#mareinia

Taoskanta or "floating forests" are unique ecosystems. The skeleton of a floating forest is the taoska plant, which has a stiff, sail-like leaf and long roots. These plants are always found interlocked with others of their kind, forming a blanket on the ocean's surface. The floating forest, however, is not complete without the countless other organisms living alongside the taoska plants, forming a dense and diverse ecosystem nestled between and below the taoska plants' roots. Most floating forests are relatively small, but a few of them stretch out for miles.

kangolifri: the youngest living eidiangar, this individual was first sighted only thirty years ago. it is estimated to be about eighty years old and is theorized to be the child of kreinastarandia. its sex is unknown. aindia: this female eidiangar is a bit of a headache for conservationists, since its unpredictable migration patters take it all over the planet (including occasionally bringing it near populated areas). it is the only eidiangar of the three known to have killed a person, and is estimated to be from a hundred and fifty to two hundred years old. kreinastarandia: this male is the oldest and largest of the living eidiangar. a gentle giant, it spends its time patrolling the bottom of the seafloor, and is surrounded by a unique micro-ecosystem. its age is unknown, but it is at least three hundred years old and possibly as old as eight hundred (some urban legend suggests kreinastarandia to be one of the loneidiangar spoken of in myth, but scientists believe this to be very unlikely).

Some color/marking notes. This applies to both northern and southern Mareinians with some probability differences between the two species. For example, southern Mareinians are more likely to have saturated skin colors and green eyes. The only color trait that is exclusive to one species is the rare striped mutation, which only shows up in northern gene pools.

World map of Mareinia, with all the meganations labeled. Meganations are a relatively recent invention, and although these are the official borders, there are plenty of independent regions that reject the meganations' claimed sovereignty over them.

Some character sketching, featuring Tassa (former general and current high-level Stasti politician), Talkal (Tassa's rather naive diplomat child), Kirin (rocket scientist, aristocrat, and my poor little meow meow), and Yagi (an immigrant from Donunia who married himself into a position of some influence).

MAKHI he is a cool dude

A Stasti rocket scientist famous for revolutionizing faster-than-light travel. Cunning and observant, he has learned to expertly navigate Mareinia's cutthroat corporate politics, a skill that has granted him favor with the government (at the cost of gaining many enemies). He's very interested in the Terran First Contact program, and is one of the few Mareinians whose English name is a translation instead of a transliteration (his surname, "Frost", being a rough translation of the Stasti "Okainura").

Here's an oldie but a goodie; this was an early eidiangar design. I changed it because I didn't think this design really conveyed how massive these beasts are, but I am quite proud of this piece regardless.