The Ecosystems of the Wilds

[UncleAsriel]

It occurred to me tonight that, despite the fact that the Dojo has got some pretty weird environments all stuck together, we don't really know all about what lives in them. Given the fact that the whole world was made by the God of Insanity, and being the biology geek that I am, I thought it'd be fun to explore the Dojo's plant and animal life.

I intend to add to this as I go along, so this may never truly be finished - (whatever that is).
Also -to our great Sensei of all things totally sweet - maybe we could move parts of this into the Dojo General Information forum.



Melon Tree - Growing in the Midwestern part of the Wilds, these trees slightly resemble the Canadian Maple, if such a maple had grown up around Chernobyl. Broad leaves, which seem much larger than they ought to be, cover the plants branches providing an excellent umbrella in torrential downpours. Their hard outer bark, when peeled away, reveals a hard inner bark that can be boiled and eaten by very hungry travelers in need of something that tastes like chicken, albeit vaguely old, tough and bitter chicken. The strangest part of the plant, however, is the outgrowths that fruit and bud into full-grown watermelon-sized fruit. Tasty, juicy, and sweet, these are a very nice part of the local plant life.

Sandalpine - an aromatic evergreen which blossoms throughout the Evergreen Glades, the soft bark of this tree is quite pliant, and is a great arts & crafts material employed in buildings like the training dojo and the archives. Secreting an odd, yellow resin in the winter, this plant's strange excretions are designed to keep off the frost, but also serve as a food source for the yellow-bellied sap-sucking tree-cuttlefish.

Yellow Bellied Sap-Sucking Tree-Cuttlefish - an arboreal species, these are noted for the extreme mobility of their tentacles (which enable them to scurry along branches like spiders) as well as their durable, nautilus-like shell. Feeding off of the sap excretions of various plant species, the hardened excrement of these animals is forced onto their upper bodies, producing a lovely iridescent shell. During their lives, they outgrow these protective casings, and molt, shedding them and re-growing another. These hardy, self-lacquered shells can be used for a multitude of purposes.

[That's All for June 28 12:48 am.]

[LordPsycho]

Fire belching ninny-fly - One of the more odd inhabitants to the area bordering the Southern Desert is the Fire belching Ninny-fly. Contrary to it's name, it does not belch fire. Instead, when threatened, is spews a sticky orange liquid with a scent similar to earth skunks mixed with two week old dead fish and a sprig of Lemon-thyme. One of the more noticible things of these creatures is their distinctive noise their wings produce while flying, which sounds like "Ninny.....Ninny.....Ninny", with a wing flap rate that resembles large birds more than insects.

Cook three of these with equal parts resin from the Sandalpine and juice from the fruit of the melon tree for a delectable dinner when roughing it.

[Jent]

Eily Flower: A rare healing plant that grows almost every were in Black Star,but in low numbers. Most grow in hot springs in the north and the black forest. The EC say that they are weeds.(because only the pure of heart can touch ) Some say its good luck to find a wild one. No one knows how they got here,but some say it was from the ark.(C3)

[Shaon]

False Doorways: These are strange wooden doors that appear randomly. Local lore claims that they are the only way out of the Dojo, yet opening one causes it to vanish, leaving only an echoing cackle behind. It is thought that the more desperate you are to leave somewhere, the more often you attract these strange beings.

[LordPsycho]

Horse-Cat No, that is not a typo. These cats look similar to earthen house cats in everything except size. As their name suggest, these cats grow to be about the size of Horses, and are often used as a replacement for Horses.

Pumperspikel Tree These tree's have developed special branches that have one purpose: To Throw their fruit at passing by animals (including humans) Their fruit has a tough, spikey exteriour, but once that is cut away, reveals a edible inside that resembles oranges in structure, but are purple.

Some people have been known to make a sport with these trees where they try to volley these fruit through a goal above the tree using a tennis racket.

Clown Flowers These flowers have an unusual organ in the bud that squirts out water when a nearby creature touches it's leaves. The name should be obvious.

[Shaon]

Wiple Trees: One of the rarer trees, it is only known to be found by the hidden location of the Meeting House. It looks not unlike the earthen Willow trees, except for the distinct purple coloring of both the bark and the maple-like leaves. Its sap can be made into syrup, which is reknowned for its bitterness.

[Nasari]

Wingless Kihunters are just what they sound like. Unlike their winged cousins, wingless Kihunters are non-sentient, and mostly carnivorous. They are quite large compared to a sentient Ki, which is about five feet long, while the wingless Kis are about twelve feet long. Before the Kihunters we know today existed, they were merely smaller branch-offs of this variety. This creature is very territorial, and if anything happens to venture into the territory of one of these beasts, they must either run away as fast as they can, or pray to Cupcake that he will let them into the Afterlife.

[Somefreakoverthere]

Mirror trees:These trees don't have any leaves,but mirrors in their place.Very handy if you want to get a few Pumperspikel seeds out your hair,but equaly,they are not very pleasent to see during the day.

Vine-thing:Vine-things come in many diffrent colours and sizes,due to the fact they have a high mutation rate.They produce berrys which come in many colours,and the flowers around the berry are quite pretty.They are found in the area bordering the Southern Desert as they require a fair amount of heat and water to grow.

Warning:don't pick the berrys but wait for them to fall.if you try and pick a berry a thorn will slide out of the plant quickly and stab the fingers of whoever tried to pick the fruits.If you manage to get a berry without being stabbed,then plant the berry.Unripe ones are poisiones,so theres no reason to go picking them,frankly.

[LordPsycho]

Mirror Trees, suplemental The purpose of the mirror leaves is to reflect the sun's rays onto a single large balloon like sack which contains the photosynthetic receptors and the young of it's symbiot, the Mirror Seed Wasp

Mirror seed Wasp These wasps are found near Mirror trees. In the egg and larva stages of their development, they reside exclusively in the Mirror Tree's collecting sack. Once mature, they dig their way out, taking with them a Mirror tree seed to plant and start their own colony with.

Fried-Eggs Tree These trees don't have fruit in the normal sense, but instead grow mushroom like appendages from their roots, whose caps look like fried eggs. What's more amazing, if you cut the caps off their stock, and cook them with some bacon, they taste just like fried eggs too!

[HisLordship]

Mince Mouse - A delectable food source or birds of prey, this noted herbophageous rodent is quite delectable when swallowed whole after breaking it's neck with one's beak. An important population control for the local weeds, these creatures are in turn equated by higher predators.
Notable is their capacity to be trained in simple tasks.

[UncleAsriel]

Owls - The main predator of rodents in the Dojo, these nocturnal birds are excellent hunters by night, but are sluggish during the day, making them prime targets for higher animals on the food chain (most notably the regular customers of a local Pizzeria). They are found in all moderately wooded areas of the Dojo.

Arrowhead Vines - An unusual plant with a lighter-than-air seed (caused by hydrogen gas produced during seeding), these plants are not native to the Dojo. Originating from the now-lost region of Bug's Realm, these arboreal plants grow only in areas with very dense tree cover. Upon being seeded by a parent plant, the vine seeds rise until they become lodged under the branches of a nearby tree, or some other surface which can provide enough resistance to safely sprout. Working their roots around and into the supporting surface, the helium is released from the seed and the leaves to downwards.. Over time, the plant sheds its oldest leaves, littering the ground beneath with crisp edibles. The violet-coloured flowers' distinctive shape allows for easy identification. On seeding, they produce more airborne seeds, which continue the lifecycle. These can be found in some places in the Evergreen glades, yet can some instances of them have been seen in the Black Forest.

Clover - A mundane yet important part of many ecosystems, this small plant has been made by the natural interbreeding of many species, natural and foreign. The end result is a versatile plant which many animals eat as a staple.

Curlshoot - Found in the central plains, these delightful little sprouts are quite watery and flavourless, but are excellent additions to salad Along with clover, they support much of the ecosystem there. Originating from Bug's Realm, these have adapted quite well to the Dojo.

Coon-cat – An animal of the Wilds, these predators resemble local house-cats, except for their incredibly thick fur. Naked from birth, they quickly develop a fluffy coat that thickens with age. Protecting their skin from brambles and thorns, its density makes them impervious to the cold. Water-resistant, some stories of these cats include them having built-in life-preservers, in which air-pockets in their fur have kept them afloat for hours at a time. Eating fish and small rodents, these animals are oddly cantankerous, at times hissing and spitting at travellers, at times quite friendly with them. Eating fish, rodents, and birds, they can also eat berries and other fruit, if the mood suits them.

Stream Sleeks – a silver-coloured fish known for their ability to dart along upstream, they are quite tasty when fried with Dulse algae

Dulse Algae - Edible and salty, this mineral-rich plant grows in many waters throughout the dojo, and is an excellent travelling snack.

Crumble moss - Found in the arctic regions, this hardy plant lives through anything by being incredibly tough. Surviving on rock and liquefied ice, both broken down by specialized enzymes and excretions, this remarkable specimen could almost survive in space, were it not for lethal radiation and a lack of water. Tough as leather, the plant is largely inedible due to its extremely coarse outer layers and its rather toxic insides. Its name comes from the texture is assumes once warmed to room temperature for a long period

Cariboose - A caribou the size of a moose, this is one of the few animals that can digest crumble moss. Their warm fur is prized by woodsmen for its ability to shrug off the cold, as well as its extreme resistance to frost. Travelling in large herds, they travel across the tundra in search of food. Domesticated by some, they are strong and effective herd animals.

Paradox Palm – A palm tree which thrives in temperatures well below freezing, these peculiar plants produces proteins which inhibit the freezing of water and which cause a warm, tingly sensation when rubbed on the skin. Many travellers lost in the North have used the juices of this plant to remain alive in the bitter cold. Producing rolling coconuts that lay dormant until the brief summer thaw, these trees tend to grow up alone, although they can occasionally sprout up in medium groves that take root in the ice, eventually forming tiny forests which can harbour a wide variety of life where it otherwise wouldn’t be possible.

Matu cacti – Found in the deserts of the south, these prickly items have pulpy innards which harbour much-needed water. Their fermented juices are used by some animals, like Devil-crickets Drunkard’s Rattler, in the process of self-defence. When fresh, however, they can keep a traveller going on for several days. Producing yellow flowers which become a canary-coloured fruit, their small, moist seeds can travel on the wind for days to seed new plants.

Drunkard’s rattler – A snake of the Southern Desert, these cantankerous snakes, resembling the rattlesnakes of earth, are both feared and prized for their venom. Toxic enough to cause severe liver damage, it is engineered by a unusual source. Coming across a Matu cactus, the mother rattler will lay an egg underneath a plant. The hatchlings, hunting the small Devil crickets which abound the Cactus’ surface, absorb some of their prey’s digestive juices and incorporate it into their own venom. Any animal, upon being bitten, will begin hallucinating and behave as if drunk. The slow-acting poison eventually kills the after its liver exceeds a certain metabolic threshold, but nomads of the desert have found that, but diluting it with water and sweetening it with honey, it makes a mighty fine liquor.

Crickets – Tiny noisome insects that live around the Matu Cacti, they feed upon its juices. Having a slow digestive process, the juice ferments in their gullets, forcing them to occasionally shoot our their volatile and foul-smelling urine to avoid exploding. It is said to ‘stink like the Devil’ by some, and thus the red-and-black crickets are named. Their toxic digestion also causes the crickets themselves to be unappetising, making them safe from all animals but the Drunkard’s rattler.

Camels – Like those from Earth, these desert creatures can survive in the desert for months on end without drinking. The only difference between these and Earth camels is their strange yodelling call, which occasionally rings out in the night.

[addman]

Juggerfwamp: These gigantic reptiles are often roaming the plains on the barely mobile legs. Four stumpy appendages help to hold up a sagging underbelly. A lengthy, flexible neck supports their relatively small heads. They use sharpened teeth to help them dig out roots of small trees and shrubs, and can also be used in self defense to bite potential threats.

They graze in herds, constantly moving to new pastures as they could quickly uproot an entire forest within a month. This way, they give the local ecosystems time to florish again, and constantly have a source of food.

It is said that by slicing open the stomach of this beast can sometimes reveal hidden treasures within their bowels, as they often accidentally devour buried treasures whilst uprooting plants and trees.

[LordPsycho]

Colombe Oak - This is one of the most pointless tree's biologically, but it's also one of the most useful. These once these trees reach maturity (at about age 15 years), they develop a series of six holes about halfway up their trunk, which resemble a power outlet in a house. What's even more odd, they act just like power outlets, supplying 10 amps at 110 volts of electricity. These are often called qOaks, after the variable used to represent Colombes (electrical charge) in physics equations.

It is said that Au'Marui created these trees specifically so he can charge his mp3 player while hiking in the woods.

Interesting fact: a Grove of thse are wired in parallel to supply all the power needs of the Meeting House.

[Goron40]

Herbator - An odd plant with four stems supporting one flower and three leaves. The flower is a bublous pod with shiney chrome colored thorns sticking out of the side.

It seems to be able to feel vibrations through the ground to detect it's prey. Once it senses anything with sufficient biomass, it will shoot one of it's thorns at an incredibly high speed with pinpoint accuracy. Once hit with one of these thorns, it's target's survival chances are reduced dramatically. Besides the physical injury created by the thorn, a strong poison is also injected, causing paralysis and, within a minute, death.

Once it's prey is down, the plant uses it's stems to move over to it, and digest it through a "mouth" on the bottom of it's flower.

It is subject to debate wether this is in fact an animal, but it does perform photosynthesis in times of scarce food.

[Jent]

Spam Fungus: Live in the black forest, they learn any noise (or words) and repeats them at things that doesn't fit in. (A.K.A. Girls talking about shoes, then the spam fungus says monkey at ten feet high fudge man.)
But some EC members takes the info the fungus knows, to a computer.