Silgrad Tower from the Ashes

Describe (as in Botany Books, or in your own style, or draw) your favorite Morrowind/ES animal. Post in this thread:

I would like to see how someone describes why the cyrodiil mudcrabs are so diffrent from those found on Vvardenfell and in Morrowind. Evolution?

TES4 Vvardenfell mod - creature
Vvardenfell Mudcrabs
Long ago, while the crab-race was well established, the crab and all its cousins began exploring a new frontier, the seashore. They, in the course of hundreds of years, have developed (some of them) the ability to exist on land, near water. These "mudcrabs" have adapted to life on floodplains, shore-lines and coastal marsh. However, unlike the common mudcrab of Tamriel that evolved to be nimble to avoid predators and quickly capture prey, the Vvardenfell mudcrab developed into a large cumbersome but heavily armored crab. The brown back serves as both camoflauge and protection. The legs, seem stubby due to the fact that most of it is inside the shell. The eyes and mouth are tucked underneath as well, but can see outside and below the crab. The large pincers are actually highly developed claws that are for grabbing scavenged carcasses, or fending off the large animals of Vvardenfell; smaller pincers would not do on this wild land. And so, the peculiar mudcrab of Vvardenfell, and many parts of Morrowind, is a living fossil, an evolutionary dead-end from thousands of years ago. However, the Vvardenfell mudcrab is so well adapted to its ecosystem that it thrives despite its ancient lineage.

Apparently your wishes are KKz's commands Ataridante! :lmao:

KK, you never fail to amaze... :cheers:

'course, we still have to explain the mudcrab merchant - now that could take quite a bit more doing! You'ld better have another drink to get in the mood. :]

Quote:Originally posted by raggidman
Apparently your wishes are KKz's commands Ataridante! :lmao:

KK, you never fail to amaze... :cheers:

'course, we still have to explain the mudcrab merchant - now that could take quite a bit more doing! You'ld better have another drink to get in the mood. :]

actually... apparently certain alcoholic concoctions have different affects on different creatures... for most sentients like men and Mer and most beast-folk it dumbs them down but temporarily makes them feel stronger or actually gives their muscles some extra energy. "Strong as a kagouti and twice as dumb"
However, for mudcrabs, an odd phenomena occurs... it seems to be a cognative enhancer.... so the more alcohol they drink (to a certain point) their brain actually is stimulated to grow bigger and more intelligent... however, this leaves less room for the more instinctual and survival-based parts of the mind... as well as harming certain parts as well
and so, the Drunken Mudcrab merchant is unable to move much, very docile... and yet very very intelligent... and drunk


....just kidding...

waddja mean? kidding? I s'spect thass xacly wass appnd. works for me evry time. hic. :cheers:

Quote:Originally posted by raggidman
waddja mean? kidding? I s'spect thass xacly wass appnd. works for me evry time. hic. :cheers:

:wasted:
I work best when I am feeling... creative...

EDIT: Added new Side Notes + Quotes + Reference Shots + Added a thing about its food sources

Heres a decent sized thing I've been cranking out over the past day.
Its lengthy and I havn't had a chance to completly proof-read it so there may be blatant errors, but I really wanted to post this to see what everyone thinks. These are just my conjectures on siltstriders (for instance Chitin is said to come from "Insect Shells" so I made it more specific) and because there aqrnt many facts out there on them, isnt based in fact too much.
Hopefully when this is done it can be a definative text on silt striders!


I was thinking of making this post into a seporate topic due to its size and relative closeness to being done. Should I Move it?

Quote:[1ST]S[/1ST]ilt Strider of Morrowind



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Characteristics of the Silt Strider:
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At over two stories tall (By Hlaalu standards), the Silt Strider is by far one of the most colossal inhabitants of Morrowind. It is an arthropod, an insect, standing on six spindle-like, doubly-jointed legs of about 15-20 feet, and shielded by a hard exoskeleton or "husk". The husk of the Silt Strider does not grow so, periodically, the creature must cast off its husk and gorge itself on water to grow another, larger shell, in a process known as molting (Utilizations of the husk are covered in the next chapter). Underneath the husk are the boneless, pulpous, head, abdomen and thorax. The head being the center of any "thought?, the thorax: a hub for its six legs, and the abdomen: an encompassing assembly of its vital organs. Silt Striders take in breath through holes in the abdomen called Spiracles, which have the ability to constrict during Ash Storms. From the underside of the head, two large feelers protrude whose primary functions are navigation, foraging and the upholding of the Silt Strider's equilibrium during travel. Because of the necessity of the Silt Strider's feelers, damage done to them has cataclysmic effects and the creature cannot survive more than a few days without them in the wild. The Silt Strider also uses its feelers to "taste" the air and locate the shrubs, muck, nutrient rich soil, and small insects on which it feeds. The sheer size of the Silt Strider is beneficial to the creature in many ways. Because of its massive size and toughness of its husk the Silt Strider has no natural predators. Also, though quite slow at most other activities, the Silt Strider can glide across barren ash with great ease and striking agility. The name "Silt Strider" speaks to the speed and grace, which it upholds while traversing the landscape.

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The Silt Strider Husk, Its Cultural Influences and Economical Utilizations:
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The body of the Silt Strider is covered in a large Chitinous exoskeleton that, when harvested, has been an invaluable resource in the history of the land of Morrowind. The scraped dried husks of the silt strider are very durable yet remarkable light. Because of this they have carved out a niche in the economy of Morrowind as all manor of armor and protective gear. "Chitin" armor, pieces of Strider husk laminated with bug resin, gives its wearer much more range of movement and dexterity than the more cumbersome leathers of the West yet more protection than that of boiled Netch hides. The flexibility of Chitin allows it to absorb the force of blows with great ease while at the same time offer little encumbrance. Affordability is another positive aspect of Chitin with a price-range of Chitin goods spanning between 10 to 30 Gold pieces, making it relatively inexpensive for Lower to Middle-Class Dunmer. The armor is a favorite of scouts and others traveling through the Ash Wastes. Weapons such as daggers and clubs can be found crafted from Chitin ?utilizing its natural serrations- and arrows are commonly fashioned from carved Chitin but the material?s true strong suit is in that of the bow. The flexibility of a Chitin bow allows for maximum drawback with no chance of the body of the bow being damaged.
The nomadic Ashlanders are not only are great consumers of Chitin, but also are often inclined to use whole Strider Husks as shelters. When a Silt Strider sheds its Husk or dies the members of the Ashlander community come together for a three-day ritual of preparing the husk known as the "Cleansing". This includes cutting out the Strider from its shell in the case of a deceased creature and scraping the inside of the shell with sharp gouges. After the husk has been shucked and cleaned a prayer is said to the Silt Strider as thanks and to the Ancestors to watch over and protect the new dwelling. Most Ashlanders, however, prefer to live in yurts for their ease to pick up and move and largely due to the fact that Silt Strider husks bear a discernable and unpleasant odor up to a year after they are cleaned. For this reason the husks are more often used as storehouses for tools and weapons.

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The Silt Strider, Concerning Transportation:
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Ever since the first Chimer followers of Veloth gazed upon the majestic Silt Strider has there been a yearning to utilize the creature as a means of transportation. The earliest recorded attempts at turning the Silt Strider into transportation come from late Merethic texts where it seems early Chimer built crude wooden platforms that where lashed to the backs of the Silt Striders and, using reigns tied to each of the Striders two feelers, directed it. This however proved largely unsuccessful due to random inpredictabilities in the Silt Strider Movements. Vervan Giralvel, a Redoran scout, was said to be the father of our modern form of "piloting" the Silt Strider. As the story goes Giravel was a rather huge risk taker and It is said that one day, on a bet, he jumped up onto the back of a wild Silt Strider and, as he rode it, discovered a piece of husk that could be peeled back. The peeled back husk revealed a mushy network of nerves, organs and sensitive tissue. Touching and stroking the nerves, it was found, puts the Silt Strider into an absent and almost comatose state, leaving it completely docile. Once in this suggestible state, by simply gliding ones hands over the nerves correctly, one can control every movement of the Silt Strider. In addition, compartments can actually be hollowed out of the silt strider without doing it any harm and can be used to hold a rather large payload of cargo. Thanks these this stunning happenstance discoveries, Silt Striders have become the most influential transportation method in Morrowind to date, with at least one Silt Strider Port in every major Vavrdenfellian and Mainland city and many small towns campaigning for the construction of similar ports. Silt Striders carry travelers, merchants and nobles, transport cargo and luggage, and deliver important mail and parcels in addition to often being used by dust merchants and scouts as steeds.
The Silt Strider is truly a wondrous creature deserving of our admiration and respect.

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The Population of Vvardenfell in regard to the Silt Strider:
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"Silt Striders carry passengers and cargo between settlements on Vvardenfell. Fares depend on distance to be traveled. Silt Striders are giant insects. A compartment for passengers and cargo is hollowed from the creature's shell; the driver directs the beast by directly manipulating exposed organs and tissues."
-Various Morrowind Locals

"Why Walk when you can ride?"
-Adondasi Sadalvel, Caravaner: Vivec

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Side Notes on the Silt Strider:
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The training to become a ?Caravaner? or pilot of a Silt Strider is rigorous and difficult. One must be knowledgeable in the precise locations of each nerve and exactly how to manipulate them otherwise it takes no effort to loose control. Caravaners usually spend upwards of two years studying the anatomy of the silt strider before ever practicing and must rely on complex map-like charts to travel. In all of Morrowind?s history few more than one or two experienced Caravaners have been known to travel without a chart. Only the extremely dexterous should ever attempt to control a Silt Strider and never without Prior knowledge of its controls.

Little to nothing is known of Silt Strider procreation. Silt Striders have survived through the Eras yet very little is known about how they reproduce. It is theorized that Silt Striders procreate by laying eggs, which then hatch as larval Striders and eventually undergo a metamorphosis into the adult form. Neither Eggs nor Larva have ever been found before, however; this could be the result of clever survival methods. It has also been speculated that Silt Striders live eternally or for thousands of years at a time though this has even less ground in scientific fact. As of yet we know nothing more than conjecture.

That one quote and screenshots are all I had to go on for research. Im pretty pleased with this first draft.
I hope to add my own sketches of the silt strider and a "chart" of what I think the controlls look like. The chart will be a seperate scroll. ^_^

I found the picture up near the top in the Redguard pocketguide. Its my favorite image of a Silt Strider yet.

Of course I'm bummed because I think including the picture in an ingame book is technichly copyright infringement, so I can't use it...



My Reference Shots:

Strider Port
Silt Strider
Strider With Caravaner
In-Game Silt Strider
Caravaner and her Strider


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:worship: holy crap... I mean... Strider... hehe...
You now make me feel the need to make a post.. ugh... what animal.... durzogs?

EDIT: it seems no one could give me the origin of Durzogs on the ESForums so I'll pick another
EDIT2: I shall write about the Rotumbo Guar

most of this is made up as it is all based on early concept art...





[1ST]R[/1ST]otumbo Guar
Introduction
The Rotumbo Guar hails from the same lineage as the well known guar, Alit, and Kagouti. It still retains four legs which its more modern relatives have forsaken for the speedier two-legged structure. The Rotumbo Guar is actually a predecessor of the modern guar and the variants in between in the evolutionary line have since died off. It now survives only in Vvardenfell's remote ashlands where it is perfectly adapted, and even then mostly in the northern ashlands. This herd animal pursues shalk and kwama, as well as smaller insects which comprise its diet. Its somewhat softer hide suggests that it once led a semi-amphibous lifestyler. However, instead of developing a stronger hide, the Rotumbo has developed a sort of secretion that it similar to its saliva. This slimey substance is excreted when particularly harsh ash storm brews so that when it hits, the Rotumbo guar is covered in a slimy film and its skin protected from the harsh tearing winds and ash. Their only natural predators are nix-hounds which they are able to occasionally fend off with their horns. Kagouti and Alits only scavenge dead Rotumbo as it seems the secretion of the Rotumbo deters these predators who rely on their sense of smell. Nevertheless their numbers are dwindling and rarely seen in the wild. Fortunately, the northern ashlanders had domesticated them thousands of years ago.
Rotumbo & Dunmer
The Ashlanders, especially the Urshilaku who claim Alandro-Sul rode a Rotumbo alongside Nerevar to Red Mt., highly respect the Rotumbo. Infact, they do not kill their Rotumbo herds for food nor hides. These Rotumbo are fortunately regarded as lucky and tribes with at least one herd are considered blessed. It has been known for the more savage Molag Amur tribes to raid other tribes for the Rotumbo as their flesh is more tender than the normal guar's but the northern ashlanders guard their Rotumbo zealously. However this does not save the Rotumbo from labor as it is the Ashlander's greatest pack-animal. It on its pudgy four legs can carry twice the load a strong guar can. Thus often the guar carry the hunters and herders while the Rotumbo carry the yurts and heavy tools. As they only thrive in the northern ashlands where the ashlanders consider their well being and survival closely connected with their own survival, they have begun disappearing in more populated areas and places where people have little regard for their lives. The only other people to use them as pack animals are the Redoran, but only very few; most have been hunted to extinction, and many died from Blight in the years when Dagoth Ur was in Red Mountain.
Rotumbo Hunting
Although the Redoran had passed a law banning the hunting of Rotumbo in an effort to preserve this beast and also a move to promote better relationships with the ashlanders, the poaching continues. It is estimated by Councilor Morvayn that a hundred wild Rotumbo die from poaching every year. Redoran guards check caravans regularly to catch those who would slay the Rotumbo and sell its flesh and hides. The horns, which are valued as drinking vessels that turn blue when poison is in the drink are sought for by noblemen. Therefore the precious few wild Rotumbo are being hunted to extinction. This summary of them in no way condones the hunting of Rotumbo but here is a description of how they are hunted. Traditionally, the Rotumbo are goaded into a dead end or into an ashmire. As they are actually quite hardy and tough despite their softer hides, and have vicious horns, hunters are wary not to disturb them too much. When cornered the Rotumbo will get aggressive. Ashlanders who hunt the Rotumbo will throw a volley of spears and then send in a few nix-hounds (which some tribes actually use as mounts). Then once the great Rotumbo have died, they are skinned and their flesh flayed into strips. Their horns are often sold to wealthy nobles and the softer hide to noblewomen who desire a soft comfortable leather. Rotumbo flesh is one of the rarest and most prized meats in Morrowind, as sought after as horse. Unfortunately, the Rotumbo is neither as plentiful as the horse nor as respected by most Tamrielic folks.

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Note: It is said that Nerevar offered King Dumac of the Dwemer Rotumbo meat at one of their feasts during the height of Resdayn's power. This no doubt indicates their ancient existence, they are living fossils, as are many of the creatures on Vvardenfell.

Great! :worship:

Another splendid work by KuKulza!