Great Forest Descriptions [extended - Wildlife Descriptions included]
The Great Forest
This huge expanse of forest covers roughly the whole Southern end of Mudos, and may extend onto other continents. Almost entirely unexplored, there is very little known about it. What is known about it is that for almost all of its area the trees are so tall that absolutely no light reaches the ground. This is no real problem for the forest creatures, since most of them live in the various layers of branches. The trees are so huge that some of the branches can be hundreds of metres across.
The Canopy Layer is where most of the 'normal' creatures live. Here you will find Birds, various rodent-type creatures, and lots on arthropod things of various sizes.
Below that is the main expanse of tree. Since the trees can grow to over 2-3 kilometres tall, this covers a huge range of habitats, since the light levels decrease and the humidity increases as you go down. A general 'rule of thumb' is that the further you go down, the 'weirder' the wildlife. In the upper reaches, where there is still a lot of light, there is a proliferation of life in all shapes and sizes. It is here that you may find Nokkim [q.v.] colonies, or Klarm [q.v.] infestations. Whereas the larger animals of Oddworld might have problems with support on the [comparatively] thin branches of the Canopy, about a hundred metres below that the branches are so thick that there is very little that couldn't stand on them. Or so you'd think, until you travelled further down...
The middle branches, which are the widest, hold the largest of the Tree-living creatures [the Ground-living creatures don't bear thinking about], such as the hulking Branthis [q.v.]. It is here that most of the Forest Mudokons [q.v.] build their villages.
The Lower Branches recieve next to no light. Creatures here must rely on other senses, primarily Hearing and Smell. The Kitu [q.v.] are a perfect example of the way these animals make use of alternate senses.
Then we reach Ground Level. Here is is Pitch Black. There is no undergrowth, as plants need light to survive. The closest thing to plant life down here is Fungus, and it grows huge. There are fungal growths the size of small villages. They would coat the forest floor [indeed, it has been speculated that they do, and that soil has simply deposited on top of them again] if it weren't for the huge Bracks [q.v.], which keep it under control.
The forest is rarely entered by outsiders, much less Industrials, and many rumours and fairy tales have grown up around it. What I have just told you, however, is the Truth.
Nokkims
Nokkims are Arthropods, who bear a passing relation to Paramites. The chief difference is that they are Vegetarian. Physically, they resemble Paramites in most respects, but the Feeding Tentacles are different. Nokkim tentacles hang downward, in a manner reminiscent of those of Sligs. Two of the tentacles are extended to roughly the length of the forelegs, and hardened with thick layers of keratin. Their purpose is to scratch away the thick bark of the great trees, to get at the soft, edible pulp within. When not in use, these extended ‘fangs’ are kept folded along the underside of the body.
Nokkims are sociable creatures, which live in colonies inside the branches of the great trees. Since the outer bark can be several metres thick, this is the only practical way to get at the edible inner pulp, and, because the trees are so huge, the Nokkims cause no real damage.
Despite their apparent peacefulness, however, Nokkims will attack en masse anything that they perceive as a threat. For this reason, when among Nokkims, it is crucial that you remain as quiet and still as possible. Their natural predators include Klarm [q.v.] Spores, Branthis [q.v.], and Forest Mudokons [q.v.].
Klarms
There are two distinct stages to Klarm life. The first stage is sedentary, as an anemone-like growth on the branches of the trees. In this stage, they lure other forest creatures to them using [often luminous] lures, then ensnare them with their many tendrils. After they have fed enough, these creatures pupate, emerging in their adult form.
Their Adult Form is vaguely scorpion-like, although the legs are all but vestigial, so movement is minimal. The ‘tail’ is designed to throw its spore-like eggs as far from the adult creature as possible, where they grow into Phase 1 Klarms.
Since Klarms hardly move from the spot they are thrown into, they tend to gather into large infestations which, although they cause no damage to the host tree, stifle the rest of the local wildlife, resulting in patches of trees being almost totally inhabited by Klarms. Fortunately, the Branthis [q.v.] quite successfully keep Klarm populations under control.
The Adult Klarms pose no real danger to explorers, but the sedentary Phase 1 Klarms can ensnare unwary travellers.
Branthis
These hulking Ape-like creatures live in a wide range of levels in the forest, but mainly in the upper-middle regions. They are approximately three metres tall, and half that wide. While not particularly intelligent, Branthis have enough brute strength to make short work of anything that might attack them, meaning that they have few natural Predators, save for the ubiquitous Kikkits [q.v.], although Phase 1 Klarms [q.v.] occasionally succeed in ensnaring them, and Forest Mudokons [q.v.] will kill any that wander near to their villages.
Branthis’ prey varies on each level of the forest. Near the upper reaches, they feed mainly on Nokkims [q.v.] and Klarms, whereas unwary Mudokons make up a large proportion of their diet in the lower reaches, along with the occasional Kitu [q.v.].
Coming Soon: Forest Mudokons, Kitu, Bracks, and Kikkits!
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This is all my creation, it's not an official Oddworld area... Did you not realise?
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