Evolution - Page 7

Admiral Squish · 03-15-2008, 12:48 PM

The wall of stone largely protects the muro from land-based assaults, and the new creatures underwater are simple work for the coordinated spear-assaults of the muro. Some of the muro have started taking the more durable parts of their fallen foes to make into underwater barriers to protect them when close to home, using the techniques the aquahabito showed them. They were sure to leave the aquahabito's entrance open, since the underwater predators were too large to fit through the smaller tunnel, and the door was too complicated for them, anyhow. A second shaft is dug, an alternate route to the sea, inside the protective barrier.

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El_Frenchie · 03-15-2008, 05:04 PM

New map:

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Aquahabito

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The heat wave has stopped and the Aquahabito thought they could have their life made a bit easier from now on. When they realised the increased fauna was also underwater-able, they seemed to always move in groups outside. They'd use illusions to conceal themselves or lead away a predator by having it follow an illusion of an Aquahabito. If they somehow bypassed the illusions the Aquahabito would take refuge inside the hive.

The fact that they had to make their illusions and brain capabilities reach a lower rank of brains forced them to use a set of simpler mind waves, which was inconceivably difficult for them to create, as they had to "dumb themselves down". However, the results were effective.

Now, the only ones that were out of reach of their illusions or mind waves were the ones with superior brain capabilities. (Brains ≥8 are unaffected ~reduced by one to account for the Aquahabito's creating simpler mind waves.)

Muros: The Aquahabito's that live near the Muros and act as their gardeners and somewhat mentors, look to the Muros for protection from the main new predators, as they are several kilometers away from the hive.

Carrion_Humanoid · 03-15-2008, 05:41 PM

With the heat wave the Aephids begin to rejoice at the end of Harsh Breathing. In the North, the Aephids begin to actually eat the leaves and greens that they harvest for spew. With this some of the Aephids stop attacking the smaller creatures for food and eat smaller greens in the northern area and in the forests. They find the Land-Plague is getting somewhat out of hand, and take it upon themselves to Burn and Spew to the South.

In the southern portion, the Aephids begin to eat Kelp well, their mouths and body now able to process it. They too eat the greens around them not already scorched and some swim down into the kelp fields if the Aquahabito and take some from there to eat.

Aephids

Rogue_Dragon · 03-15-2008, 09:13 PM

The recent changes in the environment have caused many new and dangerous creatures to appear, it has also spurred the sudden appearance of some less dangerous creatures as well. One of these less dangerous creatures is what appers to be a large green insect that flies from tree-top to tree-top. Though the denizens of the forest now have a new neighbor in the skies above, it is doubtfull that any of their lives will be affected by this high flying herbivore.

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Benejeseret · 03-16-2008, 12:08 PM

Landanemone
[population 311 (colonies of 123, 83, 80, 25 (mollotoid transplants)), total points into: reproduction 4, Digestion 5, neurotoxin 3, methane-sac 1, Connected Hyphae 2, tremor-sense 2, neural network 1, Renal Filtering 1, Chemokine Attractants 2, Calcified Coral 1, Symbiosis Mollotoids 1 (Landanemones and Mollotoids live in synergistic, delicious harmony - Quixotico), rest default]

The farming and tending of the colony by resident Mollotoids has led to small pockets of landanemones to grow unrestrained in sheltered locals. With little resisting the colonization of new cultivated areas the young ones are not restrained by the growth selections of before. The vegetative growth and spread of these colonies increases dramatically. (reproductive spreading up)

Many of the organisms around the corals have begun to exhibit complex behaviors. With these behaviors has developed a complex neural array to govern these drives and actions. Signaling molecules between neurons can be mimicked and adapted through complex chemo-attractants. The air around the colonies are ripe with airborne scents and fragrant that do more than fools those around them into thinking there is food nearby, the chemicals also dull and lessen the perceptive ability of prey and predators in the area. (basically, when close to the corals species temporarily loose a "brain point", smell food and are more likely to wander into the masses - Mollotoids immune by choice/adaptations)

Odin the Ignoble · 03-16-2008, 01:33 PM

With the changes in weather come the Grox. Although they do not present a physical threat, there eating habits could have dire effects on the environment.

Grox

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Emperor Demonking · 03-17-2008, 11:25 AM

10% increase in population +5 for each point.

1 point.

For carnivores life goes on asd normal. For herbivores food is getting harder to find.

Admiral Squish · 03-17-2008, 12:41 PM

The muro, farming their own food, half of which is underwater, are largely unaffected by the depleting food supplies outside their wall. Meanwhile the muro city grows ever-larger and more complex. The collective mind grows still more powerful. Soon, some of the younger muro, with access to the collective knowledge have begun to make more advanced tools. Harnessing the power of water and fire, they have begun to make simple machines of the silvery material, powered by steam. This one lifts harvested stone and silver to the main levels of the city, the next tills the fields, the next pours the molten silver into molds. There were several tries to make machines that worked thusly underwater as well, but the fire powering the steam required constantly fresh air.

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Quixotico · 03-17-2008, 01:44 PM

Rummaging through the brush for small, easy prey and delicious greens, Mollotoids use simple sticks and rocks as tools for digging up delectable roots and crushing the shells of potential prey. Their multi-tipped tentacles allow them to manipulate these tools with greater precision. Packs of Mollotoids dot the landscape if one keeps an eye out for them. Their colors range from mottled tan to a almost-black brown, with orange flecks in their chitin. Small and oddly shaped, though tough, they occasionally throw themselves into an awkward though surprising lunge after potential food. The sight of captured prey is taxing to watch. They are adaptable to a multitude of conditions, including temperature extremes (due to an insulated exoskeleton) and drought. Their digestive system can handle most toxins.

Packs of Mollotoids have expressed interest in particular locations, making their home around certain flowers or prime hunting grounds. Small packs will share the same territory and rest together, often huddling together at night for warmth, tentacles intertwined. Hunting and foraging are group tasks. During mating season, they will produce rasping clicks by stridulating their tentacles. Hermaphroditic, each creature is able to produce offspring. Quite curious creatures, they will spend time exploring and investigating things.

The Mollotoids and the Landanemones have developed a symbiotic relationship. Packs of Mollotoids, tolerant of the neurotoxin, will transplant colonies of Landanemones to hunting grounds, and actively chase prey toward the area. Between the two species, a greater quantity of food is gathered.

The newest generations of Mollotoids, between the new influence of the giant Grox and the greater supply of food, have gained record size for their species. Nearly double!

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Odin the Ignoble · 03-17-2008, 03:53 PM

With the food shortage the normally peaceful Grox have become more aggressive. The Grox are now actively chasing away other herbivores and occasionally killing them. The new more aggressive generation of Grox now sport crude claws on their forelimbs.

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Carrion_Humanoid · 03-17-2008, 07:19 PM

The Aephids of the north begin to see the land to the west of them full of humongous grass eaters, and they see them as easy pray. They surround what they see to be the sickest or oldest and weakest. They then spew fire as some throw their spears but realize these beasts will not fall, and retreat and attempt to loose them in the brush.

In the south, some Aephids find that under the layer of spew, the soil under the spew is very soft and dark from water. In this soil some Aephids cut into it in lines with hooked spears and put the seeds of Quick Growing Grasses to feed from. However, some sneaky Aephids still take from the Friendly Aquahabito.

Admiral Squish · 03-17-2008, 08:18 PM

((Carrion, for nine points of size we're not even talking in terms of elephant anymore. We're more in the field of apatosaurus. You could stick spears and breath fire all day, and the thing would be only mildly annoyed, or just stomp you into oblivion. You wouldn't get anywhere near the vitals.))

Benejeseret · 03-17-2008, 09:20 PM

((I would point out of the Grox though that with a massive, massive size...their skeleton, muscles, lung and DIGESTION are those of a meal worm............

These things would barely be able to move (sloths pace or worse) and would be constantly starving...cannot move, eat and digest enough by the looks of the stats and barely able to breath enough to provide all cells of their body with O2.))

((Second, Question before I post. With the new pop. growth is that 10% plus 5% per reproduction or 10% plus 5 animals per reproduction point....and does the default reproduction point count toward that or the extras only?

Bene ))

Nibleswick · 03-17-2008, 10:11 PM

The scarcity of food in the mountains has gotten worse in the past months, forcing the Nosslin to adapt once again, so they tighten their hypothetical belts and get on with life. They have begun to put their recently found knowledge of geology to work and ar starting to build a great wall of stone to keep the predators at bay.

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((I missed last time, so I used two points this time.))

Greyen · 03-17-2008, 11:33 PM

Tunnel Spiders

The tunnel spiders begin using their tactic differently recognizing the beginning shortage of food for the plant eating animals. They begin protecting large herds of herbivorous animals, and killing off their competition for food in the area. Some they even begin to drive into special tunnels systems specially built for the food animals to protect them at night.

This allows for the reduceing plant life to support plenty of food for the Tunnel Spiders and their chosen food animals.

Keeping ones food alive is as necessary as keeping oneself alive.

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Rogue_Dragon · 03-18-2008, 01:28 AM

The Greeners have aslo noticed the food shortage, but rather than finding some new and complex way of aquiring food, they do the only thing they know how. They go sun-bathing. With such little food in sight, and what food there is being feircly gaurded by monstorous behemoths or creatures which could easily slay them, they simple sit in the trees, absorbing more sunlight for their photosynthesis, and only traveling to get food when is absolutely necessary, or they manage to find an ungaurded tree-top. Over time the greeners notice that they just dont seem as hungry as they used to be, only needing to eat once in awhile, and not nearly as much as they used to.

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Emperor Demonking · 03-18-2008, 10:51 AM

(Only extra points count and its to the percentage)

Admiral Squish · 03-18-2008, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benejeseret

((I would point out of the Grox though that with a massive, massive size...their skeleton, muscles, lung and DIGESTION are those of a meal worm............

These things would barely be able to move (sloths pace or worse) and would be constantly starving...cannot move, eat and digest enough by the looks of the stats and barely able to breath enough to provide all cells of their body with O2.))

((I always thought of it that one point meant 'enough for you to work' and more than that was 'enough to work well'. I don't have to put points in head to put points in brain, so it would be unfair to expect those dealing with the physical side of growth to have to put points in other factors.))

Emperor Demonking · 03-18-2008, 01:13 PM

(Yeah that's how it works.)

Benejeseret · 03-18-2008, 04:54 PM

(hehe, sorry Grox's, it is the developmental/evolutionary biologist training and theory in me fighting against my enjoyment of verisimilitude rules)

Landanemones
[population 388 (colonies of 140, 103, 100, 45 (mollotoid transplants)), total points into: reproduction 4, Digestion 5, neurotoxin 3, ranged neurotoxin delivery 1 (5 feet) , methane-sac 1, Connected Hyphae 2, tremor-sense 2, neural network 1, Renal Filtering 1, Chemokine Attractants 2, Calcified Coral 1, Symbiosis Mollotoids 1 (Landanemones and Mollotoids live in synergistic, delicious harmony - Quixotico), rest default]

The omnivorous Landanemones rely heavily of their ability to catch motile prey during this geological cycle of low floral growth. The spores released into the air end up also being useful in subduing prey as their small egg-case is heavily populated with neurotoxin secreting nematocysts. Adults of this era have taken to actively flinging spore/young at sources of prey-tremors sensed near the colony. Their range is short and their perception limited to detecting the area of the tremor sources (5 foot square) but with a massive reproductive rate and mass throws by numerous organisms is enough to often blanket the target in stinging spores.

With their efficient digestion, enzymes are directly secreted into the target that a spore has latched onto. The neurotoxins directly knock out/kill smaller prey (toxin3=size under 3) but for large prey (>size 3) it merely dulls the area being digested. Huge prey (Grox etc) might even be left with numerous spores growing into small colonies across its dulled skin while they slowly eat the necrotic flesh. ((Large animals with dextrous hands/limbs, high intel, or social grooming could remove them))

El_Frenchie · 03-18-2008, 05:46 PM

((Could we get a approximation of the number of Grox's, emperor?))

Map:

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Aquahabito

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The Aquahabito's start understanding the Aephids. They communicate slightly and the Aquahabito's let them pick some greens they have. But now, it seems they have great demand for them. The Muros, the Aephids, and of course, they still had to feed themselves.

Aquahabito's brains have become more intuitive. The bubble of air they had underwater, they brought grass to it. The grass didn't seem to grow. They brought seeds to it. The seeds didn't budge. They brought flowers in it. The flowers died. This puzzled the Aquahabito mightily. They were used to the darkness of the abysses as well as the light filled cathedrals of the kelp they were growing. They didn't understand photosynthesis yet.

As they experimented, outlying cities of Aquahabito's have started to grow kelp farms deeper in the sea when they heard of the giant Grox in the area.

This new concept of the kelp farm involves a group of Aquahabito that become Guardians of that particular kelp forest. They occupy themselves solely with growing it, harvesting it and trading it off. This specialization leads to very dense kelp forests that are maintained efficiently. Once the farm Aquahabito's need more "staff" to continue growing the farm, some are sent from the city.

The kelp farms are shielded from view with the Aquahabito's illusions, and soon, the sea bed becomes increasingly greener, providing more than enough food for the Aquahabito and their trade partners.

1 point in brains. (Aquaculture)

Carrion_Humanoid · 03-18-2008, 06:51 PM

((So, just checking, is it +10% and then +5% or +5

Quixotico · 03-19-2008, 09:29 AM

(( From what I gathered it's +(10+5X)% to your population, where X is the number of additional points you've put in reproduction. Slap me if I'm wrong. ))

Emperor Demonking · 03-20-2008, 04:49 AM

Grox: 30 members, it seems that their are too many of you in the small area that you have at the moment.

Everyone else: 10+5X)% to your population, where X is the number of additional points you've put in reproduction. The world hasn't started any disasters but it is getting colder.

1 point

Greyen · 03-20-2008, 07:50 AM

Tunnel Spiders

The tunnel spiders now have more time to communicate and begin using markings on the walls of their dens to convey meaning. Phermonal markings and abstract ideas are transcribed recording their history and other ideas.

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Quixotico · 03-20-2008, 10:00 AM

The newest generation of Mollotoids have continued the growth spurt of the species, accumulating body mass for the cooling weather and making themselves big enough to hunt larger prey.

Usually standing around five feet tall, but able to elevate themselves to a full height of over seven feet when fully extending their six-foot tentacles, the creature weighs, on average, 220 to 260 pounds.

(( I've been meaning to draw a picture of the Mollotoids. I think I'll do that tomorrow. ))

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Rogue_Dragon · 03-20-2008, 01:32 PM

With the gradual cooling the Greeners start having to look harder to find food, and much harder to find places to keep warm at night. This constant searching leads to strained eyes, untill they addapt to always looking for a sign of heat, whether it be for comfort, food or a sign of danger. However one of the larges sources of heat that the Greeners can see is the lumbering behemoths that inhabit the lands below them. On one of the Coldest nights, a few of the younger Greeners decide that they would rather risk being eaten than freeze in the night sky. A handfull of them fly down and attempt to land on the back of a Grox, hoping that the large creature doesn't mind sharing it's warmth for a night. They also hope that if the creature does mind they can escape before it figures out how to get its claws to the middle of its own back.

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Odin the Ignoble · 03-20-2008, 01:43 PM

As the Grox strip the vegetation from the area they need to travel farther and farther afield. The fastest ( or in this case the least slow) Grox get the prime vegetation first and so are healthier an more likely to reproduce. By the standard of previous generations the new Grox travel at breakneck speeds. To all other observers they seem slightly less lethargic than normal. The Grox seem wholly oblivious to the Greenies who have taken up residence on their backs. The Greenies mere presence scares away other potential parasites and is beneficial to their unknowing hosts.

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Benejeseret · 03-20-2008, 02:11 PM

Landanemones

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The coral swells and spreads greatly under the care of the mollotoids. The great success of the ranged spore tossing spreads the alleles controlling the bio-mechanics for this process quickly throughout the colonies. (The connective hyphae allows lateral gene transfer and thus genes favored by selection need not even wait for future generations to spread the allele as particularly healthy members are programed to release gene-packets).

El_Frenchie · 03-20-2008, 06:10 PM

Map:

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Aquahabito

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As the Aquahabito's grow in their underwater realm, they devise new ways of losing their predators. In mazes of kelp, they have a hard time following them. When they use their illusions, they can lead their predators away from them.

Even if the Aquahabito was attacked, it still had a confident shell to protect himself. But all these were escaping measures. As the Aquahabito increasingly use bones, they feel some measure of guilt regarding the fallen bones of their fellow Aquahabito. It is an uneasy feeling that they can't describe. So they have begun to harvest bones off the seabed of other aquatic vertebrates. The problem is, there's not that many of them.

So they had to make them. Targeting their main predators, the Aquahabito create traps of woven kelp, similar to nets, and finding a predator they would calm it through illusions before capturing it. Then there was the only way for them to kill the predator without departing it from the illusion. They would drag it through the long winding corridors of their Hive, then would eventually reach the one tunnel underground that reaches the bubble of air from below. (So as to prevent air escaping) They would drop the Aquatic prey there, and wait for its decomposition.

Needless to say, it was a long and excruciating task. And all this because Aquahabito's couldn't overpower a distressed predator. A group of them however, had a different idea. Aquahabito's learned from the Aephids and the Muros that their brain waves were particularly distressing when unprepared.

Right after capturing the prey, the Aquahabito's would focus their brain waves and release information to the brain of the poor creature. After a few hours, (meaning that for now, it's not very efficient at all) the creature stopped jerking, and blood floods out from the eyes. The Aquahabito would then drag it to the Aephids, really, just a present, and the Aquahabito would ask them to cut it up and use it as meat for themselves. When everything but clean bones remained, they would take them back underwater and use it for the hive.

1 point in brains. (Mind Rape *chuckle*)

:edited: