“A place of extremes Alastor is a place where light and dark, fire and ice dominate one side against another. On the extremes nothing lives. Only in the liminal spaces between does life thrive at all.”
Alastor is a tidally-locked world meaning that one side of the planet is always facing the sun while the other is always in the dark with a thin band of habitable twilight in between. The sunlight side of the planet is a bone dry volcanic wasteland covered by a massive perpetual storm called Jurathrax's eye while the dark side of the planet is perpetually locked in never ending ice. The twilight zone of the planet is filled with forests, swamps, fern plains, bluffs, and vast stretches of beach. The seas of Alastor are shallow, warm, and filled with life. Sea levels are high with much of the landmasses in the twilight zone being large islands often connected by isthmuses, formed from sunken continents.
Habitats[]
The isles of Alastor's twilight zone are mildly mountainous with many rolling hills and bluffs running their way through these isles. Rivers cut their way through these landscapes creating many valleys and flood plains. The low lands of Alastor are dominated by massive prairies of ferns, with grass having not evolved on the planet, and dry swamplands that flood seasonally when the rains come and the rivers rise. The highlands of Alastor meanwhile are dominated by vast stretches of forest. These forests are variable but tend to be divided between hardwood forests and redwood forests, as well as mixed forests where their environments overlap. The sea shores tend to be dominate by vast stretches of beaches that can be almost desert-like.
The closest living relative to the Vanara, Kirkogaron are pack hunters native to the forests and flood plains of Alastor. They resemble Vanara very closely but instead of having arms crawl on their from legs which are far more developed and end in massive claws. These creatures hunt primarily up in the trees, communicating with one another with chirps, calls, and howls that are known to haunt the nights of Alastor's woodlands.
Hastodron are a common herd dwelling herbivore found throughout Alastor. They somewhat resemble featherless, bipedal birds, covered in scales and with a great skull crest and horns which males use to compete with one another in the matting season by ramming heads together. Hastodron were domesticated by the Vanara and have become spread out across the UPD as reliable if at times foul-tempered and stubborn mounts.
Glosolos are large herd, dwelling herbivores who prefer the plains and forests of Alastor. These massive creatures have six elephantine legs, leathery skin, a massive whip-like tail, and single horn on the end of their snout. Highly aggressive creatures Glosolos are known for attacking and impaling anything that gets close, even other herbivores. Most people avoid these creatures thanks to their violent reputation.
Drakarath are the apex predators of land and sky upon Alastor. Resembling a terrifying bipedal dragon with vast feathered wings measuring twenty-five meters in wing span, making it one of the largest flying creatures in Mirus and one of the most dangerous with the Drakarath being counted among the the top ten most dangerous creatures in Mirus. These powerful beasts prefer to prey on Alastor's large herbivores such as Glosolos and only the aquatic Lindrokrus can challenge them.
Jinarann are nocturnal, bird-like herbivores that dwell in the trees of Alastor's forests and swamps. The males of the species are known for their long tail feathers which flash with a rainbow colored bioluminescence which they use to attract mates at night. Well known for their beautiful songs and high intelligence Jinarann are often kept by the Persan for pets who are entertained by their antics and lulled to sleep by their soft singing.
Jodronoth are aquatic herbivores native to Alastor's rivers, lakes, and swamps. Once believed to be a species of land dwelling herbivores they have since evolved to live entirely in water. While somewhat resembling Glosolos, Jodronoth lack the horn and instead have large plates on their back which they use to catch rays when swimming. They are also far less aggressive and savage then Glosolos, being rather shy and preferring to submerge and hide when they sense danger.
