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#Post#: 63--------------------------------------------------
The Stygian Empire of Idahria
By: Astelle Date: October 16, 2014, 12:59 am
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The inhabitants of the planet Idahria have been living in
darkness since the day they came into the world. Its source of
light, the star 'Aedes', had fallen. Along with its end came
those of three other planets, leaving Idahria and the lifeless
planetoids that had been left by the dying star.
The Astelle were the first creatures to gain sentience on the
tenebrous planet. They easily adapted to life in darkness by
living in the ocean, where the large predators of what little
land there was couldn't reach them. In the deep, extremely vast
oceans of the planet were pockets of geothermal heat coming from
the core of the planet. The Astelle, a couple of years after
establishing an Empire, met other species. These were similar to
themselves. The Acotali. Like their brethren they absorbed the
heat from the volcanoes in the ocean and used it for many other,
important things.
With the help of the new sentient race, the Astelle begin to
explore Idahria. And they discover just how much water there is
on their surface. The largest island was only 2,970,000km. on
the planet which is 43,440.7 miles. For years, the Astelle and
the Acotali, in cooperation, study their home and at the same
time use the resources they find to improve life in the dark
oceans of their home planet. Eventually, they recognize
themselves as an Empire. They have a stable government system, a
well-supplied military, and a near-perfect society. Currently,
their only predators are the ones in the oceans, and the
non-sentient night creatures on the land. The closest to
sentience are the Destapt and the Wiaq. Despite this, it seems
that anything in their line of sight appears as a meal.
These two races are the sworn enemies of the Astelle and the
Acotali. They are predators of the non-sentient, but
Astelle-like race of Nomira. Because the three ocean-dwelling
creatures have the ability to walk on land despite their
origins, they often get the chance to hunt a few of the land
predators for game. Because they are pretty much unaware of what
they do, they are treated like savage animals. Astelle use large
creatures like Ullyp to catch Destapt and Wiaq after luring them
to the shoreline. It seems that though they are well adapted to
darkness as well, they have no ability to swim whatsoever and
become victim to the sentient races and predators of the sea.
[hr]
[center]The Idahrian Cubozoans[/center]
The Astelle, the Acotali, and the Nomira look very similar to
each other. The only thing that sets them apart are their body
types and colors. Also, the Astelle and Acotali species are
sentient while the Nomira are still on their way up. These
species are referred to as Idahrian Cubozoans. Which means they
are related to Earth's jellyfish. Their stings are not venomous,
but are deadly anyway in a very shocking manner. Literally.
Contact with an angry or stressed Cubozoan is almost always
fatal. There are other cnidarians in the oceans of Idahria, but
none are nearly as deadly to touch as this Cubozoan.
The three species of Idahrian Cubozoan are like said before,
jellies. Their bodies are almost completely transparent, with
their nervous, digestive, and reproductive systems visible. All
over their bodies are patterned lights which they can either
illuminate or dim at will. These lights serve as signals for
other Cubozoans, especially if they're too far off to hear, also
for mating... And for defense. The brighter the lights are, the
more likely it is to kill you. The Idahrian Cubozoans are fairly
smaller than humans, growing only to 4'5" feet. They have three
fingered hands and toeless feet with broad fin-like extensions.
They have elongated, glowing eyes that can quite surprisingly
blink despite their static appearance. Some of them have crests
on their heads, and others have swept-back hoods. Colors may
depend on the parents, but can vary at times.
The kinds of wings and fins that one Idahrian Cubozoan grows
never depends on the parents. One Astelle, Acotali, or Nomira
may have different wings than his brother, sister, or parents,
but may have the same wing or fin type as someone outside his
family. These wings are used to glide through the air for some
time, like a flying fish. In truth, an Idahrian Cubozoan can
fly, but they just haven't learned it yet. Their structure and
ability to live on heat allows them to literally cruise through
space without a suit. They can fly freely for as long as they
want, since they don't really need oxygen. They also have the
ability to walk on land. Despite the sticky, slimy appearance,
they aren't really either. Once out of water, they dry off to a
more solid state. So no sand or dirt will stick to them. You can
hit one with a stick and he'll get hurt, of course. Don't expect
to be given mercy though. He will attack you. Idahrian Cubozoans
tend to get very hostile with races that seem... Off. A second
defense mechanism is the two, barbed tails that hang along on a
Cubozoan's rear end. They double as whips which make marks that
will give the victim a lot of excruciating pains. There is no
known cure to this "sting" yet.
Idahrian Cubozoans do not have mouths. Meaning, they do not feed
directly on other creatures. In trenches and drops in Idahrian
oceans, there are undersea volcanoes that emit heat. These are
the only true light sources on the planet. The Cubozoans feed
off this heat. The slightest amount of heat from anywhere can
supply a Cubozoan with energy to last for a decade. So long as
he's letting those lights shine, he's pretty much just fine.
Astelle and Acotali can speak, and they sound very vaguely
human. Think of their voice as... EVE's. The white robot from
Wall-E. Aside from this, they can make a wide range of various
sounds for communication, and other things. In terribly dark
places, echolocation is the most used navigation if light isn't
an option. This is usually when they're being chased by a
predator and are cornered.
Idahrian Cubozoans have a reproductive system, yes. The
abdominal part of a Cubozoan is slightly more dense, so that
those parts aren't immediately seen. Males have organs similar
to those of humans, only they are much, much different. Females
also have organs similar to humans'. When mating, the male shows
a certain pattern of bright colors and "dances" around his
desired partner. If the female accepts, (She does this by cooing
and emitting a high-pitched squeal) the two would go to a den to
mate. (And I won't tell you how they do it. :P)
[hr]
[center]Idahrian Technology[/center]
Being more intelligent than the Nomira, the Astelle and the
Acotali, both social by nature, have come together to learn more
about themselves and the world around them. So far, they have
over fifty underwater domed cities and twenty-six island cities.
Though faster in water, the Cubozoans prefer to keep their
things dry, because not every kind of equipment works
underwater.
The Idahrian Astelle and Acotali have perfected pulse weapons,
because those kinds of equipment are very effective against land
and sea predators. They have sixty-five units of heavy pulse
guns, based on island and undersea emplacements. The force of
one of these guns can quite literally tear a space battleship to
pieces. On predators, it works similarly, but from the inside.
Their submarines are also quite excellent. The largest are the
Naiad Assault Submarines, weighing over 60,000 tonnes, and are
around 806 feet long. Despite their intimidating size, they can
move along at 300 knots. Their tactic is to stalk enemy craft,
then appear at their sides, firing off a row of heavy guns.
Though this is only planning. There has never actually been a
war on Idahria. The Naiads were originally transports meant to
carry Cubozoans from one place to another safely without being
attacked by predators.
Guns are also being developed, mainly electric based rifles and
pulse rifles. Again, these are for attackers... Predators.
Designed to work even in the water, these weapons can fry a
certain creature's brains out if it dares to attack. This is an
alternative when an Astelle or Acotali can't defend himself or
herself with his first line of defense, which is the electric
shock.
Space ships are still beyond Cubozoan knowledge. They've tried,
but have failed most of the time. There isn't much land for them
to work with, so they often begin projects on the water. So...
Basically, amphibious spaceships.
[hr]
[center]The Land-Dwellers[/center]
The Destapt and the Wiaq are the dominant races of what little
land there is on Idahria. They are savage, however, and hostile
even to each other. Language is beyond them at this point, as
too many times have the Cubozoans tried to communicate with
them. It ended badly.
Ever since, the two land-dwelling species are designated as
hostile and are to be killed on sight.
It's a bit harsh, yes... But if there's anything these jellies
are really good at holding, its grudges. You hit them once,
they'll remember you forever.
Destapt are bulky creatures with long front legs and short back
legs. They have bristly, dark brown fur, and three dead black
eyes on each side of their heads. They have spines, too, but
they're not of any use especially to Astelle and Acotali. They
can wield sticks and rocks, but aside from that, they know
nothing. To them, Cubozoans taste nice and salty. Other
creatures too. It doesn't matter. Anything they see that moves
and runs from them is food. No, standing still won't work. They
can smell you anyway.
The Wiaq are smaller, more slender relatives of the Destapt.
They have six legs though, and can climb trees. Like the
Destapt, they have three eyes on each side of their head, made
for darkness. Their main diet is plants and bark that grow
thanks to the geothermal heat, and other animals such as Destapt
and sea-dwellers. They are a little more intelligent than the
Destapt, actually attempting to learn how to swim though they
always fail dramatically at it. Looks like they just aren't made
for it.
Aside from those two, there are also the Nysali. The giant
herbivores of Idahria. They can wade in water to avoid meat
eaters, but then get caught by sea predators. Their main defense
is their feet and tails. Also, strength in numbers. Hopefully,
they can scare smaller predators by ganging up or huddling
together and moving forward threateningly. It almost always
works.
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