The Thin Hex Line
EOS
Description
While humans have a height range, weight range, color range, and even habitat range, eos have no limitations. They can be as small as a few feet, or as tall as a hundred thousand. Colors vary depending upon their main environment. The only thing all eos have in common are the metal parts of their bodies. Well, the fact they have metal parts naturally. The metal functions as their bones, but can also be shaped like plates for armoring, they form other exotic structures as well, spikes, frills, etc. Most eos are able to strike fear in the hearts of man based off their appearance alone. Often times their mouths are riddled with sharp, flesh tearing teeth. They are certainly designed for battle with a bite as ferocious as their bark.
Culture
Eos culture varies from unit to unit, planet to planet. Most eos encountered appear like mindless animals. Viciously attacking anything that moves for food. These are eos stuck in their ancient ways. Eos that refused to change, because you cannot fix what is not broken. These are eos that do not care about life that is not their own. Though they are just as intelligent as their more peaceful relatives. They are capable of communicating, though it is unknown if these eos can understand any spoken language.
Peaceful eos are quite rare and do not often space travel. They reside where they had gotten off at living in harmony with nature. While these may be labeled as peaceful, they are not pacifists and take joy in killing and battling. They focus more on their units and their own territories. Wars are waged between territories when one feels more entitled to the others claim, or simply does not like the other. Just like their relatives, they can communicate, but they also have the gift of spoken language. They do not often use it amongst themselves, however, they will speak to other species.
Even rarer than peaceful eos, are the scholar eos. There may only be one, or two, but that has yet to be seen. These eos have spent their lives dedicated to knowledge. They travel from planet to planet and study the life they find. They stay hidden and secretive, leaving no trail they ever existed. No one knows why they do this.
History
While studies on the Eos have been extremely limited to the other intelligent life in the galaxy, it is believed that the eos must be the oldest creatures to exist. They came from the farthest reaches of the Milky Way Galaxy, starting off as just amoebas. Their evolutionary trail had landed them into a never before seen seat. They themselves were the only things to eat before too long. Somehow, these young pre-eos creatures managed to change their diet. Drastically. They did not turn to herbivores, instead they remained omnivorous. They ate everything they could find. From each other to trees, rocks, minerals. If they saw it, they ate it. Many would not survive. The weak, young, and old would be the first to be eaten.
Their home planet was rid of any life. The eos were all that remained. The planet boiling with molten magma, acids, and toxic gases. They had evolved to take on anything. Whatever was thrown at them, extreme heat, extreme cold, starvation, dehydration....As a species, they prevailed against all odds.
They were intelligent creatures capable of complex thought. Their problem was the necessity for technology. They did not need it. They needed only themselves and the power to do it. They were being inbred amongst themselves and the only way to stop it was to return to the old amoeba ways of mitosis. While they do not split into copies of themselves, they had developed a ground breaking gene. A cancer-like gene that infected every single cell in their bodies.
They could evolve on the spot for whatever they needed. They could control what evolved and when. While they cannot reverse the process, they can change what had broken. Over time, these genes themselves had evolved in such a way, the young eos species were able to produce metals in their own bodies. Their bones were not made of calcium. They became strange combinations of metals and flesh.
They grew even more. Overcrowding and the inability to kill each other fast enough, they had to leave their homeworld. The species would die off otherwise.
So, the eos evolved further. Their bodies like walking factories, new eos came that could carry other eos. Packs had already formed, alliances forming between them. These packs orchestrated the ability of cooperation and desperation. These new eos were enormous and would only grow bigger as they aged. They had the ability to not only live in the atmosphere of the toxic planet, but they could live in the vacuum of space. Their invention of space travel was simply reinventing their bodies.
Some were destined to become their ships, others to lead, others to wage war, others to breed. They boarded their brothers, living inside of them for years, starving until landing on other planets.
The eos have never intended to wage war on the galaxy. They only ever wanted to survive and to grow stronger. They moved from planet to planet, not quite realizing they were destroying the planets in the process. Their numbers so vast and their hunger a bottomless pit, they devoured everything in their sight.
Few eos had seen this and those that did, dared to change their ways. Packs and alliances would split. Some eos would spend their lives as scholars, studying in their own way other life forms and their impacts on the ecosystems they visited. Some became peaceful, eating only as they needed.
Perhaps it were eos like this that could resemble life as humans could recognize it. Intelligent, fairly peaceful. They were almost like a pride of lions in some cases. An alpha that really only had to protect the rest of the group who would provide all the other necessities. Some lived a life under tyranny. Others were hermits, wanderers. Each eos met would be someone different than the last.
Types
Carnivore
Name: Valkria
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 6ft - 6.5ft
Length: 20ft
Speed: 30 - 46 mph
Description: Valkria are about the size of a small horse, tall enough to look a man in the eye. A foot long, narrow snout is perfectly equipped for tearing into flesh. Bipedal, they are parallel to the ground, with a long, heavy tail for counter balance. They walk on two toes, with the innermost third raised off the ground to keep sickle-shaped claws sharp. Their lithe bodies are often covered in feathers with the longest and brightest upon the heads, tails, and arms of males. Long arms are topped with ripping claws to scratching and grabbing. Two large eyes are accompanied by two smaller eyes.
Valkria vocals are much like song birds. Natural pitches and tones varying by individual and are influenced by sex and age. As such, hatchlings squeak, while adults have deeper calls to reach across their territory. Their songs vary upon the message being sent and upon distance it is expected to travel.
Valkria live in packs under a hierarchy following a male and female. Vocal and physical communication plays a huge role in relationships. Valkria vote for hunts and home locations, requiring majority to be in agreement, granted the two alphas can override all votes. The alphas lead packs up to fifteen adults strong on hunts, splitting the herd and taking down the weaker ones by exhaustion, weight, and damage.
Two crescent shaped blades are folded upon their backs, unfolding when desired to extend from either of their sides. These blades, much like their third claw on the feet, are capable of slicing men in half when at full speed. Small caliber rail guns can usually be found upon the hands, or the sides of the face.
Name: Skaginvar
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 20-25ft
Length: 50-55ft
Speed: 20 mph
Description: Skaginvar are big, heavy brutes who value raw strength. These heavy hitters stand horizontal to the ground and stomp around on two thick legs with three-toed feet. Barrel shaped chests pack plenty of room for an expert respiratory system. The large, square shaped head is only five feet long, packed with dense muscle to give it one of the strongest bite forces the eos have ever known. With its nostrils entire feet apart, the skaginvar can smell in stereo, allowing them to pinpoint prey from miles away. Six eyes are disproportionate, with two large, main eyes, and four smaller eyes allowing for better depth perception.
The vocals of a skaginvar are guttural. Growls and roars are felt more than heard vibrating through body cavities and give the illusion of a quake. Their low rumbles can be felt for miles, but heard from only a short distance. Their roars extend twice as far, carrying across entire territories, with them heard nearly just as far.
All skaginvar, young, and old, are equipped with flamethrowers in their mouths and a multi-barreled rail gun upon either side. This heavy arsenal comes with a general attitude of hate, death, and destruction. Skaginvar are ferocious and territorial. Even worse are the adult females. Nearly twice the size of their male counterparts, female skaginvar are known for out right killing their own, especially during mating season.
Most skaginvar roam in family units until they are adults. Hatchlings remain near the nest, protected by the father until old enough to hunt. Once adolescents they join their parents, watch and learn, and eventually take part as the chasers, splitting the herd and running them to the point of exhaustion so the adults can land the killing blow.
Name: Reldul
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 5-6ft
Length: 9-10ft
Speed: 25 mph
Description: Short and stout, Reldul are brutes with a strong, bone-crushing bite. Walking on four legs, a little splayed from the body, they are not fast runners. Their heads are nearly a foot long, shaped like a rectangle. The front of the snout appears to be larger than the length, and the cheeks, with the top blending into a single hump from nose to forehead. A pair of canines protrude from the upper jaw seven inches.
Reldul are capable of growling and short roars like small claps of thunder. They snap their jaws together to resonate a low frequency sound that can be picked up for miles.
Reldul live in small packs consisting of males. Females prefer solitary life, only temporarily joining a pack when in season. Once the offspring are a few weeks old, the female will leave the pack and young behind.
These hefty beasts come equipped with a rail cannon upon the back. It extends four feet from its mounted place and launches explosive rounds capable of shredding through trees.
Name: Savarl
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 3.4ft
Length: 7ft
Speed: 65 mph
Description: About the size of a turkey, the savarl are feathered bipedal creatures. They are most likely related to the valkria by a shared ancestor, due to the similar body plan. They have sickle-shaped claws, and grasping hands. Their pack sizes range from 10-20 on average, but are known for creating temporary alliances with other packs. The spend much of their time hunting, or dancing, letting their entire territory know in a song from a choir.
Instead of extra blades, or small caliber weapons, the savarl carry a grenade launcher upon their backs. A single tube can launch one grenade every six seconds, allowing for a pack to litter their hunting grounds in smoke. Some have been seen to use explosives instead.
Name: Skatha
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 15-19ft
Length: 30-45ft
Speed: 31 mph
Description: Skatha are tall, lithe predators capable of high speeds and endurance running. They are known to run down and injure prey to continue stalking them until they succumb to their injuries. They are even brave enough to snack on gigantic creatures too large for them too take down, but too cumbersome to truly do much to fend them off.
Most skatha reach a maximum of 16 feet tall and stand upon two legs, allowing them to use two long arms with grasp claws for deadly attacks. Males are often larger than females and differentiated by the bright colors upon their face, back and tail when they come of age. However, elder skatha, like most elder eos, may reach greater sizes if lucky and strong enough to live longer than the others.
As far as weaponry goes, skatha are well equipped with powerful legs and ferocious claws. Jaws lined with flesh-tearing teeth can open a whopping 68 degrees and snap shut with the force and style of an axe head. Granted, a skatha lacks the bite force of many of its cousins it cannot hold its prey without breaking its own jaw and relays on its unique musculature to sever vertebrae to paralyze.
The skatha is also equipped with dual, three-barreled grenade launchers. These fire off canisters packed with a unique mixture to create a smog across the field that reacts with electricity. Not only will its prey be blinded and slowed down, they will receive millions of volts of electricity to bring them down.
Name: Karjerya
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 9-14ft
Length: 29-35ft
Speed: 41 mph
Description: Karjerya is a tall, lithe creature with a short neck thick with muscles. It has a snubby snout that packs a powerful bite perfect for holding onto its prey and inflicting damage. Its brow protrudes greatly into a set of horns that stick out sideways. The karjerya lack arms completely like its skaginvar counterpart, however its disproportionately long legs are perfect for not only long distance running, but great speeds, allowing the karjerya to run down its prey.
The karjerya roam in packs of males and females that are usually 4-6 members with an alpha male at the lead. Males and females are identical in appearance and size, however, when females come into heat, their scaly hide darkens and they become more aggressive than usual. Females in heat are known for attacking anything in sight, even their own reflection, and will often wander off alone until a male is brave enough to calm her down.
Ranged weaponry was not an efficient evolutionary trait for karjerya. Heavy and often cumbersome, they stuck to their roots for speed and strong jaws. Instead of evolving something to be used from a distance, the karjerya developed two four foot long lightly curved blades on either of their sides. These are often folded up against their sides when not in use, but quickly unfold when in need.
Herbivore
Name: Geihildra
Diet: Herbivore
Height: 10ft-15ft
Length: 26ft-38ft
Speed: 30 mph
Description: Geihildra quadrupedal creatures are as tall as an elephant at the hip. They do not stand perfectly parallel to the ground, instead their chest sits much lower than the pelvis, allowing for much lighter arms. These arms have three toes, each with a claw a few inches long and sharp as a stiletto. A thick neck is curved lightly, topped off with a flat, square head. Their tail makes up most of their length, doubling their body size. They have various spikes and rough scales on their hides and are neutrally colored to better blend into their environment. While not particularly large in their given category, the geihildra boast an impressive natural arsenal. Their extremely long tail is thick with muscle and is used to batter predators, or to smash them. The stilettos for fingers can puncture through predators coming for it from the front.
The geihildra's voice is like a trombone and trumpet in a duet, resonating within the nasal cavity to help it carry for a couple of miles. This is perfect when signaling for being in season, claiming territory, or scaring off predators and rivals.
These creature reside in herds led by a matriarch, the eldest in the herd. Their numbers are on average ninety, to two hundred, sometimes tripling in size during migration. Geihildras are quite peaceful and not easily spooked. They tolerate young and close presence of other creatures. They will protect their own by creating a wall of ready-to-bash tails.
The geihildra is not forgotten in the weapons department. Large scutes on either side of its tail are capable of extending into four foot long thagomizers at the longest, and a foot at the shortest. The raised pelvis gives them the perfect body plan for a mounted plasma cannon capable of firing short distances.
Name: Ugagrimadra
Diet: Herbivore
Height: 64.6ft (At shoulder)
Length: 98ft
Speed: 8 mph
Description: The ugagrimadra is possibly the largest terrestrial eos to ever exist. They are slow moving, walking landmarks that rival mountains in size. Their necks make up majority of their size, with giant potbellies working double duty to keep them powered. Their four legs are like tree trunks, straight and steady. They cause small earthquakes wherever they travel. Their bodies are covered in a thick hide and a series of scutes upon the backs and necks purely used as display to potential mates and rivals. In truth, the only threat to an ugagrimadra is another one of its own.
Their voices are like that of whales singing in the deep blue. Their hollow songs travel half way across the planet in an endless choir, only drowned out by the thunder of storms.
These titans boast enormous rail cannons on their backs that face backwards, aimed towards the clouds. While they may use globe wide artillery, the ugagrimadra primarily launch space born eos back into the vacuum of space.
Name: Kamadra
Diet: Herbivore
Height: 15ft (at the hip)
Length: 66ft
Speed: 10mph
Description: The kamadra are distant cousins of the ugagrimadra, but just a quarter of the size. Potbellied elephants of their kind, the kamadra are slow and lumbering, with their puny heads held up high to graze from the canopy of trees. Legs like trunks are strong and sturdy. Their thick hides are colored neutrally depending on their environment, with males boasting bright colors on the quills standing from the back of their neck just behind the head, as well as their head and neck.
They too mimic the song of whales, but their voices do not travel as far and are easier to hear. Their songs are to attract mates and to stay in touch with distant herds and each other. They wander in herds of twenty, or more during migration, led by a matriarch. Unruly males are often kicked out of herds by the elder females.
The kamadra reach along the lines of artillery, their immense size making it easy to support the extra resources required to carry and utilize kinetic cannons reaching hundreds of miles.
Name: Sveluldr
Diet: Herbivore
Height: 10ft
Length: 30ft
Speed: 5mph
Description: The sveluldr are slow, well armored tanks. Their hips are much taller than their shoulders, keeping a narrow, beaked head low to the ground where its preferred vegetation grows. They have only two, small eyes and are easily spooked. Their incredibly long tails are lined with thagomizers reaching up to five feet long at the most. This is their most effective weapon. Either side of their back is lined with taller, overlapping plates that can get up to three feet tall. These plates are brightly colored upon males and take on a red tone for females in heat.
Sveluldr are not vocalists and may grunt, grumble, and gurgle. They stomp on the ground for distant communication, with some utilizing the plates with vibrations to send out lower frequencies. They stay in herds of 10 - 15, led by a patriarch who is the only adult male. Other males of age will combat for dominance of the harem.
Sveluldr are not particularly smart. They are too slow to run from danger and can often ignore it until getting spooked. That being said, approaching these hulking beasts from either side can land in a swift death from a bone crushing whip of the tail, or being impaled by a thagomizer.
While under equipped in defenses and intelligence, the sveluldr pack an arsenal of four cannons, two on either side, that launch 155mm shells.
Other
Name: Hladrun
Diet: Piscivore
Height: 6ft
Length: 6ft
Wingspan: 33ft
Speed: Land - 0.2 mph / Air - 55 mph
Description: Hladrun is merely a broad term for this type of eos. These creatures have a hundred sub-species that follow it. These flying eos are kings of the sky, dominating the airspace wherever they go. They are known for tiny bodies, abnormally big heads, and extremely sensitive wings. Their heads are brightly colored, greatly contrasting them their otherwise drab, spiky bodies. Their feet are useless for anything aside from walking, especially due to the membrane of the wings attaching to the ankles. Most hladrun spend majority of their lives in the air, landing only to mate and nest. They prefer coastlines, but will venture to any substantial water source.
Hladrun are only territorial over their nest and whatever is in their mouth. Males and females take turns fetching food to feed the hatchlings. They gather by the hundreds, at times mingling with other species. They will fight over food if it is easier than catching their own.
These speedy creatures are surprisingly light with hollow bones. This requires an arsenal to match. A single rail gun fires small caliber rounds at high speed. It extends from their chest during flight, allowing them to sweep the surface of the ocean during feeding frenzies.
Name: Varifa
Diet: Insectivore
Height: 1.8ft
Length: 3ft
Speed: 70mph
Description: Even smaller than its cousin, the savarl, the varifa is faster and capable of gliding. It spends most of its time climbing trees where it is safest from predators. They are completely covered in spindly feathers, with a beak like snout. It is by no means an impressive creature. Its small and frail. Despite this, the varifa are solitary, gathering during mating season where the males build and display nests in ideal branches to attract a female.
Varifa chirp more than sing, but are capable of mimicking any sound they hear. It only needs to hear a noise once and it can mimic it perfectly. Varifa use this ability to get themselves out of trouble, usually calling for the help of predators larger than the ones after it. It may even act as an alarm system for other eos.
Name: Ardana
Diet: Insectivore / Carnivore
Height: 4ft
Length: 8ft
Speed: 46 mph
Description: Ardana are lithe little bipedal creatures. Quick on their feet, they run their prey down, using numbers to injure and bring it to the ground. Long grasping claws let them hold on tight. A thin tail helps counter balance them while running. Ardana have unusually large eyes accompanied by four smaller ones, giving them the ultimate night vision. Because of this, ardana are more nocturnal, preferring the shadows of the night to the bright sun of day. A dense covering of spindly feathers help keep them warm at night.
Ardana talk to one another, but do not sing. Short chuffs, clicks, and hisses make up their vocalizations. This is enough to communicate and form loose relationships with members of the pack. An alpha male leads five to ten ardana on hunts and is the only one allowed to mate with the females of the pack.
Name: Thrumatri
Diet: Electricity
Height: 1.5ft - Star Size
Length: 1.5ft - Star Size
Speed: N/A
Description: Thrumatri are interesting in the sense they are blobs. Giant tumors with roots. Anywhere that produces electricity is a perfect home for a thrumatri. They are similar to amoebas on a much larger scale, with no internal organs. They have no gender, nor personality. They have a sense of danger, defending themselves when touched with the very electricity they consume. However, the only way to remove a thrumatri is to give it no reason to be there. Depending on their size, they require certain amounts of electricity to stay alive. The removal of its food source will make it flee. Most thrumatri encountered are attached to ships, or large facilities. Where their true purpose is shown.
A thrumatri is capable of spreading across an entire ship, where it embeds itself into the systems, ensuring its steady food source. When a ship is assimilated, a thrumatri can control it, using it to travel across the galaxy to reproduce by way of mitosis. These ships are used by other eos to also travel great distances.
Name: Skuladr
Diet: Piscivore
Height: 23ft
Length: 35ft
Speed: Land - 20 mph / Water - 40 mph
Description: The skuladr are larger than the skaginvar, and possibly one of the largest predators out of the eos. Despite their size and general personality, they are not brutes. Their bodies are thin, with powerful legs and a flat tail. They are quite front heavy, especially due to their long and narrow skull lined with perfect, conical teeth. They move primarily on all fours, but are capable of walking on their legs, which frees up those flesh tearing claws to slice and dice. Their back sports an elongated spine from neck to tail. This spine varies on the surface, either showing off the separate vertebrae, or concealing them in flesh. This spine is usually brightly colored, especially during mating season. The skuladr are best suited to life on the shore where they spend much time in the water. Like crocodiles they are powerful swimmers and usually retreat to land to rest.
They have a voice that can travel for miles, even underwater. They can hiss, growl, grumble, and roar. Their roar is like a guttural shriek, a banshee screaming in the night from the ether. Skuladr are solitary creatures, gathering around feeding frenzies, or during mating season.
Despite being such large creatures, the skuladr eat fish. Their narrow jaws are perfect for snatching fish from the water, but not good for shredding flesh. They use their claws to tear away meat from undesirable parts. They are quite picky eaters, preferring the soft, tender parts.
The skuladr are not left out of the weaponry department despite being just fine without extra weapons. Rapid firing rail guns are mounted on either side, accompanied by grenade launchers loaded with poisonous gas.