Fauna

[travelagency]

Fauna Native Hostile Invasive Native Wildlife There is abundant alien life on Quadratus, with many types of trees and insects. The majority of animals will hide quickly and avoid interaction with residents, though. After the disappearance of the ancient civilization, however, a number of their domesticated species were left to go feral. Most present no threat unless provoked. Almost all of them have four eyes, one set for short wavelength light spectra and one for high. Most of them are hermaphroditic, with a single offspring latching onto the first parent it imprints itself on to act as its immediate caretaker (also almost inevitably there's only one infant). They're endothermic (warm-blooded) and gestate their young internally. Hounds, beasts, and oxen also nurse them. The animals usually respond well to being fed and can be easily tamed. Please note that descriptions of these animals will vary according to language, set to match appropriate comparisons. Occasionally these animals will wander out of their source/native locations and into other biomes, but they do this relatively infrequently, and it's notable when they do. "Horses", also known as "Steeds" or "Ponies" were mounts used by the ancient civilization. Saddles and ceremonial armor have been discovered in some of the ruins. They seem to have been the preferred form of transport. Four-legged, tall, with three-toed feet and a long skull, they cut a strange shape but are reliable animals. They're partial to the red fruit that grow on some of the local trees. They can survive on almost any plants but prefer areas with wide-open spaces. Source Locations: Prairie/Savanna "Cattle" or "Oxen" were used as a resource animal by the ancients, and there have been several artifacts found made from their leathers. They're almost as broad as a human rhinoceros but are covered with a thin layer of fur and lack horns. All adult Oxen have prominent mammary glands, which is about as rich as yak milk on Earth. For being large, stocky animals they can live almost anywhere but prefer thick, coarse grasses to feed on. Source Locations: Prairie/Savanna Swamp Chaparral Deciduous Forest Conifer Forest "Pigs" look very much like boars with short snouts. They root around for mushrooms and tubers in the forests. Source Locations: Prairie/Savanna Swamp Chaparral Deciduous Forest Conifer Forest "Sheep" are cotton-fluffy animals that are actually very thin, but with their full growth of fur they resemble round balls with small faces and stubby legs. Their wool is in high demand among the clothing shops and with traders, so fleecing them can bring a lot of money. They are usually patient enough to allow you to do this in the wild and don't see anyone as a threat until they're attacked. Because they survive off grass they prefer regions with fewer forests and more open grassland. Source Locations: Prairie/Savanna Chaparral Tundra "Fowl" are aquatic egg-layers that can't fly very well and are covered in water-safe feathers. They walk on two legs, have webbed feet, cluck, and can be something of a nuisance. They usually avoid colder regions. Source Locations: Tropical Forest Prairie/Savanna Swamp Chaparral Deciduous Forest Conifer Forest "Wolves" or "Hounds" are mostly passive carnivores that roam Quadratus's landscape, mostly in forested areas. Large, sharp-fanged, and with shaggy gray hair and tufted ears, they used to be guard animals but now spend their time hunting boars and sheep to eat. If you feed a wolf, it may imprint on you, and they especially like the bones of skeletons. If you attack a wild wolf or a tame wolf that is not your own, it and any near you will attack in unison. While defending yourself is understandable, everyone is reminded that they're docile animals until provoked and can be shooed away. Hounds can be licensed as pets if they show obedience to their owners, which is typically easy because as they become attached they are hard to discourage. Source Locations: Prairie/Savanna Swamp Deciduous Forest Conifer Forest "Cats" are Quadratus's other domesticated carnivore. They now live off fowl and fish in the rivers. They're very skittish, but with some patience will take food from you (in very rare instances they will take to someone). The purpose of their domestication has been identified as a means to deter creepers, and no creeper will approach them. They vary widely in color, from solids to spots, and are furry with short faces and round ears. They are about the size of a mongoose or cat. Source Locations: Tropical Forest Swamp Deciduous Forest Conifer Forest "Rabbits" look very much like Earth rabbits save for the number of eyes (and the fact they have fangs) and come in a wide variety of colors. Rabbits prefer vegetables, but some of the white ones are carnivorous and will attack hounds. People with domesticated dogs are warned to be wary and not take their dogs from the village unless they're capable of defending themselves well. Source Locations: Prairie/Savanna Swamp Chaparral Deciduous Forest Conifer Forest "Bats" are, again, much like earth bats save for the number of their beady little eyes, and they reside deep in the caves. They attack and feed off of silverfish but are otherwise harmless. They flee if approached and otherwise just hang there. Source Locations: Caves Hostile Native Wildlife There are a few notable species not of domesticated origin. They seem to have evolved much like earth insects. There are still many species yet to be discovered on Quadratus, so consider this list very incomplete. As explorers find more species, they will be noted here. A creeper hidden in the trees. "Spiders" are much larger than the Earth variety of similar animal. During the day they are passive unless attacked. In the dark or under artificial light alone, spiders will become aggressive. They're large and have painful bites. There are two types. The common spiders that hunt individually above ground don't produce webbing or poison. Occasionally skeletal archers will try to mount these. The subterranean cave spiders are poisonous and a little smaller in size than the common sort, and people that have encountered them have been known to suffer memory loss. They tend to be found in dangerous groups. A standing bounty exists for all spiders. Source Locations: Everywhere (Common Spiders) Caves (Cave Spiders) "Silverfish" are small animals vaguely resembling trilobites. If you encounter them in caves, it's recommended you run back to your guide and have them escort you away because they are aggressive and attack in groups. Silverfish are almost never alone, and when one is disturbed those around it are disturbed. Source Locations: Caves "Creepers" are a fairly new species, recently discovered. The creepers are completely undetectable even to the finest ears until they're close enough to do damage. They'll only come out during the night and early morning, and they somehow vanish during the afternoon and day. They're always a risk in tunnels and caverns and will be fairly uncommon above ground. They avoid beasts like the plague, but the animals themselves could care less. If you kill one, they seem to deteriorate immediately into the ground. Therefore investigating their bodies has proven impossible. Source Locations: Dark Areas "Skeleton Archers" aren't wildlife, but an ancient protection system that has gone out of control. Another recent development, the skeleton archers can't stand up against daylight and are also relatively fragile. Their design has grown flawed over time, degraded. Unfortunately what they lack in skill, constitution, and intellect they make up for in numbers if you're close to a spawner. Just a few aiming at someone without armor can be nearly impossible to deal with. (Occasionally they will ride the spiders like mounts, but not often). A standing bounty exists for their hostile spawners. Skeleton archers can be found throughout the planet, wherever there isn't sufficient lighting. Source Locations: Dark Areas "Zombies" or "Infected" are a creature produced by spawners that resemble rotting people. Most are mindless automatons that attack anyone sentient on sight. Their bite is infectious to all native to this universe save for certain artificial individuals. Most imports are either immune to the bite or extremely slow to exhibit signs of infection, which makes them better to combat them than most. Zombies can be found wherever there isn't sufficient lighting. They are highly sensitive to daylight. Local citizens can also be infected and converted, and while regarded as threats every precaution should be taken to contain and not kill them. Source Locations: Dark Areas Invasive Species Quadratus has had difficulties with invasive species in the past, and many are eventually cleared out to some degree through carefully-placed bounties, which will be attached to the news broadcasts. "Props," a species of small, non-sentient shape-shifting amphibious creatures known for their tendency to tear at cloth fibers for nest making, have been reported around Blackway. Props are extremely difficult to detect as they often replicate small, inanimate objects found in someone's living space, and their presence goes unnoticed. Signs of a prop infestation are large holes in carpeting, clothing, bedding, and even waking up to hair, feather, or fur pulling. (Hair is also a good source of prop nesting material.) If you try to touch a prop, it will attempt to escape. Source Locations: Around Blackway's Vicinity "Sandworms" were left by a fleeing Orion ship that was pursuing the evacuation team. In any desert setting with sand loose enough for them to migrate through, sandworms have spread. Thankfully there aren't very many, but they grow quickly and can reach the size of a few-car train. In the instance of sandworms, ability boosts and larger artillery are approved for use, but only if the sandworm is confirmed. They'll eat anything that disturbs the sand over them (except creepers). Sandworms are colored to match whatever desert they're in, their rough skin usually being difficult to discern from sand if it does show. They have three massive jaws that will crush and grab at anything. Pure water is harmful to sandworms and a good primary weapon, though its availability in the desert can make that weapon inaccessible. Source Locations: Desert "Geckos" are an invader that managed its way in with an import shipment. They also take to the desert, but to the more firm ground, and have greater resistance to the native cacti than local species. This, and their blind aggression towards anyone, is why they're a problem. They're about 5ft. tall in general, squat in build, with frills on either side of their head. Young geckos are about knee high. They're also bipedal and use their tails for balance. Geckos come in a few varieties, and none are friendly. Golden geckos have radioactive bites, and fire geckos can, perhaps predictably, breathe fire. Even the normal geckos are aggressive in their own right. Source Locations: Desert "Keese" are much like the bats, except larger and with longer tails, and were released into the wild by an earlier import. They're also violently aggressive. Both will eat silverfish, but the Keese will attack you on sight. They'll also care nothing for even being on fire and will roost close to lava (which puts someone at risk of being knocked in). For people that explore the caves, it's recommended that they learn the difference. Keese have developed a symbiotic relationship with the bats of Quadratus. Source Locations: Caves Navigation