This time, three Grotesques and a special guests. Below the cut, we explore the taxonomy of the Grafton Monster, the Wannamingo, the Tunneller, and... the mole miners. Ignore the scorchbeast in the header, things got moved around.
GRAFTON MONSTERS
FIGURE 1: A typical Grafton Monster (Homo (robusta) musculacephalis) as first described by Pagliarulo et al 2018, displaying the characteristic asymmetrical gigantism, hidden cranium and neck, and fused digits.
Not to be confused with the Cryptid Grafton Monster, the Wasteland Appalachian Grafton Monster is another direct product of FEV experimentation. These hulking beasts - exact numbers are unknown - are the end product of the robustification of human FEV subjects, taken to the extent of gigantism. The same tendency towards rapid skeletal and muscular growth of FEV-2 strains here produces a grossly disproportionate creature whose head is all but entombed in its own pectoral and deltoid muscles, the fusion of small bones (most prominent in the feet and fingers), and generalized muscular and osseous hypertrophy. Despite their extraordinary appearance, the basic body plan of the Grafton Monster remains broadly hominid - there is a head tucked away in there and the remnants of thumbs, adapted feet, and other postcranial features are distinctly hominid.
It is not presently known whether Grafton Monsters are sterile, but reports of multiple encounters suggest they may be reproductively viable. As they are also stable and consistent, we will proceed with tentative taxa for this curious species. We nominate them - as always, with Niche and Mythotaxa following the hierarchical - thus:
Homo|radiomutanids (robusta) musculacephalis
Giganta apocalyptis furioprimitiva
Gargantua neo-giant gargantuacaina futotormagna
It is a matter of some dispute whether the Grafton Monster is still a member of the Homo genus, rather than a sibling genus of hyper-robust hominids. As with so many of the mutants, incertae sedis placement may be appropriate - but this is a matter the Temple would prefer to avoid. Nonetheless, if such an alternative is preferred, the Grafton Monster, Wanamingo, and Floaters are all appropriately taxonomized thus. And, with the Wanamingo raised…
WANAMINGOS
FIGURE 2: An artist's impression of the now extinct Wanamingo wanamingo.
The Wanamingo - first described Norton, Urquhart, et al 1998 - is perhaps the most difficult of all FEV mutants to categorize. This now mercifully extinct species of troglodytic horror bears no resemblance to any possible parent species, and its closest cousins in appearance are from radically distinct universes, suggesting a lack of common ancestry. This presents no barrier to mythotaxa and niche taxa, but despite our prior objections, the Temple has been forced to accept a defeat: the Wanamingo are the first incertae sedis species recorded of the Earth of the Black Isles, and are recorded as:
Animalia|anthropoengineerum (incertae sedis) wanamingo wanamingo.
In determining niche and mythotaxa, a number of characteristics are helpful. The Wanamingo appears to be little more than a giant mouth and rudimentary alimentary tract, supported by two digitigrade legs that it can move with surprising speed on, and protected by extremely resilient hide. They are eusocial and dependent on rare - or unique - egg-laying queens, prefer confined spaces, and lack discernable sensory organs. Accordingly, we nominate the following niche and mythotaxa:
Troglodyta hivus semperfessi
Aberrus xenomorphiformidae faux-xenomorpha wanamingo
TUNNELLERS
FIGURE 3: A typical specimen of Tunneller (Homo (reptilohomo) troglodytoferveo) - in this case, a mature male. Note the characteristic scales that do not extend to the ventral surfaces of the Tunneller, loss of the thumb, and bioluminescence.
The second of our troglodytes, the Tunneller, is less taxonomically challenging than the Wanamingo. While they resemble reptiles, they are in fact a species of heavily mutated human produced through the combination of extensive FEV exposure and irradiation. The exact strain of FEV responsible is unknown [and hard evidence for it is lacking, though c.f. Avellone, 2022, for the case for involvement] but the resulting mutants retain a broadly hominid body plan, save for the loss of the thumb and first toe on all limbs and the emergence of curious, spiny growths from skull and shoulders.
Beyond this transformation in body plan, the characteristic marks of the Tunneller may be divided into two categories. First, their reptilian appearance, which combines a flat face with pronounced and extremely durable dorsal scales covering much of the body, but leaving the stomach and inner surfaces of the limbs bare, where the Tunneller instead exhibits a beige-toned skin. The second category are their adaptations to troglodytism, and consist of extremely enlarged and bioluminescent eyes, pronounced nasal cavities, enlarged ears, and symbiotic bioluminescent nodes to assist in social recognition.
While much has been made of the resemblance of the Tunneller to the archetypal Mole People, we submit that they are members of a distinct family to those peoples, though they share a niche family taxa of troglodytahominiformae. They more closely resemble the Chud and Sleestak members of the same niche family, but are distinct from both species. Thus, we nominate them as:
Homo|radiomutandis (reptilohomo) troglodytoferveo
Troglodytahominiformae psuedoreptilae carnifexoswarmum
Aberrus posthomidae troglodyta (cainaberrus) sierragreeblum
MOLE MINERS
Figure 4: A member of the Human subgroup known as Mole Miners. Observe the distinctly human body plan, use of tools, and reliance on artificial respirators.
As promised, the Temple offers a surprise guest and troglodytic visitor: the Mole Miners. The origins of the Mole Miner are comparatively clear: they are human beings who, following a combination of nuclear war and ecological collapse, have become entirely reliant on the suits they once wore to work the mines. There is no evidence for FEV exposure or any degree of significant morphological shift away from the human, and any claims of 'ultragenetic transformation' being present in the entire population are unevidenced at this time.
Not every mutant constitutes a new taxa, and the Mole Miners are a prime example - they merely suffer from a disease of the lung and mind, rather than being a new species. Their long-term viability as a population is dubious, as their reliance on increasingly ancient mining equipment presents hard limits on population growth and potential lifespan unless suitable manufacturing can be reinstated. The distinguishing point on this from the Ghoul is that the Mole Miner's physiological transformation is comparatively limited - the Ghoul is transformed into a functionally immortal creature that requires almost no food or water and can synthesize radiation into energy; the Mole Miner, beyond their inability to tolerate standard atmospheric gases, is otherwise conventionally human.
Accordingly, we find no grounds to assign the Mole Miner non-human taxa. They are simply human beings. Frater Murghr, a recent arrival at the temple and temporally displaced member of this population group, replied to our requests for comment only with a general grunt of, we assume, affirmation. We eagerly await his forthcoming autoethnographical monograph, 'Country Tunnels, Take Me Home: A memoir of Mole Miner Society from 2077 to 2107'.
