Indigenous Flora and Fauna of Aatuylva

There are many odd creatures found within the Deep Wood. This ever-growing compendium shall attempt to enlighten future legionnaires about the dangers of the interior of Aatuylva. As such, it shall only list dangerous creatures, and which plants to avoid, and which are edible.

Accalants

(Ah-khe-lahn-tz)

Physical description: An insectoid creature with six short, stubby legs and a large maw. It is roughly three inches tall, and two feet long, and will most commonly be of a reddish-brown color.

On its own, a relatively harmless creature, a scavenger that wanders about the forest/jungle floor, eating dead plant matter or an unlucky herbivore. Once every two Vilunans, however, they mate and swarm, following game trails. During the swarming season they are ravenous, and will devour anything found in their wake, down to the bones. They have no poisons, or claws. They simply overrun the creature and each one takes a bite as they crawl over it, until there is nothing left, eating it alive.

During swarming months the only thing that will keep a legionnaire safe is sleeping in the trees, as the Accalants do not climb. Anyone and anything that is left in a game trail at night during a swarm season is presumed dead and lost.

It is most important to recognize the sounds a coming swarm makes, and the attitudes of animals in a swarm month.

Most game trails will seem abandoned, or old, weeks prior to a coming swarm. Birds will be distressed, and game animals will flee in terror. Next will be a clitching sound, like that of a gear box that has mud stuck in the cogs. This will be followed by the high-pitched chittering of the Accalants themselves.
The moment you hear the clitching sound, which is the sound their armor makes as they bump into each other, you have approximately six minutes to stow what you can and climb up or button up before they overrun your position.

If you do not have trees stable enough to climb, or vehicles to button up in, look for a high spot away from the trail, such as a rock, or a nearby stream, as they avoid water entirely after mating, instead putting all energy into acquiring food and laying eggs.

Do not engage. Nothing short of a heavy flecher or flamer will even slow them down, and you will risk diverting them even further to your comrades.

The Fool’s Flower

A carnivorous plant, the Fool’s Flower, or Ai’lupan Axeflower, as it is known for the shape of its leaves, is commonly found throughout the green areas of Aatuylva. Many that most legionnaires have seen were probably found in stores, or in people’s homes, as decoration.

They generally have a bright purple color, with a fragrant scent. The flower, when open, reveals beautifully patterned ‘petals’ that are of the same color, and a honey-like liquid in a pool at the center. This liquid has been described as sweet in taste, quite thick, and causing a euphoric sensation. The smaller flowers found in homes generally eat insects, small birds, and pests. It draws its prey with the scent and liquid, and when a creature of sufficient size begins to take long drinks from it, landing on or disturbing the petals, it snaps closed on the creature, filling the sealed pod with the nectar-liquid. This allows it to stop the creature from fighting, as it quickly loses the ability to breath, even as the euphoric effects of the nectar-liquid calm it down. The podchamber is then filled with a secondary liquid, stored in the fruit-like structures below the flower. This liquid is a powerful digestive enzyme which allows it to break down the hapless creature that it has trapped.

It is also parasitic in nature, drawing nutrients from the surrounding plant life to make up for any not gained from caught prey.

Its wilder, and larger cousins, are no exception.
A fully grown wild Fool’s Flower will stand between two to five feet tall, and will have many ‘flowers’, each one large enough to swallow a man’s arm, or head, if he was foolish or unlucky enough to take a closer look.

While the nectar liquid has been found in studies to be highly nutritious, one should only gather it when there are no other alternative food sources, and with equipment to allow the safe retrieval of the liquid.
A common survival technique is the use of one’s helmet and rifle strap, and a large stick twisted between them.
The legionnaire lowers the helmet into the flower, careful not to touch the petals, with the rifle strap (tied through the chin-strap loops.) The stick, twisted inside the strap, prevents the petals from closing all the way (make sure to get a strong, sturdy stick.), so that you can pull the helmet out, save your rifle strap, and deny the flower a sentient meal.

The Bastard Sons of Sifus.

Wraithwolves as they are commonly known, are by far the largest predator encountered by Aatuylvan patrols. They exhibit packlike behavior when hunting, and are quite intelligent.
They are not mammals, however, but some form of arboreal lizard, though they do have a coat of black fur on their backs, as well as red eyes.
They also have long claws on their forepaws, that have been observed to slice through even the thick combat infantryman's armor, as such, contact with such creatures is discouraged.
Adult wraithwolves can get as large as five feet long, six if you count the tail, and they have no compunctions against hunting anything.

A favored tactic seen is that they will track their prey for long ranges, wait until it has fallen asleep, and as many as four or five wraithwolves will dive down from the trees, using their superior sprinting, fighting claws, and sharp teeth to rend their target to pieces.

When alone, they tend to favor more aggressive tactics, even being so bold as to attack whole patrols.
It is assumed that this is a territorial reaction, as it has been observed that during mating season, a male wraithwolf will challenge anything that comes within several miles of its chosen female. This leads to complex fighting rituals.

Of note is the large percussive sound made when two males meet. This has been suggested to be the sounds of their thickened skulls slamming together, a form of territorial combat.

If you hear this sound, you have two choices: run as fast as you can away from it, or prepare for one of your number to be ambushed.

Common tactics to cause one of these creatures to leave you alone are to use flamers to clear an area around the camp, so they cannot use the trees against you, then to post flechette gunners on watch for the whole of the night.

OOC Additional Notes: This is not common knowledge for even spy organizations. ESPECIALLY YOURS CAL.

Wraithwolves are nigh-eldritch in nature. They bring chaos, decay, and debauchery whenever they are allowed to entrench themselves. They are sapient, to an extant, allowing for agricultural societies and the mastering of certain tools. They have an odd ability to fade into the jungle, shadows, or anywhere else they have power over. This is not a supernatural power, save for a tweaking of perceptions. They are very, very, VERY good at hiding. Better than you. They will stalk, hunt, and harass prey for many miles if they have to, and they won't be caught unless you have the training to know them. They do not tire, they do not have mercy, and they WILL do horrible, unspeakable things to you, though everyone knows about the reputation that they like to…do things to their victims. They pass their traits on to lupine sapients (and others should they crossbreed) and the eldritch nature of their blood will inevitably lead to the individual born from such a union will, without doubt and regardless of the interference of medical technologies, they will, later in life, mutate into a Brossukyda, or Cursed One. The poor individual eventually mutates into a full on Wraithwolf, but until then remains conscious and aware of the changes going on in their bodies, sometimes retaining portions of their personality and intellect after the transformation is complete. Broodmothers and Clutchfathers are also well-kept secrets. Many stories tall and centuries old (if not older) these are proof that wraithwolves do not stop growing, and only become more cunning and strong as they get older. These individuals, as well as being nigh unkillable, are each practical factories, capable of giving rise to entire generations of wraithwolves in mere weeks.

Scorasks

Parasitic creatures with a thick carapace and many sharp claws, Scorasks are the scourge of the Deep Wood.

Tree-dwelling creatures, they launch themselves down at prey, burrowing into the flesh with sharp claws. They then insert a proboscis into the prey creature, in order to drain blood.
Normally, they would be treated like any other pest creature.
However, tactics used on fleas and ticks are not applicable to the nearly foot long, heavily protected Scorask.

Unfortunately for most beings, the Scorask prefers to burrow on the back of its prey, wrapping its claws around the spine, to prevent resistance. This, combined with its thick armor prevent it from being removed by anything less than surgery. Many who are attacked in the field by this organism request death.

Black Nightshade

Black Nightshade is the common name for a very deadly parasitic flower found within the Deep Wood.
It's pollen is a very powerful paralytic to higher organisms, and in higher concentrations mimics the effects of most chemical weapons.

It is creeper plant, that works into the roots of surrounding trees, preferring dark, moist places with limited sunlight. It's flower is a dark purple color, and it smells faintly of jasmine.

Deep Patrol tasks itself with exterminating these flowers where ever they are found in addition to their anti-Wraithwolf mission.

The pollen, when refined, forms an extremely powerful chemical weapon. This weapon was banned shortly after its invention of use, to never be used against Aatuylvans.

When encountering this plant in the field, make sure to use a damp scarf or rag to cover your mouth and nostrils. Goggles should be worn. Inform your superior officer of its location so he can direct the flamer soldiers to burn it. Proceed immediately to a medical officer if you show any signs of illness or numbness.

Spindletree

A large carnivorous tree that appears very much like the Dmivafeirta tree. It even produces edible fruit. It is covered in several sensitive vine-like branches, and it's roots also respond to touch. The threshold of touch is reached (normally) when a fruit is picked, or when the victim attempts to walk away from it, triggering the branches and roots, which are covered by thousands of blood-sucking barbs. These barbs latch into the creature as the branches and roots pull back towards the center (or bottom of the tree, it depends on the subspecies) where a large maw is located, ringed with sharp tendrils. This is where the tree devours, crushes, and digests its prey. Produces purple blooms in spring. Found wherever Dmivafeirta is found.

Dmivafeirta

A popular fruit tree, the Dmivafeirta, or Devil's Fruit, is a large, dark brown-black tree that grows large purple fruit. Found frequently within the jungles and the outskirts of city-states.

Coprischauf

Blicki Bird

A small, black bird with a long, needle-like beak. They travel in swarms of hundreds to thousands. Their tactics consist of launching themselves at any moving object within their line of sight until it is thrown to the ground. They then begin to drain it of blood completely. They are extremely unintelligent, flying into cars, helicopters, and birds of prey, but their dangers are largely because of their large numbers when they swarm.

Pit Worm

A large, bloated invertebrate creature, the Pit Worm burrows into game trails and areas at the bases of mountains (and 'artificial mountains' such as flak towers) where it simply waits, it's single orifice collecting debris and a small layer of topsoil. They have slow metabolisms, surviving on large prey for months at a time. When prey of a certain size disturbs the soil above a pit worm, it simply opens its orifice and devours them, the soil, and anything within reach of it's maw whole, then closes itself again, beginning the process of digestion.

Ayghu Revwhi

Not exactly an animal, but dangerous nonetheless, the Ayghu Revwhi, or "Iron Devils", are holdovers from the Last Great War. Found in the jungle between Accallia and Majiin, these clockwork creations are the still locomotive war machines of the Technocracy, their pilots long dead, still performing patrol duties, endlessly repeating the last commands input into them.

They vary in size, shape, and function, but the most numerous of which are vaguely lupine in shape, and were used as a mechanized force, a cavalry of sorts. They will trample and claw anything within their line of sight, and travel in groups of four to five. The bones of their pilots are still visible on top of them, fused into them by time and war.

The second most often seen variants are similar to the automatons found within Majiini cities. These 'false men' ruthlessly and uncaringly dismantle anything in their path, especially other mechanical objects. They shrug off all but the strongest rounds and are utterly relentless, pursuing a subject even as they reach one of the city-states.

The only other two worth note (and are dangerous enough to warrant attention) are the 'movers' and the 'treegliders'. 'Movers' are large, bulky, tank-like boxes that have six legs for locomotion. They trample trees in their way, factories inside building whatever template was left inside. They often raid villages and high concentrations of minerals, producing the 'treegliders', which resemble scorasks but have incredible jumping ability. These smaller clockwork abominations strip organic life, bring it back to a mover, and it uses it as fuel. It will often cannibalize the 'treegliders' that run out of fuel in its vicinity to make more.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License