T5 Only: What is it?

[Duke Craig]

I had a go at the BeastMaker in T5. Here is the result.

Preset requirements for the beast included Homeworld Siz = 6 Atmos = 8 Hydro = 7

A creature

Name ?unknown?
The beast is ... description ?unknown?

It inhabits land and can swim in water​

It is an omnivore hunter​

It is Size = 4 (120 cm long, 12 cm wide and 12 cm) deep​

Speed = 4 Speed 1 = Xslow Speed 2 = Typical kph = 20​

Strength = 5 V strong​

The beast has bilateral symmetry.​

It has a head with sensors and brain. It has a torso. It has no tail.​

It is a walker with two arms AA with hands hind limbs FN​

It has an internal skeleton, gore, scales, claws, hands​

Body profile is Thin​

Density is Sac​

Total Volume = 1.2 liters​

Att = 10- ,Flee = 7-​

It is not edible and tastes disguisting to humans. Internal fluids marginally may be considered edible by some.

It is not trainable.


What is it?


Thanks for reading.

 

[willtron3030]

Arboreal Iguana-monkey

Native to the trees that line the banks of the river valleys of equatorial Carchemish, the iguana-monkey prowls river banks to collect fatty, overripe seed-pods that drop from native trees, and hunt arthropods that inhabit shallows in the rivers.

The name is an awkward but accurate portmanteau derived from the Solomani names of two animals with common characteristics. Their nicknames among the 40 or so humans that dwell there are many, and mostly unprintable.

They are somewhat territorial and aggressive, prone to attacking creatures much larger than themselves, particularly if they are perceived as competition for food. Any human travelling outside is advised not to carry food on their persons.

The iguana-monkey's diet of river spiders, rodents (an invasive species of Earth) and rotting seed pods makes them odoriferous and unpalatable to many, though one of the aromatic chemicals that collects in their lymph system (from the consumption of tree seed pods) is a close analog to ketones found in some fermented meat products popular in trailing subsectors of Vargr space.

 

[Duke Craig]

The Portmanteau

Native to the trees that line the banks of the river valleys of equatorial Carchemish, the iguana-monkey prowls river banks to collect fatty, overripe seed-pods that drop from native trees, and hunt arthropods that inhabit shallows in the rivers.

The name is an awkward but accurate portmanteau derived from the Solomani names of two animals with common characteristics. Their nicknames among the 40 or so humans that dwell there are many, and mostly unprintable.

They are somewhat territorial and aggressive, prone to attacking creatures much larger than themselves, particularly if they are perceived as competition for food. Any human travelling outside is advised not to carry food on their persons.

The iguana-monkey's diet of river spiders, rodents (an invasive species of Earth) and rotting seed pods makes them odoriferous and unpalatable to many, though one of the aromatic chemicals that collects in their lymph system (from the consumption of tree seed pods) is a close analog to ketones found in some fermented meat products popular in trailing subsectors of Vargr space.

wbuthod, thanks for this post and for the terrific ideas and scenario. It has raised some questions of particular interest.

I also imagined that these creatures are arboreal and river dwellers. I wondered whether they were insectoid, reptilian or even mammalian.
However, I suspect that they are completely alien to our understanding deriving from their peculiar hostile environment.

Originally named iguana-monkeys by the first explorers to explore the planet (when some invisible force stole much of their food supplies), but as this researcher made closer inspection of Carchemish system; the "portmanteau-a large travelling bag" named later by Solomani researchers following the teaching of one philosopher named Jean Luc Picard, became much more intriguing.

The small volume 1.4 liters and large size 120 cm is a bit of a puzzle to be solved.

To be continued ...


Thanks for reading.

 

[Duke Craig]

The portmanteau aka iguana-monkey

The portmanteau or iguana-monkey

Basic Description
A creature called portmanteau or iguana-monkey, inhabits equatorial river terrain, on Carchemish in the Kukulkan subsector (Solomani Rim 2536).

It is a typical sized creature, capable of fast (4) movement of 20 kph. and is very strong for its size 5DxSiz. It is an omnivorous hunter. The portmanteau or iguana-monkey has bilateral symmetry with one foot. The creature has a 30 cm long narrow head with brain and sensors, a 90 cm long thin torso containing a thorax and abdomen. The creature has two 40 cm long arms ending in hands with claws. The body is characterised by an internal skeleton covered by scales. Interior fluids are gore. The beast is a walker, capable of climbing, swimming and actually drifting on wind currents (more about that later). The portmanteau or iguana-monkey is very thin in profile with sac density (volume 1.2 liters) and weighs only 1.6 kgs in its environment. Its mature length is 120 cm, two arms 40 cm x 2.5 cm^3, one leg 25 cm x 3.5 cm^3, head 30 cm x 2.25 cm^3 in cross section. It is not trainable or a pack animal and can be considered dangerous to humaniti.

Further Description
The portmanteau or iguana-monkey is jet black in color and has two long spindly arms (mature around 40 cm) and one leg (mature around 25 cm). Its hands have three medial fingers and a lateral thumb. Its single leg has three toes. All fingers and toes have long claws, except the lateral thumb. It's head is 30 cm long and has two eyes located on short bulbs near the terminal beak. It has a hidden sensory smelling organ near the top of its head. It lacks hearing organs but instead has vibration sensing organs on the balls of its fingers.
Most of the body including thorax and abdomen is covered in small 1-2 cm^2, reddish-black (under visible light) scales which appear to be armor. It is virtually invisible under incident starlight.

Discussion
Name originally iguana-monkey when a researcher found their food supplies missing said it was taken by some little monkey. Another researcher was bitten through a vacuum suit by an invisible creature and an auto-med, finding bacterial or poison residue in the bite, diagnosed an iguana bite. Unfortunately the researcher also died from the wound when infection led to sepsis. Name changed to portmanteau when more information was discovered about the creature.

Further Information
Temperature variability adaptation
The portmanteau or iguana-monkey's home world of Carchemish is prone to wild swings of temperature between around 198 K (-75 C) and 375 K (102 C). The portmanteau has evolved the ability to quickly change its scales into balloon-like organs and swell its body to over 70 liters. It can literally float on the warm breeze away from high pressure (temperature) areas to lower temperature regions. It has also evolved capability of naturally entering a cold sleep like state if the temperature suddenly drops below 275.8 K (2.8 C from which it can awaken when temperature reaches 276 K.

Specific Evolutionary traits
It has evolved a poison gland. This seems to be a defensive mechanism vs river/ocean creatures. The poison is effectively dangerous to Humaniti and Aslan, however Vargr find the poison to be mildly intoxicating (a pleasant experience) and enjoy the bones of the portmanteau as a delicacy.

Researched Data about Scales
The scales store a sulphur compound (as yet unidentified). At a specific temperature the scales expand to nearly one hundred times their initial volume causing the portmanteau to expand balloon-like from 1.2 liters to over 70 liters. The creature is then able to float on a light breeze. The process while not well understood by researchers can proceed rapidly. This allows it to escape increasing environmental temperatures caused by changes in the stellar configuration.

Ecosystem and Habitat
The portmanteau obtains sulphur from eating the river spider (length 12-20 cm, volume 18-30 mL), another apex predator which eats a range of flightless arthropods that in-turn eat each other and microscopic extremeophiles. These extremophiles subsist on sulphur compounds. These sulphur compounds are excreted by fungi and plant life on Carchemish. Plants extant here include a large fossilized (still living) tree called Sauroplankton. sauroplankton produce a large fatty nut that is eaten by the portmanteau and thus spread. Note: Fungi here are also extremophiles that are capable of eating the arthropods. The life here is evolved to benefit from a Sulphur dioxide metabolism in addition to oxygen-carbon dioxide metabolism.

Game Characteristics
A UPP of the Portmanteau including C1=Str, C2=Dex, C3=Vigor, C4=Int, C5=Ins, C6= Cas
Young UPP:141231, Adolescent UPP: 363342, Mature UPP: 494453
Att = 10- Flee = 7-
Weapons
Bite damage 1d6 + organic poison
Claw damamge 1d6
In addition to causing terrible pain the poison causes 1 damage to C3=End/Sta immediately + 1d6 damage to C3 per 4 hours. Difficult check vs End to negate poison every 4 hours.
A skilled medic may help. Medical skill 2+ Roll 11+ to eliminate poison. DM +3 if antivenom available - created from antibodies by harvesting poison in medical laboratory TL8+, +1 per point of Medical skill greater than Medical-2. +3 if Medical laboratory is available.
Create antivenom Roll 8+ on 2d6, requires a medical laboratory, Medical-3+, and 12-24 hours.
DMs +1 for Biology skill 2+, +2 for Chemistry skill 2+.

Thanks for reading.