Volzhkerix

[Kyoki Chudoku]

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“Our kind are the only who could attain such intelligence as is necessary for any structured society. Feral beasts may gather packs and hunt together, but that is not civilisation. A true society can only be created when individuals know their role from birth to death, when entire structures can be devoted to housing and raising young before technology even emerges, when pherohormones keep each in their place and when intelligence can present itself in the form of both the individual and the collective. To claim that any species that does not meet these criteria could ever develop a functional society is, quite simply, absurd.”

- Varaxa, the Silver Princess

The Volzhkerix (Vasilikos poltos) are a species of intelligent eusocial creatures notable for their biological caste system, complex pherohormonal interactions, and attainment of spacefaring civilisation. Biochemically, they are unremarkable, however, their physiology is somewhat exotic and their caste structure considerably complex yet far from a hive mind structure. The Volzhkerix originate from the planet of Uozo, in the Zhuzu system, and are mainly adapted to cold yet arid environments. Some notable aspects of Volzhkerix biology include their complex life cycle, their vanadium-based blood, their use of XNA as a genetic material, and their ability to persist in environments far beyond their natural origins.

The Volzhkerix lack a single unified society, instead being divided into numerous clusters and communities roughly equivalent to nations.

Biochemistry

Volzhkerix are carbon-based lifeforms, using water as a solvent and atmospheric oxygen for respiration. Their genetic material is known as XNA and is very similar to DNA, although more prone to mutation and more difficult to denature. Volzhkerix bodies are comprised mainly of water, although they prefer more basic conditions than many organic life forms.

General External Anatomy

Although different castes feature substantial physical differences, the general anatomy of a Volzhkerix is possible to define in detail. Externally, Volzhkerix possess an outer layer of skin which is most similar to that of fruit in texture, and serves to protect them from the environment. This will often be pigmented, which can lead to a wide array of colours, typically used to visually identify differences between genetic lines. The most common such colour scheme is a purple and golden yellow combination. Several pores are present upon this skin to allow for respiration. The bodies of Volzhkerix can be divided between two sections, the head and the limbs.

The frontal portion of a Volzhkerix head contains the creature’s mouth. Despite some physical differences, all mature castes possess a similar mouth structure involving eight separate plates, carrying several rows of sharp, piercing teeth. Volzhkerix possesss no less than six sets of three eyes, which allow for extensive vision in every direction. These eyes are largely gelatinous, and can distinguish between two sets of colours, as compared to the three of humans sight. The top of the head carries two rows of receptors, each three receptors long. These organs vary in length based on caste, but are sensitive to both chemical and kinetic input, serving to detect smell, taste and sound. One notable feature of the head is the row of gelatinous frills that surrounds it. These structures are covered in nematocysts, and assist in both combat and feeding, as will as being an important object of display. On females, the back of the head also contains the female reproductive organ, the oviductor, which is also capable of expelling certain chemical compounds at high velocity. On males, the top of the head possesses a row of five specialised receptors, which provide additional chemical information and are especially sensitive to particular pherohormones. The head curves downward in a small stump, from which the limbs protrude.

Volzhkerix have a total of seven limbs. They possess two arms, four tendrils which serve to perform locomotion, and a single extended and armoured tail structure which may end in a wide variety of objects. The arms are relatively short and stubby, originally evolving mainly to assist with the consumption of food and grabbing. Each hand has five extended fingers, including an opposable thumb. Despite their short length, these arms are capable of tool use. They excel at clawing and digging, but have pathetic throwing power.

The four legs of a Volzhkerix are quite fleshy yet gelatinous, lacking in muscularity compared to many species. They have no defined feet, and are extremely flexible. The ends of the legs also contain several nematocysts, mainly as an emergency defence. They are capable of secreting a slime-like substance to aid with adhesion, or an alternative substance to increase slipperiness. A Volzhkerix requires all four legs for proper motion, and will struggle substantially if even one is lost.

The tail is typically divided into three segments, each of which is protected with chitinous exoskeletal armour. The end of the tail may contain a wide variety of objects depending on the case, including the male reproductive organ (the ovipositor), the female egg-laying organ, a stinger, or an additional grasper. The tail is both strong and flexible, and is often used for defensive purposes because of this.

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Diet

The Volzhkerix digestive system is extremely simple. The mouth of the creature is used to crush food through mastication. Volzherix teeth are designed mainly for crushing and shredding, and cannot perform grinding motions. As such, many will consume small rocks and use these as an additional tool for chewing. The saliva of the animals is used to liquefy ingested materials as much as possible prior to swallowing. The mouths of Vokzhkerix are resistant to damage and can endure many forms of defences, including stings, spines, many toxins, thick armour, and nematocysts. This also allow the creatures to crush bone.

Volzhkerix have a single food stomach chamber, a water stomach,and a single intestinal tube. The stomach contains a weaker level of acid than many creatures, and is capable of storing a large amount of food. Volzhkerix are unusual in that they will often force food back into the mouth for further processing while digesting other material. This allows them to carry a constant if small supply of food, a useful adaptation for their arid environment. The water stomach is used to store water for long-term usage, and also contains only a single chamber. The intestinal tube is where most nutrients are absorbed, and is extensively folded. It leads to a waste organ, which itself leads back to the mouth. Refuse is removed through the mouth in a solid form.

Due to their digestive system, Volzhkerix are capable of processing a wide variety of food, including flora, fauna, and fungi. They are capable of processing their world’s equivalent of grass, but inefficiently. They can also consume bone. While Volzhkerix will often use rocks or dirt particles to aid in grinding, they cannot actually digest these materials.

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General Internal Anatomy

The majority of Volzhkerix organs are located within their heads. Lining the top layer of their body is the their heart, which contains twenty seperate chambers. Rather than use a closed circulatory system, Volzhkerix instead make use of haemolymph, a fluid which surrounds many of their organs and is pumped and replenished by their heart chambers. The fluid itself contains the pigment vanabin, which transports oxygen and causes the haemolymph to be a light pink colour.

The skeletomuscular system of Volzhkerix is comprised primarily of cartilage and a gelatinous structural material. This makes them very flexible, but at the cost of very frequent minor injuries.

The respiratory system of Volzhkerix is very simple, effectively consisting of a number of pores which supply the haemolymph directly with oxygen, and separate pores which expel aerial waste material.

Volzhkerix have a complex nervous system, concentrated in the centre of the head. This places their brain above the digestive tract but below the heart. The brain is a fairly flat organ, yet quite large, and is connected to a system of nerves which transfer electrical signals. The brain is also connected to sensory organs. Volzhkerix brains are capable of intelligent thought, but render emotions in a very different way to humans.

Like many creatures, Volzhkerix possess a number of filtration organs. These are intended to remove toxins, but they also affect pherohormones in the case of Volzhkerix. There is a filteation organ for waste (the waste filter), which serves to ensure that waste material is uncontaminated prior to injection and doubles as a kidney. They also possess a liver equivalent.

The endocrine system of a Volzhkerix is complex, containing several glands which release hormones, pheromones, or pherohormones. These have a substantial impact on the body, more intense than most creatures. However, many of these glands are specialised based on caste.

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Pherohormones

Pherohormones are organic chemicals which perform the function of pheromones and hormones. These are used for a massive number of purposes by Volzhkerix. While all such creatures are capable of emitting some pherohormones, only queens and princesses are capable of emitting many of them in large quantities. Additionally, while they are powerful, it is possible for their psychological impacts to be resisted. The exact chemistry of each hormone varies based on the bloodline, but the effects are effectively identical.

Control Pherohormone (CPh)- this chemical induces a state of relaxed subservience in those who receive it. It is mainly used to keep control over the thralls of a specific cluster or individual. Only princesses and queens can secrete it, and are generally quite resistant to it themselves. Unusually, some princesses and queens have a gene which gives them what is known as the slaver trait, in which their control pherohormones are capable of overpowering even royal castes.

Suppression Pherohormone (SPh)- this pherohormone is what suppresses the development of fertility, and is a large determined of caste. Young exposed to sufficient levels of this substance will become infertile castes- workers for females and soldiers for males. When it is not present, queens and drones emerge instead. A mutation involving a weakened version of the pherohormone lead to the partial suppression phenomenon, which results in princesses and eunuchs. Only queens and princesses produce this pherohormone.

Neurological Growth Pherohormone (NGPh)- this affects the development of the nervous system, and is typically not secreted, instead being an internal factor. However, it has been used in an artificial manner to develop increased intelligence at an earlier age, and for producing certain mutant castes.

Physical Development Development (PDPh)- this affects physical growth, especially that of muscles. It is usually internal. Artificial usage is roughly equivalent to the use of adrenaline and steroids.

Kill Switch Pherohormone (KSPh)- this is an emergency measure that causes an overwhelming urge to commit suicide. This is only secreted by queens- princesses are not capable of its production. While naturally used to eliminate diseased individuals or accidental rivals, this has also been weaponised.

Frenzy Pherohormone (FPh)- this pherohormone is used by soldiers, and incites a state of painlessness and aggression. It is used in combat situations to enhance soldier performance.

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Psychology

Volzhkerix are capable of complex thoughts and emotional responses. However, these are quite different from many sapient species. One aspect of their psychology is that the emission of pherohormones will have a profound impact on the mental state of lesser castes, and as such, many of their emotions are not caused by their own desires. As such, independent thought is often considered a luxury more than a necessity for those who are not royalty. Workers, soldiers and drones do have emotions of their own, but these will typically be influenced or overridden by externally caused urges.

The emotions themselves are also quite different. The main emotions of Volzhkerix are contentment, fear, and frenzy. Happinness and sadness are far more rare than among most species. Fear is a natural response fo dangerous phenomenon. Frenzy is a rough equivalent of anger, but is extremely overwhelming. Cold anger is as such unheard of amongst the species. Attraction is impossible for infertile castes. Castes which can feel it will often follow it regardless of other factors, which princesses being the only caste likely to consider certain partners preferable to others beyond basic criteria.

[Kyoki Chudoku]

Castes

Worker

Workers are the most common caste. They are infertile females, produced from unfertilised female eggs, or fertilised female eggs that are subjected to sufficient SPh. Workers are not unintelligent, but are very complaint and industrious. They possess an oviductor, but it is not functional as a reproductive organ. Workers have three-pronged graspers on their tails, typically used to drag objects behind them. These also contain spinnerets for producing a kind of silk which is used for basic construction and protecting young. Workers are very sensitive to CPh, and as such will generally submit to authority. Workers are also physically unimpressive compared to some other castes, especially in terms of their short height. They are however still perfectly capable of tool use. In natural conditions, workers typically looked after young, dearth with construction, and helped with foraging.

Soldier

Soldiers are the second most abundant caste, and are formed from fertilised male eggs (though there are no unfertilised male eggs) that are suppressed. Soldiers have very flat receptors, which are specialised to deal with combat pherohormones, which are often used for communication. Soldiers have massive extra mandibles on their jaws, used for attack, and which contain several nematocysts. They are also the physically strongest of the natural castes. The tails of soldiers end in barbed stingers, which are capable of injecting fatal doses. Soldiers are extremely sensitive to CPh, but are also quite intelligent, capable of operating complex machinery and weaponry. Their natural role was scouting for food, engaging in combat with other groups, and protecting clusters. Soldiers have enlarged hands to aid in these tasks.

Eunuch

Eunuchs are the result of partially suppressed male eggs. They are very unusual, never performing their second polyptation. Instead, they become enlarged nymphs. This leads to them never developing reproductive organs, tails, or five-fingered hands. Eunuchs are very sensitive to CPh and will very rarely be able to defy instruction. They tend to be used as personal servants of princesses, or queens capable of producing them. Eunuchs lack in intelligence beyond the most basic tool use, and have short lifespans.

Drone

Drones are fertile males produced from fertilised and unsuppressed male eggs. Drones have a single purpose in life- mating. They are equipped with a pair of large wings, capable of sustaining flight, which they employ to travel between clusters and mate with other groups. This desire is overwhelming to them. Drones are very sensitive to CPh and quite unintelligent. They do, however, have a unique chemical characteristic. They produce pherohormones which mask them amongst other groups until they reach a queen or princess. Their heads are covered in large receptors. Their tails end in an ovipositor, which is used to inject their genetic material into the oviduct but can also be used as an emergency weapon. Drones are almost entirely dedicated to the purpose of allowing for reproduction.

Princess

Princesses result from fertilised female eggs that are only partially suppressed. They are themselves fertile females, with several characteristics of queens. They are resistant to many pherohormones, and can produce CPh and SPh. However, their SPh can never fully suppress young, meaning that princessses can only give birth to workers, soldiers, eunuchs and princesses. They are the most intelligent natural caste, and currently the highest in several societies. Physically, princessses have egg-laying organs on their tails, which only have two segments. They lack the typical receptors of pherohormones, instead having a group of three antennae on each side of their head, as well as a total of four small and flattened receptors. They also have a total of six gargantuan emitters of pherohormones on their backs, and are quite tall.

Queen

Queens are produced when fertilised female eggs are not suppressed. They are almost immune to most external pherohormones, and produce massive quantities of them. Queens are physically very different to most Volzhkerix. Their limbs are withered flegalla tendrils, save for their tails- a single segment with an egg-layer on the end- and a single arm-like protrusion ending in a large nematocyst injector. Queens are immensely bloated, with enormous oviductors, and no less than six sets of pherohormone emitters. Despite their relative immobility, they are still quite intelligent, and capable of commanding their forces effectively. They naturally serve the role of mother of their cluster, and commander of it. In societies ruled by princesses, however, queens are typically little more than enslaved egg factories.

The following castes are pending removal if pherogenetic technology has not sufficiently advanced to allow for their presence:

Supersoldier

Supersoldiers are created by exposing developing soldiers to large amounts of NGPh and PDPh. They are more physically powerful than standard soldiers, and also more intelligent. Despite their rarity overall, they abound in command roles.

Knight

Knights are created by subjecting eunuchs to large amounts of NGPh, PDPh and FPh. The result is forcing the eunuch to perform a polyptation. A knight then emerges. Knights are fertile males with wings capable of sustained flight, similar to drones, but are also quite intelligent and have an unusual resistance to CPh. This makes them most commonly seen as chosen partners and bodyguards of princesses capable of attaining them.

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Reproduction and Life Cycle

Only princesses, drones and queens are fertile natural castes. Volzhkerix reproduction requires differing genders to interact. An ovipositor is placed in the oviductor, resulting in the merging of genetic material. The female then uses this material to produce several eggs, but may eject it and replace it with an alternative sample at any time she so desires. Queens are capable of producing an enormous number of eggs, and storing them for long periods of time. Princessses, while impressive in this regard, cannot produce as many eggs as fast as queens can.

When an egg is layed, it will hatch after a few months, becoming a planula. Planulae are effective larvae. They are small, round, and incapable of taking care of themselves. As such, others must tend to them. After a year of this form, they perform their first polyptation, which takes around a month. This process is a form of metamorphosis similar to pupation. Emerging from this is a nymph, a young Volzhkerix with legs close to the ground, only three fingers per hand, and no sexual characteristics. After around four years in this stage, a six month second polyptation occurs. A medusa, or adult, then emerges. Adults are fully capable of performing their role immediately after emergence. They possess instinctive reflexes from their nymph stage, but no coherent memories of that time.

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Evolutionary History

Volzhkerix originally diverged from a similar eusocial species only a few million years ago. They first become their own species in the Aiobi Desert, a vast expanses of cold and arid territory on Uozo. The species at this stage only possesses four castes- workers, soldiers, queens, and drones. At this stage, basic tool use become possible, and several communities formed. Divergence in skin colour occurred as groups moved further across the world, taking new territory. Around three hundred thousand years ago, the first princess was born due a mutation. This princess was not resistant to control. However, as others began to emerge, they eventually did become resistant to it, and become their own uprisings. This was also when eunuchs were developed. This led to a rivalry between queens and princesses across many societies, although this delves into social history rather than evolutionary history. Knights and supersoldiers are a very recent discovery.

Trivia

- The Volzhkerix are inspired by real life ants, bees and termites, though their design is deliberately intended to be different to standard insects.

[Kyoki Chudoku]

Excerpt from the Nexus Traveller’s Field Guide to Alien Hellholes

Uozo. It’s not a world devoid of life, and it’s not a world marked by any especially horrific conditions- well, aside from the fact that the dusty atmosphere will slowly dissolve you alive. It’s got a wide variety of biomes, from cold sulfuric deserts to sprawling land-reefs to labyrinthine jungle. The most notorious locals are of course the Volzhkerix, best known for their eusocial lifestyle. That particular adaptation is atypically common on Uozo. So is another of their lovely traits- being covered in highly toxic nematocysts. Abundant as life is, some of it decided somewhere along the line to go and start a toxins arms race, and just about everything has been caught up in the crossfire ever since. As a result, you’ll be hard pressed to find any life that isn’t toxic to some degree, if only from having to eat other things that are insanely toxic. Complex social structures are also quite common among the larger species, but some of them are perfectly content to mutilate prey all by themselves.

Obviously, a comprehensive overview of every organism down there is beyond the scope of this report- we’re just here to give you a glimpse and make you wonder whether nature is intentionally screwing with us or if life is actually that cruel. So, here’s a run-down of some of the more infamous and / or dangerous animals and other such things to inhabit Uozo.

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Meatflower

Typical Meatflower specimen

Small, radially symmetrical things about the size of a human hand. The Meatflower’s claim to fame is its camouflage- as the name suggests, it looks like a meaty little flower, like about half the foliage in the jungles it resides in. When any of the small flying petal-munchers come by to take a bite or have a go at the juicy, flowery insides, they get met with quite the rude introduction. Their sticky tendrils are covered in little globules of biological glue as well as very sensitive hairs, and get rapidly retracted if something brushes against them. Smaller prey gets to be digested immediately. Larger prey triggers an instinctive muscular reaction where the mouth abruptly snaps shut, making these little mimics the easiest way to lose a finger when you go flower-spotting.

Since their lifestyle is so simple and they’re relatively small, they reproduce pretty easily too- though they do it more like fungi than like plants or animals. They’ll spew out spores and hope to pollinate any of their friends nearby. Of course, Meatflowers do have legs, and they’re perfectly capable of walking, but a lifestyle of sitting still and eating like a pitcher plant has not bred them for reaction time or running speed. Now, on most worlds you could avoid dealing with their nonsense by just looking out for the plants that move, but since Uozo’s flora tends to do that just as much, that doesn’t help a whole lot. The best way to tell them apart from ordinary flowers is the smell- they can’t completely hide that fleshy aroma of theirs, but it’s faint, and good luck being able to have that luxury if you’re ever on a field team down there.

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Scurrier

Typical Scurrier specimen

Every planet has its pests, and on Uozo, the Scurrier fills the niche of that impossibly frustrating filthy scavenger that somehow finds a way to dig into everything. They’re resilient little vermin, able to survive anywhere from the land-reefs of Mhevembi to the Aiobi Desert. They’re expert burrowers, because their favourite thing to eat is the eggs and larvae of other creatures, and they’ll tunnel through the ground to get at those supposedly secure young buried at the bottom of a mound or a den or a Tariati slave factory. Because they spend so long underground- and because they’re nocturnal anyway- they don’t have eyes to speak of, just highly developed chemical and vibratory senses that give them an edge in the darkness.

But it’s not enough that they’re child-murdering assassins. No, they’re perfectly content to nibble on adult flesh as well if they have to. Not only are they fast and flexible, able to squeeze through corners they by all rights look twice as large as, but they’re vicious if you do manage to get to drop on them. Think of them like cockroaches- resilient as all hell. And they’ll flail and run and bite back until they’re actually, completely dead. Those bites hurt, too. Their overgrown teeth are made for chipping through calcified structures and hard plant matter, and their little nibbles bleed deep. The only saving grace of these things as that at least they aren’t social.

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Impaler Worm

Typical Impaler Worm specimen

Arboreal critters that hang from the understory of Uozo’s jungles- because they weren’t filled with enough dangerous locals from the trees and flowers alone- Impaler Worms are one of the most infamous creatures the planet has to offer, and that’s for good reason. Some organisms are adapted for survival, evolving over millions of years to harden their defences and protect themselves from poisons and bites and stings and all the other ways animals like to hurt each other. And then the Impaler Worm decided it’d laugh in their faces, because these hyper-aggressive ambush predators are among the most tenacious killers on the planet. The moment something big enough to be worth eating offends them by existing in the same general region as them, Impaler Worms either fall from the canopy to lash out after landing, or just stab their sharpened flesh-piercing life-skewering mouth directly into their prey while still clinging to a branch.

Their entire predation strategy is to launch a vicious attack, pump their prey full of anticoagulants while draining out half their circulatory system, and then slither back up to the canopy and wait for another unsuspecting victim to come past. The trouble is, they’ll frenzy whenever they’re threatened, and since that’s just about every time they get into a feed, they’ll writhe and flail and lunge even if their bodies are cut in half. If they can wrap around the right prey, they can even survive fatal injuries by draining enough blood to keep them oxygenated until their wounds heal- though it’s a lot more common for them to die struggling and trying to kill anything vaguely within their periphery.

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Lasher

Typical Lasher specimen

Lashers are distant relatives of the Volzhkerix, and it shows. Like the Volzhkerix, they’re covered in nematocysts, so they’re bristling with poisonous barbs. Like the Volzhkerix, they’re eusocial- with a biological division between drones, queens, blasters and workers. One of these things, you might notice, is not like the others- and that’d be the most infamous caste they have to offer. Blasters, you see, are infertile males, and so they’ve had their usual ovipositor replaced with a bulbous chemical sac. When they come up against a predator threatening the colony, they stimulate a chemical reaction that causes boiling corrosive acid to get sprayed right in front of them. Not only that, but mixed in with the spray is a set of pheromones that causes workers and other blasters alike to stimulate a violent frenzy, so anything marked by one burst of the stuff is going to get piled on by any other nearby Lashers as well.

Of course, that isn’t their only weapon. Every caste has access to their eponymous lashing claws, which are used for both climbing and defence. Their barbs are tipped with paralytic poison to better subdue anything they get their claws on. Their mouths are also filled with rows of teeth on each grindplate, which grind in opposite directions as they chew, letting them shred whatever they devour with relative ease. Lashers on their own may not be the greatest predators, but combined with an entire colony’s worth of reinforcements? They even have a kind of primitive warfare between colonies, and getting caught in that crossfire is never a good idea.

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Clamberer

Typical Clamberer specimen

Clamberers. Ten-limbed near-boneless arboreal pack hunters with a nigh-immunity to poison and built out of pure muscle. Their main claim to fame is their sheer agility as they face through the treetops, thanks to the incredible flexibility of their many limbs. They eat like starfish- regurgitating their own stomachs to envelop their meals, usually while pinning them down beneath five or six tendrils and while they’re still alive and screaming. Clamberers are quite intelligent as well. They can coordinate attacks from multiple directions, including above and below. They’ll wipe out entire nests and burrows of other life before moving on, ravaging the canopy wherever they emerge.

Fortunately, the canopy is just about the only place you’ll find these monstrosities- they almost never come to ground. Some species do form their own nests in half-hollowed flora, but most are either pure nomads or squatters who just steal someone else’s home for themselves. Because their limbs are pure muscle, they’re easy to regenerate from wounds too- you can cut half their arms off and they’ll still be alive and kicking, and two weeks later the only difference it’ll have made is that the thing will have a grudge.

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Mist-tail

Typical Mist-tail specimen

Mist-tails are close relatives of the Volzhkerix. Unlike them, however, they’re not eusocial- instead, they wander about in herds. They’re usually found in forested terrain, but they’ll migrate across plains and deserts every so often. Their mouths are long and narrow, used for picking into underground burrows or snatching fruits from low-hanging foliage. It’s a lifestyle that doesn’t demand too much active hunting, and sharp as their teeth are, they’re not designed for cutting through all too much meat.

So why bring them up? Well, because of their namesake. Mist-tails have engorged tails covered in enormous pores, and if anything tries to take a bite out of them, they’ll release what’s inside- a poisonous mist of sulfur and chlorine. And then the rest of the herd will start doing it, and before you know the entire vicinity is flooded with toxic gas and anything nearby that isn’t adapted to hold its breath for an eon- so everything that isn’t another Mist-tail- suffocates to death. There’s a reason they’re covered in pastel yellow warning stripes. Get close, and you get choked. At the very least they’re not aggressive or hyper-territorial, but they’re hardly a delight to be around either.

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Shorestalker

Typical Shorestalker specimen

Shorestalkers are native to the land-reefs of Mhevembi, especially prominent along rivers and coasts. They possess trilateral symmetry, giving them a somewhat awkward gait. Mind you, they’ll still catch up to their prey perfectly fine. These things mark their territory with pheromones, and they take intrusions very seriously. The second a critter crosses the line, they’re upon it, wreaking flesh in a brutal melee. See, Shorestalkers may not be fast, but they’re sure as hell heavily armoured and heavily armed. Their thick carapace can take bite after bite, with even their eye reinforced behind a layer of transparent silica and nacre.

And then there’s the arms. The lower arms are three-pronged hooks that are used to grab and dig into prey, as well as tear off the arms of anything they can get ahold of. The upper arms, meanwhile, are stabbing and slashing machines, skewering prey and predator alike and generally making a bleeding mess out of whatever they touch. Because Shorestalkers are radially symmetrical, there’s no sneaking up behind them or anything like that- they will see you, and they will kill you. Worse still, their territoriality is family-based- so there’s usually six or more of the monsters patrolling the same route and eager to mutilate whatever interferes with their domain. And as one final slight, they’re amphibious- meaning half of the time you won’t even see the things before they burst out of the water in a frenzy of violence.

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Stiltwalker

Typical Stiltwalker specimen

The largest terrestrial species on Uozo, and by quite the margin at that. Stiltwalkers resemble colossal walking jellyfish, and they’ve got about as many brains as one. Instead of intelligence or sociality or attack capacity, these gargantuan grazers have specialised for being so utterly enormous and covered in so many stinging nematocysts that almost nothing even bothers to attack them. They’re kept upright by tight muscles and they’re kept from collapsing by a sequence of air sacs in the main body. The mouth is attached underneath that upper mask, and is surrounded by flexible, nematocysts-rich stinging tentacles that serve as both a way to uproot the plants they feed on and to drag in any animals they happen to snag on the way.

Stiltwalkers live simple lives. They causally wander from place to place in search of food to sustain themselves, and anything that ends up nearby either scurries off or gets devoured. They have a practical monopoly on the megafauna niche because nothing has yet evolved that can actually compete with them. Ancient Volzhkerix societies are filled with tales of epic struggles against these enormous monstrosities, which are so neurally underdeveloped they don’t even seem to feel pain. Sometimes, it’s not the sadistic or aggressive animals that are the most dangerous. Sometimes, it’s just the ones that are the best at making sure nothing can stand in their way.