#data files

Worm grass

Old food crops, run rogue after accumulating several dozen mutations. Once, they were a hyper-engineered strand of wheat, designed to persevere through extreme temperature fluctuations, heavy rains, freezing, drought, among other severe weather conditions. At some point down the line, however, possibly owing to the poor nutrient value of the soil they were growing in, they became carnivorous, actively seeking out nearby movement in hopes of edible creatures.

Each singular strand is one organism, but their roots stitch together into a complex web that enables nutrient sharing; if a small cluster of worm grass latches onto a creature, more will be attracted to drag it down, and the whole patch benefits from the sustenance. The grasses also differentiated into several distinct strains, with yellow worm grass being the most genetically similar to the original wheat strain. It is also the least aggressive, though its height and immense denseness make it dangerous to traverse still. Red worm grass and blue worm grass, in decreasing magnitude of height but increasing magnitude of aggressiveness, diverged from the main strain some indeterminate amount of time ago. Blue worm grass in particular is an aggressive colonizer of the areas around it, and will voraciously consume structures in search of more food. They all still, however, retain their original nutritional value, if they are neutralized by severing them from their roots.

Bubble seed

An old cultivar selected for the subtle beauty of its flowers. Colloquially referred to as bubble fruit for the unique feature of its seeds, these plants were occasionally planted by the people of old as a recreational activity. The flowers produced are small, bearing a delicate fragrance, and range from hues of light lavender to a deep violet. Most variants are biennial, but when seed production is incomplete or intentionally obstructed, the flowering cycle will lengthen, allowing for more enjoyment of the modest blooms.

The seeds have a double seed coat, from which their colloquial name is derived: when placed in water, the external seed coat draws water into its desiccated cells, causing the seed to swell to up to six times its original size. This process makes the seed more enticing to critters and protects the plant embryo as the seed is consumed. When not hydrated, the seed is extremely tough, and several cases of deliberate injury with bubble seeds have been reported. The swollen outer seed coat is surprisingly nutritious, though not as much as traditional food sources; it is a possible source of nutrients when food stores are running low.

Cherrybomb

An esoteric spice occasionally cultivated by your creators. The colloquial name of 'cherrybomb' came about from its appearance, which superficially resembles an extinct type of primal flora, and its mildly explosive quality. It was never popularly grown by the people of old for its beauty; its flowers, though large, are largely invariant without a notable fragrance, and also decay quickly. Rather, it was chosen for its ability to add heat to a dish, a quality that its perennial growing cycle compliments. A single seed pod yields upwards of twenty seeds, which can be roasted and then ground up to be used as a garnish in dishes. More adventurous chefs would cook the seeds whole, allowing their naturally pungent flavors to seep into the other ingredients.

Both the seeds and the seed coat produce a volatile chemical as a means of self defense and for propagation. At rest, the compound is inert and stable, but when enough energy is provided, whether by means of mechanical stimulation or the input of heat, it rapidly oxidizes in the presence of oxygen, expanding and releasing heat. This expansion causes the seed pods to pop open, emitting loud crackling in the process; the seeds are then propelled away from each other. Reportedly, this made cultivating cherrybombs difficult, contributing to their poor popularity.

The chemical secreted by the seeds and seed pods is mildly toxic, often causing symptoms of digestive distress such as diarrhea and intestinal cramping in low doses. It is neutralized by cooking the seeds, though care has to be taken to raise the temperature slowly so as not to set off their explosive nature. In high doses, regardless of whether the compound has been neutralized, it accelerates cell apoptosis due to chemical irritation, often leading to necrotic tissue accumulating where it was applied. Cultivation of cherrybombs was thus strictly regulated to prevent its use as a biological weapon, and there are various guidelines around safe consumption of its seeds.

Flarebomb

A plant in the same genus as cherrybombs. Its colloquial name takes after its more abundant sister, both because it was discovered after cherrybombs and because its applications are limited. This is exacerbated by its unusual growth requirements: flarebomb plants wilt in direct sunlight and prefer gentle shade. It also, unlike its sister, has an annual life cycle, so it was often only cultivated by the most avid of gardeners.

Its seed pods are much more studied than the rest of the plant. Similar to cherrybombs, the seed pods and seeds of flarebombs secrete a chemical that, when sufficient energy is provided, react to produce heat. However, the predominant compound produced by flarebombs is bioluminescent; the heat released is a byproduct of the oxidation of this compound. The light produced when the seed pods are shaken is variable over a range of deep purple to a light blue-green, but most commonly shines a vibrant blue. The seed pod itself is remarkably translucent, allowing the light produced from the seeds to pass through when gently shaken. Older children often enjoyed using the seed pods as a portable light source.

Giant millipede

Big placid myriapod, able to grow to five times the length of your iterator puppet with ease. Some mutation occurred when the rains first began, allowing them to break through previous constraints on size. They are a distant relative of the electric centipedes found in other areas. Heavily armored with mildly toxic properties, they are not commonly hunted by the other creatures in the area, as typically no creature is able to tear into their tough shells before the rains pound down. They are detritivores, preferring to spend their time chowing down on various rotting plant matter and fungi. Their preferred meal is cloud ear mushroom, but they are opportunistic and will eat anything that is edible to them. Possessing no innate combat ability, their method of protecting themselves is to curl up into a tight, armored spiral when threatened, rendering them near impenetrable. They are docile enough that they may be ridden.

Silver lizard

Small, nimble, and curious, these pale colored lizards are the smallest of their creed. Even the next smallest, the neighboring blue lizards, are almost twice their size, though they are no less dexterous and eager to scale walls. Unlike other lizards, they are not obligate carnivores, indulging here and there in a vegetarian meal, though the bulk of their diet is still meat.

Owing to their delicate build, they are the fastest of all known lizards, both on flat terrain and on walls, but most of this speed is spent on investigating what piques their interest. Younglings in particular will occasionally risk their lives to investigate a point of interest. Flying objects are a marked curiosity to them.

Noodleflies

Strange flying insectoids that are aggressively protective of their young. The occasional smooth noodlefly makes its way over to these regions, particularly along the supports of your can, but the majority of the noodleflies here are of the marsh variety. They behave approximately the same as other variants of noodleflies, though they lay their eggs on the ground, burying them in mud to keep them moist. Their coloration tends towards dull browns and greys, with the occasional black noodlefly or perhaps a silver one, but those that struggle to camouflage are picked off quicker by lizards.

Unique to them is the ability to pseudo-swim through mud, as their relatively more muscular build allows them to push the semi-solid out of the way. Do not aggravate if at all possible, as they are the most vengeful of all noodlefly variants, and combined with their excellent memory, they will hunt down anyone that angers them for as long as they remember you. Because of their laser focused anger, though, they are less adept at dodging attacks than other noodlefly variants. Marsh noodlefly young are, unlike their parents, similarly helpless to other young noodleflies, but it is ill advised to try and interact with them.

Miros quail

Mutated versions of Miros vultures. Smaller than their vulture counterparts, they are no less vicious, eager to hunt down anything that moves, organic or otherwise. Their original purpose of separating organic matter from metal is long lost, and now they scavenge for metal parts to rebuild their own composite bodies, as well as creating fresh broods. Their core is organic, repurposed long ago to be able to process metal, while their extremities are metallic.

Their beaks are shorter than their vulture counterparts, but in some respects are sharper, able to chew through weakened metal. One similarity they retain with the other Miros avians is their sensitivity to light; since all of them are adapted to the dim conditions inside of processing facilities, any bright light is painful to their visual faculties, and in some cases can permanently blind them. However, blindness does not deter them; if anything, it only increases their ferociousness, running around and clamping their beaks around anything they can get to. It is generally inadvisable to engage with them, particularly since their metallic exterior makes combat difficult, but their eggs, if cracked open at an early stage, are edible.

River mice

A variant of lantern mice. Like their more common counterparts, river mice were purposed to provide light to any machinery that required it, particularly in areas where sustained, electronic lighting was not feasible. River mice in particular were purposed to be aquatic, designed for deep dives down into water near underwater machinery, and are modified in a variety of ways for extra agility in water. Their most notable feature is their ability to control the strength of their bioluminescence; when underwater, they glow more strongly, often appearing as tiny beacons darting through the water.

Though fearless around machinery, they are extremely afraid of other creatures, and will flee at the first hint of danger. This self preservative behavior also serves to protect the machinery they often flit around, drawing larger beings away from sensitive equipment.

They are omnivorous, but are generally opportunistic, eating whatever is nearby. Despite having "river" in their name, they did not originate from rivers, nor are they intentionally released near rivers; the name is a callback to their primal ancestors, which were often captured near sources of clean, moving water.

Miros vultures

Massive biomechanical avian constructs, made to serve various purposes. Miros vultures were the creation of Misty Insights, Rising of Sun, a deeply respected bioengineer who specialized in creating large purposed organisms. Their name was originally printed as MIROS vultures, but over time and due to convenience, the spelling became 'Miros,' changing the acronym of their creator's name into an adjectival modifier. This term is also used to describe other biomechanical constructs of the same type.

Perhaps confusingly, there are several variants of Miros vultures, all of which share the same name. The original design acted as a material sorter, and was significantly less organic; the majority of its organic parts were dedicated to digesting and processing metal, and they were poorly adapted to the light. However, as the age of iterators began, more organic variants were created, with most variants commonly being mobile guards for important facilities. They were favored for use in the memory crypts, due to their gigantic stature and their combat prowess. They were created to be intolerant of any trespassing creature, but passive to permitted citizens. This prevented lesser creatures from entering the memory crypts and potentially damaging the memorabilia resting within, while also serving as a deterrent for anyone who wished to sneak into the memory crypts for one reason or another. There have been some reports of injuries and death from those who attempted to enter the memory crypts without displaying proper identification.