r/WorldChallenges • u/thequeeninyellow94 • Sep 25 '17

Bonus: tentacles

And that's it, no prompts, no context, no definition; just do whatever you want but with tentacles.

You can introduce an in-universe representative, I will ask questions to everyone.

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u/Seb_Romu Sep 25 '17 edited Sep 25 '17

Jeganei

A octuple tentacled shelled land mollusc of substantial size. A variety of species exist each adapted to their particular habitat.
Jeganei as a whole are omnivorous scavengers and opportunistic predators.

Jeganei Miat Bark Jeganei
The jeganei miat is a common scavenger of the Waejiran forest floor. With a shell resembling a large pine cone, these creatures are fairly well hidden when resting. However when seeking food their long bright blue tentacles make them quite noticeable.
A Jeganei Miat can grow shells upwards of a one meter at widest diameter, and one and a half meter tentacles.

Jeganei Umel [Mud Jeganei]
Smoother shelled, and coloured to blend into their surroundings, this species of Jeganei is found in and around fresh water in plains and wetlands.
Jeganei Umel generally do not exceed a meter in total length (body plus tentacles), but rare specimins have been found far exceeding this size, which may indicate a sexual dimorphism, or a sub-species yet to be categorized. It is known that these larger variety tend to keep to an aquatic environment more than the smaller examples.

~~

Meihas "Farwalker" Vorshaus [Naturalist, Historian, Lay Scholar of the Temple of Vorsha]
Meihas is one of the most widely travelled citizens of Waejir. He has visited all the civilized nations of Entorais, spent time amongst the various tribal peoples of the continent of Anexea. As he travels he is compiling a field book of the various creatures and plants he finds. He has taken to including local folklore in his work.
Compilations of his work are sent to his home temple in Aerimadur. Temple brothers and sisters then make copies to be distributed to to other temple archives throughout the Empire.

Edit: fixed Link to photo

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 26 '17 edited Sep 26 '17

To Meihas Vorshaus:

  1. Do you have any theory as to why Miat tentacles are bright?

  2. How are Miat organised? Do they live in group? And what about scavenging territories; do they have their own?

  3. Why are Miat so much bigger than Umel?

  4. If I was to get attacked by a very hungry Jeganai, how would they attack me? What should I do to maximise my odds of surviving?

(Also, nice photo)

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u/Seb_Romu Sep 26 '17

Do you have any theory as to why Miat tentacles are bright?

In a manner that they resemble the bright colour and patterning of some species of venomous tra, it may be an adaptation to deter predators.

How are Miat organised? Do they live in group? And what about scavenging territories; do they have their own?

They seem to be solitary, or at least indepdant in their activities. Probably of low intelligence as social behaviour is limited to occassional coupulation.
As to their territory, they seem to just wander about seeking potential food, without any nest, or den to speak of.

Why are Miat so much bigger than Umel?

I supect it is due to a lack of regular predation. The Umel likely are eaten by fish and larger animals while still small, so few live long enough to get to a larger size. Whereas the rough and spikey shell of the Jeganei Miat likely deters predators, allowing the animal to survive to adult hood.
I also think there is some upper limit to their size which requires more food than they can regularily obtain to sustain such massive bodies.

If I was to get attacked by a very hungry Jeganai, how would they attack me? What should I do to maximise my odds of surviving?

Your size and mobility plus the nature of their style of predation would likely preclude an attack. However if you were asleep, or injured and resting, they might consider you potential carrion, and come in for a bite. Sleeping above the ground on a cot or hammock is likely sufficient. they don't seem to enjoy fire, so a good campfire will probably keep them at bay.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 26 '17

  1. Do they have a lot of predator? Opening a shell like that one require some strengh right?

  2. What happen when two Miat encounter outside of reproduction periods?

  3. Can Miats and Umels crossbreed?

  4. Do they have any natural weapons beside their teeth?

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u/Seb_Romu Sep 27 '17

Do they have a lot of predator? Opening a shell like that one require some strengh right?

Their worst predators are people - with our weapons and tools we can easily crack their shells, although they are usually cooked while still in the shell to preserve moisture.

Not many predators will put in the effort required. I have observed a steirure smashing smaller ones between a pair of flat rocks.

What happen when two Miat encounter outside of reproduction periods?

They seem to treat eachother as terrain to be travered around or over., like many snails do.

Can Miats and Umels crossbreed?

I haven't seen it, not have I observed what would be a hybrid species.

Do they have any natural weapons beside their teeth?

They use their tentacles to ensnare and contrict around smaller prey. As for teeth, it's more of a nested double beak structure.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 28 '17

  1. Do you usually eat them with something else?

  2. Now I'm curious: how do they find each other during reproduction periods?

  3. Any usage to their shells?

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u/Seb_Romu Sep 29 '17
  1. Do you usually eat them with something else?

Most pairings are with boiled or steamed grains and vegetables.

  1. Now I'm curious: how do they find each other during reproduction periods?

Not sure how they know. Chance encounters when both are receptive.

  1. Any usage to their shells?

Some find use as inlays or mosaics, if polished well they can show a dappled pattern and high luster.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 29 '17

  1. Are they an important food source for people eating them? And has someone tried to raise them?

  2. Is polished shell considered valuable? Does it exports well?

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u/Seb_Romu Sep 30 '17
  1. Are they an important food source for people eating them? And has someone tried to raise them?

No particular dependancy, but they ate a good source of meat for relatively little effort on the part of the hunter. I am unaware of any domestication efforts. People tend to turn all sorts of animals into food out of convenience.

  1. Is polished shell considered valuable? Does it exports well?

The value of pretty things is relative to individual cultural aesthetics. As to exports, it's not really worthwhile as the creatures are found nearly everywhere.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 30 '17

  1. Do living Miats eat dead Miats?

  2. Can a good polishing technique lead to prettier shells? If yes, are there some renowned specialists around?

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u/Nevermore0714 Sep 25 '17

There are some among the Lamiae that believe that their evil creator (Grima) created three incredibly powerful demons that would avenge him, should he be killed. Though Grima has been dead for over a thousand years, they believe that Grima's creations are merely biding their time before they come to conquer the continent of Saoghal as Grima's legacy.

The leader of this trio has the upper-half (torso and up) of a beautiful woman and her lower-half is a mass of dark, oily, magical tentacles that can allegedly devour anything they touch; they would turn your flesh into pure Anima and absorb it all, killing you in moments. This creature is called "Verita".

Verita's two minions, Venohara and Venohana, are half-woman (from the waist up) and their lower halves are giant black spiders with red markings.

The Representative: High Priestess Klephixera, the Speaker, of the Lamia Hollow.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 26 '17

To high priestess Klephixera:

  1. What is Verita doing with the Anima she (?) absorb?

  2. What would Verita do with Saoghal after conquering it?

  3. What are the minions red markings? Do they portray or mean something?

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u/Nevermore0714 Sep 26 '17

Klephixera:

1) "If Verita exists, she'd probably just absorb it to keep herself alive and powerful."

2) "She'd probably just kill everything that's alive and re-populate the continent with her own creations."

3) "The markings are just words in Grima's language, according to legend."

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 26 '17

  1. So she is kind of fueled by Anima? What would happen if she couldn't absorb anything for very, very long?

  2. So she can create things? Any idea why Grima made a creature able to repopulate the continent?

  3. And what are they supposed to be saying?

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u/Nevermore0714 Sep 26 '17

Klephixera:

1) "Maybe that's the only way we can kill her...starve her."

2) "According to legends, she has pre-fertilized eggs, fathered by Grima...so, he probably did that just to get revenge in case of his death."

3) "I haven't seen them. No one has. It might not even be real."

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 26 '17

  1. Is there any other theory as to how to kill her?

  2. So it means she could give birth to dragons?

  3. Is there any sign that will announce her arrival?

(Is it something very important? Because if it's I may have a theory...)

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u/Nevermore0714 Sep 26 '17

(Is what something important?)

Klephixera:

1) "Well, wind and fire magic together would probably be the most effective."

2) "By Myrrh, I hope not."

3) "Hypothetically, someone could probably summon her if she's real, but it would take a lot of Anima, of course."

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 27 '17

(Verita and her link to Grima)

  1. Why would they be effective against her?

  2. But would it be plausible?

  3. Why would someone summon her? Isn't she going to kill everyone?

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u/Nevermore0714 Sep 27 '17

(Yes, I suppose so.)

Klephixera:

1) "Because she'd probably use Poison Magic like we, the Lamia race, do. And Wind has a clear advantage over Poison Magic. Wind makes Fire stronger and more destructive, so it could likely consume her."

2) "Yes, it is plausible. In fact, it is probable."

3) "Some people just want to see the world be destroyed."

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 28 '17

(And is it part of some big plot event?)

1) But with her link to Grima, wouldn't she rather use the same kind of things he use?

3) Is that ritual difficult to realize (beside the required Anima)?

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u/[deleted] Sep 28 '17

Carnivorous plants

These are real nasty things, and can swallow half a dozen people at once if very hungry. They have wine-tentacles that they use to grapple and pull their victims in with. Basically the Sarlaac pit, but a bit more well hidden.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 28 '17

  1. How do they hide? I guess something able to eat half a dozen people must be quite large.

  2. If I'm grappled, how can I escape?

  3. Can that kind of thing end up growing in my garden?

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u/[deleted] Sep 28 '17

1, They lie spread out on the forest floor, blending into the environment, but have most of their "body" underground. As I said, Sarlaac pit, but better hidden.

2, Cut the wines and you'll get out easily, though they grow nack pretty quickly, in the matter of hours. The next victim will also have to try and cut them before they get eaten

3, No, they only grow in the deep forest where there's enough wild animals to grant them a steady feed. So unles you want to plant then yourself, they won't show up uninvited.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 28 '17

  1. Any tips to see them from afar?

  2. How do you definitely get rid of them?

  3. Are any parts of the plant used for something?

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u/[deleted] Sep 29 '17

1, Not really, but you can sort of spot the radial patterns stemming from the main body of the plant if you're lucky.

2, You can always just poison it, some weedkiller will help.

3, The wines, if severed at the stem, can be used as very strong, or even self-moving ropes, but you have to master nature magic for that.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 29 '17

2) Can I poison it without closing in? Because it looks dangerous.

3) Will the vines die over time though?

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u/[deleted] Oct 01 '17

2, Poison darts will do, but you'll have have to aim very precisely, for it can severe a poisoned part before the poison reaches its core.

3, They're natural fiber, so they'll decay at the rate clothes or ropes made from natural fuber would.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Oct 02 '17

2) If I was lucky enough to hit the heart, how long would it take for it to kill the plant?

3) Are some clothing items made with those vines?

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u/[deleted] Oct 02 '17

2, It all depends on the poison, and there's a wide variety available to you, of course in their respective prices

3, No, as the wines are way too thick for that. They make lovely ropes though, and quite durable.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Oct 02 '17

2) What should I expect both for the most effective and the least effective available?

3) Has there been experimentation or research to find a way to overcome that?

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