The Diaemus Project

[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  . 

[Kobold King he/him]

I'm going overboard with this worldbuilding  . 

 

 

Which in this case, is not a bad thing.

 

 

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.

 

I imagined that they might fill the same role to the drulgas as wolves or bears have filled for us. They'd be feared predators, probably either revered or reviled in myths and legends, but they wouldn't be dangerous enough to severely impact their way of life or threaten them as a species.

 

I thought you might.

 

 

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.

 

Absolutely fine. And that idea sounds awesome.

 

 

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. 

 

Ooh, neat! Out of curiosity, why do they have the ability to breathe underwater? Do they often dwell in aquatic habitats? Are their water-breathing and bone-claw abilities purely biological, or do they make extensive use of lumuoles?

[+Slowswift]

Thanks for putting me on the map!

I can get done more posting once I'm on desktop.

[Kobold King he/him]

Sorry, I won't be able to post the drawings tonight either. Tomorrow. Definitely tomorrow.

 

Looking forward to it.

 

 

In the meantime, here's my own attempt at artistically depicting the Ice Kin!

 

 

Anyone else need their creations drawn?

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Looking forward to it.

In the meantime, here's my own attempt at artistically depicting the Ice Kin!

Anyone else need their creations drawn?

Well, the water drurgas are rather fond of their life....under the sea.

[Kobold King he/him]

Well, the water drurgas are rather fond of their life....under the sea.

 

Request granted! I call it, Red and Blue Drulgas On and Under an Ice Floe.

 

[DanTheSeamonster he/him]

That puts you close to the Niran part of the Mirani population, which will be detailed more in a post hopefully that will be up by tonight. Depending on how your people's culture is, there may be the opportunity to engage in a lot of border scuffles. The Niran are much more likely to fight than the Meran(up in the forests) are, due to their constant exposure to yellow lumuoles and general disposition. 

 

I was thinking of smooth beaches, but some rockiness would be good in the steppes. How about the further inland you go, towards your population, the rockier the beaches get, and the further west you go, the sandier and smoother they are? Twi, I hadn't thought of much of the ocean fauna except for fish.  If anyone further north than Twi wants to design creatures for the warmer seas, go for it. I'll incorporate them however.

 

Border scuffles! I like those! Let's do it. 

 

Does anyone with a society near mine have an emphasis in agriculture? Pastoralists tend to barter with agriculturalists for grain and such and I'm wondering if any of the existing cultures would fit that group.

 

 

Ummmm. I'm thinking that my people would be more nomadic herdsmen since, you know steppes. Of course they could be semi-nomadic and change locations every few years. Would that work? 

 

But then our people would have an interesting interactions dynamic, slaughtering each other one year and then trading peacefully the next. 

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Request granted! I call it, Red and Blue Drulgas On and Under an Ice Floe.

 

 

I'm not sure if the water drulga has very sharp teeth or a very impressive bristle-brush mustache. The latter would be ridiculous and impractical and utterly superfluous and I'm really tempted to incorporate it into their appearance.  

[DanTheSeamonster he/him]

I have been thinking up some of the wildlife for my steppes. I have also named my territory the Karraig Plains; because carraig is Irish for rock and I imagine them basically like the Plains of Rohan. 

 

Babhlas are large, docile herbivores about four feet tall at the shoulder and six-seven feet long. Babhlas are incredibly intelligent. They have large, bowl like shells that they use, in addtition to their size, to protect themselves from predators. They roam around in small herds of ten to fifteen individuals. They have short, wide tails that they store fat in, and two short, fleshy appendages on the ends of their noses. Babhlas use these to interact with their environments. They're basically a mix between turtles and elephants.  At the moment I don't really plan on the babhlas using any magic. 

 

Fiacla are the apex predators of the Karraig Plains. Fiacla live and hunt alone, only interacting with their own species to mate and raise their young. These creatures are fiercely territorial, attacking almost anything they discover inside their domain. They have long legs, which they use to run down their prey. Fiaclas have broad, flat heads and a mouth chock full of pointy teeth. They also have retractable claws on their forepaws, and claws on their back paws which they cannot retract. Their tails are long to help them keep their balance in high speed chases. Male fiaclas determine dominance by the amount of yellow lumuoles that they have ingested. The male with the higher lumuole count wins, and gains the other males territory. This is significant because the larger a males territory, the more likely he will impress a female and convince her to mate with him. Fiaclas also use green lumuoles to help them detect their prey, by seeking out the life....ness..... of their prey. The point is it helps them hunt. 

 

And then I have the groundwork for a third species, which would be small and omnivorous. They live/hunt in packs but other than that I don't have a lot on them yet. 

Edited September 26, 2015 by The Crooked Warden

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Border scuffles! I like those! Let's do it.

Ummmm. I'm thinking that my people would be more nomadic herdsmen since, you know steppes. Of course they could be semi-nomadic and change locations every few years. Would that work?

But then our people would have an interesting interactions dynamic, slaughtering each other one year and then trading peacefully the next.

Sounds good.

Well, I'm more looking for people to trade with the Meran and you'd be fighting the Niran. The Meran would not mind doing business with their enemy's enemy.

[Zed]

I have noted that this thread has started a while ago, however I would like to join if you would let me. 

 

I think that a network of ancient obelisks, arches, gates, etc. could be in use as almost a way of travelling from place to place, however it does need a source of power, and limits to what can travel (like only organic matter and the clothes that people carry on their backs) so that in times of war people can't send supplies and armies through.

 

A mountainous polar region would be a cool area because you can have almost a dwarf/eskimo combo race that kind of stays underground to survive the cold, and there could be minerals or other materials that they mine.

 

Magic there would be used as a way of staying alive, not really a luxury for anything else. Mainly focused on a kind of fire magic type thing, so that they can bear the cold in sub-zero temperatures. The way it would take power is kind of like a feruchemy type thing, but instead of using up the heat in your body, it would negatively match that. So if you were dying of the cold, you could create a huge inferno, but then you would warm up and the power would fade. I guess that in a way it does take the cold from you, by creating a fire with the heat and size directly proportionate to your core and limb temperature.

[Curiosity he/him]

I have noted that this thread has started a while ago, however I would like to join if you would let me. 

 

I think that a network of ancient obelisks, arches, gates, etc. could be in use as almost a way of travelling from place to place, however it does need a source of power, and limits to what can travel (like only organic matter and the clothes that people carry on their backs) so that in times of war people can't send supplies and armies through.

 

Perhaps we can have structures built of white lumuole substances. By the way, should anyone know about white lumuoles if they're invisible? I would have people think of lumuoles and the magic mineral as different sources of power at first. 

[Curious Anamaximder he/him]

 

 

 

Ooh, neat! Out of curiosity, why do they have the ability to breathe underwater? Do they often dwell in aquatic habitats? Are their water-breathing and bone-claw abilities purely biological, or do they make extensive use of lumuoles?

They use lumoles to breathe underwater, and they may be hydromancers.

[Mckeedee123 he/him]

Perhaps we can have structures built of white lumuole substances. By the way, should anyone know about white lumuoles if they're invisible? I would have people think of lumuoles and the magic mineral as different sources of power at first. 

 

For all intents and purposes, they don't exist. That's how invisible they are.

[DanTheSeamonster he/him]

.........if they basically don't exist, then why do we have them?  

[Curiosity he/him]

.........if they basically don't exist, then why do we have them?

 

Because they ingest silicon and they leave magical mineral deposits behind when they die. 

 

And my point was that there should be no in-world name for "white lumuoles", except in the very advanced societies. The term "white lumuole" is out-of-world. 

[Curious Anamaximder he/him]

Because they ingest silicon and they leave magical mineral deposits behind when they die. 

 

And my point was that there should be no in-world name for "white lumuoles", except in the very advanced societies. The term "white lumuole" is out-of-world.

Out of world?

[The Honey Badger he/him]

I noticed something, do Lumuoles get used up when doing magic, or do they have an infinite well of power, or can you put them on a long- slow burn? How does one get a lumuole anyway? 

 

my Ideas- 

 

There could be a limited power level of all the lumuoles of a certain kind. For instance there could be only 1000 red lumuoles and once one is used up. The total power level stays the same because a white lumuole changes into a red one. I think White Lumuoles should be like the 'Stem' cells of lumuoles. They change to keep up the relative limit.Where they would spawn, I don't know, or if the lumuoles incorporated into creatures biologies would burn out. I don't know.

[Zed]

There could be a limited power level of all the lumuoles of a certain kind. For instance there could be only 1000 red lumuoles and once one is used up. The total power level stays the same because a white lumuole changes into a red one. I think White Lumuoles should be like the 'Stem' cells of lumuoles. They change to keep up the relative limit.Where they would spawn, I don't know, or if the lumuoles incorporated into creatures biologies would burn out. I don't know.

 

What if when one was used up, a new one of it's kind instantly pops up in a random place in the earth? As Badger was saying, the white lumuoles could be almost transformed into it, but then wouldn't you have to find it anyways? So I guess the two ideas are kind of the same, but who knows? Also, there could be a physical representation of the different colored shards, so that you can there is almost a giant floating shard randomly popping in and out of this world in different places to spawn in more lumuoles. 

 

I was also wondering if I could claim the eastern D, H and the blue (that doesn't have a letter assigned to it) area. I would maybe populate it with the eskimo/miner race I was thinking up, or create an almost nomadic tribe that just travels within their domain. 

Screenshot of the portion of the map I was thinking:

 

On a side note, how can I upload images from my computer without having to use a URL, because I can't exactly go and host a website. The way around this I found was to just get a google blog thing (they're free, woo hoo!) and just make it private viewing. I then upload the picture in a post and click on open image in new tab, and then it is a url hosted by blogger. It would just be easier to upload directly from my computer.

[Mckeedee123 he/him]

I noticed something, do Lumuoles get used up when doing magic, or do they have an infinite well of power, or can you put them on a long- slow burn? How does one get a lumuole anyway? 

 

I imagined it being the former, but Kobold's creatures made me realize that there were a lot of different ways to look at this. It depends on how they spawn in each region, but basically, lumuoles die a few weeks after being removed from their hotspot, and then the portal disappears. Some animals can keep them alive longer, but humans can't. Animals and most sapients use them as a renewable energy  source, using chemical or neural signals to control how the lumuoles behave. Humans (and all demigods, regardless of species,) do use them up, however, and the rate of decay depends on how much magic is being done.

 

On a side note, how can I upload images from my computer without having to use a URL, because I can't exactly go and host a website. The way around this I found was to just get a google blog thing (they're free, woo hoo!) and just make it private viewing. I then upload the picture in a post and click on open image in new tab, and then it is a url hosted by blogger. It would just be easier to upload directly from my computer.

 

Use imgur or photobucket. You just copy/paste it into the image upload thing and then you get the url for it.

[Seonid he/him]

Well this died quickly...

 

I guess I'll just drop one of my minor sentient races in to test the waters.

 

Skitches

 

Skitches are large, reptilian sentients who stand about 2 to 3 meters tall when fully erect, and mass between 150 and 200 kg when fully grown. Their scaly skin is quite hard, and serves as a natural armor against their predators. Skitches are comfortable moving around on their hind limbs only, but they can move at a much greater pace on all fours, Their arms are have less musculature than their legs, but to a much less significant degree than either Dromeans or humans. Their tail is about a meter long, and is highly flexible.

 

Skitches are partially aquatic, and primarily inhabit the marshes and other wetlands around the northern inland sea that separates the two continents, as well as the waterstreams and lakes of the taiga further to the north. They are omnivorous, and their primary sustenance is fish, small mammals, and several species of underwater plants that they cultivate in and near their communities. Many Skitches also "herd" schools of fish in the lakes and shallow seas of their preferred habitats.

 

A skitch is air-breathing, not amphibious, but can hold their breath for hours at a time. Their homes are built along the waters edge or in the shallows, with places for sleeping above the water level, but most of their life is spent underwater.

 

Their societies range from primitive tribal arrangements to sophisticated city-states with complex social systems. They are able to interact with lumuoles in a similar manner to the Dromeans, and do so primarily by ingestion.

 

Skitches are among the most anthropomorphic of the northern sapient races, and in combat they tend to use weapons that would be familiar to humans, although sized for their massive bulk. Their fighting styles, however, are unique, and incorporate both natural claws and their heavy, flexible tail. A single Skitch is a fearsome opponent for any sapient creature.

[Curious Anamaximder he/him]

Can Skitch's breathe underwater?

[Lindel he/him]

Well this died quickly...

I guess I'll just drop one of my minor sentient races in to test the waters.

Skitches

Skitches are large, reptilian sentients who stand about 2 to 3 meters tall when fully erect, and mass between 150 and 200 kg when fully grown. Their scaly skin is quite hard, and serves as a natural armor against their predators. Skitches are comfortable moving around on their hind limbs only, but they can move at a much greater pace on all fours, Their arms are have less musculature than their legs, but to a much less significant degree than either Dromeans or humans. Their tail is about a meter long, and is highly flexible.

Skitches are partially aquatic, and primarily inhabit the marshes and other wetlands around the northern inland sea that separates the two continents, as well as the waterstreams and lakes of the taiga further to the north. They are omnivorous, and their primary sustenance is fish, small mammals, and several species of underwater plants that they cultivate in and near their communities. Many Skitches also "herd" schools of fish in the lakes and shallow seas of their preferred habitats.

A skitch is air-breathing, not amphibious, but can hold their breath for hours at a time. Their homes are built along the waters edge or in the shallows, with places for sleeping above the water level, but most of their life is spent underwater.

Their societies range from primitive tribal arrangements to sophisticated city-states with complex social systems. They are able to interact with lumuoles in a similar manner to the Dromeans, and do so primarily by ingestion.

Skitches are among the most anthropomorphic of the northern sapient races, and in combat they tend to use weapons that would be familiar to humans, although sized for their massive bulk. Their fighting styles, however, are unique, and incorporate both natural claws and their heavy, flexible tail. A single Skitch is a fearsome opponent for any sapient creature.

Woah. These are virtually identical to the race I've been developing for my coastal desert, even down to details like size, culture, and moving more easily on all fours. They live in partially submerged caverns with openings along coral reefs. The only detail they don't seem to share is that I envisioned mine vaguely resembling marine iguanas, but I can modify that to fit how you picture them.

In answer to the question above, no. They can hold their breathe for extended periods of time, though.

Edited September 30, 2015 by Lindel

[Sir Jerric he/him]

I should hope this isn't dead, since I've been working hard(ish) on this map stuff that people wanted.

 

Progress Report: (Lots!)

One fully labeled map for ease of reference.

The interpretations of these labels can be found on the Köppen climate classification page on Wikipedia.

 

A version of this map without the Köppen labels is also available, if they get in the way too much.

 

And because I had some spare time, I made a pretty colors version too.

 

Astronomical notes:

You will note that all of these maps include an arbitrary longitude labeling. Because no one claimed the honor after my post requesting that someone do so, I've taken it on myself to provide one. Note that this does not prevent your cultures from defining their own system.

 

The landmark on which 0° longitude is defined is the moon. After doing some research into the viability of such a scenario, I have found that mutual tide locking is not a hard trick to pull off. So when the sapients of Diaemus look into the sky, they will see the moon in a fixed position, day or night. It should be visible to just beyond the 90° longitude marks (due to atmospheric refraction). I do have input on what latitude this moon hangs above.

 

In addition to this lunar phenomenon, Diaemus also suffers from a rapid precession of its axis. Set at 4° of precession for every 7° of orbital arc traveled (if I did the right math), Diaemus experiences one set of four seasons every 2 1/3 orbits.

 

For ease of use, I suggest that people use 360 days as the sidereal year (one orbit). Each season will be 210 days long, and a tropical year will be 840 days. I presume that these days are similar to Earth days, but whether these days are equal in length to an Earth day is not something I think worth defining (unless you want to recalculate the speed of light or something; in which case I say, "more power to you").

 

What your civilization uses for a calendar is up in the air, as there are many systems that could be used. What does your culture place importance on?

Edited December 19, 2015 by Sir Jerric