A World of Monsters. (An Encyclopedia on the creatures of the world of Null, Original Writing.)

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Flittermice.

[Sketches depict several species of mice, rats, and squirrels working in mutual cooperation with one another in a collective fashion, building nests in trees and treelines. They come in a wide variety of colorations and shapes, all unified by the leathery wings sprouting from their backs.]

[A note is attached. It reads 'They're so cute! But like, rodents are cute by default. Unless they're uninvited to your homes. Then I'm sorry little rat, but then you have to go. Thems the rules.']

Scientific Name Translation: Varies on species.

Average Size: Varies on species, between 5 inches to 1'6 feet.

Average Weight: Varies on species, between half a pound to 20 pounds.

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: Varies on species, most common being that females have longer tails than males.

Habitat Range: Continent wide.

Summary:​

There are numerous species on our world that, whether through evolutionary pressure, convergent evolution, or a species splitting into several distinct subspecies, that have different members exhibiting extremely different morphological traits from one another. Of mammalian order of Rodentia on Null, one of the most extreme examples of this occurring is the wildly varied divergences between various distinct species collectively known as Flittermice. Contrary to popular modern day belief, Flittermice do not have to be actual mice. Indeed, the family line of Flittermice includes, but are not limited to, mice, rats, squirrels, and mythological dire chinchilla. The unifying feature that distinct this family line from other rodents is their small, but functional bat-like wings on their backs. Indeed, Flittermice receive their name directly from a now long extinct species of bat. [A note is attached. It depicts a cartoon bat placing a crown on a cartoon Flittermice, the species name written on the crown.]

The unifying factors for these species is not only physical: While much debate continues to rage on as to whether their evolution was natural and convergent with other non-Flittermice rodent species, or the end result of a mystical event as is too common with the formation of such 'mixed' species on Null, there is conclusive evidence that Flittermice of all subspecies cooperate with one another in mutually beneficial cross-species communities to better survive. Each species contributes in ways best suited to their kinds strengths, and each cover the others weaknesses, leading to a eusocial way of living usually only seen in insects.

Ranging from 5 inch long mice to one and a half foot tall squirrels, Flittermice lack a central leader figure, lacking any form of 'queen' often seen in Nullian insect hives such as the Spider-Ants or the Bullet Bees. However, research by Flittermice biologist Sosyia Kapoora indicates that a form of communal forum of sorts exist where adult Flittermice trade information of food sources, dangers and threats, as well as locations of other Flittermouse communities amidst the trees, making them eusocial in the same way other hive-breeds such as most regular ants and several bee species on our world. These nests are built into and out of trees, with each tree in a given area housing segments of the wider Flittermouse community. Initially, this was seen as odd due to the fact that Nullian trees is notoriously ruthless in their defense against incursions by small animals. However, it was quickly discovered that this is in fact a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship: The Flittermice receive shelter and protection against predators, while they in turn protect the trees of Null from parasites and herbivorous insects that are a threat to their continued existence. [A note is attached. It reads 'Lucky little punks! >

']

This is not to say that Flittermice are totally defenseless, however. Mouse and rat type Flittermice, like other rodents of their kind in other family lines, are able to coat their tails in a matter disruption field, giving them incredible cutting power in their defense against smaller predators or the grubbing mitts of curious creatures, while the larger squirrels are capable of coating their claws in typical plasma coating to enhance their strikes in a flurry of vicious mauling to anything foolish enough to give them an opportunity to defend themselves. Their communal nature means they are quick to come to one another's aid, regardless of specific subspecies, and they always rally to the defense of their home-trees if needed and able. If all else fails, their small but functional wings allow them to glide and even fly for a short amount of time to escape danger.

Despite their communal nature and advanced eusocial behaviors, as well as the Aleph Xara's animal counterparts in the case of the mouse-types, it was discovered that Flittermice are not, in fact, Sapient, and thus not a Civilized race unto themselves. Sentient, but lacking culture or history of their own, the innate intelligence and communal bonds of their species did earmark them as objects of interest in some circles of Null's scientific community. Namely, they are the species with the distinct honor to be part of research efforts by Median scientists to create the fist Uplifted species in modern Nullian history, a project which is housed in Yang Quartz. Whether the project has borne fruit yet or not, however, remains a closely guarded secret. [A note is attached. It reads 'I really, really hope if it succeeded, they were able to survive the attack that took out the city....']

In terms of relationship with Civilized Nullians, contrary to popular belief, Flittermice do not make for good pets. Their instincts to build networked communities in trees makes housing them in a normal home virtually impossible, and their desire to be in large communities of their kinds also means that no manageable amount of them can feasibly held within any one household for long anyway. Despite this, Flittermice are considered good luck charms for communities living near or around Flittermice tree-networks, though a popular misconception that originates from the Aleph Xara's 'book mouse' nickname means it is not uncommon for Flittermice to be used as iconography for libraries across the Median. [A note is attached. It reads 'Aleph Xara aren't just icons of scholarly pursuits. They are also very common scribes attached to Median soldiers of renown, to archive their adventures and the things they learn and fight along the way!']

When it comes to reproduction, Flittermice are genetically compatible between their various species, however they exclusively pair up and produce offspring in same-species couplings. To avoid genetic oversaturation of the same genes in any one community, is common for young adult Flittermice to break off from their parent networks in search of new homes to find mates with. Young Flittermice of all species are defenseless for the first few months of their lives, thus necessitating careful care and sanctuary within the most well fortified depths of their tree homes. Needless to say, during pupping season, Flittermice are extremely protective of their homes.

Though the sight of Flittermice has grown uncommon in recent centuries for city-dwellers, especially within the Great Walled Cities, they remain a staple part of scholarly culture due to their Aleph Xara connection making them iconographic staples in places of learning. Only time will tell if the Uplift project in Yang Quartz will work and allow us to interact with these amazing little creatures as equals, or if we will just have to continue on as a society and scientific community without them. In this writer's humble opinion, I can only hope for the latter. [A note is attached. It reads 'I hope so too.']

 

[TripleMRed]

Cheshire.

[Sketches depict a furless feline species coming in various sizes, covered in smooth skin with marking covered skin. Various subspecies, differentiated by different skin and color patterns as well as phenotypical changes to morphology separate them from creatures as small as a house-cat, to twice as large as a tiger. The biggest unifying factor across all species is the fact the tail splits apart into three segments ending in sharp barbs at the tips, which sketches show it using like a poison laced scourge for defense by swiping it at the faces of hostile animals.]

[A note is attached. It depicts a well drawn Cheshire cat with a collar sitting on a bed, with a name underneath reading 'Mr. Stretch.']

Scientific Name Translation: Displacement Cat.

Average Size: Varies based on subspecies.

Average Weight: Varies based on subspecies..

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: Females have longer ears and tails than males.

Habitat Range: Across most biomes of the Arisa Continent, but particularly found in the forests, jungles, and rainforests.

Summary:​

Null is home to a wide variety of creatures, of various Genuses and family lines. The Felines of our world are generally split into two distinct groups: The first is the Armored line, which includes the Rock Cats of the mesas and deserts, the Armored Fang, and the Fireiron Tiger associated with the Erui Tiger Spirits. The other, larger family line of felines are the Cheshires, furless cats covered in marking laced skin with forked tails and signature toothy grins they use for psychological effects on their prey. While the Armored line is the stronger and more durable of the two kinds of felines, the Cheshires stand out for being the more mystically imbued.

Evolved on Null through millions of years of natural selection and exposure to the magics of our world, the Cheshires are a home-grown, naturally occurring native of Null. Their power, biology, and psychological characteristics are therefore all perfectly geared towards not only surviving on our world, but thriving in it. As a result, they have a long and storied history with the various Nullian natives, but of are particular import, ironically enough, to the Cerberi, who were the first to domesticate the Cheshires thousands of years ago. [A note is attached. It depicts a cartoon Cerberus throwing a stick at a cartoon Cheshire cat, the stick bouncing off their head. Words follow underneath, reading 'Lesson 1: Cheshires don't play fetch.']

Found across most biomes, but particularly thriving in forests, jungles, and other such environments, Cheshires come in a wide range of subspecies, from the small Pygmy Cheshire Cat whose domesticated offshoots have become popular pets and pest-control measures in Nullian society, to the massive, hulking King Cheshires that are known for their hulking sizes and physical power on top of their mystical abilities. Their wide variety of subspecies means they have a form that fills every niche in the Nullian ecosystem as predators on every level, though as with most things on Null, their status as predators is precipitated on the fact that they are not caught by surprise by other creatures of more vicious temperaments.

One cannot talk about Cheshire biology without getting into their suite of powers and abilities. One of the biggest abilities that give the Cheshire an infamous reputation is their ability to turn invisible by altering the flow of light around them in order to appear as though they aren't there. Even to the sharp eyes of a Normal type Oros, nothing appears to be there if the Cheshire remains unmoving, with only movement causing a subtle distortion on movement, a distortion which is easily hidden by canopies rich in flora and darkened by shade. This, combined with their species wide ability to climb up and down trees, make them excellent ambush predators, allowing them to strike at unaware prey with ease. However, while they can indefinitely hold their invisibility when staying still, movement proves draining for them to maintain their optical cloak. As such, when crossing far distances, patrolling territory, or making threat displays, they phase out of their invisibility in order to conserve energy, reserving it for tactical uses to avoid exhaustion. [A note is attached. It depicts a blank spot inbetween two trees, with words underneath reading 'Lesson 2: Cheshires are great at hide and seek.']

Their skin and color patterns are also able to naturally change color and texture, however rather than being for camouflage, this color changing is used to show the current mood and emotional state of the Cheshire in question. As a result, color changing is combined with their vocalizations and emotive facial expressions in order to communicate with one another, allowing for Cheshires to hold conversations with one another, though research is inconclusive if this form of communication is universal in that all Cheshires of all subspecies can communicate with one another or if each subspecies is limited to only their own kind for conversation. As a direct result of this, although Cheshires live and hunt alone, they are able to form communities with one another spanning entire territories, sharing information on the locations for food, the best sunning spots, and areas of danger. [A note is attached. It depicts two cartoon Cheshires meowing at one another while a cartoon Oros with an eyepatch is trying to go to sleep. Words underneath read 'Lesson 3: Cheshires are chatty.']

In addition to invisibility and communication, as well as the usual plasma coated claws, Cheshires also have multi-tipped, poison covered tails that they use to target the eyes of an attacker in order to blind them. Smaller Cheshire species use this as an opportunity to escape, while others use the momentary blindness of their enemy to attack and kill them. The Oros cultural habit of wearing masks has, for the longest time, meant that outside of the largest and most powerful Cheshire species, their ability to blind has been a non-factor for our species. The Cerberi that have domesticated various Cheshire lines have bred different species to have less effective and more effective poison for use in pet and attack animal lines respectively.

One rare ability that is very uncommon among all species of Cheshire is the ability to teleport. What should be an energy intensive ability is, through some unknown arcane means, easy and repeatable for use by the Cheshires to inherit this rare ability. Those that have this ability use it in everything from hunting, to battle, to even sport, with a common 'game' for these Cheshires to scare a prey animal into running before teleporting in front of them over and over again until the animal drops from exhaustion. Extensive research has actually managed to find that the Cheshire's ability to do this is due to what is, technically, a genetic disorder that triggers their mystical abilities in a way that allows for teleportation as an act of instinct rather than concentrated spell-craft, though the disorder is recessive which results in it only occurring as a result of double-recessive expression. As such, the ability is, and will remain, rare in the wild. [A note is attached. It depicts a Cheshire with its lips curled back in a big, threatening grin.]

In terms of temperament, the size of the Cheshire is a factor as smaller Cheshires are more relaxed due to their ability to better hide in smaller, harder to reach places, while larger Cheshires ironically are more aggressive due to an increase in conflicts for survival. As a result, in the wild, smaller Cheshires are unlikely to attack creatures larger than themselves save to escape and rarely approach Civilized Races as a result, while the larger, more aggressive species can and will engage in combat if they feel threatened or if their territory is trespassed against. In combat, Cheshires use ambush to begin the conflict before making use of their invisibility cloak in hit and run attacks. If the target remains standing and unblinded after they have exhausted their cloaks, then they will engage in intense tackles and body slams, with occasional wrestling down of the target to the ground before moving in for the kill. This fighting style, while highly aggressive, is predictable if you already know how they operate, and as such various tricks, tips, and suggestions to survive or win encounters with larger Cheshires are common.

Breeding year round, Cheshire mated pairs stick to their own subspecies, producing kittens that grow to maturity every two years. As a result, the Cheshire population remains somewhat stable despite a, very relative, fragility, allowing them to compete with other predators in their respective size brackets. Young Cheshire kittens follow their parents under their instinctively activated cloaks, observing and learning from their hunts via a safe spot to observe from. Once reaching maturity, Cheshires break off from their family units to hunt on their own, often not taking on a mate until they have lived on their own for several years.

In popular Nullian Culture, Cheshires are known as mischievous creatures, both for the domesticate versions playful natures as well as for the wild counterparts telltale hunting tactics. Their likeness is often used in symbols and charms among the Yayai Fox Spirits, Mortalized or otherwise, for this association with mischief, making them the most common owners for Cheshire pets outside of the Cerberi who first domesticated them. In the modern day, feral Cheshires are a common sight in cities, considered a boon as free pest control in keeping unwanted rodent and insect populations in check, with their own population being kept in check via careful applications of sterility initiatives to allow for the breeding population of the animals to remain at a manageable size. [A note is attached. It depicts a well drawn sleeping Cheshire with a collar, curled up in a ball. Words underneath read 'Lesson 4: Cheshires are tired little guys who just want to sleepy.']

 

[TripleMRed]

Psychoraptors.

[Sketches depict a species of feathered Dromaeosaurid with particularly large claws on their front hands. The feathers range in coloration to match the environment they are in, with a major unifying factor being their large, wide open eyes and their 'grinning' muzzles.]

[A note is attached. It reads 'I'm so glad I never lived in any places with these freaky things around.]

Scientific Name Translation: Dread Eater.

Average Size: 7-10 feet/2.1-3.05 meters in length.

Average Weight: 500-850 pounds/226.8-385.6 kgs.

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: Females have longer feather crests than males.

Habitat Range: Select forests and jungles spread across the Arisa continent.

Summary:​

During the long evolutionary processes on our world, most Dromaeosaurid life of the most ancient of times to avoid extinction have long since evolved into modern forms as the birds of our world, with the most successful lines being the ones that were mystically fused into the first Gryphons in Null's history. However, just as there are living fossils such as the Mud Skimmer or certain family lines of Crocodilians, a handful of these original Dromaeosaurids, for one reason or another, never made the full evolutionary leap into modern day avian status. Indeed, those that remain to this day stand out for being remarkably unchanged compared to the fossil records of their ancestors, at least on a superficial level. [A note is attached. It reads 'Why couldn't they turn into normal ass birds like the rest? Was that too much to ask?']

The most common, widespread, and successful of these remaining family lines are what are commonly referred to as 'Psychoraptors'. This unflattering name is not without precedent or reason, however. Where other, less common family lines focus more on survival, the Psychoraptor's size and intelligence combined with their physical strength and strong pack dynamics affords them the ability to develop emotional intelligence that often leads to a level of sadism not often seen in the wild. Where most creatures stalk, hunt, and kill to feed or to drive off threats, Psychoraptors have been known to toy with potential prey over a period of hours, isolating them and wearing them down with hit and run attacks for the sake of entertainment before finally moving in for the kill. While the Jaco Killer remains more hated, lone Civilized Race members in Psychoraptor territory are known to feel a deep dread at potentially encountering these ruthless creatures when they are in a 'playful' mood.

The armaments of the Psychoraptor are many. In addition to wicked toe-claws that allow them to do great damage with a powerful leaping attack, penetration of armored hides aided by the usual Nullian animal's ability to coat their attacks in a plasma field. Additionally, their large and powerful tail, used primarily for balance, is also suited for strong swipes and strikes, with the tip of the tail being coated in quills laced with toxin. The Psychoraptors do not naturally produce this toxin, but rather create it by harvesting various kinds of toxic materials, mixing them together, and dousing their tail quills with them. [A note is attached. It depicts a cartoon Psychoraptor in a salon getting their tail quills attended to by another, words following: 'Oh honey, you'll knock 'em dead with this, you'll see.]

The most standout weapon of the Psychoraptor family line, however, and what sets them apart from most other remaining Dromaeosaurids, is their multi-inch long sharpened claws tipping their hand's digits. Giving them additional weapons to tear into armor with the added benefit of limited but functional dexterity to grab and grapple, Psychoraptors are adept close range combatants who are more than willing and able to swarm targets they have set their sights on. More than one Civilized Hunter has fallen believing they could outgrapple a Psychoraptor, only for its packmates to interupt the duel to attack the distracted Hunter before they had a chance to win.

The intelligence of these creatures allows them to plan, coordinate, set up ambushes and crude traps, or even direct other animals to attack while they sit back and watch the ensuing battle for their own entertainment. This similarity to Spider-Ant behavior has not gone unnoticed in the scientific community, and it is a common debate in some academic circles as to which species developed these behaviors first and which the other learned through observation. Furthermore, they have an uncanny ability for vocal mimicry, allowing them to mimic the voices of their prey to lure others in for the kill, or to psychologically attack more sapient targets. [A note is attached. It reads 'They love to say 'Who is a pretty bird.' and I don't know why. Creepy.]

In spite of their often-sadistic love of bloody entertainment, Psychoraptors are dedicated parents who raise their offspring communally with the rest of the pack. The young, hatched from eggs laid seasonally every year, are well taken care of and taught every trick and skill their pack knows until they are old enough to head out to find a new pack for themselves. This causes a spread of knowledge amidst the various Psychoraptor packs, so whenever one pack learns something new, it is only a matter of time before it spreads to more and more of them.

Historical enemies to many towns and villages in, near, or around select forests and jungles across Arisa, the Psychoraptor has made quite the name for itself in Nullian culture with their distinct, often psychopathic love for carnage. Encounters with them almost always ends in a fight, which has soured the image of the raptor for many, even those species that lack the more horrific traits of this particular species. A shame indeed, but not unexpected given the traumatic violence many in these more far flung settlements have to endure with such volatile and brutal neighbors. Only time will tell if the Psychoraptor's days are numbered, or if the increasing movement to live in the Great Walled Cities will see these places abandoned by Civilized Races in favor of newer, safer pastures.

 

[TripleMRed]

Scorponid.

[Sketches depict a large scorpion like creature with 8 legs, two large pincers, a long tail ending with a trident like three pronged stinger, and an armored face with jaws surrounded by mandibles and 5 piercing eyes. The Sketches show the creatures tunneling through the sand as if they were swimming through it, living in burrows and often laying in wait for prey to come near their hiding spots before springing into action. Their carapaces show various colorations, from the striated looks of those in the Great Banded Desert to the red hued shells of the ones in the Red Desert, and more.]

[A note is attached. It reads 'When I was little, I heard people kept pet scorpions, but I didn't realize at the time only the small ones were kept as pets. So growing up, I would imagine Scorpanids on leashes and it wouldn't be until I was in college where I found out the truth. XD']

Scientific Name Translation: Sand Crawler.

Average Size: 7-12 feet/2.1-3.65 meters in length.

Average Weight: 500-800 pounds/ 226.8-362.9 kgs.

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: Females are distinguished by their orange markings compared to the males' red ones..

Habitat Range: Most Desert regions in Arisa.

Summary:
​

Across Arisa, the Arachnid branch of life has seen many varieties and species come and go over the eons of evolution, from the primitive Pseudo-Spiders dated back 150 million years ago in our worlds' history, to the modern day and prospering Migo's Forest Scorpion. One particular species, however, have come to dominate the deserts of Arisa compared to other arthropods, having out competed all but the most powerful or numerous other species. The Scorpanid, also known by the native peoples of the deserts like the Skyrunners as the Dune Swimmers, is a family of large, hulking scorpions adapted to the harsher conditions of our world's deserts, finding plentiful food in the form of wandering bands of desert creatures moving from one oasis to another, and their competitor rival species, the Desert Spider-Ants.

The Scorpanid's evolution can be traced back roughly 23 million years ago, where their earliest known ancestors still lived in the inland sea of what is now today the Great Banded Desert. Living an amphibious lifestyle, when the Great Inland Sea began to dry up thanks to shifting continents and climate, these early creatures were forced to adapt quickly to the increasingly hostile landscape. While several different family lines would branch out to try and survive, the one that would directly lead to the Scorpanids were able to adapt the best to the new status quo, having grown to become the apex predator of its era. [A note is attached. It depicts a cartoon scorpion wearing sun glasses telling several other kinds of Scoprions in water 'You guys are dumb, water is for losers.']

Compared to most other ground scorpions, the Scorpanid is notable for its large size. Powered by a complex set of expansive internal lungs even by Nullian insect standards and a robust skeleton, the Scorpanid is protected from both the elements and most forms of attack by their hardened, chitinous armor. Difficult to pierce even with modern day, non armor piercing rounds, the Scorpanid's biggest limitation to their dominance in the deserts is their relative lack of social bonds. While cunning hunters, it is rare to see more than a handful of Scorpanids in the same area, and even then, usually only to feed on a large enough kill or when there are packs of prey near by.

With hunting strategies ranging from stalking hit and run tactics, ambushes on well walked prey routes, and using their ability to 'swim' through the sand to perform coordinated take downs of largest prey animals, the Scorpanid has a reputation among the peoples of the desert as a common hunter of livestock and pets. As such, culling's of their populations are common whenever they make their way to Civilized lands in any large numbers, though a more common tactic is to lead them into known Spider-Ant colonies to have the two mortal enemy species fight. [A note is attached. It reads 'During my time fixing up military gear at work, I once got to see a live cam footage of just one such fight breaking out. Words can't describe how cool it was to see live!']

In battle, the armor of the Scorpanid increases its survivability by an incredible degree, allowing them to ignore all but the most powerful of attacks. Crushing damage, such as that inflicted by the Hammertail of the region, makes short work of them, but their agility belied by their large size allows most to dodge out of the way. In terms of armaments, the Scorpanid is a living weapon's platform: Their legs are edged with sharp spines, their massive claws are capable of crushing almost anything that they can fit between them, their venomous stingers are stung with such force as to pierce modern military powered armor, and they are able spit out a burning corrosive stomach acid up to 50 meters away with great accuracy. Dangerous both to wild life and Median military units, dealing with Scorpanids is not something to be handled lightly as the powerful beasts can just as easily turn the tables on their attackers and inflict severe injuries or worse. [A note is attached. It reads 'It's almost like it's a living biological tank. I can't imagine why fighting one on foot would be dangerous. ']

During the mating season, Scorpanid males have their red markings brighten to a flamboyant bright red, to help them attract females. Rather than compete in feats of strength or hunting, Scorpanid mating rituals are unusual in that they involve what can only be described as an intricate, ritualistic mating dance. Interestingly, each dance is unique to each Scorpanid, who must learn to develop their own dance on their own. Initiated by a hopeful male suitor, if the female is uninterested she will simply go away. If the male does manage to catch her eye, however, she will respond to his dance with one of her own.

The ritual is considered complete and successful only once both parties have danced up to 4 times each and begin to dance in unison. Once completed, the two mate, and then the pair go their separate ways. Females lay large eggsacs in their burrows which take several weeks to gestate before hatching into a swarm of young that follow their mother around, learning from her how to survive and what hunting tactics to use against what prey. At around 3 years of age, the Scorpanid young have grown to a sufficient size to survive on their own, and the cycle of life begins once again. [A note is attached. It depicts several tiny scorpions taking notes as a larger scorpion in a moo-moo is holding a Spider-Ant in one claw. Words follow: 'Now pay attention class, this is how you crush your enemies and drink in their dying lamentations like a can of soda.']

Tenatious creatures, Scorpanids are respected by desert cultures for their lethality, power, and overall level of danger, with a common saying among the Skyrunners about a foolish act as being 'Hitting the Dune Swimmer in the face instead of in the back.' Popular icons in both the military and as the representative animals for numerous tribes, the Scorpanids are held in high regard in spite of their danger and often frustrating attacks on local farms due to their tenacity and predatory cunning. To be compared to one is among the highest honors Skyrunner soldiers can give to another.

 

[TripleMRed]

[Greetings to all of my readers. I know it's been a while since the last update, to which I profusely apologize for. I have been busy behind the scenes handling something important, and have come to make an announcement for it:

We are rebranding!

Who cares about silly deathworlds, complex lore dumps, and intricate histories? Nobody gives a toot about stuff like that these days. You know what people like? Sports ball! As such, I am proud to announce my Totally Legit and Absolutely Official Partnership with HBO to bring you Magic Johnson's Slamdownverse, a Totally Canon prequel to Space Jam.

Join MJ as he takes on the greatest B-Ball players in the universe to learn the secrets of the Cosmos and help the Fellowship of the Slam to dunk on the competition of the Dark Jam Masters!

This partnership will be fruitful for all parties involved, and I am proud to say that absolutely nothing can stop it from happening!






































Update: I have just been informed that Warner Bros has written off and completely destroyed all seventeen pre-recorded seasons of the would-have-been hit animated series to start this new multiverse off for a tax write off of half a baloney sandwich and a pocket full of lint.

However, due to not signing off the rights to my first ideas to them, I retain full power over everything written up to this point and can continue to do so in the foreseeable future.

Updates will return on a semi-regular basis starting with a Sidestory update to get us back into the groove!]

 

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[A new digital poster is visible, showcasing an array of different branded drinks. 'Sylo's Drink Emporium, Dreamhold's newest Native-Displaced drinking franchise! Enjoy classic Median brands from Pop-Pops, Sip's Up, Soda Jerks, Wine 'N Dine, and Suuki's Shake Shack, to iconic brands including Neo-Sunset's Sorry Sake, Buzz On, and O'Nell's New Eirland Whiskey. Step on in and meet new folks with a drink in hand and a smile on your lips!']

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[An online video advertisement begins to play, depicting a crazed looking Empusa in disheveled office clothes standing in front of an enormous assortment of various items and objects.

"Come on down to Maggie's Madhouse, the only approved source for extradimensional media, games, toys, and assorted garbage the Artist's Quality Control Union didn't take behind the shed and put down like a mad Clucken!" Walking around, the Empusa woman takes out various items including, but not limited too: A singing plastic wall bass, a tacky lamp designed to look like a hairless female's leg, an archaic game system with a odd, trident shaped controllers plugged in, and a poster depicting a group of fantasy adventurer's journeying to destroy an evil ring. "If you want to experience the oddities and wonders of the multiverse, but lack the ability to travel the distance and/or are forbidden from doing so, we here at Maggie's Madhouse can become your one stop shop for all manners of foreign, alien media and wonders!"

"Have you always wanted to reexperience the disappointment of never amounting to anything?" She took out a packet of cigarettes. "These lung-cancer sticks can make you die inside physically as well as emotionally! Have you always wanted to keep a pet, but don't want the responsibility of a real animal?" She then lifted up a surprisingly very robust and advanced dynamic robot dog. "We've got all kinds of mechanical friends to keep you company! Have you always wanted to experience never ending dread and fear for your life as you are watched in your sleep by a horrific nocturnal predator?" She proceeded to bring in a Furby from just off screen. "Now you can experience that and practice your staring contests with this Godless crime against goodness!" Tossing the thing aside with barely contained disgust, she smiled widely at the camera as she spread her arms wide, the camera pulling back to see the whole of the store.

"Maggies Madhouse, new locations opening in Dreamhold, Bloodmount, Ceárta Iarainn, Long Lotus, and Orehaven soon!"]

---

[A poster advertising a convention of some kind is present, the word 'MonCon' at the top. It is split between three sections: On the left is 'EcoMon', depicting an armored Oros commanding Nullian animals to fight an off screen enemy. The other on the right is 'ManaMon', which depicts a more wholesome scene of a Chimera eating ice cream with a floating creature of Nullian urban legend allegedly confirmed to be a myth. At the bottom is 'HighBound' a spin off of ManaMon that depicts a legendary powerful creature, in this case an extremely muscular ghostly dragon, behind a sitting Oros with a buckler connecting the two of them through an etheral link. Words on the bottom state 'Opening Fabius 32nd'.]

 

[TripleMRed]

[The following is a Transcript from the Grimoire of the Magi Order, unknown author.]

The Old Gods of Null: The Pantheon of Violence.

'Before there was the World of Null, there was the Old Lands, the old spaces when the universe was young and new. Gods of all breeds settled into their own corners of burgeoning reality, and laid down the foundations for what were to be their worlds. And in what would one day be the location of Null, there was what can only be described as a Pantheon of Violence.'-Excerpt from the Chapter Before The Beginning, The Book of the Great Spirits.

The World of Null which we Mortals call home is old. Even before its physical foundations were laid in the early universe, the blueprints for its make were woven into the cosmic tapestry by the Weaver Null. Indeed, much was planned from the onset for our world, from its lethality to its carefully chosen location. One aspect that did not survive to the modern day, however, is the pantheon that calls its Spirit World home.

Before the Great Spirits, there were the Old Gods.

The Pantheon of Violence.

Where other pantheons were woven of tales of drama, familial affairs, and a variety of misadventures, the Pantheon is notable in that it lived up to its namesake. Violence and brutality was the order of their day, be it in the swift and ruthless execution of Elder Gods that thought them easy prey, or in the ruthless and absolute power that Ha, Queen of Spite, rule over her fellow gods.

The Pantheon of Violence was once thought to be but a myth, the oldest known religion among the Oros and their kin once believed to have been constructed as a way to explain why our world was as harsh and brutal as it is. Over time, however, we would find evidence to suggest that the legends and tales past down over the ages were, in fact, truth, stories of this primordial age bleeding into modern Nullian memory as the final remnants of our spiritual forefathers.

What is known for sure is that the Pantheon is long dead, or that if any of the Old Gods survived they have either left or have gone deep into hiding. Indeed, it is believed that the reason the Great Spirit Pantheon came into being is because our intended gods, the Pantheon of Violence, had died out in ages long past and that they were brought in as replacements for our now missing divine component to our world.

The Old Pantheon is known to have been originally comprised of 8 individuals.

At the top of the pantheon was the brutal, merciless, and all powerful feline like Queen of the Old Gods, Ha. The Queen of Spite, it is said that Ha was cursed with being the vessel of Divine Wrath itself, and that as time went on, all that remained of her was Perfect Hatred for all that existed, which if true would explain much. Ruling with an iron fist, Ha gained her title as the Queen of Spite for carving every slight, no matter how small, against her unto her own flesh. Indeed, according to legend, once Ha ran out of space on her skin, she peeled herself apart to carve more slights underneath her flesh-muscle, organ and bone-until even her marrow was etched with grudges.

Directly beneath her in power and status was her brother, the canine like Ra, her enforcer and who is agreed upon to be the spiritual forefather of the Oros family line. Compared to his sister, Ra was far less consumed by rage, though was as quick to battle as any within his pantheon. Technically, Ra was weaker than the other Old Gods in terms of raw power, something he made up for with incredible cunning. An inventor by nature, Ra would construct tools using his own molten blood as the ore for weapons, armor, and more. Irony of ironies, it would be Ra who would lead the rebellion against his sister in the end of it all and would be the last one standing against her in the Mutiny of Old Heaven.

After them was La, the Jackal esq Shadow Mistress. La was tied with Pa the Scholar as the most level and cool headed of the Old Gods, using cunning and a sharp tongue to deescalate situations before they could become battles. Though not lacking in power, La as the others paled in strength to Ha and thus used her wit and tongue to secure her place in her court. Unfortunately, for all her intellect, La miscalculated just how deep the strength Ha's Perfect Hatred ran within her, and her very strengths became all the reason Ha needed to assail her. Losing an eye, La escaped into the Shadows and is believed to be the only one of the Old Gods still alive, albeit far from us. Indeed, her still being alive is believed to be the reason why no direct replacement for her has arisen among the Great Spirit, though this is purely theory.

Ga, the enormous serpentine Old God of the Sea, was proud and arrogant, though the irony of being God of the Seas in a realm that was volcanoes and shifting tectonic realities was not lost upon him or us. The fiercest rival to Ra, Ga often engaged his smaller opponent in battle to claim his place as the enforcer of Ha's will, though Ra always bested him in the end to his great frustration. He was not weak by any measure, however, for in all their battles, Ra always won by outsmarting and out-maneuvering the larger, stronger deity.

Ya, the draconic Old God of the Skies, spent almost all of his time flying high above. Aloof and haughty, Ya believed himself safe from the affairs of his land-bound kin by remaining in the skies above, something that was one day proven incorrect when Ha, having grown tired of his flaunting ways, leapt up and brought him down to the dirt for the first time in his long life, a humiliating humbling that led to him being first in line to join Ra in the eventual rebellion.

Fa, the Jailer, a hulking goddess assigned to guard and watch over any prisoners who had earned the ire of Ha enough for long term imprisonment, was methodical in her book-keeping and was said to be able to recognize one grain of sand out of place within her domain. She was the last and hardest to turn against Ha due to relative lack of bad blood between them, becoming convinced with the idea of being able to apply her trade to more than one world if they could depose Ha and open up their borders to other realms.

Pa, the Scribe, was the least aggressive of the Old Gods and, as his title would suggest, was tasked with all of the duties of writing down and maintain the ledgers and codices of the Pantheon at Ha's command. It is said it was he who turned Ra against his sister by pointing out that her attack against La was provoked only by pettiness, a trait not befitting a ruler, though if this is the actual truth has long been lost to time. During the Mutiny of Heaven, if it said that Pa sacrificed himself to give Ra the opportunity to deliver a killing blow to his sister.

Finally, Ta, Mother of Monsters, the smallest and weakest of all of the Old Gods and said to be the mastermind behind the primordial proto-forms of what would one day become the biosphere of Null. Relatively tiny and angry, Ta notably had no allies, only varying degrees of enemies among her kin, hating them as much as they hated her if one believes the tales. Knowing her weakness, she used her incredible intellect to create her 'children', the proto-monsters whose spiritual descendants we know as the flora and fauna of our world today. Despite this quality, modern interpretations often portrays Ta sympathetically, seeing her as an underdog surrounded by those far more powerful than herself. Among the Old Gods, she was the easiest to turn against Ha, hating the Queen of Spite more than she hated the rest of her kin. Though many believe her to have been among the first to die in the Mutiny of Heaven, some stories tell that Ta was the only survivor of the great battle, and would go on to shape the world into what it is today with some believing her to be the literal mother of the Great Spirit of Mortal Life on Null, Xarara.

The Pantheon of Violence is a tragic tale of brutality and internecine conflict that ended in total destruction, it is also something of a relief among our people that they died out and that the Great Spirits arose in their place. Our world is horrific enough as it is without them. Who knows what horrors would have awaited under the tyrannical heel of one like Ha?​

 

[TripleMRed]

Noxagon.

[Sketches depict a large, quadrupedal creature with a mixture of mustalid and draconic traits, with large, muscles limbs and a hardy body. A black and white color scheme is apparent, and a large hunch like portion runs down its back from the back of its neck to the small of its back. Sketches reveal this hunch is home to one-to-three large, muscled tendrils with openings on the tips, which they are shown launching either streams of some sort of burning substance or globs of explosive matter depending on if they are one or three tendriled.]

[A note is attached, reading 'Their name comes from a portmantau of 'Noxious Dragon'. If you've ever been unlucky enough to smell one, you'll know exactly why.]

Scientific Name Translation: Rotfire Drake.

Average Size: Depends on subspecies..

Average Weight: Depends on subspecies..

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: Females have longer ears and longer digging front claws than the males..

Habitat Range: Wooded areas, plains, and hilly regions.

Summary:​

It is no secret that in ancient times, the True Dragons and their Stone Eye Elder allies crafted many creatures to help protect the world when it was still young and they still ruled. While many such creatures would go extinct over time, others have survived into the modern day to form common family lines such as the Dracoequines, the Dracoursines, and other varieties of wild draconic creatures. One notable example of these surviving, purpose crafted creatures, however, is the Noxagon. Named after the foul odor agreed to be worse than that of rotting flesh, the Noxagon is a fascinating look at the lineage of extinct 'Weapon Creatures' from the bygone time of the True Dragon's rule. [A note is attached. It depicts a couple of dragons staring down at a small animal with a knife strapped to its back. Words read 'The Weapon Creature R&D Department.']

Ranging in size from the humble Pygmy One Tailed Noxagon to the hulking Three Tailed Bombadier, Noxagons share one trait in common: On their backs is an armored, hump like growth that opens to reveal either one or three 'tails'. These tails serve a distinctly different function depending on the species. One Tails fire a burning, toxic acid spray capable of eating through even an Ironwood tree in a matter of moments, while the Three Tails fire long distance globules of explosive bioplasma that at their most powerful can level a small building with a direct hit.

The reason for these unusual features is that the Noxagon, as a 'Weapon Creature' was purpose designed by the True Dragons with the intention of being living, breathing tanks and artillary. This is neither metaphor nor exaggeration, as even after millions of years of evolution into the modern day, modern Median tanks getting into close range combat with One Tails are at legitimate risk of severe crippling damage to its systems from their spray, while many artillary duels between Three Tails and Median artillary pieces have occured throughout our civilization's history. [A note is attached. It reads 'I've had to help with tanks that got blindsided by a Noxigan spray before. We basically had to just throw out all of the armor plating, there was no salvaging it without Deep Recycling procedures we're not equipped for, and most of the surface level systems and electronics weren't even there anymore, it was all useless molten slag.']

Quadrupedal and covered in a thick hide with strong, segmented armored coating over their durable flesh, the Noxagon is built for durability and endurance, capable of taking hits as strong as they deliver them. Indeed, anti-tank and vehicle scale weapons are the only equipment that can reliable injure one among the Civilized Races, and they still require a continuous application of this level of weaponry to kill. This durability served these living combat vehicle analogs well in ancient times, and now serve as a problem when encountered in the modern day, an unforeseen consequence of their durability and survivability allowing them to endure the eons.

Omnivorous by nature and design, Noxagons will eat just about anything that is edible while also supplementing their diet with a mixture of ores and elemental crystals. The ores in their diet contribute to maintain and repairing their durable bodies, while the elemental crystals are one ingredient in the process of producing more 'ammunition' for them to use with their intended weaponry. A fully satiated Noxagon has enough 'ammunition' for anywhere from dozens to hundreds of shots before needing to 'refuel', depending on the size of the subspecies in question. While in the past this led to conflict with Civilized Races seeking to mine easily accessible outcrops of elemental ores and building material, in the modern day, modern deep mining capabilities in mountain ranges developed by the Stonecutters allows these conflicts over resources to be a thing of the past. [A note is attached. It reads 'This is way before my time, but back in the day us Stonecutters basically had a small monopoly on the northern trading of resources due to the amount of trouble there was mining ore veins in the wilds with Noxagon's around.']

In terms of armaments, their back-tails are the most obvious and dangerous weapons at their disposal, with them possessing a heightened regenerative capability that allows them to regrow on the fly in the event of removal or damage, making removing their main weapon a temporary solution at best. Their powerful, digging forearms allow them to cleave through hardened metal as easily as the ground, making close range combat a dangerous affair to say the least, with more than a few overconfident Mech pilots facing an early grave or being forced to abandoned their destroyed vehicles. Additionally, they possess a breath weapon that can best be described as a short ranged, predigested version of their ammunition for their tails, meaning they always have a deadly ranged option on hand.

The Noxagon's signature foul odor is a result of the final form of their bioammunition stored in their humps. The toxic, corrosive substance known by many names but commonly called 'Corpse Oil' is foul smelling enough to actually be debilitating to any in close proximity without a class three air filtration mask or above. This also means that there are virtually no predators that can stand their smell enough to hunt or feed on them, even for creatures with the strength and power to reliably kill one. The most common natural death for a Noxagon is a fight with another Noxagon over territorial disputes, as while they are immune to their own Corpse Oil, the distinct composition of another Noxagon's Corpse Oil is able to damage and eat through their hides and bodies. As Corpse Oil rapidly decays in a biological half-life of hours without a living host to sustain it, a Noxagon corpse attracts scavengers approximately two to three months after all their Corpse Oil has gone inert and stopped stinking. [A note is attached. It reads 'So like, anyone else find it ironic that Corpse Oil only keeps when the critter is alive, and goes away when they're dead? Come on, that's kinda funny!']

In terms of reproduction, Noxagon's lack any real form of monogamous relationships, and so every breeding cycle females and males will breed with whichever is closest to them regardless of prior interactions. Once impregnated, a female Noxagon engages in a feeding frenzy to fatten up massive stores of energy before digging herself into the ground, leaving only her hump visible. She remains in this hibernating state for about 4 months before finally giving birth to a littler of anywhere from 4-6 offspring. As young Noxagons are both relatively fragile compared ot their adult forms and do not yet have the ability to produce their own Corpse Oil, the mothers nurse and protect their young for up to a year and a half before they have grown enough to begin producing their own signature noxious odors. At this point, they are weaned off their mother and left to fend for themselves, making their ways into the wild to live and grow until they reach adulthood and begin the cycle anew.

Noxagons are terrifyingly powerful, which is why they have historically been used to represent armored units known for their durability. Many modern day armored regiments of tanks, artillery, and mech units often have a stylized Noxagon logo emblazoned upon them to represent their own strength and power. As we no longer have any need or reason to compete with them over resources, conflicts with Noxagons have dried up over the centuries and so far it only occurs as a result of accidental territorial incursions. [A note is attached. It reads 'Fighting Dragon Artillery Badgers for metal and fuel would kinda freakin' suck to be the norm.']

 

[TripleMRed]

[The following is a transcript of a portion of a report by a party of foreign origin that was caught being sent to the Continent of Nod several decades prior to the outbreak of the Moon War, with terms translated to local parlance.]

Blessings of the Ancestor Goddess be upon you, Honored Councilor Nefet.

Your humble servant sends this report to you in good health, my long term infiltration of the local superpower of the continent of [Word translates to 'Stasis', is believed to be their name for Arisa. Further instances of Arisa being mentioned will be maintained as 'Stasis' going forward.] having been successful. The locals continue to believe I am a [Displaced], which their welcoming nature has allowed me to maintain this cover without issue. As per your instructions, I will report on all I have managed to learn on the local powers as well as their component species and the lands they inhabit in that order.

To begin my report with this superpower I reside in, the 'Median of United Nations', as I believe is the official full translated name comes out to in our tongue, is the dominant nation-state upon the Eastern Coast of [Stasis], and, in your servant's most humble opinion, all of the continent. I fully admit I may be biased in making that claim, as this Media was founded by the 'Oros', a species I was surprised to learn through my rigorous studies are our distant relatives, proving live confirmation of Skolar Isim's theory of our most distant ancient ancestors having split off in the days of the [Wolf-Seal] to other lands.

The Median is a super-state comprised of the union of several component 'Great Nations', who each themselves are unified powers of component 'Nations' of genetically related, but culturally distinct, subcultures. Each of these 'Great Nations' has their own distinct and vast history, society, culture, and relationships with one another, having unified some 1600 years or so ago under the banner of a [Goddess-Ruler] known as 'Media the Mediator'. While I was initially skeptical to these claims, as shown in my attached files in my report, I have confirmed that this is, in fact, truth, and that this Media may in fact be the elder sister to [Weaver Null], the Great Architect of our world Herself. The implications and ramifications of this revelation are beyond the scope of your humble servant to postulate in this report and which I leave in you and the rest of the Honored Council's hands.

The Median, despite its diverse history and component cultures, is a democratic society, with the specifics varying from Great Nation to Great Nation from constitutional monarchies to representative democracies. My files on the specifics of their sociopolitical schema are also attached in this message. I was chosen to begin my long term infiltration and research mission based on prior information from scouting drones that indicated that the peoples of the Median are matriarchal, which would give my sex an advantage.

In actual practice, this information is both extremely outdated and only partially correct. In the distant past, many Oros societies were divided between War Queendoms and Forge Kingdoms, back when internecine warfare was common. War Queendoms, ruled by Warrior Queens, cooperated with Forge Kingdoms, ruled by Forge Kings, in a mutually beneficial arrangement during this era, and both kinds were subservient to whatever the leading unifying force of their respective Nation was dominant, which ranges vastly from Great Nation to Great Nation. By the time my spy mission began, this information is as stated grossly outdated and the current cultural practice among the Median is a egalitarian, merit based system, though I would stress that the specifics vary between the various Nations due to varying cultural beliefs on what qualities make for good leadership.

Technologically, on paper the Median is woefully behind our own accomplishments back home, with direct energy weapons still in a relative infancy. In practice, however, what they lack in raw advancement they make up for in variety, as each culture's unique historical development and the ongoing cooperation between them have led to many fascinating creations. While not as advanced as our own, as an example, they managed to invent, refine, and perfect [Float Stone] based contra-gravitic technology in little under three millennia, an astoundingly rapid rate of advancement by our leading scientist's measures on how fast this technological progress 'should' go.

Based on my observations, the reasons behind these rapid advancements is that, while Oros make up the majority of the population numerically, they are cooperative with other species they live alongside rather than dominative. I am aware that there are those back home that would find our cousin's egalitarian approach to inter-species relationships naive to a humorous extent, I cannot argue against the evidence that their cooperative efforts working with various different technological bases and abilities to advance have born great fruit for their troubles. Any further comment on this I will leave out of my main report as it is up to the Honored Council and Her Holy Majesty Herself to decide the viability of this approach.

In terms of biology, the Oros are still made of organic cells rather than our own transition into nanite based cellular biology. The single most fascinating, and mind boggling, aspect about our cousins however is their bones. I have provided as much evidence on the subject as I dared risk installing into the files below my report, but I say this, Honored Councilman, without lie or exaggeration, our cousins are in possession of unbreakable bones. The Sleeping Cult may well have the confirmation they need on the whispered of 'intended people' they claim to seek, which is why I now break protocol to directly urge the Honored Councilor to be very selective and cautious to whom you reveal this knowledge to as if the Sleeping Cult learn of this, I fear it would trigger them sending their fleet to interact with our cousins long before we are officially ready to open communication channels with them.

Outside of their bones, our cousins are similar to us in that they have several [body-types], racial and cultural [Nationalities], and a sturdy, redundant biology. In the name of science and potential future cooperation with our cousin species, I took the initiative to begin a relationship with a male member of their kind, a [Normal] type of mixed Nationality who is a low level functionary in the bureaucracy of the 'Great Walled City' of Bone's Borough. My experience so far with him and his family members has been most pleasant, and at risk of allowing my personal feelings bleed into this report, I believe that his kind nature is emblematic to how their kind would treat us if we approach them with open hearts and minds.

Having said this, one thing I found fascinating is the composition of the life forms within the Median. While the Oros are a majority in terms of numbers, the next most common astounded me. Just as Skolar Isim's theory on us having relatives in other lands were confirmed, so too was the similar theory that the Ophio of our lands have relatives.

The 'Chimera' and 'Empusa' are a fascinating set of races to observe due to the vast differences, yet glaring similarities, they have from our own homeland's counterparts. Most of the in depth specifics are in the related files, but I must say that never would I have suspected Ophio relatives to be such elegant, scientifically minded scholars rather than imperial conquerors. Though, research into them does confirm a long dreaded theory based on genetic analysis that the Ophio are, too, our relatives, just as these Chimera and Empusa are relatives distant relatives of the Oros. I once again leave these implications and their ramifications up to the Council to decide upon. Additionally, a unique hybrid form of life mixing Oros and Chimera traits, the Cerberi, also exist here in these lands, which I'm sure will be bewildering to those back home as to the specifics of how this is possible.

The next most common life forms are the 'Mortalized Spirits'. While the existence and veneration of the [Great Spirits] of [Lacuna] are known and occur, the existence of flesh and blood descendants of exiled Spirits was never dreamed of in our homeland until I saw them with my own eyes here. Friendly and welcoming as any flesh and blood beings, they are as diverse in biological life as they are in the Spirit Realm and I'm certain some of the [Great Spirit] Cults back home would find themselves weak in the knees to speak to them.

The least populous, not counting members of other [Stasis] races native to our world who migrated to the Median, are the 'Displaced'. While we understand the term in our own language and what it entails, our experiences with these Displaced is minimal, as our encounters have been limited to individuals or small groups appearing in our lands. It would appear that the Eastern seaboard of [Stasis] is something of a dimensional nexus point relative to other locations on our world, which makes Displacement and Displaced a much more common occurrence here than in other parts of the world. Too diverse in range and variety for any kind of extensive breakdown, Displaced find themselves a welcome, if extreme minority population wise, addition to the Median.

---

To the east of the Median, in a series of archipelagos and large islands in addition to floating continents, is the 'Lasarna Republics'. While Displaced individuals form a minority population in the Median and a meager token novelty here in our homelands, the Lasarna are comprised of almost entirely Displaced peoples who arrived to our world thousands of years ago and lived to establish their own society here. The related files and details on their history is attached, but it's generally agreed upon that their initial arrival influenced the ancient development of the Warrior Queen system in ancient times among Oros scholars. Culturally, they share some aesthetic similarities to the [Translation difficult, roughly 'Wine Makers'] culture within our own species' history.

Biologically, they are mammalian with feathered wings, fish like traits on their outer appearances, and wyvern esq limbs due to what is believed to be a pact with one of the [Great Spirits] themselves. Split between females and intersex of the hermaphroditic variety, they make heavy use of the mystic arts and much of their technology is directly derived from innovation and evolution of mystic-tech over the centuries. This would make them, in this servant's humble opinion, the closest analog [Stasis] has to [Term hard to translate, closest analog is 'Fae'.] of our homelands, using Mana based technology rather than [Void, IE Aether] based tech. Today a democratic coalition of numerous aligned republics, the Lasarna are seen and treated as close allies to our cousins despite early troubles in the distant past between them, something I believe the Council should make note of in planning for opening relations with the peoples of [Stasis].

The most striking population among them is a recent inclusion to their society in the form of [War Dragons]. I already know the shock it will be for our people back home to learn the troops of our people's old rivals survived to the modern day, but I would like to stress the danger they pose is minimal compared to the wars of old and that this lack of threat to us should be taken into account going forward.

---

To the West of the Median, past the 'God's Spine' mountain range and leading into the 'Land of Giants' exist two distinct civilizations. Those inhabiting the ground are known as the 'Ogra', and their Displaced protectorate species the 'Gobbs'. It is difficult to put into words to describe the Ogra clearly without resorting to less refined and more oppressive language, but I shall try. The Ogra are a people whose history is mired by war and conflict, often among themselves, but have in recent centuries begun to move away from their violent past to more advanced and civilized forms of living. This warlike history makes them the closest analogs I can think of to the Ophio back home, but despite this, their various nations have become trade partners with the Median despite a rough history between them, which I believe sheds the light of hope to our own future in finding a peaceful solution to the Ophio wars.

Biologically, the Ogra are fast breeding and physically large and powerful, with an extremely strong family instinct and dynamic that stays with them all their lives. While crude by our standards, their technology is advancing at a rapid pace thanks to a mixture of trade, war time development, and research contracts between themselves and their allies.

The second main power in this region are the Sky Island bound 'Striga-Hyto'. Another Displaced civilization, the 'Hyto' as they are often shortened to are a mercantile culture of avian mammals who have extremely advanced, by [Stasis] standards, directed energy weaponry they loan out and sell to other nations in the region. Their mercantile nature and the heavy usage of mystical energy weapons makes me compare them roughly to the [Difficult to translate, roughly 'Sea People'] living in the shallows around our home continent. They honor their deals and contracts making them a reliable and steadfast trading partner, which has made them allies all across their home region.

Additionally, their sky living way of living brings to mind our most ancient allies, the [Term hard to translate, closest analog is 'Moon Rabbits'], though they lack the nomadic space fairing live-ships our old allies lived in.

---

Finally, and the societies farthest from the Median while still being on [Stasis] are the 'Fahn Empire' past the Ogra regions, the 'Mohga Collectives' in a region known as the 'Deep Lands', and the 'Kingdom of the Sun' in the far West, on the opposite coastline of the continent. They have only recently been discovered and begun trade with the Median, having only begun doing so within the last millennia or so, a paltry time-frame I know, but despite this short amount of time there has been much information I have been able to acquire on them.

The Fahn Empire claim to be descendants of the Old Goddess Fa, and their caprine like appearance gives credence to this. They have been at war with the Mohga Collectives east of them for centuries at the latest, and have even conquered and integrated several specimens into their armies as auxiliary, through conquest unlike how the peoples of our lands have adopted the Displaced of the Exodus Peoples into our various nations through peaceful integration. They keep to themselves and seem to have a low opinion of most other native civilizations of our world and are tight lipped on their culture and technology, slow to trust others as they blame the other Old Gods for the death of their 'Great Grandmother'. More research is required.

The Mohga Collectives, meanwhile, are an evolution of the armies of the Stone Eye Elders who allied with our Dragon enemies so long ago. Originally mystical war beasts, they have since evolved through the guidance of their hive-mind elements into their current form, mimicking the appearances of their neighboring nations. While evolved, their old directives appear to still be functioning, and they have been engaged in war with both the Fahn and the Sun Kingdom for an unknown extensive period of time. Interestingly, they are supposedly all female yet have no troubles being able to reproduce, though the means which they do so eludes my understanding due to my host nation lacking the information on their particulars.

The Kingdom of the Sun, meanwhile, is comprised of the 'Peoples of the Sun'. They are a collection of various species led by what appears to be a form of felinoid-primate divided between several distinct subspecies who arose to form their own society and civilization in the relatively calm West. They are an alliance between a representative democracy and a constitutional monarchy ruled by a set of royal houses who change leadership after the term of the current monarch runs out in a cyclical manner, believing in a philosophical belief they call 'The Wheel of Life'. Above the monarchs are the 'Great Sages', which I was alarmed to learn may in fact be surviving Dragons from our wars many eons ago. However, these 'Great Sages', of which I have compiled all I learned about form available information in the data files below, do not appear hostile or interested controlling in other polities, which I believe should be mentioned and stressed upon by your Honor within the Council to avoid any unnecessary conflicts that could be avoided.

From what I could learn, the Great Sages selected the distant ancestors of the Sun People to raise them, and a selected number of other species, in an uplift project which led to their current civilization. Despite our people's poor history with the Dragons, I believe that, our relative proximity to them offers us a unique position to become trade partners with them, in order to begin opening relations with the peoples of [Stasis]. If nothing else, as they seem to be the only surviving remnants of the old Dragon civilization that still possess a society we can understand, we could use this opportunity for a morale boos to our people by making an official peace treaty with the remnants of our former enemies, though as always this is up to your Honor and the rest of the Council. In terms of equivalence, the only thing I can thing of even close to this civilization is a mixture of the Ophio's uplifted lower populace making up the majority of their civilization combined with the familial monarchical society of the [Name directly translates to 'Mantid'.] peoples in our home land.

---

As I have gone over the known civilizations of [Stasis], I would like to add information on the actual biosphere of these lands. An extended, detailed breakdown on all factors is in the files I send with this message, but in short terms, Stasis is a land that I cannot help but find troubling. While all who where alive before our Great Sleep eons ago can attest to, our world has always been hostile, no matter the continent or region. However, where our homeland of [Flow, their name for the continent of Nod] is home to the Cyclical Forest whose never ending lifecycle brings and takes life across our continent in a constant rate, [Stasis] is one with a stable, still biosphere. While evolution still takes place, it does so at a relatively slow, even pace. At least, that is what is supposed to happen in theory.

In practice, [Stasis] may well be more hostile to life than our own homelands. While there is no end of dangers in our wilds, all major civilizations on [Flow] have been able to find their footing relatively quickly and our biggest hurdles have not been our ecosystem, but constant warfare with one another. In [Stasis], while it has been no stranger to war as we understand it, by and large the first and greatest enemy our cousins and their peers have faced is nature itself. It is the only land I am aware of where actual, literal wars against wildlife have taken place by technologically advanced civilizations and it would be an actual war. I have lived in these lands for several decades at this point as part of my infiltration, and I have had no less than three dozen near death encounters in my time here. My pre-mate, Founder Goddess bless his heart, claims I've been lucky to have had so few in my time here. I'm afraid he was not making a jest.

I believe, with my own pedigree as a biological and sociological researcher, that this incredibly hostile environment is what bred such a strong sense of community and open-mindedness among the peoples of the Median. In the simplest, most basic of terms, they have had no choice but to evolve to be unified and cooperative in order to survive, with wars between civilizations being devastating yes, but rare compared to surviving against nature itself. Our cousins do not care what you are, who you are, your standing, your beliefs, your creed or identity or passions. All they care about is that you can fight and do so standing by their side. That is my professional diagnosis on them, and which I believe my peers in my socio-strata will agree with my assessment of them.

It is therefore why I must once again break protocol to directly urge you, Honored Councilman, to stress to the Council that our cousins, despite lacking our advanced technology, are not to be treated as simple, primitive, or 'less advanced'. The crucible of evolution they have undergone has forged a strong, powerful civilization with equally strong allies, and it is in the best interest of our Ecumene to learn form them and open up trade and communications as though they are our equals, for if left alone, it is a matter of 'when', not 'if' that they will reach our level of advancement on their own terms.

[The message ends here and is followed by numerous attached data files on countless subjects related to the civilizations of Arisa.]

 

[TripleMRed]

[The following is a transcript of a public database entry on 'The History of Modern Median Weapons.']

Since the dawn of tool use, weapons have been a part of sapient cultures the world over, with the members of the Median being no different. From the simplest spear to the most cutting edge ranged weapon system, we have gotten very good at finding new and exciting ways to fend off or destroy hostile forces that would threaten us and our kin. In the current chapter, we will be going over a brief summation of the history and function of existing weapon systems developed and used by the Median, as well as a small selection of weapon systems produced by our trade partner states that are notable imports to our civilization.

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Melee.

The grandfather of all weapon systems, from knives to spears to hammers, melee weapons have been in use since the first tool based weapon was developed. The historical development has been shaped by both necessity, available resources, and what is most practical to use in a given situation. If one is fighting a duel, a sword is considered ideal. If one is hunting or otherwise favors reach, pole arms such as spears and pikes are favored. If one is dealing with a heavily armored opponent, the crushing power of a hammer or maul is the way to go. The forms melee weapons take are as varies as are their niches, with every culture having their own distinct favorite National weapon famed in their historical use.

In the modern day, most military grade melee weapons are differentiated from 'civilian' weapons by the use of a technological advancement of some kind. The two most common are 'stun' and 'sear' based weapons. Stun weapons, typically blunt such as bludgeons, one handed hammers, and so forth, are covered in an electrical power field specifically designed to impart a debilitating shock on impact. This is most commonly used as a form of subjugating dangerous, resisting animals, criminals, or salvageable but malfunctioning machinery. Searing based weapons, however, are specifically designed for lethal purposes and are most commonly used in bladed weapon systems. Searing systems work by coating the sharp edge of their blade with a plasma field to aid in cutting, stabbing, and piercing attacks by increasing penetration and damage done on a direct blow. Whether it is a common combat knife, bayonet, or dueling sword, the searing function is wide spread and widely used.

In terms of notable historical weapon designs, some select notable ones include:

-The Chopper. Said to be the unifying weapon system across all Nations, the specific design of the Chopper sword varies wildly from Nation to Nation both in time period and in what individual cultures sought to gain from their combat weapon. Used by some cultures as their primary weapon while others used it as a secondary side arm, the Chopper gets its name as the most common unifying feature across all designs is that it is built with a large blade that excels in chopping attacks. While some models are capable of stabbing, the Chopper's primary mode of attack was designed around making the swords multi-purpose tools, allowing them to be used to clear their way through forests, jungles, and other foliage heavy environments, as well as to cleave open the throat-the most common weak point in Nullian biology-and even to be used as an emergency butchery tool on animal life when scrounging for food.

-The Great Knife's origins are debated, but the most commonly agreed on theory is that they originate in Firebrand culture and history and became widespread during the centuries where the Royalbacks briefly took over and ruled the Orosoid sphere of Arisa. The Great Knife is so named because of its large size for a knife, with the generally agreed requirements to be considered one to be the size of a Normal Body-Type Oros' forearm, but no longer than this and to have a specifically knife shaped blade. Considered something of an emergency weapon, it has been known that more daring Nullians have historically mastered Great Knife combat so as to use it as their primary means of melee combat rather than as an emergency weapon or side arm. In modern day terms, it is most commonly mastered by Hunters and stealth operatives seeking to sneak up on their targets.

-The Axe is one of the oldest tools known to exist, and one of the most diverse in design and ubiquitous in multi-utility. Useful in both utility roles such as chopping wood as well as combat, Axes have something of a certain cultural view due to their use as a common executioner's tool whether by beheading those put to death or, in the case of Oros, cleaving their throats open. As such, Axes have something of a certain reputation in symbology outside of specific uses such as with lumber companies, which most are careful to avoid unless they are looking to make a specific statement about themselves or their organization.

-Where the Axe is said to be a tool of death, this is half true for the signature weapons of the Handmaiden's of Media, the Axe-Scythe. Mystic weapons forged in the Aether, and the signature weapon of Media herself, the Axe-Scythe is a tool that combines the fondly regarded agricultural tool with the deadly executioner's weapon, the blade able to hinge between a scythe and axe configuration. This gives a certain authority to the Handmaidens of Media, who are sent out rarely to deal with problems that normally cannot be resolved by conventional, Mortal means. As much a symbol of hope as it is dread, it's generally considered both a good and bad omen all at once if one is seen for a simple reason: If you see it, the good news is help is here and you will be saved. The bad news is, if you see it, the problem is bad enough that you were in need of help and rescuing in the first place.

-The Hammer is one of, if not the most widely respected tool in Oros culture the continent over for a reason that species with breakable bones would see as unusual, but for the Oros makes perfect sense: The Hammer is seen as a weapon of mercy. As their bones cannot be broken, Oros hit with a hammer can be concussed and non-lethally subdued, which led it historically being used as the premier tool for non-lethal subjugation of dissidents and criminals alike among Oros. As such, the Hammer is often seen as the symbol of justice and mercy in law and healthcare, a symbology whose irony is not lost for those whose bones can be broken.

---

Ranged Weapons.

While we may never know what the first tool after the rock and spear were, we do know that as soon as the first melee tools were invented, tools for dedicated rangecraft swiftly followed. The resulting evolution, from the first throwing spears and slings to the increasingly complex nature of bows and fire arms, has led to some of the most recognizable and widely used weapon systems of the modern day. Indeed, gone are the days of ranged weapons being specialist tools, and in the modern day a ranged weapon is the norm for most fighting individuals of the Median, with melee being reserved for specialists, CQC, or enthusiasts. Due to the complex and extensive nature of ranged weapon variety, the Median uses the 'Milo's ID System' for classifying ranged weapons by their method of operation and ammunition.

-Arrow weapons are some of the oldest surviving examples of ranged weapons. Gone are the days of the humble composite bows and in are the modern day compound bows, automatic crossbows, and other specialist weapons. Despite the name, an 'Arrow' weapon is classified not by literal arrows being fired, but by how the munition does damage. Namely, Arrow weapons are classified by launching any munition designed not to completely enter the target, but to stick into a target and prevent regeneration by blocking the means to do so. As such, literal arrows are fired alongside specialist rail flung serrated shards designed to cause bleeding causeways while keeping the wound from healing. While seen by most gun enthusiasts as a niche form of dealing damage, Hunters and their like have found Arrow weapons highly useful in their capacity to launch tracking munitions that cannot be removed by the target, in addition to the often quieter report of bow fire than the booms of even a suppressed gun.

-Bullet weapons are the first, and thus oldest, firearm family on Null. The secrets to black powder has been known for thousands of years, but the simple fact of the matter was the black powder lacks the raw power necessary to be a threat to Nullian life forms, especially with the fact that things have gotten more durable as time has gone on. Today, black powder is exclusively used in the market of fireworks, pyrotechnics, and niche sports shooting competitions. However, in 500AA, a way to safely shape Solarite crystals was discovered. From this innovation came the first mass produced Solarite based gun, the Solar Wheel Musket, entered widespread use. As new ways to better make use of Solarite were discovered, including the invention of a way to safely grind the crystals into the first batches of Red Powder, bullet based firearms entered a enlightenment period of developed between the 1400's-2000's, rapidly groing from breech loaders and lever actions to caseless pulse fired munitions.

Eventually, however, Null's life forms grew in durability as they always did, and the lethality of bullet based weapons began to wane and new technologies needed to be developed. However, despite this, bullet weapons continue to see use in the modern day as a new niche has been discovered for them. Utilized large, dense and heavy rounds at high speeds designed to squash on impact to impart all of their energy on the target, Bullet based weapons on Null now find use as 'concussion' weapons designed to disorientate tougher creatures via continuous application of concussive bullet impacts to armored skulls.

-Immediately after the discovery of how to weaponize Solarite, explosive munitions using the elemental crystal began to be developed by every Nation for every niche from mining to explosive weapon systems and beyond. The first mass produced infantry rocket was the incredibly crude, inaccurate, but cheap and easy to produce Disposable Solar Rocket V1 by the Royalback Nation. Little more than a Solarite Crystal in a shaped casing to direct its backblast as propellant that detonated on impact with something, the DSR would be the forefather for future explosives weapon development as everything from grenades and more advanced rockets began to evolve from its initial simple design. Modern day military grade explosive munitions very in payload based on mission parameters and purpose, but the most common warhead for grenades and infantry rocket systems is a weaponized Solarite Plasma battery designed to detonate violently on impact with a target or on a fuse if no viable target is immediately present in the respective blast zone.

-Rail weapons were the first new technology discovered after Red Powder weapons, completely by accident. While exact accounts very, the tale goes that a Chimera scientist in around the mid 700's AA was experimenting with the electro-magnetic properties of Fulgerite when she discovered its ability to magnetize metal and, by chance, accidentally sent a metal ball baring going at high speeds to be embedded in a near by wall. Shortly after this discovery, research began on how to weaponize this magnetic phenomena, and around the 800's, the first mass produced rail weapon was created, the Electro Driver Bombardment Cannon. Since then, miniaturization has resulted in rail weapons becoming increasingly more and more man-portable, until we reach their modern day forms as rail infantry weapons.

Rail weapons in the Median focus on a specific combat niche for most of their designs: Defeating armor, with the biggest design hurdles over the centuries being to find the perfect medium between the right sized munition that was both dense enough to punch through armored plating and skulls, while being small enough and light enough to be used in rapid succession. Most infantry based Rail rifles are semi-automatic guns launching a standardized 8x50mm sabot round meant to breach armored targets and attack the flesh beneath the plating. These Sabots, as with any ranged weapon system's munitions, come in a variety of different ammo types, with the two most common being 'splinter' rounds against organic targets-splintering after breaching the armor to have a shotgun like effect on the intended flesh-and 'AM' anti-material rounds designed to remain solid in order to reach sensitive components deep within mechanical chassis'.

-Sluggers are, in the modern day, the most widely used ranged weapon in the Median, and is our biggest export to our trade partners in terms of weapons trading. The successor to the Bullet weapons as the de-facto 'standard issue' munition, Sluggers are highly advanced micro-missile munitions averaging at .50 caliber sizes for most infantry variants. Designed to breach lighter armor and explode to deal maximum trauma inside the target, even centuries after their introduction, Sluggers remain relatively highly effective against Nullian life forms, though the number of rounds needed to kill the average creature has slowly but steadily increased over time.

Starting life as experimental rocket assisted 25mm under barreled grenades for bullet rifle systems around the 2200's, Sluggers slowly developed their modern forms over the next 4 centuries as experimental variants were made to test their effectiveness as stand-alone fire support systems. Initially cased munitions, the first modern day caseless Slugger microrocket was created in 2645, a 25mm heavy weapon's system that, through ensuing decades of miniaturization and technological advancement, slowly began to morph into the current day sizes used by infantry the Median over.

-Energy Weapons are still in their infancy within the Median, as much of our historical weapon's focus has been on the perfection of kinetic based designs combined with the difficulties to make ranged energy blasts based on known Nullian scientific principles. The earliest energy weapons of Median origin were the single use Solar Blast Cannon, a short ranged plasma lance using a carefully directed and harnessed Solarite Crystal shard as its one use munition. Legally speaking for taxation and trade purposes, only energy weapons that are powered, fueled, and operated using an internal energy source can be classified as a 'Directed Energy Weapon'. Weapons that fire energy but utilize elemental crystals as non-reusable expendable ammunition is legally classified as 'Energy Assisted Solid State Firearms'. As such, no native Median energy weapon can be classified as a true DEW, though those produced by the Lasarna and Striga-Hyto that follow this definition can be.

In terms of these weapons, the most common for the Lasarna are the Plasma Bolt Launcher systems, typically stylized in the form of crossbows. Harnessing elemental energies into a launchable bolt format, these weapon systems are extremely powerful but tend to overheat if used consecutively and thus trade rate of fire for raw damage. The Striga-Hyto, meanwhile, are famed for their battery powered Beam Rifles, though what this beam is varies between different manufacturer models, with armor piercing models being particle based and common anti-organic models being a dispersing plasma plume.

---

Countless models of weapon have been invented and used over the centuries, which every Median citizen has access to and can benefit from to stay safe in our hostile world. In the next chapter, we will go over the evolutionary history of support systems that improve weapons from simple range finders to genetic locks for theft prevention.

 

[TripleMRed]

Hydra.

[Sketches depict various breeds of large, reptilian creatures of various breeds, the unifying features being their armored plated hides and seemingly eyeless faces with armored plates where the eyes would be. Interestingly, one sketch indicates they have an extremely heightened regenerative capability compared to the norm on Null, even able to rapidly regrow a lost head.]

[A Note is attached, reading 'No wonder the Chimera have these things as one of their signature animals, they're bad ass looking!']

Scientific Name Translation: Eyeless Serpent Emperor.

Average Size: Varies based on phenotype.

Average Weight: Varies based on phenotype.

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: Females have sharper, horn like edges to their plating..

Habitat Range: Continent wide across all biomes of Arisa.

Summary:​

Throughout much of Nullian history, the True Dragons reigned supreme as the dominant species of our world. However, in every family line there is a steep divergence, and the Dragons are no exception. While the specifics have been lost to time, oral history states that at the dawn of the Mortal World, the First Dragon, the King on the Mountain, created the first sapient species, the True Dragons, from his fire. However, from his spilled blood arose their physical counterparts, the Hydras. Since then, the two sibling species' have been at odds forevermore.

Apocryphal legends aside, the Nullian Hydra is one of the oldest family lines of creatures to live on land, having been around in a time where Saurians still roamed the surface of Arisa. Ancient and having diverged into numerous offshoot species like the theropod like Smashhead and the ironically draconian like mountain dwelling Cacklers, the original core Hydra species remains to this day, hardly changed in the eons since their first appearance on the fossil record, not unlike the similarly little evolved Crocodilians. [A note is attached. It reads 'I mean, kinda hard to top perfection for your role, evolution wise.']

Historically, wild Hydra have rarely been threats to the Civilized races of Null, though the times members of their kind have attacked civilized settlements were calamitous affairs still remembered and taught about in the locales of their rampages. One family line, however, the Chimera and Empusa, have historically been well known for finding ways to tame and ride upon Hydras as powerful mounts which, given their incredibly individual physical power, made them the first tanks in early historical wars before the innovation of the vehicles proper. [A note is attached. I depicts a stick figure of an eyepatch wearing female Oros riding a majestically drawn detailed sketch of a Hydra, reading 'I want a frickin' Hydra mount, then I could destroy all of my enemies! If I had any. I don't have enemies, but it would be a cooool friggin' mount!']

Known to be as sapient as their True Dragon kin, Hydra's possess a very alien viewpoint compared to their ilk or other sapient life forms. Where the Dragons are believed to have been stewards to the mythological 'Plan' for our world by Weaver Null, and where normal sapient Civilized Races are unified by relatively similar concepts of mortality and morality, Hydra seem to have a veneration for the Natural world of Null and its lethality. While calling them 'primitivist' is not accurate due to their distinctly alien approach to 'civilization', Hydra believe in making themselves part of 'The Crucible', a translation for the concept that the lethality and dangers of Null is meant to unify and forge the Civilized Races that grow and develop upon it.

As such, Hydra intentionally keep themselves to be a part of the ecosystem as a cog in its machine rather than attempt to grow into conventional forms of civilized society, though it is believed that once every hundred years, the eldest surviving Hydra congregate to designated meeting spots to form 'conclaves' to make their reports on the state of the biome's they call home. This also explains their long-standing feud with their Dragon kin, believing them to be 'meddlers' and that the Plan requires no 'stewards' and their continued interference in Nullian history remains a sore spot between the two family lines to this day. [A note is attached. It reads 'I wonder what the Hydra think of the Dragons now that they're basically peaced out from their whole 'steward' thing and are now just sleeping in the wild.']

Interestingly, unlike many other species including their Dragon kin, Hydras do not have distinct subspecies in any traditional sense. Rather, outside of the true divergent offshoot races like those previously mentioned, true Hydra are biologically distinct from one another via phenotypical differences not unlike the differences between pet dog breeds: All the same species, simply adapted to different environments. Varying wildly in specific size and appearance based on phenotype, the 'default' Hydra form is four limbed, with segmented armored plates from snout to tri-pronged whip tails, lack eyes and are of a purple-pink hued color scheme. Moving on powerful, muscular legs armed with grasping digits on all four appendages, Nullian Hydras differ from those of most other worlds in that the Nullian Hydra only has a singular head. While Hydra's with multiple heads are known to exist, they are the result of rare genetic mutations rather than the norm.

In terms of shared biological functions, Hydra's are known for having one of the best regenerative capabilities of any organic Mortal life form on Null. Indeed, the loss of a head results in its rapid regrowth, with the fastest known recorded instance taking under thirty seconds for full regrowth to complete. This makes Hydra extremely physically durable and difficulty to kill, with extreme heat being required to cauterize the wound to prevent healing. However, it should be noted that their regenerative capabilities are extreme enough that a cauterized wound is not permanent and, if not killed in short order, will begin to heal within a few minutes. [A note is attached, depicting a sketch of a drowsy Hydra next to several decapitated heads, with the words reading 'Dude, i have the world's worst freakin' headache.']

Hydra are well armed between their powerful, armored limbs, bodies, and long tails and necks giving them reach and range. Their jaws, armored as everything else, open to reveal rows of backward facing teeth and they possess an organ not dissimilar to a Dragon's own breath weapon, producing and launching balls and streams of concentrated bio-plasma large distances over elemental attacks. While far from invincible, between their typically large sizes, durable armor plating, regenerative capabilities, and potent attacks, the average Hydra when provoked requires several whole heavy weapon teams working in tight coordination to bring down reliably.

The lack of eyes has also been a matter of debate among scientists for many years, as despite the physical lack of eyes on their armored heads, they do appear to have some form of vision. Study of decapitated Hydra heads recovered from the battlefield indicates that under the armor is an extensive network of sensory organs that allow them to see in some form, though the manner which they percieve the world is unlike the conventional visual perception eyed' creatures utilize. Among the sensory organs includes the ability to detect light, movement, and even heat. [A note is attached, showing two Hydra head sketches, one with a metal plate over its face, the other with a pair of black shades on. Words follow reading 'If a Hydra was blind, would it wear a face plate or would it wear black shades? ']

In terms of reproduction, Hydra have complete control over their biological forms and sexes. Typically genderless and sexless, when enough Hydra in a given region are confirmed dead, the oldest surviving Hydra take on a biological sex varyingly male or female before reproducing. While fully capable and known to take on hermaphroditic forms, particularly in situations where more rapid re-population is necessary, it is considered extremely egotistical and narcissistic among themselves to reproduce asexually, a fact that not so coincidentally is known to be one of several grievances they have with their dragon kin.

Similar to their control over their biology and sex, Hydra have control over whether they will lay eggs or give live birth based on circumstances and situation. Regardless of the method chosen, Hydra parents keenly watch over and teach their young the ways of their people and the optimal hunting strategies of their particular region, as well as instilling their kind's core values and cultural practices into their youth to continue their traditions and ways of life. Young Hydra are much more docile and playful compared to their older kind, as they have yet to completely adopt or assimilate to the strict norms their kind is expected to follow. [A note is attached, reading 'I wanna hug the super death noodle babehs. :C']

As a result, young Hydra that are socialized with Civilized Races early tend to be less of a threat as they grow older, something which causes the more hard-line traditionalists among them to try and raise their young as far from Civilized lands as possible. Not so coincidentally, the Hydra that were tamed and used as mounts by the Chimera family line tend to be seen with a dim-view by more traditionally minded Hydra. In recent years, reports of rare 'Socialized' Hydra have been reported to have moved into towns and villages whose populace have largely moved into the Great Walled City's. They seem to specifically move into towns and villages that still have some population left and live alongside and protect the residents in order to keep them all from moving away into the GWC's.

The Hydra is a fearsome and intelligent ancient predator that has made its mark on Nullian cultural history, particularly with the Chimera and Empusa who once rode them into battle. Seen as a symbol of power and combat prowess, Chimera and Empusa soldiers and huntresses often use the Hydra as their icons and symbols. As for the rest of us, the Hydra is a rare threat, though one that when encountered demands the utmost attention and respect to deal with. As 'socialized' Hydra begin to make their ways to unused homes in the slowly depopulated towns in the outskirts of safety, hopefully in time a true, long term peace and cooperation between us and them will become the norm rather than a rarity. [A note is attached. Its depicts a sketch of a Hydra in a comically oversized cap and T-shirt awkwardly splayed on its body, the words reading 'Hydra House Buddies?']

 

[TripleMRed]

[The following is a transcript of the overview of the template for the average Great Walled City prior to their mass production across the Median, sent to various heads of state, high level governmental employees, heads of industry, and 'Upper Echelon' economic strata leadership within the Median circa 2889.]

Following the most recent 'Great Dragon War' as of 2888, it has been concluded by the Senate Mediata that the as of recently proposed 'Great Walled City Project' is to begin implementation at the key locations listed within the project's site selection pages: The Project has already identified geographically ideal locations to situate the construction of these 'GWCs', however even with all locations meeting the geographical and tectonic requirements for ideal localization, there is still much variety in the local landscapes of each chosen locale and the preexisting cities and outlying territories for many of these locations that will require their own individual specialized needs in construction and/or reconstitution or preexisting settlements and local areas. The Mediator herself has assured us that the bulk of construction that necessitates more esoteric means will come directly from her personal employ, easing the burden on individual Nations and cities in the construction efforts of the project.

We shall now go over current plans and potential problems to be resolved for the project's final products:

The current plans for the average [Read, baseline based on the most ideal of geographical and preexisting construction conditions] Great Walled City involves a triple layered defense for both above ground and below ground threats to be counteracted, with the primary cityscape at the center having a radius of 25 miles for a total diameter of 50 miles from one end of the innermost wall to the other end. As this is an estimated average for ideal conditions, selected sites that do not meet the ideal conditions [Example: Located at or near a major water front such as the shoreline] will be modified on a per-instance basis. The modifications to the baseline plan per each instance will be handled in the pre-production stages when necessary.

In terms of design, each GWCs make up will be dependent on preexisting local habitation development and urban development, however for those GWCs with the freedom to follow the ideal plans, the average GWC design is centered around a central arcology with a central capacity to create a space elevator to further plans for exo-atmospheric development within the Median's larger plans. Each GWC is to be portioned off into various Districts [Sections, Segments, alternative names pending] divided between an 'Urban' District, a 'Rural' district, a 'Manufacturing' District, and an 'Agricultural' District, though final plans for this development are still pending. The underground sections of the GWC is, in itself, a massive arcological section spanning at minimum the span of the upper city and to be developed down into bedrock where and when possible. It is estimated that current GWC plans, when built to ideal specifications, can comfortably house, feed, and sustain a population of as many as 200 million, though this is a low estimate and actual space for living, provided maximum resource production and output, is much higher.

The average GWC is intended to be completely self sufficient in terms of mining, food, equipment and defense production, however we recognize that intra-city trade between Nations makes up a sizable portion of internal economic generation within the Median, and as such 'specialized' GWCs have been planned to specialize in production of specific goods or hardware to facilitate and encourage continue trade and economic flow post GWC completion. Regardless of final design or responsibilities, GWCs are to be linked with a 'Deep Road' under-rail system at the bottom of the lowest levels of the 'Under City' sectors, connecting between nearest GWCs and allowing for safe travel and trade between them in addition to aerial travel, being located deep enough underground that they are safe from even the deepest known Spider-Ant digging ranges.

In the past few centuries, it has long become tradition to build underground as much, if not more, as it is overground in any major city-scape, with underground habitation and production facilities becoming a norm within the last 5 decades. The Under-City will therefore be a continuation with minimal problems adjusting for most of the population already making use of existing such environments in major urban centers. The Mediator's assistance in the construction of these expanded areas without needing to destroy or upend existing above ground urban environments will be a great boon to the speedy construction of the GWCs.

To power such massive complexes as an entire GWC, even well below maximum capacity, power distribution for an ideal standard GWC includes several Class A power generation fusion reactors of either Fulgerite or Solarite based power production, several Class B macro-power generators as secondary power, a series of Class D Megabatteries as tertiary back up and emergency power, and localized emergency power battery systems at various localized distribution points where habitation, food production, and manufacturing are located. As Class A fusion reactors are scalable in size, the exact number per GWC is at the discretion of local planners and officials, though it is highly recommended to err on the side of caution and go for several more than is immediately needed. Cooling for all systems and underground areas are to be handled per Median city regulations, modifications for such scale pending final results of test examples.

Additionally, standard city planning protocol for even normal urban planning notes to provide supplementary power generation stations across key areas to lower the burden on main power generation plants and to allow for them to run on more efficient, maintenance friendly lower power settings when not requiring maximum output.

GWC maintenance, operations, and construction/reconstruction protocols are modeled after current Median city operations in that personnel are hired from local populace and supplemented with automated assistance wherever feasible (Teams of service/cleaning drones accompanying each technician/janitor, law enforcement enhanced with Neo-Golem Assistant Sheriff Models, ect ect) which are to be updated and maintained to Median standards at all time.

Due to the importance of the GWCs for our people's continued safety and future, failure to keep important city functions at peak conditions for extended periods of time will be subject to a review over mishandling of resources if necessary following failure to update after three failed monthly inspections.

The namesake of the project, the 'Great Walls', will similarly be dependent on individual modifications, but will follow a standardized format for the average in ideal conditions as follows: The inner most wall will be approximately 95 meters in height and 160 meters in thickness and will be the site of the majority of artillery and anti-air defense positions, as well as the majority of military deployment facilities on the interior most facing of the wall. The second wall, to be located no less than 1000 meters away from the innermost wall, is to be approximately 65 meters in height and 95 meters in thickness, with defensive structures for direct fire over and in between the outermost wall and the area between them, as well as secondary artillery and anti-air positions such as mortars and short range AAA platforms. The outermost wall is to be located no less than 500 meters away from the middle walls, and is to be approximately 35 meters in height and 55 meters in thickness, and is where the majority of direct fire outer facing defensive positions are to be located.

A minimum1 kilometer 'dead zone' is to extend out between the outermost wall and the nearest natural habitat in the region where any creature beyond a set size or biological make up is to be drive off through the use of electro coils, sonic weaponry, or low-caliber fire. If creatures refuse to leave, or are being charged in in an animal attack via Spider-Ant provocation, lethal force is authorized. Between the stretches of land of the walls are to be further bulked with automated defenses, traps, mines, and other defensive measures to be used in the event of a breech. Where spacing is available the use of customized defense options will be left to the decision of the local city's defense strategists at their own discretion.

These defenses must have thorough overlapping fire to cover air, ground, and subterranean regions. In addition, each GWC is to be defended with a defense force of trained, professional soldiers dedicated to each GWCs defense, in addition to any secondary Home Guard or Militia defenses up to local discretion. As defense requirements vary from location to location, coordinating the creation of each GWCs' defense unit will be done in a by case basis. Regardless of what local defense force numbers are at location, it is highly recommended that automaton defense units, Neo-Golems and drones should be used to supplement and bulk up local defenses. Current stocks of excess Orthos, Humblebee, Hellhawk, and Jackrabbit autonomous drone units have been earmarked for this purpose and regular upgrades to maintain Median modern standards will be required. A fully stocked and trained fleet of the Aerospace Corps. will be provided for each GWC for defensive purposes, in addition to official outlying bases for Median military operations to provide rapid response support for city defense.

Despite these massive defenses being in place, the recent Dragon War proved that a powerful, fast enough enemy can blow through our conventional defenses in record speed. As such, a final layer of defense has been retrofitted into the original plans for the GWCs in the form of a new sub-program of purchasing and installing the Lasarna's City Barrier System as a final defensive measure to keep the core of the GWCs safe. Proven their worth when the dragons failed to breech their own CBS', the Lasarna have agreed to trade deals with us for the purchase of enough of these systems to provide such barriers to all GWCs and have enough left over to install into the remaining major settlements not within range to be built into a GWCs construction range.

Coordination between GWC government, local military defense operations, outlying Median military bases, and extended National and Median governmental bodies will be imperative for the smooth, rapid construction of all planned GWCs. Those that can be built or rebuilt to exact specifications will be done in massive construction projects that are to be defended 30/7 by Military units and local militia forces, with governmental aid being provided for the mass scale transmogrification of existing underground locations in existing cities for GWCs that are to be converted from existing locales.

However, the sheer scale and colossal amount of manpower, resources, and man-hours required for even one GWC, much less all planned locations, to be completed in rapid succession requires more than just coordination and assistance, it requires assurance as to the success of the project as something on this scale has never been attempted before. As such, in addition to Senate authorization of the Project, Mandate 742 has been voted into effect for the production and monitoring of 'Test Sites', including 4 planned uninhabited locations and 3 planned inhabited locations, to be the grounds for the first GWCs in order to test the viability of the project in a variety of control conditions.

2 of the uninhabited sites are to be test grounds for perfect 'Ideal' conditions, while 2 are to be given to the testing of 2 'unideal' environmentally difficult locations in the Great Banded Desert and the Northern Wastes respectively, with the 3 preexisting cities being each unique in their existing state of size, urban composition, and geographical placement. Following the completion of construction, a monitoring period of 25 years will be in effect to see the short term success of the project before further authorization on subsequent waves of GWC construction. If the monitoring period produces satisfactory results, the remaining planned GWC locations will undergo the conversion process in a series of waves to be determined based on priority of necessity, with those locations that would benefit the most of GWC conversion having high priority.

Current estimates place the total financial cost of the full, completed project anywhere from several tens of trillions of Dollups to a few quadrillion, going by typical economic models of the costs of construction and maintenance at current day rates. While we do not believe in moving away from economic models entirely, the nature and importance of the project has led to increased interest in automated assistance within Median construction and maintenance operations to offset what would otherwise be an exorbitantly high cost. Preexisting projects researching more advanced Neo-Golem models and the 'Synth' Project are being looked into and invested in to preemptively assist in lowering the final cost of production. Current economic theory postulates that using a mixture of Median workers and workers from our allied trade partners in addition to automated help could actually increase total economic growth by the end of the Project's construction and initial maintenance period by facilitating trade between our peoples and moving economic flow between all parties.

Additionally, success of the project would make the Median the foremost constructors of similar 'Fortress Cities' based on the GWC parameters, which would allow us to sell our nation's services to others in the creation of their own such locations. This will lead to increased trade and movement of financial goods between our peoples, boosting all economies involved, at least in current theory. Finally, regardless of success or failure during the monitoring period, the extensive defense network for these cities can be implemented on a much smaller scale to boost existing city defense lines and wall structures, ensuring all urban centers have some benefit from this projects plans, though they will not be as well defended due to the sheer scope, scale, and thoroughness of what differentiates the 'Fortress City' concept from existing cityscapes within the Median.

 

[TripleMRed]

[The following is a transcript of an article by a Displaced individual with a culinary background detailing the cuisine of the Median]

Many of us who arrive to Null and manage to survive long enough to be integrated into the Median hail from all manner of worlds through the dimensional nexus point linking our worlds to Null. As such, we come from a wide variety of backgrounds, histories, cultures, and even races, each with our own personal stories to tell. One commonality linking many of us, however, is that a not insignificant number of us hail from some variation of the world we usually call 'Earth' [or Terra, Gaea, ect ect]. Looking at the Median's peoples and their cultures indicates us as to why, as many cultures evolved within the Median share distinct similarities between themselves and those cultures of the versions of our own world.

So, to my fellow Earth-Peoples, whatever version or variant you may be or hail from, I come to you today to give you all an overview of some of the culinary features of our new home. We might not be able to go back, but that doesn't mean we can't find some great things to eat here.

The first thing to go over is that, unlike most of our Earths, the various Orosoid cultures of the Median [Oros, Empusa, Chimera, Cerberi], all have lived on the same continent for all of their evolutionary history and thus have lived in relatively close proximity for much of their history. As a result of this, many dishes we recognize as hailing from specific countries or cultures in our worlds tend to have blurred origins here within the Median. For example, what we recognize as cake as a confection doesn't originate from a Hellenistic culture here, but was a development within the Russo-Sino esq Nation known as the Icebreakers, who are famed for their contributions to confectionery history here. Due to this, despite cultural similarities in some aspects, I will not be doing an in-depth comparison

Another key thing to note is a culinary quirk that is the direct result of a biological factor. The Orosoid Races all share a common biological quirk, being omnivores that require both animal protein and plant nutrients to remain healthy. Unlike most other omnivores that can subsist largely on one or the other entirely, the Orosoid Races need both to remain healthy. This isn't to say they can't go a day on nothing but a salad diet, but long term continuous lacking of one or the other has negative effects to their health. As such, almost every meal of note throughout the day has a mixture of both some kind of animal protein and plant matter. The closest thing to a 'vegan' Orosoid are those who get all their protein from the increasingly common vat grown meats that have become a large and common part of the Median farming industry, but it is biologically impossible for them to not eat any flesh at all. The closest thing to vegetarianism outside of a largely vat-grown diet is those who get their protein from things like milk, eggs, or Mofu Meat Wool, to name key examples.

This leads into the other big thing about what there is to eat here: Ingredient availability. While Null has many naturally occurring analogs or equivalents to foods we recognize from earth, be it in taste or in culinary function, one-to-one direct versions borderline do not exist in the Eastern parts of Arisa. The Sundom on the Western side of this super-continent has even more ingredients, many of which are closer to what we know, but the distance means that importing these ingredients leads to a notable up-charge compared to other products to compensate for the delivery. Fortunately, a small but booming industry of vat growing our native food stocks at comparably affordable every day prices means most of us Displaced can still have something from home we recognize, if we're willing to hunt down the stores that carry them.

Finally, this leads to some of the notable culinary ingredients in popular use, particularly meats. The primary livestock animals in the Median are the Clucken, the Oliphant, the Apo, the Porcerus, and the Mofu, as the five most widespread and common livestock animals raised or meat grown in vats. Clucken fill an ecological niche we would recognize as belonging to chickens, but where the familiar taste of chicken meat would be is instead closer to duck meat in taste and texture. Not necessarily a bad thing as it's still delicious, but for those looking for 'authentic' chicken taste locally will have to look into Bughunter culinary lines as they have a variety of large scale insects with a taste comparable to chicken, if you don't mind the texture of crab meat. Their eggs flavor also varies on subspecies, so there is a wide variety of eggs from this one creature to try out practically every morning.

The Oliphant, meanwhile, fills a role akin to bovines in our worlds. If cows were the size of dinosaurs and had bad tempers. Synapsids producing a thick milk analog [it is the same function as milk as we know it, but diverged evolutionary from their main-line mammalian cousins many millions of years ago] that has a naturally rich, creamy texture when pasteurized, Oliphant beef when properly cooked is, to our 'upgraded' physicality to match the locals, fall off the bone tender and with a naturally richer flavor than cow beef. While certainly tasty, the richness of this can be a turn off for many who miss the steaks of our own world.

The Apo is a special treat, only eaten when they die of natural, non-infectious causes due to shared cultural respect for them among the Orosoid Nations. Laying massive eggs akin to those laid by Ostriches back home, a single Apo unfertilized egg can be used to make an omelette of generous size. Fertilized Apo eggs are as protected as their parents, and as such are illegal to sell for consumption.

Filling in the niche of pigs is actually a local porcine species, the humble Porcerus, colloquially known as the Shell-Hog, native hogs that evolved natural armor plating an a rhinoceros esq horn from their heads in addition to their tusks. Most popular with Chimeran races, Shell-Hog meat is particularly succulent in comparison to the relatively simple and dry meat of earth pigs, and are popular additions to any menu where Chimera live.

Finally, the last but certainly not least of the most common of the local livestock species, the not-so-humble Mofu. These sheep creatures evolved not a body full of wool, but a spongy outer layer of external fat deposits that are easy to remove and digest, incentivizing the extremely intelligent predators of Null to avoid killing them to retain a constant supply of meat on short notice. Mofu Meat Wool is easy to harvest, nigh infinitely and quickly replenishable, nutritious and delicious with the flavor changing based on diet. A staple source of protein, Mofu Meat Wool's biggest drawback is that when cooked, it naturally produces a layer of greasy oil that, while very useful due to its myriad of uses, can be very messy to handle for those inexperienced with it.

Not counting regional unique animals and game creatures, these 5 species make up the core of most protein available within the Median, able to be found in any location selling food.

Having said all of this, fruits and vegetables are more easy to broadly categorize. Most fruits have some manner of caustic juice of varying degrees of acidity, so preparing them without ruining the kitchen can be a bit of trial and error with the proper acid proof utensils. Most vegetables, meanwhile, are fairly mundane and straight forward, though a number of variants make use of toxins and poisons in some way as part of their defense so one should always keep an eye on that when buying them or eating out.

Drinks are as varied as the foods, but the 'core' drinks found everywhere are tea, coffee, and cider. While all Nations have their national drinks of choice, Tea and Coffee offer a simple, easy way to purify water for safe consumption in ancient times and remains a common sight even in the modern day with advanced water purification techniques. Ciders, meanwhile, have always been a popular alcoholic beverage due to allowing the drinker to ingest a decent portion of their daily plant nutrient intake in a fun, tasty manner. Indeed, the first sodas developed by the Median were non-alcoholic mass produced versions of popular regional cider flavors, which continue to be popular drinks even today, with Nullian fruit soda having a notable number of nutritional intake compared to 'normal' soda we are familiar with.

The final thing to note is, as mentioned, despite similarities with cultures we are familiar with back home, Nullian culinary development and history has as many differences as they do with recurrent themes thanks to their alien biosphere and ecosystems providing different sets of available ingredients. This has also had an effect on the development of many foods that we would be familiar with back home. For example, burgers and pizza exist here as well, but due to the pressure to avoid food being stolen out of one's hands by a hungry animal, they developed to be closed face, akin to the UFO burgers some of us may remember from back home.

Having said all of this, each Nationality has its own culinary specialties evolved through millenia of using what was availble in their homelands to make their signature dishes:

-The Skyrunners are well known for rich spices borne from hardy desert plants seeking to dissuade animals from consuming them. Sun drying, salting, and oven baking are signature cooking methods for them, though the comparatively low density of animal life in the Great Banded Desert means that they also are home to things like kebabs among other treats. Their national dessert is the Burrow Honey Bread, a favorite of the Royal Founding Family and a popular on-the-go treat at any street vendor worth their sugar.

-The Royalbacks, due to their one-time dominion over most of the Orosoid world, have a massive variety of regional variation on dishes a loved of staples like rice and noodles that unifies their diverse subcultures. Frying is one of the most popular ways to prepare food, locking in fat and protein into even meatless dishes to get in their dietary needs easily and frequently, with Mofu Wool Grease being the most popular cooking medium just for this particular reason. One particular dish that has never lost popularity ever since their First Kingdom era is Curry, which exploded in popularity and never went away when Bughunter territory was claimed by their expanding empire.

-The Bughunters, as their name suggest, feed on a wide range of massive insects that thrive in their parts of Eastern Arisa. Due to the similarities with their arthropod ancestors, the most common flavors we would recognize, even if the meat isn't familiar, would be those of crab, shrimp, and lobster, cooked from everything from in-the-shell to battered and fried as common street food. Their biggest claim to fame, however, is their dairy industry, having the largest array of milk producing animals relative to their location from local herbivores, making them the undisputed masters of cheese, butter, and yogurt to the rest of the Median.

-The Firebrands live in some of the most fertile soil in the whole of Eastern Arisa, the Southern Heat Plains being rich with volcanic activity. As a matter of fact, the hardest part of farming here before the invention of the indoor vertical farm was keeping their harvests safe from hungry wild-life. However, what the Firebrands are most famed for is their spicy dishes. Born with innate tolerance for extreme temperatures, their biology also makes them highly resilient to capsaicin and similar hot substances, there are few native dishes that don't involve at least some kind of heat added in for extra kick, with even their deserts making generous use of things such as cinnamon or ginger.

-The Stonecutters, with their long history of mining deep within their mountainous homes, have an equally long history of easy to store and carry foods for quick breaks in between morning and evening meals. From sandwhiches, rolls, and a vast selection of sausages, Stonecutters enjoy a reputation as some of the premier 'carriable' food creators in the Median, with them being credited for the invention of the predecessors of what we now know today as the Nullian burger, hot dog, and pocket sandwiches. They also hold the esteem of inventing 'Electra-Cooking', a method using application of fulgerite crystals to cook food.

-The Icebreakers, up in the far frigid northern territories of Arisa, have always historically been great creators of soups and stews, with familial communal stew pots being crewed night and day by family members to be prepared for a warm meal at all hours of the day. However, what put them on the map for the rest of the Median was their extreme variety of sweets, particularly confections, mastered over the centuries supposedly by the Royal Families competing to outdo one another in the ever popular tea ceremonies done in any discussion worth deliberating over.

-The Wavechasers, being the Nation closest to the seas as it surrounds their lands on al sides, are the biggest consumers of seafood per capita of all the Nations. If there is a fish, crustacean, or cephalopod dish served in the Median, it was likely invented first in some way by the Wavechasers. Additionally, they also have a booming industry of sauce making, making them the premier sellers of culinary sauces in the Median for just about any kind of dish or palette.

-The Crimson Cities, home to the highest populations of Bloody Ones per capita in the Median, is home to a wide variety of dishes using the local 'blood flora' and conventional blood based recipes within the Median. This is likely to be lost to most people, us Displaced included, but Bloody Ones taste blood differently from how other people do. Rather than the coppery, metallic taste we are familiar with, Bloody Ones interpret the flavor of blood as being akin to 'broth', the closest way they can describe it in terms we can understand. A required part of their diet, Bloody One cuisine, to their taste, is very flavorful, as the blood of each species tastes like its own 'broth' to them.

-Crown City, home to the remaining Royalists of the Unification War who wished to be allowed their own city-state, is well known for continuing and refining the long line of high class culinary culture and cuisine from all across the various Nations. What they're most famed for, however, is they are the largest single producers of chocolate within the Median, being founded in a central point in between the Crimson Cities and Bughunter lands. They gladly sell their produce and mercenary services in exchange for other trade items hard to get in their part of the world on their own.

-The Chimeran Races historically have lived in the underground portions of the regions of Eastern Arisa. As a direct result, their native cultural cuisine makes heavy use of fungi, Porcerus, and other kinds of resources found deep underground. The invention of hard candies is credited to the Chimera, particularly the Empusa, who used their gem making talents when mixed with sugar-sap tapped from underground plants to craft edible, sweet gemstones. Chimera remain prominent producers of hard candy in the Median to this day.

And finally, we have Displaced such as ourselves bringing to the Median our own home's culinary wonders to our new home. With aid from the Median's acquisitions departments, most of us have been able to bring with us Nullian grade versions of our home-land's foods, allowing us to add to the wider culinary landscape of Null. Stay tuned for my next article coming next week, where I will be discussing new dishes you can make using a mixture of native and Displaced ingredients for some truly interesting culinary creations!

 

[TripleMRed]

Tyranus.

[Sketches depict a large theropod with various subspecies, featuring a variety of traits based on subspecies. The common Tyranus Packjaw is covered head to toe tail in an array of feathers, while the Carnidont is covered in rough scales and dermal armor, with the Sword Tail being the most armored and featuring a sharp, blade like tip to the end of its long tail that extends for two meters. The sketches show them hunting various prey items, including wild Oliphants or sauropod like Skynecks.]

Scientific Name Translation: Deposed Tyrant King.

[A note is attached. It reads 'Man, imagine having 'deposed' in your scientific name. Brutal.]

Average Size: Varies on Subspecies, Average Range of 20-24.61 Feet/6.096-7.5 Meters.

Average Weight: Varies on Subspecies, Average Range of 10-15 tons.

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: Females are slightly larger than the males with males having brighter colorations.

Habitat Range: Found in all biomes in Central and Western Arisa, from the Land of Giants westward. Swordtails also found in the Great Banded Desert hunting Hammertails.

Summary:​

In our world's evolutionary history, there was a time period where the Saurian creatures dominated the lands of our world. This time period came to an abrupt end some 77 million years ago, when the Mesozoic era ended with the Thaumaturgical Awakening Mass Extinction occurred. The dominant eusocial insect life at the time, a native analog to the Spider-Ants that would replace them eons later, rapidly mutated to massive sizes following the mass activation of the then dormant leylines of Null's magic, the newly mutated creatures rapidly expanding outwards from their original homes to consume all biological life beyond a certain size in the super-continent of the time, Domina Secunda. However, those life forms small enough to evade the now oversized predators managed to survive, and among them were the ancestors of all modern day land life, including the Saurians and Synapisdae that continue to exist into the modern era. [A note is attached. It depicts a cartoon mini-Tyranus hiding in a hole alongside a small cat-rat mammal and a proto-bird as a massive insect prowls outside. Words follow, reading 'man, sure sucks to be outside right now.']

The Tyranus is the sole surviving descendant of the theropod family line that dominated the end of the Mesozoic period, hailing from a diminutive pygmy variant that coexisted alongside their full sized cousins of the time period. As millions of years passed and life recovered from the Mass Extinction as the Butcher Bugs starved into their own extinction, the Tyranus family line would survive and regrow over time to their current state of being, though never again would they experience the same unchallenged dominion over the land as other creatures evolved to fill in niches left behind by their larger counterparts same as themselves.

Split into several subspecies, the Tyranus is believed to have evolved in Eastern Arisa, only to be pushed back and driven out over the eons as other, deadlier predators made their homes in the recovering environments. With the exception of the heavily armed and armored Swordtail subspecies that continues to prowl and hunt its prey in the Great Banded Desert, the Tyranus is almost exclusively found to the West, from the Land of Giants onwards. The three most common subspecies are the feathered, pack hunting Packjaws, the armored, semi-aquatic jungle and swamp dwelling Carnidonts, and the previously mentioned arid dwelling Swordtails. Regardless of subspecies or life-style, the Tyranus remains an extremely efficient predator, making use of either ambush tactics when solitary or advanced pack hunting skills when together to acquire prey. [A note is attached. It reads 'The Swordtail's namesake is one of the deadliest hunting tools I've seen. They just roll lone Hammertails over and just slide that thing between the ribs into their hearts, it's brutally efficient.']

Standing at a minimum of 6 or so meters tall, the Tyranus are popular symbols of power in the societies of the West onward, with the civilizations starting with the Ogra commonly having them as heraldry for the military or old family lines. Intelligent creatures in their own right, the Tyranus of all species can be tamed by those with strong will and skill to undertake the process of earning their trust enough to become their partners in combat or as their riders, with their arsenal of strong, tooth filled maws, powerful arms and legs tipped with a trio of deadly claws, and muscular tails capable of delivering metal crushing strikes making them potent and extremely respected war steeds in pre-vehicle eras. [A note is attached. It depicts a traffic jam, with an Ogra riding a Tyranus boredly waiting in it.]

Their intelligence also sees the Tyranus develop complex 'language' of primordial growls, hisses, subsonic chimes and bellows that allow them to remain in contact with others of their kind across large distances. Each species has their own distinct 'language', which is further subdivided by various different sub-dialects that varies from region to region of different packs or communities of the creatures. Those of different species or packs have difficulty communicating with one another, which is often the lead in to combat between them over territory disputes, but it has been known on rare occasions that in locations with abundance of prey or competing predators of non-Tyranus descent that different Tyranus species or packs will actively seek to learn the other's distinct language in order to communicate with one another and coordinate extensively to avoid conflict or to form primitive defense-pacts with one another.

Though evolved to survive in the modern day alongside the bounty of other dangerous animal life, with the notable exception of the Swordtail that remained in parts of the East of Arisa, most Tyranus species are lacking in terms of lethal arsenal at their disposal. Indeed, with the exception of the typical plasma coating for claw strikes and the Swordtail 'keeping up', most Tyranus have to use their raw bulk and coordinated pack tactics to beat back other predators that can compete with them. However, in recent centuries, there has been sightings of Tyranus Packjaws developing an almost dragon like ability to spit out flame, or of the Carnidont beginning to spit out caustic, toxic bile, though whether these will become widespread or are isolated instances of mutation have yet to be confirmed.

To compensate for the higher difficulty in survival compared to their ancient precursors, the Tyranus lack a mating season and produce young all year long. Each pack is comprised of a mated male and female and their children, who are connected to other packs of blood-relatives on both sides of the family line in 'clans' across large territories, which in turn form 'alliances' with unrelated but linguistically connected clans to prevent in-breeding. The dominant female of the pack, the largest by far in a given Tyranus family, produces large number of young each 2 month gestation cycle, many of which will not survive to adulthood due to predation but of those who do are quick to become hunters and guards in their family territory, trained and taught to hunt by their father. Each litter ranges from 10 to 20, and it is expected only 2 or 3 will survive into adulthood to reproduce. [A note is attached, reading 'Man, and I thought we had it bad with our 2/5 fatality rate pre-GWC's.']

When a Tyranus reaches around 30 years old, they break off to go to an unrelated clan to integrate into it and earn the right to be paired off with a mate of their own, starting their own pack if accepted in the territory. While life expectancy is grim for these primordial giants, there is enough success in this system that the Tyranus population is always slowly, but steadily, growing rather than fatally diminishing. While never enough to out compete the other predators in the region, they are unlikely to go extinct any time soon either barring a concentrated and deliberate effort to exterminate them, an unlikely prospect as the only beings with the resources and ability to this, the various Civilized Races of their lands, view the Tyranus as creatures to be respected.

Despite the loss of their rule over the land, the capacity for adaption and their cultural impact on those civilizations living alongside them, the Tyranus is something of an unofficial mascot among the scientific community for those species that survive the destruction of the rest of their kind, managing to find a niche for themselves in the increasingly dangerous world their evolution prepared them for. While not as perfected for their new environment, the Tyranus remains a symbol of surviving against the odds. [A note is attached. It reads 'I'm rooting for these guys, they're too cool to let die. ']

 

[TripleMRed]

[Hey all, we're coming up on the 6th Anniversary of the Encyclopedia in the middle of this year, so I wanted to ask you all something. If you could have any 5 of the non-Civilized Race creatures get art done of them, which 5 creatures in the Encyclopedia so far would you all vote for? Which 5 beasties do you all collectively want to see in visual form?]

 

[TripleMRed]

[Hey all, just chiming in to say I'm still alive, just deep in classes and class work this semester. Rather than try and set up a vote, I'd like to openly ask: What kind of critter would you guys like to see next? What niche or type of animal would you like to be covered that either we haven't covered yet or that hasn't been covered often?]

 

[TripleMRed]

Median Territories, Eastern Arisa, 15XX

---

It had been days since the assault started. Spider-Ant attacks were predictable, but it didn't make them any less threatening: The citizens of Riverview had been manning their positions for hours upon hours, switching between manning the emplacements, repairing and rearming the Orthos Drones, running ammunition, or being relieved for a few hours of rest. The Ants themselves were in full force, a horde fit for an entire town rather than the humble village of Riverview. Their only saving grace was that they still had small mountains worth of munitions and equipment left over from the Unification War when they had been the site of a supply depot.

"Keep firing!" Shouted Luz Bakshi. The Bughunter descended Oros woman has been the humble banker of their village's communal money repository, and now found herself on the front lines once again to act as one of several coordinators for the defense. "Just keep firing!"

"I didn't know they could come in so many numbers!" One of her subordinates, a Stonecutter man named Jace Sturmaxt, was manning a water cooled heavy machine gun from his position on the village's wall, focus firing the heavy rounds on the larger Spider-Ant variants. Amidst the swarms of slashing Soldiers and scavenging Scrappers were the heavily armored Warriors, who with their acidic bile could begin to eat away at the walls' integrity if allowed to get close. As the heavy weapons teams focused fire on those creatures, the others poured down fire and mortar shells unto the swarms, with dedicated melee teams cutting down any that got past.

Almost 120 hours of this, nearly four whole days.

"Focus fire on-" Luz began to say when a massive explosion rocked the near by watch tower. Her head snapped to look in that direction and watched as the outer layers of the tower, blasted and cratered from the explosive impact, were beginning to melt and slough off. Her head immediately turned to scan the horizon of the distant tree line when she spotted it: There, within the cover of the treeline, was a hulking Scorpius, the Spider-Ants scorpion esq long ranged biological tank equivalent. "I need someone to take out that Scorp, now!" She shouted behind her. A near by heavy weapons team-A Normal Body Type male with a bow and arrow and a hulking Warrior Body Type female with a truly massive rocket launcher on her shoulders-Immediately ran to the front of the wall.

The male ran one of his arrow's crimson tip against the rocket's own Solarite tipped warhead, the two glowing in sync for a brief moment, before taking aim with his bow. Pulling back nearly a ton's worth of draw weight from the metallic stringed war weapon, he carefully aimed his bow against the flowing of the wind, high up in the air and seemingly off course. The Scorpius managed to launch another long distance blast of explosive acid, this time the glob detonating against an Ant-Lion sentry nest on the ground, when he launched the arrow.

It sailed through the air, being dragged by the wind into a new trajectory where in it wound up sinking in between the plating of the nitro-acid launching tip of the Scorpius' tail, sinking into the flesh beneath. His Warrior partner, meanwhile, took aim skyward with her rocket before firing it. IT shot up into the air before its tip glowed red and it immediately began to correct its course, turning to come screaming down at the Scorpius' tail tip like an act of God.

The resulting detonation rocked the treeline, leaving a 10 meter wide crater that took scores of Spider Ants with it. This seemed to be the breaking point in the assault, as the moment the Scorpius and its immediate surrounding area went up with titanic force, the surviving Ants that had yet to be cut down cut their losses and began to flee back into the woods, making as fast as they could back to their nests deep and far from the village.

A resounding cheer erupted from the crowds of Riverview's defense force even as they remained on their guns to give parting shots to the retreating Ants. It was not until a full 10 minutes had passed did they finally, truly relax, turning to one another for victory body slams, hugs, and the occasional high five in a really cool way.

For her part, Luz sighed as she took off her helmet, looking up to the cloudy sky with smile of relief on her face. Almost four full days of the biggest Spider-Ant assault in Riverview's entire history, and they had done it. They had survived. They had won. Even clouds seemed to begin to part as the glowing light of Dominus began to filter through the-

Luz narrowed her eyes in a squint as she looked at the approaching light. That.....Was not the light of the sun.

Coming through the clouds, adorned in an ill fitting T-Shirt that read 'Community Manager', was an honest to God Uplifter. Was it....drinking a coffee? Silence reigned as it stopped just over her, hovering in place as it took a sip from the drink in its myriad of tentacles.

"Hey guys, just wanted to let you know that there was a mistake last patch and we're going live with a quick fix until the next update. Have fun!" It declared. Its strange words meant nothing to the assembled Riverviewers, but they still left an ominous feeling mounting on their hearts like rocks being tied to ones feet over deep water.

As the Uplifter began to lift up and leave, the words 'Live Patch In Progress.....Live Patch Live' appeared over the sky and in an instant, every single Spider Ant that they had slain the past few days suddenly sprang back to life, healthy and intact like they hadn't been shot, sliced, burnt, or detonated apart. Even the Scorpius was back......and for some Godless reason, there was now an additional 3 of them spread across the tree-lines. The words in the sky changed once more: 'Survival Mode Activated'. A moment of silence stood between the Riverviewers before the reality of the situation hit them like a charging Shinook, and they all scrambled to their defenses to begin anew.

"Fuck enemy buff patches, this is Sloughshit!" Someone howled in anger, to which they could only begrudgingly agree with their continued on pouring of firepower.

 

[TripleMRed]

Vespera.

[Sketches depict a range of relatively small insects, from wasps to bees to even ants. Their range in size and appearance ranges wildly from one another, save keeping the signature aspects of Nullian arthropods such as jawed mouths and pupiled simple eyes. The bees in particular look burly and heavily built, while the ants possess their signature variant morphs for different roles, while the wasps ans hornets are sleek and angular in their appearances.]

[A note is attached. It depicts a walled eyed Bee with the words 'buzz buzz' written under it]

Scientific Name Translation: Ranges from species to species, overarching family name is 'Voracious Colony Queens'.

Average Size: Ranges from 2 mm's in size to the size of an adult's thumb, depending on species.

Average Weight: Varies on species, largest known species weighing in at almost 250 grams for the queens.

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: Varies on species: Males have wings in ants, while lacking them in bees and wasps lack sexual dimorphism when not producing young.

Habitat Range: All of Arisa.

Summary:​

Many family lines of creatures in our world have come and gone in prominence and success. As an example, the ancient Saurians that once ruled the world millions of years ago have now become but a fraction of their former number and diversity, mere remnants that against the odds managed to survive into the modern day. The Butcher Bugs that brought their end, for a brief time, also ruled the world, before quickly dying out due to a lack of enough food for their mutation induced increased sizes.

One family line that, arguably, has ruled the world since they first came into prominence is the Vespera family tree. For millions of years, ants, bees, and the wasp species' of this family line have dominated their ecological niches as small scale creatures.The Vespera began life hundreds of millions of years ago in the time of the Saurians when the first wasps evolved from the common ancestor of several insectoid species within our world. From them, the first ants and bees came about as time led to different environmental pressures ensuring that new niches would open up for their specialized forms and biologies to find root. [A note is attached. It reads 'Like how us Oros and our Nationalities adapted to our respective ecosystems, only more extreme!']

Their effect on the rest of evolutionary history is palpable: The reason so many non-mammalian land life forms give birth directly to live young can be traced back to one of the first, most successful ancient ant species dubbed 'The Egg Cracker' line that specialized in hunting the eggs of other life forms, forcing an evolutionary arms race to ensure their continued survival against such a threat to their lineages. In the modern day, all three species have blossomed into a such a wide variety of different subspecies and variants that there is an entire anthology of literature, 'A Vespera's Life' dedicated to summarizing them all, with new volumes still coming out to this day. That being said, while their varieties defy numeration, each species has but a handful of subfamilies that can be classified as the most successful of their respective species family line.

Of the ants, the Great Banded Desert is home to the Sandfarmer Ants, a species that have learned to live deep underground beneath the scorching sands to tap into underground water reserves to help them farm species of fungi and algae within vast labyrinthine networks that stretch from one end to the other of the greatest desert in Eastern Arisa. Indeed, their tenacity and farming capabilities is said in Skyrunner folk lore to be the original inspiration behind their own advanced farming networks to supply sustainable food for themselves in their harsh homes. In the forests, meanwhile, the biggest super colony from north to south is the Ravager Ant, a species of warlike raiders that are quick to turn their jaws on anything they can claim, so warlike that the biggest reason they have yet to conquer the world is that they have split amongst themselves into divided, internecine warring hives. [A note is attached. It depicts an Oros watering some flowers as a tiny war with miniature tanks and gun lines fight at their feet.]

Among the Bees, the Golden Band Honeybee is one of the most successful creatures in an arboreal lifestyle, said to be one of if not the most intelligent of all small scale insectoid life. The Golden Bands create delicious and nutritious honey that is some of the most prized for its nutrient content, a fact they levy with other animals in a form of trade: In exchange for protection from other animals, the Golden Bands 'sell' some of their honey for to their mercenary allies, with Beowulves in particular being prized hosts in such deals. The Golden Band is also the most commonly farmed source of honey among the Civilized Races for similar reasons, with many long standing farmers not even needing to wear protective garments when harvesting the honey, provided they bring about some manner of food stuff in exchange for it.

Wasps, meanwhile, are some of the most diverse in terms of life style. Compared to their eusocial cousins, Wasps range from everything from loners who can barely tolerate members of their own species outside of mating season, to colonial forms of living in massive, papyrus hives of hunter-gatherers, to disturbing parasitic specimens. Indeed, one particularly successful breed of parasitic wasp is the Blood Nest Wasp, a creature that seeks large hosts within the Medium size range to inject with their potent, mind altering venom before using their naturally regenerative flesh as a continuous food source for their young. Thankfully, it seems like most life forms are keenly aware of these particularly gruesome creatures and so while they are the most successful of the parasitic wasps, this is only in relative terms as they are singled out by their sanguine shaded shells to be slain on sight. [A note is attached. It reads 'I'm glad these things can't infest us Civilized Races. Too big and complex to be hosts. But still, I get the creeps just thinking about them!']

All members of Vespera possess an array of armaments, the specifics of which vary depending on subspecies. The vast majority carry stingers capable of delivering venomous stings, the tips of their legs are often armed with sharp clawed points for melee strikes, and their jaws are powerful for their sizes, capable of denting non-reinforced metal with ease. Indeed, the Vespera species' are extremely well equipped that, when combined with their often vast numbers, have led to them being to where they are now in terms of dominating the lower size ranges of insectoid life.

In terms of reproduction, this is as varied as their are subspecies of specimens to delve into. Most Eusocial breeds possess a single breeding female dubbed a Queen that takes on the role of producing more members of their hive. A handful have been known to reproduce using several Queens in a single hive, however there is at least one known species in the form of the Golden Band Bee where there is no designated breeding Queen and members repeoduce using communal male Drones to produce offspring, with a handful of 'Command' positions taking on actual leadership roles among them to direct different aspects of their hive's functions.

Despite their incredible success for insects, however, the Vespera are still not at the tops of their respective food chains. Ants find themselves quick snacks for birds and Rollertails alike, while bees and wasps are preyed upon by the most successful predator in terms of hunting success, the Dracofly. While their relationships with their environments and ways of survival are too many to list in this Encyclopedia's overview, all these factors combine goes to illustrate how even the most successful creatures of our world are but cogs in a wider, greater machine in the ecosystem which we call home. A harsh, but true, lesson necessary for us to learn for when we look to our future as Civilized Peoples. [A note is attached, depicting an eyeless ant head being studied by a dog.]