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Xeno Terra: Deep into the Woods; What lurks in the alien jungles beyond the city?
Topic Started: Sep 14 2012, 04:37 AM (402 Views)
DNArchitect
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Last Descendant of the Post-Nuclear Aberrants
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Grove of Shadows

Herein lies my expeditions into the forests that dot the vast Wastelands. I can barely remember our own Earth forests these days, the green canopy that catches the sun's life-giving rays, the noise of the animals as they go about in their own secret lives, how I miss it all. Men like Charles Darwin, Carl Linnaeus or John James Audobon saw in person the beauty of the world. Me, I'm exploring a world I used to know, warped, twisted and dominated by a strange form of life, one we only thought existed in the vast reaches beyond this world. Instead, it came to us, and brought us and life as we know it to total annihilation, with no goal or purpose but the sheer drive of natural selection. But onto my ventures...

I came upon a small grove of bamboo-like trees, with black, spiky stalks that gave a dark feeling to it. The thorny brush was getting thicker, forcing me to hack through. As I painfully trekked, I began to notice dry husks littering the forest floor. Continuing further, more and more carcasses were catching my eye, the color of their hides sticking out against the dark Barbtrunks.

Eventually I walked past two peculiar Barbtrunks with long claw marks. Suddenly I heard a noise behind me, as if someone was following me. As I turned around, a loud thud hit the ground, scattering flyers in the canopy. It was a dead Sharkhorn, a staple diet of carnivores everywhere. There was a huge hole on its side, as if a massive spear skewered right through. I looked up to see what predator could have caused this. At first I thought it was but a mass of stray branches interlocking together into a shape, but when it shook, I made out the creature.

Imagine a thin, six-limbed bug-like creature, with a brick-shaped head standing ten feet tall and hanging high in the trees. Its middle limbs terminated in long spikes, which I guessed was its feeding tools. It stood motionless, but now and again it would quiver with the slightest of movements. Its other two pairs gripped the trees with long sharp claws. The huge head had no face whatsoever, so I had to assume that it saw the world through sonar.

The wind began to pick up, and the creature slowly descended. Was it unaware of my observations? Suddenly it froze, and I heard some rustling behind me. I decided to hide.

It was a docile, six-legged Tanker Cow. Feeding on low growing vegetation, it was completely oblivious to the Slender Bug closing in on it. Suddenly the heavy beast was lifted into the air with one stab of the predator's spikes. Impaled and helpless, its fluids were drained with ease. I took this opportunity to escape. As I left, I heard the crash of the corpse onto the forest floor. I haven't returned to that area since.

The Tree of Death
I began an exploration into a large forest southwest of the city. Early on, I came across a gruesome sight. At first it was an ordinary tree, but as I looked up to the canopy, I saw cadavers of slain prey hanging from the upper branches. The more recent ones had blood dripping down to the forest floor, and decaying ones attracted scores of scavengers which flew or climbed up for a bite.

As I pondered, the creature that did this arrived. Emerging from the thick foliage, with a Sharkhorn in its "mouth", was a Razor Leopard. Not as large as its urban cousins, but extremely nimble. It growled at my presence, and I backed off quickly into hiding. From the leaves, I saw the predator climb the tree with great ease, and place its fresh kill on a lower branch. I peered into my binoculars, and saw that another Leopard was resting on the tree. Suddenly it came to me: mating.

Further research has concluded that during the breeding season, males will compete for females by proving their hunting skills. The better prey brought back, the better chance of having a mate. Seeing as how Sharkhorns were a regular delicacy, this male wasn't faring quite so well.

I haven't expounded much on the Razors for a while so its best to start now. The Razors are a family of large, cat-like predators that come in a variety of species. Although each is different to their cousins, some similarities are shared in all. For example, the mouth. All the mouths of the Razors are highly deviated from our standards. The teeth on the upper jaw have become a ring of spider-like fangs that are stabbed into prey and suck them dry. The mandible has been reduced in size, and is used to pin the prey up and hold it in place. Adaptable hunters, they can be found in a variety of environments. Heck, I've even heard stories from northern traders about a sabre-toothed Razor that prowls the snows during winter. I'd love to go and investigate, if the law didn't hold me back though.

Plantimals
I'd like to point out a group of creatures that are part plant in nature. I'm not sure if they are actually related, but they do share similar features such as photosynthetic lobes. They come in a variety of forms, from the colonial Vineworms to the lumbering Bloom Strider.

The largest of the lot is the towering Sail-backed Dendrosaur. Standing upwards of 200 feet, they keep themselves upright with the help of sacs containing lighter-than-air gas. I cannot imagine their original world, but something here has allowed them to survive. I remember my first encounter with them out in the Wastelands. Even now it still feels surreal.

I was driving a jeep out in the Wastelands when I crashed into this ditch when a fleeing Kanga-Raptor jumped on the hood. The jeep ended up on its side with my seat facing the outside. I tried calling for help but the ham radio was trashed. The crash pinned me to the seat so I decided to stay calm, but I had to escape before a predator finds me. Thirty minutes later, a Bullwolf scout spotted me in the wreck, and was about to pull me out painfully when it fled in terror. Suddenly a massive shadow came over, and the ground shook. Then a massive foot came over the ditch. I thought I was going to be crushed, but instead it passed over. The hind leg, however, crushed the back side of the jeep. The force unhinged the car from me, and I ran out to escape, looking at this gargantuan tower of flesh and bone walking right above me, it's majestic, photosynthetic lobes glowing greenish-yellow. I realized that the creature was headed for the city, so I decided to tag along to study it and protect myself from predators. Walking underneath that giant was a magical experience, and none can compare to it.

Edited by DNArchitect, Mar 23 2013, 07:52 AM.
Scientific Fact: Stegosaurus could do this
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trex841
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Oh ya more, these stories are always fun!
F.I.N.D.R Field Incident Logs
A comprehensive list of all organisms, artifacts, and alternative worlds encountered by the foundation team.

At the present time, concepts within are inconsistent and ever shifting.

(And this is just the spec related stuff)
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DNArchitect
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Last Descendant of the Post-Nuclear Aberrants
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Sorry I was away for so long, but I've added another tale!
Scientific Fact: Stegosaurus could do this
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trex841
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Isn't there a shark/dino out there that feeds in a similar way?
F.I.N.D.R Field Incident Logs
A comprehensive list of all organisms, artifacts, and alternative worlds encountered by the foundation team.

At the present time, concepts within are inconsistent and ever shifting.

(And this is just the spec related stuff)
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DNArchitect
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Last Descendant of the Post-Nuclear Aberrants
 *  *  *  *  *
Another story added, but I can't guarantee that more will be added in specific timespans
Scientific Fact: Stegosaurus could do this
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