About the Zerran .2

Posted by ragnar 10 years ago

 

Ok, so ... some things about the Zerran have been changed and improved to define them better; I have to thank Done25 and Vasp for the great help and interest shown with suggestions and questions about my creatures!
If you are curious about those creature, feel free to ask here or via PM!


The Zerran Race

Average Lenght: 11-15 ft (female) / 13-18 ft (male)
Average Stature (in human-like posture): 8-12 ft (female) / 10/14 ft (male)
Average Weight: 550 lb (female) / 700 lb (male)

Senses:
-Sight: Limited perception of light and movement due to photosensitive underskin area; can’t recognize colors, shapes, exact position of things
-Hearing: Extraordinary; also, very advanced echolocation that allows to “map” the surroundings and perceive movement and position of things with great range and precision. Stronger in males.
-Touch: Extraordinary, to the point of perceiving surroundings through ground vibrations.
-Scent: Can track very distant smells, and remember and recognize a smell for a very long time. Greatly used for long-range perception.
-Taste: Extraordinary; can use the tongue to “taste” the surroundings, like a snake. Taste and touch are the main senses of “interpersonal” exploration/ knowledge/ communication. Licking and tasting newfound creatures and possible preys or partners is the typical Zerran approach. Stronger in females.

Physical Features: Muscles are denser and stronger than those of humans, making them stronger, tougher and faster size-wise. They also have quicker reflexes and great agility.
Skeleton is resistant and flexible; this makes them extremely flexible and able to fit through really narrow passages.
Their skin and tissues are extremely elastic; they can hold easily creatures of considerable size inside.
They possess opposable thumbs and can handle objects but generally won’t be able to use tools.
The tail is strong and has a degree of controlled mobility comparable to that of a snake’s body; can coil, pull, handle objects and so on.
Their tongue can be extended to a great length (5 and more feet from their mouth), coil around objects and pull with considerable strength.
The maw is made of cartilage and flexible as a snake’s, allowing the creature to swallow preys as big as a human. It has little but resistant teeth, used mostly to hold prey (and nibble).
A valve-like muscle inside their throat can lead swallowed creatures to either the stomach or another non-digestive sack, used to storage and transport preys.

Intelligence: Zerran have great intelligence, but it is much more instinctual and animalistic than humans’.
Zerran don’t have a language and thus don’t create complex societies or perpetuate an historic memory of their communities. They communicate mainly though moans, cries, body language and psychic stimulation (see above), and only at a very basic level: they can’t articulate abstract or compound messages.
Zerran don’t normally use tools, but can occasionally to solve specific problems.
They have an extraordinary sensorial memory and are generally fast learners; they can create bonds and establish some basic, slightly-above-animal level communication with humans, but can’t possibly learn complex languages.

Psychic Powers: All Zerran manifest powerful psychic abilities. Here are the most common:
-Empathy: Zerran can read the mood and basic feelings of other living creatures nearby. This also allows them to detect the effective presence of nearby “minds”. The range of this perception is greater for the male, but he has to focus on a single mind to read its feelings. The female has shorter range but can “read” all of them at once.
-Hypnotic suggestion: This allows the Zerran to induce some basic feelings (like fear, comfort or arousal) in another creature.
--Cloaking: Through the hypnotic suggestion, the Zerran can prevent a creature from noticing its presence (as long as it remains discrete). It’s a form of “invisibility” that works preventing the observer’s mind from processing the sensorial information concerning the Zerran and distracts it.

-Mind Tracking: A Zerran can track a known mind to a great distance; also, it can focus its perception to locate the generic presence and direction of other minds in a range of many, many kilometers. A Zerran is greatly attracted by stronger minds (so humanoids over animals, for example).
-Psychokinesis: Zerran possess considerable telekinetic powers, including:
--Kinetic strikes: A Zerran can exert a considerable concussive or pushing force to objects within a short range; the exact strength depends on the Zerran’s age, mastery and gender, but on the lower average it’s around 3000-4000 N. This power is quite exhaustive to use, so it can’t be used repeatedly at full force. Males can operate this power at greater ranges (30-40 ft at least), while females have shorter range (10 ft on average) but greater strength (+50% on average).
--Controlled kinetic manipulation: This allows a Zerran to manipulate things with little force but extreme control, precision and delicacy. It requires concentration so it can be performed only for a moderate duration. Males are able to use it at greater ranges – up to 40 ft – and for several hours, but only on single targets; females are able to manipulate many different things simultaneously and independently, but only at short range – up to 10 ft – and for 10-20 minutes.
--Kinetic adhesion: A Zerran can use its kinetic powers to walk on walls and surfaces with every possible inclination, even if perfectly smooth.
-Teleport: The exact nature of this power is hard to understand for humans, but it’s still related to their psychokinetic capacities. Zerran can teleport to distant places, even to other planets. To do so, they must already know the place they're teleporting to*; also, the teleport is higly inaccurate (once chosen a destination, the Zerran will appear within a scatter area of several kilometers). Once used the teleport, the Zerran will generally be so exhaust to spontaneously enter hybernation (for at least some days, and until potential prey come nearby).
*As an exception, the Zerran can choose to teleport to an unknown destination that is nearby to creatures whose mind it is tracking. Also, when a Zerran eats a creature or holds it inside its inner sack, it can extract information to track other similar minds. For example, after eating a human a Zerran can teleport to the closest location hosting potential human preys. This is their main mean of interstellar travel. The only problem is that in this sense the imprecision of the teleport is not only in space but also in time: for example, the Zerran could be teleported to a place that did host humans until a long time ago.
-Psychic Junction: Several Zerran can unite their effort to produce more powerful psychic manifestation. This requires great concentration and coordination and is possible only between Zerran that have great knowledge of, and confidence with, each other. Also the guidance of a male is extremely useful. Such junction can make much safer and more effective the teleportation, produce kinetic powers of considerably greater magnitude, increase the hypnotic-suggestive powers up to the level of almost total mind control, and so on. Also, such junction is clearly perceivable from other Zerran, even at great distances.
A Zerran junction can also specifically create a “mind beacon” that can easily perceived from other Zerran (and other psykers alike) from incredible distances across the universe, and used as a guide to teleportation.

Biology
Zerran are viviparous. A newborn Zerran has almost no sensorial perception except for touch; it takes one year to become able to perceive effectively its surroundings and another to achieve a level of perception comparable to that of an adult. Newborn Zerran weigh around 10-15 lbs; in one year they become infants of 50 lbs in average, able to walk independently and no longer breastfed by the mother; at the third year of life the Zerran is half the size of an adult and has achieved good motor control and coordination. It starts developing its psychic powers at the fifth year and becomes an “adolescent” at the seventh, being almost the size of an adult and sexually mature or semi-mature.

Zerran pregnancy lasts for about a year, but thanks to the creature’s elasticity and strength and the infants’ relatively diminutive size, it’s far less demanding that human’s. Only in the last months the female will mostly prefer to rest in a semi-hibernate state, possibly in a warm and comfortable shelter. Pregnant females are known to sneak inside human factories or spaceships and nest near a pleasant source of warmth (engines and the like). Childbirth is far shorter and less dangerous and painful than humans’. Generally it results in the birth of one or two infants; three or four are extremely rare.
After giving birth the female will become sterile for some years, depending on the number of children.

Zerran never stop growing. Their physical effectiveness starts decreasing after the 90th year of age, but when hibernating they can actually regenerate and “rejuvenate” the less effective cells of their body: a long hibernation will restore an elder Zerran to almost perfect effectiveness. With hibernations of increasing frequency and duration, a Zerran can extend its life for many centuries*.
*The time spent hibernating is not taken into account: “life” is intended as “period of activity”. Hybernation can be extended even for millennia in the right conditions.

Behavior with humans/humanoid
Zerran are considerably attracted by human mind, so it is common for the two species to interact … regardless of the humans’ opinion in regard.
Each Zerran has its own personality which translates in different consideration for the humanoid races; it can anyway be translated in three main behavior groups:
-Affective: These Zerran greatly enjoy the company of humans, though usually submitted through physical superiority and/or psychic suggestion. Humans are often kept as toys, pets or even actual mates. Zerran with this behavior would never severely hurt, or eat, one of “their” humans, except maybe in case of desperate need; easier but yet extremely rare for them is the consumption of other humans, expecially if they’re hostile (or not submissive, or just mean). This behavior is more common in females; it can be recognized in likely 40% of the female Zerran and 25% of the males.
-Playful: The “playful” Zerran can greatly enjoy the company of humans, but also their consumption. When not immediately hungry, they will keep their prey as pets, but it’s not unlikely for them to be ultimately devoured, be it a matter of hours, weeks or years. This behavior is very common in both females (45%) and males (40%).
-Ravenous: This Zerran is a ruthless hunter and will stalk and devour humans with great pleasure. If hungry, it won’t keep a captured prey for long: just the time for some fun and pleasure, if the Zerran is in the mood, and then down the hatch. They could keep “pets” but their main purpose will be that of food reserves. This behavior is rare in females (15%) and more common in males (35%).
--Outcast: A few Zerran have a particularly hideous and harmful behavior with either humans and, sometimes, other Zerran. Those represent less than 1% of the total population and are outright cruel and sadistic. They have no consideration of the lives of others; humans are toys or food, to be eaten and/or abused of until they break; other Zerran deserve little more consideration, so a Outcast can turn against its similar if they had to oppose its will.

Social behavior
Zerran live either alone (most common), in couples (which can be either temporary or life-long), in herds (3-8 females) or harems (1 male protecting/mating 2-8 females).
Males and females have very different behaviors:

-Males
-General traits: Males are much more assertive and somewhat aggressive than females. They tend to identify their objectives, make simple plans and straightforwardly follow them to obtain what they want. For this reasons they’re also suitable to lead a group of other Zerran towards a bigger goal. Males pretend a lot of personal space and even when in a couple they’ll spend much time on their own. Being self-sufficient is extremely important for the male.
Anyhow, they take great care of their companions. Their manifestations of affect may be sporadic but very heartfelt. They put great effort in protecting their mates and providing them shelter, comfort and food.
Youngster males are very stubborn and often dangerously self-confidant; they’re lone wanderers which seem taking particular pride in briefly mating with as many females as they can and sneaking away.
-Males and Company: Most males highly prefer solitude most of the time, though they enjoy some physical contact now and then. A male is extremely protective towards everything he can claims as his own: territory, food, mates, pets … Also he is extremely possessive.
-Males in Society: For these reasons, there can’t be more than one adult male in a group of Zerran. The only exception could be a couple of males (they can be either mates or just cooperating travelers). Note that a male-only group of more than two would also be impossible, because the competition over shared resources would be far too big and the male Zerran just don’t like that much company (also, three male mates would not work well because each would be in competition with each of the mates for the other mate…).
-Males as Parents: A male tolerates infants but prefers to protect them from a distance.
If he has to take care of his children, he will keep them with him until they grow 4-5, then he’ll distance them. Particularly protective or affectionate father will still keep an eye over their separated children from a distance for some years and eventually help them.
Instead, if there’s a female to take care of the youngsters, the male will often keep away (always watching over them and protecting them), visiting his mate and their breed only occasionally.
-Males and Humans: Males don’t enjoy the company of humans as much as females do, but can occasionally “use” them. Also, a lone male that’s unable to spot possible mates nearby might decide to take a single human “pet” to have occasionally company and pleasure.
Being males very possessive and protective towards their females, a human that is perceived as a possible “competitor” for their attentions is likely to face a unpleasant destiny.

-Females
-General traits: Females are much more social and playful than males. They’re also extremely curious and enjoy much more exploration . Also, they seem to greatly appreciate tasting different foods – or different flavors of different things – and tactilely exploring both objects and living creatures. They tend to identify their objectives, make simple plans and straightforwardly follow them to obtain what they want. They aren’t much fond of pursuing long term objectives, and rather prefer to enjoy the little sensations and follow the caprices of the moment.
-Feales and Company: They sometimes appreciate solitude, but have a much stronger need for company than males. The main reason for the formation of a harem is not the male’s greediness, but the females’ desire for vicinity, and the need to supply the male’s attentions sporadicness.
For the same reason, most female – expecially lonely ones – are very inclined to taking cuddly humanoid pets.
They’re very affectionate and tender to their mates, their “pets” and their offspring. They also enjoy spending some pleasing time even with their next meals...
-Females in Society: For the aforementioned reasons, females prefer to form relatively big groups if possible. Females tend to spontaneously try to aggregate in a territory if they sense a male in it. They’re not jealous of their mates and get along very well; only a limited number of females have a tendency to desire dominance over the others (or, in the case of a harem, to pretend to be the male’s favorite), which can lead sometimes to inner conflict and even physical confrontations.
-Females as Parents: A female likes to be very close to her infants, play with them, teach them how to hunt and so on. By herself, the female prefers to not let her children go away until they’re at least ten; sometimes mother and daughters will stay together for their whole life, or at least for very long extents of time - most herds of females include both mothers, daughters, sisters and “friends”.
Yet things get more complicate with males. Male youngsters will never stay with their relatives – parents and siblings – for too long, leaving at the latest at their tenth year.
-Females and Humans: Females are really curious about humans and often very playful with them – even if their ultimate intention is to eat them. As already stated, they often take humans they like as pets. Humans can be a good substitute for other Zerran’s company, and the females do not like to stay alone for too long.

Sex
Zerran reproduce at a quite slower rate than humans, due to both their longer pregnancy and the long sterile periods that follow.
Yet, they really enjoy indulging in sexual activities; that’s expecially true for the females.
In fact, adult males tend to actually mate on a quite sporadic and mutable basis: sometimes it’s on a daily basis, sometimes they will just lose interest and stay on their own for weeks or even months.
Females, on the other hand, have a great need for at least attention and cuddles; also, they monthly go in heat, which means their urge for mating and general pleasure becomes much greater for some days … days that they’d gladly spend sweating profusely clasped to other steaming, soft bodies. Also, a single female in heat will release pheromones that will drive into heat other nearby females.
Almost all females appreciate the company of other females as well as that of males; males tend to be pickier, so depending on actual mood or personality they can be interested in one gender or another.
During sex the minds of the partners will spontaneously interlace, allowing them to feel both for their partners and for their own; for this reason, along with the creatures’ general caring and emphatic nature (at least for their similar), the Zerran make for great and generous lovers. Somehow this bond doesn’t work as well with other humanoid creatures; so, the Zerran will be able to partially participate in their sensations, but the partner will be left with only its own.
Zerran males show extraordinary strength and stamina, which allows them to easily continue for hours and hours without interruption. Also, despite not being exactly gentle, they generally take great care of their partners.
Females are at the same time easier to satisfy (they generally climax multiple times before the male’s done) and insatiable (will still be ready and demanding for much, much more).
The fervor, intensity and duration of Zerran sexual intercourses would prove a both heavenly and unbearably exhausting experience for a human…