North King
blech
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2004
- Messages
- 18,165
Excellent update: I love how the Behemoths look when they pop out of the water--just as I pictured them. 
I'll probably continue with my branch until I've got my fully rounded out amphibian; then I'll move onto other things.
Behemoth: North King
Evolved from: Juggernaut
Genes (14): Plankton Eating x3, Plant Eating x1, Swimming x2, Crawling x1, Vibration Sense x1, Eyes x1, Cold Resistance x1, Large Size x1, Skeleton x1, Immune System x1, Gills x1
Description: A branch off of the Leviathan-Juggernaut path, the Behemoth was the first of its line to begin to eat plants as well as filtering plankton. This allowed it to gain more energy from different sources; in addition, it began to develop primitive crawling methods as some of its fins began to look more like limbs. Dwelling mostly in the colder waters of the sea, the Behemoth could still deter predators by its large size (and the fact that few predators lived there). In addition, if it was very quick, it could occasionally splash out of the water to nibble on a shoreline plant, though it would have to return soon, due to lack of lungs or water retention.
->
Goliath: North King
Evolved from: Behemoth
Gene added (max 2): Plant Eatingx1, Water Retentionx1
Gene removed (optional, max 2): Plankton Eatingx1
Description (optional): With a thickened, mucous lined skin, the Goliath was able to retain water like never before, and primitive lungs could take over from its gills on land. Its diet shifted more to eating plants, and its fins evolved fully into legs with webbed feet. It retained a massive tail, both for balance on land and efficient swimming at sea; with these new innovations, it became amphibian: slightly better at swimming than crawling, but still able to survive for long periods of time outside the water. As it was the largest land animal of its day, it didn't have to fear other creatures very much, and thus, was able to eat plants in peace.
We continue our foray into interstellar life by looking, once again, at this bountiful and rich world, orbiting a normal star: Delta Panzerus.
*A view of a normal, yellow dwarf solar system; the camera tears through the ice comet cloud, avoiding many larger asteroids, and shoots forward, passing several gas giants and flitting through the rings as it comes to a halt on a blue and white world*
Our last adventure onto this world showed sea life growing more and more diverse, and land life struggling to evolve. Fast forward a few dozen millions of years, and we come into a new era: the Polaric. Plants now grow fairly thickly on the surface of this world, eaten by a variety of creatures, while the sea is practically exploding with new life.
The focus of our episode today is the increasingly complex Wavy line. This ancient ancestor of a massive group (seen in earlier programs *quick pan of a Wavy gently coursing through the water*) has seen many innovations and branches off of it, including what appear to be the closest thing to fish on this planet.
*cut to an underwater scene*
Interestingly enough, the Wavy species is still alive: a living fossil of sorts, as it is hundreds of millions of years old by now. Its simplicity is surprising to some: not that much more advanced than a worm. The innovations of a primitive backbone allowed it to swim much more effectively, and its fins were superior to any in the ocean. This allowed it a great amount of room, and though it is slowly being phased out of this world, it lives on in its descendants.
*shot of a Wavy being torn to pieces; the water fills with red, obscuring the camera somewhat, which moves to refocus on a Flying Fang*
This Wavy has managed to fall victim to one of its own: the Flying Fang. A fearsome predator, it has managed to use the fins that the Wavy introduced, and burst through the surface--*the Flying Fang sees a Blue Hunter, and darts away*--spreading wide the surfaces and remaining airborne. *the Fang wriggles furiously, propelling itself far from the predatory Hunter*
This Blue Hunter--a closely related species to the Wavy, being in the same Order--is deprived of its meal. Seeing the dead Wavy, it decides to feast on its distant cousin: Wavys and Slitherys are hard to catch, and this meal won't try to swim away.
The smell of blood drives away most other creatures, and the Hunter and its newfound feast descend into the abyss; finally, the depth is too deep, and the bones are nearly picked clean; the Hunter breaks off. It's still not full, so it looks around for another meal. Seeing one in the shadows of these depths, it goes to investigate...
*suddenly a massive creature bursts out of the gloom and heads directly at the camera*
...And dashes away. If there were more of its brothers around, the Blue Hunter might try attacking, but alone, it simply is not big enough to take on the Juggernaut.
*the camera breaks off of the Hunter to follow the larger creature*
The Juggernaut is probably the largest organism--certainly the largest animal--on Delta Panzerus. Its sheer size was an advantage: no one creature dares to attack this monster unless it has help. Lots of help. The Juggernaut can be considered a boring creature of sorts: mostly filter feeding and swimming along, invulnerable, but its brothers have started to take on a new niche.
*the water peels away off of the camera as it rushes towards the shallows*
This mother Behemoth has lain her eggs and guards them out of a vague parental instinct: only a few weeks, as the eggs hatch quickly. Now, they slowly stir: swollen and distorted, the creatures within them are awake now, and trying to get out.
It's too good to resist.
A Scuteryte arthropod, member of a different phylum, crawls through the shallows; followed by a herd of its own kind. Their usual prey are the dead, but this is just too good of a meal to resist.
*a crowd of small critters, snapping their pincers, come scuttling towards the hatchlings*
But the mother Behemoth will not walk away so quickly. She makes her own species' threat display: spitting out a jet of water as she disturbs the seafloor to make a cloud of obscuring mud. The spray of particles confuses the Scuterytes, and gives her hatchlings a little, precious time.
*the cloud of dust settles as the crawlers burst through it. The Behemoth attacks them by plowing up more mud with her long head and flinging them away, as well as by simply lying on them and crushing them with her massive weight, but some manage to get through*
The newly hatched babies make haste: only a little bigger than tadpoles, but these newborns have legs.
*some of the small animals are engulfed by the horde of scuttlers, but a couple make it on to the land, bursting through the wave and blinking at the sudden sunlight*
These are the Goliaths, babies of a new generation of species. The first full amphibians on this planet; they will grow into large land and sea creatures, eating plants when on land, and filtering plankton whenever they swim in the shallows. This dual ability means they can escape most predators... and means they may eventually become much, much more.
*a short shot of a massive, legged creature, looking something like a wet lizard as it plows through the plant life*
I'll probably continue with my branch until I've got my fully rounded out amphibian; then I'll move onto other things.
Behemoth: North King
Evolved from: Juggernaut
Genes (14): Plankton Eating x3, Plant Eating x1, Swimming x2, Crawling x1, Vibration Sense x1, Eyes x1, Cold Resistance x1, Large Size x1, Skeleton x1, Immune System x1, Gills x1
Description: A branch off of the Leviathan-Juggernaut path, the Behemoth was the first of its line to begin to eat plants as well as filtering plankton. This allowed it to gain more energy from different sources; in addition, it began to develop primitive crawling methods as some of its fins began to look more like limbs. Dwelling mostly in the colder waters of the sea, the Behemoth could still deter predators by its large size (and the fact that few predators lived there). In addition, if it was very quick, it could occasionally splash out of the water to nibble on a shoreline plant, though it would have to return soon, due to lack of lungs or water retention.
->
Goliath: North King
Evolved from: Behemoth
Gene added (max 2): Plant Eatingx1, Water Retentionx1
Gene removed (optional, max 2): Plankton Eatingx1
Description (optional): With a thickened, mucous lined skin, the Goliath was able to retain water like never before, and primitive lungs could take over from its gills on land. Its diet shifted more to eating plants, and its fins evolved fully into legs with webbed feet. It retained a massive tail, both for balance on land and efficient swimming at sea; with these new innovations, it became amphibian: slightly better at swimming than crawling, but still able to survive for long periods of time outside the water. As it was the largest land animal of its day, it didn't have to fear other creatures very much, and thus, was able to eat plants in peace.
* * * * * * * * *
We continue our foray into interstellar life by looking, once again, at this bountiful and rich world, orbiting a normal star: Delta Panzerus.
*A view of a normal, yellow dwarf solar system; the camera tears through the ice comet cloud, avoiding many larger asteroids, and shoots forward, passing several gas giants and flitting through the rings as it comes to a halt on a blue and white world*
Our last adventure onto this world showed sea life growing more and more diverse, and land life struggling to evolve. Fast forward a few dozen millions of years, and we come into a new era: the Polaric. Plants now grow fairly thickly on the surface of this world, eaten by a variety of creatures, while the sea is practically exploding with new life.
The focus of our episode today is the increasingly complex Wavy line. This ancient ancestor of a massive group (seen in earlier programs *quick pan of a Wavy gently coursing through the water*) has seen many innovations and branches off of it, including what appear to be the closest thing to fish on this planet.
*cut to an underwater scene*
Interestingly enough, the Wavy species is still alive: a living fossil of sorts, as it is hundreds of millions of years old by now. Its simplicity is surprising to some: not that much more advanced than a worm. The innovations of a primitive backbone allowed it to swim much more effectively, and its fins were superior to any in the ocean. This allowed it a great amount of room, and though it is slowly being phased out of this world, it lives on in its descendants.
*shot of a Wavy being torn to pieces; the water fills with red, obscuring the camera somewhat, which moves to refocus on a Flying Fang*
This Wavy has managed to fall victim to one of its own: the Flying Fang. A fearsome predator, it has managed to use the fins that the Wavy introduced, and burst through the surface--*the Flying Fang sees a Blue Hunter, and darts away*--spreading wide the surfaces and remaining airborne. *the Fang wriggles furiously, propelling itself far from the predatory Hunter*
This Blue Hunter--a closely related species to the Wavy, being in the same Order--is deprived of its meal. Seeing the dead Wavy, it decides to feast on its distant cousin: Wavys and Slitherys are hard to catch, and this meal won't try to swim away.
The smell of blood drives away most other creatures, and the Hunter and its newfound feast descend into the abyss; finally, the depth is too deep, and the bones are nearly picked clean; the Hunter breaks off. It's still not full, so it looks around for another meal. Seeing one in the shadows of these depths, it goes to investigate...
*suddenly a massive creature bursts out of the gloom and heads directly at the camera*
...And dashes away. If there were more of its brothers around, the Blue Hunter might try attacking, but alone, it simply is not big enough to take on the Juggernaut.
*the camera breaks off of the Hunter to follow the larger creature*
The Juggernaut is probably the largest organism--certainly the largest animal--on Delta Panzerus. Its sheer size was an advantage: no one creature dares to attack this monster unless it has help. Lots of help. The Juggernaut can be considered a boring creature of sorts: mostly filter feeding and swimming along, invulnerable, but its brothers have started to take on a new niche.
*the water peels away off of the camera as it rushes towards the shallows*
This mother Behemoth has lain her eggs and guards them out of a vague parental instinct: only a few weeks, as the eggs hatch quickly. Now, they slowly stir: swollen and distorted, the creatures within them are awake now, and trying to get out.
It's too good to resist.
A Scuteryte arthropod, member of a different phylum, crawls through the shallows; followed by a herd of its own kind. Their usual prey are the dead, but this is just too good of a meal to resist.
*a crowd of small critters, snapping their pincers, come scuttling towards the hatchlings*
But the mother Behemoth will not walk away so quickly. She makes her own species' threat display: spitting out a jet of water as she disturbs the seafloor to make a cloud of obscuring mud. The spray of particles confuses the Scuterytes, and gives her hatchlings a little, precious time.
*the cloud of dust settles as the crawlers burst through it. The Behemoth attacks them by plowing up more mud with her long head and flinging them away, as well as by simply lying on them and crushing them with her massive weight, but some manage to get through*
The newly hatched babies make haste: only a little bigger than tadpoles, but these newborns have legs.
*some of the small animals are engulfed by the horde of scuttlers, but a couple make it on to the land, bursting through the wave and blinking at the sudden sunlight*
These are the Goliaths, babies of a new generation of species. The first full amphibians on this planet; they will grow into large land and sea creatures, eating plants when on land, and filtering plankton whenever they swim in the shallows. This dual ability means they can escape most predators... and means they may eventually become much, much more.
*a short shot of a massive, legged creature, looking something like a wet lizard as it plows through the plant life*
I suppose I can change it. 
Thanks!
