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The world of Sha'dra

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Okami Ameras

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 12:54 pm


The world of Sha'dra is parallel to the world of Mraiyir, and the planet it is quite odd in it's places.

Sha'dra is a locked planet, with it's sun. Meaning that only one side of the planet ever sees sunlight, while the other side gets most of it's light from the moon.

On this place where are one main race, with 3 main sub-types. They are known as the Likia. The Likia have a fairly human shape, though they are mostly thin and lean from the harsh environments surrounding them. They have slitly more potent hearing then most human, and their ears are slightly pointed.

The Likia living on the light side of the Planet (Known to Mraiyirans as "The Realm of Eternal Day) Have deep, tanned skin. They are not exactly black, but they could easily pass as an Indian or a Mexican from our world with their brown skin. Their best sense is their vision. It is quite sharp and accurate.

The terrain of the Day side is Hot and dry, under the constant beating of sunlight. It's like a huge desert, though there are plenty of plants to absorb the sunlight, and create shade. Rains do occasionally come, and the plants and animals waste time drinking the water that comes. There are oceans, which most of the Day Likia drink from, able to get hydration from both salt water and fresh water.

Those who live in the twilight regions have paler skin, they look like they simply have a tan. Their best sense is that of touch, as they are constantly in a realm of twilight or a realm of Eternal dusk or Eternal dawn. It varies sometimes, as the planet wobbles, so they do not trust their vision so much. They are so sensitive with touch that they can tell when someone is about to attack by feeling the vibrations in the air.

The twilight areas are like a strip of deciduous forest, dividing the planet along the borders of where day ends and Night begins. The trees there have large leaves, the at least twice the size of usual leaves on Mraiyir. The Twilight region is the only region of Sha'dra that anything close to seasons, which is one side of the planed gets something like a dawn, while the other side gets deeper into twilight. During these Dawn/Dusk regions, it's like spring and summer, with plants and animals flourishing and thriving, while deeper Twilight is like fall/winter, when all the leaves fall off the trees and the animals hole up for the winter.

Those who live on the Dark side of the Moon (Couldn't help with the Pink Floyed reference there) Sha'dra are quite a contrast with their lighter cousins. Their skin is inky black, and their ears are much much longer then wither their Day or Twilight cousins. Since they live in constant darkness, their sense of hearing is quite acute, making them quite difficult to sneak up on. They would be easily mistaken for dark elves if it wasn't for their tattoos. The Night Likia have harvested and domesticated a strain of bioluminescent bacteria, which is quite harmless to everyone, including Mraiyirans. The Night Likia, when they reach a certain age, are tattooed with a color and pattern of of the bacteria of their choosing. This allows the Night Likia to always have light if they need it.

The land on the Night side is sort of flip of the day side. The ground is usually at least covered in 4 feet of snow, often higher. The ground in most places is permanent permafrost, except around volcanoes. The trees are extremely tall, and the tree's leaves are as but as dinner plates, to get the most light from the shining moon.
PostPosted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 4:16 pm


Question: How would it snow if it never got hot enough for it to melt? Although if it's a case of building up over long periods of time, like in Antarctica, that's different. Hmm... massive canyons instead of roads....

And in the coldest temperatures, wouldn't having deep, deep greens and reds or whatever they use for photosynthesis (to the point of black) for pigment and more densely packed leaves be better then having a high chance of losing precious moisture to the dry air?

Also, in most areas with little/no light, creatures tend to become paler--think cave salamanders and deep-sea organisms. This is even more true with snowy areas--most creatures that live in snowy areas have white pelts or feathers during the winter.

Also, how would they tolerate the bacteria's light? I recognize that the moon is there, but there are moons that are dull and dusty, with little reflectivity, and moons that burn bright in their icey glory (although that one is unlikely given that the planet is likely locked around a brown dwarf or something similar). In the deep sea, bacteria, plankton, and small fish use lifelights as a defense--most creatures are unacustomed to light or any sort.

I like how the primary senses vary with the area, though. biggrin Is a nice touch. How big is this planet, out of curiosity? MY ASTROBIO-NERD-ITY-NESS DEMANDS TO KNOW~

VenusRain
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Okami Ameras

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PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 8:41 am


I thought about the pale thing, but decided against it.

See, all Likia evolved in one place. Along the Twilight Zone of the Planet. Thus, all Likir evolved with the use of sight. As said, light can very between twilight and dusk/dawn.

It was when the Shadow Likia moved to the Dark side that they started Searching for light. They have quite the bright moon, which can light the way as well. They may not depend on it as much, but they still have uses for the sense of sight. They live closest to Volcanoes, where there is little snow, so they depend in the darkness to shield them. (When it's not erupting, of course)

As for the pale/dark question, I thought it would be too easy to get the Likia mixed up with elves/vampires if they are extremely pale, incredibly thin, AND have long ears needed for hearing. So, I decided that they get some sort of melanin in their skin from living and settling near volcanoes that helps them blend in with the darkness-- Just because it's dark does not mean there aren't any predators that won't spot a pale figure moving around in the darkness! They're not human. That's all I can say xd It won't stop them from making white clothes for them to wear during travel though the snowdrifts. Good culture point!

I think the planet is about the size of Mars.

As for the "Collecting snow' Question, I have a current system. You see, it gets quite hot on the Daylight side, hot enough that often, around the equator, the seawater boils. (Bubble bubble toil and trouble) That seawater moves along currents to the colder regions, heating up the land and air as it passes so you don't end up with 100ft high snowdrifts.

The dark side of the planet also has a lot of volcanoes, which the Likia build their cities nearby. The heat from the magma ensures snow-free streets and Geothermal power.

As I said before, they naturally evolved with the use of light, so the light of the bioluminescent bacteria is not too harsh on them.
PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 2:07 pm


Aaaaaah. Okay. biggrin So they live in areas where dark skin is a benefit. Clears things up, and help sharpen my mental image of the planet and it's moon--obviously a bright one, with a decent amount of reflectivity.

So... most of the planet's ridge system (if it developed plate tectonics--I'm not an expert in that bit) in near the dark side, or a lot of stress is placed on that side. Makes sense, especially given it's size--Mars didn't develop plate tectonics, so I don't think this world would either.

Thanks for answering my questions~ |D

VenusRain
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Okami Ameras

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PostPosted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 8:18 am


VenusRain
Aaaaaah. Okay. biggrin So they live in areas where dark skin is a benefit. Clears things up, and help sharpen my mental image of the planet and it's moon--obviously a bright one, with a decent amount of reflectivity.

So... most of the planet's ridge system (if it developed plate tectonics--I'm not an expert in that bit) in near the dark side, or a lot of stress is placed on that side. Makes sense, especially given it's size--Mars didn't develop plate tectonics, so I don't think this world would either.

Thanks for answering my questions~ |D
Welcome~
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