One x One Phoenix Rising - Lore

[Mordecai]

Bestiary

Vlaipods


Twelve-foot high anthropods, the Vlaipods are an intimidating picture on the landscape, but are mostly harmless if you leave them alone. They travel in small familial groups, usually made up of six or seven members, and move slowly over long distances on their skinny legs. Their diet consists mostly of desert beetles and other small flying instincts they can draw in with the steam vents on their backs. The moisture from the steam vents attracts small insects and once a piece of prey is close, the Vlaipods begin to spray vaporized toxins, stunning their prey and allowing them to consume the unfortunate bug. The toxins are incredibly lethal to humans as well, though Vlaipods will not pursue people and are genuinely disinterested in humans moving up and around them. They may look clunky and slow, but the Vlaipods are capable of running to evade predators when required. As a result of the toxin build up in their bodies, their meat is toxic and inedible by humans and most other animals. They have no practical use to human civilization.

Jydlox


A lean and muscular mammal built for strength and speed, the Jydlox has widely and successfully been domesticated alongside the common dog. Though bigger than known dog breeds, weighing in between three hundred and four hundred pounds, the Jydlox are known for being great companion animals, though they almost always bond with only one person. Historically used as work animals, used for pulling equipment and hauling, the Jydlox's primary role is one of leisure, sport, and entertainment. Jydlox races are incredibly popular, as are Jydlox strength and endurance contests. They are wildly accepted in human cities, though wild populations are still quite common and successful. Their primary territory is in the western section of the Kilerth Desert, where they reign supreme as one of the top predators. They come in a plethora of colours, though tan, brown, grey, and white are most common.

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Craissets


The winners of evolution, the Craissets have no known predators (except themselves, as they are known to be conditional cannibals). Though small, standing only three to four feet high, the Craissets' four rows of razor sharp and ragged teeth, muscular hind legs, and chemical detecting eyes that make them the king of the reptiles. Though blind and deaf, the Craissets seek out prey with their chemical seeking pair of eyes that can sense and locate a prey's chemical signals. Their powerful legs and thickly padded feet allow them to navigate the desert without worry. Their blindness has led them to been known to run into trees and rocks though. Their meat is riddled with dangerous bacteria and should not be consumed by humans.

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Crolt


The Crolt, a relative of big cats, is a fierce runner that can sprint across a flat desert in record speed. They are small animals, weighing in at about one hundred pounds, and often hunt small game like lizards, hares, and birds. They are the natural prey to Craissets and rely on their speed alone to evade predators. They have two sets of front limbs, a traditional pair for movement and a secondary pair they use for cradling their young until they are old enough to run on their own. Crolt meat is lean and packed with protein and is as common as beef on the dinner table. Though Crolts are quite common in the wild, many Crolt farms have begun to crop up in the city to mass-produce meat.

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Bleshags


Despite their rather terrifying appearance and intimidating size of nearly four hundred pounds, Bleshags are mostly harmless and are entirely herbivorous. They disguise themselves from predators by allowing moss and fungi to grow symbiotically all across their body, providing the plants with warm, aqueous pores on their skin for growth and protection. As such, they live exclusively in the Sarton Swamps and can be used for human consumption, though their meat is often overly chewy, dry, and earthy in taste, as such, they are mostly left unhunted by humans. They are solitary animals and come together only once every five years to breed and produce large broods, often ranging from fifty to one-hundred eggs in one season.

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Blinknos


A small, winged hunter that resides throughout the Sarton Swamps and Frozen North, Blinknos are about the size of a bobcat and survive almost exclusively by scavenging. They are shy creatures and are not generally aggressive and once roamed all of Ormaia, including a subspecies that survived in the desert, but because their eggs, young hatchlings, and feathers are considered delicacies and prizes possessions, they have been hunted to near extinction and wild populations were driven north for survival. They live in mated pairs, producing clutches of two to three offspring a season. Ancient stories have spoken of people taming and riding Blinknos, but whether that is just a fairy-tale or truth has been undecided. If it is truth, the art of taming Blinknos is lost to history.

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Saion


Noble beasts thought to bring good luck and fortune, Saions were hunted to near extinction for their gorgeous pelts and racks. Small pockets of populations still live throughout the Sarton Swamps and the North. They are shy creatures and completely herbivorous like their cousins the common Deer. Their meat is highly sought after and considered a delicacy, but most are unable to afford it on a regular basis. Unlike Deer, both females and males possess horns with dozen of branches, often weighing upwards of fifty to sixty pounds. As such, Saions are large beasts with powerful back and shoulder muscles. They look as though they should get tangled up in vines and branches more than they do, but they're pretty dainty creatures usually. Extremely prone to dehydration because of the heaviness of their pelts, Saions can be used to hunt down water sources as their keen sense of smell can smell a body of water from ten to twenty miles away.

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Skelker


At nearly four-hundred pounds, the silent, stealthy Skelker in a true winner of evolution. Completely blind and hairless, Skelkers reside mostly in dark spaces-- caves, burrows, and heavily forested areas and are entirely nocturnal. They hunt with expert-like precision and very, very rarely miss prey they stalk. They're hairless and their skin is coated in a protective slime that prevents damage from the sun and weather and protects them from infestations like mites and fleas. Their horrendously sharp teeth and claws make them deadly killers and their saliva is tinted with a toxin that temporarily stuns and incapacitates their prey. They are not picky eaters either and will hunt anything from deer to humans to even other fierce predators, like the Crolt. Their bodies are so sensitive, they can pick up tremors from footfalls and smell an animal from over fifteen miles away. Lore has nicknamed the 'Hell Child'... and for good reason. Their thick muscle and skin shields them from even most modern-day weapons, and it often takes more than one bullet to fell one of these creatures.

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[Mordecai]

Locations

Ormaia


A large spit of mostly desert, Ormaia isn't really much of anything exciting to look at. It's borders are cuffed with treacherous mountains to the East and frigid tundras to the North, while the rest is smattered in endless stretches of sand, more sand, and incredibly dangerous creatures. Known to be overwhelmingly dry and humid, the kingdom of Ormaia stays afloat financially by pumping out huge amounts of oil and natural gas from deep reservoirs below the deserts, but the kingdom is far from wealthy. Hydrationally starved, the people of Ormaia scramble for water and food and struggle everyday to survive the harsh conditions. Remnant of past colonization attempts litter the kingdom with ruins. Cities are far and few in between, though almost none exist in the heart of the Kilerth desert. The capital city of Theta is a pulse of life in an otherwise dreary kingdom and is known for being at the cutting edge of technological advancement, while the rest of the kingdom seems to be left in the dust... metaphorically and literally.

Theta


The capital city and the heartbeat of the Ormaia Kingdom, Theta is the hub of most political, scientific, and cultural movements. At the cutting edge of science, technology, and research, Theta is a megalopolis that hosts hundreds of thousands upon hundreds of thousands of citizens. Skyscrapers are piled on top of each other and soar hundreds of feet into the sky, often blocking out sunlight to the streets sprawling out in a chaotic mess below. A heavy plume of smog pollution hangs over the city and the neon lights never turn off, but there is always something happening. From the wild party districts to the equally crazy university towns, Theta has a borough for all interests, but crime rates tend to be high and police tend to be violent. Citizens of Theta are diverse and often come from all over Ormaia, as well as from different kingdoms to seek new opportunities like work, education, and other. There is a little bit for everyone in this big city and don't even try and see it all... you'll never be able to.

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Kilerth Desert


Though dry and arid, Kilerth Desert is anything but barren. The wildlife that dwells here is rough and tumble, able to resist the blazing dry heat of the day and the frigid, bitter cold of night. Water is sparse, with rain falling only two or three times a year, but many large animals make the desert their home. The heart of the desert is mostly unoccupied by humans, as it is too harsh for them, though mysterious old ruins of an ancient civilization spear the soul of the deserts, but they were lost to history and what remains of them is slowly being lost to the sand. Creatures in the desert are big and predatory in nature, and though many (like the Jydlox and the Crolt) have been domesticated for human use. Trade routes through the desert exist with small outposts dotting the paths connecting cities throughout the kingdom, but it is advised travelers traverse Kilerth in groups with trained professionals. Transportation through the desert is done commonly by both animal, like horse and Jydlox, or by motor transportation.

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Lingmell Ruins


At the heart of the Kilerth Desert lies a mysterious shamble of ancient ruins that have been there for "as long as anyone can remember." Their origins and history is lost to the time and sand, though many urban adventurers have attempted to explore the ruins and piece together their history. Many theories exist about the Lingmell, and other, ruins in Ormaia but not solidified proof has ever risen. Where ever the ancient people had gone, and where ever they had come from is something of a mystery but scientists and archaeologists have ascribed the ruins of possessing technology and building structure beyond the time of their creation, further baffling historians while more spiritual individuals have claimed to feel 'mystic powers' coming from the ruins. While no one is confident on where the ruins divined from, one thing is for sure: they possess an awful lot of secrets.

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Sarton Swamps


A thin cuff that ultimately divides the desert from the Frozen North, the Sarton Swamps are something of an anomaly in the landscape. Cool and wet, as all moisture-heavy clouds are pushed through that strip by the mountains, Sarton Swamps in flush with greenery. Though only several hundred square miles in size, it hosts the biggest diversity of wildlife in all of Ormaia. Known for being particularly treacherous, no towns or cities exist within its borders, despite the increased fertility of the soil. Most of the swampy bodies of water are brimming with dangerous and poisonous predators, making the enticement of fresh water not even worth it. Several trails exist through the Sarton Swamps and connect Theta to the Frozen North, though they are not often used. As a result of their implicit danger, there are many species of plants and animals in the Sarton Swamps that are simply unknown and unidentified.

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Frozen North


Littered with ruins and painted entirely in greyscale, the Frozen North is about as inviting as its name sounds. Dangerous rocky cliff faces soar up in all directions, creating a maze of narrow, icy, and dark passages. It is dark most of the year, the sun barely rising at all, and when it does, the sun seems to reflect it away. There is no warmth, no comfort, and little in the way of human life. Historically, the frozen north was used to bring in fresh water from snow and glaciers into the desert cities in the south, but routine accidents involving avalanches, crumbling rocks, and exposure left teams of workers dead, operations in the Frozen North were suspended. The Frozen North exists at a balmy minus fifty Celsius all year around and the Ormaia government strongly discourages people from attempting to explore.

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Cave of Orilon


Hidden right below the noses of the people of Ormaia, the Cave of Orilon has yet to truly be discovered for the wonders it possesses. Thought to be merely an outcropping in the rock, the caves possess a delightful secret in its subterranean caverns. Hidden several dozen yards into the caverns is a magnificent stretch of fresh, pure water, and that is better than gold when you're living in a desert. The caves are thriving with life-- luminescent mushrooms as tall as a building, fish as long as a car... handfuls of the most magnificent creatures one could ever hope to meet in their lifetime, yet they are all tucked away just waiting to be discovered.

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