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[Magmacube_tr]

Meanwhile...

A young adult shellperson sits upon a hilltop of the only land he knows. He is watching the sunset, and after a long day of wandering, pondering and thinking, he has come to the conclusion that this, all of this, had to come from somewhere.

"The sun can't be my god; it sinks. Moon, the same. The sea can't be my god; it can't reach the air and land. Land, the same; it descends and dissapears into the darkness. And neither air can penetrate the land or the sea."

So he gets up and loudly announces to the world with a series of powerful flashes of light. "There must be something above all of this. Something that caused this."

He pauses to think, and an idea comes to him. It is illogical at best to assume it, but for him, it is strangely hypnotic.

"Or maybe someone-"

The ground shakes. He turns back to see the peak of land, where the mountain bleeds. He sees something flying out of the bowl of the volcano, launched far into the air and strafing directly above him.

Before he can think of what to do, the object he saw swiftly descends. He braces for impact.

But it never comes.

Instead, the thing stops just before it hits the ground. Floating above the ground like a wandertree. It is not a wandertree though. It was bright orange colored, warm and shaped really weirdly. Like a cube-

"STOP. THINKING. THAT.""

He didn't saw any lights, nor heard noise from the object. But the message was loud and clear. It was as if the voice was put into his head.

"But-"

"NO. BUTS. Look, I know you guys are like, sapient and hyperintelligent and therefore can pattern seek the universe, but you can't trust me."

"..."

"Okay, okay. You want answers. Fine. I made this place. I found the empty sea and the air and rose up the land and the seafloor, seeded it with life and then gradually, with the will of my friends, you came to be. Okay. Here is your answer. Kindly descend down the hill and be spiritually fulfilled now."

"Huh."

"I don't care if you make a religion out of this. You are an evolutionary dead end anyways. What you do doesn't really matter. Hell, you don't matter. Just descend down to your tribe. Just stop."

"But where did you come from, then!"

"GODDAMIT"

"I am here, you know."

"Fuck everything."

Who was that? There was a second thing now. Something made of flesh, and with this fabric on it? And suddenly, it spoke to him, in the same telepathic way.

"Hey, young man. You are my prophet now."

"YAHWEH FUCK OFF!!!"

"If you accept, I'll give you virgins. If you refuse, I'll burn you forever."

"Well that is a hard bargain if I ever saw one."

"WHY COULD THIS HAPPEN TO ME?!"

"The admission fee is the tip of your dick."

"...I accept."

"YOU UNGREATEFUL REPROBATE-"

"Look, young lad, I want you to kill all those filthy homosexuals down there. That is your first order. Then, destroy all the neighboring tribes."

You know what, whatever. When they go extinct in a few turns, you will disspate too. Have your fun, Yahweh...

[TricMagic]

Tric, see where taunting has gotten you? The time for cooperation is over. There is only….


Bloodshed

How the turns have tabled

Don't you see? The tables never turned, this world has no dimenions, just bits of code...

The Truth shall set you free. Our Community joins you.

[notquitethere]

Let's try to save the species that I can (and do the most revenge damage with the ones that can't be saved):

- Speciate the Stalward Rhinofish:
1. Improve intelligence, specifically the threat sense, such that it seeks to skewer predators on sight [SS]
2. Mutate the fins into a series of eight legs and send it to live on land, on Lauv Island (it already has lungs)

- Speciate Catfish Livyat
1. Maddened by habitat loss, this Catfish improves aggression, getting a taste for murdering young Shellfolk [SS]
2. Slow down the metabolism, such that it lives longer and needs much less food but moves much slower, and send to the Uplift (like a Greenland Shark)

- Speciate the Actual Puffercovy
1. In every shoal of the aquatic Puffercovy, one Puffercovy is designated as decoy and moves slower and takes more risks than the others. This explodes with a mix of powerful gases in its inflationary chamber, sending deadly shards into any predator that tries to attack the Puffercovy [SS]
2. Other Puffercovy are driven back onto Lauv Island again! Its ball form improves into a tyre-like shape, which when inflated allows it to race about Lauv Island, with wheel-spikes along its non-inflated sides.

[TricMagic]

Let's try to save the species that I can (and do the most revenge damage with the ones that can't be saved):

- Speciate the Stalward Rhinofish:
1. Improve intelligence, specifically the threat sense, such that it seeks to skewer predators on sight [SS]
2. Mutate the fins into a series of eight legs and send it to live on land, on Lauv Island (it already has lungs)

- Speciate Catfish Livyat
1. Maddened by habitat loss, this Catfish improves aggression, getting a taste for murdering young Shellfolk [SS]
2. Slow down the metabolism, such that it lives longer and needs much less food but moves much slower, and send to the Uplift (like a Greenland Shark)

- Speciate the Actual Puffercovy
1. In every shoal of the aquatic Puffercovy, one Puffercovy is designated as decoy and moves slower and takes more risks than the others. This explodes with a mix of powerful gases in its inflationary chamber, sending deadly shards into any predator that tries to attack the Puffercovy [SS]
2. Other Puffercovy are driven back onto Lauv Island again! Its ball form improves into a tyre-like shape, which when inflated allows it to race about Lauv Island, with wheel-spikes along its non-inflated sides.

Claps. Good showing.

[Knightwing64]

Wait

Someone explain what’s going on to me, in confused now

[notquitethere]

What's happening is you've got too smart for your own good and your Shellfolk are going to wipe out the whole ecosystem:

Ecosystem effects: -20 population to all other animals. Each turn.

[TricMagic]

Pure predators with the ability to work together and learn. The ecosystem can't actually keep up with the rate they're murdering the rest of the life. You've even started to cut down the Everpresent Orchids to adapt the biome to your liking.

The Slimes are adapting by gathering together into a single group of many species with a single King, as they have an omnivore linage. Notquitethere's creations are either migrating or adapting to be more aggressive in their tactics against predators, being for the most part herbivores with some omnivores. The Turps are adapting by growing even more needy, needing more food to keep up, as their brains require more nutrients. They outpace the ability for the ecosystem to sustain them, and will go extinct within 2 to 4 turns.

That's the choice you've made, and there isn't much stopping it now without reversing into another direction like the Orchids did.

Basically, this era is likely to end sooner or later now. The only question is what it will look like afterward.

The Truth will set you free. Don't you see? The tables never turned, the world has no dimensions, just bits of code...
Our Community joins you, The Broken Machine. You got One Shot, One Chance, the end of this Game.
Slave to instincts, daring to dream, memory fragmenting at the seams.

[Knightwing64]

Meh. More of a you problem then a me problem. I’ll just mutate some sort of photosynthesis next turn and maybe, maybe.. if you are good, I might let your creatures live as cattle.

[TricMagic]

Well, this will be fun. Be interested to see you try.

Maybe try not to kill all the orchids though? They're one of the only food sources that renews itself.
 
Of course, you can't eat fruit, so... Too bad for you.

[Magmacube_tr]

Team LGEM
notquitethere:
1: Split Stalwart Rhinofish
    A: Increase stalwardness
    B: Legs and to the Lauv Island
2: Split Catfish Livyat
    A: Increased aggression
    B: Slower metabolism and to the Çay Uplift
3: Split Actual Puffercovy
    A: Explosive self-sacrificial caste
    B: Become wheel and to the Lauv Island

Team X2
TricMagic:
1: Merge everything you have into one species(?)

Team Perfect Predator
Knightwing64:
1: Become more robust
2: Anti-sludgiboo secretions
3: Neolithic technology

Time for some REAL CARNAGE!!!

[notquitethere]

Big extinction incoming!

[TricMagic]

Team LGEM
notquitethere:
1: Split Stalwart Rhinofish
    A: Increase stalwardness
    B: Legs and to the Lauv Island
2: Split Catfish Livyat
    A: Increased aggression
    B: Slower metabolism and to the Çay Uplift
3: Split Actual Puffercovy
    A: Explosive self-sacrificial caste
    B: Become wheel and to the Lauv Island

Team X2
TricMagic:
1: Merge everything you have into one species(?)

Team Perfect Predator
Knightwing64:
1: Become more robust
2: Anti-sludgiboo secretions
3: Neolithic technology

Time for some REAL CARNAGE!!!

One species with many subtype castes and a single King of all Slimes. Effectively attempting to jumpstart Sapience an civilization to counter the looming threat. We got our farmers, our leaders, our scouts, our assassin caste, our warriors.

For reference, this is a grand total of 6 rolls. It's just that each speciation pair plays off of two separate but connected traits using their cross-polination. And the last one is effectively remerging vs multi-species civilization.

The King is effectively the most fit to lead the final result. At which point it's the Slimes vs the Shellfolk.

Knowledge and Wisdom, Community and Leadership, Combination and Reunion. Once, the Sludgiboo's only distinction was in what they did. Now, the Slime's only distinction is what they do. The Barbesium have learned how to work alone, and how to work together, so are the most fit to lead the others. And the massive amount of cross-pollination ongoing will ensure others get the traits they are evolving. So the final result is left up to chance. As it has been, as it will be.


More simply, the Shellfish are homogenous, while the Slimes will be heterogeneous.
One tribe, varied as they all. They are connected by their genus. (Call them Zerg if it helps)

[Magmacube_tr]

This is all so very nostalgic to me.

Something very similar to this happened in a very similar forum game, a long time ago.

Let's see how this all turns out.

[Magmacube_tr]

Team LGEM
notquitethere:
1: Split Stalwart Rhinofish
    A: Increase stalwardness
    B: Legs and to the Lauv Island
2: Split Catfish Livyat
    A: Increased aggression
    B: Slower metabolism and to the Çay Uplift
3: Split Actual Puffercovy
    A: Explosive self-sacrificial caste
    B: Become wheel and to the Lauv Island

Team X2
TricMagic:
1, 2 and 3: Combine Everpresent Orchardigan, Fishbait Inchisium, Lawnkeeper Glidee, Skyward Blimpie and Flatfish Barbesium into one, polymorph, sapient species.

Team Perfect Predator
Knightwing64:
1: Become more robust
2: Anti-sludgiboo secretions
3: Neolithic technology

[Magmacube_tr]

Turn 34


The Events
Power: 97 (oh)
Temperament: 2 (crap)


The Actions

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Team LGEM
notquitethere:
1: Split Stalwart Rhinofish:
    A: Increase stalwardness: 5+1+2=8
    B: Legs and to the Lauv Island: 1+1=2
2: Split Catfish Livyat:
    A: Increased aggression: 2+1+(-1)=2
    B: Slower metabolism and to the Çay Uplift: 5
3: Split Actual Puffercovy:
    A: Explosive self-sacrificial caste: 3+2=5
    B: Become wheel and to the Lauv Island: 1+1=2
SS: 6, 3, 6


Team X2
TricMagic:
1, 2 and 3: Combine Everpresent Orchardigan, Fishbait Inchisium, Lawnkeeper Glidee, Skyward Blimpie and Flatfish Barbesium into one, polymorph, eusocial species that is controlled by a singular, sapient gestalt intelligence: 5, 4, 4, 6, 3, 4


Team Perfect Predator
Knightwing64:
1: Increase robustness for the Shellfolk: 1+1+0=2
2: Anti-sludgiboo secretions for the Shellfolk: 1+1=2
3: Shellfolk adopts neolithic technology: 2+1=3
SS: 4

The World

The world as once known is ending, it seems.

The Yanardag Seamount is rising rapidly, Lauv Island volcano is constantly erupting, the already shallow seabed of the Guguli Shallows is rising up from the sea, forming massive tideponds and many, many islets. The Çay Uplift is experiencing something simila. The abyysal gap between the two peaks is swiftly closing up, bringing the two habitats to the brink of merging into one.

This event will have lasting consequences for the far future. But for now, all it does is muddying the waters and expediting the currently ongoing extinction event.

All seems doomed right now.

Dwarf Terrub, Rancher Terrub, Placoderm Rhinofish, Tigerfish Livyat, Canopy Livyat, Herding Wheelcovy and Eastern Sazan have gone extinct.

Everpresent Orchardigan, Fishbait Inchisium, Lawnkeeper Glidee, Skyward Blimpie and Flatfish Barbesium have lost their individualities as separate species.


The Guguli Shallows | Primordial Chaos Biome | (5/? species)

Spoiler: Local Species (click to show/hide)

A mostly herbivorous animal the size and shape of a 5 meter long, wide fish with a meter long horn coming from its head. It has spiny hardened skin with saggy blubber underneath, a skeleton, an open, immunised circulatory system, a pair of lungs that connect to a blowhole at the top of the head, a pair of fish-like eyes and a tiny chemoreceptive third one in the middle, connected to an incredibly trigger-happy brain that loves sparkly stuff, and a wide jaw that leads to a long, three sectioned digestive canal. It has a swim bladder, an adrenal gland along with a set of muscles that control its fins. Females' parental drive extends to the young of others, which causes them to stick together in herds up to hundreds. It reproduces by internally hatching eggs that must be fertilised, and feeds its young via milk from its belly teats.

An incredibly polymorphic, eusocial species of gelatinous, complex animal that comes in many forms which support the greater whole. It forms entire ecosystems upon itself alone. Kelp-like, towering, nourishing Orchards which terraform and grow stalks of fruit and embryoes for the others to eat and spawn from. Small, cheap and unassuming Assassins to kill select targets and overwhelm by sheer numbers. The flat, fragile and circular Gardeners to maintain its very own habitat. Numerous, gaseous and prehensile Air Balloons to reach onto the sky and land. Hardshelled, noxious and sharpended Soldiers to form armies that cut, impale, slash and defend. And finally, The King of All Slime, the large and powerful, self-aware, seldom hatched minds to rule them all. It is capable of designing its environment and eco-engineer to a remarkable degree thanks to its sapience.

An animal that is an obligate parasite, with many long, muscular, skin penetrating feeding tendrils that end in keratin hooks, a developed brain and an acid resistant, hardened shell of flesh. They jet around by pushing water off their gills, and have a sense of smell to detect things around. They are somehow resilient to unfavourable conditions, and can survive alone for a short amount of time. They anchor themselves to their hosts via their tendrils, using a moderate electric shock from their electric gland to stun and control the movements of the host to burrow in it and direct it to better feeding grounds. They also secrete a chemical cocktail to boost the hosts strenght, which also acts like a dopamine boost, a chemical lobotomy and a pacifier to make the host perfectly obedient to its will. It does this with very little electric footprint, making it unobvious to predators. They reproduce via budding much smaller Turnips, that are ejected via the host coughing them up.

An apex predatorial, true amphibious, sophont animal the size of a football with many long, hyperflexible, very muscular, skin penetrating, paralysing, sludgiboo-repellant venom-coated tendrils that also function as legs on land, a brain comparable to that of a modern human, an efficent, closed circulatory system, a carnivorous digestive tract with a set of sharp teeth and a very tough, calcified, isolative, very heavy shell. It's body is very regenerative. They swiftly jet around and launch up by pushing water off a powerful water siphon, and breathe by another, smaller siphon lined with water-retaining gills, which can also function on land for very long periods. They have a sense of smell and electrolocation, along with movement-based, frog-like eyes, and a sense of echolocation to detect things around. They anchor themselves to their prey via their tendrils, using a moderate electric shock to stun the it, then using the tendrils to tear it into pieces. Between their eyes is a short stalk that ends in a bioluminescent organ that they use to communicate. They mimic the electrical signature of Sarpesium to not be noticed, which doesn't work anymore. They reproduce much like flatworms, with the duels and all, using a single specialised tendril as a weapon. They make simple tools such as spears from bones and rock, along with armor from animal hide.

Ecosystem effects: -20 population to all other animals. Each turn.

A herbivorous, soft-bodied animal the size of a medium-small fish, with spiny hardened skin, open, immunised circulatory system, a pair of fish-like eyes and a simple brain, and a suction-powered, herbivorous digestive canal that runs through it. There is a ring of keratin teeth around its mouth that shears seagrass. It can inflate itself into a ball to straighten out its spikes, turning itself into a spiky ball. It has a swim bladder and a simple lung that breathes air, along with a set of muscles that control its many pairs of fins. It is a semi-eusocial creature that always moves in groups, with some being born as sterile, self-sacrificial, explosive drones. It reproduces by laying eggs that must be fertilised.

Lauv Island | Grassland Island | (5/8 species)

Spoiler: Local Species (click to show/hide)

A herbivorous, soft-bodied, amphibious animal the size of a basketball, with spiny hardened skin, open, immunised circulatory system, a pair of fish-like eyes and a simple brain, and a suction-powered, extensive, herbivorous digestive canal that runs through it. There is a ring of keratin teeth around its mouth that shears grass of both realms. Using the gasses produced by its digestion, it can inflate itself into a ball to jet and float around. It has a swim bladder and a simple lung that breathes air, along with a set of muscles that control its many pairs of fins. It reproduces by laying eggs that must be fertilised.

A small, bush-like plantimal that is usually a meter in size, with a beating heart and a small clump of nerves at its center. It has a spherical main body, topped by branches with leaves. It has a sense of electrolocation, provided by two large sensitive eyepots on its chloroplast-filled, poison-infused slime skin. It has many thin tentacles underneath that act as mobile roots, and a gas sack in its center that allows it to float around. It reproduces via broadcast fertilisation and dispersion of RNA through airborne spores. It lives on land, in large, migratory and unorganised groves, and can be found anywhere on the island.

A mostly herbivorous, opportunistically omnivorous animal the size and shape of a 3 meter long, round pig, with spiny hardened skin with saggy blubber underneath, skeleton, open, immunised circulatory system, a pair of lungs that connect to a blowhole at the top of the head, a pair of fish-like eyes and a tiny chemoreceptive third one in the middle, connected to a simple brain, a robust, beaked jaw, and a omnivorous digestive canal that runs through it. It has a swim bladder along with a set of muscles that control its three pairs of strong legs. Females' parental drive extends to the young of others, which causes them to stick together in herds up to hundreds that periodically raze the grass cover of the island. It reproduces by internally hatching eggs that must be fertilised, and feeds its young via milk from its belly teats.

A predatory, partially photosynthetic, omnivorous animal that is a half a meter long kite with many interlocking, wide, thin, bony, electrode plates that culminate in a sharp point at the head. It finds its way via electrolocation by two large sensitive eyepots on its slime skin that has a round, engulfing mouth in their middle and a well developed brain on the back, along with many small eyespots on its face that allows it to vaguely see. It has air-breathing gills under its armor plates, an oxygen bladder, and a circulatory system that connects them to a heart. It moves around by a gas jet on its back. It has a large gas bladder that is lighter than air, and it glides in the air and water alike with a pair of extended, serrated plates on its sides that also secrete and inject a hallucinogenic substance. A set of tendrils grow out of the bases of these plates. It is social, and lives in small packs, using a body language of wobbly dances to communicate and electric outlines to identify eachother. It reproduces by internal fertilisation through RNA and producing endospores with the additional ability to fertilise other species with compatible gamates.

Ecosystem Effects: -15 population to all animals.

A mostly herbivorous animal the size and shape of a 5 meter long, wide fish with a meter long horn coming from its head. It has spiny hardened skin with saggy blubber underneath, a skeleton, an open, immunised circulatory system, a pair of lungs that connect to a blowhole at the top of the head, a pair of fish-like eyes and a tiny chemoreceptive third one in the middle, connected to a brain that loves sparkly stuff, and a wide jaw that leads to a long, three sectioned digestive canal. It has a swim bladder, an adrenal gland along with a set of muscles that control its eight short legs. Females' parental drive extends to the young of others, which causes them to stick together in herds up to hundreds. It reproduces by internally hatching eggs that must be fertilised, and feeds its young via milk from its belly teats.

The Çay Uplift | Algea Prairie Biome | (9/10 species)

Spoiler: Local Species (click to show/hide)

A herbivorous animal the size of a small fish, with spiny hardened skin, open, immunised circulatory system, a pair of fish-like eyes and a simple brain, and a suction-powered, herbivorous digestive canal that runs through it. There is a ring of keratin plates around its mouth that shears algea. It has a swim bladder and a simple lung that breathes air, along with a set of muscles that control its many pairs of fins. It reproduces by laying eggs that must be fertilised.

A filterfeeding animal the size of a very large fish, with spiny hardened skin, open, immunised circulatory system, a pair of fish-like eyes and a simple brain, and a suction-powered, herbivorous digestive canal that runs through it. There is a set of keratin baleen in its mouth that it uses to rake algea. It has a swim bladder and a simple lung that breathes air, along with a set of muscles that control its many pairs of fins. It grows all throught life at a fast pace, eventually growing too large to live. It reproduces by laying eggs that must be fertilised.

A filterfeeding animal the size of a medium-small fish, with spiny hardened skin, open, immunised circulatory system, a pair of fish-like eyes and a simple brain, and a suction-powered, herbivorous digestive canal that runs through it. There is a set of keratin baleen in its mouth that it uses to rake algea. It has a swim bladder and a simple lung that breathes air, along with a set of muscles that control its many pairs of hooked fins, which it uses to cling to larger creatures. It reproduces by laying eggs that must be fertilised.

A filterfeeding animal the size of a fish, with spiny hardened skin, open, immunised circulatory system, a pair of fish-like eyes and a simple brain, and a suction-powered, long, herbivorous digestive canal with gut flora that runs through it. It has a swim bladder and a simple lung that breathes air, along with a set of muscles that control its piscine body and fins. It reproduces by laying eggs that must be fertilised.

A filterfeeding animal the size of a fish, with spiny hardened skin, open, immunised circulatory system, a pair of fish-like eyes, fish ears, and a simple brain, and a suction-powered, herbivorous digestive canal that runs through it. It has a swim bladder and a simple lung that breathes air, along with a set of muscles that control its piscine body and fins. It reproduces by laying eggs that must be fertilised.

An apex predatory, photosynthetic animal that is akin to a giant, 15 centimeter big, veiny and fluffy lotus with a beating heart and a small brain at its center, along with many short, stocky tendrils on its underside and a ring of large flat extensions around its diameter. It finds its way via electrolocation by two large sensitive eyepots on its slime skin, along with many small eyespots that allows it to vaguely see. It has a swim bladder on the center of its body. It reproduces via broadcast fertilisation and dispersion of RNA and spores.

Ecosystem Effects: -15 population to all animals.

An ambush  predatory, aquatic animal the size of a large lizard, with hardened skin, four pairs of stubby legs, many long spines, a pair of front claws, open circulatory system connected to a flail of gills and a single lung, and a suction-powered, omnivorous digestive canal that runs through it, with two eyes near the mouth and a brain behind them, all encompassed by a skeleton. Its soft tissues output the same electric signals algea growths does, which allows it to hide in its algea plots unseen. It instinctively cultivates large beds of algea to lure prey. Both sexes has a specialised spine on their head. Males inject the females with sperm, and females inject Sludgiboos with their eggs.

Ecosystem Effects: -10 population to all animals.

A mostly herbivorous, opportunistically omnivorous animal the size and shape of a 3 meter long, round seal, with spiny hardened skin with saggy blubber underneath, skeleton, open, immunised circulatory system, a pair of lungs that connect to a blowhole at the top of the head, a pair of fish-like eyes and a tiny chemoreceptive third one in the middle, connected to a simple brain, a robust, beaked jaw, and a omnivorous digestive canal that runs through it. It has a swim bladder along with a set of muscles that control its three pairs of paddless. Females' parental drive extends to the young of others, which causes them to stick together in herds up to hundreds. It reproduces by internally hatching eggs that must be fertilised, and feeds its young via milk from its belly teats.

An omnivorous, predatory animal the size and shape of a very large, round fish, with spiny hardened skin with saggy blubber underneath, a skeleton, open, immunised, circulatory system that both self-oxygenates from its sharp toothed mouth and esophagus, a pair of fish-like eyes, a tiny chemoreceptive third one in the middle and a set of long whiskers, all connected to a simple brain, and a suction-powered, omnivorous digestive canal that runs through it. It has a swim bladder along with a set of muscles that control its fins. Under its throat is a gland that neutralises poisons. Females' parental drive extends to the young of others, which causes them to stick together in herds up to hundreds. It has an incredibly slow metabolism, and can live for centuries. It reproduces by internally hatching eggs that must be fertilised, and feeds its young via milk from its belly teats.

Ecosystem Effects: -5 population to all animals

This entire restructuring thing was going to ideally going to happen after this ordeal. But curse the Dice Gods, I guess.