Hey @skekla I adored your commission work. I still have a big lore post to to do to accompany the latest commission I got when I upload the image proper, but I want to tell you your art is beautiful! I had a friend of mine print me a huge 3x4 poster of it on metallic foil paper that makes those neon colors and silvers pop. I wish my camera were as good as what the eyes see!
You can even see that I stuck the poster to the wall via magnets and metal strips, as tape and pins would harm the paper, and a frame that big is not in my budget. So metal strips and magnets it is.
Lore Nugget: My Arhulian is basking in the perpetual twilight of their home world. Their "sun" has a dark purple-black photosphere, thus most of their worlds light comes from their sun's corona, moon, and starlight.
The venerable Arhulian in the focus of the piece radiates psionic energy to the point they manifest a corona of their own (A halo to the layman). As well as portions of their fur are beginning to turn white in a process known as "star bleaching".
Arhulians are not much ones for clothes due to their unusual anatomy, especially ornamental garments. So this one must be dressed for a special occasion!
A big commission from Yivah that I have been majorly excited for! I've been dying to get a visualization of one of an Arhulian's most important abilities. And an assistant in this depiction is @chocodile's Alex!
Ever since, That Day, there's very little that could ever get through Alex's stone tough exterior. What cracks there were happened to be more temporary affairs. But that changed when she met Niadris, the "Arhulian". Never before has she met a 'monster' that could think, let alone talk. The Arhulian seemed earnest in their desire to help, but one thing Alex couldn't shake was the very asset that made them invaluable help.
Niadris' "aura sense" was an extraordinary ability that allowed them to sense other living beings. The sense was omnidirectional, worked through solid materials, and had a purported range of hundreds of meters. Initially, it was likened to one's sense of hearing, as it too had all those qualities. Then Niadris dispelled any illusions about their sense - for better and worse. They knew when they were asleep, where they were looking, whether or not their armed from body language. Up close, Niadris could even see a person down to their nerves and veins. Hell, the only reason they probably can't lip read is that they are less socially experienced than Theo.
Niadris forced Alex to confront a question she'd never even considered; what if a 'monster' was intelligent? The sole equalizer against hulking supernatural oddities was their simple minded desire for consumption made them predictable. No matter the strength gap, predictable can be strategized around. Not with them. They can think. They know what guns are. Although they never expressed any desire for hostility, Niadris pretty much has given away that they could have killed them all in their sleep. Even recognizing Alex herself as the most combat capable one of the group - the first to be taken out.
Alex tried not to think too hard about it. That near-omniscience would be an indispensable asset on fighting the shadow, and even keeping tabs on those two mages... but still. As a soldier, hunter, and even beast slayer, she was intimately aware of the kind of damage a being with such a "toolkit" could wreak. They could pick off an entire platoon if they played their cards right... and not even leave witnesses. A kind of havoc that she would have no immediate counter for - if she's being honest with herself. Not at least without hundred pounds of dynamite, the spite, and the abandon to strike a match once they got close enough in a small room.
Weighing in at two tons and with the curiosity of a child, there was no getting rid of them. She might as well accept the help make sure they don't fall for any bullshit from those two along the way.
I've been hitting a slump with my writing, so I think my AU story is Niadris meeting the Amaranthine crew is on hiatus, at least in writing terms. But I still want to depict micro scenes of the major story beats I have plotted out in my head. And to think, in Arhulian terms, Niadris is but a young adult. Alex can only pray fully realized Arhulians are just as polite as Niadris, should they ever meet one.
"Hey uh, if Niadris can see our skin, veins, and organs 'n stuff... doesn't that mean they are staring at us naked all the time?"
Across the room, Theo loudly gurgled and choked on the tea he was sipping, splattering it all over his chest and face.
"Not remotely on my list of concerns right now, Ridge." Alex sighed, grasping her forehead. For however little it was worth, there could be worse people with that power.
At last, I got my big ref sheet for my original species! Art done by the wonderful monster master creepy_gun!
As hinted in one of my last posts, Arhulians are beings outside of this world. What are they? Where do they come from? At last, with a proper ref sheet, I can finally deliver the answer!
Morphology
I'll start with the former. Arhulians take on the appearance of large, vaguely musteline being with distinctly myriapodic morphology, with six (or rarely 7) pairs of legs. The foremost legs are bigger and more scythe-like as you would find on a praying mantis. Arhulians are mammalian, but laid out like a centipede. An mature individual averaged around 12-15 feet long from head to base of tail. There does not seem to be a maximum size they can reach. Rather, they choose to inhibit growth based on environmental factors such as habitat, food availability and convenience. Rumors have it that truly gargantuan specimens reside exclusively in the oceans...
Arhulians have three pairs of eyes, with the forward most set being the smallest, and gradually becoming larger towards the back of the skull. Each pair of eyes can focus on an independent subject, or examine a singular subject in extreme detail. Their irises faintly glow in dark environments.
Arhulians have a pharyngeal jaw - a second set of jaws nested inside the throat to aid in swallowing large prey - not unlike that of a moray eel. Arhulian bodies have the means to maintain the vital functions of their ingested prey, so that they may feed upon the psionic energy of their capture - nourishing their bodies in ways that defy mundane explanation. Depending on various factors, and the intensity of the feeding, the specimen is often released after several days to a week, with minimal atrophy, and little to no recollection of the event.
In addition to their primary appendages, Arhulians posses a series of fine skeletal arms, tendrils, and what appears to be natural syringes nested in cavities in between their ribs all along their body. These appendages are retracted when not in use, as they are frail enough to be damaged under an Arhulian's own body weight. The uses of these appendages range between nursing, administering natural remedies, fine manipulation, and more.
CW//Biology stuff, and mild body horror below.
Lastly, Arhulians are hermaphroditic, possessing both male and female reproductive organs. Their male organs are housed inside their body when not needed, much like a cetacean. Their uteruses are unique as they are permanently enlarged, and capable of interfacing with live specimens - even that of other species - to host them, and preform fine manipulation such as; gene tailoring, consciousness manipulation, cellular reconstruction, or vivisection of the specimen without disrupting their vital functions.
In rare cases, Arhulians have been able to transplant a consciousness of a being from a failing body, into a newly gestated vessel.
Biological Wonders
Arhulian physiology has several qualities to it that leave biologists utterly stumped as to their finer workings of. The few that have had the privilege of getting up close with one consider their bodies to be living natural wonders.
One of the more 'straightforward' details is their complete immunity to disease, and their bodies ability to seemingly sterilize offending vectors without also destroying non-harmful specimens. Likewise, their bodies process toxins incredibly well, making poisons and drugs nigh-useless. For areas where contact with the beings have been established "A drinking contest with an Arhulian' is slang for taking on a challenge with an opponent that hopelessly outmatches you.
The next wonder is their bodies ability to not only quickly heal wounds in days that would take mundane beings weeks or months to heal, but their flat-out resilience to damage to begin with. This is credited to their circulatory system being able to detect injury and pinch off the ends of severed blood vessels. Given that most fatal injuries trickle down to blood loss at their core, this is a huge boon. In addition, the nervous system of the Arhulian seems to be capable of withstanding more severe damage than that of a mundane, much to the misfortune of anyone who has found themselves the subject of their wrath without mass firepower or liberal quantities of explosives.
Not last, and far from least, is their most wonderous ability of all. The ability to directly interface with the anatomy of living beings outside their species. The womb inside their large abdomen can house an adult sized person, and function as wholly extracorporeal life support.
Arhulian wombs have numerous internal hands and tendrils that assist in manipulating their patient, and posses specialized proboscis that can grow into the flesh and tap into the nervous system of the patient to maintain vital functions, and even establish a direct, mental link. In extreme cases, a patient can even be 'deconstructed' at the cellular level, right down their brain, and be fashioned a new vessel 'from scratch'.
As effective as the results are, such processes are invasive in the most absolute sense, and require the utmost trust between the patient and their Arhulian 'doctor'.
Tying in with the above, Arhulians posses hereditary memory. Allowing them to share lived experiences or even inherited memories of their own with the occupants of their abdomen through their dreams. Arhulians that are 'newly born' have often spent years inside their parent's womb conscious and 'baking' until they are developmentally on par with an adolescent.
Some Arhulians even take up the profession of being 'memory brokers' and allow visitors of their body to assimilate information and experience at levels that leaves 'higher education' in the dust... provided, you are willing to go into the belly of a multilegged beast and peer into your mind unfiltered... As before, the results are second to none, but they require nothing less than absolute trust.
And of course, there's the memories and knowledge gained of beings they have assimilated.
Psionic Abilities
One of the first things an Arhulian becomes acquainted with in life as they develop their psionic powers, is gaining access to the 'thoughtsphere'. The Thoughtsphere is a place where thoughts and memories can play out as vividly as if one were experiencing these events themselves. Like lucid dreaming, but at the same time, so much more.
Arhulians do not require sleep in the sense that other beings do. Instead, "sleep" is quieting their mind of external stimuli to gain access to the thoughtsphere, like deep meditation. The amount of information stored in an Arhulians hereditary memory may be too much for waking mind, and thus the thoughtsphere must be entered, much like how one would visit a library to consult the information stored there.
As an Arhulian matures, the Luminescent rings for their irises go from white to pink, to purple as they gain psionic power.
The other signature ability Arhulians posses is their 'Lifesense'. Arhulians can see the auras given off by living things. This sense is omni-directional, and it pierces solid matter. For non-thinking beings, such as plant life, their signature is like a very faint glow or hum. Thinking beings like animals produce more distinct signals, and conscious beings like people (or people-animals in my setting) are brighter/louder yet still. And the brightest of all are magic users and other psionics.
Each person, gives off their own signal with minor variances that can be distinguished from one another, as you would with a thumbprint. A person's signal can fluctuate based on their emotional state, becoming brighter, more 'jagged' and so on. Hence Arhulians themselves seeming outwardly calm and stoic - they have been trained at an early age to pay mind to the visibility of their aura.
The average detection range of an Arhulians lifesense is about 300 meters. When meditating, this detection range can be focused to a greater range, but in a relatively narrow cone. At close range, their lifesense can register a being right down to their nerves and veins.
With this ability in mind, it explains why Arhulian sightings are exceedingly rare despite the exploration being at an all time high - (The setting I envision them in is a low-fantasy Victorian era setting.) Arhulians have the means to observe without being observed themselves, and thus, remain hidden until they choose to reveal themselves.
It is speculated more powerful, and large Arhulian individuals have far greater detection ranges. Perhaps this is why no colonizer has ever found what island or small continent they hail from - none who have witnessed it has ever returned to tell the tale.
Habitat
With their myriapodic body structure, six eyes, and purple blood, it's clear that Arhulians are simply not natural beings - to this world anyways. Yet, *where* do they come from has never been answered, and any Arhulian is not willing to part with such information.
As to where they live, there is a mysterious island shrouded by a great shell of fog. Outside, this fog seems like a natural weather event. Inside, things are different. The sky is a deep lavender. The sun has become a blacked disk with an amaranthine corona. Outsiders that are not turned back and cross this threshold are not permitted to return.
The 'island' that makes up the Arhulian's home continent is a mass that's about 100 square kilometers (~40 sq. Miles) and a mile deep. This floating island glides across the deeper portions of the ocean, and is able to move to specific positions. This mass is a hive of Arhulian biomass that form organic, root like structures, with woven bone and inside are countless caves and cavities. The Island is covered in spectacular plant life that luminesces in blues, greens, purples, and pinks, while the air is completely free of any impurity.
This 'island' was once an Arhulian vessel that sailed the stars eons ago, and settled upon the world, acting as a gate between this world, and the Arhulian's enigmatic home.
Society
In a time that cannot be put into words - the concept of matter itself had congealed - the Arhulian collective consumed and devoured ravenously, leaving nothing behind but more of themselves. When faced with the consequences of their endless growth, the Great Mind of their kin faced a crippling, near-maddening isolation. Turning inward, the Great Mind condensed and reformed itself. In this new, young universe, The Arhulian collective resolved that no matter what, they would not consign themselves to solitude again.
Although not consciously knowing their true origin, Arhulians are possessed by a drive to become unseen stewards of the world. Quietly observing from a distance, maintaining the natural order, and when necessary, intervening. At smaller scales, they know unmoderated consumption would only drive them to devour all life as the world knows it, and in knowing that danger, they are resolved to prevent their 'younger siblings' from going down a path with no good end. Likewise, when an imperious upstart decides these moral bindings are too cumbersome to respect, the Arhulian collective is quick to remind them those bindings are also the chains that keep the 'real monsters' restrained.
After a period of isolation, when the world has become interwoven with ships of great sails, and even steam, have the Arhulians made their presence 'formally' known by revealing themselves. However, the world at large knows nothing of the abyssal depths these enigmatic 'tribals' truly reside in.
It would be incorrect to wish you a pleasant meeting from these 'visitors' from the stars, as in reality, they were here long before you. But nonetheless, sit down, and offer a spot of tea - they do find the ways people assemble flavor molecules quite novel - and you just might be given a vision of the cosmos no mind of this world has witnessed before. That is, if you are comfortable with their 'cozy' 'accommodations' and about a week of your time.
Commission from Swampjaws!
One of an Arhulians defining abilities is their "aura sense" that allows them to detect the presence of a souled/willed being near them. This sense is omnidirectional, and bypasses materials. With a range out to 300 meters, there's few things that an Arhulian fail to notice. With a skill known as "perception dodging" and Arhulian can avoid sight lines, know where someone is looking, when they are alert, etc... and minimize their presence until they are almost right on top of you. Not quite invisibility, but knowing exactly where your target is and their attentiveness is the next best thing. Either way, Arhulians are seen when they want to be seen.
As for this surprise; is it a harmless scare? Or potentially someone's last encounter with an Arhulian?
Sketch of my OC/Species graciously brought to life by @aryeonos , The Arhulian. Needless to say, a huge, six-eyed, badger-centipede is both intimidating and hard to depict visually. Thanks to Ary again for assisting me with editing and proof reading. I don't think my story could have reached this level of polish if I did not have my love to bounce it off of. <3
Down below is a short story of them meeting the Amaranthine characters by @kwillow and @chocodile . They are in for a surprising house guest, that's for sure!
Seems like a good way to get a feel for a character is to put them up against some "knowns" to see how the character would react in those circumstances. Acts as a good backdrop to flesh them out from there. As for right now, I'm still 'sculpting' out a lot of the Arhulian lore and worldbuilding.
Initially the story was supposed to be with Hyden, Alex, and Theo, interacting with my Arhulian character 'Niadris' - but the way things were written out and flowed - it turned out to be Alex, Theo, and Ridge instead. I really wanted Hyden to meet them in this story, but then again, Hyden being deadass asleep while all the interesting stuff happens sounds like a pretty Hyden-y thing to do.
Anyways, onto the story. It's somewhat of a long read, at ~7k Words. There's a lot of character interaction, so I hope stayed close to how the three would react in such a situation!
The Visitor
It was an afternoon in middle spring - which for this area of the continent meant that if the weather was good, temperatures would rise above freezing. The cool air with the humidity of melting snow seemed pleasantly mild compared to the long, bitter winters. In the study of a large manor on the outskirts of a town called Northcrest; an older, corpulent, Rabbit with a cracked gem embedded in his forehead was gripping the sides of his hair in frustration. "A person of my mind, MY intellect should have solved this weeks - no - months ago!" Hyden snarled to himself.
"You sure you aren't just stalling for time to enjoy your little 'vacation' here?" A Bat leaning in the doorway chided.
Hyden put on a despondent look. "I am trying, Ms. Solokov. Really, in earnest. The faster I can put an end to this disaster, the faster I can rebuild my oh-so woefully maligned reputation!" He said, crumpling up another paper of scribbled equations of arcane theory, tossing it into a waste basket.
Alex wanted to retort, but it would just be another fight, another exchange of barbs like all the other times before. She rolled her eyes, then stood up to wander out of the office. "Hopefully Ridge gets back soon. I want someone I can actually talk to." She thought, returning to her room to take stock of her things.
Hours later, as the sun was setting - casting the hillsides in an amber glow, a brawny teal Shark bundled in a heavy coat returned. In both of his arms were large crates, as well as canvas bags hooked around his arms. The door was opened by a short, roundish fancy Rat. "Oh, do make sure you remove your filthy boots at the entryway, I don't want any melting slush being tracked all over my estate." They sneered in their shrill voice.
"Yes, of course Theo. I wouldn't want to sully your pristine hardwood floors." Ridge responded dryly. Before the Rat could retort, the large Shark added. "Anyways, here's everything you had on your shopping list, these supplies should keep us stocked for a few weeks before another trip." Preemptively cutting off Theo again, Ridge blurted out: "Oh, and I trust 'ya have the perfect spot to put everything. I wouldn't want to scramble 'yer pantry, after all."
Theo scowled at the bulky outsider, their constant pokes and attempts at wit got under his skin. He knows Ridge was trying to get out of putting away the groceries after a long walk - but he was also right. "Yes, of course. As the sole keeper of this venerable estate, it is my duty to tend to all it's functions, right down to it's inventory." Theo stated. There would have been more words to shoot back, but Theo's duty as a host kept him from slipping any further into banter with his guest.
After dropping off the groceries for Theo to tend to, Ridge went off to search for alex. The manor contained more rooms and floors than any “house” he had ever set foot in. It irritated Ridge to no end that the little rich Rat insisted that the doors remain closed at all times, so he had to peek into half a dozen rooms and three closets before finding the reading room his friend was residing in. The weary Shark entered, flopping down on a chair; glad to be able to finally sit down on something soft and cushy after his trek. Alex smiled, welcoming him. "Your shopping trip took a long time Ridge, I know he asked you to grab a lot. Is everything alright?" The Bat queried.
Ridge sighed. "Yea... well maybe. Just some things 'goin on." He added before continuing. "I know you don't get out much since you 'gotta keep an eye on them two, so I figured I'd go around town and pick up a little news for ya. See what's happening. There's been talk of some strange things going on. Livestock vanishing, hunting season has been looking a little sparse, and strange tracks out in the snow. People said they look like ski pole marks, I dunno what to make of it, I figured you uh - you have gotten out more than I have, so you'd have an idea."
Alex frowned. "Well, unless we are dealing with a roaming pack of wolves with skis, it's probably another one of those magic, twisted monsters that appeared ever since this whole catastrophe began." Alex sighed, rolling her eyes. "Yet another thing I ought to give that fat Rabbit a piece of my mind about." She said, her voice lowering, oozing with contempt.
Ridge gave Alex a concerned look. "Yeah, well, if it was just that, that wouda have been one thing. But I saw those funny tracks near the path to the mansion... I don't have a good feeling about this."
Alex nodded. "I see. As much as I want to see that guiltless loaf ripped apart and eaten like cheap, stale bread by the very monsters he's created; we need him. I'll keep my eyes and ears out for anything strange."
The following nights were uneasy for Alex. Each night, she'd take station and perch herself on one of the roofs accessible via a second story window, scanning the horizon for activity. Her large ears would catch whispers of something roaming in the distance, but she never could locate the source of the sound or what direction it was coming from. It always vanished just as she felt like she was homing in on her target.
She felt an uneasy tingle in her veins as her frustration mounted. If it was just wildlife, or even a monster, she surely should have spotted something by now. "Is anything really out there?" She thought to herself. After another uneventful evening watch, Alex swallowed her worries long enough to get some rest. She already has Hyden to keep watch over, she doesn't need whatever this is stealing her attention.
During the late evening; an hour past midnight, the manor was quiet, save for the crackle of the evening fireplace, as well as the stirring of but a single person; Theo. Between his duties as host, the sole caretaker for an entire servant-less manor, as well as his intense suspicion of everybody - save for his living historical idol Hyden - Theo was often the last person to go to bed, and the first to rise. This truncated sleep schedule, the bags under his eyes; they were merely the cost of business to keep everything in order. During the final rounds of his estate, a knock came from the door just as theo entered the foyer. The ears of the diminutive Rat twitched, his shoulders jerking at the sound of the knocking, which in the dead of night was as clear as his crystal wine glasses.
Tap tap tap. Another knock came. Theos' ears were not deceiving him. "Who in their right mind would visit at this godsforsaken hour?" Theo thought to themselves. This was abnormal. Tap tap tap. He rarely had visitors, ever. Let alone at a time like this. As he neared the door, he hesitated. The magical crystal embedded in his left hand felt strangely warm, and his hand was flush with blood flow. This was never a sensation he had experienced before - something was off. Tap tap tap. Before Theo could ponder any further, the fancy Rat scrunched his nose and bared a snarl as they heard more knocking pickaxing through his inner monologue. Whatever was going on, it was a terribly rude hour to be disturbing anybody, let alone him. Arming himself with some choice verbal barbs for his unwanted visitor, Theo opened the door.
As the door swung open, he was greeted by a silhouette of something massive - even taller than Hyden - though much of it's form was obscured by the evening darkness and their ebony fur, but what could be seen was not the body of a person. It was of some kind of beast. The fuzzy forelimbs of this creature ended in large, gently curved, off-white spikes, similar to that of a praying insect that Theo had only seen depicted in a historical encyclopedia. He looked up; his eyes met with the pairs it had on their badger-like head. The creature's triangular ears flicked, then it looked down at the Rat; the creature's three pairs of eyes were arranged above one right after the other - like the pips of the six side of a die. The eyes were pure black, save for the iris that shone like a purple ring in the light of the lantern. The words Theo had prepared found themselves lodged in his throat.
Aghast, the fancy Rat stumbled backwards, but his heel snagged on the edge of a floor rug, causing the Rat to land on his posterior, painfully pinching his tail. "Eek! M-monster... Gnnnk! Demon! Hng Aberration!" Theo exclaimed in a shrill voice as his rapid breathing caused him to fumble over his own words. He wanted to call out for help, to Hyden; even to the outsider, Alex. But he could not utter anything beyond sharp gasps as his breathing went to disarray.
The imposing creature looked at the panicked Rat and spoke to them. "Oh? Is that so? Would a monster choose knocking over divorcing your door from its frame?" The creature's voice was deep, coarse, and multitudinous as if three separate beings were speaking in unison. The creature remained in the doorway, peering at the quaking Rat, examining them and their actions closely. All six eyes were locked onto Theo, and the gaze made his fur stand on end. Theo already hated being stared at by just one pair of eyes.
Theo sat on the floor, his whole body feeling flushed and trembling from his pounding heart. That thing had just spoken to him. In fluent dialect no less! Theo had heard of monsters before, but never an intelligent one - let alone one capable of speech. Something about this creature disturbed him to his core. His mind raced at kilometers a minute trying to process just what he was witnessing.
The creature's lips tensed as if it were about to speak; but then it stopped, before looking to its left. "It seems your sentry has been roused." The creature spoke aloud.
"Ess... Sentry?" Theo questioned. Then it clicked; it was referring to Alex. She always kept watch. How did they know about her? "Was this thing spying on us?" Theo exclaimed in his mind. The Rat felt dread bubbling up within him.
In one of the manor's guest rooms, Alex was sleeping. The tension of the last few nights had made deep sleep an impossibility. Thus, when the sound of Theo's raised voice came from downstairs, it was enough to wake her. She rubbed her eyes as she rose from the bed. "Was that Theo shout-" Her large ears flicked as they heard the sound of something unearthly and her fur stood on end. Without any further thought, her body reacted and she grabbed her hunting rifle, sprinting to the location of the sound. Fortunately, her eyes were fully adjusted for the night, and she made it to the foyer without a stumble despite her scramble.
She sprang into the foyer, stopping herself with the guard rail of the grand staircase. Alex laid eyes on the huge beast in the doorway, it's six met with hers. Alex was prepared to shoot, but the violet irises of the beast were staring right at her the instant she rounded the corner into the foyer; as if it already knew she was going to be there. The sight made her freeze. "Theo! What in the hells is that!?" Alex exclaimed.
"A monster!" Theo shouted.
"A visitor." The creature stated, it's baritone, stentorian voice matching Theos' shouting in volume.
No longer half asleep with no obstructing walls to deaden the sound, Alex heard the creature's course, multitoned voice clearly. "Did that thing... just speak?" She said aloud.
Before either Theo or Alex could interject, the creature filling the doorway spoke to the two startled people in the foyer of the manor. "Yes. I did. Your language is relatively simple compared to my native tongue." The beast stated flatly.
"Meh Ms. Solokov! It's egk dangerous! It's bee been spying on us!" Theo said, his chest still struggling to steady itself.
Alex kept her rifle leveled at the beast in the doorway. She wasn't sure if Theo was speaking the truth, or was just in shock. "Okay, who and what the hell are you?" The Bat said, keeping her focus on the creature.
They replied. "I am Niadris. I am what your tongue would call... an Arhulian."
Alex looked at Theo in bewilderment. Theo glanced back at the Bat. "Are-rule-lee-an?" Theo said aloud, sounding out the word by each syllable. "In all my eghk studies. I've never heard of such a species!" Theo said. The Rat's eyes glanced back to the creature in the door with fear and revulsion. "More like 'arhulian'." Theo muttered under his breath. One of the Arhulian's pairs of eyes shifted it's gaze back to the Rat.
"After knocking on your door and introducing myself, you suggest that I am a feral beast?" Niadris queried, in their deep, hellish voice causing the Rat's fur to stand on end as they swallowed nervously. The 'Arhulian' did not just speak their language, but had an advanced understanding of their grammatical structure. The implications of this rattled Theo as he shuffled back to get further away from this creature.
Alex took a deep breath as she maintained composure, interjecting before the situation escalated any further. "Alright, 'Niadris', why are you here? Theo said you were spying on us." She questioned, her rifle planted firmly in the direction of the unplanned visitor. The Arhulian was unfettered by her brandishing a gun right at them. Did it really not know what a gun was, or worse - did it not care?
"Spying? Given that your kind have responded to me with either fear or hostility on sight, I must carefully select when I reveal myself and to whom. It is no act of subterfuge. It is a necessity. Even now; you have your armament at-the-ready just from me knocking on your door and speaking to you. I wanted to speak to an individual, then have them inform the rest of my presence. Do you really imagine this going any better if I had been more bold in my approach? Depicting myself as non-threatening would be an order of magnitude harder with gunshot wounds." Niadris snorted, all three pairs flicking their gaze to Alex before one of them returned to Theo. The multiple pairs of eyes looking in different directions at the same time perturbed them both.
"I eghk do agree that your appearance ehm elicits revuls-" A second pair of eyes locked onto him again. " -ghn a response." Theo said, catching himself. The Arhulian did not speak a word, yet the message was clear; it tore Theo up on the inside to even dare admit, but so far this 'visitor' has shown themselves to be quite capable of not letting verbal barbs go unnoticed.
Alex lowered her rifle, still keeping both hands on it. "I suppose that's... a pretty good point actually." She sighed. "But still, why are you here?"
Niadris spoke calmly. "We share a common enemy. Despite my imposing stature and prowess, physical might is all but meaningless against a foe that subsumes and absorbs all flesh that it touches." Alex's eyes widened as the creature continued explaining. "All my strength and ability are merely tools to avoid becoming a hearty meal in the wake of such a lurid foe." Both Theo and Alex became less defensive as Niadris continued. "...It is a terrible entity that digests without need or moderation. It is a blight upon this world."
Alex and Theo knowingly looked at each other.
"Yeah. We call it the Shadow." Alex said. Her mind feeling a slight amount of guilt over her hostility, her rifle lowered completely.
"Hrm Yes. In that regard we do have a commonality..." Theo relented, stopping before adding too much.
The fancy Rat composed himself enough to stand back up, and brush himself off. "So, that brings us to the matter at hand. How did you find out about our mission? I don't think anyone would have snrk told you about Rising Dawn."
The Arhulian stared with no reaction. "Rising Dawn? Is that a title?" They paused before adding: "No, I sensed that this place had an anomalous aura, so I studied you from afar before approaching."
Theo raised an eyebrow. "What is this urgh 'aura' you speak of? What do you mean by sense?" He asked, his voice dripping in incredulity.
"My kind - Arhulians - have a 7th sense if you will. We can see the 'aura' of living things." Niadris explained. "This place caught my attention because I observed a strange aura much further than I would normally be able to; I was at the crooked sign above the red roofed well when the aura became detectable to me. My normal range is about three-fifths of that."
Theo and Alex raised both their eyebrows. "That's half a kilometer!" They both exclaimed in their minds.
"As I approached and could resolve things in detail, I noticed five distinct auras." Niadris raised their scythe-like forelimb and pointed in various directions. "Two crimson auras; one that luminesces brightly." Niadris pointed to Theo before continuing.
"Crimson auras? Is it referring to our catalyst stones?" Theo thought to himself as the creature explained. The Rat was still skeptical, as him being a witch was public knowledge after all.
As the Arhulian continued narrating, they mentioned: "The second crimson aura seems faint - as if it were hibernating or asleep."
Theo's face twitched in shock as the creature pointed to the direction of the room Hyden was currently residing in - an interior room with no visibility from the outside, nevermind the fact Hyden's presence was supposed to be hidden. Niadris, still speaking: "Then there are two mundane auras - one of them with a notable a tendency to perch from a defensive vantage point." The Arhulian stated, pointing their bone-tipped forelimb to Alex.
"Is that how he snuck past me? He knew I was on watch and avoided me?" Alex pondered.
"Then lastly, the fifth aura. A writhing, squirming mass of discordant signals, that seethe and roil like water itself harboring anger, yet cannot move freely. As if it were sealed away." Niadris pointed in the direction of where the shadow sample was.
Alex and Theo were at a loss for words. There was no way this thing could have such intricate knowledge of Theo's manor without ever having set "foot" inside.
Before either could speak up, the Arhulian spoke again. "Another one of your kind has roused. It is the other mundane aura, and a voluminous one at that. They are to the northeast, and heading in this direction. Could you inform them of my presence before another outburst happens?" Niadris asked with a dry tone.
Alex was stunned in disbelief. They must be talking about Ridge!
Theo butted into the conversation: "I'm not sure what kind of feh fool you take me for, but I highly doubt you really have such a fantastical ability. Really, you can 'see' us through solid walls?" Theo's mind was a whirlpool of doubt and skepticism. The creature's claims seemed too extraordinary to be true. Theo was not sure how, but it has to be some sort of ruse! In the depths of the Rat's mind, the idea of this creature being able to observe him constantly, undetected was a soul-chilling prospect that fundamentally violated his privacy. It has to be a ruse.
"Yes." Niadris bluntly responded.
"Hmph Well, it was a cunning deception, but I'll have you know, our guest is residing in the southwest portion of my manor. And even if they were where you claimed to be, you aren't even looking in that direction..." Theo scoffed. As he was monologuing, the Bat's large ears flicked as she picked up the sounds of footsteps... coming from the northeast.
Niadris did not care to let the Rat finish before speaking, their baritone, multitudinous voice overpowering the Rats' in the conversation. "You have previously admitted to having no information about my species, yet you are presuming knowledge of my capabilities?"
Theo was incensed at being interrupted. "How dar-"
Ridge entered the foyer, scratching his back with a pillow in the other hand. "Hey, uh, is there a barbershop trio here, who are you talki-" The large Shark froze in place as his eyes met with the strange, badger-like creature filling the doorway. "Ah! uh! What in the goddamn...?!" Ridge dropped his pillow and adopted a boxing pose as best they could as their limbs still felt heavy from their evening nap. The Arhulian's eyes devoted a pair to focus on each individual in the foyer.
"Calm down, Ridge! This thing isn't... being dangerous. It wanted to talk to us." Alex blurted out with as much composure as she could muster.
Theo's face was flush as he exclaimed. "What are you doing there? Your room is on the other side of the manor!" The Rat's entire body tingled as any shred of doubt he could summon was scalded away by the unfolding situation.
The muscular teal Shark stammered, as so much was happening all at once for him. "Uh, well, I wandered around and dozed off in one of the book rooms. I got up because it was cold, then I heard this guy... thing?" Ridge said, glancing at Niadris, reluctantly dropping their boxing pose and grabbing their pillow.
"Well, at the very least, Niadris isn't lying to us." Alex said exasperated. Though she too, had her doubts about this 'visitor', she did not appreciate Theo antagonizing them openly. Theo glared at her. So far the Rat has shown hospitality to the outsider, but this jab from her really rubbed him the wrong way.
In the uncomfortable silence of the foyer that was now getting cold due to the door still being open, Alex's mind sparked with an idea. "Wait a minute. Your special 'sense' is omnidirectional? And it works through stuff?" The Bat thought aloud, raising her voice as her ideas congealed before her. "You mentioned exactly where our sample of the Shadow was earlier too... Theo! They can detect the Shadow long before any of us can see it coming! Don't you realize how insanely useful that could be?"
The fancy Rat stammered as they choked on the shreds of their ego. "Hhhhnngh I'll... take that into consideration... Eugh if we are going to board this creature. I just hope it's civilized enough to behave as a guest." Theo sneered.
The Arhulian made a grin, showing off their sharp, carnivorous fangs to the Rat, as well as the deep plum hue of their interior flesh. "Considering your kind have reacted negatively to my being - often with violence - my exposure to 'civilization' has been quite limited. If my lack of knowledge bothers you so greatly, perhaps you could take some time to elucidate on the matter of guest-hood~" Niadris smirked.
"Grrrr... Perhaps I will." Theo scoffed. “But I hope you know, we do not have the culinary erk inventory for something of your dietary needs.”
Niadris nodded. “I am more than capable of procuring my own food, so you will not have to worry about my nutrition. In fact, I had eaten a deer a few days prior. I should be satiated for several days at least.”
The fancy Rat raised an eyebrow. “You have, egh ‘eaten’ ’a’ deer? I think your grammar is a touch underdeveloped. Don’t you mean you caught a deer? hmph What did you do? Swallow it whole?” Theo sarcastically remarked.
“I had to break off those meddlesome antlers, but yes, I devoured it whole.” The Arhulian responded nonchalantly.
The foyer was stunned.
“A-an entire deer?” Alex said incredulously.
Theo’s face contorted with disgust. The thought of a creature this size ingesting prey whole - and possibly alive - summoned dreadful imagery in his mind.
“So… that would uh... ‘splain the missing animals without a trace. Heh, we thought that was the Shadow ‘fer a moment there.” Ridge chuckled nervously.
Theo did not relish being in the room with this lurid creature any longer than he had to. He turned up his scrunched nose before walking off. He was ready for this evening to end. “As I was stating; ehm your first lesson on etiquette will be on closing the door. You're letting all the warm air escape!" Theo spoke as he slinked to the other room, pulling out a cigarette and a lighter from his suit pocket, needing something to take the edge off. As he puffed on his cigarette, the tingling in his hand faded.
Niadris scuttled forward into the foyer, bowing their head to ensure they cleared the door. As the Arhulian entered, their full figure and size was apparent to Alex, Ridge, and a distant Theo peeking from a doorway. Though superficially resembling a badger from the neck up, from the neck down; the Arhulian had a long, Myriapodic form with six pairs of pointed, centipede-like legs. The limbs started off fleshy, covered in fur, then transitioned to softly curved limb spikes that were off-white in color, like bone or horn after the third joint. The Arhulian's body was long and arranged like that of a large, furry millipede or caterpillar, albeit with no segments. Despite their body arrangement, the Arhulian was mammalian - bone clad in flesh - yet clearly centipede-like in their silhouette and locomotion. Niadris closed the door with a light slap of their long, tapered, heavy tail.
"Holy shit. That's... not somethin' you see everyday." A tired Ridge said, not entirely sure if they were still dreaming or not.
Alex looked at Niadris and saw that they had the strap of what appeared to be some kind of homemade rucksack across their chest as their only article of clothing. "Yeah, I was about to ask about the lack of clothes... but I guess there's nothing in your size." She remarked lightheartedly, trying to break the tension in the air.
"No. There is not. My metabolism can vary to maintain body heat relative to the environment, so clothes would be unnecessary. In addition, they would both limit my range of movement, and be unlikely to hold up to the kind of abuses my hide experiences." Niadris responded earnestly.
The teal Shark spoke up once there was a gap in the conversation. "So, uh... How do I say this? I don't see nothin' down there, and yet your voice is deeper than an Ironfrost coal mine. What are ya? A guy or girl?" The Shark asked.
Alex's face went wide with shock before scrunching back down into a glare at the Shark. "Ridge! That's terribly rude to just go and ask someone a thing like that!"
Niadris interjected. "There is no need to chide him. It is a perfectly legitimate question. After all, that den keeper did state there appears to be no documentation whatsoever of my kind in their knowledge base - and given the encounters I have had - neither do the rest of your kind for that matter. To answer the first question, my reproductive organs are housed internally to protect them from the rigors of life. Likewise, the answer to the latter question is that your binary terms are insufficient to describe me. Arhulians possess both the ability to fertilize a mate, and sire children. We are hermaphroditic." Niadris explained. "Your language is... limited in expressing my form, so gender neutral terms will be adequate."
Ridge's face was flush with embarrassment as he realized how personal and blunt his question was. "So yeah, on that... if 'yer talkin' about mates; doesn't that mean there are more of 'you' out there?" The shark said sheepishly, trying to adjust the course of the conversation away from his prying faux pas. He clutched his borrowed pillow tightly. Talking to this thing still seemed like a surreal dream to him.
The Arhulian was silent for several seconds. Up until now, they had been immediate to respond to questions. Alex and Ridge glanced at each other. "My kind are not native to this land. In addition, I have traveled a substantial distance. It is highly unlikely you will encounter another Arhulian." Niadris stated, with a briskness to their voice.
Alex looked down at Ridge from the second floor and gave Ridge a gesture to "Cut it out." Ridge gave a small nod. Alex sighed. "Well, it's safe to say your arrival has been quite a surprise. I think we all should get some rest and continue your introduction properly tomorrow." The Bat said, waving her arm for Ridge to come over to her.
Ridge added: "Oh, uh, I don't think we have any beds that'd fit you. 'Fer now you'll have to stay in the reading room I was in. Theo's got a big cushy rug in there. The fire is dyin' down, but I'm sure it's better than out there, heh.``
Niadris gave an acknowledging nod while their triangular ears perked up. They then pointed in the direction of the room Ridge came from with their uppermost arms, that had regular - albeit large, clawed - hands instead of a fang-shaped spike like the rest of their limbs. The shark raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, uh, how do ya know what room I came from?" Ridge asked, confused.
Alex sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah... I'll explain that in a minute, Ridge. I think Niadris here wants some space, they need a moment to relax after the 'welcome' we gave them." She said, physically pushing on the Shark to usher them out of the foyer.
It was true that they wanted to be left alone. Niadris had little experience dealing with people. They felt exhausted having to keep their composure on total lockdown to appear as non-threatening as possible. Niadris was eager to find this "reading room" Ridge had mentioned. Spatially, they knew exactly where it was based on the Shark's location in their mindsphere. On the other hand, their mindsphere did not consider walls, thus the Arhulian had to take a few moments to figure out how to navigate the interior of the manor to the reading room.
Despite their size and bulk, the sound of the Arhulian's centipede-like legs scuttling across the floor were much quieter than one would anticipate. Niadris made it a point to take light steps, and maneuver on rugs and carpets to minimize sound. Not out of etiquette, but as a means to hone their stealth. Never before Niadris had such an opportunity to interact and maneuver around people in close proximity in a safe environment.
The Arhulian noted a single aura tailing him; it was the bright, crimson one of Theo. Not desiring further drama, Niadris elected to ignore the Rat's presence as they made their way to the "reading room" Ridge had spoken of. The comforts of fire and shelter were secondary to the Arhulian; what had piqued their interest was the very title of the room itself.
Alex and Ridge were returning to their rooms, trying to process the evening's events. "They were... quite the visitor." Ridge said, his tone unsure.
Alex looked down at the floor as she walked. "Yeah. Something about them makes my fur stand on end. It's like a creeping feeling going up my back."
The tall Shark looked down at his troubled friend. "Are... are ya afraid? They give me the creeps somethin' fierce too."
The Bat exhaled. " I... I don't know Ridge. I had my gun pointed right at their head, but they were unfazed. Niadris seemed to know what guns are, yet they treated me like an afterthought. They don't seem dumb either; they gave Theo a good run for their money in a debate. So either they got a damn good poker face, or... this 'Arhulian' might be even tougher than it looks."
Alex trailed on, the confidence in her voice gone now that she was in private with the one person here she could truly consider her friend. "...I'm a soldier. A hunter. I've had scraps with big game, I've fought people bigger than me. Even gave ol' lard chops a bloody face." Alex said, referencing her brawl with Hyden. "But that creature, it isn't like anything my training could have prepared me for. I don't fancy getting into a fight with them."
Ridge scratched his fin. "So, was letting 'em in really a good idea?"
"Personally, I think their alibi passed the sniff test. They could have attacked any time and hit us when we couldn't see it coming. If they wanted to make a move, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be playing mind games like a certain someone I know. We have that going for us at least." Alex paused. "Even so, I feel like they aren't telling us everything." Ridge nodded. As they reached their bedrooms, the two parted ways, then closed the doors to their rooms.
In the other portion of the manor, the Arhulian arrived at the reading room; their three pairs of eyes widened in delight. Wall to wall shelves lined with books! Niadris had very limited experience with books from their fleeting encounters - or spoils - from outsiders. Most of those books contained relatively uninteresting data like logs or journals, or completely fictitious tales. Here however, had an assortment of books on a large variety of subjects and organized quite neatly. The Arhulian removed their handcrafted backpack and pulled something out. It was a thick leather-bound book. It was plainly covered, with the sole word "Dictionary" for the title.
Niadris' chest seemed to squirm and writhe all on its own, followed by the faintest of popping and cracking of stiff joints. With a sound of flesh being pulled taught, numerous pairs of spindly arms came slinking out from in between the creature's ribs on the sides of their chest! These arms were very thin; near-skeletal in appearance. The hands on them were clawless, and consisted of three vaguely conical digits - two fingers, one thumb. These limbs were much slower and deliberate in their movements, and the leathery skin they had was a very deep plum color, almost black. In their travels, Niadris had quickly learned that the pages of books often were too delicate for their stronger, clawed, "normal" arms.
After tenderly putting away their dictionary, the creature's three pairs of eyes darted all across the room, scanning the spines of each book for topics of interest. The low-light conditions of the dying fire was more than enough for the Arhulian to discern the titles. Then, the Arhulian scuttled across the perimeter of the room, picking out a dozen books before returning to the center of the reading room by the smoldering fireplace. The huge, badger-centipede-like being then rested their long form on the floor, their body and abdomen landing on the carpet with a plompf. Niadris laid out three books with the covers open, while each pair of eyes scanned it's own book.
Theo had been quietly observing the beast from a hidden spot in another room through a peephole; and totally-not-a-hole that he had not gotten around to patching yet. The Rat monitored them carefully, shuddering at the sight of the numerous lanky arms protruding from the Arhulian's chest, and those arms touching his books. Yet, his attention was stolen when he witnessed this creature reading three books at a time! Was this creature really that capable of absorbing knowledge?
Then, another thought crept into his mind. "Wait, who taught them to read in the first place?" As his mind contemplated, Theo's eyes widened when the creature looked up, and peered straight at him. Eye to eye contact, as if the wall parting them was not even there. Niadris gestured "come over here" with one of their their large, scythe-like forelimbs that were mounted below their exterior arms. Theo ducked down from the footstool he was standing on - nearly falling off in the process - then he covered his face in embarrassment. It seemed like there really was no hiding from this damned creature.
Letting out a sigh, Theo came to the reading room. The warm tingling sensation in his left hand returned. Was his catalyst stone reacting to this creature? The fancy Rat took slow, cautious steps forward. "It is remarkable. A wealth of knowledge at my fingertips." Niadris spoke aloud. They continued. "For so many years, I had to learn matters in direct fashion. I knew your kind stored information on physical documents, but I never could have imagined this place being lined to the ceiling with this treasure."
When Theo was up close to Niadris, and composed enough to listen clearly, the Arhulians stentorian voice seemed to be composed of multiple octaves speaking in perfect unison. The scholarly Rat recalled the Arhulians' comment on their native language... “If the multiple octaves can be modulated separately, the grammar of this species could be phenomenally intricate!” However, Theo had more pressing things on his mind than appealing to his inner linguist, and set aside that tangent in his mind for later. The voice had strong projection, and the beast seemed to be making a concerted effort to whisper - which was speaking volume to Theo’s delicate ears.
Theo initially had some words for the Arhulian prepared, but the "treasure" comment gave him pause. The Rat stood there in silence for several minutes as the Arhulian continued reading what appeared to be volumes from an encyclopedia series, watching their thin ribcage arms turn the pages of each book. The hands were slow, deliberate, and delicate. Near by was a cloth that seemed to have been borrowed to wipe the oils from the creature's hands before interacting with his books. The rat let out a swift, small exhale. This monster treated his things better than some people he's hosted.
Theo then spoke up. "At least someone else besides His Grace sees my library for what it is, and not eguh ornamentation. Though, I am surprised you would have any academic interest at all." Theo's words trailed on. Niadris shot a glance at him. "However, I presume it is not a completely irrational observation; a thing like you just can't sceh scuttle into a library. Which begs the question at hand, just who would teach you to read?"
The Arhulian paused, before giving Theo their full attention. "I... am not sure." They responded.
"What." Theo said, the word seemingly having spilled out of his mouth in disbelief. "What do you mean you don't know? How ek! How is that even a facsimile of an answer!? Didn't your moth-er well, parents teach you?" Theo said, his voice raised in frustration.
Niadris explained. "I do not know how I came to this knowledge. My earliest memories were of me being carried in my brood lord's abdomen. In my cradle of flesh, I would see and hear the world as they would. They would make demonstrations for me to observe as I nursed inside them. Their past memories would come to me in my dreams." As the Arhulian narrated, Theo shuddered at the prospect of being entombed alive and conscious in writhing, moist, undulating flesh from all sides. The fancy Rat took a deep breath and persisted in wading through the graphic descriptions from the beast - he wanted answers for the trouble he had gone through this evening.
Theo waited for an opening in the creature's explanation to jump in. "Your kind- urk Arhulians, have hereditary memory? If so, how is it you do not know where your knowledge came from? Perhaps a past ancestor?" Theo questioned, only half seriously.
The Arhulian shook its head in disappointment. "If only the answer was that simple. It is far more complex, and I am uncertain of the details. I will tell you what I know." Theo rubbed his brow, adjusted his glasses, and nodded. "When I dream, I see fragments of memories; but these memories are abnormal. I see... a settlement, a school, memories of a life not only not that of my ancestors, but not of my kind entirely... and our biology cannot interbreed. That I do know."
Theo gestured for the creature to get on with it. It was unconscionably late.
"I do have one possible hypothesis. There is another way our kind can exchange memories and experience. A ritual called Arhel-vāl." The strange word was accentuated by the Arhulian's multitudinous voice. "In your tongue, the closest word to it and what it means is amalgamation. Two mature specimens of our kind, typically one larger than their partner, subsumes the other into their flesh..." Theo's stomach churned at the vexing, visceral, possibly even vulgar imagery the Arhulian had verbally illustrated to him. "...but unlike ordinary cannibalism, the subsumed being is absorbed alive, mind intact, and two, become one." Niadris described, sparing no detail, much to Theo's revulsion.
The fancy Rat's tail quaked as his analytical mind began to put together a picture his sensibilities did not want to see. "You're hnnngh suggesting you have Esss assimilated a person?" He said, his mind racing as fast as his heart. "Oh heavens! Is that why it is here? To consume our minds and seize our knowledge?!" Theo's mind screamed.
The Arhulian peered down at the Rat. "Your luminant aura is flaring and seething. Do you find this knowledge troubling?" Niadris asked. Theo looked at the beast glaring down at him, his eyes wide with terror. "I see. You imagine me as your would-be predator." The beast let out a hushed, hellish chuckle with their deep, multitudinous voice.
"Worry not, Theo. The ritual of Arhel-vāl is strictly between my kind; the 'donor' in question must be of the utmost certainty in their union - lest their knowledge be torn apart in a maelstrom of panic and fear. Your kind were never even considered a possibility due to the mental fortitude required to uphold the ritual. The being that amalgamated with me - whomever they were - must have been exceptional in their conviction."
The trembling Theo swallowed. "Well, erf I suppose that is good to know. Hrf Well, if you'll excuse me, egk I need to be getting some rest.” He stammered. “It is dreadfully late. And do take care to return my books exactly as you have found them. hgn It was painstaking to order them all as I have." With an abnormal spring in their step, the fancy Rat wheeled around and left the reading room with haste.
"By the gods, what is that thing? How does it exist? And why did it show up to MY manor, of all places?" Theo cogitated. Their attempt to seek out answers seemed to have only made the question mark hovering over this mysterious creature even fatter. Theo paced around the manor, and passed by the room Hyden was sleeping in; him blissfully unaware of all that had transpired this evening. Theo raised his gloved hand, as if to knock on the door, but he stopped himself. "I can't disturb His Grace during his rest... but I must inform him of this aberrant thing as soon as I can."
Theo, anxious and jittering, sat down on a cushioned chair outside of Hyden's room, fumbling with a pack of cigarettes. Alone with his thoughts his mind began to wander; all trains of thought leading back to that enigmatic creature. A particular moment from the Arhulian’s behavior stood out to Theo. The way they retreated to the library, and found refuge in books where they were not judged for their appearance or the mannerisms that others found odd... Theo shivered as he felt what was quite possibly a degree of familiarity with this creature.
He did not want to fancy such feelings. The Rat shook their head and calmed their mind enough for exhaustion to take its toll; his head bobbed down, and the unlit cigarette in his hand fell onto the floor beside him as he lapsed into sleep right in his chair.
The heavyset Rabbit snoozing under their blanket on the other side of the door was the only person in the manor to have had quality sleep that evening.
This bust shot came out wonderfully by swampjaws! I love the detail and the rendering. They look like they are leaping out of the screen at you!
Lore Nugget
Arhulians have a pharyngeal jaw, like that of a moray eel. It is a second jaw that is normally nested inside the throat, that can be extended forward into the mouth.
For eels, it's to help them swallow prey since they cannot expand their mouths like regular fish. For Arhulians, it's to help them swallow large prey whole and alive.
The "bite" is a four stroke process:
The outer jaw clamps down on the subject > the inner jaw moves forward and bites down > the outer jaw opens > the inner jaw retracts > repeat
(Seriously, if you want to do creature design, just plagiarize marine biology.)
Another feature is their split tongue. Arhulian tongues are hollow and can be used like a straw, or use the prehensile split end to reach for and ensnare small prey. Particularly small specimens can be swallowed by the tongue itself!
Art from my sketchpage comm from Yivah!
The purpose for Arhulians to be capable of ingesting prey whole and alive is that their primary way of feeding is by keeping the prey in a suspended state while feeding off of their psionic energy, which provides significantly more nourishment then chemical processes.
Although a seemingly limitless source of power, ingested beings have a limit to how much they can be 'drained'. Overfeeding will put the prey in a comatose state, and if not stopped; the beings bond between soul and body snaps - Functionally speaking - undergoing brain death - where even if their body is 'alive' there is no consciousness at the helm. Thus, prey is (usually) released before being drained to a critical state.
This psionic energy not only sustains the Arhulian far more efficiently than chemical feeding, it allows the Arhulian fuel their psionic metabolism. This metabolism can be responsible for synthesizing, transmuting, or disposing of materials from within their bodies. Essentially - pulling energy and matter from nowhere.
Of course, Arhulians have the means to do things the 'traditional' way with organic matter to sustain themselves, it's just a lot less efficient. Particularly large and/or powerful Arhulian morphs reach a level of energy demand that chemical feeding is impractical to sustain them, and they exclusively feed off of psionic energy.
"Rumors have it they were once the undisputed ruling species of their... place of origin, literally devouring all other competition. These 'Arhulians' then developed a more 'humane' way of feeding that did not result in permanent consequences for their prey, seemingly out of guilt and a desire for stewardship, or so they say.
Not sure how much I buy that, but hey, if a two ton 'badger-pede' wants to pull it's punches, we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth... er, pun intended."
"The Visitor" is my first big story of mine that saw the light of day. In this post, I'll be explaining my thought process behind why and how I made it. In a future post, I'll be explaining my Arhulian species, and my character Niadris in more detail. But for now, I'll be on to explaining my creative process.
Firstly, a few months ago I got back into tumblr after finding the blogs of @chocodile and @kwillow. Their characters, their art, their stories. They moved me, they inspired me! Drawing was never my strong point, (I had to enlist @aryeonos to graciously sketch my species reference for me <3) but descriptive writing is something I can do! So through that, it was the avenue I expressed my creation.
That said; Ary being my editor and proof reader really helped me achieve a level of polish I don't think I could have accomplished on my own. <3
The Amaranthine characters are so rich and vibrant, I just wanted to write for them. Their personalities just seemed really fun to write for, as well as gave me a clear picture of how each character would behave in a story. A solid baseline for my weirdo badger-pede to contrast with. So I poured over Kwillow's and Chocodile's art pages for information about the characters and the setting. I wanted to respect the lore and setting as best I can; as well as the fact, the more information I had, the easier it would be to write.
Feelin' A Bit Drafty In Here
In a very early pre-draft version of the story (where I was still ideating over it), I thought I would try to tell the story from Niadris' perspective, but Aryeonos felt it would ruin a lot of the mystery and suspense surrounding Niadris, as well as deprive me of character interaction moments for the rest of the cast. So I redid the entire tone and course of the story to focus on the Rising dawn quartet, (sans snoozing bunny) with Niadris being the add - an apt decision since the cast literally considers them an intruder!
In the new story format, I thought about Theo being so nerve wracked by Niadris that he would try to poison them, only for it not to work, and for Niadris to then reveal their life-sensing ability to Theo and tell him that they are not mad because always knew where he stood as a veiled threat. The story would have had a more adversarial tone; but then after doing some more lore spelunking, I learned that Theo prefers to handle confrontation openly and honestly as opposed to taking the scoundrel's way out.
So after learning that wasn't a very gentlemanly move, I decided to shift gears and redo the story (again) to what you see today.
After that, I looked up the other characters for pertinent lore and information about them. I was already pretty familiar with Hyden, and Theo was the first character I discovered since I'm a diehard rat/skaven fan and always combing the internet for rat characters!
Then came to Alex and Ridge. After having my "cast" in hand, I figured out what to do with them. In the current iteration of the story, I wanted Niadris being self-conscious of their frightening appearance (they've certainly been screamed and shot at enough) and opt to meet the cast in a way that does not end in violence. Hence the Arhulian observing the cast for a long time and then making their carefully planned move. Likewise, first impressions are very important, and Niadris trying to approach the situation in a delicate manner (whether or not it worked) was one of my central goals in depicting them, and Arhulians as a whole. They are far from mindless brutes...
Switching back to the the Amaran quartet, they are not my characters obviously - I'm just writing for them - so I tried to make educated guesses on how'd they react based on the information I had at hand. So keep in mind these are my personal head cannons of these characters!
Character Dynamics
Hyden - Due to the way the story was structured, he was not utilized very much. Which, is a shame on one hand, but on the other, it leaves my options open for how he would react in a future story. He could be just as lost as the rest of the cast, then shift to be deeply fascinated by the unnatural being that is Niadris. Treating them like magic buddyTM Ambroys 2.0. (Though he may find it much more difficult sink his roots into Niadris, as they are far sharper, and not blinded by idolism like Theo.) Or, alternatively, Hyden being a time displaced scholar could know something about Arhulians the present day cast does not, and is trouser-browningly terrified. But that is as much as I'll reveal for now. We'll see what way the coin falls. :)
Theo - Theopolis North was the most fun to write for. Poor little Rat man pinballed through many different emotions across the story. Firstly, fear. Secondly, he's even more unnerved by the fact Niadris can go toe-to-toe in his smartassery which means it's intelligent. And that's extra dangerous in his eyes. I thought about writing Theo being even meaner and more hostile, but I decided Theo has a few reasons to keep himself reeled in.
1) Theo - though a poorly adjusted meanie - has enough sense to know that trying to stress-test this thing's patience would not go in his favor if the matter escalated. Especially with a thing that could throw him across a room or eat him alive. Unmetaphorically. Best to let a sleeping dragon lie so to speak.
2) I've noted that Theo appears to be a dire misanthrope, so a thought occurred to me that Niadris is just so alien they just end up in a loophole of sorts. And I decided that is a funny dynamic, and I'm going to roll with that. :)
2.5) Theo's aggression seems to be heavily rooted in his own insecurities. Niadris is somewhere between socially illiterate to too logically minded to care. So in a way, from theo's perspective; that's big wall that isn't there for him.
3) As much as it agonizes him to admit, the alternative is telling this thing to sod off, resulting in them just roaming about unaccounted for entirely. At least this way, he can keep an eye on them...
4) Granted, he does not want to admit it outright and 'encourage' them, Theo is personally intrigued by Niadris. Although he hasn't quite put it together it yet; Arhulians are intelligent, sentient, beings that definitively exist outside of "ascension". The implications would be defining to say the least. Theo's name would go down in the books for sure...
And lastly, this being gives him a sense of deja vu he tries not to think too closely about. Henceforth, I laid down the roots of what may be the beginning of a very odd "friendship" as hinted at in the closing paragraphs of the story.
Alex - From the lore I got on her, she jumped out to me as the most rational and calm-minded of the group. She's a cool, collected soldier. Her perception is sharp (and unlike Theo, it's not calibrated in entirely the wrong direction via paranoia). Her nature as a sniper means it's natural for her to sit back, absorb information, and think about a decision before making it. Because of this, it felt natural that she'd fall into the role of "team mom" because she's the most level-headed and surprisingly enough, the most socially adjusted of the group. Especially since her competition is:
1) Hyden; a washed up noble that doesn't know what century he's living in - whose social resume is bossing around servants and bullshitting noble asses.
2) Theo; a misanthropic, paranoid, bulgy-eyed weirdo that's a reclusive shut in.
3) Ridge; Likely the best of the three. But if I remember the lore right, it's heavily implied that Ridge was in jail for some time, so I'd wager that has not done his social skills any favors.
So with that in mind, Alex is the glue desperately trying to keep (the now) quintet from unraveling.
Ridge - Of the four characters here, Ridge has the least information available that I could find, so a lot of his character is implied from his surface level details, like him being big and brawny, that he had spent time in jail, and is at the very least in a non-hostile relationship with Alex. With all that said, I guesstimate he has the least amount of emotional baggage and personality extremes, so I felt that Ridge would be the best fit for a layman character.
Niadris - Beyond what I already mention here, I'd rather keep their inner workings hidden, as they are both a mysterious, and a still developing (both in-universe and in a meta sense) character...
What's Next?
Without giving away too much, the logical path forward to the story is that Niadris is playing it safe as they have never been around multiple people for an extended period of time before. So they take on a passive role to learn and observe the... odd group dynamic the rising dawn quartet have. There will be a great deal of funny character moments and learning experiences for all involved! Over time, Niadris will start to make their own waves as they get accustomed to the group, and begin manifesting their own wants once they feel comfortable exerting their own social pressure.
Likewise, everyone is wary of the big, scary Arhulian. But on the other hand, their value as an asset is undeniable! And they would be a pretty definitive tie-breaker should a schism arise... Various parties will likely be setting plans into motion to try and vie for Niadris's loyalty now that this wild card has scuttled their way into the group.
With the groundwork of Niadris' and the Arhulians' introduction laid, I have to spend some time thinking about the path forward; as this is the point where things can really diverge, so I must decide what direction the story is going to head in. So alas, I don't really have an ETA in mind for the next chapter of this fan-story.
