cireks

[cireks]

Three cireks of Emerald Castle, the old ruins of the Oorogry city. Oorogry was a city where cireks and humans lived side by side, it was eventually abandoned by humans but the cireks remained and retained some of the influence the human culture had on them. One of those things were the names, cireks can learn human language and many of the Oorogry cireks took or were given names in the human language. In both wild and "urbanized" cirek populations names bear little actual meaning however cubs can be named after well liked individuals before them. Cireks born in Emerald Castle are often given words from the human language as names and while the specific words are recognized as "names" the cireks often no longer associate them with their actual meaning.

Feral is a name common from the late period of when Oorogry was an actual city with humans in it. Cireks were never domesticated in the true sense of the word, "feral" instead refers to cireks that live in the outskirts of society, display anti-social behavior or act aggressively towards humans.

The original cirek language doesn't have words for different colors. While cireks are not colorblind their color vision is more limited compared to humans and colors usually have little importance to them. A human would perhaps give the name "Blue" to a cirek with a blueish grey coat, however to cireks the word doesn't mean anything but is simply a nice name.

Names that (accurately) describe physical attributes are rare among cireks with no human interference but they may be given when the attribute is exceptional in a first-thing-you-notice kind of way. Patch in this example has partial melanism in the shape of a large dark mark on his chest.

[cireks]

A sound of rustling brushes from quick movement followed by heavy stomps. The nargang towers over the bushland, ready to spear the fleeing vib with its massive single tusk. With its strong and prehensile feet it will then tear the flesh and feed with the help of its proboscis.

Both male and females sport the tusk but only males have the colorful flanges on the face. The tusk is strong but not unbreakable so the nargang relies a lot on intimidation against threats, however it can and will also deliver eviscerating kicks.

The nargang and vib are related species.

[cireks]

Trying to break through my art slump by drawing my favorite creature guy.

[cireks]

Three cirek ladies, they're a joyous bunch.

Fyrya. Small but feisty and loyal to a self-destructive degree.

Sentinel. Driven by revenge to mask her hurt feelings and sense of abandonment.

Hunter. Disillusioned, bloodthirsty. No longer cares about anything.

[cireks]

They're called Coccyx, but to most they're known by their title Nymph of Bones. The rank is equivalent of the highest curator (Masters excluded) but they do less of the manual labor of preparing bodies and performing burial rites and do more interactions, deals and missions outside the House of Corporeal Cures. Coccyx however have a severe inferiority complex, mostly stemming from them getting promoted to Nymph really young and not entirely through their own competence. They're not lacking in bold ideas both good and bad. Doesn't like gore. Surprisingly good at whittling.

[cireks]

Character design. Posh hunter guy, Shonen protagonist (not actually a protagonist) with a revenge plot and The beast™. Just three guys who have some serious beef with each other.

[cireks]

A single short whoop breaks the quiet of the night, melodic but hollow, it reminds you of an old bronze bell somehow. A cirek stands on a tree stump in the clearing, surveying its surroundings.

[cireks]

Hi! I just found your blog and I've gotta say, your creature design is super creative and in-depth.

The brynaglo especially left and impression on me, what was your inspiration when designing them? Are they based on some folklore or did you come up with the fur-pattern silhouettes yourself?

Thanks!

The brynaglo is based on what my silly brain tells me I'm seeing in the dark while camping in the forest.

I like sprinkling in some horror elements in my worldbuilding every now and then so I thought I'd make something out of the "generic creepy humanoid in forest with elongated thin limbs". I also love the idea of "not-deers" so there's some influence from that.

[cireks]

love your worldbuilding ^^ have you read annihilation by jeff vandermeer? The movie is fine but the book has a totally different vibe that reminds me of your work with all the spec biology.

Thanks! I haven't and I haven't even seen the movie (I actually really wanted to but for some reason it never got a theatrical release where I live, I think?, and then I never got around to watch it later)

I know close to nothing of the story but the movie at least seems to have turned out pretty cool so maybe I will add it to my reading list.

[cireks]

"I'm not very creative and like basic ass animals"

do you realize how much creativity it makes to create new creatures that look like they could plausibly exist and are distinct enough from real animals to not look like weird taxidermy?? in my opinion it's much harder to make something simple but still distinct and interesting (though i wouldn't call your designs simple - more like we can't see the sewing pattern. "convergent evolution" was such a good way to put it) i'm honestly so awed by your art and so glad i found you!! i'm a writer and who likes to invent new (somewhat) realistic animals to populate my worlds and your art inspires me a lot!

just saw the tags on your giluk post after thinking how cool of a design it was (like something you'd see in a medieval manuscript but... plausible) and had to send an anon cause you deserve to know how cool and creative you are! or at least you've got me fooled ;) have a nice day!<3

You are too kind <3 Thank you!

I'm happy you find my creations inspiring. Sometimes I just get a bit insecure about my worldbuilding/creature design skills when I see these amazing animals that draw inspiration from bugs, jellyfish or like siphonophores or something that I wouldn't even know how to approach inventing even less drawing. I try to push my designs but the "boundaries" I've set up for the world/story/vibe often results in a high level of familiarity worked into them. I'm glad you recognize the effort I put into making things believable.

And I was drawing inspiration from weird medieval art beasts when designing the giluk, good eye!

[cireks]

You squint your eyes in the direction of the forest edge, between the shadows and the mist you see pale, humanoid shapes. It's not ghosts, not this time, but a herd of brynaglo. This nocturnal herbivore has an inquisitive but careful nature, listening with its large ears to anything that catches its interest before slowly and quietly approaching. It's not unusual for brynaglo to approach campsites in or close to the forest, often with terrifying effect on non locals.

[cireks]

God pest plumsaina purée with saltbread, plumsaina grain stew and plumsaina root (for decorative purpose).

Plumsaina, also known as earth belly, is a rare carnivorous subterranean plant that can grow frighteningly large. It's roots are edible and described to have a taste that's sweet in an unsettling way, especially considering the plant will digest whatever meat that falls into it's pit.

Plumsaina that reach giant size gain the status of "god pest". They're both revered and feared, considered somewhere between mortal and divine. Consuming a god pest is a special occasion and should be surrounded by the proper rituals and shared with neighbors, friends and local important people.

God pest plumsaina is served as a purée where the roots are peeled, boiled, mashed and mixed with a plant based milk turning the purée a pink color. It's topped with a vegetable oil.

The saltbread has a bland, vaguely bitter taste that easily gets overshadowed by the amount of rock salt (never sea salt) added to it. Despite its simple and boring form it's a culturally important food item, often appearing beside god pest dishes and other ceremonial food. It also doubles as an eating utensil.

The smaller plumsaina while still quite rare is still much more common than plumsaina of the god pest variety and does not command the same reverence. It's usually turned into a hearty meal of stew with grains.

[cireks]

You can eat the roots, the taste is described as "complex and sweet in an unsettling way". The rest of the plant, the body and flower, have a vile taste likely to make you sick but it can be used in certain potions by learned people.

(Feel free to take inspiration)

As if "swallowed by the earth" is a way to describe someone who's gone missing without a trace, particularly in the woods, but in Ditovo it may be more than just a saying. At least if you believe the many legends and folktales about giant plumsaina, or as they're more commonly known "earth belly". The plant does exist but usually it is only big enough to catch small vertebrates, which it does when prey step onto its camouflaged trap door and fall into the pit of the plant filled with digestive liquid and downward pointing spikes preventing escape. The roots of the plant are for storing nutrients and other substances, as well as firmly anchoring the plant in the ground when prey is thrashing about inside it. In order to reproduce the earth belly sprouts a red flower above the surface, a red flag that may perhaps save the life of one who recognizes it.

[cireks]

Quick drawing depicting a very fancy cirek from the lost city of Oorogry where humans and cireks lived together. Cireks don't really need clothing so this is all about flaunting status and appearing more approachable/respectable to humans and distancing themselves visually from cireks living in the wild. Cireks have poor color vision, in terms of style they prefer high contrasting colors and patterns.

[cireks]

Decided to pitch my latest critter (grykbor, the big brown hyena looking thing) against my perhaps oldest one (the cirek, my babies). Turns out they're natural haters. While the grykbor could quite easily murk a single cirek, the cireks' advantages lies in living in social groups and their higher intelligence.

[cireks]

New iteration or perhaps a related species to the karvabor. The "genus" is called yellow-paws for the color of their big paw pads that help them stalk silently through the underbrush. The grykbor is a elusive solitary ambush predator. Like the karvabor it has a powerful bite and a tenacious grip.

(I got a bit more heavy on the brown hyena influence than what I first intended, striped legs tho.)

[cireks]

You're drunkenly stumbling home one night and from the duckboards through the booze haze you see the most scrumptious ass teasingly glide away deeper into the dark swamp. You follow, legs getting heavier and orientation more difficult by each step.

How many times that scenario has played out in Ditovo is not easy to calculate but it's likely not zero. The more sober locals will tell you that the slamreta, also known as "harlot of the lake", is not a malicious creature, it wants nothing to do with you in fact. This animal uses inflatable sacs on its hind legs to float on the water's surface perfectly still as it looks for fish or other small things to eat. It hunts using its sharp vision and plunges its long neck to reach prey. It's long tail is curled up to act as a stabilizing anchor. At sign of danger the slamreta can deflate the hind leg sacs to dive and swim away. It spends most of its time in water and will build a nest in-between reeds or other shore vegetation.