A World of Monsters. (An Encyclopedia on the creatures of the world of Null, Original Writing.)

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Cerberus.

[Sketches depict a bipedal, distinctly feminine race of large, well muscled and three headed canines. They appear to be longer snouted relatives of the Oros, having large hulking tails akin to the mouthed ones of the Chimera and Empusa. Their bodies are well muscled, clearly built for perfomance and strength rather than speed or aesthetics, with their forearms being large with large, sharp clawed hands, their feet digitigrade and built to carry their bulk around. some sketches indicate they are able to go down on all fours in a primal gait for massively increased speed or long distance running. Their three heads are next to one another, side by side, and they each display very clearly distinct personalities, indicating they are each with their own personality and intellect. Other sketches depict the Nullian Cerberus guarding locations in full armor, while others show them smithig materials from molten cauldrons using their bare hands, fire coming from their mouths and tails to heat up a block of metal to shape it into new forms, and even engaging in sportly behavior alongside Chimera and Oros.]

[A note is attached. It reads, 'I have a Cerberus auntie who married into the family. Love you Auntie Dottie/Rottie/Bottie!']

Scientific Name Translation: Three Sister Heads.

Average Size: 8'2/2.5 Meters on average.

Average Weight: 1500 pounds/680kg's on average..

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: N/A, mono-gendered species..

Habitat Range: All Biomes in the Arisa Continent.

Summary:​

The world of Null is no stranger to biological or evolutionary oddities, with one being hard pressed not to find some creature that defies even the tentative norms of our homeworld in some fashion. As such, the last of the 'Three Sisters' family line, that being the family line of the Chimera, is one such oddity that even the most experienced and seasoned of evolutionary biologists on Null can only shrug at the truth and press on without lingering for fear of their own sanity falling apart. This species is of course the Cerberi.

The Cerberus is, like the rest of the Chimeric line, a mono-gendered species, consisting of all females and whom are biologically linked to the Oros. Unlike the Chimera and Empusa, who both split off from the same family line as the Oros millions of years ago, the Cerberi is the unexpected and near inexplicable result of the two family lines briefly rejoining to produce the Cerberi. While the specifics are still murky, what is known is that millions of years ago when both the Chimera and the Oros were beginning their rise to bipedal sapience, the two family lines rejoined, likely through the interbreeding of the female Chimera and male Orowolves, which would result in the first ancestors of the modern day Cerberi to arise. [A note is attached. It depicts at cartoon wolf standing on his hind legs and leaning against a counter top while looking at a primordial cartoon Chimera. A speech bubble over the wolf reads 'Hey baby, come here often?']

The most notable feature of these large canine women is their three heads. Despite what some may believe, these trio of heads are not, in fact, the exact same individual displaying different aspects of themselves. Rather, the heads are each their own being, thus making each Cerberi a set of triplets sharing a single massive body. Careful analysis reveals an extraordinary reason behind this biological facet of themselves: All of the races of Null posses a number of redundant nervous systems flowing through their body. In the Cerberi, however, these nervous systems instead of being part of a single being have splintered into three distinct, but connected, individuals sharing the same body. As a result of this, a single Cerberus technically has four given names: The name of each sister-head, as well as the 'body name' they all share to refer to them as a whole. [A note is attached. It reads 'Auntie Mel is her Body Name, but I always make sure to call all of them by their names.']

One of the most incredible aspects of this splintered multi-person nervous system is the fact that there is no conflict between the sister heads for control. A healthy Cerberus will always have the central, dominant head in control of the body with their sisters acting in support across a wide range of scenarios, including but limited to taking over in the event of damage to the central head. This is such that even if a head is completely destroyed or removed, the sister of that head is not actually dead but 'buried' into the rest of the nervous system, still communing with her sisters until her head is either reattached or regrown over the course of a handful of days through regeneration. As such, it is deceptively difficult to kill a Cerberus, with some records indicating those who had all three heads severed would survive to regrow their heads if brought to safety and not left to be slain by wildlife.

In terms of their other, more apparent physical attributes, the Cerberi are massive, standing at 8'2 when standing up straight and a consistent 3/4ths of a ton outside of armor, most of this being muscle as well as hyper dense layers of blubbery fat beneath the skin akin to the Oros and Chimera. They are extremely well muscled and have a strength that makes them easily the strongest of all the Mortal races on Null. They are even stronger than Mortalized Erui tiger spirits, capable of lifting and throwing in excess of 50 tons. Despite being relatively slow and unagile compared to the Chimera and Oros, they are still fast enough to react to incoming missile fire, allowing them to slap aside arrows and missile fire alike, feats that when combined with their armor and natural durability allows them to come out completely unscathed when dealing with the latter. [A note is attached. It reads 'Even without the armor, these ladies are hella tough. Anyone who thinks one missile is enough to take out an unarmored one is in for a very, very, very nasty lesson in violence.']

Where the Chimera and Empusa could spray biological and chemical sprays from their tail-mouths, the Cerberi are able to breath toxic flames from theirs, a natural flamethrower that can reach in excess of 500 meters at maximum pressure and firing a burning substance that incinerates the target with flames in excess of 2000 degrees centigrade. Similar to the Chimera and Empusa, Cerberi are fireproof inspite of their furred bodies. Their flesh is inantely fireprood like their sister species, though the fur is kept this way through the natural production of an oddly wax like coating that gives them a distinctive sheen and oddly chalky texture when felt. Without this natural waxy coating, their fur would catch fire and burn off from the first instance of them breathing fire from any of their mouths, leaving them alive and healthy but completely hairless.

Despite their physicality and capacity for great destruction, Cerberi are not an inherently violent species. The average Cerberus is, in fact, a calm, happy go-lucky individual who would prefer to make friends than cause bodily harm, though ironically they consider a melee struggle without weapons to be friendly play rather than actual combat. This caused problems in ancient times, before the unity of the modern Mortal races, as historically young adult Cerberi would encounter Oros and attempt to engage in play behavior to assert friendly relations, with their concept of play resulting in the Oros attacking with intent to cause injury. It was these encounters with the early Cerberi, however, that cracked the old preconceptions of non-Spirit, non-Oros beings, however, as their usage of articles of clothing to protect their intimate portions destroyed the idea of them merely being animals.

Historically, Cerberi have used their great strength and innate ability to resist extreme temperatures to forge and smelt, resulting in them being the origins of armor and weapons among the Chimeric races. This combined with their capacity for destruction meant that many early Chimera Cavern Cities were guarded by Cerberi guards. In the modern day, Cerberi work with the Erui in the production of high quality, hard to produce artisan armors and weaponry. It is also most common to see Ceberus soldiers armed with a hulking shield in their off hand and a powerful cannon system in their other in addition to their Powered Armor and it's various sister-head controlled subsystems and weapons. [A note is attached. It reads 'I got my start in engineering thanks to my Aunties teaching me about tech stuff while she was teaching my cousins too. I have her to thank for where I am now with my skills!']

One curious thing about their biology is their method of reproduction. While the Chimera can sample genetics with their tail mouths to produce daughters, and Empusa are hermaphrodites, Cerberi without a mate can produce offspring through a process of parthenogenesis that partially recombines their DNA, thus resulting in their daughters not being exact copies or clones of the mother. While not perfect, this allows for enough genetic variability in their species even without factoring in those who had actual fathers that no one disease or biological outbreak is a severe threat to their species as a whole. However, it is not uncommon for two Cerberi to become mated with one another, and mutually bite one another's tail mouths in a 'kiss' to exchange biological data, resulting in the formation of a new Cerberus with traits from both mothers.

Regardless of how the infant is formed, it takes approximately 11 months for the mother to produce a single pup. Upon being born, due to sharing the same number of breasts as all other Civilized Races on Null, the pup's three sister-heads compete for spots to suckle, with the head farthest from the nipples having a distinct disadvantage. As a result, the central lead head always is fed while either of her sister heads could or could not be fed, depending entirely on how they are held. It is believed that the sister that is not fed would go on to become the more assertive or aggressive of the sisters, though studies remain inconclusive on this. [A note is attached. It reads 'I don't know the answer either, but if I was deprived of the sweet bosom nectar of life as a baby, I'd be pretty pissed oof too.']

Similar to the Oros, Cerberi have differing phenotypical subspecies that results in their specific colorations and fur patterns. Having 7 varieties like their Oros forefathers, all possess the same abilities and attributes. For example, Stonecutter Cerberi are highly resistant to electrical or lightning strikes, while Wavechaser Cerberi have a vastly increased lung capacity and swimming ability. The Firebrand Cerberi take their existing immunity to fire as Cerberi and amplify it, making them highly resistant to thermal damage even in excess of what the Chimeric line already possess, with them being resilient to low level plasma blasts that would be enough to melt armor or immolate an Oros.

The Cerberi are an admittedly odd, but important member species of Null's Civilized Races. It is thanks to them in the early years of civilization that advanced forging and smelting techniques were possible, and thus modern day technology is owed in part by their contributions to the fields of metallurgy and engineering. [A note is attached. It reads, 'Cerberi are awesome. I know from experience, I've got loads of cousins that are them now! Love you Auntie Dottie/Rottie/Bottie!']

 

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[The following is a transcript from a section from the Grimoire of the Magi Order, written by an unknown author.]

Great Spirits and the Spirit Races of Lacuna (As of 3162 AA)

'And so, when the surface of Null still cooled and the world of Lacuna was but darkness, there came into being the Day and the Night. Sararu, the Sun, and Luraru, the Moon looked over their desolate domain and began to search, for others were yet to come.'-Excerpt from the Chapter of Beginnings, the Book of the Great Spirits.

The world of Null which we mortals call home is a place of deep, and old, magic, much of which can be considered primordial in nature. This ancient magic is further evidenced by the nature of the Spirit World of Null, the Spirit World of Lacuna, a parallel world directly connected with our own Mortal home. Almost paradoxically, while Null is incredibly hostile and brutal towards life, Lacuna is virtually a paradise by comparison. While far from perfectly safe, due to a variety of Spirit wild life and flora that can pose a threat to one's life in addition to geographical threats, the level of lethality one can encounter in average day to day life is well below that of the Mortal plane it is tied so closely to. Why this is is a question for the ages, though one popular theory is that Lacuna is where all of the 'good' of the world was coalesced, while the Mortal plane of Null was where all the ills and cruelties of nature were condensed.

Whatever the reason, Lacuna is an almost mythical paradise by comparison to its Mortal counterpart, which for many millennia its domains of the dead have served as the final resting place for the souls of many Mortals. This is because, for the longest time, the Mortals of Null had their pains soothed and their tragedies heard by the Great Spirits of Lacuna, Gods who are uncomfortable with being referred to as such and whose love for the Mortals of Null is reciprocated even to this day, even millennia after the changing of the majority's religious leanings from the Pantheon of the Great Spirits to direct worship of the Creator on high.

The story and history of the Great Spirits and Lacuna is long and complex, so for the sake of brevity it will be summarized as such: When the world of Null was still cooling and developing in the primordial early days of the universe, Lacuna had already begun to form over its Mortal counterpart. From there, the first 7 of the Great Spirits would form, and from them would come the first inklings of civilized thought and form would spring forth. Love, friendship, conflict, and much more would be informed by these primordial beings. The first Civilizations would come forth as the Spirit Races connected with their respective Great Spirit arose, in the distant past long before Mortal life achieved comparable sapience.

Eons would pass and the Great Spirits would come to take notice of the Mortal life developing in the realm so next to their own. It would be the Civilized Races, the Oros the first that they would notice, that would gain their attention and their pity as they observed how short and violent their lives surviving in the wilds of Null were. This pity would quickly become affection and cross into the realm akin of familial love as the Mortals were unofficially adopted by the two wedded Great Spirits of family, Tararu and Hararu. While the Mortals of Null were well on their way to developing technologies and techniques that would lead to the modern day Civilized way of living, it was thanks to the Great Spirits helping them improve their capabilities and understanding of their arts and crafts that such rapid development would occur.

In the times since, 7 more Great Spirits would arise in the Era of Mortals. Where the Primordials represented basic, ancient concepts, these 7 new Spirits would represent the more complicated intricacies of modern civilization. Art, music, and law and order would be but some of the things they would represent, and with their ascension to the Pantheon's ranks would result in the current day 14 Great Spirits that inhabit Lacuna and their love of the people.

It is one thing to speak of the Spirits in generalities, but it is another to speak of each one in depth:

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The Primordials.

———

[Sketches depict two anthropoidal beings standing side by side, each looking outward with their backs to one another. One was a masculine figure, clad in silvery armor lacking ornate furnishing save a cloak of sunlight. His head was in his hands, separated from his body, with fiery sun stuff flowing from the hole in his neck and head, his monochromatic eyes blazing from the slit visor of his helm covered head. The other was distinctly feminine, adorned in an armored dress of moonlight made physical, her exposed flesh furless and silvery grey, like the surface of a moon turned malleable and soft. Her face was exposed and aside from her monochromatic silvery eyes and flowing, trailing hair of the night sky, she lacked any discernible features on her smoothed face.]

The first of the Great Spirits to form and inhabit the world, Sararu the Day of Sun and Life, and Luraru the Night of Dreams and Death, are the co-leaders of the Pantheon, with Sararu taking on most day to day responsibilities while Luraru provides rule in the night time. The two are neither lovers nor are they wedded, but hold each other with a clear and distinct respect for one another that makes them equals in the other's eye. It is said they are two halves of one being, though the truth of this statement is known only to them and they have no intentions of sharing if it is truth or lie. In ancient times, Sararu was more arrogant and Luraru more vain, though after a humbling journey that would see Sararu permanently decapitated when daring to boast against the Weaver of the World herself, Null,the two would learn from the wisdom gained in this adventure to both become kinder, humbler rulers over their domains.

In the modern day, the two rarely interact with anyone outside of official business as both tend their respective domains in Lacuna or when overseeing official matters of the Pantheon Court. They are notable for being the only two Great Spirits without a respective Spirit Race tied to them in any capacity.

——

[Sketches depict two anthropomorphic beings, a brown and tan furred female rabbit and a blue and purple scaled and orange finned male fish respectively as they gaze at one another in loving affection. The rabbit is stocky and powerfully built as her exposed arms and stubby, paw-footed feet show more than a fair share of muscle, though a kindly maternal air surrounds her and her face is in a smile as she looks to her male counterpart. The male fish, meanwhile, is taller and more slender, long limbed and with webbed, large toed clawed digits at the ends of his digitigrade legs, a simple tabbard over his blue scaled body. His face is short snouted and cat-lipped, and both had the same slit-pupilled eyes as the Mortals they care for.]

Believed to be the second of the Great Spirits to form, or at least the first ones Sararu and Luraru would find, the Great Rabbit Spirit of the Earth and the Great Fish Spirit of the Sea, Tararu and Hararu respectively, are two of the most beloved Great Spirits by both the Spirit Races and Mortals alike. Wedded together and sharing the aspects as the Great Spirits of Farming, Family, and Reproduction, as well as sharing an elemental power over Lightning from origins unkown, 'Mater' Tararu and 'Pater' Hararu formally 'adopted' the Mortal races of Null and were the ones to convince the rest of the Spirit Pantheon to have pity and mercy upon the plight of the Mortals of Null, sharing with them their knowledge and understanding of the concepts they represented to aid the Mortals improve their lives. It is for this reason that,even among the already high standing the Great Spirits posses over the Mortals of Null, Tararu and Hararu never fully stopped being referred to in the affectionate even as many of their Mortal followers moved on to embrace Ambarism.

Their respective Spirit Races, the Tara and the Hara, possess a similar physical resemblance to their respective rabbit and fish Great Spirits though tend to come in a wider variety of colorations, body types. While family's are compromised of any combination of the various Spirit Races, the close ties shared by the Tara and Hara sees these farmers and nature folk come together to have familys with one another the most often. Unique among the various Great Spirits, Tararu holds command over one race of Spirits without their own Great Spirit to lead them, the Flo. Plant like, tentacled dryads with five eyes, the Flo are vicious like the planets of Null, but capable of reason and understanding that allows them to live in harmony with their fellow Spirits. At the right hand of Tararu's seat on the Pantheon's Court of the Great Spirits, there is a smaller seat for whom the current leader of the Flo may sit in on their meetings, speaking with authority backed by Tararu herself.

As a notable side note, their close bond and married nature means that Tararu and Hararu are the Great Spirits with single-handedly the most numerous amount of direct children, with scores of legendary Tara or Hara heroes being the direct Demi-Great Spirit offspring of the two.

——

[Sketches depict two anthropomorphic figures standing side by side, facing outward from one another, a female icy white and blue scaled wyvern and a heavily muscled male antlered tiger. The Wyvern, possessing a calculating look in her eyes as a pair of spectacles perched on her beaked mouth, wore a dress of ice and crystalline shards sown together, while the male wore armored pants and a stained blacksmith's apron as a bright, friendly smile was on his lips.]

The next-to-final pair of Great Spirits found in the Primordial line, Laylaru the Great Wyvern Spirit of Knowledge, Wind and Ice, and Eruiru the Great Tiger Spirit of Strength, Fire and Forging are polar opposites in their mannerisms. Laylaru is cold and calculating, reserved and perceptive even among friends and loved ones, while Eruiru is a blazing inferno of laughter and friendly over affection. Laylaru is a collector of knowledge, both old and new, fantastical or real, with her libraries being a labyrinthine metropolis of collected tomes and histories long lost to both time and even her fellow Great Spirits. Eruiru, meanwhile, enjoys the simpler things of life, be it working on his many mind-destroying brews, inventing new delicacies in the oven,or forging and crafting new weapons and armor of literal divine power and craftsmanship in his forge. It is often said that Eruiru can do virtually anything when drunk, and this is best exemplified when he once picked up the whole of the very ground of Lacuna before using it to hit a then still arrogant Sararu over the head with it all. These two polar opposite extremes, despite their differences, are some of the most commonly seen together friends among the Great Spirits, often due to Eruiru messing with Laylaru in his and Yayairu's antics.

Their respective Spirit Races, the Layla and the Erui, are similar in physical structure as their respective Great Spirits, but with a wider range of coloration's and personalities. Some Erui are avid book mice, while others prefer to toil in the gardens and disdain strong drink, while Layla warriors are just as common as their scholars and knowledge seekers.

Over the eons, the 'Three Friends' of the Great Spirits-Laylaru, Eruiru, and Yayairu, have more than once engaged in intercourse with the other, forming a small but varied bunch of Demi-Great Spirits from their various couplings that have gone on to be famed heroes in their own right despite their bizarre family situation.

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[Sketches depict three anthropomorphic figures, all three of them being the exact same person in three distinct appearances: A shut-eyed, stub-paw footed lanky fox of a creature that appears both in male and female forms as well as distinctly androgynous appearance. They wear no clothing though there is nothing to cover up and they are shown in a variety of different strange motions of locomotion or activities that defy logical explanation.]

The final of the Primordial line of Great Spirits to be found, Yayairu is the Great Fox Spirit of Foolishness, a strange and chaotic entity who acts on his whims when she desires them. Never a threat or threatening figure to those it dains to annoy at a particular time, Yayairu's foolish antics bely a cunning and at times ruthless mind that many Elder Gods have seen extermination by over the eons despite evidence to suggest he possess Elder elements himself. Possessing a strong, if twistedly odd in expressing it, affection for Mortals, Yayairu is often the first alongside Tararu and Hararu to speak up in defense of Mortals caugh in the crosshairs of the Great Spirit Court.

The Yayai share their Great Spirit's love of mischief making and tomfoolery, with them having developed a strong cultural practice and rapport with the Erui in their ceaseless Beer Raids against the brew-master tiger Spirits. While not a homogeneous mono-culture, with various 'Clans' of Yayai each having different distinct cultural attributes, the overall perception of any Yayai is to expect foolishness to follow in short order, something even the most joyless of their kind acknowledge as an ever present risk whenever their kind is involved.

The non-Tararu/Hararu family line of Demi-Great Spirits, Yayairu is notable for having the absolute largest amount of children outside of the Great Rabbit and Fish Spirit's family, both from his encounters with the other Great Spirits in the pantheon as well as the rare occasion they have taken a Mortal partner to wed for extended periods of time. Despite the reputation of their father, the Yayai Demi-Great Spirits are some of the bravest and self-sacrificing, as well as most diverse in personality, of their kind, a fact their sire holds no small amount of pride over.

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The Moderna.

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[Sketches depict a distinctly male figure of varying forms, some more monstrous and others more Orosoid in appearance. The only consistency is the recurring use of the colors grey and gun-metal grey in the beings appearance. Below him in the sketches are two Spirit Races: One resembles the Flitter-Mice of Null, only anthropomorphized: Bipedal, winged mice adorned with spectacles and clothing, coming in both male and female sexes. The other is a massive, feline inspired Spirit Race, built for combat and equipped with the capacity for flight with two retractable wings on their backs. They resemble larger, bulkier, anthropoidal felines compared to the smaller Irm, and possess what appear to be the same retractable male genitalia as Empusa, indicating they are hermaphrodites.]

The first of the Moderna Great Spirits to appear, or perhaps more accurate to say the last of the Primordials to make an appearance, Xarara is the Great Spirit of Mortal Life on Null. This is most evident by his lack of static form, and tendency to change and alter his appearance in a chimeric make up of various creatures of Nullian make up. Arguably the one with the closest ties to the Civilized Races of Null, Xarara is ironically the most distant, rarely if ever interacting with anyone, be they regular Spirit or Mortal, and only interacting with his fellow Great Spirits when needed or when giving reports from his patrols and monitoring of the world of Null. It is believed, in primitive times, that he protected Mortals from behind the shadows from Elders and Elder Gods, with the Elder Blood Moon of Yarah Dam/Senora Sanguine's current state being the result of his messy defeats and devourings of Elder Gods staining the moon with their remains, from which has risen the modern day Elderitch ecosystem currently upon it.

In break from 'tradition', Xarara does not have a Spirit Race that is a direct link to him, instead possessing two races that is said to have been actively crafted by him instead of springing forth from the ether over time. The Aleph-Xara are a race based on the Flittermice of Null, possessing the ability to grow as large as a Normal Body-Type Oros, or become as diminutive as their inspiration. They are devoted to acting as scribes and assistants, almost on an instinctual level, towards the Mortal Races, finding employ everywhere from both the martially inclined and from those with more civil oriented lives. The Bet-Xara, meanwhile, are massive hulking Chimera inspired feline beings who are famous for their often overwhelming levels of power. Where their Aleph siblings were made to be scribes and assistants,the Bet were forged and crafted to be warriors against whom the best of Null would test their mettle against in order to prove their strength and to become stronger still, a role the Bet-Xara hold in high regard as their true calling in life.

Xarara has no children of his own direct bloodline, leaving him without any Demi-Great Spirits of his own.

——

[Sketches depict two females of anthropomorphic lineage, standing side by side with their backs to one another. One is a tall, lean tauric creature with elements of deer, canine, and feline mixed in with a calico fur pattern, armed with a bow and adorned in a hooded cloak meant to blend in with her surroundings. The other, meanwhile, was tall and shapely, her appearance resembling a reptile or lizard woman with a snout and a pair of large, fin like frills that sprout from the sides of her heads and which run down down her neck and back. Her scales are black with a golden sheen, her dress woven of golden thread and a golden chalice running over with wine in one hand as she laughs a haughty laugh.]

Two of the earliest Moderna Great Spirits to appear, the Great Spirit of Travel and the Hunt, Rhutra, and the Great Spirit of Loot and Riches, Arara, are highly notable due to their shared unusual circumstances behind their birth. Before their arrival, their two Spirit Races, then known as the Tul and the Ren respectively, were the only two Spirit Races without their own Great Spirits, an anomaly nobody could explain for eons. It would not be until the Moderna age where Rhutra, after spending so long as but a dream for her people, finally appeared, materializing and becoming the Great Spirit to a people without one. Arara, meanwhile, had a distinctly different tale: Where Rhutra came into the world fully formed, Arara spent her life as just another Ren Spirit. The tale goes that she discovered and began to aid a Proto-Skyrunner Prince in his hunts, using her kind's power to grant small wishes to help him gain an edge in return for his kills providing her with strength to increase her power to grant more potent wishes. This would eventually reach a critical point where Ara gained such power as to ascend into Great Spirithood, an event that has never been able to be replicated before or after.

In the modern day, the Rhutra have made a name for themselves as skilled hunters and gamesmen, hunting the most deadly of game and most challenging of creatures to test their mettle on, while the Ara would be pulled out of their lives of answering meager wishes for coin to join their Great Spirit to share in the bounty of her wealth and prestige. Rhutra are always calico in fur pattern, while the Arara come in a wide variety of 'royal' colors, from jade greens to royal violets and the alluring golden scales, though the black, golden sheened scales of their Great Spirit is considered the most attractive and prized of all coloration.

Of the Great Spirits to have children of their own, Rhutra and Arara are tied for having the least to their name, Rhutra due to her focus on her duties in overseeing her people's honor rules in their hunts, and Arara due to having room in her heart for only one, now long lost individual.

——

[Sketches depict two females of differing appearance standing side by side facing outward from one another. One was a large, plump, four-armed moth woman adorned in a sparkling dress that one often saw worn by singers, while the other was an arachne styled spider-woman, her five eyed head lowered and hands clutched together as her hand woven and complicated dress preserved her modesty.]

The middle most of the Moderna Great Spirits, the Great Moth Spirit of Music and Revelry, Hurkora, and the Great Spider Spirit of Potions, Poison, and the Hearth, Irara, are polar opposites in terms of attitude and temperament. Hurkora is a loud, at times overly dramatic, diva of a woman who takes any and every opportunity to make her presence known and her voice heard to stand out in a crowd, while in comparison Irara is quiet and demure, preferring silence and solitude due to her shyness. Despite this, the two are noted for being close friends with one another, with Hurkora lowering her usually overpowering persona in meetings to make Irara more comfortable while Irara attempts to be more outgoing in the presence of her comrade. In addition, Hurkora is also known to be close and amicable friends with Arara,while Irara possesses a distinct and unusually friendly relationship with Yarairu, something that not even the other Great Spirits can quite understand, especially since their initial meeting infamously saw Irara so frightened that she leapt through the dimensional barriers seperating Lacuna and Null before landing on another planet in the solar system with enough force to leave a vaguely arachnid like mark on the surface of the world currently dubbed 'Arachnis'.

Two Spirit Races of these two particular Great Spirits, the Hurko and the Ira respectively, are noted for their distinct usefulness in day to day civil life. The Hurko, following in their patron's sted, have made a name for themselves as bards, minstrels, and musicians famed both on Lacuna and Null, while the Ira use their potion crafting to craft healing salves, or safe pesticides, for use in everyday occasions. The Ira are notable, however, for not being inherently demure like their patron, and have long since developed a potent and deadly reputation as assassins and poison makers that is at odds with their patron's shy and beloved persona.

In an ironic twist of sorts, Hurkora possess few children of her own, focusing instead on her passions of singing and fame, while Irara meanwhile is known to have mothered a great many children, almost exclusively as a result from friendly encounters turned romantic between herself and Yayairu. While much of these matters remain in private, it is known that in all these encounters, the ensuing coitus was commenced by Irara herself, usually after stringing up Yayairu, which the Great Spirit of Foolishness could only say on the matter a simple: 'Kinky'.

——

[Sketches depict two armored warriors standing side by side and looking away from one another, one male and one female. The female was an anthropomorphic, lioness like woman, her hair tied in a knot as a toothy grin spread across her features, helmet in gauntleted hands as she eagerly observed something off panel, while the male had a distinctly 'flat' face not unlike Sararu and Luraru, his skin black as pitch and his eyes a blaze of dazzling colors, pupils slit like all the others of Null. Instead of hair, his entire head seemed to be alight with a multi-colored flame of sorts.]

The final two Moderna Great Spirits to arise, Irmra the Great Rock-Cat Spirit of War and Strategy and Oriora the Great Spirit of Oaths and Locks are two very well known for their reputations. Irmra is noted due to when she appeared, she had shown up in the Dark Lands of the Dark Spirits, whereupn rather than using any of her godly powers, she would proceed to wage a one-woman guerilla war against them using nothing but her own stength of arms and any weapon she found along the way for the next 2,000 years within the Spirit Realm, only ending when the Dark Spirits finally relented and appealed to the Great Spirit Court to finally 'take her away'. Oriora, meanwhile, appeared with little fanfare by comparison, showing up one day while dragging into the Court a Spirit who had broken a sacred oath to the Great Spirits. The two are endowed with great martial prowess and insight, which they use to train their people as soldiers and as law enforcement for the Spirit World respectively.

Peoples of great discipline and honor, the Irm and Orio are both warriors who take their assigned roles very seriously. Even those two deviate from the tradition of soldiers or law-bringers seem to have an almost compulsory drive to give their chosen path in life their all. Driven by instincts of law and order, both peoples are highly unified and tied to their families with bonds that are unshakable, even by Nullian standards.

In terms of children, Oriora has had none, focusing his energies in enacting the laws set forth to govern the Spirit World. In comparison, and in a twist of fate no one saw coming, Irmra is the mother of a vast horde of daughters that were born, even more amazingly, from the wedded union between herself and one of the older sister's of the Weaver Null herself, the Aether Being of War Aegia.

———

In summation, the Great Spirits and their Spirit Races of Lacuna are a diverse assortment of beings, all of whom are held in high regard by both Spirit and Mortal alike. Their actions in protecting and guiding the development of civilization on Null is extensive and cannot even begin to be covered by this Grimoire, needing entire volumes to cover comparatively meager stretches of their long, storied histories.

One final word is worth mentioning: All the Spirits spoken of so far have been what are recognized as 'Light' Spirits, beings who despite their otherworldly and nigh-unkillable natures might indicate look as flesh and blood as any Mortal. There also exists Dark Spirits, beings born in the Dark Lands who are the mirror counterparts to the Light Spirits, filled with aggression and destructive impulses. Despite this, they are NOT demonic or fel in nature, and indeed are empowered if struck by the divine magics of the Great Spirits of Lacuna, indicating a deep relationship between the two sides that goes beyond the scope of this particular Grimoire. Despite their often aggressive natures, Dark Spirits are still civilized beings with their own cultures, societies, and individual ways of life same as any other life form on Lacuna or Null of sapient thought, driven by their close bonds with one another to protect and empower one another.

Only time will tell if the divide between Light and Dark Spirits will be mended, or if further rifts will divide them still.​

 

[TripleMRed]

True Dragons.

[Sketches depict several species of large, semi-bipedal dragons living on Null. They are varying in shape and color, some blue and with shark like skin and facial features, others with more 'typical' draconic features and red scales, while others still are bulky, green scute clad, a with a mixture of crocodilian and terrapin features. Their large, bulky arms end in four digits, three fingers and a thumb, which can be used to grasp things or to form fists, with their forearms possessing large, closable cavities that, going by the sketches, can fire out a variety of attacks based on the Dragon's elemental qualities. They have wings, though appear to use them through the power of magic rather than physically beating them to achieve flight. Finally, sketches show them living in the wilds, sleeping or fighting off Hunters that stumble upon them. Interestingly, at least one seems to be wearing a cap and with a satchel slung over their shoulder.]

Scientific Name Translation: Mystic Lizard. [A note is attached. It reads 'I bet they'd be nicer to us if we didn't officially label them as 'lizards'.']

Average Size: Depends on subspecies..

Average Weight: Depends on subpecies.

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: Usually N/A, Asexual Species.

Habitat Range: All over the Arisa Continent.

Summary:​

The world of Null is comprised of two primary, but deeply conjoined aspects: The Mundane, the physical and 'normal' elements that comprise the matter and base elements that make up the world itself, and the Mystical, the magical component that seeps into and flows through every layer of the planet and the majority of its creatures. One particularly kind of creature, the oldest known surviving of its kind in fact, is said to be the embodiment of the Mystical despite their corporeal forms: The True Dragons. [A note is attached, depicting a surprisingly good sketch of a True Dragon standing upright with nobility as it stares off into the distance.]

True Dragons, as the name suggest, are the truest form of draconic being on Null, being distinct in both form and capability from their more mundane draconic counterparts. Standing in a typically hunched, bipedal stance with their arms held close to their forms at their front, True Dragons range greatly in precise power and form due to their seven subspecies, as well as by individual age. Typically speaking, there are rarely if ever more than exactly 700 Dragons of each subspecies at any one time, and the vast majority of these make their homes far from domains of the Civilized Races, typically living to the West in the Land of Giants.

True Dragons came into being several million years ago, and have changed remarkably little since their introduction in the fossil record. Indeed, some evidence suggests the first Civilizations on Null were made by the True Dragons in these primordial times, with some structures and even whole cities from these bygone eras still standing to this very day. However, at some point between the introduction of mammals and the rise of modern day Civilized Races, the True Dragon's civilizations fell to ruin, with its caretakers leaving for the wilds of the world to enter a great slumber, or to live simpler lives not unlike normal animals. Despite this, True Dragons are still intelligent, sapient beings capable of speech, and it's all too common for one to give a stern, quick warning to any that stumble upon them to leave them be, lest their wrath be invited upon the interloper to have disturbed their slumber.

Still, a handful of True Dragons continue to this day to display Civilized traits, such as wearing articles of clothing or carrying bags, and living among modern day Civilized Races as members of society. The most famous is the scholar Induri, a Hydro Dragon who has taken a feminine persona who wanders the world, recording all she learns from the Civilized Races and their cultures. More than once, the very author of this book has traded information with her on subjects both niche and broad. [A note is attached. It reads 'I actually met Induri once myself. Well, 'met'. I just listened in to a lecture of hers when she stopped by to live in her home here in Dreamhold, but it still counts as meeting her damn it!']

In terms of shared biological features, the Arm Cannons and wings are two of the linking components across all True Dragon species. The arm-cannons are opened recesses on top of their forearms that act as focusing points for their elemental powers to escape outside of their bodies rather than exclusively from the mouth. The arm-cannons are used typically for close combat situations and are thus excellent in melee engagements. The wings, meanwhile, act as focusing points for contra-gravitic power. They do not flap their wings to fly: Rather, they begin to shake and glow the tell tale oily-rainbow hue of contra-grav wing magic used by many Nullian creatures for sustained flight. This allows them to float and, with applications of magic to give them jet-forces of power for propulsion, true flight.

As previously mentioned, there are 7 subspecies of True Dragon, each with their own distinct looks and powers. Hydro Dragons are sleek and long, having sharp, shark like features on their forms and a power over water ranging from blistering steam to hydro-cutters from their arm-cannons. Detonation Dragons are more typically what one images a dragon to look like, being fiery red and packing explosive detonations as their power. Corrosion Dragons are massive and bulky, with large armored bellies and reinforced beaked craniums, they live in swamps and bogs and spit acid bile and corrosive gas at their enemies. Shock Dragons are sleek and sharply armored, being the fastest of the Dragons and launching electrical discharges at their foes. Frost Dragons are layered in armor of true ice, spitting forth their mystical cold at a moment's notice. Noise Dragons have bat like qualities and fur, and launch concussive, destructive sound waves at their foes. Finally, the Graviton Dragons are the most illusive and darkly lit of all the Dragons, using the forces of gravity to crush those that are a threat while hovering cross-legged in the air. [A note is attached. It reads 'Gravitic Anomalies pinning you down are bad enough, but living, intelligent ones like Graviton Dragons? No thanks!']

Regardless of their nature, all True Dragons are powerful, with even the newest and youngest of them requiring either a full team of elite Hunters to take down, or a true hero of the current era to fell. While unfortunate, it is occasionally necessary to slay a rogue or irritated True Dragon that refuses to listen to reason, for their power makes them dangerous: Whole villages have been razed by even the weakest of their kind if left unchallenged. Those Dragons that still retain their Civility and commune with the rest of Civilized space agree that such measures, while tragic and unfortunate, are necessary.

One of the most fascinating parts of True Dragon biology is their inherent lack of biological sex. They lack sex organs of any kind, and thus do not reproduce in ways we are familiar with. When a True Dragon does create more of their own kind, it is through a highly ritualized process of blood letting that spills their blood into large pools in the ground, whereupon new True Dragons begin to form as koi like young. Due to the fact that there are only ever around 700 True Dragons of a given species at any one time, the creation of new Dragons is doesn't occur unless there is a need for replacements for fallen kin. On a biological level, these new Dragons are clones of their parent, though in terms of personality they are each distinct and unique in their own right. Legends tell of Dragons that had sexual features that mated with Mortals in the distant past, though this is almost certainly myth and fairy tale rather than truth, as no living True Dragon to date has shown a desire to take on a biological sex even if they take on a gender for themselves. [A note is attached. It reads 'The stories go that Dragons that took on a biological sex could reproduce with anything, but these are just stories. I think. Maybe?']

The closest relatives to True Dragons are, in fact, the Hydras of Null. Where the True Dragons act as the embodiment of the Mystic, the Hydras ironically are embodiment of the Mundane: True Dragons are beings of magic that happen to have physical forms, while Hydras are physical creatures who happen to be empowered by Magic. One of the key differences, biologically, between the two related families is eyes: True Dragons possess two eyes, same as most other creatures, while Hydras and their ilk possess no eyes, their faces guarded by armored plates without a visible ocular organ in sight. Historically, the two sides of the family tree hate one another, and move to attack the other at any interaction.

The magical powerhouses of the world, True Dragons are often aloof and a mysterious, dangerous remnant of a distant, bygone time in Null's ancient history. They are beings that are to be respected and treated with reverence even on the occasion that they must be put down for the safety of all, with those that continue to commune with us becoming great teachers of magic to those races that can perform the mystic arts of Mana manipulation. Who is to say that someday, in the future, all Dragons will snap out of whatever special malaise claims them to rejoin their youngers in a new, brilliant future of Civilized living? Only time will tell. [A note is attached. It reads 'I wish I had a True Dragon housemate! Sure, they average at like 15 feet tall, but it'd be awesome!']

 

[TripleMRed]

[The following is a digital page from the 'Armor's and Weapons Catalog, 149th edition'.]

Designation: Version 7, Model 'Devestis' Powered Armor, Oros Variant.

[Sketches depict an advanced set of powered armor, large and bulky with heavy plating and maximum armor coverage, with the visor being little more than a pair of angular eyes attached together by a strip of visor material between them. The stock unit possesses identification markings on the pauldrons, chest, and helmet, with a shield symbol motif prominent.]

Power Source: Baraq Aleph Series Fulminite Generator. (Good for one month of continuous use before replacement or recharge.)

Undersuit: V-18/h tech suit. 10% notable increase to strength, 10% notable increase to top speed. Increased heat tolerance and durability to weaving structure. Optional runic upgrades where available.

Plating: V-4/H Dragonscale Powered Plate. Reinforced Mithril-Adamantium Alloy capable of withstanding direct strikes from non-energy coated strikes. Vulnerable to Class 9 penetrating strikes and above, with heat tolerance in the thousands of Celsius range without issue. Optional runic upgrades where available.

Additional Features: V-8 Stun-Field generator, integrated, and hard points for armor-planted weapon systems including shoulder mounted launchers and forearm rail-guns. Includes space for optional integrated V-1 energy shielding generator systems.​

Summary: The latest in the Devestis line of heavy powered armor, the Version 7 continues the lines dedication to heavy armor protection without compromising the design heritage's highly modular nature. Even in today's modern market, the Devestis continues to be the powered armor system with the most variants to its name, whether it is Solarite Plasma Reactor Engineering models, Ultra-High Pressure Deep Sea models, Heavy Weapon Platforms or the ever reliable Damage Testing and Monitoring variant.

On the defense, the Devestis continues to be the toughest of its kind with a Mithril-Adamantium alloy plating as well as reinforced undersuit, allowing it to laugh off damage that other Power Armor would be threatened by, requiring the most powerful or esoteric of attacks to breach easily. Combined with a heat tolerance in the thousands of degrees centigrade, and the Devestis stands as an excellent platform for heavy weapons or damage tanking roles on the battlefield.

Thruster systems are a relatively recent addition to the series, coming in only in the 6th Version, but have proven an excellent addition to the system by providing the heavy armor set a much needed boost to agility.

Runes capable of being applied remains a feature in this armor set, allowing users to to augment and further amplify the suit's capabilities. Note, however, that as per the Runic Law of Age, the effects of the Runes will not be as powerful now as they will be later, though thankfully a runed V-7's modern capabilities and construction allows it to match older suits of runed armors, even pre-power armor suits.

Still the unchallenged heavy PA platform on Null, the Devestis continues to serve with distinction in armories everywhere, whether it is exploring deep pressure environments, the incinerating depths of an active reactor in need of immediate repair, or even just providing additional heavy firepower on the battlefield, the Devestis is unmatched in its defensive capabilities for mass produced, commercially available PA systems. When you need to take a hit, or give it right back, you can always rely on a Devestis to watch you back!

 

[TripleMRed]

[Transcript from a 3162 AA article from Science News Daily on the worlds within the Nullian system.]

The home star-system of the Median and it's people, commonly known as 'The Null System' in day to day life but also known by its official name of Dominus after the main-sequence star at its heart, is home to a number of worlds and planet-sized moons that hold mystery and exciting history in their formation and make up.

At the heart of the solar system is the large main-sequence star, Dominus, so named because in early records of folk lore, it was believed to be the ruler of the heavens over the Nullian system. The most intriguing facts about Dominus include it having a higher than normal Thaumaturgical rating compared to other stars and that it is at the high end of yellow main-sequence stars in terms of size. It also holds the distinction of being the absolute farthest star from heart of the Okeanus Galaxy we orbit, being the final star still in the Galaxie's gravitational pull before entering intergalactic dark space.

Following that, the first world we encounter is Ignis. Ignis is a fascinating world, as it is as close to Dominus as possible without actively falling into its gravity well and being pulled into its depths. Furthermore, it is home to a high amount of volcanic activity, with one side of its tidally locked face bright on the night side due to active lava formations, and the other a burning desert with volcanoes rising and falling in a particularly violent dance of activity. Relatively small, early recon probes by scientific committees have found that Ignis is a treasure trove of minerals and other resources, ranging from mundane ores to more hardier mystical elements such as adamantium or elemental crystals such as Solarite.

Following Ignis is the dead world of Hemistone. Originally only a single world, approximately a million and a half years ago, an extra-solar planetary capture in retrograde slammed into Hemistone's original singular body. The resulting impact led to the death of whatever biosphere Hemistone may have once had and has led to an aesthetically beautiful yet haunting double-bodied planetoid of shattered continental plates and debris fused together and orbiting the split, fused planet at the center. Believed to have mineral deposits from both worlds still within and without the debris field, Hemistone holds the distinction of having the first unmanned probes of the Median make landing there in the 2400's, where they continue to find new and fascinating discoveries of both planet's history every decade as they continue their endless search for scientific discovery on the fused world.

At 1 AU from is the third planet from Dominus and the largest technically-habitable world in the system that is named after it, the world of Null holds the widest and most fascinating amount of biodiversity, as well as the oldest natural ecological history, of any of the world in the system. Home to billions of sapient individuals on-world, with over a million more in habitat stations surrounding the planet's orbit, Null holds the distinction of two of the most dangerous moons in the system: Yarah Mot, the Dead Moon which was poisoned by a freak and never before seen Theumaturgical event in the 2900's by an extradimensional element classified as 'Decay', and Yarah Dam, the Elder Blood Moon which is home to an entire ecosystem of Elder Things that evolved from the fallen bodies of Elder Gods slain eons ago by the Great Spirits protecting Null.

As of the writing of this article, the Moon Wars that began in the early 3150's are still raging as hold outs of the 'Moon Elders' responsible for much of the troubles in the late 3000's/early 3100's continue to be fight against Median forces.

Past the planet-system of Null, there is the fourth world of the Nullian System, Phobia. Originally a habitable world some 500,000 years ago, a Theumaturgical event of unprecedented size and unexpected violence erupted, covering the world in a planetary storm of black clouds and red lightning, with the center of the endless hurricane resembling a massive, red eye, whose frightening appearance was what gave it its name millennia ago by early astrological scholars to discover the planet. In recent centuries, unmanned drones have been sent to investigate the world, with more recent technological advancements allowing for unbroken contact despite the magical storm. What was discovered beneath the clouds is a wind-swept, but surprisingly still living environment, with plants having evolved to flow with the wind and small scale animal life living a subterranean life beneath the endless gale force winds and lightning strikes. Mountains have been eroded down from once glorious heights to large hills, and the lightning strikes result in the sands and dirt becoming pillars of glass that are, in turn, eroded and swept up by the winds.

The fifth, and largest, planet in the system is the gas giant Typhoon. So named because of its blue, ocean like coloration and its 'waves' of cloud-bands, Typhoon posses both a a surprisingly small number of moons for a Gas Giant as well as a rare, double-ring system surrounding it. The inner most ring is new and in a slow decay pattern, and will finish collapsing into Typhoon's gravity well in approximately 10k years, which will be believed to be spectacular event as the ring's larger fragments burn up in atmospheric entry. The other, outer layer ring is far enough away to be in a stabilized orbit around Typhoon, with estimations as to how long it will last being little more than guesses at this point in time.

Of its 17 moons, 4 are planet sized and are worlds in their own right. Umbra is a shadowy worked distinct for having a vast store of Umbrum ore on both the surface and in the planetary layers, which causes it to spectacularly move in and out of visible wavelengths at semi-regular intervals. Glacius is the a frozen wasteland which is believed to have a liquid ocean of water hidden beneath miles of sea-ice, with scanners indicating an active core and enough thermal vents and active lava flows in its depths to support some form of life. Arachnia, so named due to the Great Spider Spirit crashing into it tens of thousands of years ago and cracking the ground in a spider-like formation that can be seen from orbit, has a relatively thin but stable atmosphere, with geomantic arachnoid creatures making a living on the surface due to left over magic from the Great Spirit Irmra giving them life.

Concordia, however, is the most notable moon of Typhoon due to the fact that, thanks to a mixture of a thick, greenhouse enabling atmosphere and an active core, it is a lush, vibrant world of green forests, grassy hill plains, jungles, swamps, and thriving oceans. Early drone footage shows an active, insect rich ecosystem within a nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere compatible with Nullian life forms, marking the world as a possible colony site once the Moon Wars end and the space around Null is secured.

In contrast to the blue, ocean like Typhoon, the gas giant Fulgeria resembles an active lightning furnace, with angry red and orange coloration along its atmospheric bands and the presence of no less than two active super-storms on opposite sides of the planet. Fulgeria is notable compared to Typhoon in that it actively possess an ecosystem of its own, with massive swarms of gas-skimming octo-jelly floaters, lightning absorbing glide-serpents, gas filtering flocks of flying manta like creatures, and large skywhales that consume the smaller creatures by the dozen. Recent satellite-drone scans also indicate that life exists deep into the planet's lower layers, including creatures adapted for living in the hyper-pressure conditions of the massive liquid hydrogen ocean beneath the cloud layers.

Of it's over 70 moons, only three are of planetary size and structure. The tidally locked, shadowy world-moon of Nox exists on the dark side of Fulgeria and is a dead world of little else than eternal darkness, though signs of technology belonging to an ancient species of Elder known as the Stone-Eyes is thought to exist here. There is no question of this technologies presence on the world of Apex, however, where the ancient space fairing Stone-Eyes built a massive ecumenopolis across its surface, stone-tech structures still standing even after the Stone-Eyes disappeared eons ago. By comparison, the small frigid iceworld of Frigila is in an active global ice age due to an impact event some two thousand years ago resulting in a massive amount of atmospheric debris inducing the climate shift. Drone-Satellites have only recently arrived in Frigilla's orbit and have begun the process of deep-scanning it to uncover its lost history.

Finally, the farthest world of all in the Nullian System is the world of Aurum, so named because of its golden sheen. Spectra-analysis indicate that this sheen is not, in fact, actual gold, but rather ice that has been tainted this color due to the presence of macro-colonies of bacteria that thrive on both the frozen water ice as well as the world's tectonically active surface. These golden ice-mountains shift and change frequently, relative to the geological scale, and as such rarely stay the same for more than a thousand years. Despite the truth of its composition, the Great Spirit and Queen of Loot Arara has claimed rights to the world, with plans to turn it into a 'true' golden fortress in time.

In addition to the planets and moons, the Nullian System is home to no less than three distinct asteroid belts. The first is formed in the orbital pattern of Hemistone, created around the same time as the impact of the once two distinct planets, with debris entering the same orbital pattern as their originator. This is the smallest of the asteroid belts.

The second Asteroid Belt is the Phobia/Typhoon Division Line, a massive field of asteroids and other material that formed early in the system's birth and has remained in place ever since. It is believed that his line, combined with the two gas giants, are the primary contributing factor to the relative lack of asteroid impacts on the inner planets.

The third and final asteroid belt is the Fulgeria/Aurum Division Line, which is both proportionally the thinnest and most resource rich of the three inter-system asteroid belts of the Nullian system. This belt too has been claimed by Arara as part of her domain.

Finally, just beyond the Nullian system proper there is the Oort Cloud, a debris field of materials numerous light-days thick, and the closest part of the rest of the galaxy to the Nullian System. Currently, plans are in place to send mining ventures to the Oort Cloud to begin construction of massive mining and refinery stations to process and send back the materials gained there to be of use to the Median's people. Just beyond the Oort Cloud, and the closest neighbor to our home system, is the Gygas Nebula, a small nebula with a handful of stars, the closest being one dubbed Ahot, or Sister.

As the farthest star from the center of our Galaxy, Null is both the loneliest system and yet also the most distinct for its placement. It is hoped, both by the scientific community and the average living soul in the Median's care, that we will discover and become allies with other sapient races amidst the stars, joint in mutual beneficial partnership for a safe, secure future for all. Only time will tell if this will be the case.

 

[TripleMRed]

[The following is a transcript of a forum post made in 3155 in a Displaced military discussion forum posting on a popular science-fiction discussion site, created by one 'Slugger-R-Us' to the Displaced community on site.]

Forum: Nullian-Terran Military Comparison Thread, Version 2 (First Version shut down due to routine harassment by a now banned user identified as 'IchorSlave33' causing thread wide arguments forcing moderators to step in)

Original Post Date: Sararus/Janus 32nd, 13:45 PM Eastern Standard Time.

---

Slugger-R-Us: Alright my little antisocial anthropods, Big Brother Slugger here to give you lazy bastards that sweet, sweet info on local military organizations, which by the way any of you could have done if you weren't all lazy pricks, but don't worry. I exist, so you can continue to ferment in your own inability to search your own damn topics yourself.

Jaybird404: I thought you Oros were supposed to be all nice and stuff?

GorStain: I think it's because they're one of those Empusas.

Slugger-R-Us: First, I had an Empusa for a dad, which is where I get my 'tude, to set things straight. Second, this is me being nice. Now, do you 'Jarheads' or whatever you Displaced call yourselves want this info spoon fed to you, or are you going to get off your asses and do it yourselves, only to jank it up and wind up misinformed like what happened wtih Steve-Stein?

Steve-Stein: I said I was sorry!

Slugger-R-Us: I'm not the one you have to apologize to for getting almost everything wrong about the Order of the War Panalopy? You're lucky most of them don't hang around this place, or you'd get 'um, actually'd' to death. With lots of mean, mean words thrown in for good measure by the way.

Anti-Lope: OMG, stop stalling and just do your presentation thing already!

Slugger-R-Us: Contain the calamity that is your mammaries, I'm getting to it.

-Now then, what you need to know about us Nullians and our military organization is that there's two main kinds of military organizations: The 'Official' Median forces, and the 'Private' Orders and Guilds that work with the government in official while remaining their own distinct cultures with their own maintained traditions.

Mousepad: Question.

Slugger-R-Us: Hold your questions until after the presentation or be mocked by your peers.

Anti-Lope: FFS, shut up Mouse, I've been dying to get a full breakdown of their shit since we got here and I'm not waiting any longer!

Jaybird404: We could totally have figured it out on our own if we had more time, we've only had forum access for three months! That's not long enough to figure all this shit out!

Moderator 'Major Lupa': Everybody chillout for a few minutes and let the man speak. He's doing this as a favor for the lot of us, so just wait until he's finished.

Slugger-R-Us: So like I was saying, two different 'sects' of military orgs around these parts. We'll go through the 'Official' stuff first. Now, official, Median run and operated organizations include the Hunter's Guild (which was a Private sector until the unification of the three primary corps during the Third Draconic War a few decades ago, I'll get into that another day so shut up on questions about it), the Median Knights, and the Guardian Order.

-Now, the Hunter's Guild is one of the oldest and most venerable continuous organizations on Null. Their primary purpose is to hunt down and destroy, contain, divert, preserve, and study wild life out in the wilds of the planet. They're usually lightly armored and full of gadgets and weapons designed to sneak up to and take down a target, be it at range or in a close quarters capture mission.

-There are 3 (get used to seeing that number a lot) specializations within the Guild: Hunters are the mainline ranged and stealth experts of the Median, stalking and taking down their prey. Trackers specialize in using both training and equipment to tag and track down their prey during the hunt. Wranglers are mainly capture units, but when working with others lethally they make excellent use of their gear to tangle up and bog down the enemy.

-Summary: They're the scouts, trackers, snipers, and stealth experts of our official military forces.

--The Median Knights, meanwhile, is the 'real' military arm of the Median military. Formed at the founding of the Median in 1501AA, the Median Knights are a unified, formalized division of soldiers who fight in major tactical and strategically vital wars, be it against Dark Spirits, Spider-Ants, Mother Root, or Moon Elders among other tactically competent and organized fighting forces. They're the heavy hitters, the big guns, the 'meat' of the Median military as it were.

--While there are technically over a dozen specializations, the 3 primary ones that follow are the most common and widespread of them all, useful in any and every tactical situation compared to the more specialized formations. Knights are the mainline infantry of the Median, using mission specific gear and armor subweapons and equipment in a generalist role that makes them good in almost any scenario. Heavies make use of heavy armor and heavy weapons, up to and including back mounted launcher systems, to provide heavy fire support. Tacticians are a support role who use a wide array of sensors and equipment to provide highly accurate targeting data to their allies as well as call in fire support from afar.

--Summary: They are the shooty-shooty bang bang infantry of the Median Military. Like some of you guys were back home, but not Displaced!

---The Guardian Order has existed for thousands of years, acting as a medical and healing organization in all that time. During the Third-Kingdom War that led to the founding of the Median, however, the Guardian Order took up arms and joined the proto-Median alliance against their Third-Kingdom enemies, taking on the roles of medics and support troops, with advances in technology we take for granted today allowing them to accomplish such tasks with incredible precision and capability.

---The three specializations of the Order include the following: Guardians are heavily armored defensive units meant to provide support by aggroing the enemy to keep fire off other, less armored units, using gear to siphon power from enemy forces or disrupt their abilities. Aegian use their equipment to augment their allies via activating highly advanced energy shields, both as static barriers as well as amplifying existing shields or adding new ones to shieldless enemies. Apothecaries make use of both healing equipment on their persons or via drones to provide healing, buffs, and debuffs as necessary.

---Summary: They are our White Mages. Do not. Fuck. With. The White Mages. Yes, I stole that from one of your people's media streams, no I'm not apologizing.

Mousepad: Sick!

WarNotLuv: Wait, where do those jetpack guys I heard about come into all of this? Storm-Leapers I think they're called? Or those Sand Shark desert guys?

Slugger-R-Us: I said to hold off questions until the end, but I'll actually answer that since it's relevant: Storm-Leapers, Sand Sharks, Raiders, and all the rest are the other dozen+ specializations I mentioned exist in the Median Knights, which I will not be going into because each one has enough history and purpose for deployment that even I don't want to spend so much time on for right now. I'll get to those guys on another day, but I'll say this much for now: They are all the signature, trademark units of their respective Nationalities, each with a storied history and origin. Like I said: Their stuff will come another day.

Anti-Lope: Cool! Okay, so those were the 'official' stuff, what about the Private stuff?

Slugger-R-Us: Settle down, my agitated antelope of questionable parentage, I'm getting to that. Hold on to your ears, this one's going to be the speed round because each one is worth their own dedicated breakdown another day too:

-The Order of the War Panoply is an all female Order of Dames (As in female knights, you fucking sub-amoebas) borne from the remnants of the ancient days of Oros Warrior-Queens, being a knightly order dedicated to perfecting the art of warfare and proving their superiority over their enemies by wearing elaborate, and deadly, stylized armors that increase in complexity and ornateness as they climb up in rank and status, directly correlating to age and how long they've been perfecting their art. They begin as Combat Maidens equipped with Combat Skirts, before becoming Battle Matrons adorned in Battle Dresses, before finally achieving the rank of War Matriarchs in War Gowns at the top of order. They are, without exaggeration, some of the deadliest Mortals alive on Null, bar none.

-The Order of the War Forge is an all male Order of Knights borne as the direct male counterpart of the Order of the War Panalopy. Rather than being combatants, though not to downplay their combat capabilities, the War Forge act as the support staff and smiths for the War Panlopy: The boys create the toys while the girls perfect the art of killing things dead with said toys. Traditionally, each Dame in the War Panalopy is paired with counterpart of the War Forge, who acts as their personal smith for the rest of their careers. While romantic relationships between them have occurred, most of these relationships are platonic in nature at most and strong bonds of friendship form between the assigned pairs. Smith Sons become Forge Fathers after proving their worth and joining their respective Combat Maiden in her own promotion, before ascending to the title of Adamantine Patriarchs after they and their respective counterpart prove themselves further after centuries of combat and arming for combat.

-The Magi Order is ancient and mysterious, with much of their inner secrets unknown to the common folk. What is known is that, using Aetherworks, Magi are magic users of the Aether, able to be of any species though on Null, though due to sheer numbers and statistical probability they're primarily Oros. They provide support or kill teams against Eldritch forces, and they lack dedicated roles and more are hyper competent generalists in all regards, getting more powerful and more deadly the older and more experienced they get. IE, they're Space Wizards that are shooty-looty-and-goodie-patootie. No, I'm not apologizing for that joke. I refuse to.

-The Order of the Berserker Paladin is an anti-infernal order of holy knights directly tied to the Ambaric Church, though they technically predate the Ambaric religion by a long ass time. The Berserker Paladins have a number of different classes but this is only relevant amongst their own kind and their missions. To outsiders looking in, other than different coloration on their cloth or different armor configs, Paladins are similar to Magi in that they're sent in as support or as kill teams against their specific enemy.

-Not technically any kind of official military org, be it Private or government, the Militia is the general term for most of the capable adult populace of Null that isn't a direct member of any of these organizations. This is more of a default, before the Great Walled Cities came about, as in order to survive on Null you had to be both a good fighter and a good teammate. I'm speaking from experience here and without any humor: If you made it to adulthood you were, by default, considered part of the 'Militia' by simple fact that you lived to become an adult. I'm not going to go any further in depth at what life was like back then, it fucking sucked and you lucky fucks have no idea how good you have it to have arrived in the time of the Great Walled Cities. This isn't to say your arrival didn't suck: I'm legitimately sorry for any injuries or lost friends and family you might have had on arrival before the Median got to you, but if you hadn't shown up in this current age of the Great Walled Cities, 'a portion' of you Displaced being dead would have been 'all'.

So yeah, that's the basics of our various military organizations. I'll be taking questions now, but before anything else: Yes, I do know what 'Magical Girls' are thanks to you bastards, and yes, I can see the similarities between them and the War Panoply, especially with the colorful armor and styling fight moves. No, I'm not going to acknowledge that they are 'magical girls', because that means some of you will win, and I refuse to allow that to happen. So yeah, gimme your questions.

[The rest of the threat continues for hundreds of pages after ward, 15 percent of which were answering questions from the breakdown previously given.]

 

[TripleMRed]

Vidcapture of an Oros Knight dancing with his war hound, circa 1900s, Null:



Happy April 1st, all!

 

[TripleMRed]

War Dragons.

[Sketches depict a race of dragons, their coloration and details varying from subspecies to subspecies, their default appearance being a typical four legged gait with wings on their backs and long tails to balance bodies, their horned heads held upright and with pride. Tellingly, there appear to be multiple forms and subtypes of these Dragons, the sketches depicting what appear to be transformations between a more bipedal, anthropomorphic stance and a larger, bulkier version of their default quadrupedal gait. One subtype is massive and broad chested, with what appears to be sap like secretions from between their chest plates that, when falling in drops, produce explosive results.]

[A note is attached. It reads 'I'm so glad we were able to make peace with these guys, they're some of the chillest friends I've made in my life!']

Scientific Name Translation: Eternal Soldier.

Average Size: Varies on form.

Average Weight: Varies on form.

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: Females are slightly, but noticeably, slimmer and more curved than the more angular males.

Habitat Range: Primarily on the floating continent of Skyhold, though some have started to live among Median cities.

Summary:​

It is said that, of the Civilized Races of Null, the oldest is the True Dragons. Indeed, countless ruins, ancient decrepit cities, and hollowed artifacts from this bygone era remain, even after the True Dragons fall from grace and their current diminished state of being. It is from these ancient ruins, many millions of years old yet intact through generous applications of reinforcement magics and clever placement on stable geographical locals, we have learned much of what the world was like in their era. It is through these texts where we discovered the origins of one notable race of draconic beings, the sapient War Dragons.

The War Dragons are a remnant of this bygone era, when the True Dragons civilization was the dominant force in the Mortal realm of Null. Artificial creations, War Dragons were crafted by the numerically more limited True Dragons to act as soldiers for their civilization, in an era where the Mortal realm was assailed by Elder horrors. The end product of many, many failed attempts that would lead to the other draconic species of Arisa, such as the Crash Drakes, the Slips, the Shinook and the Shanooks, War Dragons were the culmination of centuries of research and development between the native True Dragons and the mysterious but benevolent (though now long gone) Elder species known today as the Stone-Eyes. According to both remaining ancient documents and accounts by the still living War Dragons in the modern day, the fighting in these ancient conflicts was intense and brutal, a world wide conflict the likes of which has never been seen since. [A note is attached. It reads, 'During the time of the release of 8th edition, this was true. Now? The Moon War that's still going on is easily the most massive conflict in all of Nullian history, though aside from a few incursions, proxy wars and battles, the official Moon War has taken place entirely in our lunar orbit.']

After the end of these ancient conflicts ended with the securing of Null from these hostile incursions, the remaining War Dragons were then placed by their creators into stasis within the floating continent of Skyhold, held aloft by massive reserves of Floatstone ores throughout the entire island-continent that both kept it safely aloft as well as masked their life signatures in their stasis cocoons. It would be in stasis where the War Dragons would remain for millions of years, awaiting for another time where their masters called upon them to serve once more, a time which would never come as during the intervening years, the True Dragon civilization would collapse and their peoples would result in the loss of the original command and control systems and structure which the War Dragons used as their military hierarchy.

After millions of years, the mystical systems overseeing the stasis cocoons would begin to fade and fail, ultimately resulting in the unplanned release of the War Dragon hordes some time around the 2800's AA. Awakened and now lacking the central authority they once relied upon, now functionally free of any outside influence, the War Dragons began to adapt and fell back on their training and instincts to make up for such a potent loss of reliable command. As a result of falling back on these primal instincts, the War Dragons came to the only course of action that made sense for the veterans of the old wars at the time: Conquest and raiding. Unfortunately, the only cultures available for such attacks would be the Median and its peoples, and as such in the winter of 2888, the First Draconic War began with the War Dragons invading from the East, assaulting the coastlines and other major civilized hubs in the Median at the time. Though initially making excellent progress, both due to natural power as well as experience from their ancient conflicts, the War Dragons would ultimately be stopped and pushed back once the Median managed to find its footing and respond to the raids. [A note is attached. It reads 'I actually keenly remember my old home town seeing the raids arrive at our doorstep, only to be turned away at the last minute by Sky Fleet and Stormleaper detachments. It was scary, but also oddly beautiful in a twisted, janked up way seeing the walls of fire rising up in the distance.']

Leaving to lick their wounds and replenish their lost numbers, the Second Draconic War would occur in 2990, with the Dragon's attempted raids having been predicted and prepared for, resulting in a horrific failure that led to a full withdraw by the War Dragons back to their home to once again heal their wounds. Their culture and society would begin development in earnest around this time, as several generations of War Dragons who had never known of the ancient times were borne and raised in this new era. Survivors of the initial two Draconic Wars began to have doubts of the old ways being of any value in this new era, with many arguments being held in their burgeoning council chambers of their new-born government discussing pursuing peace with the Median and its peoples.

Ultimately, the Third and final Draconic War would occur in 3042 AA, as a result of the Median instigating an invasion towards Skyhold in order to cease the War Dragon invasions once and for all. Many theorize what would have occurred if the invasion had completed as intended, with some believing that our Median would have forced the War Dragons to accept an unconditional surrender using warship diplomacy, while a few whisper that complete destruction was the aim. While I personally dismiss the latter arguments, I also cannot deny that the former would have been achieved through extensive and brutal war fighting deep into the War Dragon's homelands to force peace by gunpoint. However, these theories are for things that we will never know for sure, as before the invasion force could begin striking deep into the War Dragon warrens and homes dug beneath the surface of Skyhold, they were recalled due to the awakening and development of a new, infinity worse threat in the west.

Peace between the Median and the War Dragons would occur as a completely unexpected development, and as a direct result of War Dragon scouts being sent to investigate and observe the sudden withdrawal of the Median warfleet to the West. These scouts would discover the new war front that had opened up between the Median and an unexpectedly and massively overwhelming infestation of Eldritch plant creatures known as the Dream Lotus, AKA the Mother Roots. These scouts would become unexpected allied to the Median when one of their own was captured by the Mother Roots to be podded and used as one of their many 'brains', with them fighting alongside the same Median soldiers that had not so long ago been invading their homelands against this common threat breaking the ice for peace between the two polities going forward. [A note is attached. It depicts a sketch of a strange creature made of roots and bark, several glowing 'eyes' on its head structure as it pointed a blade like arm towards the viewer. Words follow, reading 'Dream Lotus creature, 'Daisy Cutter'.']

The War Dragons, though still recovering from the invasion, would send several deployments of their own forces to support the Median war-effort out of a sense of foresight that, if the Mother Root won against the Median, it would not be long before it would turn its gaze towards the Dragons themselves. This mutually beneficial alliance cemented the end of Median-War Dragon hostilities and, while personal relations between the two polities would remain cool at best due to earlier conflicts, no further widespread violence between the two parties have been reported since.

In terms of biology, the War Dragons are highly fascinating. Artificially created to be the perfect soldiers in their era, adult War Dragons are physically and mystically quite powerful for creatures relying on only natural weaponry. Able to switch between three different forms, their Base draconic form which is a balance between the mystically power but physically weaker, smaller and bipedal Mage form and their larger, physically more powerful War form, War Dragons are trained from youth to be excellent fighters in all three forms, though they are each their own individuals with their own talents and personal preferences that makes them better suited between their three forms in combat.

Armed with claws, a tail club, horns, teeth, and durable scales, flesh and bones, War Dragons are durable and dangerous in close combat in all of their forms, with their mystical powers allowing for spell casting of varying levels of power between their Base and Mage forms. Regardless of form, elemental breath attacks are common ranged weapons across their various sub-types, giving them the ability to strike from afar using either 'blasts' of elemental power, or more medium-close range 'beams' to cut into armored foes.

While there are 7 subspecies of True Dragon, War Dragons are divided between 5 'categories': Fire, Water, Ice, Lightning, and Toxin, each of whom works together with the others in a given warfront to maximize their power and ability in pack tactics. Of these, fire is the most common while Toxin is the least common, each distinguished by their own 'categories' coloration and distinct attributes such as the blue coloration and fish-fin like traits on the water War Dragons.

In addition to their categories and forms, there are three distinct 'classes' of War Dragons, biological castes designed for a specific battlefield role and purpose in combat. Scouts are the leanest and smallest, and make use of stealth magics and camouflage abilities to gather information and spy on enemy formations from relatively close proximity while remaining undetected, using extreme speed to move between locations and to report back to their superiors quickly. Soldiers are the generalists and the most common 'class' of War Dragon, being the, well, soldiers of the War Dragon military structure. Demolitions, or Demos for short, are the heavy firepower class of the War Dragons, being physically larger and burlier, with more firepower in their breaths and combat magics, with their biggest claim to fame being their ability to create and drop 'droplets' from their segmented chest regions that, upon landing on the ground, detonate with extreme force when deployed in their massive 50 meter long War Forms. [A note is attached. It reads 'Before we learned their proper designations, their call-signs in order were 'Slip', 'Jockey', and 'Bombard'.']

For all their power and transformative ability, War Dragons have a few notable limitations. To prevent accidentally crushing themselves if located in a durable environment, they cannot switch to a larger form if there is not enough space for that transformation to take place, which leads to the common fear of them demolishing buildings by transforming within them unfounded. They also cannot transform due to limitations of proximity with other, non-War Dragon life, a security measure to prevent them accidentally injuring their True Dragon creators in ancient times which has the added benefit of leaving them unable to cause problems on crowded streets or when too near individuals by transforming into a deadlier form.

A final note on their biology is the fact that, despite being crafted by the True Dragons as a warrior race, War Dragons actually do possess biological sexes and the ability to replenish their numbers through conventional reproductive methods. Courtship between War Dragons is still being understood, but the basics functionally amount to two dragons of peer rank, often those who have fought side by side the longest, claiming one another as their respective mate, reproducing from the safety of 'home base', with their young being born live in litters of anywhere from 3-8 wyrmlings per gestation period of approximately 7 months. These newborn dragons, while armed and able to survive on their own biologically speaking, have to be taught and raised, usually by community though parents taking personal oversight of their children's developments are becoming more and more common, to properly become a member of their community and civilization, becoming sexually mature at around 20 years of age. Despite how ancient they are, it has been found that the War Dragons adaptability allows them in their anthropoidal Mage forms to be able to safely and successfully engage in reproductive behaviors with other Civilized Races, producing viable offspring of the mother's respective species. [A note is attached. It depicts a cartoon baby dragon, a small, chubby creature, sitting on its bottom as it stared cross-eyed at a butterfly on its nose, its tongue sticking out as it focuses on the insect.]

The War Dragons developing culture is still in its infancy, with much of their civilian life taking aspects of culture and society in an imitative manner from the Median they were at war with not so long ago. Many younger generations of War Dragons have even begun to develop a youth counterculture focusing on imitating Median societal norms such as wearing clothing, or pursing non-war related hobbies such as collecting trinkets or adopting pets. [A note is attached. It reads 'Apparently, 'Your Tiny Dracoequines' is very popular, especially the spin-off, 'Your Tiny Dracoequines: Skirmish Maul 5000'. I always preferred the Axe-Scythe 4k Series it's a parody of, but according to my War Dragon pen-pal Juniper Hailmaker, its combat rules are actually very in depth and well throughout out!']

Despite our earliest encounters leaving a bad impression, it cannot be stressed enough that the War Dragons are still a young, developing culture, trying to find meaning for themselves when their original purpose has become lost to them. While this doesn't necessarily absolve the bloodshed on either side's hands, it is something to consider going forward as a hand of friendship and assistance in helping them find a place for themselves in this new world they find themselves in is extended to our draconic brothers and sisters.

 

[TripleMRed]

[The following is a transcript of a data file on the Displaced population and its composition as of 3155 AA]

The Displaced situation which began at the end of 3150 and which has officially been considered 'handled' as of 3153 is one that cannot go understated for all official Median officials. This data packet will include a brief summery of each of the Displaced cultures of the three 'Waves' of Displaced that have arrived on Null since the start of this decade. Please familiarize yourself with the essentials stated in this packet, and be sure to look into follow up data packets that goes in depth into the unique qualities of each of the Displaced populations we are now host to.

Overview: While instances of Displaced are not unknown to us, every instance prior to the mass Displacements in recent years have always been of individuals, and groups of no larger than three at a time. Many Displaced before this suffered virtually instant death upon contact with the caustic pollutants pumped into our atmosphere by the flora and microfauna on the ground, with a lucky few being 'upgraded' to Nullian standard before they are introduced to our atmospheric conditions.

The unique thing about the Displaced we have received, outside of the sheer quantity of individuals present per Displaced 'Wave', is that every single member of the Displaced populace has been 'upgraded' to our standards, increasing durability, physical capabilities, and adding things such as Sentinel Bacteria in order to allow them to survive not only our atmosphere but also the harsh ecosystem of our planet.

This is not by mistake, but by design, as according to files released by the Office of Thaumatological Affairs, the Displaced were captured en-masse from their home dimensions by a rogue Uplifter, who designed to test them for integration into Null's ecosystem. Enough of each passed the trials to warrant the integration of all selected candidates, which resulted in their upgrading to Nullian Standard and subsequent release in Stahlmount Plateau near Dreamhold City. The Uplifter in question has since been put on trial and destroyed by its kin, but the damage is done now: With their upgrades, it is impossible to send these Displaced back to their home dimensions safely.

Regardless of their Wave of origin, all the Displaced so far are currently living at the nearest GWC of their arrival, Dreamhold, due to the fact that in addition to proximity, of the Great Walled Cities it is the one with the most amount of undeveloped Districts, providing the most space for the Displaced populations of all three populations to live in relative peace and comfort.

With this in mind, we shall go over a quick look over each of the Displaced populations, divided by 'Waves' as previously mentioned.

-

First Wave Displaced: The first to arrive on Null, the First Wave Displaced hail from a less lethal and less theumatologically active world they know as 'Terra', with the population of sapient being comprised of Uplifted animal life. Designed to a similar bipedal, anthropoidal template across all their uplifted species, the 'Terrakin' hail from a highly advanced world that, lacking the unifying challenges of a deathworld like our own, are highly divided by tribalistic national lines and loyalties to politically powerful mega-corporate entities. Life across their civilization, which has orbital habitats and several off world colonies at varying stages of development across their home solar system, is generally hard and bleak in a distinctly different manner than that of our own world, though the individuals brought in for the First Wave Displaced all hail from one city in particular, Sunset City, from the nation of United Americana Republics.

The most populace on arrival, the First Wave Displaced are of the widest variety of species, including many kinds of uplifted mammals, reptiles, avians, amphibians, and several kinds of aquatic species as well. Of those species of mystical trait and quality, two distinct kinds are notable here outside of the occasional Spirit or native deity: 'Vampires', which are a naturally bat like species by default though the trait can be inherited or given to any other First Wave Displaced species, and 'Were's, which are capable of transforming into more powerful 'warforms' based on their respective species. Between these 'mystical' species and the Mundane majority, Vampires and Were's are distinct minority making up less than twenty thousand individuals between the two species combined. Regardless of species, all produce offspring through live birth and have mammalian style traits across all known examples of First Wave Displaced members.

Additionally, cybernetic and biological augmentations are quite common among their populace, with replacement limbs being common even for those without a history of injury. Their Displacement lead to many of their number receiving grievous injuries from the largest Spider Ant nest in the region upon arrival, though quick response from Dreamholds defense forces minimized fatalities and allowed the survivors to move into the safety of Dreamhold as heavy investment by the Median to build a cityscape home for them in two of the empty district plots of Dreamhold was completed within a matter of months after their arrival thanks to aid from the Median's direct leadership.

First Wave Displaced are known for their high crime rates in their home universe, however the 'second chance' of a fresh start on Null seems to be sufficient motivation for many individuals among their number to avoid drawing the attention of law enforcement as much as possible. While both compared to the other Displaced populations and native Nullians the First Wave are still the population with the highest crime rate proportionate to their size, the various Street-Clans, or 'gangs', of their people are smart enough to tow the line between acceptable and unacceptable behavior, giving them some level of leeway to continue existing following the recent 'Clean Up' done by a Median Investigator remembered as 'The Cleaner' by the gangs.

The First Wave Displaced within Dreamhold inhabit the two district city scapes of 'Sunrise City' and 'The Pond' for their ground and amphibious based populations respectively, with a Nullian minority living amongst their number. A number of their most renowned soldiers, as well as several detachments of their military regulars, have begun taking part in aiding us in the Moon War that began shortly after their own arrival.

-

Second Wave Displaced: Where the First Wave Displaced are comprised of potentially hundreds of different species from a single city of a megacorportation dominated civilization, the Second Wave Displaced are notable in that they are a singular species of a space fairing civilization. Comprised of an artificial, synthetic species designed to emulate organic capabilities including a reproductive capability similar to our own. These 'Automos', created artificially similarly to the First Wave Displaced, were created to be an independent, self sustaining and self sufficient research and colonization platform that would explore their native galaxy to study and prepare the way for their creator's expansion. The members Automos of the vessel stolen by the Rogue Uplifter, the Atrius, currently reside in Dreamhold's orbital station and shipping yard, aiding in the design and construction plans of the first true purpose built Habitat based Orbital, 'Far Side'.

The Automos are a pleasant people in their own right, grateful to be given sanctuary by the Median though seemingly wracked with an existential malaise due to the current lack of ability to continue their purpose built journey. When asked if their creators would be concerned about their disappearance, the Atrius's crew members were willing to admit that they do not know, as contact with their creators had been lost for over a thousand years during the Atrius' eternal voyage.

Despite their artificial nature and origins, the Automos are fully capable of independent thought and action, developing skills and interests that go beyond the necessities of simple exploration and research drones. With default, bipedal forms of synthetic skin, muscle and organ analogs over a reinforced self-repairing core frame work, they are quite compatible with our civilization's building standards and construction norms. Additionally, it is theorized that the Automos might be an alternate universe version of the Synths that were developed by our own native scientists, albeit a more complex, apparently robotic version than the Synths we have developed so far. Indeed, the Automos are quite interested in learning about and communicating with our various kinds of robotics, from the sapient, organic emulating Synths, to the countless forms of Neo-Golem, or the ancient magitech Golems still in use by many older family lines to this day.

Second Wave Displaced technology is quite advanced, but also resource intensive, with weapons and defense technology requiring power outputs that can only be achieved by the Automos when paired with 'Enhancement Frames', which would be to them what Power Armor is to us. Their ship borne technology, while on an entirely different, Mundane-tech base from our own technology, has also proven useful in designing new ship borne defenses and weapon systems due to the ongoing Moon War.

As previously mention, the Second Wave Displaced mostly find themselves inhabiting Dreamhold's orbital station, with many finding work in defense or engineering actions in the station proper or on the orbital elevator connecting Dreamhold's central Arcology to the station. Several of their elite units have been seconded to aiding in fronts on the Moon War as well, in addition to defense posts to help protect their new, permanent home of Null.

-

Third Wave Displaced: In comparison to the highly advanced, mundane-technological polities of the First and Second Wave Displaced, the Third Wave Displaced is stand out for being something of a total inverse: Their civilization hails from a singular world that has yet to undergo an industrial revolution, whose rulership constitutes mostly of non-constitutional monarchies and direct action-city-states. In addition, instead of low levels of magical use by the majority of the population, the Third Wave Displaced are actually quite potent magic users as a civilization. While gun-powder munitions are known to them, in the form of early musket long guns and cannons as well as early firework-rocketry, they make use of black powder that is whole inefficient of producing sufficient penetration to be useful in anything save hunting of mundane game native to their world, with their own psysiologies being durable enough as to make unmodified black powder weapons short of direct hit cannon fire little more than an irritant to their flesh. Following their upgrades to Nullian biological standards, even irritation is up in question.

Compared to the previous two Displaced Waves, the Third Wave is comprised of several species of naturally occurring races, tellingly several that are reminiscent to anthropoidal versions of animals we are familiar with, including Gryphons, Dragons, and even saurians, in addition to other unfamiliar races such as 'Minotaurs', 'Gnolls', 'Harpies' and more. All known species are fully sapient and sentient, with the majority of those among them being a race of mono-horned canine-eared hominids known as 'Canidae' and split-tailed feline hominids distinct from the Cheshires of our world known as 'Felidae'.

Proportionate to the other Displaced races, the Third Wave the least in number to arrive, having just over a hundred thousand individuals, all of whom were stolen from a well known trade city in their native world as 'Merchant Path'. As the last of the Displaced to arrive, only being fully pulled in from the dimensional stasis storage system used by the Rogue Uplifter to contain the various Displaced for sequences delivery to our world, they are notable for their leadership, which had been awakened before the rest of their kind, helped to recreate the home now lost to them in a two District wide zone meant to emulate their old city and surrounding area within the confines of Dreamhold as much as possible, with enough space to grow as they adapt and become accustomed to the more advanced technologies of our world.

Led by a city council of merchant lords and 'Guild Masters', Third Wave Displaced were, before arriving to Null, physically the closest to us Nullians in terms of physical durability and capability. Indeed, their upgrades to Nullian standard make them, in terms of physical feats proportionate to their sizes, stronger than their Nullian counterparts, with more durable flesh than is considered normal. It should be noted, however, that Nullian weapons are more than capable of inflicting injury when generously applied in combat, and that Nullian warriors are able to fight them in even footing in all training sessions performed by the two forces thus far.

The greatest application of the mystic arts they have so far is the unique skill for creating mystical shielding around even their most basic of warriors, by utilizing enchanted armor or clothing. This enchantment comes at a literal high price, however, and thus most of their soldiers have to make do with singular pieces of armor to provide them with this mystic shield, the rest of their bodies covered in little other armor due to the materials of their native realm being of little worth on its own in protecting them due to their own enhanced physical capabilities relative to their realm's building materials.

As mentioned, Third Wave Displaced now make their homes in a recreation of their old home, New Merchant's Path, recreated within some of Dreamhold's untouched districts. Eager adventurers and hunters of dangerous monsters in their own reality, the Adventurer's Guild has become an associate member of the Null's native Hunter's Guild, with Adventurers joining their Nullian counterparts in Hunts and operations against terrestrial threats and creatures across the Arisa continent. They unexpectedly would provide aid in the Moon War when several of their Adventurer parties would aid Median forces protecting the planet side Adira Construction Yards in the Skyrunner's home desert regions from a surprise assault by Moon Elder forces.

-

The array of quirks and differences cultural, societal, and biological across the three Wave's of Displaced are too many to count, however despite all of these differences, enough commonalities can be found between ourselves and our new neighbors to allow for peaceful, if at times complicated, coexistence. With each Wave of Displaced having their own unique proclivities and attributes, it is best for all Median officials who are likely to encounter their respective Wave. Regardless of what kind of Displaced you might meet, always be sure to: Be kind, be courteous, and be respectful. Regardless on your private thoughts regarding their respective world of origins or cultures, they did not ask to be here and so we must try and do our best to be accommodating to our new brothers and sisters. Remember, on Null, we're all in this together.

 

[TripleMRed]

[A new holo poster is visible, detailing what seems to be a games and trade fair of some kind. Among the visible items are a variety of collectible figurines, including long, borzoi like clothed feral canines, rocks with hats, toy mini versions of Null's Dracoequines coming in a variety of pastel colors, and several kinds of plushies.

'3155 Game and Toy's Fair! See the latest in your favorite collectible figure lines, including Scrunco's, My Pet Rock, and Your Tiny Dracoequine! See the latest in the Scrunco spin-off lines of Scrinkly Scrunco, Abstract Scrunco, and the beloved dark fantasy ScruncPG, Scrunco the Reckoning! Behold the latest releases of Your Tiny Dracoequine: Combat Maul 5000, as well as the latest codices for Axe-Scythe, Axe-Scythe 4k, and the Mundane Made Marvelous RPG, Office Drone!

Also catch the latest releases of Yayairu's Marketable Plushies and Queen Seam's Stuffed Animal Collections.

All this and much, much more at this year's Game and Toy's Fair! All proceeds from concessions goes to supporting the efforts of the Moon War.']

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[A holo-poster is shown, depicting book covers showing cloak and mask wearing Nullian mice and rats staring across a ruined, overgrown battlefield, cityscape, and factory respectively. 'The classic post-apocalyptic book series that defined a generation for young book readers is seeing its latest reprinting. Collect and enjoy the Ruststalker Saga for only D25, available at all retailers physical or digital for literary media this summer.']

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[An advert is shown, depicting several kinds of alcoholic beverages, from conventional wines and whiskey's, to more wild smoothie or milkshake like concoctions, all being placed into a box of for delivery. 'Bar Box, your one stop shop for all your drinking desires, now with our new variety box pack.']

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[A poster from the early 3150's is shown, depicting various armored Nullians of various species, standing side by side and armed to the teeth, their gazes turned skyward to a depiction of a blue tinted moon, tentacles surrounding it in a metaphoric way, with words lining the bottom of the poster. 'They started this war, and we will finish it. Join the Median military today to help us strike back against the foe on Yarah Dam!']

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[Another poster from the early 3150's is shown, depicting an armored Nullian soldier standing in the middle of ruined, sickly green lit city scape, reaching out to the viewer as his fight horrors behind him. 'We need you to avenge Yang Quartz! Join efforts for the war on Yarah Dam today!']

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[Yet another poster from the early 3150's is shown, split in various sections each depicting various activities from civilian courier planes, to engineers in an automated factory working on the machines, to Hunters on a Hunt. 'Support at home means support for our boys and girls in plate high above! Do your part to keep our home safe and our troops supplied!]

 

[TripleMRed]

[The following is a transcript of an overview from a manual from the Aerospace Fleet's starship division.]

Before going into indepth breakdowns of each of the Fleet's current stock of Aerospace ships, as of 3150, we will begin by going over an overview of the vessels and craft you will become familiar with during the time of your service within the Fleet. We shall be going from largest to smallest operational military craft and their variants.

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V-1.2a Star Palace Command and Control Support Station.

Size: 4 miles in diameter at the equilateral band, 5 miles in height from lower section to top section.

Mass: 2.5 billion tons, unloaded.

Crew: Estimated at 20k at maximum operation capacity, 10k at current operational occupancy.

Weaponry: 80 capital ship grade gauss-cannon batteries, 358 16 inch ultra-heavy Slugger turrets, 500 rapid-fire gauss point defense batteries, 800 Star-Bloom plasma warhead missile pod formations (100 megatonne range), 158 Sun-Beam laser point defense turrets, 80 Sun-Rise Non-Nuclear Ultra-Heavy Bombardment missiles (2 gigaton range)

Summary: The first space capable Command and Control Support Station of its kind and the direct successor line to the atmosphere constrained Sky Palace class, the Star Palace was designed and created to act as a repair and support station with command functionality by forces in a given theater. Of the 7 Star Palace's originally commissioned, 3 would remain in Null exoatmospheric orbit to act as safe zones away from the primary combat theater in Yarah Dam lunar orbit. The other four would remain in lunar orbit to provide repairs, resupply, and coordinate invasion forces during the still ongoing Operation: Lunar Dance. Heavily armed for defending themselves in the likely hostile attempts to strike at them, Star Palaces are extremely durable installations that can take a direct ramming attack by a Star Whale with minimal superstructual damage.

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V-1.3a ExoFortress Assault Carrier.

Size: 3 miles in length.

Mass: 578 million tons, unloaded.

Crew: 5k

Complement: Variable based on species profiles, but average of 100,000 troops for deployment. Max capacity estimated to be over a million.

Weaponry: 48 capital ship grade gauss-cannon batteries, 280 16 inch ultra-heavy Slugger turrets, 300 rapid-fire gauss point defense batteries, 358 Star-Bloom plasma warhead missile pod formations (100 megatonne range), 88 Sun-Beam laser point defense turrets, 8 Sun-Rise Non-Nuclear Ultra-Heavy Bombardment missiles (2 gigaton range)

Summary: The evolution of the old StratoFortress class aerial assault carriers, the ExoFortress retains the heavy firepower for defensive purposes of its class of warship, updated and upscaled due to the increase in size by a third compared to the original atmosphere only ancestors of the current class. Designed to ferry massive amounts of troops from location to location amongst the stars, current ExoFortress complements are at a fraction of their full capacity in order to minimize losses during the opening salvos of Operation: Lunar Dance.

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V-1.4a/b Cosmoclast Battlecruiser.

Size: 2 miles in length.

Mass: 220 million tons, unloaded.

Crew: 2.5k for Aleph complement carrier-variant, 1k for Bet combat only variant.

Complement: Aleph only, max of 25k troops for deployment.

Weaponry, Aleph/Bet: 0/8 Plasma-Caster Solarite directed energy launcher catapults (500 megatonne range) 20/38 capital ship grade gauss-cannon batteries, 100/120 16 inch ultra-heavy Slugger turrets, 150/200 rapid-fire gauss point defense batteries, 100/200 Star-Bloom plasma warhead missile pod formations (100 megatonne range), 30/48 Sun-Beam laser point defense turrets, 0/24 Sun-Rise Non-Nuclear Ultra-Heavy Bombardment missiles (2 gigaton range), 0/8 Sunrise Torpedo Launch Tubes.

Summary: The space fairing successor series to the old Terraclast aerial battlecruisers, the Cosmoclast has been built to maximize firepower on its frame in direct combat, with the troop complement carrying Aleph variant being equipped more for defense rather than direct combat, similar to the ExoFortress but on a smaller scale. The combat dedicated Bet variant utilizes a mixture of heavy firepower and coordinated tactics with others of its class as well as Frigate escorts to destroy hostile entities. This mixture of tactics and firepower has led to the Cosmoclast gaining a massive acrued kill count of Moon Elder orbital assets, including scores of Star Whale's, dozens of Lunar Mantas, and numerous Ctenosolars in space combat around the opening battles of Operation: Lunar Dance. Their orbital bombardment capabilities also makes them distinctly suited for the opening salvos of Operation: Moon Fall, planned to begin at the culmination of Lunar Dance's efforts.

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V-1.1a Dandelion Frigate.

Size: 1 mile in length.

Mass: 98 million tons, unloaded.

Crew: 500 max crew complement.

Weaponry: 18 capital ship grade gauss-cannon batteries, 80 16 inch ultra-heavy Slugger turrets, 100 rapid-fire gauss point defense batteries, 100 Star-Bloom plasma warhead missile pod formations (100 megatonne range), 28 Sun-Beam laser point defense turrets, 4 Sun-Rise Torpedo launch tubes.

Summary: The latest in a long lne of Frigates to act as a supporting element to their Battlecruisers, Dandelions are ships that are made to add additional firepower to a Battlecruiser's ship-of-the-line foes. Cruiser analogs and higher are their primary targets, and although meant to be used in a supporting role, wolf-packs of Dandelions have proven in Operation: Lunar Dance to be quite capable of destroying enemy cruiser analogs on their one when supported by their Rose Frigate sisters.

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V-1.3b Rose Frigate.

Size: 1 mile in length.

Mass: 100 million tons, unloaded.

Crew: 500 max crew complement.

Weaponry: 1 super-heavy spinal-mounted gauss cannon, 12 captial ship grade gauss-cannon batteries, 80 16 inch ultra-heavy Slugger turrets, 68 rapid-fire gauss point defense batteries, 100 Star-Bloom plasma warhead missile pod formations (100 megatonne range), 28 Sun-Beam laser point defense turrets.

Summary: The first of its kind to be created wholesale around a spinal-mounted gun, Rose Frigates act as the long range snipers of the void-based battlefield, providing long distance fire support for their Cosmoclast's as well as focusing fire to eliminate wounded or fleeing enemy craft. They have come to become priority targets for the Moon Elders as, time and again during Operation: Lunar Dance, Rose Frigates firing reinforced, mass detonating munitions from their spinal guns into open wounds of Moon Elder void creatures led to their rapid destruction at a fraction of the time compared to the hour long slugging matches other vessels can expect to endure when fighting their enemies.

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V-1.2a Sunflower Destroyer.

Size: 1 mile in length.

Mass: 80 million tons, unloaded.

Crew: 500 max crew complement.

Weaponry: 148 16 inch ultra-heavy Slugger turrets, 380 rapid-fire gauss point defense batteries, 88 Sun-Beam laser point defense turrets, 8 Sun-Rise Torpedo launch tubes.

Summary: The evolution of its aeronautical counterpart, the new void capable Sunflower Destroyer places a heavy focus on providing protection to their Cosmoclasts and ExoFortress's from hostile fighter and bomber equivalent swarms, utilizing a blistering amount of point-defense turrets to eliminate fighter equivalents in droves. Additionally, a heavy amount of ultra-heavy Slugger turrets and 8 Sun-Rise Torpedo launchers provide the Sunflower with counter-capital ship power to allow it to provide assistance in the fight against hostile capitals.

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V-1.2b Starorchid Destroyer.

Size: 1 mile in length.

Mass: 92 million tons, unloaded.

Crew: 500 max crew complement.

Weaponry: 4-linked rapid-fire heavy spinal-mounted gauss cannon, 18 capital ship grade gauss-cannon batteries, 120 16 inch ultra-heavy Slugger turrets, 48 rapid-fire gauss point defense batteries, 80 Star-Bloom plasma warhead missile pod formations (100 megatonne range), 28 Sun-Beam laser point defense turrets, 4 Sun-Rise Torpedo Launch Tubes

Summary: An experimental design that has proven surprisingly and satisfyingly successful, the Starorchid class Destroyer is built around a series of 4, rapid fire heavy spinal gauss cannons that, in rapid succession, unleash a fusillade of munitions meant to tear into and eradicate enemy Escort equivalents as fast as possible. Their successes against Storm-Eels, Thunderheads, Shredder-Mites and Cragspires have ensured their continued use and deployment in an anti-escort role, similar to the Rose Frigate's Capital-Ship killer status.

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V-2.3d HaleMaker Heavy Bomber Corvette.

Size: 500 meters in length.

Mass: 1 million tons, unloaded.

Crew: 100 max crew complement.

Weaponry: 12 rapid fire gauss point defense batteries, 6 Sun-Beam laser point defense turrets, dimensional storage capacity for 100k tons of high yield guided explosive munitions for bomb-bay.

Summary: The successor to an earlier, failed prototype design, the HaleMaker succeeded where the original failed by the use of modern day dimensional storage technology allowing it to not only safely be equipped with tons of high explosive ordinance, but with a high variety of of munitions allowing it to be used in a wide range of bomber mission profiles. Though designed for bombing ground based, stationary targets, the guided nature of the munitions allow the HaleMaker to double as a heavy anti-ship bomber in the right circumstances, which scores of them have proven during Operation: Lunar Dance.

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V-2.3g HaleRaker Heavy Gunship Corvette.

Size: 500 meters in length.

Mass: 1.2 million tons, unloaded.

Crew: 100 max crew complement.

Weaponry: 24 rapid-fire gauss point defense batteries, 12 Sun-Beam laser point defense turrets, 8 missile launcher turrets.

Summary: A derivative of the base corvette design, the HaleRaker was created with the intent of using what are normally point-defense systems for ground-support roles. While this has yet to be tested on the Yarah Mat, early tests here on Null have shown great promise with the concept, though the relative proximity to the ground in their intended role makes HaleRakers susceptible to heavy ground fire. Only time will tell if the gunship-corvettes will be worth their material cost when Operation: Moon Fall begins.

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V-1.3a Darkstar Stealth and Infiltration Heavy Insertion Ship.

Size: 250 meters in length.

Mass: 500,000 tons, unloaded.

Crew: 50 max crew complement.

Complement: 200 total.

Weaponry: 8 rapid-fire gauss point defense batteries, 4 Sun-Beam laser point defense turrets, 8 missile launcher pods.

Summary: A prototype design, the Darkstar series of stealth insertion ships were crafted with the intent of inserting strike-forces behind enemy lines in under the protection of an Umbrum based stealth-field that would shroud it from detection from all manners of scanners, detection suites, senses, and across all known audio-visual bands. Out of all the vessels listed in this manual, the activities of the Darkstar are the most unknown due to their classified deployments, though their non-classified capabilities will be mentioned within. The amount of Darkstars currently in existence as of time of writing are unknown.

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V-4.5d Hale-Crane Bomber.

Size: 40 meters in length.

Mass: 500 tons, unloaded.

Crew: 1 pilot, 1 co-pilot, 1 bomber-bay operator, 1 gunnery officer supported by automated systems..

Weaponry: 4 dual-barrel rotary 40mm gauss turrets, dimensional storage capacity maximum of 128 guided munitions of various payloads and variants, 4 light torpedo launchers equipped with 32 dimensionally stored torpedoes each. 8 point defense anti-guided munitions lasers, holo-chaff and electro-flares by default. Hardpoints for additional munitions available.

Summary: The latest in the long, storied line of Hale-Crane Bombers, the latest space capable variant, while slower than its fighter counterparts, is still the fastest bomber relative to its tech level in Nullian history. Flights of these ships proved their mettle in the crucible of Operation: Lunar Dance, making daring bombing missions to knock out and disable Moon Elder weapon analogs on various capital ship scale creatures, weakening them in their battles against their Nullian counterparts and saving countless lives during these heaven shaking slugging matches. Plans for the Hale-Crane include them making precision bombing raids when Operation: Moon Fall commences.

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V-4.0 Thunder-Crane Ground Support Gunship.

Size: 40 meters in length.

Mass: 540 tons, unloaded.

Crew: 1 pilot, 1 co-pilot, 7 gunnery positions.

Weaponry: 4 dual-barrel rotary 40mm gauss turrets, 2 heavy Slugger turrets, 2 air-to-surface rocket launchers, 2 multi-purpose missile launchers, 2 155mm artillery cannons. 8 point defense anti-guided munitions lasers, holo-chaff and electro-flares by default. Hardpoints for additional munitions available.

Summary: Originally conceived as a cheaper alternative to the Hale-Crane, the Thunder-Crane proved its worth as a ground support craft time and again since the original's inception centuries prior. Though planned to be deployed during Moon Fall and the ensuing campaign on Yarah Dam, several flights of Thunder-Cranes found themselves in space providing defense for several Nullian Escort and Capital craft against Leecher boarding creatures.

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V-3.2a Daisy-Cutter Ground Attack Heavy Fighter.

Size: 35 meters.

Mass: 300 tons, unloaded.

Crew: 1 pilot.

Weaponry: Variable missile and bomb payload options, 70mm rotary gauss cannon in main chassis. 4 point defense anti-guided munitions lasers, holo-chaff and electro-flares by default. Hardpoints for additional munitions available.

Summary: Envisioned as a heavily armored ground attack fighter, the current version of the Daisy-Cutter has evolved the original's design to have an x-shaped wing and engine placement, for better thrust and maneuvering across the lower gravity and thin atmosphere of Yarah Mat. Upscaled alongside its fellow fighter designs for increased capability out of atmosphere, the Daisy-Cutter proved an exceptional make-shift hostile vessel systems destroyer, with several squadrons making names for themselves in Lunar Dance by making daring strafing runs to take out hostile weapon analogs that were missed by Hale-Crane Bombers.

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V-5.7b Star-Hawk Multirole Fighter.

Size: 32 meters.

Mass: 200 tons

Crew: 1 pilot.

Weaponry: 4 30mm repeating gauss cannons, default payload loadout of 320 Ripper-D BVR capable anti-fighter missiles divided between 8 dimensional storage enhanced launch tubes, 8 Drop-Shot guided bunker-buster bombs by default, dimensional storage maximum of 32 bombs. 4 point defense anti-guided munitions lasers, holo-chaff and electro-flares by default. Hardpoints for additional munitions available.

Summary: The proud modern day descendant of the original Sky-Hawk lines of multi-role fighters, the Star-Hawk continues to see use in a variety of mission parameters, though it has primarily been used as of Operation: Lunar Dance as a fighter-interceptor, hunting down and destroying Shredder-Crabbs, Aero-Mantas, and Gigas Bombards that would threaten their fellow starfighters or their larger Escort and Capital ship counterparts. While many have been destroyed or mission-killed in these brutal void-fights, 60% of pilots of these destroyed craft have been able to be safely recovered thanks to the advancements in compartmentalized cockpit design, including the ability for the cockpit to serve as a vessel on its own as a make-shift survival pod when detached from the rest of the craft, a feature all modern day space fighter designs feature but which the Star-Hawks' role has forced it to be the most often user.

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V-7.0a Void-Hopper Dropship.

Size: 32 meters.

Mass: 240 tons.

Crew: 1 pilot, 1 co-pilot, 1 gunnery operator supported by automated systems.

Complement: 20-40 standard operations, 50 max.

Weaponry: 5 dual-barrel 20mm repeating gauss cannons, dorsal mounted missile launch system with 8 launch tubes. 7 point defense anti-guided munitions lasers, holo-chaff and electro-flares by default. Hardpoints for additional munitions available.

Summary: The space fairing successor to the Sky-Hopper line of Dropships, the V-7.0a Void-Hopper has yet to see intended deployment on Yarah Dam, though its tests within Null's varied and times unstable environmental conditions, as well as tests within the dangerous Decay corrupted atmosphere of Yarah Mot has proven the Void-Hoppe enough to officially have it replace its Sky-Hopper predecessors wholesale for all major deployments going forward. Talks have been put forward on what to do with remaining Sky-Hoppers still in existence, though final decision on their fate has been postponed until after the invasion of Yarah Dam has proven its successor design successful performance wise in the future warzones. For the moment, all military Sky-Hoppers are undergoing moth-ball procedures, while civilian Sky-Hoppers continue to see heavy use across numerous fields of work.

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This concludes the overview portion of this manual. The following indepth breakdowns on the operations, maintenance, and performance factors of each demonstrated ship will continue starting in reverse order, with the V-7.0a Void-Hopper Dropship.

 

[TripleMRed]

Ogra. [A note is attached. It reads 'It's pronounced 'Ohg-Rah', not 'O-graw'.']

[Sketches depict a race of wild looking, bipedal people with animalistic qualities. They are quite muscular, with even the smallest and thinnest of them having a wiry frame that implies respectable amount of muscle power. The only unifying traits between them is their basic make up an appearance, appearing to have qualities of a hog, a wolf, and a hyena mixed together: Their snouted, wolf like faces mixed with hyena teeth and qualities, their ears long and pointed, and their limbs ending in four digted extremities that resemble a cross between a paw and a hog hoof turned into a four fingred hand and foot. Beyond this, their variability is massive. Some have stripped fur, others spots, and others still solid colorations ranging from rust reds to sandy tans to bark browns, with their hairs being styled in a variety of manners ranging from simplistic wild bushes, to braids, to more outlandish things such as mohawks. Their fur is also styled differently, with many keeping it short and many others shaving themselves to the rough, tough hide and only leaving extremities and privates covered in their fur. Their clothes range from simple animal clothes, to studded leathers not out of place with a musical band, to well made and reinforced armor plate. Females have several pairs of nipples, but only the ones on their chests seem to have formed into fully functional mammary glands, the rest being little more than a remainder of older ancestors. Finally, many of them have covered themselves in various colorations of paint, in patterns and colors distinct from others. Some resemble tribal tattoos, while others resemble a monstrous anthropoidal version of a hair-metal band. In the end, they are extremely varied and distinct as a species.]
[A note is attached. It reads 'I learned about these guys in history class. I always wanted to meet one, but never got the chance to. Yet. Dun dun duuun!']

Scientific Name Translation: Wild Dog.

Average Size: 7'0-9'2 feet/2.134-2.804 meters tall.

Average Weight: 880-1580. pounds/399.2-716.7kgs

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: Females are curvier than males, with features males lack such as breasts. There is also a small, but notable minor leaning towards females being larger than males on average.

Habitat Range: All biomes of the Land of Giants.

Summary:​

The claim of 'most successful species' is one that is open to interpretation. What does one mean by 'successful'? If we go by technological advancement and cultural unity, then the peoples of the Median are the most successful species on the planet. If we go by population, then the humble Rooter Ant is the most successful known species on the Arisa continent numerically speaking. As such, the title for most successful species is variable based on the many different qualities and traits one must specify for a given category. That being said, it is widely agreed by many in the scientific community that, of the various species of Nullian life-forms to originate from another world or realm before being taken by Uplifters, the most successful non-native species is the Ogra people.

Making life in the harsh landscapes of the Land of Giants to the West, the origins of the Ogra can be traced back several million years ago, where their originator ancestors were placed in the region that would become the Land of Giants. Dimensional Long-Scry in the modern day to their realm of origin has led to some insightful revelations as to the origins of their ancestors: The Drohq, a quadrupedal war beast and hunting animal used by an army led by a dark magic user that was ultimately defeated by native armies. The Drohq and the hordes they served under were exterminated by the native species of their homeworld, making the modern day Ogra the only surviving descendants of their kind. [A note is attached. It reads 'That's depressingly sad, actually. But also good in a way? At least they're alive is what I'm getting at.']

The adaptability and potential of the original Drohq showed in the unforeseen capacity for them to evolve, which would ultimately culminate in the first modern day Ogra some tens of thousands of years ago. Astonishingly, despite the relative youth of their species and how little time they've been around, the Ogra's development as a people seems to have actually accelerated over the millennia. Adopting, or more accurately being adopted by, the Great Spirit Pantheon, Ogra culture was led by the primal blood-lust and desire for combat that drove their original ancestors in their home realm so long ago. War and combat are a way of life for the Ogra, and this antagonistic behavior has led to their entire history being one of conflict, whether it is between themselves, coordinated species such as Spider-Ants, or even conflicts with the races of East such as the Oros.

The history of the Ogra people is one of uncertainty, as their constant warfare has led to a difficult time being able to record much of anything with any certainty, much less have it survive the warfare that surrounded them. Modern day Ogra are not as belligerent as they once were thanks to a grim form of selective breeding in the form of the marginally less aggressive of their kind having the opportunity to reproduce and fill their numbers of their population after it is decimated in conflict. Repeated countless times over several millennia, and this has resulted in the infinity more stable, though still hot-blooded, Ogra of our modern day.

Able to be reasoned with and enter communications with one another on peaceful terms, my travels to their lands to uncover more about them for this encyclopedia of mine has led to some revolutionary discoveries in my travels amongst them. My guide through their lands was a 'Philosofist' named Uhrun Bloodweaver, a surprisingly calm individual whose report I've come to miss since returning from their lands.

According to Uhrun, the foundations for what would lead to modern day Ogra society were, according to oral tradition and research by his order of warrior-scholars, traced all the way back to the days of Irlira the Blood Queen, an unusually massive and powerful Ogra whose claim to historical fame was being the first to unify their peoples and lead them in an invasion of the East thousands of years ago. Comparing this to our own histories, this corresponds exactingly to the Ogra invasion in the Era of the Oros Warrior Queens. As the records go, the Ogra invasion interrupted the internecine conflicts between the Oros Warrior Queens and led to one among them, Mei-Lee Jadesmith, to unite the other Warrior Queens and lead them in battle against the invaders. The Ogra Invasion would ultimately end with the death of the Blood Queen at the hands of Mei-Lee in a titanic duel that broke the spirits of the now leaderless and directionless Ogra and caused the survivors to retreat back home.

This directly affects both of our histories, as this event led to the Ogra, who had believed their Blood Queen to be the strongest chosen of their people, to question much of what they believed to be true about themselves and the world, and what caused Mei-Lee to unify the people of her region in the first modern day Nation, the Royalbacks, in preparation for a potential future invasion by the Ogra. When one did not come for centuries, the Royalbacks would go on to try and conquer the rest of the Oros world to create a unified peoples in the 'First Kingdom', which ultimately failed when their attempts to replace local culture with their own, combined with the also newly formed Skyrunner Nation inciting and supplying rebellions among the other Oros cultures, led to the birth of the other Nations. The rest, as they say, is history. [A note is attached. It reads 'Got to give the Royalbacks credit, their origins are hardcore. Even if they did turn around and act like jerks to the rest of us.']

As for the Ogra, according to Uhrun, while they always recognized the Great Spirit Pantheon as their gods, their own bloodlust made them rather stubborn at actually listening to their gods even as they tried to steer the Ogra down a less destructive path. With the painful loss of the Blood Queen in their failed invasion, the Ogra became more willing to listen to their Great Spirits, though they ultimately would be drawn to the Great Tiger Spirit of Strength, Eruiru.

Teaching them the ways of black smithing and the refinement of ores, early weapons and armor was made, allowing them to better survive in the hostile lands they called home. However, one major defeat, while enough to begin questioning, was not enough to get rid of their built in blood lust, and so conflicts would continue for millennia onwards, this time between the countless Ogra societies and clans. The ensuing millennia of warfare would grind their people down and build them back up in ways that I never thought possible. There have been approximately 3 or so great changes in Eastern Nullian society, broken up by the 'Kingdom' periods that came and went. Conversely, Uhrun informed me that, while the lack of proper surviving historical records made it difficult to attain a specific number, Ogra society leading into the modern age has been destroyed and rebuilt at a minimum of 47 different individual times, to as few as a maximum estimated 198 times. At the time I spoke with Uhrun, current Ogra society was in its longest era of peace at 56 consecutive years without a major war breaking out. This peace is relative, however, as clan conflicts continue to this day. [A note is attached. It depicts a sketch of a pair of Ogra punching each other in the face, while using their off hands to give each other thumbs' ups.]

Biologically speaking, the Ogra are fascinating in a number of ways. The most distinct thing is that, despite being a fully sapient, Civilized species all their own and having existed on Null for millions of years, the Ogra's Sentinel Bacteria are not the same Grade as that of the native Civilized Races such as the Oros or Chimera. What this means is that, unique among the Civilized Races of Null, the Ogra are edible to the life forms they fight against, which for much of their history meant they fought as much to avoid being eaten as they did to eat to survive. This is not as much of an issue as one would expect, however, for the Ogra are quite powerful creatures in their own rights despite this lower SB Grade and lack of unbreakable bones.

Extremely strong and with durable flesh for their sizes, Ogra naturally have powerful bites and strong, bone crushing teeth at their disposal. Their unique digits are tipped with strong, durable hoof claws that, when combined with their impressive grip strength and numbers, allow them to drag down and tear apart creatures that would normally eat any one of them individually. When combined with their intelligence for combat and the development of arms and armor, and the Ogra have managed to carve out many safe zones that would develop into cities, whose only real threat outside of the Giant and Titan scale creatures (kept at bay by the use of potent spell craft) is attack from other Ogra. Ogra possess keen senses and instincts that allow them to evade that which they cannot fight, and get the drop on that which they can.

Covered in fur like their Oros counterparts, Ogra fur colors and patterns are massive in variation, ranging from hues of reds and browns, to albino whites, jet blacks, and majestic golds, with no clear genetic disposition for these unlike the various colorations and fur patterns of the Oros Nationalities. An extensive array of styles for how they manage their fur varies from clan to clan, and even tribe to tribe and pack to pack. These range from wild and expressive hair styles, to crisp and close cut shaves, to even shaving entire sections of their body down to the tough skin beneath with only strategic, and at times lurid, patches of fur remaining. [A note is attached. It shows a cartoon drawing of an Ogra peeking out of a hairball. Words read 'They are a very hairy people. I wonder if they get hot from how much hair they have?']

Ogra, similar to other Civilized Races, do not have a set breeding period, and can reproduce year-round. Ogra decide on mates that they believe are their equals, whether this is through physical ability or on a mental level varies from Ogra pairing to Ogra pairing. Once mated, only death or a severe betrayal by their partner will separate the two. Where it takes an Oros 11 months to gestate a single offspring or twins, the Ogra produce an average litter of 12 pups after a 3 month gestation cycle. With 9 months in a Nullian year, this means that an average, sexually active mating pair of Ogra can have on average 36 pups that, thanks to modern medicine and their powerful pack instincts, will see most surviving into adolescence. [A note is attached. It reads '12 Puppos!?']

Interestingly, despite so many pups being born at a time, and despite the presence of several sets of nipples, Ogra females only ever have two fully developed breasts on their chest as is the norm for females of the Civilized Races. Why this is remains an evolutionary mystery, for Ogra and Median races alike. Regardless of reasoning, this has affected how Ogra raise their young. At birth, two of the strongest looking pups are chosen to suckle extremely nutrient rich and dense milk from their mother, with the rest of their siblings being fed meat that their already tooth-lined maws can dig into. The runt of the litter, interestingly enough, is not discarded by such a strength focused culture, but tended to in order for them to become the support work of their society by being sent off to be raised by the Philosofists.

Of those that remain with their parents, the remaining siblings often wrestle and non-lethally play fight one another throughout their childhoods, with leadership being determined by the victors of these battles. These 'Pack Bosses', with the strongest sibling leading the rest of their brood mates, often have a lot of responsibility and aid in the raising of their younger siblings, bringing order to what would normally be a chaos of various rambunctious fighting children. As they grow older, the same Pack would go through the same trials and tribulations together, covering areas one is weak in with aid by the others, until they reach full maturity. As adults, one can expect Pack Siblings to remain with one another in combat until one breaks off to find a mate of their own, or they are destroyed or otherwise ground down by the attrition of their conflict filled lives. [A note is attached. It depicts a sketch of cartoony Ogra all posing together. Words below it read 'Ride together, die together.']

Ogra, provided enough sustenance and surviving enough battles, will continue to grow throughout their lives until they reach an approximate maximum size of 9'2. Some rare individuals, however, can grow to be over 10 feet tall, becoming celebrities in their own right. Ogra suffering from dwarfism, known as 'Shorties' offhandedly or as 'Orgri' (an affectionate diminutive version of their species name) typically don't grow any larger than 5'2, and make up about 15% of the total Ogra population, making themselves useful as mechanically inclined engineers and technicians.

Ogra society itself, as it exists in its modern form, is a complex thing. While their instinctive blood-lust has been reduced considerably, they are still drawn towards the strongest of their kind to lead them, though they have grown the wisdom to be able to determine when a current Clan Chief or Pack Boss is not very well suited to leading despite their strength, at which point the strength of the mob is used to replace them. Interestingly, deaths during these transitions of power are not very common (any more), and the deposed leader will give in to the strength of the mob as having been beaten, and will integrate into following the newly appointed leadership with little fuss. Indeed, many of the more belligerent deposed leaders will simply leave their old positions and packs behind in order to search out a new pack to take over and try again there, usually implementing lessons learned to retain their power.

Paint in a variety of colors and patterns are also used to distinguish themselves and their allegiances among their people. From the flashy and extensive paint schemes of the Hooligoons to the calculated and precise patterns of the Iron Fangs, there is no end to the variety of paint and tattoos used by their people. They also make use of a piercings, though this appears to be more of a personal fashion statement rather than anything clan related. [A note is attached. It reads 'I have a cousin living in Dreamhold with me, and he seems to have an interest in Ogra women. Like, he doesn't even try to hide it. So many posters of buff, tattooed and pierced up Ogra chicks. He refused to tell me where he gets the posters, since I've never heard anything about them in the Median before.']

Their society is also divided into numerous Great Clans, each of which is roughly analogous to an Oros Nationality in terms of shared cultural and societal norms and history. Each Great Clan has its own distinct philosophy of how to live one's life, each with countless Ogra who believe in following this given philosophy intently. The Great Clans with the most power are:

-The Wyld Wolves believe in living in a more primal state, or at least giving as few concessions to more advanced technology as possible. The least populace of the Great Clans, they nonetheless have some of the hardiest and most experienced survivalists of all of the Ogra in the modern era, granting them a level of respect by the others as to send their youths to be trained in their ways of surviving on as little technological aid as possible.

-The Gausst Ghosts, inversely, are the most technologically advanced and believe in harnessing the power of technology in order to become stronger. It is from the Gaussts that many technological innovations were discovered or invented by the Ogra, from their modern day radio technology to the various weapons in the form of Oil Guns their people have come to love so much. Scientists to the core, they throw themselves at problems to find the best way to exploit it, turn it to their favor and/or learn how to blow it up or drive it away.

-The Hooligoons, the newest Great Clan to be formed, is known for its wide make up of young Ogra with a fascination for new things and the tidbits of culture from the Eastern species they come across. Ironically, it would be the Hooligoons that would influence us as many traits we recognize as belonging to the genre of 'hair-metal' comes from the Hooligans propensity for wild, outlandish hair-styles, vibrant colors and loud musical instrumentation. Interestingly, Hooligoon counter-culture is one of the most peaceful of the Ogra, having found a productive outlet for their hot-bloodedness in the form of expressive art, music, and non-fatal contests between its members.

-The Iron Fangs are the most militaristic and disciplined of the Ogra, said to have taken inspiration from the Oros militarys that beat their ancestors back so many generations prior. Known for their use of advanced weapons, tactics, and combined arms warfare, the Iron Fangs ironically are not the most unified of the Great Clans, with numerous subfactions and parties within their wider structure butting heads over specifics or preferred cultural norms.

-The Steel Riders, prior to the Hooligans, were the newest of the Great Clans and originate as an evolution of old Ogra Saber-Tiger cavalry units evolving to the discovery of the oceans of fuel buried deep within the Land of Giants. while the Gausst rightfully claim to have been the ones to discover the Crude used as fuel and the invention of the first hover-mobiles among the Ogra, it was the Steel Riders who would perfect the designs. Every current day Ogra vehicle, whether it is a traveler of the land, the sky, or of the inland seas, is of Steel Rider origin.

-The Demolitionists was a Great Clan founded on the shared mutual appreciation for all things that are explosive in nature. Rockets, missiles, bombs, Solarite-if it explodes, it is venerated. Over time, natural selection has led to the Demolitionists becoming more and more refined in their use of explosives. The love and appreciation has remained the same, if not deepened, but the methodology and skill put into their work has become less slapdash and much more professional in nature. They also have a monopoly on the mining rights in Ogra territory.

-The Mathamaxists once were laughed at for their belief that ultimate strength came not from muscle power, or the brain power to maximize muscle power,, but from the power of raw mathematics. Their usage of missile weaponry ranging from modern day sniper rifles and mortar systems to massive and deadly artillery platforms has proven to wider Ogra society that math is, indeed, extremely powerful. They are often bitter rivals with the demolitions, who believe that overwhelming firepower is superior to a single, calculated strike.

-The Wyrd Magisters originate as a conclave of various shamans and hedge magic users among the Ogra who, over time, developed a complex and rich society of Ogra magic users, teaching the most magically capable of their kind the knowledge and skills needed to harness the power of Mana Magic without accidentally setting oneself on fire (an annoyance to the Ogra but still worth preventing) or worse. Ogra Magi are not a known quantity, however, meaning they lack an equivalent to the Magi Order we are used to in Eastern Null.

-The Philosofists, like my old friend Uhrun, are an old order, formed shortly after the return of the Ogra from their failed invasion millennia ago. Comprised primarily of both the physically weak but intellectually acute runts of every Ogra litter, the Philosofists and their unique way of looking at the world and trying to find answers to questions Ogra often overlooked in favor of conflict directly led to them being the source of the other modern day Great Clans as, over the millennia, regular Ogra began to listen and contemplate the same questions as the Philosofists did. Considered the wisemen of their society, the Philosofists have been challenged countless times in the passed by the physical strongest, only to achieve victory through the use of clever thinking or superior technique in combat. In a world where strength is everything, mental strength is also lauded, and so this has earned the respect of their fellows in the millennia since their founding.

In addition to the individual Great Clans that make up their society, there are also several civilizations comprised of members from the various clans working together into functional societies.

-The Hyperia Hegemon is widely considered and agreed upon to be the single largest functional civilization the Ogra have, being led by a council of the strongest and cleverest of the clans that make it up. A nation made up of members from all the other clans, the Hegemon is analogous to the Median, though the relative earliness of their technological progress as well as their kind's propensity for civil conflict leaves it to be seen if it will survive in the centuries and millennia to come.

-The Gorgus Enclave are the second largest of the Ogra civilizations and the one most dedicated to war, compared to their more well rounded peers. The last major war saw the Hegemon beating the Enclave in a titanic war still talked about to this day among the Ogra, with the Enclave having licked its wounds since then. It is believed that they will instigate a new, more massive war than all others previously seen, though when they will launch their attack is unknown.

-The Tria Theocracy is specific cult of the Church of the Great Spirits unique to the Ogra, and one that has gained enough traction to become a small but influential and powerful nation of its own, comprised of the most faithful of the cult's adherents. Placing Eruiru at the head of their belief system, they believe that strength is the final determinator in the universe, and that the source of this strength did not matter in it being physical, mental, or metaphysical.

A numerous people, despite our earliest encounters ending in blood shed, the Ogra and the Oros have been affecting one another's histories since the beginning. While their exact numbers are constantly in flux and difficult to ascertain, it is known that millions of Ogra call the Land of Giants home, and have made a functional, if still young and rocky, civilization among the dangers there. As of the time of writing, the Median has begun efforts to establish contact with them in an official capacity, though only time will tell if we can enter in peaceful long term relations with our neighbors in another land. Personally, I deeply hope so. We've all seen enough pointless bloodshed as is. [A note is attached. It reads 'Man, the Ogra Wars have only recently ended over there. I really hope they can rebuild better and stronger than before. Maybe then we can get a census that lets us find out how many of them there are and finally put them in the Nullian population numbers.']

 

[TripleMRed]

Displaced Announcements Newsletter, 1. (3153)

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If you are reading this, we would like to thank you for subscribing to our first issue of the Displaced Announcements Newsletter, a way to keep all of our fellow Displaced up to date on various announcements, relevant news, and helpful informational tips in regards to our new home here on Null. This edition will be lighter than successor Newsletters, so be mindful of this going forward.

To begin, we are happy to announce that the '3rd Wave' Displaced have finally been fully removed from their stasis holdings and have successfully been moved in and integrated into a recreation of their home town within Dreamhold City, set up in the formerly empty districts in the northern face of Dreamhold. Due to various cultural and societal differences, the 3rd Wave Displaced are not yet open for visitation by outsiders until they finish adjusting to their new situation in due time.

We must also state that the Eastern district plots of Dreamhold, used for military testing and training purposes, are strictly off limits to all non-authorized personal. Live munitions and robotic training drones are in active use here, and any non-authorized personal trying to enter this restricted location will be detained by onsight overseers code named 'Maestro' and 'Orchestra'. For your safety and health, please stay away from this active training and testing site.

Additionally, we would like to take this moment to confirm, and stress, that all seminars or training simulations for those who have sought licenses to participate in Hunting activities outside of City walls are not exaggerated, overstated, dramatized, or hyperbolic. Local life forms are, in fact, as durable and dangerous as the simulations imply. All those with Hunting licenses please learn from one Mr. Hadrian Miller's mistaken belief that the opposite was true, and do not hesitate to utilize overkill. Remember: Local life forms have redundant, semi-decentralized nervous systems, and traumatic damage to the brain does not, in any way shape or form, guarantee a quick kill. 9 times out of 10, a single bullet into or through the brain will just anger the creature in question, and only partial destruction of the head can lead to a berserker state, and ensuing mauling, of the unprepared. Full cranial destruction or decapitation is highly recommended at all times for quick kills.

And yes, full Power Armor is a safety requirement in Hunts, lest you wish to end up a limbless, barely living wreck like the previously stated Mr. Miller.

On a final note, we wish to thank all of our brave men and women in our military units who courageously volunteered recently to assist in the ongoing Moon War, despite the millions of those who have perished in the conflict so far. All proceeds in current War Bonds go to supporting our troops and the effort to bring them back alive and well.

This has been the first addition of the Displaced Announcements Newsletter. More, and happier, news to come next time. This concludes this current Newsletter.

 

[TripleMRed]

Lasarna Wych.

[Sketches depict a bipedal, feminine being of mixed components. The main body and head are that of a female, anthropoidal fish of smooth, skin like green scales, with a head of hair in braided dreadlocks, finned ears, and golden eyes, clothed in a tunic that ends at the knees. Her forelimbs, including her digitigrade legs, however, are those of an wyvern, with rough draconic scales and four digited hands and feet ending with sharp talons. Angelic wings sprout from their backs, and their prehensile and joints are dotted with outcropping scutes. Other sketches depict them completely covered in cloaks, hunched over with only their wings and sneering snouts visible as they wield staffs layered with magic, while others show some with more exposed skin, showing their gills lining the sides of their torsos and having a singular mohawk like fin instead of hair, while others still in toga like attire are shown with a head full of outcropping scales. Each has a variety of patterns of various colors over their flesh.]

Scientific Name Translation: Hermit Angels of Lasarna.

Average Size: 7-8.5 feet/2.134-2.6 meters.

Average Weight: 400-800 pounds/181.44-362.9 kgs.

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: N/A, though some of their kind are hermaphrodites with more muscular builds, with pure females having more pronounced curves.

Habitat Range: Primarily the island chains along the coast east of the Arisa Continent, as well as in the West in the Land of Giants.

Summary:​

In the history of Null's vast ecosystem, many creatures not native to our world have been introduced to it via the mystical overseers of its biodiversity, the Uplifters. Tasked with monitoring the ecosystem and responsible for ensuring it remains deadly and varied with the addition of new, or on occasion modification of existing, creatures, the Uplifter's have had a tendril on the pulse of Null's Mortal life for eons, and their influence has been felt time and again across history with the inclusion of beings such as the Ogra, Spider-Ants, and other life forms of varying levels of influence. However, this is not an exact or perfect science, and in addition to there being a set of governing rules on what Uplifters are and are not allowed to bring into our world, there are also occasionally unforeseen consequences involved with beings that, on paper, are capable of surviving just fine on Null once upgraded to Null standards, but in practice are in extreme danger as a consequence of their innate abilities.

The biggest example of this are the Wyches of Lasarna, also known as just the Lasarnans or Wyches. Hailing from a different world than our own in another universe, the arrival of the Lasarna Wyches broke many, many rules the Uplifters are governed by. In addition to absolutely shattering the rule against knowingly bringing in sapient, Civilized life forms wholesale, it also broke laws concerning the implementation of powerful Mortal entities known as 'Godlings', as well as the inclusion of a diety from another realm entirely. For these gravely broken laws, the Uplifter that caused the arrival of the Wyches has since been erased from historical record, with the only proof of their existence being mention of their crimes in the bringing of the Lasarna Wyches to Null.

Brought to Null some 12,000 years ago, the Lasarnans and their goddess, the titular Lasarna, were beings of incredible power, their abilities far outstripping even the True Dragons of old. In theory, this primed them to be the dominant life forms on Null. In practice, however, their innate connection with magic and the sheer scale of their magical power led to the Lasarnans experiencing first hand a 'magical overdose' on Null's notoriously potent and aggression boosting 'Dark Mana'. The end result was all but the most strong willed of their kind going mad in short order and turning on each other in a mystical frenzy of violence and magical power, with even those that managed to retain their senses having little control over their now super-charged abilities. Lasarna herself, unfamiliar and unprepared for a mystical landscape like Null's, was rendered comatose by her own will in order to avoid becoming corrupted by the aggression boosting effects of Null's Dark Mana, leaving her in a slumbering state while her mind slowly adapted to the new environment. [A note is attached. It reads 'I can't even begin to imagine what must have been going through her mind when she got here and everything turned to piss...']

From this point onwards, the Lasarnans would become mystical bogeywomen to the other Civilized Races of Null, seemingly all powerful and maddened 'Wyches' of incredible magical power that could only be stopped either by early Aether Shamans, or by the cooperation of early settlements and cultures working together to end the threat. During this time, the Lasarnans would split off into two distinct cultures: The Eastern Lasarnans, inhabiting the countless islands and archipelagos that dot and line the eastern seaboard and coastlines of the Arisa Continent, would be made up of those who managed to retain their sanity, but whose magical power was shot with a difficult time to control their supercharged abilities. Those to the West, inhabiting the Land of Giants, would become the Western Wyches, comprised primarily of those who have lost themselves to the madness of the overwhelming nature of Null's magical reality, with an active warring state between each other, the Ogra they live alongside, and the creatures that already called this location home.

The biggest change to the Lasarnans on both sides would be, while their original goddess remained in her healing sleep, the Nullian Great Spirits would intervene. For the Lasarnans in particular, the Great Spirit of Knowledge and Magic, Laylaru, would intervene on the Lasarnans behalf. Too powerful by default for their own good, Laylaru offered a pact with the Lasarnans that would simultaneously help them overcome their situation, while also making them safer for the other inhabitants of Null, yet still leaving them with sufficient power to protect themselves and make a home for themselves in Null's dangerous ecosystem. Through this pact, known by the Eastern Lasarans as the Laylaru Compact, and by the Western Lasarans as Laylaru's Curse, the immense power the Lasarans once had as Godlings would be diminished to a level of ability more in line with the power present on Null. No longer would they be living mystical weapons of mass destruction, but now would simply be, albeit quite powerful, Mortals more in line with the standards present with other native Civilized Races on Null.

This Pact has had the benefit of relieving the Lasarna of the dangers involved with their magical overdose and madness, however due to this being thousands of years since their initial arrival, a stark and irreparable divide had come to exist between the Eastern Lasarna and their Western sisters. While the Eastern, island bound Lasarna retained the knowledge of their original homelands history and their original culture, recreating it as best as they could in their newfound homeland on Null, the Western Wyches have long since forsaken their original culture in favor of a new one based on the principles that might makes right. As such, while the Eastern Lasarna are ruled by a senate of elected officials from all over their various city-states, the Western Wyches are ruled by a council of the most powerful and capable of their kind, overseen by the strongest of them all at the time, with the only way to advance being to prove themselves stronger than their predecessor in an often bloody battle with them. [A note is attached. It depicts a cloaked Western Wych screaming victoriously in the air, spear held high by the death of her enemy.]

Historically, the Western Wyches have had a love/hate relationship with the Ogra, working alongside them as often as they have fought with them, the two species developing a mutual respect for the other's strengths, and have come to and oddly mutually beneficial relationship of conflict, with both sides becoming stronger and smarter as they try to outwit and defeat the other. Though numerically inferior by a wide margin, and with the Laylaru Curse afflicting them, the Western Wyches remain mystical powerhouses in their own right, allowing them to inflict disproportionate amounts of damage to the Ogra, who in turn use their superior technology and pack tactics to fight on relatively even footing. This relationship has been this way since the Western Wyches first regained some semblance of sanity once again, and even in the modern day where more developed concepts and ideas have begun to take root with both sides, this bond between their two peoples continues strong to this day.

In turn, the Eastern Lasarna did their best to recreate their old culture and society as best as they could remember, and their relative strength on the relatively peaceful and nonthreatening archipelagos and islands in their part of the world allowed them to redevelop and recreate vast city-states reminiscent of their old homes in relative tranquility. Pillar held buildings and temples are the norm, with mosaics made up of countless pieces of glass and polished stone adding dazzling colors to their marble streets as obelisks of glossy stone are fashioned as waymarkers and landmarks in their lands. In celebration and thanks of being freed of the curse of the 'Mania of Magic' as the Lasarna refer to their old condition on arrival thanks to the Compact, the Lasarna began to worship the native Great Spirit Pantheon, with their benefactor Laylaru taking center stage at the head of the main cult's pantheon, with Lasarna herself, being their creator deity, having a reverent, mythical placement at the time due to her seemingly eternal healing stasis. Lasarna herself would not awaken until the 1000's AA, severely weakened from her slumber and still in a stupor like state that as of time of writing has yet to fully disappear. [A note is attached. It reads 'Damn, she just can't get a break, can she?']

Compared to the Western Wyches, who adapted to their new situation by embracing the violence and brutality of their new homeland, the Eastern Lasarna valued debate and representation in a democratic fashion with elected officials, a hallmark of their original homeland's customs. Each Eastern Lasarnan settlement, from city-states to townships, were ruled by an elected official, usually buoyed by an assortment of advisors. However, though they are one people borne of a single goddess, cultural shifts and individual societal drifts are not uncommon, and as such the requirements and deciding methodologies for these officials and the process of their election varies from city-state culture to city-state. Spira, for example, values martial leadership and thus its officials must have a history of military service to be eligible for selection, while the Trade Township of Gomandeere believes that only the most magically capable and talented should be allowed the chance to rule. The requirements and methods are varied, but all ultimately contribute to wider Eastern Lasarna society via each major settlement providing their own Senator to the Senate Forum that ruled the 'Lasarna Republics' since their refounding on Null.

Military prowess is highly valued, and as such a strong military culture has formed among the Eastern Lasarans. However, to prevent widespread slaughter, bloodshed, and the destruction of the society they worked so hard to recreate and preserve, the Eastern Lasarans developed a new tradition of ritualized combat and sporting events known as the Marotia Games, named in honor of the city to first hold these contests. Disputes between city-states would be settled via tournaments in these Colosseum, held to present ritualized combat in front of crowds of excited citizens in events that mirror conventional sporting enthusiasm members of the Median are familiar with. Death is rare, but always a present danger due to the complex and at times brutal fighting that goes on here. [A note is attached. It reads 'Imagine if all wars was resolved with an arm-wrestling match. It'd be soooo cool! But giant sponsored tournaments are cool too, I guess. ']

Not all of their cultural aspects were beneficial or egalitarian, however. While the concept of Indentured Servitude is not unknown to native Nullians, having long been used up until recent history as an optional way for the incarcerated to serve their sentence while providing community service in return, out and out slavery is a foreign concept. On Null, mutual cooperation has always ruled the day, as working together is what led to the survival and foundation of the modern day Nations and the Median. The Lasarna, meanwhile, hail from a world where such barbaric practices were common, and which they sought to recreate in their new home. While Null enforces mutual cooperation due to its hostility, the relatively peaceful archipelagos the Lasarna Republics made their home on meant that they did not feel the same pressures as other Nullian races to unite and willingly cooperate with one another for mutually beneficial survival. For approximately three thousand years, the Lasarna practiced slavery among their own people, with an entire caste system in place to determine who was born, or made, a slave. Despite the displeasure this caused the Nullian Great Spirits, who requested countless times for the Lasarna to cease these practices, the Lasarna willfully misinterpreted or ignored their new pantheon's requests time after time. [A note is attached. It reads 'Also, it's just plain impractical. Like, yeah, it's an evil, vile practice, but unless the indentured are doing it willingly like how they used to do it to cut down on time in prison, it's completely impractical to try and enslave creatures as durable and powerful as any native Nullian. I don't know how it works on other worlds, but I'd imagine slave rebellions would be a lot more successful if the average slave could shoulder-check through walls, or lift and throw small vehicles with relative ease.']

This cultural practice would finally come to an end around six thousand years ago, when after so long being content to look inward, the Eastern Lasarna decided to expand their civilization outward instead. Their first, and only, target would end up being the Oros peoples who made their living along the upper island archipelagos, coastlines, and peninsulas on the coast of the Arisa continent. The Lasaran Invasion, as it would go down in history, would be the moment where these various Oros peoples unified under one body to create the Wavechaser Nation. After several centuries of back and forth conflict, the Wavechasers, with backing from other Oros Nations not directly involved in the conflict, managed to create a counter-invasion force that would also be backed by the Great Spirits themselves. The ensuing counter-invasion finally ended when the Wavechasers drove themselves into the heart of the Lasarna Republics, both the sacred Temple of the First Goddess where their creator deity lay sleeping as well as the seat of their government in the Senate Forums. With little other choice, and seeing the writing on the wall, the Lasarna government gave a unanimous vote to surrender to the invading Wavechasers, who among their list of demands would see to the end of the practice of slavery and the caste system among the Eastern Lasarans as well as demand compensation for those killed in the war or captured in the Lasaran initial invasion years prior.

With even their very gods turning against them on these matters, the counter-invasion served as an eye-opening moment to the previously insular Eastern Lasarna. They opened up their gates to the trade of goods, and ideas, with the rest of the outside world. Though initially skeptical as to these new ideas, including the desolation of slavery in place of the Nullian limited time, and less severely punishing, Indentured Servitude practices for the criminal element, time would eventually have the Eastern Lasarna accept, even celebrate, this change in their culture, particularly among those that had suffered the most under the old caste system. Not-so-coincidentally, the Eastern Lasarna would also begin a long term project to protect their lands from future invasions via the creation of a massive series of huge walls to protect their coastlines and settlements from future conflict, with their magical talents including mystical theater shielding in their defenses. The concepts and end products of this project would, one day, be used to aid in the designing and construction of the Great Walled Cities we now take for granted in the modern day as of time of writing this entry. Indeed, in the modern day, the Lasaran Republics, though not a part of the Median, are considered an allied state with whom we are in good trade relations with. [A note is attached. It reads 'One of my pen-pals is a Lasaran Republic soldier named Lyria. She came over to visit last year and she was really friendly and excited to see Dreamhold. I can't wait to visit her home town one of these years. ']

In terms of biology, the Lasarna are a tall people, all female on first appearance and capable of amphibious living thanks to their gilled torsos and internal lungs. Generally regarded as beautiful by many, Lasarna vary greatly in specifics. Though all have the same general, basic appearances of bipedal anthropoidal fish woman with short snouts and finned ears, coloration, scale patterns, whether they have hair or fins on their heads, and more are all variable. Two unifying factors, however, are their forelimbs and their wings. Their feathered, angelic wings are natural to them, a gift to them by their creator goddess and giving them the gift of flight. Their forelimbs, however, are large, armored, and wyvern like, and act as a biological, tangible marker of their people's compact with Laylaru, the Wyvern Great Spirit of Knowledge. [A note is attached. It depicts a cartoonish drawing of an eyepatched female Oros with feathered wings. Words follow, reading 'I want angel wings! Why can't we have angel wings!? This sucks, I want a refund!']

In terms of offensive and defensive capabilities, much has changed since their Godling status was altered vastly to make them more conventionally Mortal. Despite these changes, however, Lasarna are quite powerful individually, with tough, durable flesh even by Nullian standards, with bones on a level of durability comparable to the Chimera, Empusa, and Cerberi. Strong even for their size and able to match Mortalized Erui Tiger Spirits in terms of strength, Lasarans possess sharp, durable claws on their limbs and sharp, strong teeth in their mouths that allow them to be armed at all times. Additionally, Lasarans are still mystical powerhouses, albiet on a more conventional scale, and each are trained to use their abilities at even a basic level. Their martial cultural roots also means that they are trained and quite skilled with a wide variety of weapons, from conventional melee spears, swords, shields, and axes, to traditional bows, enchanted crossbows, and enhanced cannons. Their only true limiting factor is that, they are individually powerful enough that working together allows them to survive and win conflicts with Nullian animals easily enough as to cause their weapon's and technological development to be slowed to a crawl due to a lack of actual need for it. Despite this, it is common for Lasarans on both sides of the globe to be trained to be passingly familiar with most modern day firearms, even if they themselves do not use them traditionally. [A note is attached. It reads 'They're only relatively less advanced. Magitech airships, submersibles, hover platforms are stuff they have. They also trade with us to make use of computer systems and the like for a bunch of stuff like streamlining bureaucracy.']

Capable of fully amphibious living, most Eastern Lasaran settlements not in-land bound tend to be multi-layered and extending into the water, both on a surface level as well as beneath the waves. Despite the relative peacefulness of their homelands, the Eastern Lasarna learned very early on that deeper waters on Null were extremely dangerous even for their own kind, and as such limited efforts have historically been made to extend beyond the comparative safety and simplicity of the shallows and coastlines of their homelands. As for how much time they spend in the water, this varies wildly from Lasaran to Lasaran. The land-locked Western Wyches spend little time in or near large bodies of water, while the Eastern Lasaran vary as much on an individual basis as they do on a settlement by settlement basis: Some spend nearly all their time living beneath the waves, while others only interact with water via cleansing baths. [A note is attached. It reads 'Can they talk to fish? I forgot to ask Lyria, please this is important I need to know! I want to know what my Mr. Glub Glub is thinking!'']

Additionally, their capacity for flight and magical nature also allows the Lasarans to live in places not commonly seen as easily reachable or even inhabitable. In addition to townships and minor cities created on and around the steepest of mountain sides and tops, Lasarans also make their home on Floatstone lifted landmasses over their homelands. The most astounding, though admittedly rarest, settlements they have take the form of using their magics to shape the clouds themselves into homes and settlements unto themselves, with permanent 'cloud cities' dotted around their homeland. Though impossible to stand on for non-Lasarans or Spirits, these places remain a powerful symbolic victory for the Lasarans over the traditionally quite difficult to manipulate Nullian environment.

In terms of Sentinal Bacteria, Lasarans possess the same 'grade' as Ogra, something that is a known sore spot for their people on the whole, though little effort has been made into 'upgrading' this aspect of themselves due to a lack of pressing need to do so.

When it comes to reproduction, this is where things become fascinating. Capable of producing young at all times of the year like other Civilized Races, Lasarans appear at first glance to be an all female race, similar to the Chimera and Cerberi. However, they are not. Approximately half of their population are, in fact, hermaphrodites, traditionally differentiated for their more muscular builds, who fulfill the role of males seen in other bi-gendered species. Female Lasarans are able to become more pregnant more easily than their hermaphroditic counterparts, and tend to be more powerful in terms of raw magical power, while their hermaphrodites are physically stronger and more durable due to their additional muscle mass. That being said, muscular females are not uncommon, and less muscular herms also exist, and when fully clothed it is difficult to determine which is which without gaining sight of their nether regions. While gender roles have existed in their society, in the modern day, both sexes have completely equal rights and opportunities in the eyes of the law and society.

Regardless of the sex, pregnant Lasarans notably remain pregnant for an amount of time similar to the Oros at 11 months of time, after which they give birth from anywhere between 1-3 pups. The biggest cultural difference between Eastern Lasarans and the other Civilized Races of Null is their approach to raising their children: While parents do participate in their children's lives and development to varying extents, much of the Eastern Lasaran children's development is undertaken by the Scholaria, the unified schooling system of the Lasaran Republics which all Eastern Lasarans undertake from the age of 7 months to 18 years of age, after which they are considered ready to enter society as working adults, or whom continue their education via the many universities and colleges spread throughout Eastern Lasaran society. Comparatively, the Lasaran Wyches have a constant, active participation in their children's lives, raising them in surprisingly close knit family units where they are taught everything from survival, to combat training, to various other educational aspects by their parents and family members. Both sides of the Lasara divide believe in teaching all of their children, regardless of gender, to be able to defend themselves with a wide range of martial arts and rudimentary combat tactics, with more advanced techniques being open to further training by family or military enrollment in the West and East respectively. [A note is attached. It depicts a chibi Lasaran child in oversized armor and helmet, a xiphos sword in tiny hand with the words reading 'Mother, I crave bloodshed.' beneath.]

One notable aspect of Lasaran sexuality worth mentioning, and an aspect of their original culture that survived into their modern day, is how open they are with their relations. While marriage is considered a sacred union between individuals similar to other cultures, unmarried Lasarans are known for close, even physical relationships between themselves and their close friends and colleagues, and Lasarans have far fewer reservations of polyamorous relationships and marriages compared to the much more monogamy minded Nullian natives and the instinctively very loyal bonded pairings of the Ogra. Similar to Nullian natives, gender is no issue to romance among the Lasarans, though their more open minded natures tend to mean what would just be a strong-knit friend group among, say the Oros, tend to lead into intimate relations between friends. It should be noted, however, that this mindset is not universal with the Eastern Lasarans, whose wide range of opinions see those with no interest in sex or romance being uninterested in this part of their culture, or in individuals who do not wish for physical intimacy between themselves and friends. Regardless of previous relationship status between individuals, Lasarans have a strong cultural and instinctive drive towards those that do produce offspring together to become closer to one another. [A note is attached. It reads, '....So wait, does this mean Lyria was being friendly towards me, or 'friendly' towards me? She was cute, but I'm not sure if she's my type. XD']

In the historical modern day, the Eastern Lasarans have been passed by the War Dragons in the First Draconic War due to their mystical protections allowing them to weather through the initial invasion completely unscathed, only for them to take the brunt of the War Dragon's fury in the Second Draconic War after they had found solutions to break through the once seemingly impenetrable Eastern Lasaran shielding. By the time of the recent Third Draconic War, thanks to aid from their Median allies, the damage to their cities have since been repaired and a number of Eastern Lasaran military detachments eagerly joined up with us in our counterattack against the War Dragons in their homeland. Though desiring vengeance for the damage done to them, they ultimately stood down and helped to aid the Median in the fight against the Mother Root threat. Ironically, the War Dragon sending detachments to combat the threat would mean all three former enemies would be unified in the fight against the developing Dream Lotus insurgency. While peace is assured between ourselves and the Lasaran Republics, only time will tell if the War Dragons and the Eastern Lasarans will come out of this still seeking to fight one another, or become newfound allies instead. [A note is attached. It reads 'Turns out, the War Dragons would join up with the Eastern Lasarans, and they're now an official part of the Republics. Who saw that one coming? XD']

 

[TripleMRed]

Mother Root.

[Sketches depict an array of plant like life forms in too many variant forms to list, the only commonalities uniting them being bark like armor broken up to reveal amber colored 'muscle' like root strands beneath, and a set of seven glowing eyes, 5 arrayed in a 'leaf' like spread over a head (for those that have one) plus two on the torso region as back ups.]

[A note is attached. It reads 'Creepy AF is what they are.']

Scientific Name Translation: Dream Lotus.

Average Size: Varies based on form.

Average Weight: Varies based on form.

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: N/A by default, female for most unique command forms.

Habitat Range: Across the Arisa continent, usually hidden deep within jungles and forest biomes.

Summary:​

Of the countless life forms to make a home on Null, a notable percentage of them hail as being Displaced in Origin, brought to our world by the machinations of the Uplifters. The Ogra, the Lasarna, the Spider-Ants are just some of the most famous, or infamous in the final case, examples of just this phenomenon that has seen our world littered and filled with life forms of all shapes and sizes. However, as diverse as the range of these previously mentioned life forms is, they all have two unifying traits: The first is that they are of Mortal origin. Divine-blooded, in the case of the Lasarna, but Mortal all the same. The second is that, albeit under varying circumstances and points in their development, all were brought here intentionally by the Uplifters. Neither of these same qualities can be said for one of the most ancient, and dangerous, life forms to have arrived on our world: The eldritch Dream Lotus.

The Dream Lotus, also known by their common name of 'The Mother Root', are an extra dimensional eldritch entity of mixed origin. While the details of their origin is shrouded in myth and legend even among the Magi, the most commonly accepted story of this mysterious species of plant like beings is that they hail from the third born of the Aetheric Sisters, for whom the Mediator is first born and Weaver Null is the fourth. Created as an experimental weapon, the original Dream Lotus was set loose upon the Elder Realms, wherein she would find and absorb an Elder God into her form, becoming what is considered the foundational Elder Goddess of the rest of her spawn. This theory is the one with the most evidence to support it, however as this evidence is minimal at best, this isn't saying much. [A note is attached. It reads 'I'm partial to the theory that they're an Elder parasite that lucked out and podded a sleeping Elder God as their brain, and that's how they got so dangerous.']

Regardless of the exact origins of the Dream Lotus, whether natural born Elder or a super-weapon of a Primodial like an Aether Being, the impact they have had on the multiverse has been slowly but steadily becoming more and more apparent. High Distance Dimensional Longscry reveals other worlds in other universes have been 'seeded' similar to our own, from which the infestation of the Dream Lotus begins to spread across the world and, eventually, across the stars of that given realm. What makes Null special in this regard is that, whether by fluke of chance, bad luck on their part, or simply overestimating their abilities, Null's extremely hostile environment proved an incredible challenge to surmount. Even an Elder Creature, not normally bound by the same limitations of physical environments and hazards as Mortal life, is in for a difficult time on Null's caustic, magically charged atmosphere. [A note is attached. It reads 'I hate that we are considered lucky because of how bad our planet is. Like, dude, come on, seriously?!']

Indeed, the vast majority of the Dream Lotus's history on our world has not, in fact, been in expansion, but simply adaptation, taking a long, painfully difficult time to adjust, adapt, and evolve to become accustomed to the atmosphere alone, never mind the dangerous and powerful life forms that have both the ability and willingness to consume fledgling Dream Lotus nests long before they are ready and mature enough to begin the next stage of their life cycle. It would not be until modern times, within the last few centuries, when the Dream Lotus had adapted and evolved enough to find purchase in the darkest, most hidden parts of Null's vast ecosystem, that the next and much more dangerous stage of their life cycle could begin.

The key that makes the Dream Lotus so successful and widespread, beyond its inherently eldritch nature, is its fascinating life cycle and modus operendi. In its base form, the Dream Lotus is a plant like creature little different from most small scale animals. It is unremarkable in most aspects beyond its plant like composition, which ironically makes it beyond notice for most until it's far, far too late. These Fledlings, once acclimated to the environment, begin to target small scale animal and plant life, not for consumption, but for capture and podding. Once podded, these life forms are held in a dream, their conscious mind trapped in fantasies designed to sate all of their needs and desires and molded to enough realistic detail that most will never realize they are not awake. While the conscious mind is trapped, the rest of the creatures brain and nervous system is hijacked by the Dream Lotus to act as their brain, increasing their mental abilities both by the number and quality of creatures podded: The number increases their ability to calculate and strategize, while the quality increases their actual intelligence and creativity. [A note is attached. It depicts a cartoon five eyed plant looking at a podded up cartoon dog, a speech bubble reading 'Mhm, yes, fetch is an important skill.']

From here as the start of the second stage of their life cycle, the Dream Lotus switches from simple survival to active capture and collection of new 'Brains' for use in expanding Dream Lotus intellect and coordination abilities. Starting with the smallest and easiest creatures to capture, over a slow and cautious but steady build up over the course of years or decades, a Dream Lotus nest increases in both size, complexity, and intelligence as it expands its roster and quality of creatures acting as its living wetware. It is during this stage that the first and earliest breeds of Dream Lotus life forms are created and sent out. Mind Flowers crawl unto potential prey to immobilize, or in the case of the smaller creatures, hijack their motor functions and lead them directly to the Nest, for swift and strong animalistic capture units to load them up and carry them back for podding. Insect like surveillance, monitoring, tracking, and alarm units spread across the territory to keep an eye out for isolated prey to be carefully stalked and captured, and monitor potential threats that might prove too much of a hassle at the current stage and proceed to annoy them into leaving. [A note is attached. It reads 'I knew gnats were evil! Evil evil little creatures! >']

This strategy serves them well as they build up their power, until they find and capture the philosophers stone that pushes them into their next stage: A sapient life form. While most Nullian life forms are sentient to one degree or another, and semi-sapience is common, full sapience is the treasure the Dream Lotus bides its time gathering strength to acquire, for it is with the creative and intelligent capabilities of a fully sapient creature where they can push their abilities to the next level. Newer, more dangerous Root Creatures begin to be created, from Vine Hounds to Spore Steeds, the capabilities of the Mother Root is expanded to new heights and lethality, allowing their Nest to grow further, deeper, and with newer and more refined and calculating strategies.

However, despite all of this, a Third Stage Dream Lotus infestation is still not something that is much of a threat to the Median or its people, our technology and civilized skill proving excellent defenses against what would otherwise be an increasingly overwhelming threat. So needless to say, it is when the Dream Lotus acquires and pods a member of the Civilized Races where things truly become a threat for our peoples.

The Fourth Stage, wherein a member of the Civilized Races is captured, is when the Dream Lotus forms a centralized 'Mother Root', both a repository for their collected intelligence, the central processing hub for their calculations and strategic abilities, and indeed an individual all of her own. Each Nest produces their own distinct, uniquely personalized Mother Root, though almost all follow the same basic instincts, drives, and are unified by a collective desire to expand their podding operations further. With the culmination of a Stage 4 Infestation, some of the deadliest Root Creatures are created, based on the abilities and technological knowledge of modern day Civilized life. From the agile, fleet footed and bladed weapon morphs of the swordsman inspired Daisy Cutters, to the rapid and unrelenting ranged firepower of Root Gunners, Seed Missiles, and bioplasma using Sappers, to countless other forms, variants, and subtypes, the Fourth Stage is when the Dream Lotus becomes a true threat. [A note is attached, depicting a flat, tentacled disk like Root Creature. Words follow, reading 'Hack Weed. These little bastards are some of the scariest we've encountered and still keep seeing even after the Root War: They track down, infiltrate, and hijack anything mechanical or artificial in nature while it's offline, and turns it against us. ANYTHING. Power Armor, Tanks, Gunships, if it's offline and nobody is keeping a good eye out, these suckers sneak in, slide their roots to tap into everything, and control our own stuff against us. I've even heard stories of them growing over or working together to take over statues.']

Historically, the first, and so far largest, Dream Lotus war occurred in late 3042. The then ongoing Third Draconic War was in full swing and taking the majority of the Median's attention and resources, which left us unprepared for when a War Matriarch of the Order of the War Panoply, injured from a previous battle with an invading beast from the Land of the Giants, was isolated from the rest of her war host and captured by the Dream Lotus. In the span of a few short months, the Dream Lotus expanded enough to launch a massive invasion, using the collected knowledge of the seasoned and powerful War Matriarch combined with its massive processing power to create a vast horde of Root Creatures. The initial flood was stemmed by the Order of the War Panoply, but it was quickly found that even with its full might, they could only keep the creatures contained. Despite the hordes of Root Creatures they slew, it was rapidly apparent that this was not a battle that could be won with superior skill and ability alone, but by matching it with numbers. As the true scale of the threat was relayed to the Median leadership, who were shocked that the venerable Order could only contain the Root Creatures and press no further, the invasion into the lands of the War Dragons was recalled and rerouted to fight back against the Root invasion. [A note is attached. It reads 'The Order of the War Panoply are the baddest binches on Null. They are trained, honed, and refined in non-stop, never ending training and battle over the course of decades and centuries until they are, no joke, one women-armies. If they in their full mobilization couldn't stop this threat on their own, you know it's janked.']

After months of intense, nonstop fighting, relief finally arrived in record time as the Order of the War Panoply, worn down through sheer attrition by the numbers they were facing, were bolstered by the rest of the Median's military forces, who proceeded to turn the tides of battle and push the invaders back to their homelands.

The final battle would occur in late 3045, when after a year of fighting, the central Mother Root holding the War Matriarch was slain by a member of her Order, said to have been the War Matriarchs own younger sister, and the War Matriarch freed. With the loss of their central commander and strategic mental resource, the remaining Root Nests were routed and destroyed, though a handful managed to escape and went deep into hiding.

While not confirmed, it is said that during the Root War, a Fifth Stage of the Dream Lotus Infestation was discovered: Instead of capturing new minds to use as brains for themselves, the Dream Lotus were in fact creating new minds of their own, incredibly powerful self aware Root Commanders capable of independent thought and able to be revived through placing their minds into new bodies when the old ones were destroyed. If these rumors are true, a small but notable number of these Root Commanders, too new and young to be much of a threat beyond the tactical level, actually surrendered and stood down, requesting to negotiate with the Median in order to survive what they had calculated to be a losing cause.

Regardless as to the truth behind these rumors, the surviving pockets of the original Root War Nests that went into hiding have become a recurring, but non-threatening periodic problem for the Median. Without the ancient strategic acumen and wisdom of a War Matriarch to guide them, and with only a fraction of their total processing power, the surviving Nests now only stage periodic probing attacks. Attempts to find these Nests are successful when these attacks occur, but the core of the Nests always manage to survive and escape to rebuild once again. Despite their potential, following the First Root War, the Median has since shifted the now diminished Dream Lotus forces to a lesser threat level, content with sending out response units to their probing attempts instead of an active mobilization that could potentially bring them into conflict with the Ogra as the Mother Roots are drive further and further west with each successful counterattack. [A note is attached. It reads 'With the Moon War and everything involving that nowadays, the Mother Roots are basically ignored in favor of the 'real' threats. At least, that's how it seems. They're still sending response teams against them and the Spider-Ants even these days.']

 

[TripleMRed]

(Hey everyone, just wanted to let you all know I've updated the Numbers of Null update from a while back to better reflect current lore. Changes include: Slight increase to Null's diameter, added distances of the moons from Null as well as added a surface land/water ratio, and finally expanded the population portion to better reflect the current lore of more than one civilization living on Null during the year the Numbers of Null is meant to be taken from.)

 

[TripleMRed]

[The following is a transcript by a Displaced agent compiling a report for Displaced leadership circa early 3156. The Agent's name has been hidden to guard their identity, but their distinctly informal style of writing may prove to their determint in remaining anonymous.]

Agent [Redacted] Reporting in. I've completed my mission in compiling an overview of all military forces on Null. This includes our own forces as well as those of our fellow Displaced, with detailed breakdowns following this overview. I'm aware that the Street War earlier this year has left many of our people shocked, and I cannot blame them for the vote to have us become a full member of the Median, which is why I personally volunteered for this assignment. It has taken me some time to run through all known military organizations on the Mortal side of our new home, but I'm confident that we'll be well informed with the information I've managed to secure.

Median.

-The Median is the second oldest continous organized unifying government after the Lasarna Republics. Founded in 1501 following the Third Kingdom War, its military organizations include the main military force of the Median Knights, as well as its medical support division of the Guardian Order and its recently integrated recon, stealth, and sniper experts in the Hunter's Guild. These three bodies, alongside with specialized units from the Median's component Nations, form its primary fighting force against all threats against its peoples. The Militia, which is considered every able bodied adult not directly a member of the military, also serves as the final line of defense for their people, as well as a first response unit for those townships and locations still outside the safety of the Great Walled Cities.

-The Median's greatest strength is its infantry, however over the years, it has developed a small, but flexible series of vehicles to complement their forces. The Armored Corps, where all Nullian ground vehicle and ground support aircraft fall under, is considered a specialized portion of the Median Knights. From Hoverbike and beast cavalry scouting troops, to an array of specialized mechs, to a pool of hover armored vehicles from transports to tanks, the Armored Corps is considered the backbone of any large scale deployment as it is with their support that the infantry arm of the Median are able to win wars. In additon, a heavy use of both robotic drones and attack beasts are also seen during war time.

-The Aerospace Fleet and Navy are two interconnected services that, despite their vastly different operational areas, share history in their ranking structure and sharing of personel early on in the Aerospace's infancy. Protecting the skies and the seas respectively, Aerospace pilots see their fighters and bombers being used from both Aerospace carriers as well as seaborne bases and naval carrier units. During the lead up and outbreak of the still ongoing Moon War, Aerospace developed its first series of fully functional space-capable vessels, using both new and heavily upsides and modified versions of existing Air Ship designs. This increased size also includes a noticeable increase in firepower, with orbital bombardment capabilities that would give our old world friends pause.

-The Specialist Corps is not an official part of the Median military in the traditional sense but rather is an identifying moniker for the various technically independant organizations that work closely with the Median. From the Forge Lords and War Dames of the Orders of the War Forge and War Panpoly, to the Berserker Paladins and Magi Order, there is a specialist organization for any situation required by the Median. The War Priestess's of the Ambaric Church are not, in fact, considered a Specialist Corp, but rather are used in a manner akin to Chaplains in other militaries, attending services in war zones and bestowing final rites to the dying.

-The Handmaiden Guard are interesting in that they're not, technically, part of the military structure of Null, but rather the guards and enforcers of Mediator Media's will. Having little actual authority in war planning sessions, Handmaidens are still considered incredibly valuable advisors, as well as powerhouses in their own rights to be unleashed on the absolute worst warzones when seconded to Military operations.

---

Displaced.

-As their is a wide variety of Displaced peoples from several realities and cultures, we shall perform this breakdown in order of arrival, starting with our own military organizations.

-Neo Sunset City, located within Dreamhold City's southern districts, is where all Terrankin Displaced live. Our government structure, as you are well aware, is a democratic society run by Governer voted into their position by the people, and supplied by the Megacorps that wound up being dragged here with the rest of us. Our core military contingent, the Sunset Defense Force, is an all volunteer military organization similar to the official military forces of the Median. Armed with Nullian grade military hardware and our own web of veteran trainers, many within the SDF have been modified or augmented with Nullian Synthetic augmentations on top of their military PA, a continuation of our now long standing cultural leanings towards augmenting ourselves though with native materials now. The SDF has a branch of high end operators known as Special Operations Division, which is where many of our special forces find themselves in their service.

-In addition to the official military forces of the SDF, there is also Corporate Security Forces, an overarching name used for Corpo security across various Megacorps, which are used by the Corps to protect their interests and material. Following our official unification with the Median, new laws meant that, while Corpo security could be retained, their authority and leeway regarding what they can and can not do have been changed to be under the supervision of the Median government. Even with the Moon War taking so much of their attention and resources, Dreamhold's Defense Garrison has been given authority to monitor and police Corpo activities for breaches in our new laws. This agent cannot help but appreciate this turn of events, as now the Corps can't get away with the sort of stuff that they could ruling over Terra. [Redacted: Karma's a bitch like that.] Corpo experimental DEW weapons have also proven useful in helping the Median make its own breakthroughs in plasma and laser based infantry and vehicular scale weaponry.

-One thing I wasn't initially sure about, and advise we keep a close eye on ourselves, is the 'Street Clans' we have in Neo Sunset. I'll call them what they are: Gangs. Following the Street War a few months back, most of the major trouble-makers and lunatics among them have been purged, and those that actively helped us against their rebelling former allies have been given amensty for their own past crimes. I highly doubt that the gangs are anywhere near the good guys they're now styling themselves as, but following the Street War and how that mess ended, I don't think any of them are stupid or crazy enough to rock the boat. I think we all remember what happened when we finally caved and asked our Nullian neighbors for help against that. The Cleaner they sent was no joke, and the Militia are still trending on social media.

-After us Terrakin, there are the Automos. Actual [Redacted, expletive]-ing alien robot things, man. Nullians are aliens too, but you can sort of see them as like our alternate universe selves. Anyway, the Automos have spent much of their existence as self-sustaining, self-sufficient surveyor and colony Synthetics. As such, the Atrius Guard are their primary military contigent, and are experts in void combat and warfare. It is thanks to the Automos that so many combat tactics and upgrades to Nullian space ship tech have happened in such a short span of time, and the Far Side Habitat colony is set to open up this year. In addition to using a heavy mix of missile and beam weaponry, the Automos also have the Cyberwarfare Division. While not the best in the current conflict due to a lack of cyberware by the Moon Elders, the CD is the first line of alarm against malware intrusion and infiltration by the enemy.

-Finally, our Third Wave Displaced friends, [Redacted, explative]-ing fantasy races man, are not the most technologically advanced, but they are the second toughest Mortal beings in terms of durability after the Lasarna themselves and the unbreakable boned Oros. A major trade town's worth of people on the North Side of Dreamhold, their primary military unit is the Merchan Path Guard, made to defend their home from invasions. They mostly see use these days as makeshift police officers and governmental honor guards, though.

-Outside of the Guard, there is the Adventurer's Guild, the Thief's Guild, the Assassin's Guild, and the Mage College. The Adventure's Guild is where their hard hitting fighters from all walks of life go seeking glory and gold, and have found a lot of use helping out during Hunts and other deployments in and around Dreamhold's territory. The Thief's Guild and Assassin's Guild both have a lot less use due to being forbidden by law to use their skills within Median territory, however they have apparantly seen a lot of use in taking out high ranking targets during the Moon War, or stealing artifacts of import from the enemy. The Mage College has also seen a surge in new students looking for a new perspective and school of thought in regards to Mana magic use, with their graduates finding work both among Adventurer's as well as being seconded to Median military operations.

---

Ogra.

-In terms of raw population size, the Ogra has everyone else beat in terms of a single species population. Their violent, war like culture over the millenia has also made them the premier experts in large scale military deployments, with Ogra logistians and strategists aiding Median forces in planning out the invasion of the Blood Moon. The Median species are more dangerous pound for pound and have superior technology and variety, and the Lasarna are the most dangerous individually, but Ogra have mastered combined arms warfare on Null.

-Unlike most other militaries, Ogra military forces are not divided into different branches, but rather seperated by different Commands that work together. Ground Command, Armored Command, Air Command, and Sea Command all work together as a well oiled machine to destroy their targets, be it other Ogra nations, hostile wild life, or Moon Elder invaders. If the Ogra were a singularly unified people, they would be the largest and most experienced military force on Null in terms of experience with conventional warfare. Ogra make use of various forms of weaponry, from incindiary Oil Guns, to gauss assisted exploding bullet launchers, to an array of cryogenic weaponry. They make heavy use of all three weapon categories, and others bought from their neighbors, to destroy their targest in coordinated assaults. Primitive but functional drones and war beasts also see heavy use among the Ogra, inspired by the Median's use of such elements in their warfare.

-Of the three major polities on Null, the Ogra have the most expansive and diverse range of vehicles. Rather than having a singular, dedicated platform to build off of, Ogra experiment and make heavy use of countless variants, upgrade packages, and new designs. Anything that works, or can be tweaked to make work, is used, with the most tried and true designs seeing the most variants and upgrades. From swathes of scouting and transport vehicles, to many different tank and artillery platforms, the Ogra make up for their relative fragility for a Nullian Civilized Race with overwhelming support and usage of heavy weapon platforms and vehicular death machines.

-The Western Lasarna also serve as a massive boon in terms of raw mystical firepower for the Ogra nations, working with their frenemies to destroy threats and prove their mettle in warfare. While less coordinated and disciplined than their Eastern counterparts, they still serve as excellent force multipliers for any Ogra military unit on deployment.

-

Lasarna Republics.

-The military situation of the Eastern Lasarna is a rather interesting topic. Due to their incredible mystical power, even post reduction by their pact with Laylaru, weapons technology development took a slower and different route for the Eastern Lasarna. Pouring their incredible magical power into their creations, the Eastern Lasarna are notable in that they are the first to create forms of directed energy weapons in the modern day, including their Solar Crossbows, lighnting spewing Thunderguns, and Sunlight directed heat rays. Their melee weapons are also notable for being infused with elemental powers far more than the average in the other polities, keeping them extremely well armed no matter the range. Their armor systems are unpowered, but extremely durable due to their construction.

-The Lasarna Republic's military is divided between two distinct components: The Navy, and the Aero Force. Naval Marines, operating magitech submersibles for heavy firepower and able to breath deep under water, are skilled combatants in both underwater combat and amphibious assaults. Their expertise also makes them premier candidates for fighting in void combat due to analogous conditions with deep sea combat. The Aero Force, comprised of both Aero Hoplite infantry and Air Ships of Lasarna magitech construction. This Floatstone based contra-grav magitech was developed long ago, and served as the basis for reverse engineering by the Median for its own air-ship designs over the centuries.

-Compared to the other civilizations, the Lasarna Republics makes little use of traditional ground vehicles, though all their soldiers are expected to complete courses in the operation of compatible vehicles with their ally polities. Instead, the Lasarna employ heavy use of Golems and mystical Simulicra War Engines, combat elements that provide all of the same benefits of vehicles used by other nations without wasting the power of individual Lasarna troops on their operations.

-In addition to their primary military elements, the Lasarna also makes use of Auxilaries, comprised of Non-Lasarna combat elements. Mortalized Spirits and War Dragons alike are kept in Auxilary elements, which operate with the main body as specialist units. The additional capabilities of both parties help shore up weaknesses in Lasarna deployments while simultaniously increasing their overall firepower and ability.

---

This concludes the overview portion of my report. Going forward for the rest of my report, a breakdown of the various tactics, strategies, and specializations amongst these various military elements will be included in the order they were presented in the overview.

[The rest of the report goes on for scores more pages in in-depth detail.]

 

[TripleMRed]

(The following is a transcript of an official Median report breaking down the various Street Clans, Corporations, and other factions of interest living in Neo Sunset City within the 1st Wave Displaced sector of Dreamhold City.)

Following the Street War at the end of the prior year, we were tasked with providing an update on the information of the various factions within Dreamhold's Neo Sunset City. Not including governmental employees and native Nullians, it is estimated that approximately a million individuals of Neo Sunset's population is accounted for as being associated with, formerly associated with, a member of, or otherwise has done direct buisness with members of the following groups. If we include individuals who are simply familiar with, or knows someone that fits the prior category, the number of the populace with some connection with these groups is nearing one hundred percent.

Due to the events of the Street War, an accurate census of the total membership of each group is currently unknown and will require a more indepth analysis to gain an accurate picture.

---

Megacorporations are not unfamiliar to us here on Null. However, the culture surrounding the MegaCorps that originate from the world of Terra is distinctly different compared to our own. Where Null's harsh conditions and environments forced the development of a cooperative nature between its people, both corporate and public, the MegaCorporations of Terra operate on a cut-throat, tribalistic level, focusing solely on the benefit of their own corporation and no one else. This has subtly, but noticeably changed for those stuck here on Null, in order to both be competitive and survive against the much more united and native backed local corporations, they have begun to shift toward and adopt a more Nullian style work culture. This has nothing to do with moral or ethical changes, and has everything to do with being competitive in the Nullian market. Unheard of in their own world, the three primary MegaCorps to arrive on Null have been forced to tentatively unify into a conglomeration known as the Displaced Corporate Alliance.

-

Of the three MegaCorps to arrive on Null, Theodore-Thatchet Trading & Goods is the most mundane. Focused primarily on home goods, consumer grade electronics and recreational hunting items, T3-G as it is commonly known as has the least noteriaty to their name and is the one closest to native corporate values and ideals, making them the easiest to integrate into our line of thinking. Despite this seemingly benevolent reputation, however, they are still known to participate in corporate espionage and warfare with other corporate groups in their native reality, muscling out other potential competitors in their market throught bribery, extortion, corporate buy-outs and, if all else fails, industrial sabotage operations.

Prior to Neo Sunset's official integration into the Median earlier this year, this unsavory part of their history continued to operate, curbing potential competitors in the Displace market while trying to have a monopoly in trading common goods with Nullian buyers. Following Neo-Sunset's integration, Median trade and corporate laws now hang over their heads, and their native competition have more autonomy and power over responses regarding what they consider 'competition that threatens the health of the market'. The new head of the Nullian bound branch of the T3-G, a crocodilian man by the name of Edwards Zobec, is more than willing and able to rebrand and work within the bounds of the new governing laws without complaint or issue.

-

In comparison to the other two Displaced MegaCorps, Alyxguard Heavy Munitions is famed for its heavy grade weaponry and mercenary (or 'Private Military Company', as the Displaced are so fond of calling them) renting services. Rockets, high power rifles of all varieties, heavy armor and weapon augmentations are their bread and butter. It was the preliferation of Alyxguard weapons in the streets of Neo-Sunset that led to the uprising's heavy armament. Indeed, it was discovered that Alyxguard's previous CEO, Petrov Gorchenko, was directly working with the uprising's conspirators to maximize profits in the chaos, something that led to his removal from office with the end of the rebellion.

The current CEO, a saber-toothed feline woman known as Samantha Adams, has since taken control and has moved the corporation to be more in line with Median laws, including turning their mercenary outfits into security detail and moving their arms sales to Nullian Military contracts exclusively. With upgrades to bring them to Nullian standards, Alyxguard weapons have found a small, but growing cult following among the native population.

-

Said to be the most cutting edge and richest company on Terra, Aisha-Li Dynamics Coalition has found itself no longer at the top post Displacement. Their bleeding edge computer systems, cybernetics, and experimental shielding and directed energy weapon systems are all of interest to Nullian investors, who have since bought large portions of stock in the company after it was opened up to Nullian integration. The unofficial head of the Displaced Corporate Alliance, Ai-Li DC is surprisingly compliant with the new world and the way things are run, despite historically being the most aggressive and expansionistic MegaCorp in Terra's history.

It is believed their new-found behavior post Displacement is due to the fact their CEO, 'Red Panda' heiress to the Coalition Sakura Li, is the actual top executive of the corporation rather than a Post-Displacement vote into office. Keeping her private life and thoughts to herself, and inaugurated into the office mere hours before the Displacement brought her and portions of her company to our world, she has proven buisness savvy and flexible enough to easily comprehend and work within the bounds of our native corporate environment to maximize both profits and alliances in the long term, rather than focus on short-term gains.

---

Street Clans are an ancient Nullian tradition dating back to long before the Median's founding, in a more primitive time when long distance communication was virtually nonexistant and defenses for local towns and villages needed to be immediate and coordinated. Borne from Militias that, over time, developed their own subcultures and traditions, Street Clans have become a mainstay of Nullian society and are considered just another part of any Median habitation's tradition and lines of defense alongside the conventional Militia and official military forces.

The Street Clans of Terran origin are an entirely different story. While the origins of such organizations is unknown and lost to time, Terran 'Gangs' are, by contrast, tribalistic groups of like-minded individuals who form their own subcultures that run counter to the wider accepted societal norms. Usually, but not always, criminal in nature and origin, Gangs are as varied and diverse as the populace of Terra itself. Running the gamut of anything and everything from counter-culture youth groups that accept anyone, to groups of individuals bound by a certain gimmick or commonality, to ethnocentric groups that recruit exclusively from only certain sects of the population. Following the Street War, most of the unstable or uncontrollable elements of the Terran Gangs have been expunged or otherwise dealt with, with those remaining being smart enough and cautious enough to avoid drawing unwanted attention or causing too much trouble as to bring in Median government officials to investigate going ons.

-

The Hooligans, not to be confused with the similarly named Ogra Clan known as the 'Hooligoons', are a Terran gang unified by their youthful subculture, trouble-making nature, and love for 'street punk' attire. Their unifying 'uniform' include leather jackets and a wide assortment of glowing neon paint over both themselves, their gear, and their clothing. Compared to most other Terran Street Clans, the Hooligans do not have any one unifying leader or hierarichal structure, instead operating in a cell based system involving various different Hooligan gangs that each operate in their own manner and with their own leadership style. This has made the Hooligans the most diverse in the form of relationship with the Median's law enforcement, as some cells are little more than counterculture youths expressing themselves through trouble-making, while others are very much hardened criminal cells ranging from common criminals seeking monetary gain to out and out anarchistic elements.

-

Los Muertos are an ethnocentric gang that focuses on recruiting from Terrakin of Hispania cultural descent, though actual species is irrelevant as long as the language and cultural requirements are met. Identified by their glowing skeleton tattoos over their bodies and their skull iconigraphy, they made a name for themselves in the extortion and racketeering buisness before the Street War. Post Street War, Los Muertos have had a shift in priorities that puts them closer in line with what is identified as Nullian Street Clan traditions, serving as protectors of those of Hispaniac descent in Neo-Sunset neighborhoods. Los Muertos also hold the distinction of being the first Displaced gang to open up recruitment to Nullian natives after the Street War, though they exclusively recruit from Bughunter Oros due to them being the closest comparable native culture to their own, as well as sharing a similar traditonal language. Their current leader is a crocodilian male known as Hefe Cavera, 'Boss Skull', a more level-headed and reasonable individual compared to the more criminally oriented leadership prioer to the Street War's end.

-

The Subsonics are a tech and augmentation focused gang who are obssesed with sound and sonic weaponry. Most noise complaints filed in Neo-Sunset can be attributed to Subsonic activity testing their sonic weapons for fun, or playing music to obscene levels of volume. Unified by their hard rocker aesthetic and heavy augmentations, all synthetic in nature following the Displacement and integration into Null, the Subsonics hold the distinction of being the only Terrakin derived gang to be taken over by a Nullian leader. Specifically, the latest onsite overseer of the Eastern Testing Site in eastern Dreamhold, an Oros male known by his moniker of 'Soundwave', believed to be derived from a fictious character in old Terrakin fiction. Restructured to be more in line with Street Clan standards, the Subsonics heed their leader's orders with feverish devotion, and have become surpisingly reliable, if 'anonymous', sources of intelligence for the local law enforcement of Neo-Sunset's precincts.

-

The Sex Vixens hold the distinction of having never fallen into the parameters, by Median standards anyway, of being a 'gang', and fit almost all the hallmarks of a proper Street Clan. Composed entirely of entertainers of red light district origins, the Sex Vixens act as protectors, avengers, and a social safety net for exotic dancers, sex workers, and any and all other related works in Neo-Sunset, be they male or female in origin. Predominantly composed of females of all Terrakin species, the SV's work very closely with the Median law-enforcement to ensure the safety and well being of their members and protected individuals. Technically lacking a single leader, as each brothel or club is overseen and operated by their own leader, most defer to the oldest Night Club owner to have Displaced alongside them, Madam Clover, in terms of what to do and what not to do in the new world. The SV's hold the distinction of being one of the only three Terrakin 'gang's to have not participated in the rebelling elements of the Street War.

-

The Coven were originally a high priority target by Median officials early on due to a misunderstanding. Initial reports painting them as a scheming cult of curse casters, it was quickly found that the Coven are not magic users or a cult in anyway, but rather a group of young panksters who hail from all walks of life and whose 'curses' are little more than clever use of hacking, drones, and simple but effective trickery. Despite the annoyances this can cause, the Coven social group is harmless and is traditionally seen as a 'good luck' charm by many of the gangs of Terrakin origin. Are one of the three Terrakin 'gangs' to not participate in the rebelling elements of the Street War.

-

The Cossack Ronins are a highly unusual gang as they are very well known for their excellent public relations despite their criminal elements, with them commonly using their signature bikes to compete in charity races and events. This is actually a massive change from their original dispositions in older times, where they were known and feared as one of the most violent, brutal, and volitile gangs in Sunset City's history. This brutality made them very few if any allies, and indeed they found themselves on the receiving end of a massive reprisal by many other gangs in the 4th Gang War in their original world's history, when they went a step too far and pushed the other gangs into a violent retaliation. The surviving members of the Ronins reformed the gang into a less hostile, more pubically appealing organization, though they retain their harsh recruitment hazing rituals and do not shy away from organized crime in the form of the drug and weapons trade. Their current leader, a canine of mixed breed origin known as Hanzo, is notable to having been the first among the gangs to raise objections to the plans leading up to the Street War and was the leading element behind the Allied portions of the gangs fighting against the rebelling elements during the month long conflict.

-

The Scorned Eyes is an interesting organization as they do not have the normal characteristics of either gangs or Street Clans. Indeed, it is more accurate to say that the Scorned Eyes are a form of private detective agency that exclusively reaches out to scorned or cheated lovers or otherwise broken homes, selling their services for a notable but affordable price to compile evidence in the favor of the scorned party. It is believed that the Scorned Eye recruits from members of the Coven who 'grow out' of their age limited service period, and who also hail from broken homes themselves, which would explain the close relationship between the two parties. This 'agency' notably has been reached out and recruited by Nullian intelligence services for their experitise in monitoring and infiltrating Displaced networks, something they prefer to keep to themselves. Their leadership is known, but under protective anonymity by Median high command.

-

The Gas Rats began life as an ethnocentric gang composed entirely of rodents until they eventually branched off and opened up their doors to anyone willing to join, provided they could pass muster. Named for their affinity for aerosolized chemical weaponry, the Gas Rats are chemists par-excellence despite their often dodgy, barely clothed forms, unified by an affinity for spiked bracelets, collars, and gas-masks. The premier drug makers among the Displaced gangs, 95 percent of all drugs in circulation within Neo-Sunset can be traced back to the Gas Rats themselves, or an abandoned lab of theirs that other gangs have taken over. Despite their potential to cause great damage due to their knowledge and experience in chemical warfare materials, the Gas Rats have a tentative alliance with the Median, being used to produce new chemical weapons for use against Spider Ants and Mother Root targets, something they agree to on the basis that it provides them with the money needed to make more drugs for their own personal usage. Those among them who opposed this deal were among the rebelling side of the Street War, bringing with them their knowled of chemical weapons. This event has strained the relationship between the two parties and has placed a more careful eye on their activies. Their current leader is a female 'skunk' known as Flower, who keeps her forces in line through a potent mixture of charisma and chemical ecstasy enhancers of her own make, something that makes her very popular with her gangs members.

-

The Dandies are a highly unusual group in that they do not fit the typical gang or Street Clan markers, but rather are a social club that believe in living a certain lifestyle. Named after their dapper outfits and dandy lifestyles, the Dandies wear armored clothng of Nullian design and make, and often adorn themselves in an older, but 'stylish' fashion of dark suits, various forms of ties, and hats of every design from top hat to bowler and everything in between. Another unifying element of theirs is their signature cane, which are distinct and made for each member upon proving their commitment to the social club, unique to each individual. These canes hold within them a paralysis dart launcher good for twenty darts, something they exclusively use to defend themselves from the criminal element and which they are forbidden from using in normal day to day activites on pain of punishmen within the club. An odd group, the Dandies are recent editions to the Neo-Sunset managerie of factions, being Terrakin with a fascination for the idea of non-violent social clubs common in Median society, with theirs being modeled after the Dreamhold Suit Society. For their part, the DSS were more than happy to help the Dandies formulate their dress codes and founding traditions, and the close ties between the two often sees Dandies move beyond Neo-Sunset to venture into the DSS clubs in eastern Dreamhold.

-

The Jokers are an ethnocentric gang comprised entirely of 'Spotted Hyena' Terrakin. Formed in response due to the low population numbers of their species in Sunset, especially post Displacement, the Jokers are extremely territorial in protecting their claimed territory in 'Hyena Alley'. Keeping to themselves to focus on repopulating, they are infamous for their extreme brutality even by gang standards if threatened, and do not take the injury or death of one of their members lightly. The most brutal of their elements include maiming, torture, and assault in various forms against those that cross them, assuming they are not killed outright. Their leader, Queen Impisi, has made her stance of violent retribution for attacks against their kind known, though she is more than reasonable enough to negotiate if violence is not required for a given offense. During the Street War, the Jokers are notable for being the only gang to not join either side in the fighting, instead protecting their territory against both sides. Post Street War, the Jokers have petitioned for aid in helping to boost the population of their people. Negotiations are currently ongoing between the Joker's leadership and Median medical authorities for in-vitro assistance in growing their numbers. A smaller, but not insignifigant subsect of their female and hermaphroditic populace have also put out feelers looking for mates of Ogra and Oros origins. Status of their successes still pending.

-

The 5th Street Cleaners is a new, Post-Street War Street Clan, and is comprised of individuals of the titular 5th street who banded together in the interest of protecting their people, due to the loss of life and home in that location during the outbreak of the Street War. Wearing their every day clothing, they are identified by their distinct styalized '5thSC' logos they painted or stiched into their clothing. Lacking much in the way of criminal elements, the 5th Street Cleaners are of little interest to law enforcement and have been given specialized devices to call in official law enforcer support rather than try and meet out vigilante justice themselves. They lack any formal leadership and their structure is closer to a milita than anything truely organized.

-

The 70th Street Hoods are a gang who trace their lineage back to '70th street' back in old Sunset City. Known for their 'hood' culture, the originaly ethnocentric gang has since opened up its doors to anyone willing and able to keep up with their lifestyle of pushing drugs, earning money in underground animal and pit fights, and generally being trouble-makers. More organized and unified than their Hooligan rivals, the Hoods often get into territory disputes with the Hooligans, ranging from simple shouting matches, to shows of force, to out and out fighting. Suffering disproportionate casualties during the Street War, the Hoods have spent the months since nursing their wounds and coming to terms with the new way things are done in a post integration world. Due to the losses sustained among their senior leadership, they are currently operating on at a lower capacity as they try to sort out and decide who among them shall be their next senior staff.

-

The Golden Path is less of a gang or street clan in the traditional sense, but more of a ethnocentric religious movement with cult like elements. Careful surveilance have revealed, while odd by our standards, no elements to their belief system that could prove dangerous or otherwise determinetal to other individuals not a member of the Path. Recruiting exclusively from species of 'Kumatian' origin, ranging from lions to crocodiles to jackals and more. The members of the path replaced their body parts over time with augmentations, synthetics post Displacement, until they were almost completely replaced save their brain and several key organs. Covered in furless, black and gold synth-skin, with hair replaced by synthetic dreadlock like ornamentation. By the end of their journey down 'The Path, Adherents are almost completely Synthetic, with enhanced speed, reaction, durability, and more, though at costs of increased strain on their nervous systems tryingto keep up with their full abilities, as well as a massively increased caloric intake even outside of extensive physical activities.

The belief of the path is that that the adherents can come close to the abilities of the gods of the old Kumat pantheon via cyber, or synth,-ization. One of the few organs members of the path do not change about themselves is their reproductive organs, due to a strict adherence to its foundational aspects that include that the Path cannot be forced on others, but must actively choose to walk down it in their attempt to emulate the gods. Children born to parents following the Path are born completely natural, and are not allowed to begin walking down the path until they have reached adulthood and are aware of what is involved with this way of life.

The founder and leader of the Path is Pharoah Baako, a jackal who was the first to journey down it and set down its foundational creeds. Baako preaches not just striving to emulate the gods in form and ability, but to also seek to emulate them by protecting the less fortunate, with Path members having a religious duty to step in and stop wrong doing the stumble across. Relatively small in number, and mostly keeping to themselves, Baako and his follower's thoughts regarding Null and its peoples remains unknown, though he has preached working alongside their 'alien brothers and sisters' for a better world.

-

The Harlequins started life as a gang of misfits known as the Clown Brigade, adorned in ridiculous attire emulating clowns and court jesters while performing increasingly outlandish stunts and pranks, earning money on the streets through their stunt work and routines. Early on into their arrival on Null, however, a subtle but unmistakable shift began in their culture, revolving around a fascination with the court jester of the Median Court, Harley the Harlequin. This fascination led to the madopting the Mediator's jester and daughters purple and red color-scheme, as well as beginning to incorporate many of her more well known routines and jokes into their shows.

However, this did not go unnoticed, and while the specifics remain unknown, it is known that the Clown Brigade was paid a personal visit by Harley herself, before they proceeded to chang their name to the Harlequins following this encounter. In the years since, the Harlequins have adopted more and more mannuerisms and attire to better reflect the Median Court Jester they have come to have an almost cultish fascination with, adorning themselves in armored suits akin to their idols combat gear. Although not confirmed, it is believed by some sources that the Harlequins have taken to vigilante justice, using skills and even abilities never displayed before while making use of non-lethal weaponry and maneuvers to take down wanted criminals. They now earn most of their money by performing high skill performance shows, with tickets to the events becoming sold out in record time.

-

The Masque Club is a societal club with a limited number of members. Little is known about them other than they have ties to a currently unknown benefactor, believed to be a member of the Median leadership, and that they operate out of fronts before leaving to perform odd jobs ranging from seemingly mundane activities, to high level mission perameters currently classified at this current security level. All we know for certain is that they all wear some manner of mask, they are on our side, and they are not, or possibly cannot, be interupted while they are 'on the clock'.

-

The Scales is an ethnocentric Street Clan comprised entirely of reptilian Terrakin who unified to fight back against historic violence and tensions against Terrakin of reptilian descent. Over time, however, the Scales have become just another gang who use threats of violence and coercion as much on the people they claim to protect as they do against those they claim to protect their kind from. Post-Street War, the Scales have altered their structure to be less aggressive and hostile towards outsiders, as well as return to their roots as protectors of their fellow reptilian Terrakin. Additionally, several Chimera and Empusa have joined with the Scales post Street-War, though they aren't particularly popular among their fellow clan members due to the fact they point out that, strictly speaking, all Terrakin are technically mammals due to being warm-blooded, giving live birth and suckling their young through mammary glands, with the presence of scales or fur being superficial. Their current leader is a male 'Komodo Dragon' named Hank DeSoto, who is said to have slain the previous leader and taken his place in order to point their clan back on the right path, or so the story is told.

-

The Bonecrushers are a Post-Street War Street Clan, and consists primarily of Nullian species with Terrakin being new recruits. A proper Street Clan of Dreamhold origin, the Bonecrushers were one of three Street Clans who volunteered to move into Neo-Sunset post-Street War to act as liasons between traditional Nullian Street Clans and the local gangs. Bonecrushers gained their name due to their origins as a Bonetaker Nation group that moved to Dreamhold, then called Byr, from the Bughunter lands and carried with them their cultural practice of consuming bones. Current leader is a Firebrand raised Cu Sethan.

-

The Reapers are a Post-Street War Street Clan, and consists primarily of Nullian species with Terrakin being new recruits. One of three Dreamhold Street Clans that volunteered to move into Neo-Sunset post Street-War, the Reapers originate as a Stonecutter Street Clan from Dreamhold's ancient days, when it was still the Stonecutter city of Byr. Named after their scythes, used as makeshift weapons owing to their origins as farmers, the Reapers are the oldest still living Street Clan in Dreamhold and thus bring with them a wealth of culture and experience to help guide their new neighbors. Current leader is a Royalback descended native of Dreamhold named Kharl Stahlfresser.

-

The Divers are a Post-Street War Street Clan and consists primarily of Nullian species wtih Terrakin being new recruits. The third of the three Dreamhold Street Clans that moved to Neo-Sunset post Street-War, the Divers originate from the Wavechaser populace in Dreamhold who lived in the Pond, a localized artiifical lake with sea like qualities, before the arrival of the Displaced, and who shared their territory with aquatic Displaced species. Traditions of sailing, deep diving, and fishing runs deep in their culture, and they have made it a point to guard their Displaced neighbors even before the outbreak of the Street War. Current leader is simply known as 'The Captain'.

---

Organized Crime is not unknown to Null, as centuries ago Organized Crime families were ejected from the Spirit Realm of Lacuna to Null, where they caused no end of trouble before localized reprisals saw to their destruction. Hiding behind the veneer of civility, honor, and legitimate buisness, Organized Crime Families, commonly known as 'The Mob', has been brought over from Terra alongside the Displaced, with three prominent families having become a part of Neo-Sunset's populace. All three make use of legitimate buisness fronts to produce the majority of their monetary funds, however it is virtually impossible for their criminal origins to disappear so quickly or cleanly, meaning they remain persons of interest for the Median government to monitor for illicite activities.

-

The Felidae Conglomerate is a massive network of interconnected criminal syndicates, gangs, and crime families, all unified by one trait: They are all Terran felines. Big cats or otherwise, they are the premier crime family linked together by both species relation as well as marriage alliances, the Felidae Conglomerate's largest legimate sources of money include being info brokers, stock traders, and having heavy stake interests in various corporate holdings. Their list of criminal activities is extensive, but mostly revolve around white collar crime, insurance fraud, and insider traiding, however this also serves to cover up their more gruesome criminal activies, including gun running for criminal groups, 'leg breaking', extortion, and murder, among other things.

It was the former head of TFC, a male tiger named Alexy Petrov, that helped insite the Street War, though his exact motivations remain a complete mystery why this was the case following his mysterious suicide midway through the conflict. It is almost certain that whatever his intentions for insighting the conflict, the ultimate fate of Neo-Sunset becoming an official part of the Median and its various powers now being beholden to its laws were almost certainly not what he had been hoping for.

-

The Carcharadai Cartel is one of the two rival, competing criminal families operating within the Pond. Comprised primarily of shark based Terrakin, the Carcharodai are known for their loaning and investment buisness in the underwater and shore side communities within the Pond, as well as having legitimate but competing food buisnesses selling fresh caught feral fish and other undersea food stuffs for the aquatic community. Larger in size than their rivals, the Delphinidae Syndicate, the Carcharadai are not as cohesively unified as their bitter rivals, which leads to their often bloody and brutal conflicts ending in a stalemate.

Disliked by even the regular members of their special communities, the Cartel remains in power due to to towing the line between legitimate buisnesses and out and out illicit activties, which include blackmail and the black market trade. The current leader of the family is Don Krakun, a sourly buisnessman with a temper but an art for selling a salespitch and brokering deals.

-

The Delphinidae Syndicate is comprised primarily of 'dolphin' species, with the unquestioned leadership being made up of 'Orcas'. In comparison to their Cartel rivals, the Syndicate have a much better public relations with the public of the Pond, putting on a friendly, charming face through which they use to sell their security services and sell their goods as one of the competing food suppliers of the Pond. However, this friendly mask hides a brutal, ruthless capacity for bloodshed and calculated, targeted violence. While they much rather prefer to be loved, they are willing to settle for, and have the capacity and ability to, be respected through fear.

Led by Matriarch Fassata, the Syndicate charms do not hide or disolve away their murderous capabilities in the eyes of the Nullian law, and since Integration post Street War, the Syndicate's brutal methods have yet to resurface and no mysterious disappearences have occured in the past few months. This agent cannot help but stress the importance of continued monitoring of the Syndicate for any lapses to their old methods. While TFC were the origins for the Street War, and the Cartel's activities earns them no friends anywhere, the capacity for loss of life by the Syndicate if left unchecked is massive, particularly with the physical power of the Orcas.

---

Non-Aligned Groups of Special Interest are exactly as the name implies: Groups that lack a tie to the criminal underworld, or whose activities are too broad to be considered more than a subculture or subgroup. Only two primary groups of interest fit this description in Neo-Sunset.

'Were's, as they are known, as individuals afflicted with a mystical nature that allows them to shift their forms between a normal default form, a larger and more powerful monsterous War Form, and a more agile feral form. About 1 in 20 Terrakin are a Were and can be found all over society in almost every strata or group, though they tend to keep their true natures secret if they can manage it. While having potential for destruction, Were's tend to be less inclined towards causing trouble than most other Terrakin, possibly to avoid detection and conflict against their kind by other groups. As a Special Interest Group, they are monitored and provided governmental aid for their populace, though discretely as to avoid too much unwanted attention.

Vampires, meanwhile, are another group of individuals afflicted by another mystical nature. Requiring semi-regular ingestion of blood to remain healthy and sane, Vampires are notable in that they can spread their affliction to other Terrakin in an on-permenant manner. These 'Thralls' tend to be linked and subbordinate to their 'sire', though they themselves are not 'true' or Trueborn Vampires. Trueborns number in only a few tens of thousand in total number, and live in a special district zone all of their own in the outskirts of Neo-Sunset. Because of their special dietary requirements and ability to make Thralls, Vampires are closely monitored and observed in a manner similar to Nullians with the Bloody One condition. However, the ongoing Moon War has stretched monitoring abilities and thus have made it difficult to keep a close eye on them, even post Neo-Sunset incorporation into the Median.

Previously trying to keep their true natures hidden in the old world, both Were's and Vampires are now public knowledge, though ironically they are now just another curiosity in the daily lives of the Displaced Terrakin, as common sentiment after Displacement and adjustment to living on Null is caution, but not surprise at this revelation.

---

All of these Street Clans, gangs, and other organizations should be kept a close eye on through surveilance in order to ensure no repeat of the Street War happens again. This agent also particularly reccomend keeping a close eye on the Delphinidae Syndicate in particular. Their capacity for destruction cannot be stressed enough.

 

[TripleMRed]

Gorger Hopper.

[Sketches depict a large, frog like snapping tortoise creature, with a segmented shell on its back, an armored plate on its head, and a sharp beak lining its mouth. It is shown in the sketches to dig and lay in wait under the mud, with only the shell poking out of the ground. Its powerful, coiled legs show it leaping great distances for its size, launching itself at prey, while it is also shown to crawl on all fours in a rapid movement when not jumping. The long, powerful tongue is shown to be three times its body length fully extended, giving it a powerful tool in its arsenal in addition to globs of some sort of liquid it projects from its mouth.]

Scientific Name Translation: Terror Frog.

[A note is attached. It reads, 'I'd be terrified of them too if I could get eaten by one. Scary thought, that.']

Average Size: 3 Meters/9.84 Feet in height.

Average Weight: 4 Tons.

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: Females are bigger than the males.

Habitat Range: Mostly inhabits swamps and bogs within and around Bughunter territory, though can also be found in bogs in other regions as well, with a massive population in the Land of Giants.

Summary:​

Null's mystical and unpredictable nature has resulted in anomalies that lead to the fusing of two differing species and the creation of brand new ones. Gryphons are the most prominant example of this, of course, but there is also the Snail-Shelled Frog and the Gliding Squirrel Tailed Salamander as well. The creature in this entry is, surprisingly, not one such example, despite all appearences to the contrary. The Gorger Hopper is a massive amphibious lifeform that resembles a cross between a frog and a tortoise. This is not a result of mystic fusion, but rather the result of the Gorger Hopper being part of a family branch of life forms known as the Terrorpins, a branch of terrapin that would go on to develop traits and characteristics of other creatures through convergent evolution rather than mystic misshap. [A note is attached. It reads 'I wonder if there's a thing where creatures turn into frogs like how crustaceans always deveop into Krabs.']

Massive in size, the beaked maw of this hulking behemoth is matched by its armored head and the segmented shell adorning its back. Armored from behind to a degree that makes attack from anything short of either an anti-tank weapon or a vehicular cannon impossible, this leaves the frontside ironically its only real weakpoint. However, this is far from safe, as the collossal creature is a leaping, crawling pillar of muscle and tricks up its sleaves that render a direct assault a difficult prospect indeed, be the attack of the Civilized Races or other animals.

Armed with powerful forerlimbs and claws for digging, it is common for the Gorgers to dig a spot for themselves within mud or soft soil near large bodies of water to sleep or wait for prey. In the latter case, upon the approach of a suitable prey animal, the Gorger will make use of its incredibly powerful legs to suddenly and violently leap forwards out of its hiding spot, exploding from the ground in a shower of mud and plant roots to gobble down on any unlucky prey. If the prey animal is large enough, the Gorger aims for either the neck or the leg in order to use its powerful, crushing beaked jaws to deliver a debilitating wound. A long muscular tongue is also held within the Gorger's mouth, able to be launched out to ensnare and bring in smaller prey into its mouth, or in the case of a battle with something it cannot or does not like to eat, thrash the offending creature about in a brutal flurry of tosses and slams. [A note is attached. It depicts a Gorger in wrestling attire about to do a flying elbow drop on what looks like a cartoon Oros in a wrestling mask.]

In addition to its powerful physical traits, the Gorgers is also host to a potent biochemical substance it develops in sacs within its body and which it can secrete from its mouth. This corrosive, toxic substance can be used in a wide variety of ways by the Gorgers, including but not limited to: lining the insides of the mouth and beak in order to deliver a toxic bite, spat at ranges up to a hundred meters away in globules or in a wide spray within 15 meters, coating the tongue with it, and in at least one known instance, spray out in a aerosolized mist form to cover the area, though this last version of the attack is rare and seems to be exclusively employed by the females when protecting their broods.

An omnivorous predator, the preffered meals of the Gorger is the Wetland Lungfish, a sizable animal that often crosses the paths of the waiting Gorgers as they perform their seasonal land crossings to arrive in new spawning grounds. However, the Gorger is not picky, and if a Wetland Lungfish is not readily availble, they will not hesitate to gorge themselves on any edible foods they come across. The exception to this, however, is the technically edible Slough, a creature so disgusting that nothing alive willingly eats them if given the chance that isn't a plant, with only their sheer stupidity keeping their numbers in check. [A note is attached. It reads 'I'm trying to imagine what kind of creature would willingly eat a Slough, but nothing I can think of is that desperate or disgusting.']

In encounters with Civilized Races, the average Gorger is not inherently hostile, though getting too close will result in warning calls that are more felt than heard in order to dissuade getting near. Indeed, the only known times where Gorgers actively attack Civilized Races without an outside influence or the sapient starting the fight themselves is during the breeding season, when they become much more aggressive in the defense of their nests, or when they are in the middle of a meal, where they attack anything they percieve as trying to steal or otherwise take away their food.

Mating season for the Gorger is during the Wet Season, where in male Gorgers pick fights with one another in aggressive but rarely lethal duels for the right to mate with onlooking females. The most successful males will sire the most offspring with the most females, though they will take little actual part in the raising of their offspring when the mating season ends. Females, meanwhile, will create artificial pools of water to lay their eggs in, at which point they will find a near by spot to dig themselves into and silently watch over their brood until they hatch.

It takes between 2-4 weeks for a Gorger egg patch to hatch, depending on environmental conditions and quality of the water in which they lay, at which point they enter the world as armored limbed pollywogs. Ironically, the mother has little hunting to actually do, as they simply have to wait for other predators to come and try and snatch away their young to attack and kill, providing their children their would be predators as their first meals. [A note is attached. It reads 'Try to eat the baby? Become the baby food.']

The most dangerous part of a Gorger's development is not at their pollywog stage, but during their initial stage as fully formed, but not fully grown, Gorger Hoppers. At this stage, the still growing young begin to wander about and leave their mother's care, into the dangerous wilds around them, where waiting predators will proceed to thin their numbers over the next few years until they have grown enough to reach a size where they can properly defend themselves from attack. Once fully grown, the Gorger life cycle begins anew and the species is perpetuated.

Interestingly, the Gorger has some of the highest number of mutations and variants as a result from exposure to radioactive elements out of all of the Terrorpin line. Affecting them in different ways at every stage of development, variants include the Dwarf Gorger, a creature that reaches maturity at just barely above its initial childhood stage, while others suffer mutations that turn them into living bombs, differentiated by their red warning colorations. Others still become Irradiated Gorgers, creatures that are much more powerful at the cost of becoming sterile.

A powerful species that has earned the respect of the Bughunters for generations, many Dwarf Gorgers find themselves as pets by the Bughunters, while some specially trained ones are used in the hunting and gathering of medium scale insectoids in a manner akin to hunting dogs hunting prey down elsewhere. The end result is a creature with signifigant cultural value in the Bughunter community, and which is a common figure in folk tales and legends in their territory. [A note is attached. It reads 'I wish I had a Dwarf Gorger as a pet. I've heard their war cries, its like a threatening squeak instead of an earth shaking rumble. It's great!']

 

[TripleMRed]

(Okay folks, I have returned from my family vacation and have completed the lore retrofits from the Bloodsuckers page all the way to the Chimera page. Some of these changes are relatively small, mostly changing dates to better match the intended finalized lore. Other changes, however, are much larger. For example, the Bloody Ones in the Oros Addendum page are elaborated on to show their historical impact as well as introduce their city state, while as of the Bloodsuckers page onwards there is now mention of a historical 8th Great Nation, the Ghost Dancers, that would become extinct and whose blood only survives in the modern day from distant descendants of intermarriages with other Nationalities.)

 

[TripleMRed]

Sword Walker

[Sketches depict a tall, striped quadropedal animal with long legs ending in sharp pointed hooves, with a long but very thick armored neck ending in a head with horns forming a crown like crest, its ears long and floppy, with a trio of what seem like manipulator tendrils at the end. The creature is noble and regal in its stance, and sketches show it wandering through the mires of its boggy homes with little trouble. The interesting thing, however, is that it seems to have an innate and potent control over magic, its horns shimmering as it summons blades of energy to smite its foes or coat its limbs in a blade like edge to slash anything foolish enough to get in its way. A long tail ending in barbed spikes swings behind it.]

[A note is attached. It depicts a cartoon Sword Waker that extends it neck to a truely ludicrous degree, one word beneath the comic strip: 'Lemgth'.]

Scientific Name Translation: Blade Dancer.

Average Size: 7 meters/22.96 feet tall, 35 meters for the Titanic subspecies in the Land of Giants.

Average Weight: 6 tons.

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: Females have a mane lining the back of their necks as well as their tails.

Habitat Range: Predominantly swamps and bogs, though one subspecies is found in the savanahas seperating the Great Deserts from the rest of eastern Arisa and the Titanic Sword Walker is found in the Land of Giants.

Summary:​

Few creatures are quite as striking for the Nullian people, nor as fascinating, as the tall, long necked Sword Walker. Known by many names including Sword Walker, Spear Walker, and Long Necks, these creatures capture the imagination with their unusually tall forms, with a neck that would be extremely vulnerable were it not for its armored bands protecting it. As the neck is the most vulnerable part of any Nullian, even with the presense of armor, the evolutionary pressures and curiosities of why such a being would develop an extended neck like this astounds scientists, leading to an entire group in the scientific community dedicated to the study and research of Sword Walkers and their evolutionary history. [A note is attached. It reads 'One of my Displaced friends is species they call a 'Giraffe'. She's a lot of fun, but she's so tall, and her neck is so long! It actually makes me distressed seeing it, because I'm always worried something might hurt her by going for it...']

Despite the curioristies of what led the Sword Walker to develop its biological quirks, we can see them at work in the modern day: Their long legs ending in sharp hooves, when combined wiht a fully functioning contragravitic organ, allows them to wander through the muck and mire of their swampy homes without difficulty. Their long necks and long, prehensile ears tipped with manipulator digits allow them to reach out and pluck fruits and branches from the trees they find their food from, while their armored necks keep their most vulnerable location protected from anything short of a giant class predator. One subspecies located in the savannahs spends all of its time on land, where in it feeds on local tall trees and finds little in the way of predation from giant scale creatures. The Titanic Sword Walker in the Land of Giants is part of a wider ecological foodchain, though not necessarily an easy prey, with the other Titan scale creatures in the region.

In terms of temperment, the Sword Walker is of cool head and of high patience, prefering to avoid combat where it can and try to shoo away anything foolish or bold enough to try and attack them. In the event that battle cannot be avoided, the Sword Walker displays a comprehensive and in-depth abilitiy to use magica lattacks, summoning force fields, explosive bolts, and most famously, blades of hardened light that cut and burn that which it carves up. When in shallow waters, or when venturing onto dry land, the Sword Walker is not above delivering swift, but powerful kicks that can send full grown Wolf Tigers crashing through trees, or removing the head outright of lesser creatures. If raw strength is not enough, then the power is enhanced by coating the leg in a blade like jet of plasma that gives the Sword Walkers their signature name, allowing them to cut Gorger Hoppers in half, or engage in combat with Power Fists in potent duels to the death. Though uncommon in their regions, most Sword Walkers find themselves having difficulty defending against Smashheads, the theropodic hydras having the armor and physical power to survive the barrage of forest shattering attacks the Sword Walker is capable of unleashing. For annoyances that can't be ignored, but which aren't worth the effort of a full retaliation, the Sword Walkers are very precise with using their venomous barbed tail spikes, launching them with enough force to pin targets to the ground.

There has been no recorded instances of Sword Walkers deliberatly beginning a fight with the Civilized Races unprovoked, though they are not afraid to swat us aside if we get in their way. Some clans of Bughunters, as well as some Stonecutters and the Bloody Ones of the Crimson City, have been able to tame Sword Walkers in the swampy regions of their homelands in order to use them as domestic mounts to cross the deep waters of the bogs they call home. Treated with care and respect, a mutual bond is formed between rider and animal that leaves the locals with few worries about their Sword Walker mounts, though outsiders attempting the same can expect to meet failure head on. [A note is attached. It reads 'Swamp folk, man. Ingenuity at their finest!']

Sword Walker lack a mating season, but intentionally prefer to time their reprduction in order to give birth during the winter months. This is because during this time, many of the predators of their swampy home that could prey upon a young Sword Walker are in hibernation or in stupor, allowing the infants time to acclimate safely to standing up and following their parents, and giving the mothers time to recooperate from the draining process. Parents care for their young and teach them everything they know, from the best places to find food, to the uses of their powers and abilities in order to become skilled users of magic to stay safe. Upon reaching adulthood, young adults leave the safety of their parents to form makeshift herds with others of their age group, banding together until they feel confident enough to leave and live on their own, using safety in numbers and cooperation to take care of what experienced elders can handle on their own.

A fascinating creature in both looks and temperment, the Sword Walkers are a popular symbol of office for those in leadership positions in bog and swamp communities across Arisa, with even the Ogra having totems dedicated to the titanic variants that roam their lands. The rule for coexisitng with Sword Walkers is simple: Don't get in their way, don't start a fight with them, and give them respect, and they will treat you the same. [A note is attached. It reads 'Now if only the rest of the biosphere did that.']

 

[TripleMRed]

(The following is a transcript of a breakdown of the known mystic elementals of Null by a Displaced scientist, sent to their colleagues in their field.)

Since we've got here, my peers in the scientific community Displaced here from their respective universes have been inquiring about some of the fascinating things we've heard about our new home. Null is, for lack of a better term, a mystical land home to elements that defy conventional physical laws and which do not fit in known elmental periodic tables. As one of the first to attain work in our new home, the responsibility fell to me to compile a brief overview of some of the new, fascinating elements not found in our homelands.

Conventional Elements: Before we dig into the mystica elements found here, it is important to note a key difference between the 'conventional' elements of this universe compared to our own. In the scientific community we've developed here, the term 'Molecularly Stable' is a term you will see often, refering to the small but vital difference between the molecular bonds of things in this universe compared to our own, particulary here on Null. The term 'Molecularly Stable' means that elements and objects made of those elements in this reality are notably have greater durability and resiliance compared to those of our own, 'Molecularly Unstable' universe. As an example, Iron here is of a higher quality and tensile strangth than our own back home, and even common stainless steel of Nullian Origin (And presumably other worlds in this reality) are approximatly 5 times stronger than that of our home universe. Consequently, living creatures in this universe, including ourselves post 'upgrading' to Nullian standards, are hardier, more resiliant, and overall stronger by various factors compared to our own reality. Furthermore, Null in particular has creatures of durability that increases over time as a result of increased technological levels causing them to adapt to become hardier. The reasoning eludes me, though I'm told it has something to do with 'keeping itself deadly' in regards to this world we're now on.

-

Mystical Elements: Elements not found in our universe of a mystically charged nature, some within our community have dubbed this classification as 'unobtanium', in allusion to a common term in science fiction seriels of the past. Regardless of how we classify them, these elements lack a naturally occuring quivalent in our own home universe, and so each is distinct and has unique uses in Nullian technological development. Many Nullian creatures naturally harness the abilities of these elements by consuming them and integrating them into their biology, giving them elemental abilities related to the element in question, though most with such powers are using fully home grown abilities. One universal trait with all of these elements, however, is that they are self-replenishing when unrefined, and as such are sustainable resources provided their ore deposits aren't tapped out.

-

Mythril: The familiar name of a fantastical metal stronger yet lighter than steel, this is true still here on Null. Refined Nullian Mythril is about 5 times stronger than reinforced steel alloys, while only being a 4th of the weight, making it the ideal baseline metal for all modern day alloys used for modern armor systems. Although the final strength of the alloy is determinate on the other materials used, Mythril is used in almost every form of construction due to its extreme flexibility in usage and its wide applications on the exact alloys used. It also is surprisingly tolerant of heat, though the plasma coated claws of Nullian wildlife puts medium grade Mythril armors to the test.

Adamantium: Another familiar name for a fantastical metal of extreme durability, Adamantium is quite heavy, but also extremely durable by an order of magnitude compared to its Mythril counterpart. Finicky to refine, it is almost impossible to get pure Adamantium, as it is notoriously difficult to remove all impurities from the substance even with a divine blacksmith. It is often said that 100% Pure Adamantium is as unbreakable as an Oros' bones, though this is said to be an exaggeration by those said to have seen such material. As of the modern day, 'pure' Adamantium refers to any Adamantium refined to have, at minimum, a 99.9% purity, though it is difficult to determine the purity outside of labratory conditions, which means many 'Pure' Adamantium ingots found in the world are often as low as 97% purity.

Fulgerite: Also known as Fulminite, Thunderstone, and occasionally Voltite, Fulgerite is an elemental ore that develops crystaline outcroppings known for producing its own electrical charge, or absorbing electrical charges from bolts of lightning. Used primarily in power generation technologies, Fulgerite has a long history as one of the first mystical elements mined and used by most Nullian civilizations for a wide variety of applications. Military applications include powering of rail and gauss weaponry, as well as using Fulgerite lining to amplify and improve the rails and electromagnetic rings, as well as weaponized stun or electric ammunition, while power generation and defensive applications are a common use of the substance in all fields. It is not compatible with Solarite power systems, at least for now, without explosive results.

Solarite: Also known as Sunstone and Nitro-Ore, Solarite is an elemental ore wiht crystaline outcroppings known for its production of solar plasma. Functionally a non-radioactive fusion reaction in waiting, Solarite has always had a military appication in explosive weaponry and bombs, as well as the long used 'Red Powder' ammunition for conventional bullet based firearms, though an accidental discovering in the mid 1000's of the Nullian Calander found it can also be used as a potent, though finicky, power source in the form of Solarite Plasma Reactors. It has been found in recent years thanks to testing with Displaced plasma technology that Solarite interacts with, and attempts to absorb, near by plasma that is within a few centimeters of the substance. While easily containable with even a half inch of material between it and the other substance, this reaction causes a potent explosive reaction when even electrical plasma is involved, explaining its destructive relationship with Fulgerite.

Glacium: Also known as Coldstone and Semi-True Ice, Glacium is a frozen material that absorbs heat yet does not completely melt away provided it does not absorb too much too quickly. As such, it is a common material used for cooling technology as well as ice based weaponry and ammunition. It is excellent in stopping fires when properly processed into a misty foam, and as such Glacium based foams mixed with water is an extremely common resource used by Nullian fire departments in combating infernos. It is not reccommended for unrefined Glacium to be used in cooling drinks as it will freeze the liquid on contact. Handling of unrefined Glacium is recommended with proper equipment, as direct skin contact can lead to damage, while refined Glacium is safe to handle, though still cold to the touch.

Hydrostone: Also known as Aquaore, Hydrostone is the simples of the mystical elements: It creates water and in its refined form can be used to part exiting water into its base components. As a result, many advances in developing Hydrogen fuel cells that only require water as the fuel has occured thanks to using Hydrostone as the source of these discoveries. The Median now uses hydrogen engines as a less powerful, though still very potent, secondary backup fuel system to power all of their ground and air vehicles while using Fulgerite or Solarite energy as the primary energy source. One should be careful when using Hydrostone to make drinkable water, however, as the water produced by Hydrostone is directly affected by the environment it is in and the quality of the local water. As a result, Hydrostone found near salt water is unsafe to use for drinking, as is Hydrostone found other unsafe materials in the wild. Only refined, tested Hydrostone found for sale or public use in the Civilizations of Null are reliably safe for getting a quick drink to hydrate yourself with.

Floatstone: Also known as Hoverstone and Skystone, Floatstone is the fantastical gravity defying rock found all over the world in the many floating landmasses in Null's skies. Naturally defying gravity through mystical means, refined Floatstone is used for creating all modern day Nullian hover and gravity manipulation technology, including contragrav vehicles, intertial dampeners, and weight distribution engines. Useful in any and every imagineable scenario, refined Floatstone takes the natural gravity defying abilities of its unfrefined ore and allows it to be manipulated through application of precise electromagnetic discharges, which alters the local gravity being manipulated as well as extend its effects beyond just the ore, allowing for fine control of contra-grav technology. As an added bonus, Floatstone's anti-gravitic properties are not 'slippery' like those we developed in our own home, meaning that Floatstone tech does not 'slide' around without the proper force needed to move the object proper being applied.

Umbrum: Also known as Shadowstone and Nightore, Umbrum is a fascinating material with the ability to manipulate a localized pocket around itself to avoid detection across most known spectra, upto and including sound and smells. That being said, unrefined Umbrum is very easy to detect on any functional scanner, as unlike its refined, easily controllable metals, raw Umbrum ore fluctuates its energies eratically, causing scanners to pick up wild and rapid distorions of signals coming in and out of detectible wavelengths. Properly refined and utilized Umbrum allows for the use of stealth technology, both passively and actively, making them an extremely useful tool in military applications.

Moonsilver: A silvery, liquid metal in its natural, unrefined state, Moonsilver is a highly unique mystical substance in that it actually counteracts and absorbs Mana based magic with no apparant limit in practical day to day terms. This property makes Moonsilver, though relatively uncommon, a highly sought after material for the detainment of rogue mystical threats or the containment of mystical hazards.

Sungold: A goldish, glowing liquid metal in its natural, unrefined state, Sungold can only really be described as 'holy', a substance widely used by religious organizations for its abilities to counteract and destroy what can only be described as 'unholy' powers and creatures. It's most popularly used by the Berserker Paladin Order in its demon hunting duties, though it also sees use as stores all over the civilizations of Null for emergencies if the propery authorities on the subject are not availble.

StarIron: A solid ore like metal without ferromagntic properties of its own, StarIron, also known as 'Cold Iron', is distinguished by the unrefined ore having a jet black appearence covered in what can only be described as stars. It is most well known for being anethema to Elderitch powers, and is widely used by the Magi Order and its constituents and peers in the fight against Elder Things. Tellingly, StarIron is also useful against what our culture's myths identify as 'Fae', which has all sorts of implications. Interestingly, its effects are diminished by those who have Elder Blood, but are not themselves full Elders, with them finding it uncomfortable to touch and be around, but not out and out painful.

-

Additionally to these materials, the Nullians also make use of the 'Damage Classification System', which is a multi-tiered system to classify the power of an attack based on their performance against known materials used for armor. Due to the fact that Nullian creatures demonstratably grow stronger over the centuries in response to adapting to advancing technologies, the system has been redone multiple times over the centuries, with this in particular being just the most recent and modern day, though not necessarily final, version of the system.

Class 0: A baseline, used to describe any form of attack that can damage soft materials such as unreinfroced fabrics and soft metals.

Class 1: Any attack capable of bruising the flesh of civilized flesh, as well as punctuing iron.

Class 2: Any attack capable of outright removing, puncturing, or otherwise severely damaging flesh, as well as puncturing low quality steel.

Class 3: Any attack capable of damaging reinforced steel alloys and unrefined Mythril ore.

Class 4: Any attack capable of damaging refined Mythril armor.

Class 5: Any attack capable of damagin medium grade Mythril alloys.

Class 6: Any attack capable of scratching high grade Mythril alloys.

Class 7: Any attack capable of damaging high grade Mythril alloys, and scratching low quality Adamantium armor.

Class 8: Any attack capable of damaging medium quality Adamantium armor.

Class 9: Any attack capable of damaging Adamantium/Mythril alloys.

Class 10: Any attack capable of damaging high quality Adamantium alloys.

This system is not ironclad, and there are many variables involved that keep it in flux, such as the involvement of Runic reinforcements or magical abilities. With the advent of shielding technology in recent years, this system also does not take into account shield strength beyond its comparable durability to any given armor.

I hope this has been informative to you all and I hope we can begin proper discussions about the implications and capabilities of these fascinating native materials!

 

[TripleMRed]

Controller.

[Sketches depict a creature with smooth, salamanderan skin of a wide array of camophlaged tiger stripe patterns, hunched over while floating. The head is hooded in a cobra like manner, a tail like extension running off the back. The head-tail is long and ends in a blade like tip, while the forelimbs on the arms and legs are disproporitonatly large and muscled, indicating massive grip strength. The main body varies from individual to individual, some thinner and others pudgier than one another. Their faces are consistent: Large, piercing eyes with short muzzles whose lips curl to reveal sneers full of sharp teeth. Some sketches show them directing animal life by pointing at targets off panel.]

[A note is attached. It reads 'I wonder what their skin feels like? That's not a weird question, is it? I'm not the only one who wants to know!']

Scientific Name Translation: Mental General.

Average Size: Varies based on individual.

Average Weight: Varies based on individual.

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: N/A.

Habitat Range: World wide.

Summary:​

It is no secret that our world is one that was purpose build by the Weaver Null. Youngest of the Aether Beings, she crafted our world for a purpose only she would know, making it as dangerous and deadly as possible in order to ensure those that live upon it either grow stronger or die trying. One consistent aspect of her design, however, is the systems that underpin our world. The Uplifters seek new life on other worlds to integrate into Null's biosphere to make the environment more dangerous, while such creatures as the Lord of Dragons, the King on the Mountain, acts as a living ground-to-orbit defense system against things not of our solar system. As such, it is little wonder that one of these systems comes in the form of a means to coordinate the wild-life of Null in the event something somehow does get through the defenses, and survives the corrosive atmospheric contaminants. This defense system is handled by the creatures known as 'Controllers.'

The average Controller is a contradiction, as physically each one is distinct from one another in every way save basic shape. Coloration, skin patterns, size and weight, body type, all is subject to change based on individual Controller to individual Controller. The one unifying thing about them is their purpose, to lie in wait for the day they are needed. It is rare indeed for such a day to come, as ancient recordings only detail two such instances in the ancient past. The first was the Elder Invasion during the days of the True Dragons dominion over our world, where they arose to lead the wild-life at the time against the invaders alongside the True Dragons and their Stone Eye allies.

The second time is only known by fragmented records passed down by Spirit researchers, detailing a time when an Uplifter brought in an unauthorized hive-minded, adaptative swarm organism to Null, which was stopped from spreading and culled thanks to the Controllers coordinating Null's animal and plant life in its defense. Since then, no other instance of Controller based assistance has occured, with the Median and its peer civilizations able to handle most threats before they spiral out of control. [A note is attached. It reads 'Moon Elders were in for a nasty surprise when some Controllers woke up during their incursions in the Moon War. I still watch those recordings in awe of the throwdowns that followed.']

Imposing creatures due to their sheer presence, Controllers are not psionic in nature as many often assume. They are, rather, creatures that manipulate the Aether, not unlike the Uplifters. Where the Uplifters specialize in dimensional long-scry, teleportation, and genetic reconsitution, the Controllers focus on offense powers, both conventional and mental in nature. They are especially adept at exerting mental control over the animals they work with, coercing the more reasonable creatures to work for them, and outright dominating the wills of those who refuse their work. These powers are not limited to wild animal life, as they can exert control over the Civilized Races of Null as well, though it should be noted that, whether by design or by flaw, they cannot exert full control over us. Whether this same limitation applies to all Civilized creatures or only those of us here on Null has yet to be determined, though it is known they can, and and are more than happy to, disrupt hostiles with psionic coordination of their own, interfering or cutting off enemies from their own hivemind through the esoteric and overwhelmingly elderitch abilities of the Aether.

According to all records, once a Controller has gained sway over a large enough number of animals as it would deem necessary for a given task, they lead their army of creatures on the warpath against hostile invaders using a disturbingly adept skill with coordinated warfare, using every creature's strengths to their full advantage and using them to bolster the weaknesses of other creatures they work with. Contrary to pop culture depictions of this, and the crude 'animal driving' techniques of the Spider-Ants, Controller controlled creatures do not 'swarm' their enemies and drown them in a wave of bodies. They are precise and coordinated, using overwhelming force only to break weakpoints in hostile formations or defenses, preferring to destroy the enemy with minimal loss of life of their own wards. [A note is attached. It depicts a cartoon Controller giving a headpat to a Jaco Killer, words reading 'I'm going to name you Precious' underneath the drawing.]

While their primary abilities and adeptness are towards mental influence and control, these are not the only tools in their arsenal. Aetherwork attacks ranging from solar based beams, explosive orbs, or cutting energy blades are matched by calling down a rain of rock melting lighting or a blizzard of tree shredding razor-hail. When confronted in direct combat, the Contoller will attempt mental domination, and if that fails, mental attacks on the hostile before unleashing a barrage of Aetherworks attacks of every elemental school imaginable. If one is not driven mad by them, they are hallucinating before being cut down or reduced to free-floating atoms by a miniturized sun landing on them. Either way, a Controller is a formidable foe to fight even alone, and given the context of their purpose and usage, they are rarely ever alone.

In terms of reproduction, it is unknown what, if any, biological sexes Controllers possess. Indeed, it is commonly accepted that Controllers do not have a biological sex at all, being genderless beings like their Uplifter counterparts who exist solely to protect their world. Though rare, records indicate it's possible for Controllers to be slain in combat, similr to how the Uplifters can, in the right circumstances, die. However, they are immediatly replaced like a broken cog in a machine, with the new Controller filling in for them seemingly coming out of nowhere. Whether Controllers are 'born' in some way, or built, and by who or what, remains a complete unknown, as they are illusive and refuse contact or conversation. The only thing that is known for sure is that they seem to be more single-minded and less prone to mistakes or mishaps than their Uplifter counterparts, though whether by design or if this is emergent behavior is another vexing mystery.

For as much as we know about the Controllers, there is so much we don't know. We do not know where they lie in wait when not in use, whether it is some hidden place on Null physically, another realm, or even the Aether itself, as all attempts to find them have failed, even with Aetherwork using Magi. What is known for sure, however, is that they are on ourside, and are completely devoted to their duty, an admirable trait though also a worrying one: Are they here to protect us, or are they here to protect the planet itself? And if it is the latter, will they turn on us if we become a threat to our world's stability? A worrying though, but luckily one we have not had to find out to this day. [A note is attached. It reads 'As of their recent help during the Moon War, we got a chance to do some studying of our own. They seem to inhabit a section of the Aether that 'surrounds' Null, meaning unless you have Aetherworks, nobody and nothing is ever getting to them first; They seem to be protecting us as much as the planet, and so won't turn against us if we change our world; and finally, they seem to be each an individual, but linked together in a psuedo-hivemind that helps coordinate their thoughts and actions with one another. The creepy thing is, this psuedo-hivemind is eerily similar to what the Reaper Corp used for their troops when they fought against us. I'm not one for conspiracy theories, but the implications are uncomfortable....']

 

[TripleMRed]

[A worn out poster is visible, carefully preserved with loving care. It shows a band made up of hair metal rocking Ogra playing before a crowd. Words follow, reading 'Rockageddon CCXVII, touring live across select cities of the Median this summer!' A list of bands is visible underneath this, but time has left the names and logos too faded to be legible now.]

---

[An advertisement shows a robotic rabbit woman in a maid outfit standing in an action pose, a mop in one hand and a cycloptic robot torso leaking oil in the other. Her hand is holding it by the head, crushing the metal, while her face is in a seren look of icy fury. 'Metal Maid Panic, sequel to the critically acclaimed Metal Maid and Metal Maid Black graphic novela series, coming soon!']

---

[An old advertisement is visible, the date very recent, depicting a squad of colorful Displaced women in frilly sailor fuku outfits as they strike action poses, the edges of the poster showing shadowy figures menacing them. 'Lovely Honey Squad, collect the entire series for only D55!]

---

[A holographic advertisement is visible, showing a lively beach area full of aquatic Displaced and non Aquatic Displaced, as well as Nullians, enjoying the surf and sand. 'Neo-Sunset is proud to present the grand opening of the Pond Bay Beaches. Enjoy good food, meet exciting new people, and dance the night away with friends and family. Admission is free, space is limited, first come first serve.']

---

[An extremely old poster that has been preserved depicts a first generation Nullian combat mech, the chest open to reveal the pilot sitting within, arms bare and eyes exposed as he glares at the viewer. 'Heavy Mettle Waltz, Tales of the Steel Front War. Coming Soon.']

 

[TripleMRed]

(Okay folks, real talk.

I've been having a think, on the various eras of the world of the Encylopedia, how to possibly expand on them, and more. I've made no bones of retcons and revision in past updates to bring everything more in line with a 'finalized' vision of the setting I have, something that could, one day perhaps, be published with art and more as an actual book to be read as a lore companion piece to a possible table top RPG.

So, with that said, at the current moment, the three main polities of Null is the Median, made up of the native races, the Ogra nations, which are run by our resident Orc-Gnoll equivalents and backed up by Lasarna cultural rebels, and the Lasarna Republics, which have a massive population of Mortalized Spirits.

So, with that said, I'd like to open up the doors for another 'what do the readers want to see'? If each of you guys had a choice on what expies or fantasy/scifi species archetypes you'd like to see fleshed out on Null, what would you want to see? What fantasy races or equivalents would you want to see Displaced and added to the Ogra's populace, or the Lasarnan Republics?

What kinds of creatures, concepts, or items would you like to see the 'Nullian version' of?

As an example, I'm flirting with the idea of the Ogra also having a population of Goblins to fill a 'manic inventor' role, and for a 'High Culture' role to be filled out by, of all archetypes, a species of ratmen. Meanwhile, the Lasarna have Satyr and Gorgons planned to be added in at a later date as part of a major event, the next big 'thing' after the Moon War event ends in my plans.

But that's just my thoughts, what do you guys want to see? How do you think we can expand the World of Null more?)

 

[TripleMRed]

Bore Worm.

[Sketches follow, depicting a large, armored worm creature, its jaws segmented to open up to reveal a flower like maw full of teeth, a light within indicating it projects some sort of heat based breath weapon, which is confirmed in the other sketches showing it using its jet of plasma to melt rock in front of it as it borrows through the ground.]

[A note is attached. It reads 'Bore Worms are soooo tasty man, you don't even know!']

Scientific Name Translation: Firemouth Worm.

Average Size: Varies on subspecies.

Average Weight: Varies on subspecies.

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: N/A, hermaphoriditc species capable of asexual reproduction.

Habitat Range: Primarily deserts, but also found in mountain ranges and occasionally digs into other biomes.

Summary:​

Out of the many lines of arthropodic life forms on our homeworld, few have quite the same widespread cultural impact as the Bore Worm. Coming in a wide range of sizes, subspecies, and variants, the Bore Worm is one of the most successful species of arthropods on Null, differentiated from True Worms by their hard, segmented shells. Genetic and evolutionary evidence indicates they originate from an ancestor of what is the modern day Murderpede, one that took on lifestyle habits of digging that would culminate in their modern, legless forms. Regardless as to the specifics of their origins, the Bore Worms were here to stay and they have made themselves known since then. [A note is attached. It depicts a sketch drawing of a massive sandworm bursting from a dune, roaring at the sky.]

Found all over Arisa, the Bore Worm makes its home in large stretches of desert land, both hot and cold variants, digging through the soil to consume minerals and other underground wild-life as they do so. They dig with a mixture of mechanical boring action as well as a heat based bioplasma lance produced by numerous glands within their body before ejecting the resulting plasma out of the mouth to melt rock and soil in front of it into an easily digestible molten slurry. On average, this allows the average Greater Bore Worm (5-10 meters long) to travel through three hundred meters of Nullian solid rock found in mountains in less than 10 minutes.

The Bore Worm is covered in a segmented armored carapace, tougher than the rock they feed on and able to resist military weapon's fire from Sluggers and grenades, though rail weapons can still pierce through them, and their mouth when open is a weak spot. Furthermore, the larger Bore Worms must vent excess heat by stretching out and venting superheated plasma build up, during which time they are vulnerable during this cool down period. However, as they only need to cool down once every 10 minutes of continuous digging, it is not common to occur in normal encounters, thus making heavy weapons fire vital for taking these creatures down. [A note is attached. It reads 'It's impossible to miss these things when they vent with modern thermal imaging. Just turn on some industrial grade thermal sights and boom, you'll see mountain ranges lighting up with these suckers in them.']

Ejecting plasma plumes that reach temperatures in excess of 10k C., Bore worms are a threat to modern vehicles such as tanks or mining equipment, which they view as concentrated sources of minerals they often seek for consumption. As such, Bore Worms are frequent aggressors towards the outermost defenses of the Great Walled Cities and most mining operations. The Stonecutters, however, discovered that the Bore Worm is vulnerable to concentrated electrical discharges from Fulgerite munitions, allowing them to be taken down even with infantry grade small arms if enough Fulgerite firepower is leveraged against them. [A note is attached. It reads 'Man, I've had to work on some of the tanks after a Bore Worm attack, and let me tell you, having to weld off entire sections to replace with new parts is a pain in the butt. The real bad cases are such lost causes, we just scrap the whole thing and recycle it to make a new tank.']

When it comes to reproduction, Bore Worms are equally able to breed with one another as they are to perform asexual reproduction. When two worms do mate, it is as clinically direct as it is simple: Two worms passing each other by during their tunnelling will spray one another with genetic material and pass on by without even stopping. The end result of either method is an eggsack being laid in a pocket of regurgitated minerals to act as the hatchling's first meal before they are let loose into the world all on their own. [A note is attached. It depicts a Rock Worm with a sunhat leaving behind a bundle of eggs next to a pile of molten slag. Words follow, reading 'Bye kids, see you never!']

Culturally, Bore Worms and their variants, including the docile Rock Worm, the belligerent Ice and Sand Worms, and the volcano dwelling Ash Worms, are well known animals among the various Nations of the Median, and are a common food source among the Stonecutters, Icebreakers, Firebrands, and Skyrunners in particular. The specifics of opinion differs from culture to culture, however the common sentiment of Bore Worm meat being extremely delicious and tender has made them culinary staples where possible, and delicacies sought after in those where farming is not possible. The Stonecutters have a massive stake in the exportation of Bore Worm meat, as the more docile Rock Worms that live in their territory are easily farmable and are known for their particularly tender flesh when properly cooked. Smoked Rock Worm is not an uncommon site in menus the world over. [A note is attached. It reads 'You've never lived until you've had Rock Worm stew. And Rock Worm Wurst. And Rock Worm steak. An-'(This goes on for several more lines.)]

Bore Worms are also a staple food source in Ogra lands, where giant scale variants dwell in the aptly named Land of Giants. It is a common coming of age ceremony for Ogra young to participate in the hunting of adolescent Bore Worms in their lands, where the beasts are slain by being tricked into eating Solarite bombs. It is equally common for the meat to be eaten in great feasts on the spot following the successful hunt as a result. Ogra affiliate races are split on Bore Worm meat, with the Gobbs finding it an excellent source of minerals and nutrients, while the Tyto people outwardly find the beasts to be extremely unsophisticated dining, though rumors abound of it being popular in banquets behind closed doors is not unheard of.

Regardless of cultural importance or lack thereof, Bore Worm numbers have been in decline the past fews centuries due to over hunting, a fact that has no clearcut answer to as the worms are attracted to and hunt our technology and equipment as easy sources of food, which we naturally will defend against. Despite their dangerous potential, Bore Worms are not listed as a species requiring extinction for our continued survival, and as a result research is being done on conservation methods. The most promising one so far is the use of sonic weaponry to drive off the worms, though only time will tell how effective it will be in the end. [A note is attached. It reads 'Save the Bore worms! They're too tasty to let die off!']

 

[TripleMRed]

There is a myth, a legend passed down by the generations, of a time long ago at the dawn of the World of Null. The world was young, its people younger. Life was difficult, brutal, but early society form, and the birth of culture came with it. It was not good, but it was tolerable, as much as life in those times could be.

And then, the sun went out.

The light of Dominus ceased to fall over the world, and as the cold set in, all knew they were doomed.

The peoples of the world gathered together, for it was said that only an act of great devotion would Dominus return to relight the world and bring light and warmth back to it.

And so, the peoples danced.

The first were the outsiders, the Ogra. Their dance was brutal, primitive, violent, but there was a grace to it that could not be denied.

The sun did not return.

Next were the Empusa, the smallest of the Chimera. Theirs was a dance of aggression, of passion that was coiled tightly and unleashed in a storm of activity.

Still the sun did not come back.

After them was the Chimera themselves. They were grace, flowing and sliding into each motion like water, their dancers moving as one with one another, regal and beauty given form.

Dominus remained silent.

Next to go was supposed to be the Cerberi, but something happened. They stood together with the Oros while the others danced, communing. Finally, when the time came, the Cerberi stood back, bringing out primitive instruments: Drums, and strings, and the lightning-flutes of captured Fulgerite. The Oros all stood back as a single one stood tall, in the middle of the assembly. A Cerberus brought forth a spent piece of Solarite, the solar crystal dead and silent and lightless.

The Oros stood tall, took a deep breath.....And began his dance.

Spoiler: The Sacred Dance

As the music and the dance continued, the spent Solarite crystal came to life, and all at once, Dominus returned, bathing the world in warmth and light.

---

"And that is how we Oros got our sacred dance."

"Wow, gramma, is that true?"

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Regardless of the truth, it's our dance we share with the Cerberi and it's why all our cultures know it."

"Cool!"

"Actually, it's quite silly, but if it's good enough to amuse a sun back to life, it's good enough to keep on doing!"

 

[TripleMRed]

Gobb

[Sketches depict a species of short, pointy eared furless creatures with feline like facial features, particularly the nose and eyes. Some are taller than others, but all have a notable amount of muscle and fat in their often times squat frames. They are differentiated between various subspecies and subtypes, some larger and stronger looking than the rest while still retaining the same basic identifying features. Their skin color ranges from greens, to yellows, to oranges, to rusty colors, while their eyes range from yellow, orange, red, amber, and gold. Males have a topknot of hair on their heads, while females have full heads of hair as well as curvier frames. They are often shown wearing fully body clothes and masks.]

[A note is attached. It reads 'They're so cute!....Do they think we're cute?']

Scientific Name Translation: Little Makers.

Average Size: 4-5 feet/1.2-1.5 meters tall.

Average Weight: 200-280 pounds/90.7-127kgs.

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: Females have full heads of hair, mammary glands, and curvier bodies than males.

Habitat Range: Ogra territories, with small enclaves in other Civilized territories.

Summary:​

Of the many Displaced species on Null, none are as successful or as numerous as the Ogra. Indeed, our western neighbors thrive in the Land of Giants to the West, despite the dangers and brutal conditions there. However, they are not the only species to live in the West. Indeed, the Ogra territories has found itself the largest population of Displaced on Null in terms of independent survival. One such species is the deceptively small, but no less important Gobbs.

A species Displaced to Ogra territory around the time of the founding of the Median in 1501AA, the Gobb are at first glance small, diminutive even, with squat and full features that lead many to underestimate them. Assumed to have been brought here by a Rogue, and now almost certainly dead, Uplifter, the Gobb are stronger and tougher than they look, with dense muscle and bone that gives them a durability and strength not expected for their size. Furthermore, Gobbs are also notable for their extreme adaptability, able to adapt into new pseudo-subspecies within a generation to better survive in any environment they live in. This has led to one of the most well known the Ogra proverbs: 'If a Gobb can't live there, nothing can.' [A note is attached. It depicts a cartoon Gobb floating in space without a helmet going 'This is a fine place to grow a farm.']

This, however, is not the secret to their success, and integration into Ogra society. For the Gobb's greatest strengths is not their physical attributes, but their mental ones. Gobbs are an extremely technologically attuned species, with even young and uneducated Gobbs having an innate sense for crafting tools and items to assist them in their day to day lives. With further education, knowledge passed down and refined through the generations, the Gobbs are able to produce technological wonders with relatively little support or outside help, though this sometimes comes at the cost of the machines stability due to a lack of logistical support base in more far flung areas.

Upon their arrival, the Gobbs were quick to set up and expand into vast underground networks and cave systems within the West, mining ore and refining it to produce what were, at the time, the most complex and advanced vehicles and war machines on the planet. Indeed, this theoretically made them, for a short time anyway, the most powerful military force in terms of technological advancement in the era. However, the more advanced Gobbs were quick to underestimate the intelligence and creativity of the Ogra, who still vastly outnumbered them, and in the ten year long war that followed, many Gobb vehicle convoys and tank divisions were quick to learn to fear Ogra guerilla fighters, saboteurs, and tank hunter teams who were fast to develop strategy and countermeasures against the Gobbs. [A note is attached. It reads 'Ogra tank designs, and to a lesser extent Median ones too, were directly influenced during their evolution by Gobb tanks during this time period. I learned that indepth during my engineering courses when they were teaching us how to maintain and fix up vehicles!']

As casualties in both their arsenal and people quickly rose up, the Gobbs were wise enough to see the writing on the wall and step forward with the flag of truce to the Ogra, a newfound respect for what they had been quick to dismiss as unintelligent brutes quickly proved them wrong time and again. The Ogra, for their part, were quite impressed by the Gobbs military inventions and their use of commando assassin teams to try and counteract Ogra infantry, things that earned the Gobbs the respect of the Ogra. In what is now known as the Western Compact, the Gobbs and the Ogra signed a peace treaty that would, in turn, bring the two species into an alliance, with various Gobb clans joining Ogra civilizations as engineers, vehicle crews, and mech pilots for a next generation vehicle designs. This has continued into the modern day, with the Gobbs joining the Ogra in combat as saboteurs, combat engineers, commando sappers, and 'Rock-Hopper' mech pilots. [A note is attached. It depicts a detailed sketch of a chicken legged mech with a pair of cannon arms leaping through the air on jump jets while firing down at an unseen enemy.]

Forming close knit family bonds, Gobb families form long chains of alliances built on mutual economic, ideological, and materialistic interests, with their wide variety of world views leading to them forming enclaves in other Civilized Nations, following what each clan believes to be the best choice for the long term success and economic prosperity of their kin. These family bonds also means that Gobbs are quick to form feuds with those that slay their kin, though how severe the ramifications of these feuds are range heavily from clan to clan: Some clans demand repayment in blood, while others settle for an economic or service base trade agreement to make up for their lost family member.

Culturally, Gobbs are quite diverse, with the various subspecies and subvariants, like the more imposing and physically active Oggs or the more stealth and clandestine focused Hobbs, each forming their own distinct subculture. Gobbs who adapt to water rich environments such as lakes, rivers, and more tend to develop a strong inclination towards swimming and performing festivals near, around, or in water, while more desert dwelling Gobbs tend to create structures as waypoints and shrines within the deserts of the West. Religion exists and is widespread among the Gobbs, but is not at the most forefront of their culture. Veneration of whom they call 'The Ancestor Gods' is common, particularly those related to commerce, mining, and invention and creation, though it is not uncommon for Gobbs to be assimilated and practice the religions of native Nullians wherever they call home.

One commonality across most, though not all, Gobb cultures is their attire. Full body covering clothing is common, to protect their skin from both the elements as well as their work in industry. Masks, therefore, are widespread to protect their faces from debris and sparks. Personalization of these masks is quite common, a cultural hallmark that has led to much cross-cultural exchange between them and the similarly mask heavy Oros cultures. [A note is attached. It reads 'After the Bloodsuckers were mostly wiped out, and following the Great Walled Cities were finished and opened for habitation, there was a massive cultural push to drop the masks since we 'no longer needed them' due to the Bloodsuckers being extinct in the wild and we now live in the safety of the GWC's. A lot of my friends and a lot of the younger generation have stopped wearing masks, but most of the older folks still do. I don't wear it often, but I always keep my old mask on me at all times when I leave home.']

In terms of reproductive matters, Gobbs are mammalian and give birth to live young. Parents have powerful bonds between themselves and their children, making family units extremely close knit and protective of one another. While the mother only gives birth to a set of twins every gestation cycle, Gobb's have the shortest gestation of any of the Civilized Races on Null at only a maximum of 2 months, with mothers able to get pregnant again within days after delivery, and with children weening off milk to more solid foods within a similar two month period. As such, while Gobbs are easier to kill and lack the Ogra's sheer number of offspring, their population is quite capable of exploding in record time if not for cultural and government oversight keeping their numbers down. Gobbs are quite aware of their reproductive capacity, and take steps to avert having more mouths than they can feed, having the foresight to recognize that too many Gobbs at a time can strain, and even break, their civilization's resources to maintain their numbers.

Powerful allies to have, the Gobbs and the Ogra have had a close bond following their two people's unification many years ago, with Ogra-Gobb cross species pairs not being uncommon or unheard of, with the resulting offspring of the pairings being of the mother's species as per usual and considered members of their respective species society. They have also proven as stead-fast allies to the other Nations they are a part of, with much headway being made in Median vehicle design thanks to suggestions and lessons learned by Gobb citizens. It should be noted, however, that Gobbs culturally do not get along very well with the other Displaced populace allied with the Ogra, the Striga people, with the Striga's high society cultural leanings clashing heavily with the Gobb's own worker centric social systems. This has never blown up into full on conflict beyond the initial war between the Ogra and the Striga, but the rivalry between the two often raises its ugly head in civil matters of state, where their representatives are quick to argue and slow to agree even on mutually beneficial government agendas. [A note is attached. It reads 'Who would win in a mud-wrestling match, an Ogg or a Striga soldier? Vote now on your Bloks!']

 

[TripleMRed]

Striga-Hyto.

[Sketches depict an array of bipedal beings of various builds and body-types, the only unifying aspect about them being that they are all avian based. One build is shorter and stockier than the others, with a hefty weight and evident muscle mass of a hard manual laborer, while another is tall and lithe, with long limbs and a straight backed orientation. A third build, meanwhile, appears to be between the heights of the other two builds, and are notably more curved with fuller hips proportionate to their body height. A fourth body type is distanced from the others, and is tall and powerfully built with a great amount of potent muscle-mass. Interestingly, despite their avian nature, females appear to have fully developed mammary glands, which the sketcher wrote as 'unexpected' in the margins. Finally, across all, there appears to be various racial markers analogous to various bird species, including crows, owls, hens, and hawks, and the styles of dress are extremely stylish and needlessly ornate, which again seems to have confused the sketcher with them writing 'What tactical use does an unarmored dress that puffy offer?', while others wear clothing ranging from servant attire to more exotically provocative clothing.]

[A note is attached. It reads 'Birb bewba. Biology and nature can suck egg! >']

Scientific Name Translation: Witchweed Bird.

Average Size: Between 5-8 feet/1.5-2.44 meters tall, depending on build.

Average Weight: Between 200-800 pounds/90.72-362.87kgs, depending on build.

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: Females have full heads of hair, mammary glands, and curvier bodies than males, though exact amounts of curves vary between body-types.

Habitat Range: Floating Isles and cities across Ogra and Skyrunner territories.

Summary:​

It is no secret, and indeed a commonly accepted fact about our homeworld of Null that it is a difficult place to survive in prior to the modern day, with even fortified cities prior to the Great Walled Cities being susceptible to large enough incursions by Spider-Ants or other unexpected terrors. Indeed, this made evolving and developing on our homeworld an extremely grueling, difficult process that weeded out Displaced species brought here across the eons until a select few powerful, or fit, enough were able to develop into a niche all of their own.

However, this has led to a question in come circles. Namely, every species that came to Null did so unexpectedly, without warning, and without aid or support, with only their own strength and ability at a more primitive and unprepared level to survive in our world's ruthless environment. The question, therefore, is 'What if a species came to Null, but not only expected it, but was completely prepared?' The answer to that question exists in the form of relative new-comers in the Striga-Hyto.

The Striga-Hyto, commonly just shortened to just the Striga or, if familiarity is earned, the Hyto, stand out among the various races of Null, Displaced or otherwise, in that they are the first of only two known extradimensional species to actively, willingly come to Null of their own volition, fully equipped and prepared for their own self-sustained survival. Unlike the invaders of 'Mytus Corp', however, the Striga came not as resource exploiters or conquerors, but as refugees escaping a doomed world. Though most are hesitant to bring up the painful memories of their exodus from their homeworld, dimensional long-scry was used to confirm what those that did tell of the tale said: Their world, Hylia, was dying from the sudden onset of a cataclysmic mystical event that would consume their world. [A note is attached. It reads 'Well, that's depressing. A world doesn't have to be a horrible place for something to go horribly, horribly wrong.']

As the only species that lived on this world, the Striga used advanced magitech means to find worlds best suited for a new home, which sadly for them they found only Null as a viable alternative, as our world was the closest to theirs on the dimensional plane and the only one that could easily be accessed. The remnants of their dying civilizations, less than 5 million in total, were able to get onboard and depart on the Great Merchant Cities, floating magitech constructs meant to ferry enormous amounts of trade between far flung lands on their now departed planet, and used them to enter the dimensional planes between our worlds, where they underwent extensive alchemical therapies and extensive mystical reconstruction of all their belongings in order to survive in Null's corrosive filled atmosphere.

Arriving three decades before the Unification War in 1501, the Striga Merchant Families, now the rulers of what remained of their race, set about using their advanced magitech to survey and set up new residences and cities on the Floatstone rich isles and micro-continents hovering over Ogra and Skyrunner territories, beginning the long and painstaking process of rebuilding what remained of their cultures in a new, hostile world. Their advanced technology and weaponry, including a breed of magi-tech based energy weapon base never seen before, allowed them to defend themselves from the creatures that claim the skies and floating isles of our world as their home. The Spider-Ant is the hated enemy of all who live on or under the ground of Null, but for the Striga who reside in the skies, it is the Hellhawk Hornets who they have found as their greatest enemy. [A note is attached. It reads 'It's no secret that Null has gotten deadlier over time as things become more powerful to adapt to rising tech levels. Back during those days, a Striga Beam Rifle shot was enough to kill one of those buggos. These days, you need a freaking fighter to take them out.']

Due to their new society being managed and ruled by aristocratic merchants, any chances of them attempting military actions against the less advanced peoples on the ground during that era vanished when the decision was made by the Striga High Council to begin looking into ways to enter mutually beneficial trade relations with those who had overnight become their new neighbors. With the Ogra, they traded them (nonreplicable at the time) shielding and power sources in exchange for mined ores and minerals they could not get in the skies, while with the Skyrunners they traded (also non-replicable) weaponry and vehicles in exchange for military defense pacts and Skyrunner mercenaries assisting in their people's defense. Though all native parties were surprised by the sudden and non-aggressive arrival of their new neighbors, millennia of putting up with Null's eccentricies and brutality led to them quickly accepting the new status quo and a new powerful trade partner to mutually benefit from. [A note is attached. It depicts a cartoon Oros staring at a cartoon Striga and saying 'Okay, birds exist now.']

Culturally, the modern day Striga are formed from about 7 primary surviving cultures to hail from their original world before its destruction, specifically the mercantile classes of these cultures who were closely tied together by their bonds of trade and familial alliances. In Nullian terms, the Bretons are analogous to parts of Royalback nation, while the Qin are of the other parts of the Royalbacks; The Hoya resemble the Icebreaker's primary cultural aspects, and the Bharat are similar to the aspects of the Bughunter's building aesthetics; The Persis reflect a mirror for some of the tribes of the Skyrunners, and the Copt of the primary cultural construction aesthetics of them as well. Finally, the Venia resembles the trading city-state Isla Oro on the coast bordering the Bughunters and the Firebrands.

While it is said their respective nations were long historically rivals with one another, the merchant clans from each have a long history of inter-marriage alliances that has long since led to their forming of a distinct aristocratic culture that blends and melds aspects from all of their cultures, to the point where the remaining distinct aesthetics and cultural markers are more of a remnant held alive by tradition of their respective origins rather than a dearly held cultural distinctiveness common on Null. As a result of this intermixing, the Striga, or at least the mercantile families and their servants brought to the new world, have little in the way of cultural tensions between one another. However, that being said, they are universally quite proud and attached to their shared blended culture and as a result, older generations tend to frown upon younger generations trying to integrate ideas from 'outside' without an extensive, and often very long, process of review by the Striga High Council, which has on more than one occasion caused tension and butting of heads between the two age brackets. [A note is attached. It reads 'It took time for the Median's member Nations to put aside all of their old grudges and beefs to become what we are today. I wonder just how long it took for the Striga to get along like that?']

This is not without reason, however: Following the institution of the Median, the wealthy families and organizations of the newly founded super-nation, known colloquially as 'Upper Echelon', were quick to jump at the opportunity to try and change Striga economic and social statuses to better reflect their idealized view of what is known on Null as 'Cooperative Economic Theory', which posits that in times of stress or poor conditions, it is the duty of the wealthy to expend funds in order to aid economic recovery and assist the market to become healthy in the event of conditions that would harm market health such as monopolies. While in theory an noble goal, Upper Echelon successfully managed to slip away the knowledge of the creation and maintenance of Striga's highly vaunted weapons technology caused relations between the two parties to cool and a tightening of the leash between relations of Striga High Society and Median Upper Echelon's intermingling. [A note is attached. It reads 'Technically, Gramma Alyxia would count as UE, but only because she was born as royalty. Thank goodness she officially doesn't count, though. I don't want to go through the Agoge just to earn the right to access the family fortune. D:']

Ironically, the success of Upper Echelon managing to acquire Striga weapons technology caused them to realize that the blueprints they had acquired were, in fact, completely and utterly useless to any non-Striga: While they do, in fact, utilize mana-magics like most other species, the quirks of how they interact with them means that, while they were able to develop and create advanced magitech technologies, the exact same technologies are completely unreplaceable without Striga involvement in the creation process. Admitting defeat and realizing their error, the Upper Echelon and the Striga would go on to make peace in the ensuing decades after that incident and would work together to pen the Nullian Intellectual Rights Laws, which governs all laws related to or involving copyright on Null to this day. [A note is attached. It reads 'I got to look at a Striga Phased Beam Rifle, which looked like a fancied up musket rifle thing from the way, way olden days. It's actually a very fascinating piece of engineering, using cartridges of condensed, Striga 'woven' mana power cells to fuel and power the weapons. Don't let their aesthetics fool you: Striga like wood-furnishings and making stuff look like they come out of the olden days. But they are not.']

Society wise, time and a lack of raw numbers has resulted in the once highly stratified social order of the striga becoming something mildly, though not entirely, egalitarian: Social status is not fixed, and ones social class is flexible and malleable based on their successes and failures in whatever fields of career they apply themselves in. The introduction of Median Golem technology also meant that the quality of life between the Servant classes and the Elites are, if not the same, then comparable enough as to not matter in terms of fulfillment, safety, and comfort for the common folk of their species. Nullian mercenaries working as security and body-guards for the Striga have gone on record to find the lavishness of their accommodations despite their roles to be oddly unnerving to them, even if they admit to enjoying the luxuries considered common defaults among the Striga.

Compared to the more egalitarian natives of our world, the Striga have more clearly defined gender roles that, while having loosened over time to adapt to their new world, still influences aspects of their society to this day. It is typical for male Striga to take on roles of builders, engineers, architects, soldiers, and leading businesses and enterprises, while females dominate most other fields. Interestingly, while Nullian 'heads of the house' tend to be which ever partner is the strongest, a hold-over from the days where the strongest partner was the bread winner in a hostile world, females are the heads of their house-holds by default, and oversee family affairs, banking and accounting, as well as officiating business transactions. The Striga have a proverb: 'Men control the market, but women control the house.' [A note is attached. It reads 'Good thing for them they're becoming more open-minded. I can't imagine having to run numbers for the family treasury, my head's in engineering not accounting!']

Interestingly, the Striga religious practices stand out for their worship not of a specific deity or pantheon, but rather the belief of what they call 'The Great Cycle'. They see this cycle in everything, from the changing of the seasons, to the passage of time, to the phases of the moons, to a belief in reincarnation among their people. Due to the nature of the soul being variable from universe to universe, while we know reincarnation to not affect any Nullian race, there is some evidence to support this affects the Striga, though its exact mechanics are debated even among themselves. Another interesting facet is that their belief in the Great Cycle is not, in fact, mutually exclusive to other belief systems: A Striga can just as likely pray to a deity for fortune as they can appeal to the spirits of their ancestors, and it is considered just as viable among them without any affect on their beliefs of the Cycle. Of those Striga to have adopted Nullian religions, the Great Spirit Pantheon is the most common secondary religion among them, particularly the Great Spirit of Loot and Riches, Arara. The next most common is, surprisingly, Nullian inspired Ancestor Worship, with the seeming incompatibility with the nature of the Great Cycle's reincarnation being reconciled as the Great Cycle simply existing in this next life, with their ancestors and them simply being reborn anew in a new plane of existence.

In the modern day, the Striga are officially a neutral party nation in most trade disputes between the Ogra and the Median, being on good terms with both parties. They have cool, but existing trading relationships with the Lasarna Republics, the two cultures finding the other's luxury items to be very appealing. Though relatively low in numbers, the Striga stand out for being the largest source of third-party military supply packages during the Draconic Wars, the Dream Lotus Incursion, and with the most recent Spider-Ant wars to break out. [A note is attached. It reads 'They also have been pumping out gear like mad to fill demands during the Moon War currently going on. You see more Plasma-Locks and Las-Jazzails than any other non-Median weapon system from footage on the Moon. They're not even selling it to us, they're just tossing the weapons and ammo as fast as they're producing them. Makes sense: They already lost one world, they sure as hell don't want to lose another.]

In terms of biological facets, the Striga are possibly one of the most alien to our Nullian sensibilities. On the surface, they appear as bipedal avians with various body-types not unlike the Oros, whose females lay eggs on a fairly frequent basis and who are, in general, greatly attuned to the use of Mana based magics. However, the more one looks into their inner workings, the more unusual they become to our understanding of biology. Males have external reproductive organs, while females have fully functional mammary gland analogs used to feed their newborns, who are not hatched from eggs but rather born viviparously: The eggs laid by the females are unfertilized ova which develop into full, but nonviable, eggs, which is traditionally eaten by the mother to regain lost nutrients. [A note is attached. It depicts a cartoon Oros staring at a diagram of a Striga Baby and an egg and how they don't intersect. The Oros is saying 'Oh boy, more things beyond the comprehension of Mortal man.']

Furthermore, their body-types are not the result of a built in biological system, but the result of various different Striga subspecies interbreeding over the years and resulting in an extremely varied people in terms of build and 'species' aesthetics, with the body-type of a given offspring depending on those of the mother and father, with males getting their father's body-type and females gaining their mothers. These body types include the tall and lanky Alpha, the curved and limber Delta, the short and stout Lambda, and the artificially induced super-soldier Omega forms.

Their hands and feet are covered in typical avian calloused digits, with the odd inclusion of mammal like pads where applicable on them. These digits are tipped with claws that, if not kept dull by rather frequent care, will become sharp enough to claw into untreated stone and leave deep grooves. Their beaks are highly malleable, allowing them to speak and form sounds as easily as any species with lips, though a vocal chamber like structure allows them to indulge in a wide array of sounds not unlike our own such structures in the throat. In addition, they have an oversized Mana Converter relative to their size, which despite a lack of divine power boosting them unlike the Lasarna, allows them feats of magic matched only by Mortalized Spirits and beyond. What's more, despite all of their species being based on primarily predatory avians, they are omnivorous albeit with a slant towards a meat heavy diet, and have an extreme fondness for drinks such as wine and liquors. [A note is attached. It reads 'I'm not even sure if the Striga can get drunk. I've seen Oros get sauced and we have two super-livers and a regen ability, but I once saw a Striga diplomat down enough bottles to get one of us tipsy, and she was just strutting around like she was drinking water!']

In terms of offensive and defensive abilities, physically they are tougher than they look, with even a hit from an Ogra or Oros throwing them back without breaking their bones. This is the result of dense, yet paradoxically light weight bones, as well as their alchemical enhancements to survive better on Null improving their durability across the board. Their inherent magical skill and extensive education on its usage also gives them a wide array of close and long range powers and spells to use or enhance their natural abilities, and their peak vision allows them to be dead-eye shots outstripped only by experienced Oros Normal soldier. They also use their abilities to make up for a stunted, underdeveloped back wings via creating pinions of energy to fly with, as needed, something even their youngest seem to know how to tap into reflexively. There is a fourth form used in the military to create the 'Omega' body type super soldiers from any of the other body-types, however this is not used as often as you would expect, as these new forms, while very powerful, require a lot of resources and maintenance to keep healthy and well fed.

In reproductive terms, a coupling between a male and female Striga will result, after about 8 months of gestation time, one or two infants, their body type based on that of their parents. Born in a live, placental manner like all Civilized species of Null, the infants are fed their mother's equivalent to breast milk and are weened off at around two years old, which is where their development begins in earnest. This long period of vulnerability, as well as their young being virtually defenseless as children, means the Striga are just as protective of their children as any Nullian, especially with the dangers of their new homeworld as Hellhawk attacks are not uncommon.

What is interesting about Striga reproductive strategy, however, is that their birth rates are actually slanted to females, on average of two-to-one. With males traditionally entering the military and Null's dangers ensuring a notable attrition rate, this means during peace time, females out-number males three-to-one. As a result, Striga society has long adapted by marrying their males with a 'headwife', who would go on to pick and choose other females of her choice into their relationship as secondary wives. This is very foreign and alien to most Nullians' sensibilities, but it helps to understand that this system arose out of necessity due to an inherent gender imbalance in their population. However, in times of great conflict, the ensuing casualties that arise can result in overwhelming imbalances. When this occurs, the Striga High Council has been known to reach out to their Upper Echelon counterparts in order to make marriage deals between the two parties, based on the severity of a war's losses to their male population. These political marriages are not done lightly, nor casually, as every instance of an Upper Echelon scion being married off to abate the Striga population stresses is another avenue of influence the UE has with their society. [A note is attached. It reads 'Us Nullians aren't really 'built' mentally wise for polyamory. Like, it happens on occasion, sure, but most of us can't wrap our heads around the idea of having more than one mate you're completely devoted to. Still, if all parties are into it, more power to them.']

Possibly unique among the Displaced on Null to have willingly come here to escape certain death, the Striga have since formed themselves into a vital part of Null's global economic web, becoming invaluable trade partners for most parties on the Arisa continent, a fact not lost on them. While some find their high society trappings and at times haughty attitudes annoying, especially compared to Upper Echelon's more utilitarian and public service based culture, no one can deny their influence has been felt in the economic circles of the world even as far flung as the Lasrana Republics. Despite a rocky start from our own mistakes, the Striga remain a valued trade ally to the Median, and one who won't be going anywhere any time soon.