The Fantasy World of SHAMROCK

Serious and possibly even boring discussion--Mature readers only, please. If you're easily excitable or made uncomfortable when hearing about those "private parts" or about sex, don't continue, heh. Suffice it to say that I was in Biology class and got to thinking about just how the Old Races reproduced. Some of them reproduced sexually, and some asexually. If you couldn't handle my use of the words "sexually" and "asexually" I don't really think this post is for you. ;)

If you can handle it, and/or think I'm just being silly by writing the above warning, then here we go! Feel free to post comments on this forum in response to this draft.

Race          Means of Reproduction          Average Offspring
--------          ---------------------------------          -------------------------
Nemah                     sexual                                1
Kaiylah                     sexual                                1
Wolfbaine                sexual                                1
Res-naken               sexual                                3-6
Elfkin                       sexual                                1-2
Ion                          asexual                                1
Phrophet                (undecided)                         1
Golem                         asexual                         1
Faerie                         asexual                         7-38
Meroid                         sexual                         2
Dragon                         sexual                         4-22

Race          Mortality Rate of Offspring          Parental Death?
--------          -------------------------------------          -----------------------
Nemah                       low                                no
Kaiylah                       low                                no
Wolfbaine                       low                                no
Res-naken                       mid*                                no
Elfkin                                 mid                                no
Ion                                  low                                no
Phrophet                       none                                yes
Golem                       none                                yes
Faerie                       mid*                                no
Meroid                       none                                no
Dragon                       high                                no

-General Notes-

"Average Offspring" is per reproductive cycle only. So it's not like every Nemah can only have one child. It's just that pregnancy usually yields one child, just like normal human pregnancy.

"Morality Rate of Offspring" is "natural death," except when there's an * next to it. If there's a * there, then the birthrate would probably be lower. In the two "*" cases, violence is done to offspring so often that it wouldn't really be normal if I didn't include "violent death" in my mortality rate.

"Parental Death" is, again, per reproductive cycle and, of course, only the "natural death" of the parent(s). My yes or no answer for Parental Death doesn't include such things as unfortunate circumstances that cause the pregnancy to go wrong.

Just to note, there really are no unfortunate circumstances on record regarding offspring if the Mortality Rate is "none." Pangaia was a more perfect world than this, you might say. ;) Of course, I don't know if you'd call it PERFECT in that two out of the three Races with this arrangement have to sacrifice the parent(s) to reproduce. O:) Other results of the slightly more perfect world of Pangaia include the fact that most of the Races had naturally "low" offspring mortality rates (humans in such a world with so little technology wouldn't, and haven't in history, faired half as well) and the fact that none of the females of the races menstrated. No periods! Yay!

^Race-Specific Notes^

Nemah - Basically like humanity's reproductive cycle, except pregnancy lasts 6 months, not 9 months on average and the female doesn't menstrate--and of course, neither does the male. Let's just say that the uteral lining is permanent in the female, or whatever female Nemah have for a uterus just doesn't shed its inner lining. Just so you know, none of the Races menstrated. Nemah society doesn't discriminate against males or females in any way--men and women are truly equals in the Kingdom of Eden--and both parents choose to take care of children equally, if he/she doesn't want to be looked down upon as a bad parent by society. The exception to this is in the royal family, where pretty much anything goes, because the King and Queen are so beloved no matter what, and are never seen as wrong in anything they do--besides, most of their private life stays behind castle walls. Technological advances have lowered the mortality rate for both child and mother. Yay.

Kaiylah - A bit like a bird's reproductive cycle, except females don't lay eggs unless they've gone through sexual intercourse much like a human female would, and there's only one egg per Kaiylah reproductive cycle. So anyway, the egg gets fertilized and released (through a process slightly akin to human labor in appearance, just a lot less painful, and obviously with an egg, not a baby), and then continues to grow in size, with the shell solidifying.

         I haven't decided on colors or patterns for Kaiylah eggs yet, but females do incubate the egg like birds. They don't have downy bottoms like birds, though, so they just sit on the egg and spread their large feathery wings around them, watchfully guarding their egg. Female Kaiylah don't actually have to do this, since Kaiylah have no natural predators and the eggs don't need heat to stay alive; it's just a nesting tradition and/or instinct that's evolved, possibly from a time where Kaiylah lived somewhere where the climate wasn't as favorable or there were natural predators (like the egg-thieving mammals and dinosaurs who preyed on dinosaur eggs).

         Male Kaiylah play little to no role in both the raising of young and the reproductive cycle--apart from insemination. Male Kaiylah can choose any level of affection to display to their offspring that they want--though they have about as much control over their emotions as humans, so an affectionate or caring "dad" is likely to be actively involved in not only protection of the young, but in their education as well, all the while just too happy to have been blessed with a ... what do Kaiylah call their offspring, anyway? Oh well. Blessed with a little one, then. Society looks favorably upon fathers who care for their young, but it's a commonly accepted societal notion that most of the process of raising young is done by mothers.

         Kaiylah mate whenever they want once both the male and female have reached the age of biological maturity, like humans (:P), but upon reaching the age of maturity males gain a hormonal cycle which compels them to mate with a female of their species, regardless of whether they really want to or not, so it's useful to get a girlfriend early in life. If a male Kaiylah happens to be a loner or just isn't looking for that kind of commitment, isolation from females for the 3 to 5 days (on average) "in heat" period is the usual solution in modern Kaiylah society. This isolation takes place in a hut far away from the main cluster of civilians. You can't have males running rampant trying to mate with the first sexually mature female they come upon in a civilized society, now can you?? But since Kaiylah society is male-dominated, there is no deridement of this hormonal cycle. Quite the contrary, in fact.

         The common explanation for males going into heat once every A.C. (Astral Cycle, approx. a year) is that Kaiylah males found the notion of getting anywhere near a female so repulsive that the god Baiha gave them this cycle as a means of the necessary-but-undesirable procreation of the Race. Any female reader who isn't the slightest bit offended by this sorry excuse of an "explanation" either has a high tolerance for misogynistic comments or needs to reread the last sentence. In spite of this, which is just a small taste of how Kaiylah society exists sometimes, males and females usually get along very well, with females being submissive to males. Ridiculously enough, many of the worst comments about females are made by males who wish only to stay in good standing with other males--and most of those males don't enjoy talking that way about females, either. A few rare exceptions spring up from time to time, with males who don't care about their place in the pecking order enough to make fun of females and with females who just won't stand to be the butt of some male's callous joke. Such Kaiylah are so often ostracized, publically, that the two can usually meet up fairly quickly and decide whether they're right for each other. Not through flashy displays of power or anything, simply through talking and getting to know each other.

         Female Kaiylah grow up to believe that their only USEFUL role in life is to bear and take care of the young--they can become singers or soldiers or anything they want with only the slightest of teasing from the pride (a.k.a. society), but many choose only to learn how to take care of "home and hearth" so to speak simply because that's all they're taught they're good at. Don't feel too sorry for the female Kaiylahs though; it's an almost exact opposite situation in the societies of Wolfbaine tribes.

Wolfbaine - The sworn enemies of the Kaiylah reproduce more like wolves than birds, despite the fact that they're arboreal (living in trees) part of the time and, in any case, frequent forests. Actually, come to think of it, though Kaiylah resemble birds as far as reproductive matters go, Kaiylah live most of their lives in open land or in the air, and have an (understandable) instinctual fear of trees--but it's nothing they can't get over with a little willpower.

         But anyway, Wolfbaine have a thick coat of fur despite the fact that they live in pleasant weather all year round, so maybe they lived in a less hospitable place sometime in their past. Despite the fact that they also have a higher tolerance to the cold than most of the Races, male Wolfbaine will often group together to cuddle with the tribe's offspring in order to keep them warm, while female Wolfbaine--who bore the offspring--spread out around the group, in solitary watchmen positions. All of this is just during breeding season though, which occurs twice an A. C. (astral cycle, approx. 1 year).

         When it's not the breeding season, female Wolfbaines may seek male companionship, but rarely mate. In raising pups, females will only participate as much as hunting for food and, when the pups become adolescents, teaching them how to fight. Both male and female Wolfbaines learn how to fend for themselves, but male Wolfbaines rarely participate in combat. Males can if they choose to, but will often be chastised for their decision. Though Wolfbaine tribes are largely ruled by only an alpha female, the alpha male (the mate she has chosen) is often given more credit and leeway in all matters than any other male Wolfbaines in the tribe.

         Unlike Kaiylah, who may fall in and out of love like humans, Wolfbaines mate for life--not because they have to, but because they want to. Wolfbaines generally believe in love, and can choose whatever mate they want. The exception to this is the alpha pair. The female is the only one who gets to do the choosing, and she usually chooses the most robust male of the tribe. Males have the right to reject her advances, but it's very rare that they do. This system is full of flaws, since there can be a new alpha female whenever the old one dies--or is overthrown, in rare instances--and Wolfbaines mate for life, and both males and females can choose partners, and alpha females can only choose from unpartnered males. It's a surviving partner's choice whether or not to mate again, but most choose not to. In spite of a very confusing system, Wolfbaines have managed to survive, perhaps due to a short pregnancy term (approx. three weeks) and frequent mating of pairs per breeding season. In case you're wondering, most male Wolfbaines don't mind being subjugated to sexism in daily life--as they often live only to serve their mates--and most female Wolfbaines wouldn't care less if males did raise a ruckus about the way things are.

*At this point it seems most Old Race societies where very depressing places to live in. Reading about the Res-naken won't help change this impression at all. In actuality, there was a lot of celebration, light-hearted joking, even a fair degree of mischief-making in a lot of the Old Race societies. But none of that is the focus of this topic. This topic's purpose is simply to deliver some of the bare facts of life. ... since this is just a draft, I'll keep things shorter for the other Races.*

Res-naken - A female Res-naken has a very slight "pouch" in amidst the scales on her underside (as in the underside of a snake), and a male has a slight "protrusion" on his; they complement each other nicely for a snug fit. Res-naken reproduce sexually much like humans, except a lot of the sexual positions involve uses of their tails you couldn't believe... anyway, you get the idea. Male inserts into female. ;) Res-naken are equal when it comes to raising the children and all that, but one thing to note is that the malleable jaw of a Res-naken is the place the baby Res-naken comes out of, and birthing pains include the retracting of all teeth. The reason the mortality rate for Res-naken is "mid*" is because children are allowed to kill other children in their struggle for social status--but adults aren't allowed to kill children. So the "*" indicates that not as many children would die if Res-naken society wasn't this way. Res-naken are cruel, oppressive, and ruthless as a rule, and yet they're not truly evil deep down inside. They, like Wolfbaine, mate for life *however* if you kill a Res-naken's mate, that Res-naken will die. Thus, having a mate is both a boon (Res-naken tend to suffer from chronic depression from loneliness) and a bad thing (imagine that you want to wipe out a much-stronger competitor: just kill their mate) and as a result, the identity of a Res-naken's mate is a VERY closely guarded secret.

Elfkin - Elfkin also have a "pouch/protrusion" arrangement but both a male and a female can bear live young. Both male and female have all the organs necessary to bear live young like human beings, but also each have a pouch (smaller than in Res-naken) on their front sides--just below the stomach--and "tails" on their backsides which are the "protrusions." The reason I marked down "2" as the average number of offspring per reproductive cycle is that both male and female may choose to go through pregnancy together, but in other cases only one will go through pregnancy and the other will assist in other ways. Elfkin pregnancy, childbearing, and raising of the young are all characterized by an extensive use of micas (magics) of which Elfkin are the undisputed masters. The reason the mortality rate is "mid" is because since 10,000 years (100 S.C. or Standard Cycles) before the Great Disaster, mica throughout all of Pangaia started going wacky. Elfkin plan their pregnancy by the mica calender, and when their measurements of micas are all thrown off...the results are rather disturbing, making pregnancy a risky thing to go through unless you have a Faerie there to heal the one that's going through labor. Luckily, since Elfkin eat the insects that prey on Faeries, the normally shy Faeries are friendly with Elfkin. Still, a pregnancy can be a traumatic experience...

Ion - Females are in charge of coming into contact with the One and drawing their young literally out of thin air. Males assist. In raising young, the two parents are primarily the people in charge.

Phrophet - This race is a bit plant-like. Most of the time they don't look like plants, but when it comes time to reproduce, which occurs in old age, they transform. Once I learn more about the various plant reproductive cycles, I'll have more info on this. I'm thinking they become plants and release spores though; the female produces an egg and the male produces hundreds of spores, most of which burn up in the atmosphere but the rest either make special trees which the Phrophets care for or reach an egg, in which case fertilization occurs and a new Phrophet is born, emerging from the leafy folds of his/her "mother." Both male and female plant wither away after they've completed their tasks, and the young are taught collectively by everyone in society.

Golem - Two deathpiles of rocks are placed together, and the rest of the clan waits for the rocks to rearrange themselves into a new Golem. The rocks that aren't used are tossed into the holy site where the remains of all past Golems are kept. The two deathpiles come from two partners--Golems are an all-male race--who have chosen each other because they hope to create a strong Golem or simply because they were close during life. Even with a mortality rate of "none," however, it seems self-defeating to use two Golems to create just, on average, 1 offspring per reproductive cycle. It's true--Golem numbers are much lower than they were in the past, and Golems appear to be heading very slowly towards extinction.

Faerie - Faeries, an all-female race, need no mate to reproduce. They go through a very lengthy egg cycle, spanning hundreds if not thousands of years--I haven't decided yet--and then lay a bunch of eggs (noted in the table above as, on average, 7-38). Faerie mortality rate, sadly enough, is "mid*" and the * is there to indicate that some baby faeries get eaten up by the large, predatory insects that inhabit their homeland. Baby faeries are raised collectively by the entire group.

Meroid - Meroids (the name the Nemah gave to them upon discovering them in the deep seas) have a very peculiar arrangement, even by the standards already put forth by some of the other Races. As noted in the above table, Meroids produce an average of two offspring per reproductive cycle. Actually, Meroids produce only two offspring and, unless the population is decimated by some terrible disaster, choose to mate only once in life, at any time in their lives, at their own discretion. Meroids have only one mate in their entire lifetime: their sibling. Female Meroids bear only two children: a brother and sister. That brother and sister mate later in life, producing only two children, and always a male and female. Though there have been very rare exceptions, Meroids tend to follow this very strict pattern of life. Obviously, there's nothing in their society that says having sexual relations with your sibling is taboo. There also appears to be no indication that this leads to any birth defects or malformities, either.

Dragon - I suppose they reproduce like all dragons in fantasy stories. Not that people usually talk about it much. Anyway, you might have noticed they have a "high" offspring mortality rate. This is because Pangaia lacks a necessary compound needed to facilitate proper Dragon DNA mixing so babies are weak and usually die within their first few days of life, sadly enough.

~Starleafgirl

Introduction to the World of SHAMROCK  (13+) Kat knew she was different, but a God-incarnate of ancient non-humans? That's new. #533713 by Starleafgirl