[font="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="5"]WHO'S WHAT? THE COLORFUL ZOOLOGY OF Z.O.D.E.A.C.[/SIZE][/font]
[SIZE="3"][font="Book Antiqua"]By: Rir Nishihara[/font][/SIZE]
The four main species that occupy these lands are the
Vesari, the
Oniru, the
Urnak and the
Ninja Monkeys. Three of these four species are the result of a
free genetic trade effect that took place when those more open to interbreeding began to test out new radical genetic structures that this portion of the world had never seen and combined them with the pre-adapted
Hume genetic structure that had originally came from the northlands of
Ethiopia. The remaining eight minor species include (in order of population), the
Hume, the
Nekojin, the
Slith,
Aikon,
Neorm,
The Corrupt ,
Vampirics, and the
Wyrms. The last four (referred to as the Forgotten), are mostly remnants of the
The Old World that once roamed these lands, and they are considered very rare, or simply a popularly accepted myth. Most scholars postulate that they do not even exist or that they number in the dozens throughout the
Congo, hidden away in foreboding caves and hidden enclaves. Recently however, the mythic
Neorm were discovered living among the western heights of the perilous
Selene Mountains, giving new interest to these ancient legends. Still, expeditions searching for the mythical city of
Nos south of the territory of Chad has resulted in nothing but strange nonsensical tales, giving this land an eerie sense of mythical awe with respect to these lands. To understand the characters within this continent, let's take a closer look at the main species.
[font="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="3"]The High Classes[/SIZE][/font]Vesari: The Vesari are a highly sociable result of
Neko-jin,
Hume and some distant, fully assimilated ancestor, supposedly from the mythical city of
Nos. Mature Vesari are typically about 4 to 5 feet in stature and weigh between 80 and 120 pounds. As a species, the Vesari represent the largest population within
ZODEAC, owing to large mammalian families that did not undergo the birth rate reduction experienced by the (typically) economically wealthier
Oniru. They have incredibly large dexterous ears with which they can pinpoint sounds and their eye's are strongly attuned for night vision, both elements inherited and enhanced by their
Neko-jin ancestors. Unlike
Neko-jin however, Vesari have
digitigrade instead of plantigrade legs and their body is mostly covered in a thick fur that acts a natural form of protection. Fur patterns and colors vary widely across their species, as it acts as a kind of attractive feature to females who have a natural bias to males with certain patterns (and they have patterns designed to represent their genetic make-up as well). As a whole, their life-span is typically shorter then
Hume or
Neko-Jin, living an average of 40-50 years - but they have an equal period of youth to avoid decreasing species fertility. Normally (and it was
assumed until a recent major discovery) it was assumed that the Visari had no
Hume genetics at all, but this was a factor that was strongly refuted by another odd physical trait focused on only recently, they share the same tear-duct and emotional reaction that is only present in
Hume. In other words, Visari can and very often DO cry for emotional release, an attribute that is almost "characteristic" of the
Hume species.
Being the free-spirited center of life within
ZODEAC, Vesari are very playful, friendly and affectionate to friends and extremely curious and trusting towards strangers, including other species. They typically live within the cities (although some forest dwelling tribes are still known to exist) and prefer to move from roof-top to roof-top instead of taking the typically crowded city streets. This has lead to a few deaths among the Vesari, who do not have a non-lethal terminal velocity. Still, their keen eyes and incredible agility and gymnastic abilities typically make up for safety concerns. Their lighter weight, has also made most falls non-lethal, but still can result in broken bones and pride.
Life as a Vesari isn't entirely without it's worries however. Vesari are
Strongly Interdependent and cannot live without companionship, if left alone for any significant period of time (several weeks) it has extremely adverse effects on their health and mental well being. Long term isolation can kill them from stress induced illness, and has been described by ancient
Urnak texts from the war as being "a pain for them, worse then the sword the can provide." Because of this, particular attention must be made within the
ZODEAC to watch the social well being of Vesari (especially among youth). Having a couple of friends may sustain them, but if they are isolated, intervention is not a commodity, but an essential aspect of their life and well-being.
This same trait is also responsible for their intense loyalty and protection of those close to them and Vesari in the military or changing locations, must have a "transition period" in which they can acclimate and acquire new friends. While not typically exposed to danger, Vesari will go out of their way to protect those they are close to. They will abandon any objective and disobey any order if it is to save those they care about. Should someone close to them die, they become extremely emotional and unstable, and require at least a weeks rest to mourn their loss, though they are fully capable of "functioning" (to vicious extents in combat).
Furthermore, the Vesari are strongly impulsive, which is a trait derived from their "free-spirited attitude". This results in that odd desire to run across roof tops, choosing an object to use as their means to break their fall only moments before they jump (far too late to stop typically). This attitude leads to all kinds of strange complexities within the
ZODEAC, as Vesari who can skip work, school or important meetings to meet up with friends, or have even been known to streak through town, toss eggs at mayors, or eat bugs if dared should "their gut" tell them to do so. This doesn't mean that they're intellectually inferior, just impulsive for things that seem to cause no harm in their eyes.
At the same time though, they are more lovers then fighters and represent a strong pacifist movement, avoiding confrontation unless it is the most logical option. As a consequence, they rarely present a threat to the state, but they typically desire to avoid confrontation with other nations, even if pushed around a bit. When war is declared, it is always the
Urnak and never the Vesari who demands it, even if it were only Vesari that would suffer for it. On the plus side, these traits make them particularly good for
urban military police, as they will protect the civilians they learn to know with their lives and try to form peaceful solutions to most confrontations. That is... if they show up to work and aren't out sky diving or swimming at the beach.
PARTICULAR ABILITIESExcellent Agility (2)
Good Acrobatic Skills (1)
Good Running Skills (1)
Excellent Night Vision (2)
Good Vitality (1)
Excellent Social Skills (2)
PARTICULAR WEAKNESSESStrongly Interdependent -2
Guardian -1
Strongly Impulsive -2
Pacifist -1
Depression from the loss of a close friend -2
Interesting Political Example of Vesari Behavior: The impulsive Vesari nature once led to a rather controversial outcome when
Triumviri Chidak bragged about flipping a coin to determine military action against
Local Ninja Monkeys as a retaliation for an attempted political assassination, in which they were highly suspect. The coin landed in the favor of the Ninja Monkeys, narrowly avoiding war.
Later on, the infamous coin was given away as a white elephant gift and, upon analysis, was revealed to be a trick coin, typically used as a kind of weighted dice in shady Go Fish gambling events. Modern scholars state that while the coin could have been planted by the
Ninja Monkeys, they must also ask how they would know which side
Triumviri Chidak would choose... implying that the whole thing was a hoax. Further later evidence resolved the investigation, discovering no involvement of the
Ninja Monkeys whatsoever... making this one of the more pleasantly odd events in the
Triumvirate. The shock came mostly from
Oniru and
Urnak, who called the decision appalling, while
Vesari found it perfectly acceptable and worthy of a good laugh.