A scientific fantasy

DialfortheDevil

New Member
I am DialfortheDevil, you may have seen me on other sites such as Speculative Evolution. I came here to have some experts in myth check if my project is good on the mythological front (on Spec they check the science behind it well enough!).

The project revolves around the world of Omnia Sanatem, an alternate Earth where wyverns,elves and a host of other mythical creatures inhabit. I am aiming to have as many mythical creatures represented in the project unless they completely break the laws of science and cannot be converted (magical beings are not present and you will not find creatures which are hexapods such as centaurs)

Too kick things off, heres a short story set in the world:

The Screams of the Twisted

Speaker- Dr. Henry Roberts
Date- 15/08/2011
Location- Galway, Ireland.

[ A rather portly ginger man appears on camera, flanked by a rather gruff looking Lycan with deep grey fur sporting a huge shotgun]
I am an esteemed anthropologist who specialised in so called, 'mutants' . Only recently has the British Government decided to actively acknowledge the idea that the human geonome is far more variable than we thought. Unlike the other hominid races such as goblins and kappa (elves do not get mutants, their racial purity ideals prevent this) , mankinds genetic code just seems to be far more variable. Now everyone knows about the mutants which live with the populace; the mighty spartans, the dwarfs and their bizarre customs, and god forbid I have even seen cyclops walking the streets of our magnificent capital....

Sorry I lost track. I find this whole subject rather fascinating. Anyway I was commissioned to travel the world and study the various mutations which afflict mankind, thus I was sent to Ireland. Ireland is infamous for a certain breed of human which has so far been contained on the island. Banshees are perhaps the most awful creatures to crawl out of the bowels of Omnia Sanatem. Vast amounts of the Irish population are carriers of the banshee genes, although the mutations only appear in females. Once the afflicted reaches puberty a horrifying transformation takes place. The transformation comes rapidly normally within 48 hours, first the child detaches itself and begins to look spaced out and seems emotionless. Next their eyes begin to deepen in colour until they turn a deep black. Lastly all rational thoughts are replaced with an urge for flesh. Normally after the banshee has murdered its family it escapes into the woods and joins others. From there they prey on whatver they find.

So here I am, in the forest. And by Darwin I don't know how many times I have **** myself already. Even though Morgan is next to me with mulcher shotgun. We first encountered a Banshee about 9 hours ago, it was around 2:10 AM and most of us were asleep in camp. It had been quiet all night, not even the cockatrice were making that awful squawking noise. I couldn't sleep, a squelching sort of sound could be heard outside the tent. Eventually I clambered out of the tent, thinking the noise was from some dickhead who had lost their tent, I flicked on my flashlight. Two deep black eyes stared at me. Huddled over something was a gaunt, barely feminine body. Its clothes clinging to the grey mottled skin. It continued to cower over over this dark lump, almost oblivious to my presence. Although its eyes were transfixed on me. As I moved my torch down to the lump.....

[Roberts breathing begins to get sharper]

[Roberts breathing begins to get sharper]

Oh I regret that. For it was huddled over the corpse of one of the local guides we had hired. Large chunks of flesh had been torn out of his flank, his rib cage jutted out from his chest. Blood was spattered across the banshees dress, goblets of flesh hung between her teeth. She grinned at me. Urine trickled down my leg. Then came a sound I would never forget. That soul scarring noise which ripped through what must be the limits of the natural world. She screamed. I broke out into a sobbing fit, crashing down into the mud. The banshee slowly stalked over to me, she moved with such grace and otherworldly elegance that I was in awe. I felt her breathing on the back of my neck now.

[Roberts starts laughing hysterically]

Bang! Morgans the crazy bastard comes running out and fires his shotgun again. Slightly unecessarily though, the first shot had already ripped through the gracile creature like it was paper.

[Further laughing]

I can't take it. I can hear them now. Everywhere. No wonder the locals believe in all of this outlawed catholic ****. **** Ireland. Not even the city of Dis can be worse!

[ The video ends here, analysis of the background of the scene shows a figure standing beside a tree wearing a bridal gown. Dr. Roberts has not been found, his lycan assistant Morgan was found a mile away strung up half eaten in a tree. A strange runic symbol had been carved into his forehead]
 

chimera

New Member
Dial,
Good stuff. Just a bit of nit-picking:
A cowboy on a horse is a hexapod, a centaur is a quadruped.
An academic (or anyone, really) doesn't say he is "esteemed", that's for others to say.
He "majored" in something, but "specialises" today.
It's a genome, not geonome.
Otherwise, it's exactly like Ireland today.
 

DialfortheDevil

New Member
Ah no a hexapod is an animal with six limbs. It is in evolutionary terms virtually impossible for a vertebrate to become a Hexapod.

Anyhow heres some species:

Stymphalian Crow
Size: 50cm long wingspan
Diet: Anything
Ancestor: Crows

The Stymphalian Crow is a common bird throughout the marshes of Europe and Northern Asia. Although they do not seem threatening they are a menace to everyone. On the tips of their feathers are small dart like protrusions made of keratin these tips ooze out poison, which is extremely toxic. The birds fly over their intended victim and just drip the poison on them or a bird from the pack flys at the preys mouth and normally dies in the process but the victim then gets the poison in the eyes and mouth. The venom acts quickly and the victim is dead. Then the rest of the flock feed. Only two creatures are known the eat these birds Harpies and goblins.


Nidhogg
Size: 12m long
Diet: Hypercarnivore
Ancestor: True Wyverns

The Nighogg is gigantic wyvern which inhabits the Arctic Circle, they hung the bizarre arctic beachers on the pack-ice. They are solitary animals which migrate south in the winter and hunt the Deinotheres of the steppes. Nihoggs are covered in Bright white feathers and are both able swimmers and fliers. They primarily hunt by flying far above the ground and swooping down on their prey from above. The males have an elaborate crest akin to the antlers of a deer, the males with the large crest tend to win the top females. Nidhoggs are not fire breathers and instead just use their powerful talons to rip apart prey. Most Drakologists place Nidhoggs as closely related to the Oceanic Wyverns of the Indian Oceans. Nidhoggs are prevalent throughout Elven folklore and were at one point seen as the God Odin incarnate. Nowadays Nidhoggs are moving southwards due to melting ice caps, infringing on many elven settlements. The clashes will only get more violent as time passes.


Slendermen
Size: 2m tall
Diet: Hypercarnivore
Ancestor: Humans

During the wars in the USA the dinosauroids of the North developed many interesting and horrific weapons. During their research on human culture they learnt one of our greatest weaknesses. Our attachment to our children. Thus the Slendermen were created. The dinosauroids captured many humans and modified them into the horrific slendermen. They distorted the limbs of the captives and implanted them with a strange technology into the back of the skull. These mocking abhorrations of man had a simple task, hunting the children of the human interlopers and killing them in such a way that it would terrify the settlers and force them out. Slendermen are highly agile and stealthy using the shadows to hunt their victims. Slendermen do not seem to need to eat, much of their diet is supposited by the strange implants. It is near impossible to kill a slenderman without blowing its limbs off, as its body is pumped full of chemicals and other strange devices. They are absolutely silent and dont make a single sound, their body even exudes an uncomfortable energy which especially effects humans. After the war the dinosauroids insist that these creatures were all killed, but reports of them are still rife in many North American cities. And last year there was reports of them in London and Paris...


Hodag
Size: 1.5m long
Diet: Herbivore
Ancestor: Dracorex

The Hodag is a species of quadrapedal pachycephlasaur which inhabits Northern Eden. They are semi aquatic and spend much of their time bathing in the water eating reeds. Hodag have the typical dome head but have two bovid looking horns which are extensions of the crest. Hodag have fat squat faces which make them look like bulldogs, they make loud screaming noises when startled thus earning them the name Hades Hound. They are covered in a matted fur like coat which keeps them warm in winter. Hodag live in burrows, strangely they have become quite a popular pet among the North American colonists due to their use as a guard animal.


Bunyip
Size:70cm tall
Diet: small animals, fish, insects
Ancestor: Toads
In Australia the billabongs and creeks are haunted by a very strange species of frog,known as the bunyip. They live in small groups of around 10 animals and settle down in a pool for a while and lay their spawn in there, they will attack anything which comes near even a king drak. They use both their tongues and tusks to kill their enemies. Normally they camouflage themselves and then wait until something comes near. They first strike with their tongue and smacks the prey in the face, while they are disorientated they strike and gouge their prey to death with their tusks. Running away is difficult for they will bound up to you very quickly. During the first contact war many elven marines lost their lives to these strange predators.


Tiyanak
Size: Around the same as a human toddler
Diet: Anything
Ancestor: Lemurs

Tiyanaks are a species of lemur which live on the island of Madagascar. They are close relatives to imps but are much fiercer. The females resemble a human toddler but with red eyes, while the males are larger and have long rending claws and sharp fangs. They have a very odd hunting strategy where the males take one of the females from the group and leave it in a clearing, in sight of some wandering predator such as an Abbadon. When the predator sees the vulnerable looking female it attacks, although the female is just bait. THe males burst out from cover and quickly swarm the would be predator and tear it apart. The sight of strange baby like creatures tearing a massive predator apart is not a sight for the faint hearted. It is but mere coincidence that the females resemble human infants, this may simply be because of the common primate ancestry and the fact that both are small chubby and dont have to work hard to survive for normally the females are well looked after. Tiyanaks have now learnt that humans are a far easier prey, with such a strong urge to protect what could be a child makes us fair game. THere are many rumours that Tiyanaks inhabit the city of Dis, the inhabitants there are walled in and surrounded by nightmares.


Kirin
Size: 2m tall
Diet: Plants
Ancestor: Zebroid

The Kirin is possibly the only wild equid which lives outside of Africa. Kirin live in the forests of East Asia although were once more wide spread. Kirin resemble their ancestors although are far more skinny, their horn is more branchlike and their tail is like that of a lizard. Kirin tend to be a very light blue colour this is because in their fur lives a bacteria which gives off a blue glow. When the Kirin comes under attack the bacteria unleash a bright flash of light which dazzles the predator and allows the Kirin to escape. Kirin never live in groups of more than 5 and most are solitary animals.
 

chimera

New Member
" creatures which are hexapods such as centaurs"
Yes a cowboy on a horse has 6 feet. A centaur cannot be a hexapod as it has 4.
 

Myrddin

Well-Known Member
" creatures which are hexapods such as centaurs"
Yes a cowboy on a horse has 6 feet. A centaur cannot be a hexapod as it has 4.
But did Dial not say that a hexapod is a creature with six limbs? In that respect centaurs are hexapods because, besides their four feet, they also have two arms for six limbs altogether. A cowboy on a horse would have eight (two arms, plus the already mentioned six feet).
 

chimera

New Member
Ach, yer both wrang the noo.
Oxford Dictionary: hexa "six ". pod /pos "foot".
quaruped: "four feet"
Cowboys don't have an octopod unless they've been fishing, "octo " eight. "pous" foot, making ten feet in total.
Cowboys only have feet on their arms if their legs have been shot off and have lost their horse which has four feet and no arms and a centaur never loses its cowboy or it's a dead center quadruped.
 

Myrddin

Well-Known Member
Ach, yer both wrang the noo.
Oxford Dictionary: hexa "six ". pod /pos "foot".
quaruped: "four feet"
Cowboys don't have an octopod unless they've been fishing, "octo " eight. "pous" foot, making ten feet in total.
Cowboys only have feet on their arms if their legs have been shot off and have lost their horse which has four feet and no arms and a centaur never loses its cowboy or it's a dead center quadruped.
I wrang the what? Noo, noo, noose; noot; noof. Noop o' noove? Enh.:D

Anyways, on a serious note, I am sure "pod" literally translates to foot, but a hexapod is still a creature with six limbs. Not everything is supposed to be taken at face value, or 100% literally. The English language is just strange that way. I am quite sure a centaur is classified as a hexapod.
 

chimera

New Member
Could be useful on a steep slope, the centaur brings in the hands for 6 wheel drive, or maybe the kung-fu kick by hanging onto a branch of a tree and striking with 4 hooves, ouch.
 
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