The Diaemus Project

[Lindel he/him]

My life is going to be a little crazy the next week or so, which means this is getting put on the back burner for now. I've got some concepts, but I'll hold off on sharing until I get more of it worked out. For any of my neighbors on the east coast of the main continent who might be interested, I have some rough ideas for an ancient Rachnyx Empire that once spanned a large chunk of the continent. The empire fell apart some time ago, but they left vast complexes of tunnels and several splintered clans. I've tentatively named it the Hrakilen Empire. More on that later.

[+Slowswift he/him]

I'm honestly not entirely sure what's going on here- this is a lot more intense than I was expecting - but of at all possible, could I request a summary and the north of that island?

[Kobold King he/him]

My life is going to be a little crazy the next week or so, which means this is getting put on the back burner for now. I've got some concepts, but I'll hold off on sharing until I get more of it worked out. For any of my neighbors on the east coast of the main continent who might be interested, I have some rough ideas for an ancient Rachnyx Empire that once spanned a large chunk of the continent. The empire fell apart some time ago, but they left vast complexes of tunnels and several splintered clans. I've tentatively named it the Hrakilen Empire. More on that later.

 

Aww. Looking forward to reading what you come up with, though.

 

 

How "ancient" are we talking about? A thousand years old? Ten thousand years old? A fossilized empire that ruled a million years previously?

Edited September 25, 2015 by Kobold King

[Mailliw73 he/him]

If your people didn't possess metal working capabilities, then there'd be absolutely no conflict at all. In fact, if you wanted a tribal society that uses metal tools, I could even work in that the Dromean colonists traded with them too in that early century, and continue to do so in the modern day.

 

There were a few tundra folk clans who could be pretty nasty when they felt threatened, but all things considered they were remarkably benign. If your people are peaceful, then they'd almost certainly be allowed to live in peace.

Perfect! Would the Dromeans trade metal tools for plant food or are they completely carnivorous? I'm thinking that my people would be a bit of a specialty in the south, having plants because of their focus on cultivating with their red lumuoles and they use the plants to trade to cultures near them in the polar areas.

 

Okay, that sounds good to me.

 

Gwslow, Warden, Honey Badger, or even Edgedancer: do any of your societies fit the spot of trading plants to the Mirani people in exchange for Sarmu/snuffel milk and meat?

[Lindel he/him]

Aww. Looking forward to reading what you come up with, though.

How "ancient" are we talking about? A thousand years old? Ten thousand years old? A fossilized empire that ruled a million years previously?

I shouldn't say ancient, actually. I'm thinking it fell in the relatively recent past, recent enough that its memory hasn't completely faded in what's left of the empire. The former capital of the Hrakilen Empire, Khyr, is still around, for example. So maybe a couple hundred years?

[Sir Jerric he/him]

Progress Report:
(i.e. I feel bad for not having this done yet, but I did say this part was harder.)
Thumbnail because 2040*1640 is too big.
 
There it is, in all its Wiki-palette, eye-burn-inducing glory. Note that climates are not established in the northern part yet. I think the coasts and islands look pretty decent, though.
 
@Seonid: I hope that the sea on the yellow-green border may do. I can go back and enlarge it if you want more than 200 miles by 300 miles of inland sea. That's about a 17 day land journey to reach an opposite coast, if you can cover 30 miles a day. Most wagons and large groups are doing well to achieve 10 or 15 miles a day.
 
@TheYoungBard: I suppose I forgot to mention the scale-change issue. Your old map was on a 360*360. Scale up to 1200*1200 and things should line up. Except I messed with the coastlines too, so I am sure there will be other tweaks. But I figured I should provide the full-size and let you get that worked out sooner.

[Mailliw73 he/him]

So, is my area between the orange and blue in the north part of the south continent? The shapes look different.

[Sir Jerric he/him]

I'd say it probably falls on the two peninsulas that define the bay, in orange (steppe) and blue (tropical savanna). But TheYoungBard has the map for that.

[Young Bard he/him]

I tried transferring the layers over and resizing, but I was expanding it so much that it was barely legible. (I could always shrink Sir Jerric's map, but I decided not to, for various reasons)

 

So, I've decided to quickly redraw the 13 people who've done it so far. I'll probably have it to you guys tomorrow evening (maybe tonight, I'm not sure.)

 

EDIT: Having said that, I've finished everything except the arctic regions (Kobold, TwiLyght, and Mailliw, I can't give you your old spots unless you want to start working on a submerged continent.)

 

For the rest of you, could you check your places on the map to confirm the places you have? There have been minor reshuffles, but nothing major.

 

 

P.S. Wait... submerged continent? That sounds amazing, now that I think about it.

Edited September 25, 2015 by TheYoungBard

[Kobold King he/him]

I shouldn't say ancient, actually. I'm thinking it fell in the relatively recent past, recent enough that its memory hasn't completely faded in what's left of the empire. The former capital of the Hrakilen Empire, Khyr, is still around, for example. So maybe a couple hundred years?

 

So it'll be like the British Empire of our world--hot news a couple hundred years ago, but nowadays it's shrunk dramatically and gets overshadowed by bigger powers?

 

 

Progress Report:

(i.e. I feel bad for not having this done yet, but I did say this part was harder.)

Thumbnail because 2040*1640 is too big.

 

There it is, in all its Wiki-palette, eye-burn-inducing glory. Note that climates are not established in the northern part yet. I think the coasts and islands look pretty decent, though.

 

@Seonid: I hope that the sea on the yellow-green border may do. I can go back and enlarge it if you want more than 200 miles by 300 miles of inland sea. That's about a 17 day land journey to reach an opposite coast, if you can cover 30 miles a day. Most wagons and large groups are doing well to achieve 10 or 15 miles a day.

 

@TheYoungBard: I suppose I forgot to mention the scale-change issue. Your old map was on a 360*360. Scale up to 1200*1200 and things should line up. Except I messed with the coastlines too, so I am sure there will be other tweaks. But I figured I should provide the full-size and let you get that worked out sooner.

I tried transferring the layers over and resizing, but I was expanding it so much that it was barely legible. (I could always shrink Sir Jerric's map, but I decided not to, for various reasons)

 

So, I've decided to quickly redraw the 13 people who've done it so far. I'll probably have it to you guys tomorrow evening (maybe tonight, I'm not sure.)

 

EDIT: Having said that, I've finished everything except the arctic regions (Kobold, TwiLyght, and Mailliw, I can't give you your old spots unless you want to start working on a submerged continent.)

 

For the rest of you, could you check your places on the map to confirm the places you have? There have been minor reshuffles, but nothing major.

 

Who owns what v2.jpg

 

P.S. Wait... submerged continent? That sounds amazing, now that I think about it.

 

 

If I may gesture to the part of the new coast I would like:

 

 

Maybe Twi's coastals could be found on the far coast of the western bay?

 

 

Also, for anyone confused by the Koppen classification colors, here's our dear world of Earth rendered in the same colors:

 

[The Honey Badger he/him]

 

Gwslow, Warden, Honey Badger, or even Edgedancer: do any of your societies fit the spot of trading plants to the Mirani people in exchange for Sarmu/snuffel milk and meat?

@Mailiw, My society is currently more of a hunter- gatherer type. As Rainforests have poor soil, and isn't great for cultivation of crops. But, depending on the period of time I want to use, I could have them growing in the low parts of the mountains. But this depends on how much time the Arakeans,(my race) have been there and how advanced the rest of the world is. Which brings me to my next point, 

 

@Everybody working on Diaemus, I'm struggling with how advanced to make my culture, how long have these sentient races existed since learning to first herd animals and grow crops? In relation to Earth what year would Diaemus be in? It makes little sense for one region to be hunter gatherer type, while another is steel working. I understand how having a future and a past is important to worldbuilding, but I think we need a Diameus 'home' time. Just to base everything else off of. It would just help my worldbuilding process, to have a 'home' time like that. Thanks. I would appreciate your thoughts on this subject.

[the winter system]

Ugh. I WAS going to put up the Dromeans and more on Scorpi and my new race tonight, but I was busy. I SHOULD put it up tonight, I promise. 

[Kobold King he/him]

@Everybody working on Diaemus, I'm struggling with how advanced to make my culture, how long have these sentient races existed since learning to first herd animals and grow crops? In relation to Earth what year would Diaemus be in? It makes little sense for one region to be hunter gatherer type, while another is steel working. I understand how having a future and a past is important to worldbuilding, but I think we need a Diameus 'home' time. Just to base everything else off of. It would just help my worldbuilding process, to have a 'home' time like that. Thanks. I would appreciate your thoughts on this subject.

 

On the contrary, it makes a lot of sense. The continents we have thus far are huge, comparable to Asia in size. Asia has historically been home to great empires, primitive tribes, and remote isolated kingdoms all at the same time, with no overlapping borders or disputed territories. There could be many different levels of technological advancement.

 

With that said, here are some things I've established thus far:

 

• Humans arrived on Diaemus a little over ten thousand years ago. All human cultures and societies currently on the planet have dispersed since that time.
• The Rachnyx and the Dromeans had been around for over a million years already, but apart from a few long-lost civilizations, these were primarily Stone Age primitives.
• Bronze casting was well-known to at least some Dromean cultures one thousand years ago. It remains undetermined whether steel was commonplace anywhere by this time, but it is certainly available to sufficiently advanced cultures today.
• At least one civilization (the Ice Kin) have learned how to use blue lumuoles for cheap and efficient hydropower, suggesting that water wheels and other mechanisms might also be available.

 

Personally, if I had to guess I'd say that a Greco-Roman level of technology is probably about as advanced as it goes on the prime continent of Diaemus. However, there aren't any hard limits right now, and there could be some very advanced folks living up in Edgedancer's mountains or in some other region we don't know much about.

[Seonid he/him]

The Sorukaan Empire and their neighboring human communities in the northern continent are probably right at the beginning of the High Middle Ages, technologically (of course, social things are different). Crossbows and worked steel are common, and the humans mass-produce pikes and field groups of armored cavalry (again, although the social order is not a direct mapping to European feudalism). Gunpowder has not yet been developed, but is probably on the order of a century away, maybe less. Certainly not 3 or 4.

 

Of course, how far steelworking has spread from the Sorukaana is entirely up to any neighbors I get.

 

Progress Report:
(i.e. I feel bad for not having this done yet, but I did say this part was harder.)
Thumbnail because 2040*1640 is too big.
 
There it is, in all its Wiki-palette, eye-burn-inducing glory. Note that climates are not established in the northern part yet. I think the coasts and islands look pretty decent, though.
 
@Seonid: I hope that the sea on the yellow-green border may do. I can go back and enlarge it if you want more than 200 miles by 300 miles of inland sea. That's about a 17 day land journey to reach an opposite coast, if you can cover 30 miles a day. Most wagons and large groups are doing well to achieve 10 or 15 miles a day.

 

The sea on the yellow green border would be excellent! I'll wait until you are finished to grab a specific area, but I'm thinking the eastern continent, about a 400 mile-long stretch of coastline would be nice.

 

Speaking of that, I just looked up Koppen climate codes (fascinating things - I love classification schema!), and while you are still fleshing it out, could I get a Dfb or Dfc area somewhere along the eastern coastline? Sorry to keep making requests, but the taiga environment is one I'd like to explore.

[Mckeedee123 he/him]

On the contrary, it makes a lot of sense. The continents we have thus far are huge, comparable to Asia in size. Asia has historically been home to great empires, primitive tribes, and remote isolated kingdoms all at the same time, with no overlapping borders or disputed territories. There could be many different levels of technological advancement.

 

With that said, here are some things I've established thus far:

 

• Humans arrived on Diaemus a little over ten thousand years ago. All human cultures and societies currently on the planet have dispersed since that time.
• The Rachnyx and the Dromeans had been around for over a million years already, but apart from a few long-lost civilizations, these were primarily Stone Age primitives.
• Bronze casting was well-known to at least some Dromean cultures one thousand years ago. It remains undetermined whether steel was commonplace anywhere by this time, but it is certainly available to sufficiently advanced cultures today.
• At least one civilization (the Ice Kin) have learned how to use blue lumuoles for cheap and efficient hydropower, suggesting that water wheels and other mechanisms might also be available.

 

Personally, if I had to guess I'd say that a Greco-Roman level of technology is probably about as advanced as it goes on the prime continent of Diaemus. However, there aren't any hard limits right now, and there could be some very advanced folks living up in Edgedancer's mountains or in some other region we don't know much about.

 

I've been working off of a close mirror of human society so far.

 

• Humans arrived about 13,000 years ago
• Agriculture was developed in some areas about 11,000 years ago
• Complex societies appeared around 4,000 years ago, along with bronzeworking and the domestication and increase in size of the horse. Horses allowed nomadic humans to outcompete Dromeans in many areas and really begin spreading.
• The iron age started about 2,000 years ago
• Disease pool homogenization weakened human civilizations around 1,500 years ago, leading to the collapse of many empires
• States begin recentralizing  around 500 years ago.

[the winter system]

Due to the isolation of the humans of the Steppes, which remain unnamed, they have very primitive technology, but due to Ea and the surge of interest in scholarship that followed, a few bigger cities have developed. They're reaching a Golden Age.

 

Ea traveled all over the west of her continent, but after she retired, a large number of the Steppe's People, inspired by her, set off on their own "Discovery Voyages." Some went by sea, some by land. They all claim to be "Ea's descendant" and if she ever actually had any was lost to the records. 

[Kobold King he/him]

 

I've been working off of a close mirror of human society so far.

 

• Humans arrived about 13,000 years ago
• Agriculture was developed in some areas about 11,000 years ago
• Complex societies appeared around 4,000 years ago, along with bronzeworking and the domestication and increase in size of the horse. Horses allowed nomadic humans to outcompete Dromeans in many areas and really begin spreading.
• The iron age started about 2,000 years ago
• Disease pool homogenization weakened human civilizations around 1,500 years ago, leading to the collapse of many empires
• States begin recentralizing  around 500 years ago.

 

That works for me. Dromeans and Rachnyx have been around for many millennia longer, though, so they should either be ahead of humans or have their own timeline.

 

 

 

In any case, here are some new tundra animals!

 

Snowsaber (Cryokopisaurus)

 

There are certainly mammalian predators on Diaemus, but in many places they are overshadowed by the great carnivorous dinosaurs. Towering bodies, enormous skulls, and banana-sized fangs characterize this group, and they have (presumably) colonized many distinct habitats. In the frozen snow fields of the tundra, one such predator, the snowsaber, reigns supreme. This beast is forty feet long and weighs over a ton, and its roar is a note of terror for many polar species.

 

Theropod dinosaurs usually have short arms and walk upon two legs. The snowsaber has long since evolved past that. The arms of the snowsaber are almost as long and powerful as the legs, and the animal frequently bounds on all fours when covering distance. Its scales are shielded by the cold by a coat of shaggy ivory feathers, and the jaws are fringed with colonies of blue lumuoles bright enough to blend in with the pure white landscape of the winter tundra. In summer, when the tundra turns green, the snowsaber molts and gains a auburn coat, and the jaw lumuoles turn deep navy as the males attempt to attract females.

 

The naming characteristic of the snowsaber is the pair of lethal saber-shaped fangs at the front of the mouth, visible even when the animal's mouth is closed. The teeth are curved and fulfill the same function they did for the saber-toothed cats of Earth--killing. When hunting the snowsaber will ambush its prey, bounding to its side and using its powerful front forelegs to wrestle and pin it to the ground. Once the unfortunate megafauna is fully helpless, the snowsaber will swiftly sever its jugular veins with a bite to the throat, allowing the animal to bleed out in the snow before digging in to the carcass.

 

Because of the delicate saber teeth in the front, the snowsaber must be cautious when eating and hunting. Small and bony prey like humans are generally shunned, in favor of large beefy herbivores like spaksnouts and the few other iguanadonts of the tundra. Humans nonetheless must fear the young of the snowsaber, which will happily prey on humans and other small game before their fangs grow in. And snowsabers of all ages will be a serious threat to any people who rely on large livestock to secure their sustenance on the frozen plains.

 

 

Scuzzard (Erythopterus)

 

Snowsabers, because of their teeth, have difficulty making use of an entire prey animal and often leave the remnants of the carcass lying out in the open. In addition, large animals from the sea regularly wash up upon the coastline, and make for an easy meal for scavengers. The tundra's resident scavenger is the scuzzard, the pterosaur equivalent to the avian vulture.

 

Any meat left exposed to the elements with quickly assemble a throng of these condor-sized pterodactyls. They are covered in thick silver hair except for their wings, which are also hairy but also blink dark red from red lumuole colonies that take up residence there. The lumuoles generate something like a thermal air current in flight, allowing the pterosaur to glide with ease across the frigid landscape.

 

The scuzzard is magnificently adapted to its chosen habitat. A keen sense of smell allows the animal to smell an animal the moment it keels over; a dark, semi-transparent membrane can be closed over the eyes at will, filtering out snowglare but allowing the pterosaur to spot a dead animal from high in the sky. Finally, scuzzards have extremely thick, sharp beaks that are perfect for ripping into the hides of dead dinosaurs, exposing the cold flesh within.

 

Once meat has reached the digestive system, part of it remains fermenting in the stomach acid for weeks on end. This is not an inefficiency in the animal; this is a defense mechanism. If a small predator threatens the scuzzard, the red-winged pterodactyl will open its beak wide and let loose a barrage of steamy projectile vomit, in some species heated to dangerous degrees by extra lumuole colonies in the stomach. This deters 99% of all the predators a scuzzard is likely to face, and is often used in displays for females during the breeding season.

 

The scuzzard may be the only life form on Diaemus that doesn't see anything gross about this.

 

 

And now, here's the first marine critter I've designed, like I promised Twi. (Also, I would like to propose that we name the cold body of water around the south pole "The Twilight Ocean." In-universe because of the faint amount of sunlight that makes its way to the south pole, and out-of-universe because of the obvious meta joke. )

 

 

Pliod (Kardosaurus)

 

At first glance, one might confuse a pliod with a huge crocodile with flippers for legs, with a dark black back and a tan underbelly. The pliod rather belongs to the pliosaur family, and is one of the more savage predators of the Twilight Ocean.

 

Pliods are antisocial creatures, which nonetheless share a lot of beach space as they wallow on the shore in between hunts. They maintain fiercely defended personal space, and it's not uncommon for angry bull pliods to rip each other's faces off over choice patches of turf. In the water they become fearsome and deadly carnivores, capable of catching and eating practically anything smaller than themselves. (And for a Volkswagen-sized predator, this means that animals a pliod can't eat are few and far between.

 

Blue lumuole colonies flow through the animal's body, preventing its blood from freezing in the ice-cold water. They are acquired through dietary means, as most polar fish use the lumuoles for the same purpose. "Hotspots" are extremely numerous in this ocean, and pliods rarely find themselves in the position of having malnourished lumuoles.

 

 

To TwiLyght: I created the pliods solely to serve as a nemesis to the drulgas. Pliods would hunt and kill drulgas whenever they're given the opportunity, and since beaches that are also lumuole hotspots may not be in abundance, they could easily wind up clashing over magical floor space.

 

If you'd rather the drulgas be the apex predators of their environment, I can easily replace the pliods with a completely aquatic supercarnivore that lives in deep waters far away from the shores. Your wish is my command.

 

 

 

I have a few more marine critter ideas, including ocean-going pterosaurs and a giant ammonite found in deep southern waters. To everyone else, if you'd like some help designing Mesozoic-appropriate wildlife for your region, I'd be overjoyed to help.

[Edgedancer he/him]

Personally, if I had to guess I'd say that a Greco-Roman level of technology is probably about as advanced as it goes on the prime continent of Diaemus. However, there aren't any hard limits right now, and there could be some very advanced folks living up in Edgedancer's mountains or in some other region we don't know much about.

Why yes, they just finished their research on the horse sized Steelpugs with integrated ion canons. Not exactly nukes but they plan to spread them all over the world as a form of deterrence, as a preemptive measure of keeping the different sentient races to wipe each other out. (Just to make this absolutely clear, I'm kidding.)

On a serious note, nope no especially advanced technology compared to the rest of the world. They also wouldn't fit the role of traders Mailliw is searching for.

[Kobold King he/him]

Why yes, they just finished their research on the horse sized Steelpugs with integrated ion canons. Not exactly nukes but they plan to spread them all over the world as a form of deterrence, as a preemptive measure of keeping the different sentient races to wipe each other out. (Just to make this absolutely clear, I'm kidding.)

On a serious note, nope no especially advanced technology compared to the rest of the world. They also wouldn't fit the role of traders Mailliw is searching for.

 

That's kind of a bummer, since I kind of want to see that.

 

 

Wanna give us a hint about what kind of species lives in your mountains? Humans, Dromeans, Rachnyx, or something else entirely?

[Edgedancer he/him]

That's kind of a bummer, since I kind of want to see that.

 

 

Wanna give us a hint about what kind of species lives in your mountains? Humans, Dromeans, Rachnyx, or something else entirely?

Well, it's never to late to make additions. Behold the Diamond Dogs Pugs!

 

Yeah, sorry about that, a mix from work, sickness and putting the bit time I had into the RP given that people are actually hold up there left me with little to no time to write much on them. Anyway, I had been playing with the idea of making them a mutated version of Rachnyx but I'll most likely settle on something else entirely.

Simplified their culture would resemble highly sophisticated apex predators of their mountains. The idea I had is that their exposure to the white Lomule minerals overall gave their race the ability of turning invisible, reminiscent of the white Lomules themselves and the bloodline handed down by their god giving some the ability to infuse further colors into the minerals, giving slight perks connected to the color and changes in temperament.

[Esaias he/him]

 

Gwslow, Warden, Honey Badger, or even Edgedancer: do any of your societies fit the spot of trading plants to the Mirani people in exchange for Sarmu/snuffel milk and meat?

I haven't developed them very far at all, but I'm planning on having a small group of people based around farming an oasis. They'll probably be right up near the north border too.

[Mailliw73 he/him]

I haven't developed them very far at all, but I'm planning on having a small group of people based around farming an oasis. They'll probably be right up near the north border too.

That'd work perfectly if you want to do it.

[Curious Anamaximder he/him]

Sorry I have been gone for the past few days, guys! Love the snowsaber, Kobold !

 

Without further ado....

 

 

 

Nixos (Capranith extarnia) 

 

The Nixos are one of the most studied and talked about races in Diaemus. They stand over 2 meters tall, the average adult male is about 6' 7". They have dark hair covering their heads, like humans, and have tanned skin the color of bronze. However, what separates them from normal humans, is the fact that their skin is tinted blue/green, they have pointed teeth, and they can breathe underwater. 

 

The Nixos are also incredibly strong. An average male can lift up to 500 lbs. in one hand by adulthood. The most defining trait of the Nixos is the fact that, on mental command, they can produce bone protrusions from the top of their wrists for use as blades in combat. A large amount of Nixos society is based of the blades, they have developed little to none weaponry because of the blades and personal challenges are common. 

 

More later. 

 

 

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

That works for me. Dromeans and Rachnyx have been around for many millennia longer, though, so they should either be ahead of humans or have their own timeline.

 

 

 

In any case, here are some new tundra animals!

 

Snowsaber (Cryokopisaurus)

 

There are certainly mammalian predators on Diaemus, but in many places they are overshadowed by the great carnivorous dinosaurs. Towering bodies, enormous skulls, and banana-sized fangs characterize this group, and they have (presumably) colonized many distinct habitats. In the frozen snow fields of the tundra, one such predator, the snowsaber, reigns supreme. This beast is forty feet long and weighs over a ton, and its roar is a note of terror for many polar species.

 

Theropod dinosaurs usually have short arms and walk upon two legs. The snowsaber has long since evolved past that. The arms of the snowsaber are almost as long and powerful as the legs, and the animal frequently bounds on all fours when covering distance. Its scales are shielded by the cold by a coat of shaggy ivory feathers, and the jaws are fringed with colonies of blue lumuoles bright enough to blend in with the pure white landscape of the winter tundra. In summer, when the tundra turns green, the snowsaber molts and gains a auburn coat, and the jaw lumuoles turn deep navy as the males attempt to attract females.

 

The naming characteristic of the snowsaber is the pair of lethal saber-shaped fangs at the front of the mouth, visible even when the animal's mouth is closed. The teeth are curved and fulfill the same function they did for the saber-toothed cats of Earth--killing. When hunting the snowsaber will ambush its prey, bounding to its side and using its powerful front forelegs to wrestle and pin it to the ground. Once the unfortunate megafauna is fully helpless, the snowsaber will swiftly sever its jugular veins with a bite to the throat, allowing the animal to bleed out in the snow before digging in to the carcass.

 

Because of the delicate saber teeth in the front, the snowsaber must be cautious when eating and hunting. Small and bony prey like humans are generally shunned, in favor of large beefy herbivores like spaksnouts and the few other iguanadonts of the tundra. Humans nonetheless must fear the young of the snowsaber, which will happily prey on humans and other small game before their fangs grow in. And snowsabers of all ages will be a serious threat to any people who rely on large livestock to secure their sustenance on the frozen plains.

 

 

Scuzzard (Erythopterus)

 

Snowsabers, because of their teeth, have difficulty making use of an entire prey animal and often leave the remnants of the carcass lying out in the open. In addition, large animals from the sea regularly wash up upon the coastline, and make for an easy meal for scavengers. The tundra's resident scavenger is the scuzzard, the pterosaur equivalent to the avian vulture.

 

Any meat left exposed to the elements with quickly assemble a throng of these condor-sized pterodactyls. They are covered in thick silver hair except for their wings, which are also hairy but also blink dark red from red lumuole colonies that take up residence there. The lumuoles generate something like a thermal air current in flight, allowing the pterosaur to glide with ease across the frigid landscape.

 

The scuzzard is magnificently adapted to its chosen habitat. A keen sense of smell allows the animal to smell an animal the moment it keels over; a dark, semi-transparent membrane can be closed over the eyes at will, filtering out snowglare but allowing the pterosaur to spot a dead animal from high in the sky. Finally, scuzzards have extremely thick, sharp beaks that are perfect for ripping into the hides of dead dinosaurs, exposing the cold flesh within.

 

Once meat has reached the digestive system, part of it remains fermenting in the stomach acid for weeks on end. This is not an inefficiency in the animal; this is a defense mechanism. If a small predator threatens the scuzzard, the red-winged pterodactyl will open its beak wide and let loose a barrage of steamy projectile vomit, in some species heated to dangerous degrees by extra lumuole colonies in the stomach. This deters 99% of all the predators a scuzzard is likely to face, and is often used in displays for females during the breeding season.

 

The scuzzard may be the only life form on Diaemus that doesn't see anything gross about this.

 

 

And now, here's the first marine critter I've designed, like I promised Twi. (Also, I would like to propose that we name the cold body of water around the south pole "The Twilight Ocean." In-universe because of the faint amount of sunlight that makes its way to the south pole, and out-of-universe because of the obvious meta joke. )

 

 

Pliod (Kardosaurus)

 

At first glance, one might confuse a pliod with a huge crocodile with flippers for legs, with a dark black back and a tan underbelly. The pliod rather belongs to the pliosaur family, and is one of the more savage predators of the Twilight Ocean.

 

Pliods are antisocial creatures, which nonetheless share a lot of beach space as they wallow on the shore in between hunts. They maintain fiercely defended personal space, and it's not uncommon for angry bull pliods to rip each other's faces off over choice patches of turf. In the water they become fearsome and deadly carnivores, capable of catching and eating practically anything smaller than themselves. (And for a Volkswagen-sized predator, this means that animals a pliod can't eat are few and far between.

 

Blue lumuole colonies flow through the animal's body, preventing its blood from freezing in the ice-cold water. They are acquired through dietary means, as most polar fish use the lumuoles for the same purpose. "Hotspots" are extremely numerous in this ocean, and pliods rarely find themselves in the position of having malnourished lumuoles.

 

 

To TwiLyght: I created the pliods solely to serve as a nemesis to the drulgas. Pliods would hunt and kill drulgas whenever they're given the opportunity, and since beaches that are also lumuole hotspots may not be in abundance, they could easily wind up clashing over magical floor space.

 

If you'd rather the drulgas be the apex predators of their environment, I can easily replace the pliods with a completely aquatic supercarnivore that lives in deep waters far away from the shores. Your wish is my command.

 

 

I have a few more marine critter ideas, including ocean-going pterosaurs and a giant ammonite found in deep southern waters. To everyone else, if you'd like some help designing Mesozoic-appropriate wildlife for your region, I'd be overjoyed to help.

 

I like the Pliods. I had originally imagined the water drulgas (NOT DRUGLESS, AUTOCORRECT) as the apex predators for the southern ocean, but it makes more sense for them to face some competition, just like the fire drulgas would face competition from land predators. 

 

And I also like the proposed name for the southern ocean.  

[Curious Anamaximder he/him]

I'm going overboard with this worldbuilding  .