Arcobalenian Flora and Fauna
From Ouroboros
Contents |
Introduction
The unique array of flora and fauna on Arcobaleno is due to the heavy presence of magic used in its creation. While altering the structures of the life forms, Tovenarr gave many creatures slight magical abilities, which over time seeped into the land itself. This made life spring up in the most unlikely forms, such as rocks or sticks. There are several strange things about the life on the planet. The first strange thing is the aforementioned presence of unnatural life forms that would not normally be living. The other strange thing is the unique behavior of plants on the planet. While showing plantlike characteristics in appearance, most actually behave like animals in their feeding habits and movement. Finally, the last group of creatures is neither plant, animal, or fungi. It is a race of creatures that was entirely man-made, or a golem. Although orininally simply puppets of Tovenarr, they eventually grew semi-sentient.
Flora
As previously stated in the Introduction, the flora of Arcobaleno are different from most other plants in their ability to move and to eat food like animals. However, they are still technicially plants due to their posession of chlorophyll and the ability to produce their own food if they have nothing to eat.
Baum
The Baum are treelike in structure and appearance, with a long trunk and branches. However, they have the ability to uproot themselves and slither across the forest floor by using their roots in a similar way to tentacles. They also posess a wide, flat mouth and three lidless black eyes. They obtain food by either hunting insects and small mammals or obtaining energy from the sun and soil. Like traditional trees, the Baum produce asexually by littering seeds on the forest floor. These seedlings are rooted for the first two weeks of their life, but can move like their parents once they grow to a sufficient size. Adults can be from 10 to 20 feet in height, and grow wider with age. their life-span is thousands of years if they receive ample nutrition and sunlight.
Zweig
The Zweig is a confusing life-form, for wizards who have studied it cannot tell if it was a twig that became inbued with magic and gained life, or a bug that simply grew to look like a twig. It is counted as a plant officially, considering it's wings appear to be leaves and it posesses few bodily liquids, but the truth is still rather blurry. It is roughly seven to ten inches in height, and eats leaves. It has a life span of three years, and reproduces by laying eggs. Females and males look exactly alike in appearance.
Pilz
The Pilz are small, shroomlike fungus which inhabit dank places in the forest. Although they feed like traditional Fungi, they have the ability to move in a way somilar to the Baum, by utilizing small tentaclelike appendages on their underside. They share the same eye structure as the baum as well, which makes wizards who have studied them belive they are related. The Pilz reproduce asexually, and have a life span of roughly five years.
Unkraut
The Unkraut are a water-dwelling race that has the appearence of watergrass. however, it can swim about using it's roots, and posesses a mouth hidden amongst it's foliage. It is eyeless, but can tell when prey is near by the ripples of the water. It ensnares it's food in it's grasses, then feeds it into its mouth. They generally have a lifesan of ten years, and reproduce asexually.
Fauna
The animals of Arcobaleno are strange and varied, for they have been taken from a variety of different planets. This makes a large variety of odd abilities and behaviors. Some people have attempted to take certain specimens as pets, but they prove to be too wild or dangerous to tame.
Vogel
The Vogel are a race of tall birds which inhabit the treetops of Arcobaleno. They possess a coat of feathers containing every color of the rainbow, making them highly desirable. They mainly prey on Pilz and Zweigs, but sometimes eat the young of Qualle. Mating occurs in the Summer, where the male produces a mating call of exeptional beauty. Their life span is 20 to 25 years, and they lay eggs to produce offspring. Legend has it that the feathers of a Vogel bring good luck.
Schlange
The Schlange are enourmous snakelike creatures, with a hard outer skin able to withstand the sharpest sword. they prey on anything with flesh, as they are ferocious carnivores. However, they are also exeedingly fast, which makes them good steeds when visiting Arcobaleno. Of course, you must tame them before they are ridden, so do not attempt to ride one from the wild. They reach lengths of 12 to 16 feet, and have life spans of 50 to 60 years. The Schlange lay eggs to reproduce, and are at their most vicious when guarding their eggs. They have no known predators.
Qualle
The Qualle are a very magical race of creatures that share many resemblences to a jellyfish. However, the Qualle float above the ground, and do not require water. They posess several insectlike eyes on their body, with their many stingers dangling down. When hunting for food (which is done only at night), they travel in packs and emit a haunting melody. This eerie song attracts animals, which are then quickly brought down and absorbed. However, these animals have an extreme aversion to sunlight, making them nocturnal. Are generally three feet in height, and live for 20 to 30 years. They give live birth to hundreds of small Qualle, but many will be eaten by a passing Vogel. Supposedly if one eats a Qualle they will gain wisdom, but in reality they contain a hallucinogen which wmost likely will drive the eater insane.
Schmiere
The Schmiere are a race of gelatenous entities which possess no limbs or organs. However, they are highly intelligent and can reproduce by division due to their simple organic structure. They are not hunted by predators due to their poisonous body, but are peaceful plant eaters. They can communicate with one another by telepathy. They generally live hundreds of years due to lack of danger. They tend to be clear when looked at, but if light is shown through them they act in a way resembling a prism.
Krote
The Krote are water-dwelling turtles with spikes all along their shell. They are omnivores, but prefer eating fish than plants. They hunt in an odd way, by firing an electric charge into the water around them. This effectivly kills all the fish within eating distance, making it a formidable opponent. Krote live only 12-15 years, and are roughly three to five feet long. They are dangerous to humans, but are rarely a threat due to their watery home. They lay eggs in sandy seabeds and abandon them, leaving the children to fend for themselves.
