into another membrane that serves as a second pair of wings. Their scaly claws are somewhat weak compared to those of Harpies, however, and are not very suited to grasping objects or prey.

Instead, Furies use a venomous tongue to capture their prey; the very tip of their tongue terminates in a hardened, tooth-like spur that has a groove in it. There is a gland at the base of their tongue that uses pressure to shoot venom down a channel and through the spur, allowing them to weaken their prey. Fury venom is a hallucinogenic toxin, and quickly overwhelms the mind of their prey, leaving them dazed and confused. Repeated stings could leave even a large Tonorion twitching on the ground.

The eyes of a Fury are more reptilian than avian- they have a simpler lens structure that provides a wide field of vision, but very little focus. They primarily hunt by motion, and have difficulty focusing on stationary objects unless they are brightly colored or otherwise stand out. They have somewhat poor hearing as well, but are capable of sensing air currents through their feathers, which provides them with a sort of sixth sense and allows them to move out of the path of incoming projectiles easily.

Due to their wing structure, they have great difficulty walking, and spend most of their time perched or in flight. They avoid travelling on the ground when at all possible, and usually only climb objects in order to launch themselves into flight. Although they have poor terrestrial movement, Furies are great fliers; their powerful wing muscles allow them to gain altitude and change direction quickly despite the bulk of their large bodies. In addition, a full-force blow from one of their wings packs tremendous power, and is capable of knocking down a tree... a typical Fury combat tactic is to divebomb at an enemy and strike with all four wings at once, which hits with enough force to crack stone.

Fury culture is primitive and... bewildering, to say the least. Researchers still haven't quite figured it out yet; in fact, the name "Fury" derives from their puzzling behavior. Fury communication seems to consist largely of violence and insults, ranging from severe beatings and shrieked curses, to light smacks upside the head and eloquent put-downs. Oddly enough, they seem to be casually vicious to their friends, and almost polite (well, as polite as a Harpenoid can be) to their enemies- The Fury equivalent of saying "Hello" to a close friend seems to be punching them in the face and swearing eternal vengeance (Furies are big on vengeance) and curses at the top of your lungs. In contrast, acknowledgement between rivals might consist of little more than lightly thumping one another and coolly making reference to things the other's mother does with trees when no one is looking.

So far, an in-depth study of Fury behavior has just not proven possible, due to the nature of the Akaraptor desert... and also because Harpies of many species flock to locations where images of Furies are commonly sighted, hoping to learn at the wings of their ancestors. What little observation has been done has yielded some interesting theories about the origins of Harpy culture and language, however...

There you go. One part Harpy, one part Microraptor, one part Erinyes... with a dash of Thanagarian thrown in for good measure. I like the idea of a much less refined sort of harpy, that's rowdy, crude, and violent with the people they like... and polite when they want to be rude to someone. Hmmm... in fact, I wonder if normal Harpies act polite to one another when they want to really insult someone...

Edit: Also, the reason for the venomous tongue is... well, Harpy. If anybody's tongue could be called venomous...

Thank you so much, I wouldn't do better

Nice to see this is going so well! For too long has fantasy ignored dinosaurs!

The gila and the furies make nice additions. I might suggest giving the furies long, arecheopteryx-like tails though, just to complete the primitive vibe.

All in all, I'm loving the way this is turning out.

GREGOLE wrote:

Nice to see this is going so well! For too long has fantasy ignored dinosaurs!

The gila and the furies make nice additions. I might suggest giving the furies long, arecheopteryx-like tails though, just to complete the primitive vibe.

All in all, I'm loving the way this is turning out.

Glad you enjoyed it!

You're totally right, I meant to mention their tails, but I somehow left that out completely. Doi! Good catch, I'll have to go back and fix that. Edit: Fixed it, with some other minor alterations for better wording.

I had a couple of other basic ideas for possible subspecies, like those previously mentioned Pygmy Gila... and some larger herbivorous cousins who have a mixture of Ceratopsid and Ankylosaurid features. Not sure what to call those guys yet, I haven't come up with more than a rough image. Edit: Nevermind, dementia brought on by flu and lack of sleep has helped me come up with the perfect name for these guys. Hehehehehehe.

This thread is full of some great ideas and creativity.