[Ecosystem Lore] The Temperate Forests

[Songwitch 1441]

 

The Temperate Forests

 

The eponymous ‘forest’ is what comes to mind when one thinks of wilderness. Bearing temperate climates, neither too cold as to become arboreal forests, nor too warm, as to become tropical jungles, temperate forests are among the most hospitable of climates to descendants. The creatures that inhabit temperate forests rarely predate on descendants, being both mild and docile in many instances. Temperate forests make up large swaths of land, and are many times the heartlands of elves and halflings.

 

Flora

 

Beard Weed

Amberiddle

Faerie Truffles

Blissfoil

Oracle Wood

 

 

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Tinker Weaver

 

 

Physiology

 

The Tinker Weaver is a curious little creature, a small bulbous animal with hardened scales on its arms and legs with a large shawl and beard of mossy green fur. The Tinker Weaver stands at no more than 3ft tall and at its center has a large exposed gelatinous core of amber colouration, a viscous liquid flowing about within. This stomach, or core is extremely fragile and the Tinker Weaver does everything in its power to protect itself and hide from prey.

Its sharp claws and strong limbs allow it to dig through Descendant trash and tear apart discarded metal objects for its own uses, as well as give it the ability to climb trees to escape those predators that lurk upon the forest floor. Within its core is an amber ichor, this viscous liquid seems to have some light healing properties when applied to small cuts and bruises, sealing them up over a short period and helps soothe severe burns.

Tinker Weavers are herbivores, feasting upon the plentiful plantlife of the Forest.

 

Behavior

 

The Tinker Weaver is nature's very own junkyard, this curious little creature is obsessed with shiny objects and will often creep into cities under the darkness of night in order to scavenge for scrap metal and various trinkets and baubles to make its nest out of.

These nests are kept high up in the tops of trees and serve the dual purpose of giving the Tinker Weaver a place to call home as well as an armored shell to protect their exposed stomachs from predators. Tinker Weavers are mainly active at night in order to avoid most of the predators of a forest and are also at their most vulnerable when slinking along the forest floor to seek out salvage for their nests.

 

Abilities

 

Tinker Weavers have healing properties and thus are able to cure minor cuts and bruises, or even help with the process of healing a fading scar from severe burns. They are however unable to treat life-threatening injuries or heal another back to life.

 

– Tinker Weavers can only be used in DIY, player-hosted events.

– Tinker Weavers cannot be tamed.

– Healing properties work at most on minor cuts and bruises, or severe burns. They may not treat life threatening injuries.

– Tinker Weavers can be hunted for their armored shell, which would be player-signed. This shell is no stronger than iron and no bigger than a buckler shield.  

 

Porculon Bear

 

 

Physiology

 

An enormous bear-like creature bristling with sharpened spikes on its back, the Porculon Bear stands at a menacing 8ft tall on all fours, from front paws to shoulders. These massive creatures roam the forest floors, feasting upon both smaller animals and the plantlife alike. There are not many creatures within the forests that can stand up to the sheer ferocity and strength of a Porculon Bear and it is considered the apex predator of the forests.

The sharpened spikes upon the Porculon Bear’s back act like small spears, designed to ward off any attack from any wandering predators like the Regalis Gryphon. These spikes rapidly shed themselves and regrow, which therein leaves a trail of the animal’s location for future tracking.

A unique defense the Porculon has is its ability to forcefully eject the spikes from its back in all directions if overwhelmed or in imminent danger. This is usually enough to force away any would-be predator from its hunt though this last ditch tactic leaves the Porculon defenseless until it has the time to hibernate and regrow the forcefully shed spikes. The process of regrowth takes longer than if the spikes were to have fallen from its back naturally.

These spikes however are capable of quite easily puncturing steel and usually have a length of about 2-3ft, essentially functioning as spears.

 

Behavior

 

Porculon Bears are careless creatures. They are so used to being top of the food chain in the forests that they will wander wherever they please and often hibernate in open clearings big enough to contain them. If no such place can be found, the Porculon uses its large mass and claws to tear down trees to make space. For this reason, Porculon bears don’t have any particular den and can be found roaming anywhere within lushful forests.

These creatures are easy to track however, their spikes leaving a rather distinctive trail given the frequency of their shed and the sheer mass of these creatures often leaving destroyed trees and a carved path through the undergrowth where they walk.

Porculon’s are not aggressive creatures by nature unless provoked or hunting for prey, in which case they attack with untamed fury until their target is dead.

 

Abilities

 

The Porculon Bear’s spikes are capable of puncturing steel the same way as a steel bolt, and they always quiver/become agitated before blasting off from the beast’s back. Once this mechanism is triggered, every single spike is fired. 

 

– Porculon Bears can only be roleplayed during DIY, player-hosted events.

– Porculon Bears cannot be tamed. 

– The skin of a Porculon Bear is as strong as leather armor while its spikes are like steel. This is to say that when fired from the beast, they are well capable of puncturing plate armor and impaling exposed flesh.

– The spikes upon the very center of the Porculon Bear’s are the same size as a mundane short-spear. There are only up to three of these and the rest are alike to bolts, both versions with the same density of steel.

– Most spikes including the ‘big’ and ‘small’ versions may not be recovered or used after having been ejected by the beast, effectively breaking after the fact. 

– Harvested meat or spikes from either a living or dead specimen are player-signed as they are essentially reskinned versions of short-spears and crossbow ammunition. 

– The meat of a Porculon Bear tastes like a mix of porcupine and actual brown bear. 

-If the spikes regrow naturally, it may take a few days at most while if they were fired off forcefully it may take up to a full month to fully grow back and recover from the trauma.

 

Arazi Lotus

 

 

Physiology

 

The Arazi Lotus, otherwise known by Descendants as the Floral Deceiver, is perhaps one of the most feared creatures in all of nature’s plant-life. This otherwise beautiful looking creature is incredibly dangerous and should be approached with extreme caution. The main defining feature of an Arazi Lotus is its head, an arrangement of large petal shaped structures that surround its all consuming maw. These petals give the plant beast its deceiving appearance, appearing as a large flower within an otherwise beautiful garden of flora.

The Arazi Lotus varies in size, with the largest having been reported at around 15-20 ft in height. These creatures are carnivorous and although appearing to be a plant they are very much an animal capable of hunting. Though spending most of its time buried within the ground and camouflaged with its surrounding environment, the Arazi Lotus is capable of ‘uprooting’ itself and traversing the forest upon several large tentacle-like legs that it uses to drag and pull itself through the undergrowth. The green colouration of its skin coupled with a thin fur give it the appearance of vines and moss, only adding to its subterfuge of disguising as a plant.

The Arazi Lotus has two distinctive methods of attack, its main arsenal being that of several large tentacles with sharp and hardened barbs upon the end. These barbs are capable of skewering an armored descendant after repeated strikes, though against leather or anything weaker will quite easily puncture through. The other method of attack is a long tongue that shoots forth from its maw, this elastic appendage is covered within a thick goo that has an incredibly strong adhesive property. The Arazi Lotus uses this tongue to grab a hold of prey and drag them back to be devoured.

 

Behavior

 

The Floral Deceiver is by its nature an ambush predator, spending days sometimes even weeks in a location waiting for any prey to stumble into its trap. It buries itself within the ground and will often have its barbed tentacles sprout from the earth in all directions to surround and kill whatever has stumbled upon it.

Due to their vulnerable nature when being out of the ground and moving about, the Arazi Lotus will only seek to move if they have been unable to catch anything for up to a month, a month being the absolute limit an Arazi can go without any new sustenance. When it comes time for an Arazi to move to a new hunting ground, it will only travel under the cover of darkness.

 

Abilities

 

The Arazi Lotus can lash at any nearby enemy up to (4) blocks away with its barbed vines, and its tongue is capable of sticking to any surface–living or not–like it were a very strong adhesive.

 

– Arazi Lotus can be used and played only for DIY, player-hosted events.

– Arazi Lotus cannot be tamed.

– Arazi Lotus saliva is player-signed and is merely a reskinned version of glue.

 

Tahala Stag

 

 

Physiology

 

The Tahala Stag, otherwise known as the Elusive Watcher. These harmless creatures are a sight to behold and represent the purity and tranquility the forest is capable of. Standing at around 7-8 ft in height, the Tahala Stag has a coat of pure white fur with eyes to match. The most distinctive feature about the Tahala Stag however are its horns, these branch-like horns glisten brightly under the light of the sun and carry an almost iridescent quality to them.

When observed from afar, the horns of a Tahala Stag are pure silver, though when the sun catches them a beautiful array of dancing colors can be seen, shifting and changing with the rays of sunlight. Upon these horns are small seeds that seem to grow at random intervals, surrounded by silver leaves. These occasionally fall upon the ground to produce a small silver tree of bone, resembling the appearance of the horns the Tahala Stag so proudly displays.

If a Tahala Stag is unfortunate enough to have its horns harvested but lucky enough to be let go by its hunters, it will never be able to regrow its horns, instead forever destined to bear the harvested stumps until its dying days.

 

Behavior

 

The Tahala Stags are extremely rare creatures, the sighting of one often considered a sign of good fortune. Due to the otherworldly quality and beautiful nature of their horns and the small bone-like trees they seem to leave behind, the Tahala Stags are hunted mercilessly and are considered the ultimate prize.

As a result they tend to be extremely aloof and elusive animals, oftentimes keeping far away from descendant settlements and maintaining rather solitary lives within the forests.

 

Abilities

 

Under Event Team jurisdiction. 

 

– Tahala Stags can be used and played only for Event Team-hosted events.

– Tahala Stags cannot be tamed.

– Any material extracted from a Tahala Stag must be story-signed and harvested horns immediately have their seeds become useless, unable to be planted.

– Harvested trees will not produce seeds of their own and will not grow back.

 

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Almarisan Remnants

 

Giant Beaver

 

 

Physiology

The Giant Beaver, also known as a dire beaver is a herbivorous creature that resembles Its smaller sized cousins though with some noteworthy differences such as Its rather unusual size which ranges between 6’4 - 7’0 in length (Not including their tail), most of them clock in at about 600-700 pounds though larger specimens have been observed in the past.

A hard leathery tail shaped like the wide end of an oar is typically about three feet in length from base to tip and consists of a tapering tailbone and a mix of cartilage, sinew, and fatty deposits. The scales and tailbone of the Giant Beaver are surprisingly durable and resistant to both cuts and scrapes though not completely immune to such.

The creature has thick fur and webbed feet, these features coupled with Its tremendous size making it most comfortable in deep rivers where Its body weight can be carried by the water though on land they’re still capable of sprinting short distances.

The diet of the Giant Beaver consists mostly of bark, berries, grass, water vegetation, and even various grains.

 

Habitat

Like their mundane cousins the giant beaver typically favors heavily forested areas with ready access to water in order to build their complex dams which range in size from small circular dens amidst a river to complex ramshackle complexes of mud and log tunnels for particularly large clans of beavers.

Generally deeper rivers toward the mouths of bays in temperate climates are a favorite of the large animal.

 

Behavior

Typically these large beasts are docile observers and herbivores content to meander and focus on their day to day living and avoid descendants whenever possible; however that is not to say they are not defenseless- Dire Beavers are territorial and will defend their dam from intruders where required.

Like all animals the Dire Beaver is content to scare off a potential threat, it does so by standing upon Its hind legs to make itself larger, bristling out Its fur and making ear-splitting shrieks while beating Its heavy tail upon the ground until the perceived threat backs down or intimidates the beaver into running or attacking.

These private animals are not typically aggressive unless a particular set of circumstances forces them into expanding their territory or wounds them emotionally, famine, disease, and the loss of their mate can drive a dire beaver to increasingly erratic and aggressive behavior and can even see them invade descendant settlements to break into grain stores or take timber when desperation strikes them.

 

 

Abilities

Ferrum-jaw: The Giant Beaver’s bite is a mighty one, those long teeth are capable of easily puncturing thin plates of ferrum and wood when coupled with the animal’s considerable size and strength.

Bear Strength: A giant beaver shares roughly the same size and physical strength as a grizzly bear and is capable of the same feats of strength, sans claws however.

Tail-slap: The Giant beaver is capable of devastating attacks of blunt force trauma with its wide tail, given two emotes (one to plant It’s feet and ready the strike, one to spin around and hit with the tail) it is possible to strike with force enough to send an orc flying 3-5 meters backwards and break bones.

 

 

Redlines

-The Materials acquired from the beaver have no special properties but Its teeth can be shaped into trinkets and decorative daggers of ferrum strength.

-The beaver can be communed with via druidic means and killed for their use in shapeshifting

-The beavers cannot be tamed, they are fiercely independent and shy away from descendants.

 

- The beavers are not outwardly hostile to descendants nor their settlements unless their mate has been killed or they are desperate for food. However they can accidentally flood descendant settlements.

 

The Ground Sloth

 

Physiology

The Ground Sloth is a unique variant of your average sloth, albeit this species is much larger than its counterpart. They vary in size, with their smallest growing to be 6’7” when standing upon two feet, and their tallest growing to be 9’10”. They’re noted to also carry the same features as a sloth, the same fur, and the same claws, although their claws are harder than their smaller variant. Their  tongue that can extend far out of its mouth to reach far-off fruits.

 

Habitat

The Ground Sloth prefers to live away from civilization, preferably around lush environments that hold trees that are able to match or exceed their own height - although some have been known to take refuge into caves if any can be found, especially if they are not alone; under normal circumstances it’s impossible to find one within any cold environments, more or less preferring to stay within in the humidity of jungles.

Behavior

Ground Sloths are vegetarian creatures that enjoy to feast on honey, leaves, and shrubs. Their favorite thing to eat seems to be fruits however, holding them in high regard in comparison to other meals. They’re mainly seen feeding, to their inability to carry food to another location - as they mostly prefer to eat wherever their next meal is found. A Ground Sloth with a bad diet is known to have rugged, tattered and paler fur in comparison to one that has healthy eating habits. When eating fruits, these beasts carry some artificial tunnel vision, paying little to no attention to its surroundings, even if a predator were to be in the area. When threatened by creatures smaller than them, the Ground Sloth will roughly slam its tail into the ground, causing loud thuds that tend to scare off most creatures attempting to steal their food; when facing a creature bigger than them however, they’ll use their claws to frighten the monster due to their lack of sharp teeth, or will use their agility to escape. The Ground Sloth is known to be very brutal when fighting something, sparing no time to end their prey.

Abilities

The Ground Sloth is armed with two pairs of viscous claws which they use to defend themselves with or to eat things they cannot grab with their bare hands, such as cactus fruit. The larger variants of their creatures will use their large body to ram themselves into their prey and crush them under their weight.

 

Redlines

 

• These creatures can be used in player events.
• Ground Sloths cannot be used to attack other nations.
• These cannot be tamed under any circumstances.
• Ground Sloth items cannot be signed by ST.
• Ground Sloth claws are as hard as a wolf’s claws, albeit bigger in size.