Ferhosk

Discussion in 'Approved' started by Notanumber, Jun 12, 2018.

  1. Notanumber

    Notanumber The Archivist Ex-Staff

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    Name: Ferhosk - “The mounts of the Floran tribes.”


    Description: Ferhosk are quadrupedal plantoid creatures descending distantly from the same common ancestor as most life on Florus. The long sleek creatures have a body that resembles a snake with legs due to their elongated neck and tail and vaguely reptilian features. Their smooth rubbery skin ranges from olive to maroon in colour, but the vast majority fall somewhere on the spectrum of light to dark green, other common colours being light brown and beige. Dark red, light purple and even cyan Ferhosk are considerably more rare and prized. Their faces end in a pointed snout, resembling the shape of a thick arrowhead curved down. Their outer maws are shaped into jagged protrusions that interlock with the upper and lower jaw, hiding their small sharp teeth behind a beak like extension to their mouth in lieu of lips. Due to their Plantoid nature, their backs are covered in leaves and petals that range in colour similar to their skin, this foliage grows less common the further down their tail, though most have a pointed tuft at the tail’s tip. Though above all else the most remarkable feature about the Ferhosk is the sturdier more flexible leaves that connect between the back of each of their four legs similar in nature to rudimentary wings. However Ferhosk do not have true flight, they may only glide for a short distance, often having to scale large and even vertical objects to leap off of, as to gain the furthest distances. Between each of their five sharply clawed digits has similar material to aid flight. When gliding the limbs of the Ferhosk extend outwards, to stretch their pseudo-wings fully, as a result of this their front and back legs can extend almost completely parallel with their body’s unlike most quadrupedal animals. These pseudo-wings are also frequently used to scare off predators by making the creatures look bigger when standing on their hind legs.


    Behavior: Ferhosk are very inquisitive creatures by nature, often being easily interested and distracted. This is probably as result of their sensitive hearing, meaning a Ferhosk will look around very erratically as a default setting, scanning quiet noises in a search for prey. They travel in small packs, though despite being hunters they often have a live and let live attitude towards other packs of Ferhosk, occasionally teaming up with them to kill larger prey. This attitude has in the past extended to other animals they can’t kill, which often includes the Florans they live alongside. The animals have a strong sense of community with others of their species and the creatures they choose to leave alive, often defending them with great virosity, even if they aren’t part of their own pack.


    Tamability: Though there may be ential mistrust, or the desire to eat the people attempting to tame them, the taming process for Ferhosk is actually easier than it would seem. Once Ferhosk cease viewing you as a potential threat or as a potential meal, they often regard you as their equal. They’re often seen on Florus living alongside Florans as mounts ridden for hunting and warfare or as beasts of burden used for the transportation of people and cargo. There are many Floran tribes known for their relationships with the creatures, ridders that know their mounts so well they can teach them to perform impressive feats. Some have even taught their Ferhosk mounts to fight in combat for them while identifying friends from foe. Others use them to impress rivals in competitions of racing, gliding and fighting.


    Where is it found?: While having their origins on Florus, Ferhosk can be found anywhere the Florans have taken them. Tribes and settlements on planets all over the Fringe and Civ-space often raise them as companions, pets or to be sold.


    Diet/Method of gaining nutrients and energy: Ferhosk are omnivores, but not in the traditional sense. The creatures are hunters in the wild, but they’ll hunt both flesh and plant based lifeforms. Eating plantoid creatures as willingly as they would eat a reptilian creature, or really any other.


    Products: They produce almost nothing of use.


    Reproduction: Ferhosk reproduce in a similar manner to most plantoid life, with one key difference being that they lay eggs. Eggs are usually bottle sized spheres with a moss like exterior. Though these eggs cannot be eaten, as they hold little liquid and have the consistency of a ball of bark.


    Size: Nose to tail, the average Ferhosk is 6.5 meters long.


    Weight: 2500 - 3000 lbs


    Lifespan: Ferhosk live between 20 and 30 years depending on diet.


    Abilities:
    • Short distance gliding.

    • High-speed running

    • Climbing completely vertical surfaces

    • Powerful bone-crushing jaws

    • Rudimentary problem solving intelligence

    • Can be mounted and ridden, if trained

    Flaws:
    • Easily disoriented and stunned by bright or flashing lights.

    • Highly sensitive to loud noises

    • Occasionally tricked by poachers, due to their sometimes overly trusting nature

    • Very easily distracted

    • Incredibly sensitive eyes
     
    Last edited: Jun 12, 2018
  2. 9K

    9K Galactic Officer Staff Member Administrator Diamond Donator

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    Hi. I just want to start this application off with a few questions.

    About how much weight can a fully grown one carry on its back?

    You say their jaws are strong, but how strong? If someone is armored in, say, Durasteel plating, and a person's arm is bitten, what becomes of the arm?

    How quickly can they run?

    Am I correct to assume they can't really jump at all more than dive off of something due to the placement of their legs, sheer weight and length? I would assume the short distance gliding really only applies after they climb up a surface to do so.

    How do they climb up completely vertical surfaces? Do they have something specific on the bottom of their feet for it? What can and can't they climb up? Examples like glass, metal, wood and concrete should come to mind.
     
  3. Notanumber

    Notanumber The Archivist Ex-Staff

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    I'd assume if the rider didn't want their speed to be impaired at all, twenty percent of their body weight would be recommended as their maximum carrying capacity. So on average around 600 pounds.

    I'd assume their jaws have close to 1100 Pounds of Force Per Square Inch, considering from an evolutionary standpoint they'd potentially need to be able to break digest bone as something adapted to digest almost anything. Though that is probably not enough to pierce Durasteel platting, no.

    I'd assume with the ability to scale most objects in their way rapidly they could build up some considerable speed, maximum would probably be about 32 miles per hour.

    Yes, I'd say they're probably not jumpers at really, considering how low down their body is to the ground.

    And finally, climbing would be done with a mixture of long thin claws on each digit used to bury into surfaces. Along with this, their toes are covered in hundreds of hair like setae, similar to geckos but retract or extend depended on the nature of the surface their on.
     
  4. 9K

    9K Galactic Officer Staff Member Administrator Diamond Donator

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    All of this sounds acceptable, but I still have one question remaining.

    This is assuming with regard to their speed. I'm trying to get an absolute maximum; a threshold at which they'd be unable to move from the weight. What would that be? Something to keep in mind while getting this number is that their bodies are quite long with a lengthy separation between the front and back legs. This would make it much harder to carry very much weight as it is pressing down above the spine, which will flex and bow downward quite easily in response to pressure, rather than directly above the shoulder or hip bones which are made to carry weight to begin with. This is a downside of having a long, flexible structure. My advice would be not to stray very far above 600 lbs at all, or to make 600 the absolute maximum and have the comfortable range a few hundred pounds lower.
     
    Last edited: Jun 23, 2018
  5. Notanumber

    Notanumber The Archivist Ex-Staff

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    That's probably a fair assessment, on retrospect.
    Absolute maximum carrying capacity 600 lb, comfortable carrying capacity something closer to 350 to 400 lbs. The creatures speed would start being impaired with weight above 400 lbs, and movement would be incredibly difficult bordering on harmful for anything nearing 500 lbs and above.
     
  6. 9K

    9K Galactic Officer Staff Member Administrator Diamond Donator

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    Alright. I'll give this a pass then.