Niklas Jansson
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Warlord creature concepts
🕑 Added 2021-09-07 18:41:26 +0000 UTCBefore posting about Project #3 which still needs some cleanup to even be presentable, here's some more Warlord stuff. I wanted to redraw the Thoat from my earlier concept on the page. It should have a sort of paddle tail. It's hard to fit in 8 legs. Real horses can actually hurt themselves by clopping their front and rear feet together, which is why they sometimes wear rubber protection around their feet. Now, Thoats don't have nails/hooves, but it's still a bit of a mess with 4+4 inline legs. It can be partly solved by putting some legs inside/outside so they don't line up. I only put one leg pair at the front because on a real horse the rider actually sits closer to the head and not on the middle of the horse like one might guess. I turned some legs into hind... thingies. Used for safe egg-laying? For this stuff I want to be somewhat consistent with the creature morphology, reducing or enlarging existing structures. The other creatures and moss types on this page are of my own invention.
The Thoats used by the Reds are smaller and this particular (scout?) variant looks a bit like a greyhound. Thoats are generally slate grey with white undersides and yellow feet, but there are instances of fully white ones and likely other colourings.
The Moss Mouse is a pollinator of certain sorts of moss and is very common in temperate regions. However, it's rarely seen up close as it's sensitive to vibrations and quick to slither and dart out of harms way, moving almost like a fish in the vegetation. Its middle legs are larger and used for jumping, whilst the other legs are regressed, only being used for balance and grip along with the tail.
A common sight near wrecked ships is the Silver Spoon which supplements its diet with certain types of rare metals which are incorporated into its reflective, durable shell. The shiny shell is also used for heat regulation. When threatened or resting, it curls into a ball with its dagger-like tail sticking up. Stepping on it is not only painful, but possibly deadly as it's also moderately poisonous.
If they weren't completely inedible, the clumsy Walkers would probably have gone extinct long ago. They're more common in uninhabited regions where they're not used for target practice by Green and Red youth alike.
The Hopper can jump great distances using their four powerful legs. They're very precise, able to pounce on unwary Moss Mice (often from the direction of the sun), this despite missing developed wings, instead using its legs to make adjustments in flight. It seems likely that the species would redevelop the winged segment in the far future.
The Lizard is a tardy creature which can grow to be very old and live for long periods of time without sustenence due to its incredible metabolism. Sometimes they look more like a dried up piece of vegetation. They're unpleasant to step on but not poisonous.
The Pincer Gull is an avian scavenger and opportunist predator.
Normal moss comes in several shades of dull ochre, and covers most of the planet. It's soft to walk on.
The thin pale stalks of Cilium Moss can reach man height. When undulating gently in a mild breeze their oily texture shifts in colour, creating mesmerising etherial patterns that confuses the eye. Corpses found near fields of Cilium Moss are thought to of those who got eternally captured by the sight, but are more likely victims of certain unseen predators which hide within the fields. Cilia Moss has a pleasant taste but is not particularly nourishing.
The mildly poisonous Thorn Moss was once common, but has been all but eradicated from the inhabited regions. Patches of it can make uninhabited regions difficult to traverse on foot for both Man and Thoat. Knowledge of Thorn Moss fields proved decisive in several historical battles. A few cities grow it along their defensive perimeters, whilst others frown upon it as it tends to spread.
Death Hands are shaped much like a human arm sticking out of the ground. They collect a fluid which is poisonous unprocessed, earning it its name. However, around 1/4th of Death Hands are not poisonous, but as these are identical in appearance to the others it's a risky gamble to make in a survival situation. The Moss Mouse has developed some natural resistance to the poison but also appears to be able to tell the two types apart. Therefore, observing a Moss Mouse making rounds can be life saving to a downed pilot in distress.
Trekking across fields of the thickly layered Sponge Moss can be very exhausting. Landing on a patch of Sponge Moss after falling overboard can save ones life. Sponge Moss fields are often circular, extending some 50-200m from a central node. It's often planted and cultivated near airfields.
As for the weapons, I'm thinking it would be interesting to not always do generic swords but longer ones SePhiRoth!... Because they often fight the larger Green men they could need the extra reach, combined with a short sword for when the enemy tries to move inside or the long sword is otherwise locked. They don't seem to use shields or armour on Mars, more relying on swordplay (but the Okar (Yellows) might use a buckle/cup iirc). Sheathing a long sword could be tough but necessary, especially when you're not armoured, but a long sheath is a bit of an obstacle too... maybe something that's strapped along the edge, which could double as a rope/hook/whip? There are some fights in the books where the harnesses are used as such.
That concludes this report.
