I've been busy lately with the city contest.
Here are two new pics.
My main character, klyros Zweitholou Gutharen.
Another character, lemur Zhaen Khizarri.
:EDIT: Added new pictures.
I was trying to find some aspect of Yliakum's environment that would provide inspiration for building designs. I decided to try not to incorporate cave aspects into the architecture, but instead to incorporate architectural aspects into the natural cave formations.
I originally intended these buildings to be early Lemur dwellings from the time their race spent in the cavern surrounding Yliakum. Perhaps, the lemurs could be as renowned for their ability to "grow" cave formations by directing the mineral rich water that falls from the ceiling above as Dermorians are for their ability to cultivate plants. Possessing such poor immunity to disease would drive lemurs, in my opinion, to search for a method of building sturdy structures without needing great strength. The disease of the legendary city of their ancestors would have been ample reason for them to develop such a technique.
"Bak Tol" ('bok-tohl) (in the Kran tongue)
Occasionally, miners hear the characteristic "Kahgunk, Kahgunk" of the Bak Tol, drilling for food in the ore-and-crystal-rich rock near the mines. It was this sound that gave the Bak Tol it's common name, or the "Kahgunk." An adult Bak Tol is generally 1.75 meters long and 1 meter tall. Its physiological make-up is based upon the element silicon, as in Kran. The "beak," composed of an especially hard variation of quartz, is made up of three dark "jaws" with rough protrusions on the outside to help in drilling. Its tongue, exceedingly long and dextrous, wraps around the the skull. This accomplishes two ends at once, providing more room for a longer tongue to grab hunks of crystal and gems (the Bak Tol's primary food source), as well as to absorb shock and stabilize the head when drilling through stone. The Bak Tol is asexual, and it lays eggs which are similar in appearance to pearls, though generally more colorful and translucent. The back and tail are decorated with growths similar to crystals, while the skin has the appearance of stone. It possesses an unusually long lifespan, with some specimens living for many hundreds of years. Its movement is slow in general, but the head can move quickly when threatened, and is a formidable weapon against predators.
The young grow slowly, and live in burrows in the stone for protection. The decorative back growths and hard beak are rare to come by and worth much.
"Silmondaeri" (sil-mon-'day-ree)
Little is known about these enormous creatures of the deep. Only a few sightings have been recorded, all of which were in the deepest reaches of Yliakum. Leading scientists hypothesize that these gentle giants may also live in the theoretical cavern containing the Yliakum stalactite. They are blind and are believed to reproduce sexually. Their skin is very pale, and they eat the small animal and plantlife in the depths of the central sea of Yliakum. Perhaps some brave adventurer may someday learn more about these cryptic creatures.
"Priblar" ('prib-lahr)
A cloud of dust rises in the distance. A sound comparable to thunder reaches your ears. Over the horizon a hulking Priblar charges toward you with fire burning in its eyes. It may be too late to evade the death that awaits you: the cold, lost death in Dakkru's realm that awaits those who put their lives in harm's way. A Priblar encounter is no trifling matter. Many valiant heroes have met their unfortunate ends to Priblar. However, Priblar generally do not seek out sentient beings and attack. They only attack when they feel threatened or when they must do so for survival. Priblar are herbivores, grazing for long hours in order to support their large body mass. They are typically 4 m tall and 12 m long when fully grown. Their social patterns are based on gender, with females grazing in herds while the males tend to roam alone. Only during mating season do they meet, males fighting for females and leaving as soon as they have furthered their genetic line. The fathers do not help raise the child in any way. Females do not have the same tusks as males, relying instead on safety in numbers to protect their young which they raise for approximately 10 years before leaving the offspring to fend for his or herself. Soft on newborns and hardening with age, the large plates covering the body, composed of keratin, act as natural armor. The front feet have single hooves, while the hind feet have cloven hooves.The upright plates along the spine help regulate body temperature, while the head fin, which also helps regulate body temperature, is used in mating displays and for identification. The long, scaled tail has the club at one end (a modified vertebrae) as well as spines (also modified vertebrae) used for defense. The scales are used as armor, while the head fin has significant medical properties.
