Sorry I’m late, I was held back writing more sheets for some more planets with Psychedelic Kung Fu Cacti and a Centipede Mafia, but I decided I looked dormant enough as it is and rushed to get these done. If it isn’t up to snuff, or if something makes less sense than usual, give me a buzzington. [hider=Frogs that eat dogs!] Name: It's very difficult to spell what they call themselves, because they don't speak by making mouth-articulated noises, and their language is written using a method that denotes vocal vibrations and tone rather than onomatopoiea for words, like a musical score. If you would like to spell the noise that you make pushing a dry, forced burp up to the top of your throat with your tongue, that would be their name. People that speak English (Or the sci-fi equivalent) call them Leptoids when they want to be fancy, Basilisks or Frogodiles when they're being colloquial or derogatory as the case may be. Kingdom: Animalia Level of Decodedness: Reasonably understood by science. A scientist can design an egg to end up with all sorts of mixed and matched facial features in adulthood, and have an entire RGB chart of colorations. Some Leptoids will “Sell advertisement space” on their unborn children this way. Highly modified Leptoids, particularly Superleptoids, are very far off... Although that’s probably a good thing. Base: Carbon.[s] She got chains for dayyys[/s] Composition: multi-cellular. Fairly standard animals, I'm afraid. Physiology: Leptoids are large, broad-bodied, sinewy animals notable for their lack of necks, enormous mouths and often toxic alkaloid bodily secretions. They have four limbs, the hind legs being enormous, agile, digitigrade limbs, which make excellent weapons as well as quick methods of transport over land, up trees, and through water. They end in elongated, leathery, and webbed feet that make many bipedal walking styles difficult, but light hops and galloping do make a good enough substitute. Their forelegs are better articulated, but equally long, and while not as heavily muscled as their hind legs, are very versatile in purpose, often thickly built with gristle and their own slimy hide, even by the standards of most humanoids. They have powerful, webbed gripping fingers, and are used for steering through water, climbing, and grappling foes or prey while they’re being bitten to death. By now you probably realise that these are alien frogs. And they are. Large frogs, but with much longer arms and bodies, to the point where, at full crouch, they seem more like amphibious apes than their similar counterparts on earth. The Leptoid’s body has some key differences. Torso muscles are internal, and while the body is generally shaped like that of a barrel-chested humanoid, you will never see their muscles moving unless they’re having surgery. Their torso is armored with a sequence of ribs and flexible cartilaginous plates under the skin. Their eyes blink with 2 layers of clear, oily carapace, each one at a time, which keep bugs, light attacks, and hazards from injuring the eye as it goes through life. A Leptoid has a roughly 194 degree field of view, with the peripheral adjusting as the eyes move. While they can see details very clearly and for a good distance, and their pupils adjust for a stunning degree of night vision, they don’t have the cones necessary for color vision. Animals with the texture of trees easily avoid their jaws, despite being brightly colored to ward off other predators. Their six-digitted appendages are excellent for grabbing and gripping, and especially suited for climbing. Another distinct advantage is the incredible grip this offers for weapons. Long handles, while easier to pry away from creatures with only one opposable thumb, become a bit trickier when there’s more fingers resisting you, or, as the case may be, a latter phalange being used as a thumb on the other side. Powerful arms and fingers, and heavy, bony forms with additional knuckles, make their hands into deeply hazardous hammers as well as tools. Their incredible physicality and the intelligence to live in groups have brought them up to be the Apex Predators of the Tchernabog lowlands. Or, at least as apex as it gets in Tchernabog. The top 3 predators in any given Tchernabogian ecosystem usually have a rock-paper-scissors relationship. They breathe through their skin, which is especially conducive to survival in The Vacuum. With a bodily system not expressly reliant on air pressure, permanently goggled eyes, and the ability to absorb oxygen by touching air rather than needing to gulp it down, the fatalities of Leptoids that go one explosion too far usually survive unharmed by space itself, provided they escape the initial explosion and are picked up by a habitable ship in under 10 minutes. It also means that, if they have some time to get accustomed and generate more red blood cells, they won’t be much burdened by the atmospheres of more oxygen-lite planets. This makes them prime fodder for invasion forces, and freighters down on their luck are especially targetted by recruiters for Space Pirate crews. They have long, powerful tongues roughly as long as their torsos (Which can reach up to 5 feet), that can be fired out of their mouths at high speeds to grab onto things… Or people, and they can be brought back into their mouths just as easily. Their heads are specially shaped to deflect water and head-on blunt force, their eyes can retract into their heads for additional protection, and rather than suffer the vulnerability of having a neck, skulls are highly plated and hinged to move up or down, their eyes able to look side to side well enough, though they’d lack the depth perception from the side that a person capable of turning their heads would have. They have large mouths, jaws capable of chewing iron ingots apart, and a digestive tract that could dissolve steel nails. They need to eat a lot of dangerous things, after all. The sheer destructive ability of their internal processes renders them mostly immune to most complex bacterial diseases, slow-acting poisons (When eaten or drunk) and digestive tract infections. There are three different breeds of Leptoid. They’re phenotypically very different, and some have genes that others don’t, but they can all breed together more or less seamlessly, so they’re more like dog breeds than separate species. In the deserts and volcanic flats, the Leptoids living there are dry and leathery. They no longer have toxic secretions for self-defense, but most animals there either aren’t big enough to eat them, or they’re too big for it to matter all that much, so it works out. Desert Leptoids instead are covered in sharp spines, which they use to fight each other, as well as similarly sized creatures. They can reach up to 6 feet while ‘sitting’, or curling up their legs and standing on their haunches. Their tongues have barbs on the end of them, as they lack the moisture to coat their tongues with adhesives. They have to be able to pierce tough, plated creatures with incredible force and pull them back into their mouths effectively. In the swamps, rivers, and lakes are the most common “Lowland” Leptoids. They are by far the largest, (8-10 feet sitting) spend the majority of their lives in half-submerged villages, and their skin, when wet, produces a deadly alkaline neurotoxin, which evaporates into a potentially dangerous gas. However, being immersed in water washes it off and dilutes it into harmless (If very salty) water. Their grippers have “grippers” on the end of them, a special mass of muscles that can be moved to quickly snatch things. This gives the Leptoid an edge against particularly strong or slippery animals that can resist the stick of their tongue. It has allowed them to develop an array of tongue-specific weapons for tribal warfare. They have rigged bear-trap-like devices up to their jaws and used their tongues to hurl them at each other as the ultimate “GET OVAR HERE!”, ran into battle with mouth-operated crossbows, and used their tongues as a means for sending large push daggers over shields. Up above, in the trees, live the “Tree-Frog” variety of Leptoid. These are by far the most colorful, but also the smallest. They can grow up to a mere 5 feet sitting. They can launch themselves much further and higher than their cousins, and absorb more force from the fall. They’re also far more toxic, able to spit a more noxious, stinging and blinding version of their alkaline nuerotoxin even when dried off. They have sharp, tooth-like ridges along the edges of their jaws which create lacerations for their natural poisons to seep in, which are more concentrated and faster-acting than that of their swampy brethren. Needless to say, it takes a lot of food and nutrients to keep predators this big running. To the point that it becomes very expensive to support them in large numbers. They are a powerful invading force, but most planets don’t have the same density of plants and animals that Tchernabog does, and a small village of Leptoids need to hunt and gather constantly in order to avoid slowly succumbing to starvation. Outposts on Tchernabog can afford to hire (But not necessarily house) large armies of Leptoids, but you’re far more likely to find Leptoids as lone mercernaries or bodyguards for rich dignitaries outside of Tchernabog’s gravitational fields. Reproduction: Sexual. Whenever male and female bond, they will pair up and fertilize several hundred eggs using their all-purpose rear bits, and store them in a safe place or structure. On average, about 50 of them actually live to adulthood, and less than half of those surviving will die of old age. The odds are actually much worse on planets where the hatchlings are less likely to be eaten, particularly because the air is thinner. Dimorphic? Females have markedly larger and rounder cartilaginous plates, and broader torsos to protect and store their eggs. [/hider] [hider=Plants that need pants!] Name: Their word for themselves also isn’t communicable into noises. When given translators, they refer to themselves as “Me” “We” or “Us”. Most refer to them as Tchernabogian Lilies, or just Land Lilies. Kingdom: Plantae Base: Carbon Composition: Multi-cellular Physiology: Land Lillies are a particularly large species of plant, similar to the Nymphaea family, although some scientists will dispute whether or not it actually belongs in the same nomenclature. The structure of the plant begins with a feature uncommon in most plants, a tuber-like structure surrounded in a venomous woody shell that all roots feed into, called a Nueral Stem. Of course it’s venomous, because otherwise bugs would find a way to get in there and cause brain damage… And Tchernabog has some scary-ass bugs. We are told by these plants that the plant’s systems collect information in a way similar to nerves, and it is memorized and stored in the Stem as a chemical message that actual nerves can “read”. It works like a two-part brain system. The Bioelectric nerve system can send signals where it needs to in order to store chemicals. The regular system can create and store its own chemicals, so if a portion of the Stem becomes damaged or mushy, the rest of the stem will be able to back it up. The plant uses its vines to “Feel around”, looking for vibrations of animal activity and a fair amount of sunlight. Animal pollinators are leagues higher in priority than sunlight, actually, and if needed, it can and will grow its roots into another plant to leech off its energy, sending the chemical message that it’s part of that plant now in order to keep its immune system and the plant’s chemically affected residents from reacting to it. If its vines reach a desirable location, they will grow a few enormous flowers scattered about the area. (4-15 feet across) It is at this point that the Land Lily will begin to make its way up the food chain. The flower grows large, slippery stalks around a pool of sticky nectar laced with digestive juices. The insects that flock to it are eaten alive, and the chemicals, shape, structure, and “fragrant ingredients” of the creature are memorised. Then the flowers start to produce the smell of the insects, and larger animals arrive… This continues until Reproduction month, when the nectar dries up, and the “Bowl” of stamens around it become rougher, climbable, and covered in pollen. It is at this point that a certain process starts, which has caused other Tchernabogian cultures to consider them demons and horrors for much of ancient history. See: The Sylvari from Guild Wars 2, except probably less durable (They’re built to match the texture and feeling of flesh, and survive mating rituals, but they weren’t made with sustainability in mind) and heathenously Deviantarted. The plant will construct functionally independent bodies based on the creatures memorised by their parent plant. They will often be made as what explorers have called “Sexualized caricatures” of the original species, often with parts that seem to be associated with breeding and fertility exaggerated. The parent plant can connect with and control these bodies at any time with electromagnetic forces that can only really be described as telepathy, otherwise, they stand idly by and pick at the food that the vines also grow, as well as lazily grabbing ahold of any living thing that looks compatible. The plants cannot create actual flesh and bone, only wood, lipids, and fibers that imitate it well enough that the body will remain structurally sound enough to find and “breed” with the creatures they’re imitating. However, they can create “Fruits” that mimic the colors, taste, smell, and appearance of certain foods that the flower has digested before. Natives and tourists of Tchernabog alike have been startled time and time again by the sight of legs and ribcages growing out of vines and lying around in flowers. Plant bodies run on the basic instincts of “Appearing Normal” by eating the “food” and dispensing pheromones, and trying to attract the attentions of other members of the species they’re imitating. They only gain independence, and can venture away from the plant, when they are telepathically controlled. This is usually how they speak to non-plant creatures. The purpose of these plant bodies is to pollinate in a way that regular insects cannot. By breeding with creatures with large territories, they’ve actually, rather subversively stuck multiple pollen sacks to the creature during intercourse, or taken any off that may have been there. The pollen, whether it was actually from a different plant or not, would fertilize the seeds kept inside these bodies, and then they would be telepathically controlled to migrate off and die somewhere, thus distributing their seeds somewhere else. If the species happens to get violently jealous when a particularly slutty plant mates with someone else, all the better. Being killed also spreads their fertilized seeds… These plants communicate with each other by touching roots, and the faux bodies can communicate with other plants by touching flower stamens. They exchange various chemical messages that can be translated into languages like Chinese, where words represent interpretational concepts and not individual specific things. Translated directly into English, Land Lily language would sound like subconscious Alice in Wonderland gibberish. Some clever Lilies have learned how to speak “animal languages” using their faux bodies, eliminating the need for biochemical translators. Reproduction: Sexual, asexual, other? Yes. Whenever the weather’s warm, the day is humid, and “Love” is in the air. The flowers usually alternate between predatory and reproductive for 30 earth days at a time. Larger plants spread over a very wide area can have some flowers in breeding condition and others in predatory condition at the same time. Dimorphic: No. [/hider] [hider=Bugs that have Jugs!... Of food... Yeah, they aren't like the flowers.] Name: Kabezzar. Finally, a simple answer to a reasonable question! Kingdom: Animalia Base: Carbon Composition: Multi-celluar Physiology: The Kabezzar are social insects similar in form to wasps and bees… Mixed with dragonflies, ants, and Mantises. There are several different kinds, based on what kind of egg they were, and what kind of wax they were incubated in. We’ll get to that now. The first class of Kabezzar we’ll get into are the Serfs. These are the typical Harvesters of any Kabezzar hive queendom. It is their job to harvest nectar and any other sugary juices from plants, as well as meats, and any succulent products from animals, to bring back to the hive. Serfs usually leave fighting up to Guardians, however, and when alone, will usually opt for the food that doesn’t fight back. Kabezzars usually eat their fill on the job and store the excess in wax back at the main hive, where it’s stored away as a special food mixture for volcano season or some other catastrophic event. They live in compartments built on the outside of the hive for quickly deployment. Serf Kabezzars are roughly 1-3 feet long, have four “base” legs and an adjustable, compartmentalised abdomen for storing food and nectar without, well, digesting it all the way. While they aren’t built explicitly for warfare, they have pincers which can manipulate objects as well as be used in self defence. And, while less agile than a tail, they do have stingers inside of their abdomens. Their mouths are probosci, and they lack the mouthparts of their peers. This is because everything they take from animals and plants has to be liquefied anyway, so that 100% of the hive can feed on it and they will waste no space in their bellies. Serf Kabezzars are mildly sterile. Meaning, females do not ovulate, and males do not have emissions or sex drive… At least, until they go dispersal. Two serfs that spends long periods of time away from the pheromones of a functioning hive (I.E., ones that have survived a hive-ending disaster… Although some Game-of-Thrones-minded individuals have simply left the hive for these reasons) can produce up to 5 queen eggs, one of which will probably survive and create a new hive. (If not, the strongest queen will kill and eat its sister(s)) The second class are the Workers. The Workers have one purpose, and one purpose only: To do the gruntwork. All the food and materials that Serfs bring in, Workers process into wax for building the hive, and Nutrient Fluid for supplying the hive with easy-access food… Assuming everyone else doesn’t eat it on arrival. Workers are small, up to 1 foot long at most, for being able to get into every nook and cranny. They are highly cleanly, and have numerous sharp mouthparts for eating pests, squatters, and debris. As well as fighting invaders. They have round stinger abdomens full of flesh-melting enzymes for the exact purpose of fighting hive intruders... As well as turning meat into a processed liquid capable of being mixed in with the plant honey so it doesn’t go bad in a sealed container. They travel around in small swarms, have vestigial wings for controlling temperatures, and can communicate with each other fast enough that their coordination would make them appear to be a small hivemind. In truth, they’re just willingly doing their jobs and trying not to trample each other or undo each other’s work. Workers are sterile without exception. They live in the hive and would rather die fighting than leave in a nasty situation, so there’s no point in having reproductive organs, on or off, when there is no way they’ll survive a hive-ending disaster to continue the hive with. The third class are Knights. These are essentially the administrators, as well as the equivalent of Guard Ants. They can grow up to 5 feet long, head to tail, have four base legs and two “mantis saws” for striking, each one’s serrated edges tipped with glands for the same flesh-melting enzymes. Their abdomens are flexible tails, and function as tails for positioning and pushing their long, serrated stingers into things. They have both mandibles and probosci, since they often eat the intruders and insubordinates they they kill, and have to remain capable of eating nutrient syrups efficiently if they’re stationed in the hive. Their job is to oversee a small subset of the Hive territory, akin to a knight’s fief, command, control, and manage the aforementioned classes of Kabezzar underlings as they work, keep rogue serfs from producing unauthorised queens, and, most importantly, keep EVERYTHING away from the hive’s territory and plants. They hunt regularly, scouring their lands for any animal that doesn’t smell like the hive. It usually ends poorly unless an animal of sapient intelligence can somehow convince the knight that they’re authorised to be in Hive territory. A knight Kabezzar’s dream job, at least for the males, is to fertilize eggs to create females when they’re in short supply and/or the queen is bored. Knights are also mildly sterile, the females working in the same way that a Serf does, while the males cannot perform reproductive functions unless exposed directly to the pheromones of a fertile female. Female Knight eggs are rarely allowed to live unless the queen is nearing the end of her life cycle, for the reason that rogue, Power-hungry Knights who can lay new Queens are inherently more dangerous than two Serfs in a hole somewhere trying to hide their rogue Queen eggs… Queens are the biggest and arguably the most powerful of the hive. Their word is law, and rightly so. She has complete reproductive power, and therefore the survival of the species, at her command. She also grows up to 8 feet long, has a very durable, scimitar-like stinger that sprays flesh-digestive enzymes, 4 claws, (2 mantis saws and 2 regular ones) and a proboscis like an assassin bug, which doesn’t just eat the innards of flowers. The Queen was built to fight, or at least scare off, any animal as long as she has enough time to prepare, making her effectively the Hive Batman. She will lay eggs of varying use hourly, which will be carried either by her, or her workers, depending on the size of the hive, into sealed wax cells to incubate. Eggs will always, by default, be male. Daughters can only be born if a male fertilizes her eggs. Queens are never sterile, and if they are, someone’s going to eat them before they grow to full size. Probably one of the stronger queens. Dimorphic: See Physiology. Males and females of the same caste look and act quite similarly. You wouldn’t be able to tell without a hormone-sensitive nose or an actual look at who's doing what in the breeding process. [/hider] [hider=Planet that... Is a planet.] Name: Tchernabog Diameter: ~25 512.4 km Mass: ~1.1944e+25 kg Chemical makeup: default earth. Water Content: 80% of the planet is covered by deep rivers and heavily forested swamps, hidden underneath a tree canopy that varies in places. This is technically land, but most of it is muddy and swampy enough to be considered water. 5% is comprised of large inland seas. 0.5% of the water in Tchernabog is composed of freshwater. These are almost always largely uninhabited snow or rainwater basins on top of mountains. Some pockets of desert and salt flats in places encircled by mountains or dried with volcanoes, these make up for 15% of the planet's surface, the majority of them have large underground water or steam pockets, depending on how hot it is. . Atmosphere: Thick, damp, and oxygen rich. Potentially very flammable if you're in a dry area. Geography: Accidentally said everything I was going to put here when explaining where all the water was... Temperature range: 80-150 degrees fahrenheit naturally. Increases to unrecorded levels around centers of volcanic activity. What does it orbit?: It travels in a figure-8 between 2 suns, making space stations from outside sources exceedingly difficult to place, the days exceedingly long and the nights exceedingly sparse and irregular. It is, however, still prone to hourly periods of darkness simply because of how thick the clouds are and how intense tree cover and weather can be. The Tchernabog equivalents of nighttime hunters sometimes actually chase clouds and bad weather around, since that's the most reliable darkness cover Flora/Fauna: A host of large and aggressive organisms. Any plant or animal that isn't hiding has to congregate into groups or just be incredibly lethal to survive. Tchernabog is not friendly to those who aren’t born with friends, which is, perhaps, how it managed to become home to not two, but three creatures who have formed some degree of civilization and haven’t wiped each other out, like the Homo-apes. The environment and sheer size of the place have kept them apart well enough, though they’ve had as many skirmishes and raids against each other as they’ve had mutually beneficial encounters... [/hider]