Ultimatum
Duranium Lord
Name: Maelstrom
Designation: Non-sentient
Homeworld: Cordialis
Language: None
Average height of adults: 150m
Skin color: Generally a mix of dark brown, black, and red
Hair color: None
Breathes: Basic atmosphere used by most life, due to living in the mountains the older Maelstroms can breathe in an area with slightly less atmosphere
Strengths: Massive
Very strong
Icy Breath
Weaknesses: Slow at all times
Do not run from a losing battle (Will stay and fight to the death even against bad odds)
Distinctions: They are massive winged creatures. They are about 150 meters tall, a little more than 1000 meters from snout to tail, and 100 meters side to side. They weigh along the lines of 95 million kilograms Their bodies are covered in hardened scales, though its eyes and mouth are both weak spots.
Their feet are covered in especially thick hide, and monstrous claws, to allow it them to dig into the mountains that they call home and dig into the flesh of enemies. Their underbelly is also covered in scales, except these are of a heavier sort than those on top. Their heads have two eyes and a pair of nostrils, two small ear holes, and a massive mouth. The mouth is capable of crushing a rancor with relative ease. Their body temperature is considerably lower than most other animals. Very old Maelstroms have been known to have a breath that can cause frost and is often deadly to small animals, including humans.
Average Lifespan: 500 years
Races: The species has not grown enough to have had specific differences.
Estimated Population: There are approximately 500 Maelstroms, they are only found on Cordialis and only on the continent of the Nissimus and Kaipo.
Diet: It can eat just about anything, but its body gains no nutrients from plantlife. It must eat quite a bit to sustain its body, but it has a slower metabolism.
Communication: Usually a series of growls and roars
Culture: These creatures are creatures that live by themselves. After they are born, they are born live from the mother but are actually in an egg during incubation, the creatures are left to fend for themselves in the hostile wastes of the north mountains. The Maelstroms have not been known to leave the mountains ranges, instead staying in those lands and preying off the hardy animals and people that are foolish enough to live in that area.
A Maelstrom must quickly get food, otherwise they will die in the harsh climate after only a day. Generally about a quarter of all Maelstroms will die during the first month, which is the most important time where they learn most of the lessons they will need for later in life. After they have gotten their first meal the Maelstrom is capable of surviving for a week without food. During this time they must constantly be on the move and always trying to find shelter. At this age they are not capable of surviving the winter that most are born into.
Those that survive a month almost instantly have a much higher chance of survival. This is also the time when if one or more meet they will stay together as a group for a while. They are also known for shedding scales, which grow back over a few days. At this point they are pack hunters, however those that are alone will continue to hunt effectively. This will only last for a single local year. At this point the Maelstroms will begin to leave one another.
By this time the Maelstroms are quite large, they have almost reached full maturity. These are generally the ones that will be seen by most people, as they are the ones that will move the farthest south, and are the most likely therefore to come across towns and other living places. They are transients at this point, moving from one place to another for food, this is also the time in their life where they require the most food. This is because they are growing and their scales are hardening.
When they are about a hundred standard years old they are technically fully matured. They have reached the largest that they are likely ever going to be, however if they have a good source of food for many years they can grow to be even larger. They are likely to live another four hundred years if they are not disturbed or debilitated. They begin to become less aggressive towards other Maelstroms of similar size, in fact seeing one another is rare at this point, however finding smaller ones tend to lead to food. However, the Maelstroms are even more likely to attack small creatures at this time, they are almost always on the hunt for sustenance. At this time they also find a mountain in which to nest and spend its restful periods.
As these creatures get older they tend to move even slower than before, but at the same time their metabolism becomes much slower. They can often live off of a mere hundred men for a year before starvation kills the beast, obviously they would want to eat more than this in that time. Also the older they get the more territorial they become, they will fight other Maelstroms that try to nest in their mountains.
After the events of the disturbances within the Force, Maelstroms have become increasingly hostile towards Force users. When the Force is used, any Maelstroms near the area begin to become enraged and move towards the user. Some cases have been noted where the Maelstrom is angered simply by a particularly powerful Force user simply being nearby. The only safe place apparently is the continent on which the Gratia live, if only because the Maelstroms cannot cross the ocean.
Technology level: None
General behavior: Maelstroms tend to be solitary creatures, living by themselves for almost their entire life. They are normally peaceful creatures, aside from those times that they are feeding or building a nest. When they are driven to fight they are more than capable of holding their own. Maelstroms are easily angered and will defend their ground against almost anything, even larger Maelstroms. They are also aggravated by the use of the Force, they are drawn by a Force user and will attack.
They have a tendency to treat anything smaller than half of their own to be food and will generally go for food, even younger Maelstroms.
History: The Maelstroms were first found by the Rakata, the second most well developed native lifeform on the planet, the first being the Gratia. The Rakata truly feared these creatures as even their advanced weapons had difficulty bringing down the beasts, they were simply so massive. It was the most deadly creature on the planet that the Rakata had the misfortune of crossing paths with.
The first meeting was with a search party that was exploring the north regions for any other sentient life that could have been on planet. They at first mistook the animal slowly moving down the slopes of a mountain as a landslide. As the creature grew closer they feared that the mount had itself come alive. It was when the cold air began to pick up, the Maelstrom’s breath freezing the land around them that they finally figured that this was an animal. Only one escaped, and only because he began running as soon as it was seen for what it was.
That Rakata reported of nightmarish creatures that lived in the mountains in the North. He spoke of a beast that breathed a Northerly wind into life and moved with the earthquakes. He spun a tale of fear and darkness, soon the creature became the mountain and the breath became the wind itself. It would have been amusing had not so many believed it.
This caused a large number of their warriors to be sent into the mountains. Most would not return, but those that did came back with descriptions of creatures of truly legendary proportions. The Rakata began exterminating the Maelstroms wherever they were found. What they didn’t realize was that one of the animals they were not worried about was in fact young Maelstroms. They never knew that they had allowed the species to survive as they left long before the newer generation ever reached maturity.
After the Rakata, the next species to learn of these magnificent beasts was the Kaipo, whose first village was built in the lair of a long dead Maelstrom. They found these creatures as they hunted, often the only thing they did was hide, hey had no way of fighting these creatures at first. As time went on however it became a tradition to kill a Maelstom in order to prove leadership. But even then, it was an incredibly rare feat and few ever accomplished it.
Stories from the Kaipo of the Maelstrom made their way to the Nissimus. These stories were almost as amazing as the ones the Rakata created at first. From there, the Nissimus began to make their own legends of these amazing beasts, not actually seeing one for many years. Maelstroms became a folk tale to them. The creatures were said to live in the mountains and to attack passersby by causing the mountain to fall on top of them.
By the time the first Nissimus actually perceived a Maelstrom, the creature in the mind of the Nissimus was only a few meters long and more dangerous to small critters. This first sighting by the Nissimus was truly awe-inspiring. He kept the memory of the fearsome monster in his mind as he described it to the Nissimus scientists. This caused a controversy that led to a large number of Nissimus taking vacations to the North to try and see for themselves what this beast was like.
After a number of years passed, the Nissimus finally sent a trained crew to study the Maelstroms. It was a half-local-yearlong study before they returned with enough information to give the scientists an idea of what the animals were. They became a well-known animal and a favorite for stories and movies among the Nissimus. Meanwhile the Kaipo had to live with the fear of the creatures on a daily basis.
Notable Player-Characters: None
Intent: To create a unique species for Cordialis, to help flesh out the planet’s culture and people
Designation: Non-sentient
Homeworld: Cordialis
Language: None
Average height of adults: 150m
Skin color: Generally a mix of dark brown, black, and red
Hair color: None
Breathes: Basic atmosphere used by most life, due to living in the mountains the older Maelstroms can breathe in an area with slightly less atmosphere
Strengths: Massive
Very strong
Icy Breath
Weaknesses: Slow at all times
Do not run from a losing battle (Will stay and fight to the death even against bad odds)
Distinctions: They are massive winged creatures. They are about 150 meters tall, a little more than 1000 meters from snout to tail, and 100 meters side to side. They weigh along the lines of 95 million kilograms Their bodies are covered in hardened scales, though its eyes and mouth are both weak spots.
Their feet are covered in especially thick hide, and monstrous claws, to allow it them to dig into the mountains that they call home and dig into the flesh of enemies. Their underbelly is also covered in scales, except these are of a heavier sort than those on top. Their heads have two eyes and a pair of nostrils, two small ear holes, and a massive mouth. The mouth is capable of crushing a rancor with relative ease. Their body temperature is considerably lower than most other animals. Very old Maelstroms have been known to have a breath that can cause frost and is often deadly to small animals, including humans.
Average Lifespan: 500 years
Races: The species has not grown enough to have had specific differences.
Estimated Population: There are approximately 500 Maelstroms, they are only found on Cordialis and only on the continent of the Nissimus and Kaipo.
Diet: It can eat just about anything, but its body gains no nutrients from plantlife. It must eat quite a bit to sustain its body, but it has a slower metabolism.
Communication: Usually a series of growls and roars
Culture: These creatures are creatures that live by themselves. After they are born, they are born live from the mother but are actually in an egg during incubation, the creatures are left to fend for themselves in the hostile wastes of the north mountains. The Maelstroms have not been known to leave the mountains ranges, instead staying in those lands and preying off the hardy animals and people that are foolish enough to live in that area.
A Maelstrom must quickly get food, otherwise they will die in the harsh climate after only a day. Generally about a quarter of all Maelstroms will die during the first month, which is the most important time where they learn most of the lessons they will need for later in life. After they have gotten their first meal the Maelstrom is capable of surviving for a week without food. During this time they must constantly be on the move and always trying to find shelter. At this age they are not capable of surviving the winter that most are born into.
Those that survive a month almost instantly have a much higher chance of survival. This is also the time when if one or more meet they will stay together as a group for a while. They are also known for shedding scales, which grow back over a few days. At this point they are pack hunters, however those that are alone will continue to hunt effectively. This will only last for a single local year. At this point the Maelstroms will begin to leave one another.
By this time the Maelstroms are quite large, they have almost reached full maturity. These are generally the ones that will be seen by most people, as they are the ones that will move the farthest south, and are the most likely therefore to come across towns and other living places. They are transients at this point, moving from one place to another for food, this is also the time in their life where they require the most food. This is because they are growing and their scales are hardening.
When they are about a hundred standard years old they are technically fully matured. They have reached the largest that they are likely ever going to be, however if they have a good source of food for many years they can grow to be even larger. They are likely to live another four hundred years if they are not disturbed or debilitated. They begin to become less aggressive towards other Maelstroms of similar size, in fact seeing one another is rare at this point, however finding smaller ones tend to lead to food. However, the Maelstroms are even more likely to attack small creatures at this time, they are almost always on the hunt for sustenance. At this time they also find a mountain in which to nest and spend its restful periods.
As these creatures get older they tend to move even slower than before, but at the same time their metabolism becomes much slower. They can often live off of a mere hundred men for a year before starvation kills the beast, obviously they would want to eat more than this in that time. Also the older they get the more territorial they become, they will fight other Maelstroms that try to nest in their mountains.
After the events of the disturbances within the Force, Maelstroms have become increasingly hostile towards Force users. When the Force is used, any Maelstroms near the area begin to become enraged and move towards the user. Some cases have been noted where the Maelstrom is angered simply by a particularly powerful Force user simply being nearby. The only safe place apparently is the continent on which the Gratia live, if only because the Maelstroms cannot cross the ocean.
Technology level: None
General behavior: Maelstroms tend to be solitary creatures, living by themselves for almost their entire life. They are normally peaceful creatures, aside from those times that they are feeding or building a nest. When they are driven to fight they are more than capable of holding their own. Maelstroms are easily angered and will defend their ground against almost anything, even larger Maelstroms. They are also aggravated by the use of the Force, they are drawn by a Force user and will attack.
They have a tendency to treat anything smaller than half of their own to be food and will generally go for food, even younger Maelstroms.
History: The Maelstroms were first found by the Rakata, the second most well developed native lifeform on the planet, the first being the Gratia. The Rakata truly feared these creatures as even their advanced weapons had difficulty bringing down the beasts, they were simply so massive. It was the most deadly creature on the planet that the Rakata had the misfortune of crossing paths with.
The first meeting was with a search party that was exploring the north regions for any other sentient life that could have been on planet. They at first mistook the animal slowly moving down the slopes of a mountain as a landslide. As the creature grew closer they feared that the mount had itself come alive. It was when the cold air began to pick up, the Maelstrom’s breath freezing the land around them that they finally figured that this was an animal. Only one escaped, and only because he began running as soon as it was seen for what it was.
That Rakata reported of nightmarish creatures that lived in the mountains in the North. He spoke of a beast that breathed a Northerly wind into life and moved with the earthquakes. He spun a tale of fear and darkness, soon the creature became the mountain and the breath became the wind itself. It would have been amusing had not so many believed it.
This caused a large number of their warriors to be sent into the mountains. Most would not return, but those that did came back with descriptions of creatures of truly legendary proportions. The Rakata began exterminating the Maelstroms wherever they were found. What they didn’t realize was that one of the animals they were not worried about was in fact young Maelstroms. They never knew that they had allowed the species to survive as they left long before the newer generation ever reached maturity.
After the Rakata, the next species to learn of these magnificent beasts was the Kaipo, whose first village was built in the lair of a long dead Maelstrom. They found these creatures as they hunted, often the only thing they did was hide, hey had no way of fighting these creatures at first. As time went on however it became a tradition to kill a Maelstom in order to prove leadership. But even then, it was an incredibly rare feat and few ever accomplished it.
Stories from the Kaipo of the Maelstrom made their way to the Nissimus. These stories were almost as amazing as the ones the Rakata created at first. From there, the Nissimus began to make their own legends of these amazing beasts, not actually seeing one for many years. Maelstroms became a folk tale to them. The creatures were said to live in the mountains and to attack passersby by causing the mountain to fall on top of them.
By the time the first Nissimus actually perceived a Maelstrom, the creature in the mind of the Nissimus was only a few meters long and more dangerous to small critters. This first sighting by the Nissimus was truly awe-inspiring. He kept the memory of the fearsome monster in his mind as he described it to the Nissimus scientists. This caused a controversy that led to a large number of Nissimus taking vacations to the North to try and see for themselves what this beast was like.
After a number of years passed, the Nissimus finally sent a trained crew to study the Maelstroms. It was a half-local-yearlong study before they returned with enough information to give the scientists an idea of what the animals were. They became a well-known animal and a favorite for stories and movies among the Nissimus. Meanwhile the Kaipo had to live with the fear of the creatures on a daily basis.
Notable Player-Characters: None
Intent: To create a unique species for Cordialis, to help flesh out the planet’s culture and people
