[Ecosystem Lore] Swamps, Marshes, and Bogs

[Songwitch 1441]

 

Swamps, Marshes, and Bogs

 

Marshes and bogs are biomes of intermittent land and water. Forming in both salt, and freshwater, swamps are renowned for their wetness, biodiversity, and difficulty to cross, many times mucky and difficult to traverse. Swamps can be found in almost any temperature, from the hottest of hots to the coldest of colds. The hospitableness of swamps vary madly, as the wildlife and temperature of said swamps can vary massively. One may be cool, pleasant, with mild summers and cold winters, while others may be hot, muggy, and mosquito infested all year.

 

Flora

 

Aqua Nymph

Dwarf’s Pumpkin

Night Sap

Mandragora

Jailor’s Moss

 

 

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Taracci

 

 

Physiology

 

Taracci, otherwise known as the Bog Muppets or Muppets of the Bog are opportunistic scavengers. Incredibly small and weak creatures, the Taracci stands at no more than 1-2 ft tall and has a round bulbous looking body with comically large yellow eyes that seem to carry a subtle glow at night. They have a very smooth and slippery hide that allows them to quickly slide around and traverse the undergrowth of the swamps. Their hands and feet are webbed, aiding them in traversing through the often flooded undergrowth and murky waters.

The only form of defense or offense a Taracci has are the rows of razor sharp teeth in its mouth and its unique vocal cords that are able to emulate most sounds it hears, the Bog Muppets use this to great effect by luring larger predators to kill unsuspecting prey and allowing the Taracci to feast off the scraps.

Very weak, but may overwhelm in large numbers.

 

Behavior

 

Due to their weak stature and inability to hunt prey much larger than themselves, the Taracci have the unique ability of mimicry to mimic most sounds they hear. They use this to great effect by luring predators to kill wildlife nearby so that they can move in and feast on the scraps.

Taracci groups vary in size but can reach the upper limits of 20-30, and if unable to eat for an extended period of time may grow more reckless in their attempts to hunt and will often just swarm wounded animals or even descendants, using their overwhelming numbers to try to bring prey down. Though this is a high risk to the Taracci themselves and is only ever used as a last resort out of desperation.

They are scavengers by nature.

 

Abilities

 

The only feature that is worth highlighting from this creature is its ability to mimic common tongue and animalistic sounds with ease, fooling most into a very stupid demise. 

 

– Tarraci can only be played for DIY, player-hosted events.

– Tarraci cannot be tamed.

– Tarraci are unable to mimic full sentences of common tongue, or mimic languages that are magical or dark in nature like black-speech or Ilzakarn. They mostly mimic animal sounds and one or two words at a time from a descendant. 

– Tarraci teeth are actually no sharper than a honed blade of steel, and no bigger than a fingernail. This is to say that it will not cut through plate or bone with ease but it is well capable of achieving such a feat if enough effort is put into it. 

– Tarraci teeth are player-signed when harvested, though given their incredibly small size, it is rather difficult to put them to use as a weapon on their own. 

 

Nepema

 

 

Physiology

 

The Nepema, otherwise known as The Patient Hunter is a highly intelligent feline that is native to the swamps of Aevos. This very distinct looking feline is no larger than your common house cat and just as agile. While they have some variation in color, they more often than not have hair that ranges from light to dark browns with their more distinctive markings ranging between the darkest of crimsons to the most vibrant yellow hues, mainly warm colors.

Upon the end of a Nepema’s tail is a large flower like bulb, this bulb offers a pale green glow that the Nepema uses like a lure to catch unsuspecting fish and smaller creatures off guard in the waters of the swamp.

 

Behavior

 

It hides in the undergrowth around bodies of water and is an extremely cautious and patient hunter, never engaging creatures that are stronger or faster than it and always using its wits and agile movements to get in and out of danger.

The Nepema hunts with the flower-like bulb upon the end of its tail, this gently glowing growth is used to lure fish and small animals towards the light where the Nepema will quickly pounce from the underbrush to kill it. With its high capacity for intelligence comes a high degree of curiosity, the Nepema is a highly inquisitive creature.

 

Abilities

 

Its flower-like bulb is capable of luring smaller and inferior creatures such as rodents or fishes, but it will never fool a sentient individual.

 

– The Nepema can only be roleplayed in DIY, player-hosted events or outside of combat as a tamed creature.

– The Nepema can be tamed but may never be weaponized in combat.

– Everything that may be obtained from a Nepema whether that be meat, bones, teeth, or its faintly glowing flower-like bulb is player-signed. 

– The Nepema’s flower-like bulb, if made into an item, is unable to lure or somehow put others in a trance.

 

Karkossa Weaver

 

 

Physiology

 

The Karkossa Weaver is perhaps one of the more feared predators residing within the waterlogged marshes and swamps, this behemoth of an arachnid makes its lair deep within the moist soil, seeking to burrow deep under the earth and create a network of tunnels as its home. The Karkossa Weaver is quite large in size, often seen to be larger than bears and they have a distinct colouration, that of a sickly venomous green.

With eight legs, a large bulbous thorax and hundreds of beady green eyes that cast a dull glow, the Karkossa is a terrifying sight to behold and one that many unfortunate Descendants and animals will have as their last. The Karkossa Weaver carries several venomous glands within its body, this quick acting and potent venom seems capable of rusting and melting through anything it touches and proves to be a significant threat when dealing with these arachnids since it renders armor quickly useless.

This venom seems akin to an acid and the Karkossa is able to ‘spit’ or shoot a small jet stream of this venom as well as an extremely sticky web out to a length of 10 ft with varying degrees of accuracy. While a considerable size and able to knock aside fully grown descendants in armor, the Karkossa choose instead to not get into direct fights as its fangs and limbs seem to have great difficulty getting through plate armor until it is destroyed by its acidic venom. 

The Karkossa Weaver produces its young from hundreds of eggs, these opaque eggs carry a strange and otherworldly green glow that adds to the terrifying nature of a Karkossa Weavers lair.

 

Strangely enough, once a Karkossa is harvested for its meat, the decaying flesh gives off an extremely potent smell of sour berries. Something hunters use to great effect as bait to lure in other prey on their own hunts.

 

Behavior

 

The Karkossa Weaver is an ambush predator that makes its lair underground with a complex tunnel network. These complex tunnels often lead to small shafts that have their entrances concealed with a thin layer of dirt, leaves and sticks held together by a sticky web that the Karkossa excretes. These ‘trap doors’ essentially behave as pitfall traps, dropping unsuspecting prey into the tunnels of the Karkossa with no way out.

The Weaver chooses not to engage in upfront fights, instead opting to climb up walls and the ceilings of its lair and lure its prey into many pitfall traps within its lair itself or seeking to tangle them within sticky webs while it engages from range. If the unfortunate prey entering a Karkossa’s lair happens to do so when the eggs are hatching, they can quickly become overwhelmed by superior numbers as these new hatchlings will have no qualms about swarming and devouring intruders.

 

Abilities

 

The Karkossa Weaver is a dangerous creature given its innate ability to produce and exploit acid attacks, that while unable to instantly kill or paralyze, cause caustic burns that slowly eat away flesh and metal. If doused in water, the acid is nullified–even though it will harden and deactivate after three emotes.

 

– Karkossa Weavers can be used and played only for DIY, player-hosted events.

– Karkossa Weavers cannot be tamed given their inability to smell or hear, which would be crucial for training or taming of any sort. 

– Karkossa venom cannot be harvested. It loses its properties if taken from the body of a living specimen and exposed to the outside for longer than (3) emotes.

– Harvested Karkossa meat is player-signed and makes a potent bait that lures the attention of most carnivorous animals.

 

Pyrana Wasps

 

 

Physiology

 

The Pyrana Wasps are nocturnal hunters and know no ends to their ravenous hunger. Their capacity for tearing through flesh and devouring meat to the very bone is unmatched by any other predator, the Pyrana able to strip the meat from the bone within a matter of seconds if left uncontested. These insectoid creatures are incredibly small, barely noticeable as an individual. While alone they may not accomplish much, if anything at all, together they form a hungering swarm of thousands that is more than capable of dispatching larger prey with sustained attacks.

The Pyrana Wasps have an extreme aversion to light and as a result fire is an excellent deterrent for breaking up their swarms and warding them off. Their eyes are extremely sensitive to light and if forced into a bright environment or subject to sudden light they can become disoriented and often attempt to flee in a random direction to get away from the light source as quickly as possible. This confusion can result in swarms breaking apart and leaving them much more manageable to deal with and less of a threat.

The Pyrana Wasp, although small, is still something to be feared in great numbers. They carry barbed and serrated stingers on the end of their bodies that allows them to quickly open wounds and tear apart the flesh of their prey while their serrated mandibles aid them even further. The Pyrana Wasp has dim red eyes that seem to glow under the light, this often leads to terrifying folk tales and legends about dark creatures that patrol the swamps at night as a swarm of Pyrana Wasps looks like a swirling mass of shadows with thousands of hungry red eyes.

 

Behavior

 

Due to their aversion to the light, Pyrana Wasps are nocturnal hunters, only coming out at night to hunt their prey. During the day a swarm of Pyrana Wasps will find refuge within the dark shadows of trees, caves or anywhere the light cannot reach. Though they may be resting, if one were to walk unsuspectingly into this mass of shadows or provoke it by any means, they will quickly realize their mistake and be devoured.

Once night falls the Pyrana Wasps are extremely aggressive and persistent hunters, known to chase their prey for miles at a time before giving up or securing the kill.

 

Abilities

 

Swarms of Pyrana Wasps are capable of eating the flesh of a whole limb if not fought off within three emotes. Fire and smoke will easily take down these rabid creatures.

 

– Pyrana Wasps can be used and played only for DIY, player-hosted events.

– Pyrana Wasps cannot be tamed.

– Any material extracted from a Pyrana Wasp is player-signed and wholly aesthetic.

 

 

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Almarisian Remnants

 

Parhor

 

 

Physiology

The Parhor is a species of frog native to Orcish territories, oftentimes growing to the size of a small bear, compared to their larger Toa’Lak cousins. They possess powerful legs for leaping upon prey, as well as a mottled black and green coloration for blending into its native environment. These gargantuan amphibians constantly secrete a harshly colored, foul-scented slime, which serves to ward off predators that might otherwise wish to harm the creature. This slime has the added benefit of acting as a sedative should the Parhor consume it, allowing it to more easily recover its energy.

 

Notably, this creature possesses the ability to consume and digest poisonous mushrooms with ease, drawing energy and strength from the poison to enter a temporary ‘frenzy,’ enabling them to chase down and overpower smaller prey animals within the marshes and jungles, though they are still subject to the effects of exhaustion, utilizing their slime to suede themselves into a deep slumber after hunting, ending the frenzy early.

 

If one were to attempt to refine the slime secreted by this creature, they would be met with a hallucinogenic goop, which when applied to the lips would result in severe auditory, visual, and sensory hallucinations, as well as a severe lethargy.

 

 

Habitat

Primarily, the Parhor may be found in the jungles and swamps close to Orcish lands - migrating to the jungles in the winter, and returning to the swamps once winter has abated.

 

 

Behavior

Parhor are carnivorous, territorial creatures, often found preying on anything from mosquitos, birds, young Toa’Laks, to even small creatures such as Halflings or Musin. They are often found in ‘packs’ of anywhere from two to five Parhor, forming large nests within suitable marshland or jungle tree hollows.

 

 

Abilities

Regardless, a Parhor is merely a very large frog, and possesses many of the same strengths and weaknesses as such. It is able to leap large distances using its powerful legs, and possesses an equally powerful tongue for grappling prey and attempting to swallow it whole. Its strength, un-augmented, is roughly on par with a small bear.

 

As well, if it were to consume poisonous mushrooms, the Parhor would be granted an immensely augmented physical performance for a duration of 6 emotes, able to perform feats of incredible strength or agility on par with an Olog - though, after this time, the Parhor would be left physically exhausted for 4 emotes, unable to move beyond small hops or slow trudges.

 

 

Redlines

• Parhor’Fal requires OOC consent to have any major effects.
• Parhor cannot be tamed, and their slime can not be harvested in captivity.

 

Deepsnake

 

 

Physiology

Coined the “Deep Snake” by the Dwedmar miners of Kal’mugdor, this leviathan serpent often measures in excess of ten meters long, and possesses the girth and heft of a mighty oak tree. There are precious few of these creatures in existence, perhaps half a dozen at most, though no other creature is feared more by those who delve too deep into the earth below. Often sporting black or grey scales for those cave-bound, or greenish brown for those that lurk within the swamps.

 

The Deepsnake possesses scales with strength roughly equivalent to that of standard Ferrum, though they are comparatively brittle compared to actual metal of any decent quality.  While submerged in water, these scales gleam a brilliant azure hue, though the exact reason for this is unknown. As well, its fangs are comparable in size to a large tree branch, easily able to pierce chainmail or weaker variants of plate - delivering a powerful venom into its victim.

 

 

Habitat

The aptly named ‘Deepsnake’ is most often found within the labyrinthian cave networks native to Dwedmar lands, though any cave network suffices for this serpent’s interests - so long as they possess thermal vents, or proximity to magma. As well, they may be found within deep marshlands and swamps, or other suitably murky and temperate bodies of water.

 

Behavior

The creature is feared for its extreme animalist intuition and its ability to plan. In the depths, the Deepsnake knows its prey. It can tell their moods, including fear & impatience. It will lurk crowded junctions or follow creatures back to their homes in order to see how each creature behaves. A snake eats a glorious meal like a giant mole, or four humans, and then can spend weeks or months stalking its next target & developing a plan. A Deepsnake has no interest in death, and will stalk powerful creatures long before laying them to waste with its venom, if it even opts to stick around after biting.

 

Abilities

In combat, the Deepsnake is an ambush predator, often relying on the element of surprise to sink its fangs into what it deems the strongest combatant, seeking to afflict them with its horrific venom - a sludge-like substance, one bite gives the body an extra one-hundred pounds of evenly distributed weight, slowing down even stalwart warriors & causing those in water to struggle even more to swim. The venom is thick and courses through the body like syrup, wearing off only after a night’s rest.

 

If biting its prey fails, this serpent has no objections to coiling about its prey, suffocating and crushing them to death with its massive bulk. It possesses the ability to swim incredibly swiftly in bodies of water, and it traverses rocky tunnels with ease.

 

 

Redlines

• Deepsnakes may not be tamed.
• Deepsnake venom may not be preserved, making harvesting it a moot point.
• Weapons and armor crafted from Deepsnake scales will only have the durability of steel, at most - though they are more brittle.
• Deepsnake venom only lasts for 1 IRL day, before its effects fade.