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

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Scorponid.

[Sketches depict a large scorpion like creature with 8 legs, two large pincers, a long tail ending with a trident like three pronged stinger, and an armored face with jaws surrounded by mandibles and 5 piercing eyes. The Sketches show the creatures tunneling through the sand as if they were swimming through it, living in burrows and often laying in wait for prey to come near their hiding spots before springing into action. Their carapaces show various colorations, from the striated looks of those in the Great Banded Desert to the red hued shells of the ones in the Red Desert, and more.]

[A note is attached. It reads 'When I was little, I heard people kept pet scorpions, but I didn't realize at the time only the small ones were kept as pets. So growing up, I would imagine Scorpanids on leashes and it wouldn't be until I was in college where I found out the truth. XD']

Scientific Name Translation: Sand Crawler.

Average Size: 7-12 feet/2.1-3.65 meters in length.

Average Weight: 500-800 pounds/ 226.8-362.9 kgs.

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: Females are distinguished by their orange markings compared to the males' red ones..

Habitat Range: Most Desert regions in Arisa.

Summary:
​

Across Arisa, the Arachnid branch of life has seen many varieties and species come and go over the eons of evolution, from the primitive Pseudo-Spiders dated back 150 million years ago in our worlds' history, to the modern day and prospering Migo's Forest Scorpion. One particular species, however, have come to dominate the deserts of Arisa compared to other arthropods, having out competed all but the most powerful or numerous other species. The Scorpanid, also known by the native peoples of the deserts like the Skyrunners as the Dune Swimmers, is a family of large, hulking scorpions adapted to the harsher conditions of our world's deserts, finding plentiful food in the form of wandering bands of desert creatures moving from one oasis to another, and their competitor rival species, the Desert Spider-Ants.

The Scorpanid's evolution can be traced back roughly 23 million years ago, where their earliest known ancestors still lived in the inland sea of what is now today the Great Banded Desert. Living an amphibious lifestyle, when the Great Inland Sea began to dry up thanks to shifting continents and climate, these early creatures were forced to adapt quickly to the increasingly hostile landscape. While several different family lines would branch out to try and survive, the one that would directly lead to the Scorpanids were able to adapt the best to the new status quo, having grown to become the apex predator of its era. [A note is attached. It depicts a cartoon scorpion wearing sun glasses telling several other kinds of Scoprions in water 'You guys are dumb, water is for losers.']

Compared to most other ground scorpions, the Scorpanid is notable for its large size. Powered by a complex set of expansive internal lungs even by Nullian insect standards and a robust skeleton, the Scorpanid is protected from both the elements and most forms of attack by their hardened, chitinous armor. Difficult to pierce even with modern day, non armor piercing rounds, the Scorpanid's biggest limitation to their dominance in the deserts is their relative lack of social bonds. While cunning hunters, it is rare to see more than a handful of Scorpanids in the same area, and even then, usually only to feed on a large enough kill or when there are packs of prey near by.

With hunting strategies ranging from stalking hit and run tactics, ambushes on well walked prey routes, and using their ability to 'swim' through the sand to perform coordinated take downs of largest prey animals, the Scorpanid has a reputation among the peoples of the desert as a common hunter of livestock and pets. As such, culling's of their populations are common whenever they make their way to Civilized lands in any large numbers, though a more common tactic is to lead them into known Spider-Ant colonies to have the two mortal enemy species fight. [A note is attached. It reads 'During my time fixing up military gear at work, I once got to see a live cam footage of just one such fight breaking out. Words can't describe how cool it was to see live!']

In battle, the armor of the Scorpanid increases its survivability by an incredible degree, allowing them to ignore all but the most powerful of attacks. Crushing damage, such as that inflicted by the Hammertail of the region, makes short work of them, but their agility belied by their large size allows most to dodge out of the way. In terms of armaments, the Scorpanid is a living weapon's platform: Their legs are edged with sharp spines, their massive claws are capable of crushing almost anything that they can fit between them, their venomous stingers are stung with such force as to pierce modern military powered armor, and they are able spit out a burning corrosive stomach acid up to 50 meters away with great accuracy. Dangerous both to wild life and Median military units, dealing with Scorpanids is not something to be handled lightly as the powerful beasts can just as easily turn the tables on their attackers and inflict severe injuries or worse. [A note is attached. It reads 'It's almost like it's a living biological tank. I can't imagine why fighting one on foot would be dangerous. ']

During the mating season, Scorpanid males have their red markings brighten to a flamboyant bright red, to help them attract females. Rather than compete in feats of strength or hunting, Scorpanid mating rituals are unusual in that they involve what can only be described as an intricate, ritualistic mating dance. Interestingly, each dance is unique to each Scorpanid, who must learn to develop their own dance on their own. Initiated by a hopeful male suitor, if the female is uninterested she will simply go away. If the male does manage to catch her eye, however, she will respond to his dance with one of her own.

The ritual is considered complete and successful only once both parties have danced up to 4 times each and begin to dance in unison. Once completed, the two mate, and then the pair go their separate ways. Females lay large eggsacs in their burrows which take several weeks to gestate before hatching into a swarm of young that follow their mother around, learning from her how to survive and what hunting tactics to use against what prey. At around 3 years of age, the Scorpanid young have grown to a sufficient size to survive on their own, and the cycle of life begins once again. [A note is attached. It depicts several tiny scorpions taking notes as a larger scorpion in a moo-moo is holding a Spider-Ant in one claw. Words follow: 'Now pay attention class, this is how you crush your enemies and drink in their dying lamentations like a can of soda.']

Tenatious creatures, Scorpanids are respected by desert cultures for their lethality, power, and overall level of danger, with a common saying among the Skyrunners about a foolish act as being 'Hitting the Dune Swimmer in the face instead of in the back.' Popular icons in both the military and as the representative animals for numerous tribes, the Scorpanids are held in high regard in spite of their danger and often frustrating attacks on local farms due to their tenacity and predatory cunning. To be compared to one is among the highest honors Skyrunner soldiers can give to another.

 

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[Greetings to all of my readers. I know it's been a while since the last update, to which I profusely apologize for. I have been busy behind the scenes handling something important, and have come to make an announcement for it:

We are rebranding!

Who cares about silly deathworlds, complex lore dumps, and intricate histories? Nobody gives a toot about stuff like that these days. You know what people like? Sports ball! As such, I am proud to announce my Totally Legit and Absolutely Official Partnership with HBO to bring you Magic Johnson's Slamdownverse, a Totally Canon prequel to Space Jam.

Join MJ as he takes on the greatest B-Ball players in the universe to learn the secrets of the Cosmos and help the Fellowship of the Slam to dunk on the competition of the Dark Jam Masters!

This partnership will be fruitful for all parties involved, and I am proud to say that absolutely nothing can stop it from happening!






































Update: I have just been informed that Warner Bros has written off and completely destroyed all seventeen pre-recorded seasons of the would-have-been hit animated series to start this new multiverse off for a tax write off of half a baloney sandwich and a pocket full of lint.

However, due to not signing off the rights to my first ideas to them, I retain full power over everything written up to this point and can continue to do so in the foreseeable future.

Updates will return on a semi-regular basis starting with a Sidestory update to get us back into the groove!]

 

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[The following is a Transcript from the Grimoire of the Magi Order, unknown author.]

The Old Gods of Null: The Pantheon of Violence.

'Before there was the World of Null, there was the Old Lands, the old spaces when the universe was young and new. Gods of all breeds settled into their own corners of burgeoning reality, and laid down the foundations for what were to be their worlds. And in what would one day be the location of Null, there was what can only be described as a Pantheon of Violence.'-Excerpt from the Chapter Before The Beginning, The Book of the Great Spirits.

The World of Null which we Mortals call home is old. Even before its physical foundations were laid in the early universe, the blueprints for its make were woven into the cosmic tapestry by the Weaver Null. Indeed, much was planned from the onset for our world, from its lethality to its carefully chosen location. One aspect that did not survive to the modern day, however, is the pantheon that calls its Spirit World home.

Before the Great Spirits, there were the Old Gods.

The Pantheon of Violence.

Where other pantheons were woven of tales of drama, familial affairs, and a variety of misadventures, the Pantheon is notable in that it lived up to its namesake. Violence and brutality was the order of their day, be it in the swift and ruthless execution of Elder Gods that thought them easy prey, or in the ruthless and absolute power that Ha, Queen of Spite, rule over her fellow gods.

The Pantheon of Violence was once thought to be but a myth, the oldest known religion among the Oros and their kin once believed to have been constructed as a way to explain why our world was as harsh and brutal as it is. Over time, however, we would find evidence to suggest that the legends and tales past down over the ages were, in fact, truth, stories of this primordial age bleeding into modern Nullian memory as the final remnants of our spiritual forefathers.

What is known for sure is that the Pantheon is long dead, or that if any of the Old Gods survived they have either left or have gone deep into hiding. Indeed, it is believed that the reason the Great Spirit Pantheon came into being is because our intended gods, the Pantheon of Violence, had died out in ages long past and that they were brought in as replacements for our now missing divine component to our world.

The Old Pantheon is known to have been originally comprised of 8 individuals.

At the top of the pantheon was the brutal, merciless, and all powerful feline like Queen of the Old Gods, Ha. The Queen of Spite, it is said that Ha was cursed with being the vessel of Divine Wrath itself, and that as time went on, all that remained of her was Perfect Hatred for all that existed, which if true would explain much. Ruling with an iron fist, Ha gained her title as the Queen of Spite for carving every slight, no matter how small, against her unto her own flesh. Indeed, according to legend, once Ha ran out of space on her skin, she peeled herself apart to carve more slights underneath her flesh-muscle, organ and bone-until even her marrow was etched with grudges.

Directly beneath her in power and status was her brother, the canine like Ra, her enforcer and who is agreed upon to be the spiritual forefather of the Oros family line. Compared to his sister, Ra was far less consumed by rage, though was as quick to battle as any within his pantheon. Technically, Ra was weaker than the other Old Gods in terms of raw power, something he made up for with incredible cunning. An inventor by nature, Ra would construct tools using his own molten blood as the ore for weapons, armor, and more. Irony of ironies, it would be Ra who would lead the rebellion against his sister in the end of it all and would be the last one standing against her in the Mutiny of Old Heaven.

After them was La, the Jackal esq Shadow Mistress. La was tied with Pa the Scholar as the most level and cool headed of the Old Gods, using cunning and a sharp tongue to deescalate situations before they could become battles. Though not lacking in power, La as the others paled in strength to Ha and thus used her wit and tongue to secure her place in her court. Unfortunately, for all her intellect, La miscalculated just how deep the strength Ha's Perfect Hatred ran within her, and her very strengths became all the reason Ha needed to assail her. Losing an eye, La escaped into the Shadows and is believed to be the only one of the Old Gods still alive, albeit far from us. Indeed, her still being alive is believed to be the reason why no direct replacement for her has arisen among the Great Spirit, though this is purely theory.

Ga, the enormous serpentine Old God of the Sea, was proud and arrogant, though the irony of being God of the Seas in a realm that was volcanoes and shifting tectonic realities was not lost upon him or us. The fiercest rival to Ra, Ga often engaged his smaller opponent in battle to claim his place as the enforcer of Ha's will, though Ra always bested him in the end to his great frustration. He was not weak by any measure, however, for in all their battles, Ra always won by outsmarting and out-maneuvering the larger, stronger deity.

Ya, the draconic Old God of the Skies, spent almost all of his time flying high above. Aloof and haughty, Ya believed himself safe from the affairs of his land-bound kin by remaining in the skies above, something that was one day proven incorrect when Ha, having grown tired of his flaunting ways, leapt up and brought him down to the dirt for the first time in his long life, a humiliating humbling that led to him being first in line to join Ra in the eventual rebellion.

Fa, the Jailer, a hulking goddess assigned to guard and watch over any prisoners who had earned the ire of Ha enough for long term imprisonment, was methodical in her book-keeping and was said to be able to recognize one grain of sand out of place within her domain. She was the last and hardest to turn against Ha due to relative lack of bad blood between them, becoming convinced with the idea of being able to apply her trade to more than one world if they could depose Ha and open up their borders to other realms.

Pa, the Scribe, was the least aggressive of the Old Gods and, as his title would suggest, was tasked with all of the duties of writing down and maintain the ledgers and codices of the Pantheon at Ha's command. It is said it was he who turned Ra against his sister by pointing out that her attack against La was provoked only by pettiness, a trait not befitting a ruler, though if this is the actual truth has long been lost to time. During the Mutiny of Heaven, if it said that Pa sacrificed himself to give Ra the opportunity to deliver a killing blow to his sister.

Finally, Ta, Mother of Monsters, the smallest and weakest of all of the Old Gods and said to be the mastermind behind the primordial proto-forms of what would one day become the biosphere of Null. Relatively tiny and angry, Ta notably had no allies, only varying degrees of enemies among her kin, hating them as much as they hated her if one believes the tales. Knowing her weakness, she used her incredible intellect to create her 'children', the proto-monsters whose spiritual descendants we know as the flora and fauna of our world today. Despite this quality, modern interpretations often portrays Ta sympathetically, seeing her as an underdog surrounded by those far more powerful than herself. Among the Old Gods, she was the easiest to turn against Ha, hating the Queen of Spite more than she hated the rest of her kin. Though many believe her to have been among the first to die in the Mutiny of Heaven, some stories tell that Ta was the only survivor of the great battle, and would go on to shape the world into what it is today with some believing her to be the literal mother of the Great Spirit of Mortal Life on Null, Xarara.

The Pantheon of Violence is a tragic tale of brutality and internecine conflict that ended in total destruction, it is also something of a relief among our people that they died out and that the Great Spirits arose in their place. Our world is horrific enough as it is without them. Who knows what horrors would have awaited under the tyrannical heel of one like Ha?​

 

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Noxagon.

[Sketches depict a large, quadrupedal creature with a mixture of mustalid and draconic traits, with large, muscles limbs and a hardy body. A black and white color scheme is apparent, and a large hunch like portion runs down its back from the back of its neck to the small of its back. Sketches reveal this hunch is home to one-to-three large, muscled tendrils with openings on the tips, which they are shown launching either streams of some sort of burning substance or globs of explosive matter depending on if they are one or three tendriled.]

[A note is attached, reading 'Their name comes from a portmantau of 'Noxious Dragon'. If you've ever been unlucky enough to smell one, you'll know exactly why.]

Scientific Name Translation: Rotfire Drake.

Average Size: Depends on subspecies..

Average Weight: Depends on subspecies..

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: Females have longer ears and longer digging front claws than the males..

Habitat Range: Wooded areas, plains, and hilly regions.

Summary:​

It is no secret that in ancient times, the True Dragons and their Stone Eye Elder allies crafted many creatures to help protect the world when it was still young and they still ruled. While many such creatures would go extinct over time, others have survived into the modern day to form common family lines such as the Dracoequines, the Dracoursines, and other varieties of wild draconic creatures. One notable example of these surviving, purpose crafted creatures, however, is the Noxagon. Named after the foul odor agreed to be worse than that of rotting flesh, the Noxagon is a fascinating look at the lineage of extinct 'Weapon Creatures' from the bygone time of the True Dragon's rule. [A note is attached. It depicts a couple of dragons staring down at a small animal with a knife strapped to its back. Words read 'The Weapon Creature R&D Department.']

Ranging in size from the humble Pygmy One Tailed Noxagon to the hulking Three Tailed Bombadier, Noxagons share one trait in common: On their backs is an armored, hump like growth that opens to reveal either one or three 'tails'. These tails serve a distinctly different function depending on the species. One Tails fire a burning, toxic acid spray capable of eating through even an Ironwood tree in a matter of moments, while the Three Tails fire long distance globules of explosive bioplasma that at their most powerful can level a small building with a direct hit.

The reason for these unusual features is that the Noxagon, as a 'Weapon Creature' was purpose designed by the True Dragons with the intention of being living, breathing tanks and artillary. This is neither metaphor nor exaggeration, as even after millions of years of evolution into the modern day, modern Median tanks getting into close range combat with One Tails are at legitimate risk of severe crippling damage to its systems from their spray, while many artillary duels between Three Tails and Median artillary pieces have occured throughout our civilization's history. [A note is attached. It reads 'I've had to help with tanks that got blindsided by a Noxigan spray before. We basically had to just throw out all of the armor plating, there was no salvaging it without Deep Recycling procedures we're not equipped for, and most of the surface level systems and electronics weren't even there anymore, it was all useless molten slag.']

Quadrupedal and covered in a thick hide with strong, segmented armored coating over their durable flesh, the Noxagon is built for durability and endurance, capable of taking hits as strong as they deliver them. Indeed, anti-tank and vehicle scale weapons are the only equipment that can reliable injure one among the Civilized Races, and they still require a continuous application of this level of weaponry to kill. This durability served these living combat vehicle analogs well in ancient times, and now serve as a problem when encountered in the modern day, an unforeseen consequence of their durability and survivability allowing them to endure the eons.

Omnivorous by nature and design, Noxagons will eat just about anything that is edible while also supplementing their diet with a mixture of ores and elemental crystals. The ores in their diet contribute to maintain and repairing their durable bodies, while the elemental crystals are one ingredient in the process of producing more 'ammunition' for them to use with their intended weaponry. A fully satiated Noxagon has enough 'ammunition' for anywhere from dozens to hundreds of shots before needing to 'refuel', depending on the size of the subspecies in question. While in the past this led to conflict with Civilized Races seeking to mine easily accessible outcrops of elemental ores and building material, in the modern day, modern deep mining capabilities in mountain ranges developed by the Stonecutters allows these conflicts over resources to be a thing of the past. [A note is attached. It reads 'This is way before my time, but back in the day us Stonecutters basically had a small monopoly on the northern trading of resources due to the amount of trouble there was mining ore veins in the wilds with Noxagon's around.']

In terms of armaments, their back-tails are the most obvious and dangerous weapons at their disposal, with them possessing a heightened regenerative capability that allows them to regrow on the fly in the event of removal or damage, making removing their main weapon a temporary solution at best. Their powerful, digging forearms allow them to cleave through hardened metal as easily as the ground, making close range combat a dangerous affair to say the least, with more than a few overconfident Mech pilots facing an early grave or being forced to abandoned their destroyed vehicles. Additionally, they possess a breath weapon that can best be described as a short ranged, predigested version of their ammunition for their tails, meaning they always have a deadly ranged option on hand.

The Noxagon's signature foul odor is a result of the final form of their bioammunition stored in their humps. The toxic, corrosive substance known by many names but commonly called 'Corpse Oil' is foul smelling enough to actually be debilitating to any in close proximity without a class three air filtration mask or above. This also means that there are virtually no predators that can stand their smell enough to hunt or feed on them, even for creatures with the strength and power to reliably kill one. The most common natural death for a Noxagon is a fight with another Noxagon over territorial disputes, as while they are immune to their own Corpse Oil, the distinct composition of another Noxagon's Corpse Oil is able to damage and eat through their hides and bodies. As Corpse Oil rapidly decays in a biological half-life of hours without a living host to sustain it, a Noxagon corpse attracts scavengers approximately two to three months after all their Corpse Oil has gone inert and stopped stinking. [A note is attached. It reads 'So like, anyone else find it ironic that Corpse Oil only keeps when the critter is alive, and goes away when they're dead? Come on, that's kinda funny!']

In terms of reproduction, Noxagon's lack any real form of monogamous relationships, and so every breeding cycle females and males will breed with whichever is closest to them regardless of prior interactions. Once impregnated, a female Noxagon engages in a feeding frenzy to fatten up massive stores of energy before digging herself into the ground, leaving only her hump visible. She remains in this hibernating state for about 4 months before finally giving birth to a littler of anywhere from 4-6 offspring. As young Noxagons are both relatively fragile compared ot their adult forms and do not yet have the ability to produce their own Corpse Oil, the mothers nurse and protect their young for up to a year and a half before they have grown enough to begin producing their own signature noxious odors. At this point, they are weaned off their mother and left to fend for themselves, making their ways into the wild to live and grow until they reach adulthood and begin the cycle anew.

Noxagons are terrifyingly powerful, which is why they have historically been used to represent armored units known for their durability. Many modern day armored regiments of tanks, artillery, and mech units often have a stylized Noxagon logo emblazoned upon them to represent their own strength and power. As we no longer have any need or reason to compete with them over resources, conflicts with Noxagons have dried up over the centuries and so far it only occurs as a result of accidental territorial incursions. [A note is attached. It reads 'Fighting Dragon Artillery Badgers for metal and fuel would kinda freakin' suck to be the norm.']

 

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Hydra.

[Sketches depict various breeds of large, reptilian creatures of various breeds, the unifying features being their armored plated hides and seemingly eyeless faces with armored plates where the eyes would be. Interestingly, one sketch indicates they have an extremely heightened regenerative capability compared to the norm on Null, even able to rapidly regrow a lost head.]

[A Note is attached, reading 'No wonder the Chimera have these things as one of their signature animals, they're bad ass looking!']

Scientific Name Translation: Eyeless Serpent Emperor.

Average Size: Varies based on phenotype.

Average Weight: Varies based on phenotype.

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: Females have sharper, horn like edges to their plating..

Habitat Range: Continent wide across all biomes of Arisa.

Summary:​

Throughout much of Nullian history, the True Dragons reigned supreme as the dominant species of our world. However, in every family line there is a steep divergence, and the Dragons are no exception. While the specifics have been lost to time, oral history states that at the dawn of the Mortal World, the First Dragon, the King on the Mountain, created the first sapient species, the True Dragons, from his fire. However, from his spilled blood arose their physical counterparts, the Hydras. Since then, the two sibling species' have been at odds forevermore.

Apocryphal legends aside, the Nullian Hydra is one of the oldest family lines of creatures to live on land, having been around in a time where Saurians still roamed the surface of Arisa. Ancient and having diverged into numerous offshoot species like the theropod like Smashhead and the ironically draconian like mountain dwelling Cacklers, the original core Hydra species remains to this day, hardly changed in the eons since their first appearance on the fossil record, not unlike the similarly little evolved Crocodilians. [A note is attached. It reads 'I mean, kinda hard to top perfection for your role, evolution wise.']

Historically, wild Hydra have rarely been threats to the Civilized races of Null, though the times members of their kind have attacked civilized settlements were calamitous affairs still remembered and taught about in the locales of their rampages. One family line, however, the Chimera and Empusa, have historically been well known for finding ways to tame and ride upon Hydras as powerful mounts which, given their incredibly individual physical power, made them the first tanks in early historical wars before the innovation of the vehicles proper. [A note is attached. I depicts a stick figure of an eyepatch wearing female Oros riding a majestically drawn detailed sketch of a Hydra, reading 'I want a frickin' Hydra mount, then I could destroy all of my enemies! If I had any. I don't have enemies, but it would be a cooool friggin' mount!']

Known to be as sapient as their True Dragon kin, Hydra's possess a very alien viewpoint compared to their ilk or other sapient life forms. Where the Dragons are believed to have been stewards to the mythological 'Plan' for our world by Weaver Null, and where normal sapient Civilized Races are unified by relatively similar concepts of mortality and morality, Hydra seem to have a veneration for the Natural world of Null and its lethality. While calling them 'primitivist' is not accurate due to their distinctly alien approach to 'civilization', Hydra believe in making themselves part of 'The Crucible', a translation for the concept that the lethality and dangers of Null is meant to unify and forge the Civilized Races that grow and develop upon it.

As such, Hydra intentionally keep themselves to be a part of the ecosystem as a cog in its machine rather than attempt to grow into conventional forms of civilized society, though it is believed that once every hundred years, the eldest surviving Hydra congregate to designated meeting spots to form 'conclaves' to make their reports on the state of the biome's they call home. This also explains their long-standing feud with their Dragon kin, believing them to be 'meddlers' and that the Plan requires no 'stewards' and their continued interference in Nullian history remains a sore spot between the two family lines to this day. [A note is attached. It reads 'I wonder what the Hydra think of the Dragons now that they're basically peaced out from their whole 'steward' thing and are now just sleeping in the wild.']

Interestingly, unlike many other species including their Dragon kin, Hydras do not have distinct subspecies in any traditional sense. Rather, outside of the true divergent offshoot races like those previously mentioned, true Hydra are biologically distinct from one another via phenotypical differences not unlike the differences between pet dog breeds: All the same species, simply adapted to different environments. Varying wildly in specific size and appearance based on phenotype, the 'default' Hydra form is four limbed, with segmented armored plates from snout to tri-pronged whip tails, lack eyes and are of a purple-pink hued color scheme. Moving on powerful, muscular legs armed with grasping digits on all four appendages, Nullian Hydras differ from those of most other worlds in that the Nullian Hydra only has a singular head. While Hydra's with multiple heads are known to exist, they are the result of rare genetic mutations rather than the norm.

In terms of shared biological functions, Hydra's are known for having one of the best regenerative capabilities of any organic Mortal life form on Null. Indeed, the loss of a head results in its rapid regrowth, with the fastest known recorded instance taking under thirty seconds for full regrowth to complete. This makes Hydra extremely physically durable and difficulty to kill, with extreme heat being required to cauterize the wound to prevent healing. However, it should be noted that their regenerative capabilities are extreme enough that a cauterized wound is not permanent and, if not killed in short order, will begin to heal within a few minutes. [A note is attached, depicting a sketch of a drowsy Hydra next to several decapitated heads, with the words reading 'Dude, i have the world's worst freakin' headache.']

Hydra are well armed between their powerful, armored limbs, bodies, and long tails and necks giving them reach and range. Their jaws, armored as everything else, open to reveal rows of backward facing teeth and they possess an organ not dissimilar to a Dragon's own breath weapon, producing and launching balls and streams of concentrated bio-plasma large distances over elemental attacks. While far from invincible, between their typically large sizes, durable armor plating, regenerative capabilities, and potent attacks, the average Hydra when provoked requires several whole heavy weapon teams working in tight coordination to bring down reliably.

The lack of eyes has also been a matter of debate among scientists for many years, as despite the physical lack of eyes on their armored heads, they do appear to have some form of vision. Study of decapitated Hydra heads recovered from the battlefield indicates that under the armor is an extensive network of sensory organs that allow them to see in some form, though the manner which they percieve the world is unlike the conventional visual perception eyed' creatures utilize. Among the sensory organs includes the ability to detect light, movement, and even heat. [A note is attached, showing two Hydra head sketches, one with a metal plate over its face, the other with a pair of black shades on. Words follow reading 'If a Hydra was blind, would it wear a face plate or would it wear black shades? ']

In terms of reproduction, Hydra have complete control over their biological forms and sexes. Typically genderless and sexless, when enough Hydra in a given region are confirmed dead, the oldest surviving Hydra take on a biological sex varyingly male or female before reproducing. While fully capable and known to take on hermaphroditic forms, particularly in situations where more rapid re-population is necessary, it is considered extremely egotistical and narcissistic among themselves to reproduce asexually, a fact that not so coincidentally is known to be one of several grievances they have with their dragon kin.

Similar to their control over their biology and sex, Hydra have control over whether they will lay eggs or give live birth based on circumstances and situation. Regardless of the method chosen, Hydra parents keenly watch over and teach their young the ways of their people and the optimal hunting strategies of their particular region, as well as instilling their kind's core values and cultural practices into their youth to continue their traditions and ways of life. Young Hydra are much more docile and playful compared to their older kind, as they have yet to completely adopt or assimilate to the strict norms their kind is expected to follow. [A note is attached, reading 'I wanna hug the super death noodle babehs. :C']

As a result, young Hydra that are socialized with Civilized Races early tend to be less of a threat as they grow older, something which causes the more hard-line traditionalists among them to try and raise their young as far from Civilized lands as possible. Not so coincidentally, the Hydra that were tamed and used as mounts by the Chimera family line tend to be seen with a dim-view by more traditionally minded Hydra. In recent years, reports of rare 'Socialized' Hydra have been reported to have moved into towns and villages whose populace have largely moved into the Great Walled City's. They seem to specifically move into towns and villages that still have some population left and live alongside and protect the residents in order to keep them all from moving away into the GWC's.

The Hydra is a fearsome and intelligent ancient predator that has made its mark on Nullian cultural history, particularly with the Chimera and Empusa who once rode them into battle. Seen as a symbol of power and combat prowess, Chimera and Empusa soldiers and huntresses often use the Hydra as their icons and symbols. As for the rest of us, the Hydra is a rare threat, though one that when encountered demands the utmost attention and respect to deal with. As 'socialized' Hydra begin to make their ways to unused homes in the slowly depopulated towns in the outskirts of safety, hopefully in time a true, long term peace and cooperation between us and them will become the norm rather than a rarity. [A note is attached. Its depicts a sketch of a Hydra in a comically oversized cap and T-shirt awkwardly splayed on its body, the words reading 'Hydra House Buddies?']

 

[TripleMRed]

Tyranus.

[Sketches depict a large theropod with various subspecies, featuring a variety of traits based on subspecies. The common Tyranus Packjaw is covered head to toe tail in an array of feathers, while the Carnidont is covered in rough scales and dermal armor, with the Sword Tail being the most armored and featuring a sharp, blade like tip to the end of its long tail that extends for two meters. The sketches show them hunting various prey items, including wild Oliphants or sauropod like Skynecks.]

Scientific Name Translation: Deposed Tyrant King.

[A note is attached. It reads 'Man, imagine having 'deposed' in your scientific name. Brutal.]

Average Size: Varies on Subspecies, Average Range of 20-24.61 Feet/6.096-7.5 Meters.

Average Weight: Varies on Subspecies, Average Range of 10-15 tons.

Notable Sexual Dimorphism: Females are slightly larger than the males with males having brighter colorations.

Habitat Range: Found in all biomes in Central and Western Arisa, from the Land of Giants westward. Swordtails also found in the Great Banded Desert hunting Hammertails.

Summary:​

In our world's evolutionary history, there was a time period where the Saurian creatures dominated the lands of our world. This time period came to an abrupt end some 77 million years ago, when the Mesozoic era ended with the Thaumaturgical Awakening Mass Extinction occurred. The dominant eusocial insect life at the time, a native analog to the Spider-Ants that would replace them eons later, rapidly mutated to massive sizes following the mass activation of the then dormant leylines of Null's magic, the newly mutated creatures rapidly expanding outwards from their original homes to consume all biological life beyond a certain size in the super-continent of the time, Domina Secunda. However, those life forms small enough to evade the now oversized predators managed to survive, and among them were the ancestors of all modern day land life, including the Saurians and Synapisdae that continue to exist into the modern era. [A note is attached. It depicts a cartoon mini-Tyranus hiding in a hole alongside a small cat-rat mammal and a proto-bird as a massive insect prowls outside. Words follow, reading 'man, sure sucks to be outside right now.']

The Tyranus is the sole surviving descendant of the theropod family line that dominated the end of the Mesozoic period, hailing from a diminutive pygmy variant that coexisted alongside their full sized cousins of the time period. As millions of years passed and life recovered from the Mass Extinction as the Butcher Bugs starved into their own extinction, the Tyranus family line would survive and regrow over time to their current state of being, though never again would they experience the same unchallenged dominion over the land as other creatures evolved to fill in niches left behind by their larger counterparts same as themselves.

Split into several subspecies, the Tyranus is believed to have evolved in Eastern Arisa, only to be pushed back and driven out over the eons as other, deadlier predators made their homes in the recovering environments. With the exception of the heavily armed and armored Swordtail subspecies that continues to prowl and hunt its prey in the Great Banded Desert, the Tyranus is almost exclusively found to the West, from the Land of Giants onwards. The three most common subspecies are the feathered, pack hunting Packjaws, the armored, semi-aquatic jungle and swamp dwelling Carnidonts, and the previously mentioned arid dwelling Swordtails. Regardless of subspecies or life-style, the Tyranus remains an extremely efficient predator, making use of either ambush tactics when solitary or advanced pack hunting skills when together to acquire prey. [A note is attached. It reads 'The Swordtail's namesake is one of the deadliest hunting tools I've seen. They just roll lone Hammertails over and just slide that thing between the ribs into their hearts, it's brutally efficient.']

Standing at a minimum of 6 or so meters tall, the Tyranus are popular symbols of power in the societies of the West onward, with the civilizations starting with the Ogra commonly having them as heraldry for the military or old family lines. Intelligent creatures in their own right, the Tyranus of all species can be tamed by those with strong will and skill to undertake the process of earning their trust enough to become their partners in combat or as their riders, with their arsenal of strong, tooth filled maws, powerful arms and legs tipped with a trio of deadly claws, and muscular tails capable of delivering metal crushing strikes making them potent and extremely respected war steeds in pre-vehicle eras. [A note is attached. It depicts a traffic jam, with an Ogra riding a Tyranus boredly waiting in it.]

Their intelligence also sees the Tyranus develop complex 'language' of primordial growls, hisses, subsonic chimes and bellows that allow them to remain in contact with others of their kind across large distances. Each species has their own distinct 'language', which is further subdivided by various different sub-dialects that varies from region to region of different packs or communities of the creatures. Those of different species or packs have difficulty communicating with one another, which is often the lead in to combat between them over territory disputes, but it has been known on rare occasions that in locations with abundance of prey or competing predators of non-Tyranus descent that different Tyranus species or packs will actively seek to learn the other's distinct language in order to communicate with one another and coordinate extensively to avoid conflict or to form primitive defense-pacts with one another.

Though evolved to survive in the modern day alongside the bounty of other dangerous animal life, with the notable exception of the Swordtail that remained in parts of the East of Arisa, most Tyranus species are lacking in terms of lethal arsenal at their disposal. Indeed, with the exception of the typical plasma coating for claw strikes and the Swordtail 'keeping up', most Tyranus have to use their raw bulk and coordinated pack tactics to beat back other predators that can compete with them. However, in recent centuries, there has been sightings of Tyranus Packjaws developing an almost dragon like ability to spit out flame, or of the Carnidont beginning to spit out caustic, toxic bile, though whether these will become widespread or are isolated instances of mutation have yet to be confirmed.

To compensate for the higher difficulty in survival compared to their ancient precursors, the Tyranus lack a mating season and produce young all year long. Each pack is comprised of a mated male and female and their children, who are connected to other packs of blood-relatives on both sides of the family line in 'clans' across large territories, which in turn form 'alliances' with unrelated but linguistically connected clans to prevent in-breeding. The dominant female of the pack, the largest by far in a given Tyranus family, produces large number of young each 2 month gestation cycle, many of which will not survive to adulthood due to predation but of those who do are quick to become hunters and guards in their family territory, trained and taught to hunt by their father. Each litter ranges from 10 to 20, and it is expected only 2 or 3 will survive into adulthood to reproduce. [A note is attached, reading 'Man, and I thought we had it bad with our 2/5 fatality rate pre-GWC's.']

When a Tyranus reaches around 30 years old, they break off to go to an unrelated clan to integrate into it and earn the right to be paired off with a mate of their own, starting their own pack if accepted in the territory. While life expectancy is grim for these primordial giants, there is enough success in this system that the Tyranus population is always slowly, but steadily, growing rather than fatally diminishing. While never enough to out compete the other predators in the region, they are unlikely to go extinct any time soon either barring a concentrated and deliberate effort to exterminate them, an unlikely prospect as the only beings with the resources and ability to this, the various Civilized Races of their lands, view the Tyranus as creatures to be respected.

Despite the loss of their rule over the land, the capacity for adaption and their cultural impact on those civilizations living alongside them, the Tyranus is something of an unofficial mascot among the scientific community for those species that survive the destruction of the rest of their kind, managing to find a niche for themselves in the increasingly dangerous world their evolution prepared them for. While not as perfected for their new environment, the Tyranus remains a symbol of surviving against the odds. [A note is attached. It reads 'I'm rooting for these guys, they're too cool to let die. ']