[quote=@Rtron]It's not really [i]that[/i] eldritch yet is it? I mean we have Jvan's constructs, sure. But the hostile ones are few and far in between if I remember correctly (There's only like what, a dozen fibrelings?) and the rest are like the Sculptors and fairly peaceable.[/quote]

Recap!

[hider=Population and size dynamics]
-Given their habit of breeding whenever there's unexplored regions, even if you play that off with their stamina and speed allowing them to roam quickly, there are still probably a hundred million uncoloured wild-type fiberlings on Galbar right now.

-They're designed with a high imperative not to interfere with the evolution of other life in the long term. So they. Uh. Don't do anything relevant ever. ('._.)

-However, that does mean that they do very specifically target anything that's upsetting the natural course of things. So far the only thing introduced that fits the bill, as I recall, is Ashlings. Rampant elementals are also a worry, but by the time they get anywhere near Char-sized, not even an Optic fiberling can make them look up.

-Speaking of which, the rainbow ones are those with probes and speaking devices in them. They're twice as big as even the very largest of wild-type furs, at a tad under two rhinoceroses heavy. With a bit of Googling and some speedy maths, that means that at their very densest they still occupy a sphere with almost exactly 1m radius, i.e. Still taller than you in heels. At a middling density (for a fiberling, which are at least 90% empty air when active), that makes them as big as a grain silo or commercial petroleum tank. Big girls!

-Optic fiberlings are big enough not to have much competition, and presumably the same force that 'dyes' their consumed hair also bolsters its longevity, so they're unlikely to die of natural causes other than dragons (eventually) and big elementals. However, their size does not affect their strength, speed or intelligence. It may take longer and be more dangerous, but the same methods used to kill regular fuzzies will work on the rainbow ones. Currently there are five of these.

-Starvation, though, is the highest cause of mortality for normal fiberlings, primarily because their preservation imperative prevents them from over-exploiting their environment even if they're close to death from mass loss due to heat, cold, or damage by more dangerous organisms- Ashlings, hain tribes, white giants, heraktati, mammoth ants, and Rottenbone life like fleet-footed manglers, rainbow silkies, mottled skyrays, brush beasts, Deepwood sloths. Remember that they don't have muscles, and they're not very dense when active, so they can't take much punishment or exert much force relative to their size.

-Their 'hair' does not regrow (they have nothing to grow it out of), has no immune system to protect it, and is thus constantly shedding. So ordinary fiberling size sits at a shaky equilibrium based on how biodiverse their habitat is vs. how wide they can roam. A flourishing rainforest that's relatively empty of other fiberlings can see one grow to elephant-big before it breeds, while a competed oasis in a hostile desert will see its belligerents shrink until they're barely the size of dogs.
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