Lifeforms · Fauna · Forest/ Jungle
Hovers
Named after some Oldthings by the early colonists, these large, even by Kerrenese standards, these iridescent insects are a common sight everywhere in the world.
Full Description
These Kerrenese Insects are a little larger than an average Kerrenese insect, about 28 cms (11in) long with 32 cm (13in) wingspans. They look similar to a terrestrial Dragon Fly, except they have eight legs (standard for insects there). They have big broad feet (making their little legs look like they have boots on. These feet are tucked into divets in their carpaces. They are supreme flyers of the insect kingdom, as only small Draconians and the luckiest of Saurians can catch them. They eat other insects.
As they age, their carpace changes.. shifting up the spectrum from red to violet with each of the seven moltings over their one year lifespan. No matter the color, they have a pretty iridescent sheen. Their wings are clear with silverish veins.
(Note the carpaces are highly valued as sources of dye colors)
Additional Information
Their name was given to them in early Colonial Times when Shuttles and Hovers were a regular occurance. With their retractable "booted" feet, vtol capabilities, and extreme flight characteristics, they were like the Hover Oldthings.
These creatures have been known to "hitch a ride" upon Dragons. This could explain why they are everywhere across the planet.
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- Insects (and Spiders and other creepy crawlies) ephemeralstability linked by MoonHunter
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Encyclopedia Kerrenica
While someday this will be available in the twenty three GIP soft leather bound volume set, this abbreviated version is here for your viewing
Some nice details, but more please. Do they do anything to humans? bite, sting? Do they pollinate something?
Nope. They do little to nothing to humans. They can bite people, but they normally don't. They do not pollinate anything, they are predator bugs, just like Earth Dragonflys. They are just handy to make pigments/ dyes.
Not every animal has to be dangerous to adventurers. Most insects are not. But many insects do impact human society. This is one of them.
Bugs, why did it have to be bugs? A cool little piece to add to your world with a touch of history.
A nice bit of local 'color' :)
Took bonk from the pun.
The site is a great place to put "bits of color" and "little things", those bursts of creativity that do not redefine the world, but help enhanced it.
A writer, or GM, only has so much creativity and (more importantly) TIME to be creative. They are going to spend their time on TBTs (edit: The Big Things). They are spending time on campaign defining and dependent NPCs, Places, Plots, and Setting. They don't have time (and effort) to spare to detail out the tavern, or the beggers on the street, or those trees, or what ever. These get glossed over narratively. That is a shame.
They are never glossed over in a book. They are mentioned briefly and the story movies on. They provide context, form up the reality of the story/ setting, and give a bunch of implied information (look all the beggers are missing limbs... I wonder what that is all about...). Players expect a "book/ novel" degree of narration. (Unrealistic, perhaps...). If you give it to them, they become more engaged in the game. So giving it to them is important. (but to do that, you might have to take time away from TBTs).
So the joy and power of this site is that you can go and "pick something up" off the shelf here and plop it in your game with a minimum of fuss. Sometimes you use the things here as raw ingredients to make your own, but most people want little things to grab and go with.
So we should provide them.
This critter shows three things.
1) It is a lovely visual and help forms a consistant world. A GM goes "We open the scene in a large panoramic view of a field of low ferns on a hill. We see camera's point of view slide down to near ground level. A few Hovers flit about hunting, their carpaces sparkling in the sun. Pulling out and away, we see the blue vista sky meet the hill. Breaking over this horizon we see a wing of Dragons and Ryders fly... You, Bamf are in the lead. The rest of you are in your spot in formation. The Wing is on normal patrol. Nothing special. The Warden said there is a heard of Thunderers in the area. You need to check on them to make sure they are not heading towards people. And..."
2) They have a part of the economy and ecology of the world. Sure it is one line in the write up, but it explains a lot. Everything has to come from somewhere, so where do the dyes come from. Your players might not need to know, but you as the GM do.
3) It explains something about the history of the world. Hovers tie us back to the Colonial Era, explaining the old hover ships that have "gone away". Now imagine this scene, You come upon a tangle of metal in the crevasse. It has eight crumpled struts, one ripped off. Two longer heavier etensions stick out. They are bent and shredded. It looks likes that Hover that your dragon stepped on yesterday.
"Oh fark, it is more than an Old Thing, it is a wreak of a Hover.
"An insect?"
"No, you backfart, an old flying ship. The one they named the insect after." (Player recieves player points for being smart and reading the world pack).
See Encyclopedia Kerrenica for translation, if needed
So one tiny little piece of color can pack quite a bit of power for your campaigns.
nice enough idea