#species lore

[caffeinated-goblin]

🗡Majstro🫀

Lol I didn't draw him in my alt style ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Majstro is a part of What A Nice World. He is about 13'3 in height, and his species are known as The Pupteirans! Pupteirans resemble a mix of various creatures such as; bats, goblins, humans, deer, dragons, snakes, and even felines.

Majstro Has;

Dragon tail

Snake tongue

Bat ears

Cat claws

Deer hooves

Pupteirans are hostile.

Pupteirans are hostile.

Pupteirans are hostile.

Pupteirans are hostile.

Pupteirans are hostile.

[disenchantedif]

All of us winged ones just preening each other or waxing each other's wings.

Nephilim definitely use feather care as a way to show affection for one another. On a similar note, Draca help each other shed old scales and Cambion help each other moisturize any patches of dry skin.

Wing care can definitely be a way to express love to those you’re close to, even if they don’t have wings like yours or have none at all.

[prima-materia-ttrpg]

Species Highlight - Sepia

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if cephalopods could live for more than 2 years? Perhaps even passing on generational knowledge? My mind wanders to this topic fairly often, the Sepia are a result of me following this line of questioning to its conclusion. I present to you, the Sepia.

The Sepia are Cephalopods, very similar to cuttlefish. They can mimic other objects and animals thanks to their ability to change the color and texture of their skin, as well as their very fine motor control over their arms. Sepia are also mildly telepathic, an ability that allows them to coordinate large shows of mimicry and move in tandem with any number of other Sepia involved in the show. They use this ability to mimic creatures that are much larger than they are, such as sharks, or sometimes to hypnotize larger animals by sending pulses of color through a wall of Sepia.

As Sepia are unable to make any useful sound underwater their languages are polyvisual; they incorporate multiple glyphs, colors, and textures into words and tonality which they display on their bodies. Some of these words are even animated to an extent. Despite the inherent complexity of their languages, Sepia conversations are very fast; ideas that would take a sentence to convey in most phonic languages are often condensed into a single specific word in Sepia languages.

Much like humans, what the Sepia lack in strength they tend to make up for with their ingenuity; and as a species that needs to navigate fully three dimensional spaces to survive, they're very sharp. They have domesticated many species of sea creatures for various purposes. They keep fish for food, blue sailsharks for herding fish, bio-luminescent remora for use as lighting, and many others. Many sedentary Sepia civilizations farm clams for food, and nomadic Sepia tend to keep small beds of poisonous clams for use in hunting.

Tagging along with Giants

Many Sepia are nomadic, having forged a mutually beneficial relationship with the Sophont whales on Patek. How this relationship started is lost in the fog of time; those who live in these communities say it has always been this way.

The Sepia act as hands for the whales, using their tools to take care of them and even help them with forms of self-expression through making tattoos, piercings, and other outward displays. In return, the whales carry their homes, cargo, and graves. The whales, blessed with two and a half century long life spans and nothing to manipulate objects with, also do the majority of the mental labor of lore keeping and social deliberation. This relationship is not generally seen as transactional, but rather as expected contributions to a community or family - the whales and Sepia often form multi-species family units, with whales in the family often carrying their family's home.

The religious beliefs of the nomads are very heterogeneous, but they share more in common than one might first expect as a result of meeting up every year for the Sophont's breeding season. The courtship rituals of Sophont whales; wooing potential partners, meeting the families to be joined together, and spending much-needed alone time once a partner and their family is chosen is very complex and takes several months. These social interactions often sweep up more romantic Sepia into the moment, and lots of cultural exchange happens as a result which leads to certain tropes appearing in most of the nomadic religions. The most important of these tropes is the idea of the three realms of existence. The realm of the living is full of fish to catch and life to live, where all your favorite things exist and unless you're very unlucky, where all your experiences have taken place. The parched realm, where the water is too thin to breathe and the weight of your own body can crush you; not to mention the horrible beaked demons that may pick you apart as soon as they see you. The gods often summon great storms, and Sepia of great folly can get caught in them and thrown wayward never to be seen again. Only whales can tolerate the parched realm, and only for a time, as they must draw life from emptiness itself. The third realm is the realm of the dead, far below the world and past a barrier of frigid water. Some wild whales are able to breach this barrier, and though they cannot be spoken to their scars tell stories well enough.

Whales, being the only creatures with a connection to all three of the realms of creation, are revered by many Sepia and have great religious significance. Some whales are happy to be the center of the nomadic spiritual life and are attended to by Sepia priests as they speak expansively on the metaphysicality of creation with their peers and share their wisdom with others. Other whales take on a more utilitarian roll with their spirituality, becoming graveyards for Sepia that have past. It is their job once they die to ferry all the Sepia souls that they carry into the realm of the dead so they don't get lost.

Natural entertainment in the pelagic zone is sparse, so the nomads come up with endless games and art forms to pass the time. The Sepia perform plays, re-enacting heroes and important religious and cultural events; Sophonts will come up with songs and tales, and tales in the form of song, and have a Sepia transcribe it. Children play with each other and their remora pets. Thinking puzzles, conundrums, and paradoxes are popular among most of the nomads, courtesy of the whales; many of which love to talk long-windedly on philosophical matters.

Not all nomadic groups interact with others outside their cultures, though after a particularly good hunting season, some will often take their surplus catch to their sedentary cousins who live on the reefs and seagrass meadows to trade for finished goods and luxuries.

Putting Down Roots

The vast majority of Sepia are sedentary, settling in coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and on the periphery of estuaries. Their towns range from small aquaculture villages that raise beds of clams, to large cities among the reefs that are host to thousands of Sepia kept fed by surrounding aquaculture villages. While there are some Sepia civilizations that have sprung up on seamounts or the shelves around islands, most of these civilizations are found along the coasts of continents, and as a result have much more interaction with other sapient species, especially Koura who live both in water and on land.

Most people know of the Sepia from stories Ternaki bring from Sifia, as the Ternaki have excellent trade relations with the Sepia off the Sifian coast. Sepia will trade food, finished goods, and raw minerals in exchange for metal products and other things they usually can't make themselves. Some of them have taken to training small hammerhead sharks to act as metal detectors to find silver and gold on the ocean floor for the express purpose of trading with land species.

Religion among the Sepia varies wildly among the sedentary civilizations, and often has influence from those they trade with. One belief, which varies in its interpretations, is that estuaries are gates to start on the journey to the afterlife. They are guarded by divine creatures with beaks that snatch anyone who would be so foolish to try and find what lies beyond, but tales of following the rivers and streams up to the mountains speak of untold beauty. Some Sepia believe that when they die, their spirit will be free from their body and they can physically follow the rivers to the mountains past the birds and unbreathable fresh water to see the heavens, and they aren't technically wrong. Spirits do exist, but that's a topic for another blog post.

In the modern day, the beaked creatures are known to be birds and many estuaries are made safe for Sepia to farm fish, shrimp, and mussels. As a result, most Sepia that have this belief, particularly ones that work in estuaries, don't interpret it literally. In addition, there are Sepia that have taken the first steps on land inside mechanical drysuits, designed by Sepia and aided in their manufacturing by the Ternaki.

Life on Land

The Sepia are an aquatic species, but they're also playable so I need them to be able to go on land. The answer, obviously, is mech suits.

Sepia drysuits are a relatively new phenomenon, a consequence of the industrial revolution allowing access to manufactured goods and other recent breakthroughs bringing technology and alchemy up to speed with the ideas some Sepia have been having for centuries. The first drysuits were little more than fishbowls on wheels, connecting pedals or other cranks to the wheels for locomotion. However, over the past twenty years drysuit technology has been drastically improved. Cockpits are now hermetically sealed and durable, with alchemical salt water recycling systems where oxygenated salt water is mixed in one or two canisters and pumped into the cockpit; the old water flushed out of the drysuit. Many drysuits are still utilitarian and use tracks for mobility, with the addition of graspers for manipulating objects. More complex drysuits also exist, including ones with humanoid plans that are piloted with levers, cranks, and quite a bit of pullies. Some more high-end ones use Hydraulics. Some Sepia have taken to pushing the limits of these kinds of suits, making names for themselves on land as skilled pilots able to make their suits do acrobatics.

On the mechanics side of things, I have some simple drysuits written that need to be playtested. Currently, they have a Strength (which is used in place of the Strength Attribute), Size, Speed, Fine Manipulators (number of hands), Armor, Durability (hitpoints based on materials used), and Cockpit Durability (Cockpit hitpoints). These are a way from being tested for the moment though, hopefully within a few weeks.

If you read this far, thank you very much! Also huge thanks to @donutboxers for the art in this post. The next Species Highlight will be the Possum, and the next mechanics post will be about Metaphysicalities.

[bedrockfactory]

What's the tovoxran(?) society like, is it comparable to how it is or was anywhere on earth?

Thanks for asking! Sorry for extremely late response too, I needed some time to think about it.

I think Tovoxran society can be comparable to that of humans to a certain extend. Here are some facts about it, the first ones can be about their overall civilization tho:

- First of all, the term "Tovoxrans " is pretty much how humans and a few other species call them. The original name of their species (and how they call themselves) is "Tharr". This is totally not a trial to change their name

- Mainly before they invented technology for space travel and colonization of other planets, they lived in large, densely populated cities built around volcanoes. Later, their technology allowed them to build gigantic heat generators instead of having to settle around volcanoes.

- Due to their economy (and kind of their whole civilization too) being heavily industry-based, their cities and pretty much their whole planet is extremely polluted. Their planet's nature has always been the last thing they cared about, hence their civilization' expanding has forced various animal species to retreat from their natural habitats.

- They were forced to enter the space stage for various reasons, the main ones being massive overpopulation and a shortage of resources on their home planet.

- They have a council-based government, which was supposed to rule the whole Empire, but in practice, their management is limited to their home planet and a few closest colonies. The vast majority of the Empire's territory is ruled by corporations and industrialists.

Bonus illustration of a Tharr factory

  Now some facts more regarding their society:

- Underage Tharr (I'm now going to be calling them like this I hope it's not a big problem) is raised by one parent, usually of the same gender as them (son is raised by his father and a daughter is raised by her mother). There can be exceptions, for example when the parent of the same gender as the kid has died or can't take care of a child from another reason.

- They are a gregarious species and tend to stick together. A Tharr leading a completely solitary life is a rare sight.

- Their society and way of thinking is extremely ultilitarian, hence they tend to avoid to produce or use things that aren't that much necessary for their lives. It also means that for example, there aren't multiple brands producing bottled water or things like this. Water is water after all.

- Majority of their population inhabits mining colonies on various planets belonging to the Empire.

- Tharr society is still very stratified and divided to 3 main classes. 1st class are the most educated and important individuals, including industrialists, exceptionally important scientists and diplomats. 2nd class are mostly Tharr with more common jobs and service proffesions. Main occupation for the 3rd class with only basic education is usually a soldier or a "workforce" like an industrial worker, like a miner, factory or refinery worker (don't forget that Tharr supply many other Empires with raw and refined materials so it's kinda necessary). Also the class doesn't necessarily define the respect an individual receives, it's more like a division in terms of living conditions. In most cases 2nd class and 3rd class are very similar.

- Individuals getting the least respect from others are definitely the ones unemployed from choice. They are considered lazy and unnecessary by others.

[voidsprinkles]

Fae Folk

The Fae Folk, or Faeries, are a diverse species of liminal beings whose very nature is fluid and flexible. Even though in culture they are rigid and orderly, the rules of that order are paradoxically able to shift and adapt to the given needs of the Fae. They are beings of magic and nature, and as such have viewpoints that seem alien to others, but patterns can be found in their thinking process. Technically immortal in that death as we recognize it was not an actual process in their native realm, it was simply a process of changing from one state of being to another, like becoming a tree or turning into wind. It was only after the collapse of their realm did the Fae truly experience death for the first time. Beyond that, they do not age physically and their appearances are usually not indicative of their actual nature. They are natural magic users, and they tend to be baffled at the idea that people actually need to learn how to enact magic.

Worldwide Fae Population: 678,999,321

[spaceferren-comics]

Solibri Woman WIP

[smolartdork]

Updated Instrumen ref sheet!

This is an open species that anyone can create, and if you do I would love to see them. Just use #instrumenoc and/or #instrumenspecies

I have created a brief overview of the important stuff so if anything doesn’t make sense feel free to ask! I will definitely go more in depth in the future, sorry if things sound a little repetitive.

Brief overview

Instrumen are immortal humanoid lifeforms that used to live in harmony with humans. They have been around for as long as humans have existed. One day out of selfishness, humans decided that they wanted to play music for themselves and hunted down as many Instrumen they could until they were nothing but heads to play. Lots of Instrumen ended up taking refuge in a realm called Instrapolis. This realm was created by The Organ and he is the largest Instrumen and he is considered the heart of Instrapolis.

Much of history has been lost on both sides. Modern humans have nearly no recollection of the beings and the Instrumen have no knowledge of what the human realm is like in the present. Instrumen also cannot grasp the concept of women, they believe them to be mythical creatures that have gone extinct because of mankind’s cruelness to their species. Some even believe that they haven’t existed at all!

The size of the instrument heavily influences an Instrumen’s body shape and height. A tuba for example is a very big instrument in both width and length, so tubas tend to tower over much smaller instruments such as flutes, which are generally much smaller and thinner. Generally, all Instrumen take a more masculine appearance with their he/him and or they/them pronouns. They also have names that usually correspond with whatever instrument they are.

Instrumen originate from instruments being built. The Organ takes instruments and constructs them into Instrumen. This is done by binding them to a specific suit that is seen as their default appearance. These specifically tailored outfits are the only things they can wear in their original form. In their human forms, they can change their clothes to whatever they please (human made or Instrumen made). In their original forms, Instrumen are susceptible to having their heads removed, usually by people taking them off. However, this isn’t typically a threat for taller Instrumen. If their main suit is damaged in their original form, the suit will go flat and their head will pop off. If their head is somehow removed from their main suit in their original form, they still have consciousness but they cannot speak nor can they move.

Below are some height comparisons!

[y-make-art]

Babe wake up, new species lore dropped 🗣️🗣️

Potted Ghouls are a species I created for the Rayman world, they're a nightmare type creature but that doesn't stop them to attack nightmares as well.

In summary, they're parasites and yes they're inspired in Venom (symbiotes) AND in a species I made a while ago 🗿(ignore the sizes, I was just exaggerating)

[noxthedemonling]

Silly little hello message

Hey!! im nox!! im a transmasculine furry, whos pronouns are He/Him/They/them!! Im taken by a wonderful woman who i dont think uses this but yeh i love her sooo much but hello, and welcome to my little corner!! ill be mostly posting my little babbles n lore n art here, and yeah!! Im a therian, otherkin, and furry, and i love making lore and roleplaying! i have autism, adhd, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and possibly more stuff, but hey, im here n im a little bit childish n goofy

you can call me Nox, Noxir, Onyx, Onyx child, and any other nicknames (as long as you ask first). Most people call me nox tho!! I tend to babble ALOT, so if you see me in your comment sections babbling n you want me to stop, just let me know!! over time i will be adding more to this, including a link to explain stuff about me, and other things!!

but anyways, welcome to my corner, and i hope yall enjoy what you see, read, and everything here!! goodbye readers n have a nice day :> oh, and before i go, i may not be very active, but i do accept questions, im willing to answer questions about adhd, autism, about me myself, about what being a therian and otherkin is like, ect. just ask!!! im here to answer yall!!!

[gentleeclipsey]

Salem's mother, Roa!

She's the clan's healer, a master of medicines with a heart so kind she'll soften the angriest trolls with her gentle nature. She has a lovely bedside manner, she's amazing with kids, and is well versed in various spells and elixirs for magical use. Some lore on her condition and Anphi society below the cut!

She's known as an oracle, where an Anphi is born with far more eyes than they should have, most often in a halo on the face but it can be a semi-coverage to complete body affliction, she's a semi-covered variation. Oracle Anphi cannot stand on two legs, as they're born quadrupedal and will never gain the ability to stand bipedally for long moments due to their skeletal structure. Because of this, she also cannot fly or glide, so if she falls off a cavern edge she will most certainly die. Alongside this, an oracle's neck is longer than the average Anphian's, which can cause back problems if they don't care for themselves properly with the right bedding or too much flexing of the spine. Partial to full blindness is extremely common for oracles, as well as semi to full body paralysis due to neck injuries. Roa has managed to avoid these but raising two nests of whelps proved difficult when so many little tails and hands often poked into her sensitive eyes.

She was born into what's called the Strike Generation, these whelps came about during a time of great crisis amongst their people when sickness spread rampantly, the pools had been poisoned by changes in the ocean, and famine plagued them. 90% of whelps born in this period were born with mutations and stunted limbs. Anphi society changed drastically due to this, and now atypical and disabled Anphi are treated and cared for as though they are normal socially, though accommodated based on their bodies so they can live an effectively normal life.

Atypical Anphians can produce whole litters of common offspring, and even a pair of them can produce common as well, such as Roa and her husband Howler, Salem's parents. Mutations and odd limbs are genetic, but most often these genes are are triggered by highly unfavorable conditions during the carrying process, starvation, sickness, and very poor water conditions often being the most common causes.

[gravescore-records]

NeoEarth Bestiary Log 1: Star Spirits

Star Spirits are cosmic beings mysteriously tied to stars, their bodies being astral projections made corporeal to act as a vessel for the star's insurmountable energy. Because of how these physical forms are created, they are naturally attuned to magic. While the magic circles of Star Spirits can be tied to a specific element, all are naturally bound to the element of fire. This binding, alongside regular consumption and bathing in flame to restore energy, grants them immunity to damage from fire.

It's common for Star Spirits to be found in clans that we see as "Constellations". The name correlation between a Star Spirit clan and a sapien's concept of a cluster of stars that form an image is no mere coincidence. Much like most celestial bodies or creatures of divine nature, the birth of new stars, and by proxy, their spirits and clans, are highly codependent on beliefs held by sapient life.

However, while more uncommon, it is possible for a Star Spirit to exist without a clan through several means, such as sapient views on a given constellation changing to exclude a star while the star in question is still bright and burning, or perhaps a singular star had enough of the prerequisites to give birth to its own Star Spirit. We were refer to such oddities as Lone Stars due to these circumstances, but these are but a few examples of endless possibilities.

Within Star Spirit Clans, it is common for Star Spirits to be named after objects or concepts, such as "Thimble, Dawn, Dusk, Alley, River, Thyme" and so on. Usually Star Spirits pick their names themselves, with the exception to this being the clan leaders, who name themselves after titles of nobility.

The first leader of a clan tends to be the oldest when a constellation is first formed. Every leader that may join them after that is determined by the strength of the protostar they're tied to. The more mass that collects during a Star formation and the brighter a newborn star burns, the chances of them becoming a new leader increases greatly. Star Spirits have to be exceptional to be considered for leadership. Often times there will be one to two leaders, but three to four is not uncommon.

Because of their origins of being starbound, they need a lot of sleep, exactly twelve hours of it. Their sleep schedule is determined by their elemental alignment, which will be explained later below. Once these twelve hours are up and its time for a Star Spirit to sleep, their internal clocks will enforce that need and they will instinctively seek out somewhere suitable for their slumber. If a hospitable environment is not found fast enough, they will be forced to sleep regardless of where they are*.

This, however, is if a Star Spirit should choose to regular wake up and engage with others. It's common practice to sleep for long periods of time to prolong their life spans. Rest is one of many factors that determine how long a Star Spirit lives, which also ties into how much energy they cause their stars to burn. Staying awake, prolonged use of magic that needs concentration, and even having their bodies damaged can burn away that energy. If a Star Spirit dies they will reconstitute at their place of death after so many days depending on the damage done. However, if a Star Spirit dies and their star burns out as a result, they will not reconstitute.

As mentioned before, sapient belief is a huge part of a Star Spirit's existence. Typically Star Spirits help keep these beliefs alive by granting wishes, but if for whatever reason a Star Spirit is prevented from doing this or the belief in them dwindles, the star is also affected. Without purpose, a Star Spirit will die faster.

However, it is entirely possible to preserve and even prolong the longevity of a Star Spirit. If it can consume more materia with a high enough energy resource than it can burn energy, it can potentially add several eons more onto its lifespan.

Two types of Star Spirits have been recorded, namely Dark Star Spirits and Light Star Spirits. There are a plethora of things that differentiate them from one another, factors such as appearance, means of construction, and primary elemental alignment. Their alignment can also affect certain attributes of their magic...

Dark Star Spirits:

Dark Star Spirits are born during night hours, with forms created by subconscious minds. Attributes used in their appearances come from concepts and ideas formulated by sapient minds, resulting in Dark Star Spirits typically sharing the appearances of anthropomorphic "fairytale creatures", such as dragons, unicorns, imps, goblins, pheonixes, and the like. Because they are born of traditional dreams, they possess the natural ability to traverse them and even alter them if they so desire.

They commonly act as overseers, using this natural dream-travelling ability to better determine wishes one might have. It's also a great way for them to actually live their lives while staying asleep at the same time, but it makes for poor conversation if there's no one there to talk to**.

A Dark Star's natural alignment is infernal or fiendish in nature, typically having colors that are darker in tone, capable of travelling through dark spaces. Anywhere a shadow grows, a Dark Star Spirit can lurk and warp, and in certain instances, they can even influence the darkness around them. Certain effects can cause their bodies to become as dark as a silhouette or make the darkness of a room creep into a light hallway, creating that nauseous and uneasy feeling as you stare into a space that seems a lot deeper than it actually is.

Their sleep schedules start at 7AM and lasts until 7PM exactly.

Light Star Spirit:

Light Star Spirits are born of daydreams during the light hours of day, taking forms made from traits created by the conscious mind. This can result in much more unique and strange physical visages, but can also result in more inconspicuous appearances taking inspiration from everyday objects and creatures as well. Their pallets are also typically brighter and more vibrant in color to match.

They're often great mind readers, traversing the folds of one's mind for their deepest desires, allowing them to inherently know what one wants. Should they choose to do this in secrecy as to not be detected, the person they have chosen to probe the minds of may seem spacey, as if in a daydream-like state***.

They have much in common with their dark counterparts, yet they stand in direct opposition. They can teleport and hide themselves wherever light shines, they're more celestial in alignment and have a natural resistance to radiant light. Their sleeping schedules are 7PM to 7AM sharp, but they can traverse dreams all the same just like their Dark Star cousins. This is, however, moreso for their own entertainment rather than necessity. After all, they're required to sleep 12 hours a day, and someone has to be asleep on the other side of the world, right? Have to live your slumbering life somehow.

NOTES FROM LEAD ARCHIVER CLAWDY:

* In the event that this happens in the middle of our hallways or other areas of Gravescore, denizens are encouraged to bring the unconscious Star Spirit to a safe place on the property to avoid them getting trampled on.

** Consider the possibility of lucid dreaming training to allow for increased chances of interaction with the Dark Star Spirits.

*** Keep an eye on any denizens that start spacing out at random so that we can catch these Light Star Spirits in the act, they can't keep doing this forever!

In regards to the statement directly above: They don't have much of a choice... unless there's a sudden and noticeable increase in this behavior en masse, in which they may be messing with you because they know its getting a rise out of you - 🐾

[disenchantedif]

Are the nephilim and/or angels(if there is any) able to lose their wings? Like fallen angels(I think) and there is archdemon cambions? There is a lucifer? Any living dragon?other worldly creature (sentient or not)? Is there cambions of different circles( like wrath)?

Sorry if it's too long...

You’ll find out quickly that nephilim aren’t held to the same standards of angelic divinity as actual angels. As for fallen angels, that’s an entirely different divine boat of corruption.

Now, with cambions they all come from demons. However, a cambion with horns is the direct child of a demon. So be wary if you spot horns on one, they’re not to be tousled with.

Demons do have a hierarchy, naturally; specifically they’re lead by the Seven Archdemons of Hell (say hello to Theo’s great grandma). They serve directly under Satan and are quite powerful. There are worse things out there, however, than even the Seven.

Dragons do exist (barely), but pray you never meet one.

As for mythical creatures, most are real. Some aren’t. Or maybe they are and they went extinct a long time ago. Or they’re just endangered now and no one can find them. It’s really a mystery exactly how many supernatural beings do exist.

[prima-materia-ttrpg]

Species Highlight - Koura

If there's one thing I know, it's that lobsters are cool. If there are two things I know, it's that they're immortal and one of these days a cult is going to help a lobster molt for over a hundred years until it takes up the space of an Olympic sized swimming pool and they worship it as a new god.

Anyways, here's a highlight from the depths of the oceans, the very playable Koura species.

The Koura, like the Ternaki, are functionally immortal. Adults usually grow to be around 7 feet tall and 20 feet long. During the course of their lives they never stop growing, but they do eventually get so big that they can't move anymore. This happens once a Koura starts getting to around 500 years old. Koura are amphibious and can breathe in both water and air, though many would rather stay in the oceans if only because it's easier to walk around.

This isn't to say that some Koura cultures don't incorporate land-based cities and such. Many sedentary Koura civilizations enjoy interacting with other species and their cultures on land.

Most Koura, however, are semi-nomadic; seasonally migrating between shallow, hot latitudes in the summer when they have children to deep waters of any latitude in the winter. The semi-nomadic Koura are organized in autocratic societies, with warrior-kings at the head of groups; generally relying on trusted friends or family to give them advice. They are concerned with survival and the continuation of their way of life, hunting large sea monsters and foraging for food. They preserve their stories through oral history and shell etchings, a Koura Lorekeeper has many generations of stories both memorized and etched into their shell.

One such legend is that of a Koura King who lead the charge on an existential threat to the world - when the hollow god deigned to fill itself with the flesh of every living thing and the substance of all that is, she stood in battle while alchemists used powerful alchemy to seal it at the bottom of the deepest trench in the whole of the world. This king survived and continued leading her people. Eventually, when she got too old to walk on her own, her people put her back near the trench and took care of her in her old age. Thus, the valley of the kings was born. Many Koura take pilgrimages to this place to offer food and supplies to the monks that are there, taking care of many kings who have grown too old to lead their people until they are ready to die. The king who fought the hollow god declines death, and has been in the valley for over two thousand years enjoying herself.

Tradition and Lorekeeping

Koura have a strong tradition of keeping stories alive. Every nomadic group has at least one Lorekeeper, and sedentary Koura cultures generally have orders dedicated to preserving history in one way or another, whether they be more academic in nature or closer to their Lorekeeper roots.

Lorekeepers hold a high place in Koura society, and often find themselves as confidants to community members seeking guidance for hard decisions thanks to their wealth of knowledge about the past and perceived wisdom.

Any Koura can become a Lorekeeper, but it is quite the undertaking and is steeped in religious tradition. A tribe's current Lorekeeper chooses one or more successors to train and mold into new Lorekeepers. They are taught the oral tradition of their tribe; religious and mythological legends, philosophy, and history. At some point, when the Lorekeeper thinks their apprentice is ready, they undergo a rite of transformation to become a Lorekeeper themselves. The rite of transformation involves the apprentice going into a cave to meditate in solitude for three months. Over this period, the apprentice challenges themselves mentally, and meditates on various stories and Lorekeeper traditions, forging their own views and philosophy with context from their oral tradition on what it means to be a Lorekeeper. Physically, the Koura's body undergoes changes as well, by the end of the three month period whether the apprentice was male or female the changes cause them to become a third sex able to take on the role of both. This form is religiously significant in many Koura cultures, and is an intentional part of the ritual.

After a Koura becomes a Lorekeeper, they choose their first story to be etched into their shell. New Lorekeepers continue to aid the elder Lorekeeper and learn from them, being an apprentice never truly stops as there are many stories to record and tell.

When a Lorekeeper molts, their shells are preserved and bound together as books, and new stories are etched into the new shell. Some of these books have been with Koura tribes for thousands of years.

Life among other species

A far cry from the waters of the ocean, some Koura do make their way onto land every now and then. Some are even permanent residents of land-based cities. Nomadic Koura tribes will often trade with land-based civilizations for nontarnishable metal goods. Sedentary Koura civilizations trade with their neighbors both on land and in the oceans, generally producing large quantities of food. In some places, Koura settle in the oceans directly next to land-based cultures and over time their cities and the cities on land become more intertwined, to the point of being a single city on some occasions.

The largest standalone Koura settlement, or group of settlements rather, that's on land is on the shores of Meridionalis. The Koura there have called the shores of Meridionalis home for thousands of years. Some Koura on Meridionalis tell stories of a time of co-existence with humans on the continent, but the human civilization there vanished long ago if it ever existed in the first place.

Koura that choose to live in land-based cultures will often find themselves doing jobs requiring strength. Labor jobs, hired muscle, and adventuring are all relatively easy jobs for Koura to get into. Some Koura are hired as farmers because their claws make for good plows, and they can move hay bales like they're nothing. This isn't to say that all Koura do physical labor jobs, of course, there are many accomplished alchemists, astronomers, chefs and all manner of other career-focused Koura in the world. One Koura, Robu, owns a wandering restaurant called "Nhànten Ebi" which is very popular along the West Coast of Atiyeret.

The Logistics of being a Sea Monster

Koura, as a playable species, are hard to figure out. They have hefty natural armor, hit like trucks, can't jump or climb, their language is unpronounceable to other species, and most characters will be around a ton or two. These things, realistically, should rip up or at least severely damage cobblestones when they walk on them. They can't even fit in most doorways. So how do I write them mechanically? How do I incorporate them into the land-based setting in a way that makes sense for players to interact with the world?

The narrative question is much easier than the mechanical one. Places that see a lot of Koura will have accommodations for them, and Koura wear rubber capped "shoes" in and near towns so they don't rip up the ground. Many Koura on land will have retainers that know their language and can translate for them. Other narrative questions about the Koura's unique physiology can be answered in similar ways.

Mechanically, it is hard to balance the Koura. Luckily, the species in Prima Materia are meant to be somewhat asymmetrical anyway, with skills and features being more closely balanced. However, I do need to make sure the Koura aren't too crazy while staying true to how I want to portray them as creatures. At the moment, they start with the best natural armor in the game, but not the best overall. It is above average. They can also use their claws as melee weapons, which only really make sense as the best blunt weapons in the game considering most other blunt weapons are much smaller and Force = Mass x Acceleration. There's quite a lot of mass in one of those claws (not to mention the sheer force of getting caught in one). The only other unique trait they currently have is "Exotic Body Plan," which lets them roll an extra die for checks involving Strength, and doesn't allow them to swim, jump, or climb.

As always, thank you for reading this far. This post took a while to write as I was forced to make the Koura interesting (actually worldbuild beyond "I like lobsters, I want lobsters in the setting"). If you want to make your own Koura and perhaps use it in play, here are the playtests for Prima Materia. Next week (or I suppose in half a week, because this post took so long) I will talk about Ranged Combat and some lessons in failing miserably.

And of course big thanks to @donutboxers for the art (it's taking commissions btw)

[ekster--exotic]

HHHHHH HHHHHHH HHHHHHHH LORE WITHDRAWLS

I’ve been dead for a while and now I feel a strong urge to put down the Lore that’s been shakin around within my cranium. (Pirate AU edition)

-Types of aquatic creatures inhabiting Bøv- (siren/Capricorn/Inkblood coming soon)

Merfolk:

They’re rarely seen and tend to stay away from the surface, keeping to themselves near the depths of the ocean. This is due to their race being hunted and killed for trophies, scales, and merblood, which is believed to have medicinal/ anti-aging properties. However, that theory has yet to be proven. Merfolk posses human-like upper halves, with pale, finned skin. Their teeth are sharp and thin, along with bright W-shaped pupils. Below are long tails that mirror one of a fish. Merfolk around the world have developed various types of tails to better adapt to their environment, but the ones located near Bøv have maintained the “oarfish pattern”. That is, Bøv merfolk have long bodies and black dots covering their fish half. Red spines accent their whole body, and their hair is a similar color. If you see a mer-person near the surface, simply do not interact, and leave the area if possible.

[Length from tail to head can be around 8-20 feet for adult merfolk] - [Weight is roughly 90-210 pounds, dependent on age and length of specimen]

Aquarians:

Aquarians are related to merfolk and carry many similarities to the other race. However, they are more evolutionarily advanced, being bipedal and semi aquatic. They roam both the sea and surface with ease, having a tendency to seek humans out of curiosity. This race has intelligence matching a human’s, as they are highly cognitive, social, and have been known to understand/speak different languages. Aquarian legs are slightly curved. Claws on their hands and feet are retractable, similar to a cat. Their tails are serpentine, sinuous and roughly twice as long as their bodies. Fins are located at the end of an Aquarian’s tail and on the sides of their faces. Skin color is typically a shade of blue, like cyan, turquoise, or azure. Teeth are pointed, and their pupils are vertical slits. Unlike merfolk and sirens, Aquarians are hermaphrodites. It is estimated that 3 out of every 5 Aquarians choose to be androgynous. If you come across an Aquarian, first try to see what their intentions are. If friendly, either go along with your day or politely interact. However, if the Aquarian seems mischievous-looking or with malicious intentions, it’ll be best to keep distance and mind your business. [Adult Aquarians are taller than humans, being roughly 6-10 feet tall on average.] - [Weight is around 90-170 pounds, dependent on age and size.]

LORE WRITING URGE SATIATED.

here’s some Aquarian concept sketches

(Aquarians can have hair btw. I just didn’t add it for the sketch lol)

[aeodoodles]

This commission was a fun one! So basically, I have a personal species called Dravada, which I use as an excuse to draw my characters the way they are. Someone asked me to design a Dravada gal for them, so I actually had to think about what makes a Dravada... well, a Dravada. I've come up with a small list of features that most members of this species share, region and genetic-dependant:

All Dravada are covered in a small layer of light down, similar to feathers. These feathers are most prominent at upper-body joints, such as the shoulders or elbows.

The majority of Dravada have a natural hair color that is a darker shade of their down. Red Dravada have red hair, and so on and so forth.

Certain colors of Dravada are known to inhabit certain regions. For example, Khali (a southern Dravada) has a much lighter fur tone, while northern Dravada have darker shades of down.

(If I'm honest a lot of these were made up on the fly. I just like drawing my characters the way they are, any further justification is kinda pushing it. Maybe I should expand on this in the future)

Anyways, that's all for this one. Fun commission to work on!

[annondraggahart]

Made a new species! They are the rivals or enemies od the Sauroch. ^^ They are called Iskios (Meaning - Shade or Shadow) The Iskios are very distantly related to the Umbrum ponies. They are creatures born from corruption & black flames. They were made through artificial means, created by Physician Merle who was trying to create a dark spell for his own uses. However, he carelessly made a being that should've never existed. They are a Closed species, so do not make an OC

They will be officially released on May 15th, 2024, ^^