Species: The Floran
Posted: Mon May 11, 2015 12:03 am
About the Floran:
Flag:
The Floran Flag depicts an orange flower on a green background.
Cultural Style:
Tribal
Appearance:
Plantlike
One would expect a race of sentient humanoid plants to be peaceful, nature-loving environmentalists – that presumption is what allows this hyper-aggressive tribal civilisation to thrive. Unwitting explorers are prey of choice to the carnivorous Florans, who frequently salvage or reverse engineer the technology they bring to enable their colonization of the stars.
Culture:
The Floran culture is most definitely primitive as the race is much younger than many of the other races, thus they are primitive in their ideals, as Florans until very recently lived as a hunter-gatherer society, so they still value a "kill or be killed" form of semi-cooperative brutality above all and survival through reproduction and expansion over environmentalism or any perceived bond to Mother Nature, because that's considered what's necessary to survive. It has obviously worked out pretty well for them, so it's not like they feel a need to change that, and seem to value themselves as individuals rather than as groups, leading them to have no problem with casually murdering other species, and little problem with turning on their own kind if it suits them.
The Florans also seem to worship no particular gods, but make reference to a Light Lord, a being who came from the stars that enlightened them, and they also appear to revere the sun also... Which isn't that much of a surprise considering they are plants.
On ancient cave art in some caverns depicting what appears to be a giant holding an eye/sun with 4 tendrils sticking out of it, the Floran say something along the lines of "Floran made the wrong allies once..." and also cave art of a "Sun" that looks unnervingly familiar...
These titans are also shown in a mysterious location known as the Ark, the massive tentacle beast believed to have destroyed earth and is also thought to be some kind of destruction god, and the massive giant that is thought to be a creation god/protector, who sealed the tentacle beast away... Yet the Floran depict that they possibly worshiped both of these once... This could explain both their destructive tendencies as well as their creativity. Some also think that the giant was part of the same ancient species that uplifted the Avians, as a few avian codexs and refer to the 'sunborn' which is what the Avians call their winged gods. Considering how the giant appears to be associated with the sun, I do not feel that this theory is a huge stretch... Especially since this has also been noted by K'arn Hollowbeak, an Avian scholar.
Time is measured in "day cycles"
Cycle of Dawn
The Cycle of Dawn refers to between midnight and 6 a.m.
Cycle of Noon
The Cycle of Noon refers to between 6 a.m. and noon.
Cycle of Dusk
The Cycle of Dusk refers to between noon and 6 p.m.
Cycle of Night
The Cycle of Night refers to between 6 p.m. and midnight.
Although most Florans are rather savage and simple-minded, there are exceptions. A notable exception, from the Starbound lore, is Greenfinger, one of the most, if not the most intelligent beings from the Starbound lore. Greenfinger is, supposedly, an apathetic over-watcher of the Floran race. He allows the Floran to govern themselves as readily as they might, and when things begin to go awry, he rarely makes any moves to step in and interfere, we do know for a fact that he is indeed a Floran from the texts and statues we discovered.
Floran are very adept at learning, languages, puzzle solving and their skills with reverse-engineering seem to come naturally to them, though Floran tend to struggle with punctuation and understanding some phrases, and when they talk, most have a lisp and use very short sentences, speaking in the third person and sometimes repeat phrases.
This adaptability and quick learning has allowed them the tech to colonize the stars, and despite the cultural ban and thus disability to read they still seem to have the mysterious knack for technology, machinery and computers/programming and there is a certain affinity between the Floran and the Glitch. Glitch often arrive in Floran villages with the intention of educating the Floran, with things such as how to read and write for example. The Glitch are in a good position to do this, as their metal exteriors largely protect them from the Floran blades, and the fact they aren't edible aids in this.
Floran technology has mostly been reverse-engineered, such as discovering FTL space travel through an Avian spacecraft which crash-landed on their planet, and introducing space travel to the primitive Florans had the undesired effect of Floran colonies spanning across star systems, each with their own customs and levels of aggression.
Some Florans have a high level of technology, wielding biotech. This is evidenced by the Floran Needler guns, which are practically plants modified to throw their seeds or thorns when a similar stimulus is applied to the "trigger" and the Bamboo they use are extremely strong, the material is said to be as strong as steel.
The idea of Biotech is modifying the genes of a living organism to create a new organism whose evolutionary traits, chosen by the creator, are also useful in technological situations; for example, modifying a plant so that it produces light or has intense body heat with chambers for cooking, or modifying the nervous system of an animal so that it responds with stimulus to a pad on the neck or so, essentially giving the creator control of their "vehicle". To Floran, this is described as "Growing machinesss."
Ancient Floran code says:
All kills are good kills
Hunting is good, establishes superiority and is integral to Florans
There is no "cheating", only a lack of failure
Everything can be treated as a weapon, Florans have own inherent strength
Floran tribes tend to form where there is a body of fresh water near by, whether that be a river, lake, or freshwater ocean, and the Floran tribes could reach numbers well over 50. Each tribe is guided by a shaman, who holds the spiritual values of the Floran at heart. Researchers have discerned that these “values†do not progress much beyond stabbing things until they stop moving due to the fact the central point in their culture is the hunt, being the predator and not the prey and making it clear to others. Most of their interaction with anything that was something else than Floran up to this point have been stabbing which would probably explain why most jump to this as the first solution to any new meeting, but more civil interactions have been observed by the usually blood-thirsty and stab-oriented race.
The Floran also decorate large bones with hunting tales. And when the Floran dies in a hunt, the other Floran "Presssent dead Floran'ss mother with bone of prey. On bone Floran tell tale of hunt." And that Floran mark the dead with the growth of a flower.
Floran are usually very social, intelligent, curious, honest, direct and focused, taking most things at face value and so often state out loud things that would normally be politely avoided by other races. Most prefer actions over words, to experience things firsthand and to attack problems head-on, in both figurative and literal senses. Many tend to be shocked by the amount innocence, playfulness and curiosity, like-that of a child that many Floran show when off the hunt, though older Florans often still act childish, they are still mature enough to give life advice, and like to give life advice to younger Floran but still ask and say and ask the most random and irrelevant things.
It also isn't rare to see two old Floran wrestling with one-another like young Floran tend to, these little scuffles occasionly getting rather violent, though as soon as they are spotted they often jump up and pretend nothing happened and quickly going back to work... And then back to wrestling when not watched when they get competitive again.
When given large bales of hay, Floran enjoy making "big cassstle from big hay building blocksss!" which is adorable, and some enjoy studies and puzzles. Floran are also rather fond of Poptops, finding them adorable and cute, despite them being seen as unnerving by many other races.
They have a love of music, often having bongos fashioned out of leather and wood in their homes and carry xylophones they make out of the bones of their prey to play music, and they also enjoy making wind chimes out of bones and listening to them... Though they don't exactly chime and the sound these bones make is similar to that of clicking insects.
Most Floran also enjoy art, though... Them learning how to paint apparently ended in Floran villages looking as if a rainbow puked on them due to their typical Floran over-enthusiasm, and writing being written all over the place. They also claim that "Floran besst drummerss in entire universse!"
Floran rarely, if ever travel alone due to their social nature, and that "Sssafety in numbersss" is hardwired in their minds, and that it is a useful hunting tactic to always have back-up. Floran have a form of telepathy with their coon-kin and form very close and deep bonds know each other at an exceptionally deep level, and hunting groups are known to work with each-other for their entire lives. Floran are mentally very fragile, and Floran that spend prolonged amounts of time away from their coon-kin with their connections severed tend to develop behavioural and mental disorders, ranging from mild to severe such as having depression, panic attacks, delusion, compulsive behaviours. Lone Floran often quickly become unstable and eventually go insane from the isolation and mental silence, which is often described as deafening to them. Lone Floran will often seek out other Florans or even other races to befriend, or at least follow around and pester.
They also have an instinctive fear of fire, because of it's heat and tendency to burn down forests and plants. Though it is believed that Florans are able to overcome their fear of fire, as they even use lava in their prisons and weird fire or heat generating plants. This fear of fire also makes them prefer lighting alternatives to torches, and in-fact, making fire is a sapling trial... In which many young Floran sadly burn. Next to fire, being alone and losing their coon-kin are some of the biggest fears Floran have.
Floran hunters seem to form groups, and Floran armour is usually built to be light, allowing the Floran to easily track their prey many miles, protect them from the elements and being tough enough to protect their vitals. They make traps and settlements being designed to catch their prey, some even forming traps using a thick, green poisonous substance. Cannibalism during funeral rituals and wars with rival factions are also a commonplace, and many Floran believe believe that devouring a fallen Wiseman's brain allows them to gain their wisdom, though it remains unclear whether this is out of conservation or simple Floran tradition.
"Floran superiority asserted through stabbing and to a lesser extent, singing around campfires. Hunting is in our sap, it is who we are. Do not fight the hunt, or the hunt will fight you. With stabbing."
However disgraced Floran are often thrown unarmored into an arena with a hungry Floran cannibal, the cannibal's mask containing razor sharp Rubium teeth built to tear through Floran flesh with ease and it is said that the sun itself could not stand between a Floran cannibal and it's meal. Despite this, some individual Floran are known to split apart from their society to lead their own lives in isolation or in the solace of other races, at the cost of being cut off from the collective and considered enemies of all flora for good, considered disgraced and even risking being cannibal prey. Those who leave Florus often long to see the jungle sky again of the Great Flora.
They tend to be distrustful of most other races, seeing them as either nothing more than prey, or inedible, and thus not even useful for that, however despite their fear/disdain of other races, some want to become a part of galactic society. Perhaps to find allies to hunt with, Florans will at least be friendly to other species, as long as they're not Hylotl, and will certainly regard them with excitement and curiosity. But that does not mean that they will not attack or eat someone who's trying to teach them something, because they still put value on themselves more than others, it is also worth noting that it is exceptionally easy to offend a Floran. Examples include: refusing to eat raw meat, damaging the plant life and being a Hylotl.
"A Floran's Goal
Ssstab. Ssstab, sssmash, hunt. Find glory, make good Floran. Ssstab. Get best kill. Win all of Florans. Sssow ssseeds of discord. Punch all of the prey.
Making friends would be nice too."
Then there is their utter hatred of the Hylotl, we actually don't know the full story of the two races' war(s). there could be hidden past between Floran and Hylotl, where the Hylotl were first to judge their savage and bestial ways and deem them foul taint on the universe. boom, war starts. Hylotl, being nice and peace-loving, could have switched the story up since the Floran have such a lessened vocabulary... However in a way, Florans and Hylotl are very alike, they both tend to look down on other species as being lesser than their own, they just have wildly different cultures.
The major result of their reproductive ways is that the Floran society do not have a regular family structure as such. There is usually no emotional attachment between a Floran and it's progenitors or partners other than the obvious 'coon-kin' relationship, which is often late to form with saplings. Traditionally, sprout Florans fight each-other and go through various vicious trials to weed out the weak to ensure strong genetics.
An emotional attachment between Floran partners/and or offspring/progenitors happens most often in the case of Outcast/Lost Floran reproducing, and in such situations where the race is re-populating from a major disaster for example, to give them an edge. As mentioned above, the Rose type have breasts which may hold a nectar/sap mixture to nurture saplings, which also gives them an evolutionary edge, however this trait is often unknown to the Floran and rarely, if ever, used.
Names are thought to be acquired during their actions in the trials, examples of typical Floran tribe names:
Floranpunch, Firenerfer, Bloodblade, Saphunter, Tree-Slicer, Cutewatch, Slicedancer, Killfearer, Petaldancer, Firecutter, Biteblade, Huntblade, Ghosthunter, Death-Spike, Fire-Eater, Spaceblade, Stabwatch, Land-Singer, Ghostburner, Bloodhunter, Tree-Singer, Stabpunch, Firebiter, Fernpunch, Greenblade and Kissfearer.
Modern Floran often have more longer, nature-themed names. Eltra Witherbane being an example of a more modern Floran name.
As far as Floran housing goes, many tend to live in dwellings made of bamboo, with roofing made of thatch or similar. Besides the bamboo dwellings, Floran also may make their homes out of sandstone, dirt, mud, and other non-living compounds. The craftsmanship is much as you'd expect from the Florans - crude to say the least - but there's a certain undeniable charm. "Floran make anything from wood and bone. Floran massster of living wood."
The village houses are often cold, so the Floran use large pelts of their prey as insulation, hanging up the furs with bones and blocking the gaps in the walls. Fur of rare patterns and colours are valuable to Floran as trophies, and some of these pelts have been dated to be over 200 years old! They also use meat to cover sun when sun is too hot, to block off the sun to prevent sun-drunkenness and also to cook the meat and Floran hang leather as a type of air-conditioner, as to them the leather creates a pleasant scent. Floran also make beds out of bones and pelts of their prey, much like the other Floran architecture.
The Floran also decorate with large feathers, also taking them as trophies and greatly enjoy the softness and how colourful they look. Floran also have large leather screens, some think they may be used for modesty in dressing, however in-fact the Floran actually use this to prepare food in secret to surprise other Floran with the food. "Bigger sssurprise mean more friendsss!"
If there are trees nearby, these also make suitable spots to set up a home, since the Florans can command plants, it makes perfect sense that they would shape their homes from the very trees that protected them. As such, it became customary for the Floran Tribesmaster to fashion a clan's first house in the tallest tree on-site, as though there is an unspoken rule that the strongest and wisest Floran, the often shaman will get the highest tree to look over the tribe as a protective watcher, or in some cases the tallest tree belongs to the chief, to show how strong they are, and in case any other Floran wants to take over, they can throw him/her out and know the fall will be fatal.
An example of a Floran Village.
There are also what look like shrines, with large and small statues holding spears. Many speculate that the depicted Floran was hugely important as a hunter... However when one asks a Floran about them, the Floran says: "Just sssome guy. Florans buy own ssstatues."
However in some cases there are huge statues depicting Floran in the Hunter attire holding a staff with fire on top, so imposing and majestic. These of which are proven to be heroic warriors and hunters immortalized in stone: "Sssuccessful Floran hunters get big statuesss!"
The other trophies are also large boness from only creatures killed by the Floran, some of these being gigantic and Glitch claim that judging by the size of the bone: "Extrapolate. Based on the size of this bone, the creature it came from is likely bigger than an entire Glitch castle." They also display weapons that were used to kill big prey.
Biology:
Physically, Floran are strong and silent hunters. Though their appearance may seem tall and rather lean at times (a Floran can be up to 11 feet tall, and yet only weigh about 180lbs in cases), they outmatch Apex in brute strength, and use this to their advantage when in their element, their bodies are made up of a rather dense yet pliable plant fibre that allows even the burliest of Floran rather disturbing amounts of flexibility. Within these plant fibres are the equivalent of capillaries and veins that carry moisture from their core to their extremities; Keeping the Floran moist, mobile, and healthy so long as they’re not exposed to prolonged bouts of dry or heat. The ability to generate bonus energy when in sunlight, allowing them to run and fight for longer, and tougher cells, both of which help survival, gives them a useful physical advantage over most fleshy races.
Animal cells and plant cells have two key differences; plant cells have many sacs of chlorophyll called "chloroplasts", which provides the ability to photosynthesize and a greenish hue. The other difference being the outer lining of their cells. Plant cells have thicker cell "walls" around their "cell membranes", while in animals there are only the thin cell membranes. This means that a plant's individual cells are much tougher. Perhaps Florans have tougher skin due to this. The differing colours available are most likely due to pigments developed in their cells, possibly semi-harmless genetic mutations and adaptations to different planets.
Florans may be humanoid, but we must not forget that they are, first and foremost, plants. This means that I'll be referring to the classification of other plant body parts names for Florans as well. Though some of them can be referred to their animal counterparts in informal circumstances.
Epidermis: Head
The Head and neck with flower and foliage. The head is more rigid than layered leaves can achieve, due to the importance of the root system. Instead, it is protected by a hard wood-keratin mixture, which is strengthened and formed from nutrients taken from the mammal races. They have a mass of electrically charged and insulated roots that work similarly to a mammalian brain. These roots have the capability to process and store data that the individual Floran has experienced in their life.
They have eyes in a teardrop shape, as opposed to the almond shape of a Human’s or the round, circular shape of a Hylotl’s. This unique shape gives them the most surface area on their retina to absorb light from their surroundings, and allows them clear sight in otherwise near-perfect darkness. Their eyes are extremely sensitive to bright flourescent lights, but have no problem in the bright light of day, they have ears or some other way to perceive sounds and a mouth with no lips, a long snake like tongue and sharp teeth that can tare through most flesh and some have corrosive spit to help digest meat and other nutrition. They also have an organ to smell, similar to the nose in animals, as Florans have a heightened sense of smell to help with the hunt.
Though Floran are primarily built to be hunting machines, sometimes, the most brutish of species have a delicate side. Many, but not all, species of Floran may possess flowers that spawn on their heads or on their bodies. Much like earthbound plants, many Floran have an arrangement of Flora on their head much akin to a Flower. Regardless of gender they appear to be decorative possibly to entice the eye of a potential mate or even perhaps to attract prey with the pretty flowers on their head.
The flowers do not always have a scent and are usually scentless, though in some Floran the flowers have a spicy aroma that have various beneficial effects on nearby people who inhale it, having a combination of energizing, stimulating, and healing effects. Due to the sheer vast majority of differing Floran types, these are just a small example.
Shoot: Torso
Upper body with nodes (joints; elbow) and twigs (arms). The fingers/claws are a product of curved leaves; thorns are essentially curved leaves that are wrapped into a thorn to make them hard and sharp, to either be used as weapons or to be able to climb easier. Comparable to the spine in animals, Florans have a spine-like stem on the back to provide structural stability for the body. Connected to this 'central nervous system' are vine like roots that travel the length of the body. These roots serve the dual function of muscles and bones, keeping structure and facilitating at least the beginnings of movement. Whether the “breasts†are nectar/sap holding buds depends on the individual.
Root: Lower body
Floran have ambulatory root structures, and comparable with the Shoot, the roots diverge from the stem, creating two legs similar to animal humanoids, which end in stable, thorned feet, to be able to climb easily or to be used as weapons. The legs are essentially two lateral roots. It is possible that they could sense moisture in the atmosphere with these.
Gender and Reproduction
For starters: Floran are plants, they do not have genders as all the other races do; every Floran has both 'male' and 'female' reproductive organs. As such any two Florans can produce offspring. Also reproduction is not sexual. The two Florans would pollinate each other, in a manner which doesn't even require removing clothes, to produce some seeds, of which only a few will grow into a new Floran.
This means there’s no gender distinction. But unlike animal species, where having the genitals located in the crotch is rather common, Floran genitals are located in their Flower, on what others would refer to as the head.
Florans can either choose to self-pollinate, which results in either a clone of the parent or a unique, but genetically very similar, as if it were a sibling, to the parent or they choose a mate they deem worthy, thus probably possessing valuable traits, in order to create a new, stronger Floran. This is basic evolution theory. I would like to stress the fact that Floran genitals are completely different from animal-based humanoids. They are unable to breed the same way an animal couldn't breed with a flower.
In Florans there are two "subspecies". Often referred to as Orchids and Roses. The Orchids seem to have what the animal species would refer to as a "Male" body type and the Roses seem to have a female one. So far there seems to be no correlation between strength and the different "subspecies" a Floran is from, unlike the gender dismorphism found in many animal species, whether a Floran has a stereotypical male or female body structure is actually partially up to the individual while they are still growing, as well as the genetics, and have the potential to change multiple times before they reach adult size.
Florans don't have wombs either, when the Flower is pollinated, seeds are formed, and these are planted in good soil, which provides enough minerals and is humid enough to provide water to the pod that grows from the seed, thus the seedling Florans are often planted in a Nursery. Thick stems will begin sprouting out of the ground, carrying the nutrients through the capillaries of the plant. These stalk-like plants will grow to about 7 feet tall when they are fully matured, and some may even begin flowering near the end of their usefulness period.
At about 4 months, the vine will sprout a pod filled with sugar and nutrient rich sap, as well as the first signs of a young Floran. The pod will grow to a staggering 4.5 foot tall, and 3 feet wide, to contain all the fluids and nutrients to feed the growing infant. From here, the body develops quickly; head, legs, arms, and other vital body parts and organs develop in a short two months. In the end stages the pod looks a lot like a plant cocoon, thus the name "Cocoon-Kin" and "Coon-Kin".
With everything in place, the Floran is ready to be born. A special ‘tooth’ located above the 'lip', aids in scratching away at the walls of the pod, which can often be several inches thick. Once an initial hole has been made, the liquid will begin to leak out of the pod, and may split the pod with the release in pressure. This is why many Floran pods are found split and curling. The pods will release a grown sapling-Floran, and the age or physical maturity of the Floran is assumed physically near maturity, however mentally... Not so much.
The reason as to why the 'Rose' subspecies seems to have something similar to breasts in mammals, which are used to feed their young, is something of a mystery. Although they do produce sap, much like any other part of the Floran body, it's rather weird to think that they'd fulfill a similar role considering the negligence most Florans have towards their offspring. It might be some kind of ruse, to lure some foolish prey into thinking the Floran is weak or vulnerable, like many other organisms that have gender dismorphism.
Immortality as plants
As plants: Floran have Type VI Immortality: Age Without Youth. As a tree will age and never die (Disease, Infestation, and Acts of Man/God notwithstanding) but continue to live, Floran have the potential to live unending, forever aging until they are really old. And big. Mostly old. Or at least the potential to live for thousands of years. However Floran can move, which leads to them walking into danger, more often than out of it. Especially with them usually living in a community. This fact combines with their unrestricted reproduction does mean that Floran have the potential to outgrow every living being in the Universe. Thankfully they're too violent a species to live long enough to do so.
A rather renowned trait that most plants, including the Floran seem to share, is that given enough time, food and water, they will regenerate to the point of regenerating wounds or amputated body parts. Regeneration can be defined as: the ability to replace lost or damaged body parts. Similarly, a Floran can actually continue to live with dead limbs/ body parts still attached; given enough time and care they could potentially re-grow organs and body parts as if they were detached limbs.
As stated before, plants can regenerate all body parts from precursor cells. Many trees, for example, can be cut off at the ground and, in due course, sprouts appear at the margins of the stump. These go on to develop new stems, leaves, and flowers.
If a Floran's wounds are treated well and it is given time to recover, a Floran will recover from most wounds, even rather harsh ones, though this recovery might take a long while and is halted if the head or brain are destroyed, since the regeneration is instructed by signals in the brain.
Florans also have "Dragon Blood" sap, as in the thick sap is a deep, blood-red colour. This thick sap acts as a liquid bandage to seal wounds, as it dries quickly to form a protective skin-like barrier and also contains a number of chemicals to protect against infections, however in harsh wounds if they aren't treated, the Floran can bleed out and won't be able to regenerate in time and die before regeneration has kicked in or finished.
Photosynthesis, air and food.
Again, as plants, Floran have chlorophyll, and Photosynthesize. As long as they have access to water and light, they in theory could require little to no food (depending on how much they move and how vast the supply of water and light) as Photosynthesis turns H2O and CO2 into glucose (sugar) and O2 (as a waste product). This also means that as long as a Floran has an abundance of water and light, he/she can potentially survive indefinitely without fresh air as they can absorb the carbon dioxide created by animals to supply themselves with energy.
Florans thrive due to a combination of photosynthesis and digestion of biomass. While animals consume oxygen and expel carbon dioxide, for plants it is the other way around.
The chemical equation for photosynthesis is:
6 CO2 + 6 H2O + Light energy → C6H12O6 + 6 O2
In plain English:
Carbon dioxide + Water + Light energy → Glucose + Oxygen
There is the fact however, that Floran are meant to live above ground to an extent; so being underwater may cause them to 'drown' even if a lack of fresh air does not. There is a possibility that if a Floran stays in the same position for long enough with bare feet to ground, they may take root.
Very few Floran ever do this, as rooting requires a Floran to not move for years at a minimum for this to begin, let alone reach a point where movement became impossible, and for photosynthesis to be used as sustenance, it would require a Floran to stand in a stream, doing absolutely nothing for a Floran to need no food.
Florans are highly dependent on water and cannot stand dry climates very well, prolonged exposure to desert climate can leave Florans in a mummified, barely living state, before they eventually succumb to the elements, crumbling to dust... Too much sunlight could also potentially dry them out. A side effect of using the sunlight to regain energy was what experts coin “Sun-drunkâ€, in which the Floran is overloaded with the photosynthesizing process and cannot process the sugar and energy fast enough. This causes the Floran to stumble about. hallucinate, and even seek to harm members of their own tribe. This is still a very real possibility, but it is most common in Florans early in their years, as older Florans seem to know better.
Floran are largely dependant on an abundance of fresh water nearby. Water helps combat many diseases, such as the Sun-drunkenness stated above, as well as keeping the Floran hydrated, and able to process energy at a more efficient rate.
Since Florans extremely rarely root into the ground to gain nutrients, this is where digestion comes in to play. By consuming meat and taking the nutrients they need from it, they do not need to be rooted in place. This also probably accounts partially for their high levels of aggression.
Floran have organs similar to the lungs and a heart, by the scientific definition, is is exactly like a mammal's heart. However the fact that a plant evolved a similar organ has been a matter of some controversy. The common theory is that it evolved from the standard plant vasculatory system, in order to provide enough of a push that the rest of the system can pull their sap along, however the rest of their innards are dedicated to the breaking down of proteins and amino acids for the sake of sustenance.
In-fact their entire digestive system is a marvel to behold, as while most plants found on Terra/Earth do not require the consumption of another living organism to sustain the sugar and protein needs of their flora, a Floran needs a certain constant input of nutrients to remain healthy. The stomach, much of their torso is composed of this organ, which is similar to a pitcher plant in shape and general function. The enzymes within are generally much stronger than what is seen in said plants, so as to allow quick digestion of vital food prey.
Regardless of the sugars and proteins that it consumes it’s digestive system has been honed to break down compounds from red meat to berries and to break them down. Red meat allows a Floran the ability to grow and most successful Floran hunters will indeed be leviathans compared to those Floran who prefer to synthesize their protein through the consumption of less meaty substances. The Foran body uses most if not all material consumed. That which cannot be processed is later regurgitated, as they have no traditional bowel system.
Floran culture is aggressive and based around survival, and Florans as a race are prone to cannibalistic urges, cannibalism is often practiced in rituals. Cannibalism is only if they consume their own kind. Eating Humans, Apex, Hylotl and Avians is just survival, they are however not solely carnivorous, as they are able to east fruits and vegetables, but they mostly prefer meat, either cooked or raw.
In-fact the size and strength of a Floran is shown to correlate with their nutritional needs and also the conditions of their developing years. It is shown that Floran who consume meagre amounts of meat, and relied more on the sugars and synthesis of fruits, nectars and honey would grow up to be much smaller specimens. On the other hand, Floran bred into a hunting culture and consume more protein and fatty diets would grow to be larger to accommodate the systems required to digest their diets, and as such they would don a burlier, bulkier frame in comparison to other less “Fed†Floran.
Drysap:
If ingested or injected by a Floran it quickly reproduces within Floran veins, replacing their sap and heightens their resistance to heat and dry climates. They can also survive without water for longer periods of time, and causes the cells to begin to dry and close, making the Floran skin hard and nearly impenetrable. It also increases their strength, vision, hearing, and sense of smell greatly. As good as it might sound, turning an already aggressive fighting machine into a plant-based berserker, it has extraordinary drawbacks as well, a single dose of Drysap will begin to close the cells, however, it will take more than one dose to fully experience the effect of the substance. That is not to say one shot of the liquid is harmless, however; many Floran experience a rapid drying of the skin, and flakes begin to peel away. It is a temporary effect, if not for the addictive nature of Drysap as well, making the Floran feel highly dependent on it.
The more that the Floran ingests of the stuff, the more frenzied and aggressive they become. It becomes a means, a gateway to being a better hunter, but with serious and terrible drawbacks as Drysap makes the Floran more aggressive and violent overall, it messes with their minds. The more intelligent the Floran the more likely it is that the Drysap will cause side-effects to occur. Water becomes like acid, as it may try to force it’s way into the cells of the Floran’s skin, and, should they stop taking the Drysap, or resources become scarce, or it is withheld from them for the purposes of interrogation or torture, the entire cell structure of the Floran begins to fall apart, and they become dust in a matter of hours.
I recently uncovered a journal of a Greenguard also, which reads:
"So here I am, finally assigned to The Dust. My mother is a state, of course. 'The Greenguard is no place for a literate Floran!' she cried. But she was wrong. Oh, was she wrong. For moons I longed for the solitude, the darkness of The Dust, and when my transfer request was approved, I celebrated. Down here, in the darkness, amongst the universe's most unfortunate souls, I finally feel like I'm not alone any more.
I'm sorry, Mother, but the Drysap pulses through my veins now. I am home.
Deep in the bowels of this place, I met a most curious Avian, who has rejected the teachings of her species and defied her gods. We spoke of freedom, and free will, and choice, and the soul. She gave me much to ponder over. Then one of my Greenguard peers threw a bucket of swill in her face. Perhaps there is meaning in this. I shall muse on it as I sleep tonight.
I lie awake at night in my cool, dark quarters, the sound of wailing echoing through the prison corridors, and I begin to question. Why do we hunt? Why do we kill? What drives us to be the species that we are? We are the trees, uprooted. The bushes, animated.
The flowers and plants given sentience. Nature is gentle but cruel. Are we the cruel face of Nature itself? Or are we something more? From the seeds we plant, a universe will sprout. We are the oaken soldiers.
Upon re-reading my previous journal entry, I became alarmed and then afraid. Memories are growing hazy, as if there's a cold, hard knot of wood in my brain, tugging at my thoughts. I had my third Drysap treatment today. The doctor had to force the needle in.
Afterwards she looked at me and hissed, as if she no longer recognised me as one of her own. In the mess hall, I avoid my kin and choose to eat alone. The meat tastes rank and soiled. I hope I'm transferred soon.
I dream of oaken soldiers once more. Who is this army that sprawls before me? I feel a stiffening in my limbs as I wake. I think The Dust is getting to me. I require Drysap treatment once a week now, and even then it does little to ease my discomfort.
Today I killed a prisoner. I pushed him down the stairs on the way to dinner. The other guards cheered and hooted, but I felt no such pleasure. The thrill of the hunt is gone from me. I should set a torch to them and see how well they hunt then.
Soon they will come for me, but who shall reach me first? My kin, with their spears and knives, baying for blood? Or the oaken soldiers, marching to reclaim me, to bring me back into their fold. My superiors demand recompense. Recompense for what I've done. That terrible, unspeakable thing which breaks every Floran code, that which even in my distant state, I cannot bring myself to mention. Who will find me first?"
I read it over and over... But it is still chilling to think of what happened.
The Agaran:
Agarans, they are called. Named by Greenfinger, of course. What creature isn't these days? The Agarans are a type of sentient, parasitic fungus that has been cropping up more and more around the galaxy; spreading, spore-like, although nobody has ever seen them engage in space travel. But the Agarans have been seemingly peaceful until now, making villages in mushroom biomes, tilling the earth and farming sugarcane or found in groups standing around towering monoliths made of plant matter, chanting, singing and dancing.
There has been a disturbing discovery that the Agaran infect Floran, often ones with weakened immune systems such as the ones that take Drysap... At least that is one theory, there are others claiming that Drysap is the cause of the Agaran popping up, evidenced by a scrawled, handwritten note.
"Greenguard send replacement. More Greenguard go mad, try to kill. Have to stab. Body strange, had to burn. Drysap at work. More trouble than worth. Lose two thirds of Greenguard every month. Ho hum. Send more."
Greenguard take Drysap to ensure they are strong enough to fight off the prisoners, and as a part of an experiment.
<hr />
I will add more info over time as I uncover more information.
Flag:
The Floran Flag depicts an orange flower on a green background.
Cultural Style:
Tribal
Appearance:
Plantlike
One would expect a race of sentient humanoid plants to be peaceful, nature-loving environmentalists – that presumption is what allows this hyper-aggressive tribal civilisation to thrive. Unwitting explorers are prey of choice to the carnivorous Florans, who frequently salvage or reverse engineer the technology they bring to enable their colonization of the stars.
Culture:
The Floran culture is most definitely primitive as the race is much younger than many of the other races, thus they are primitive in their ideals, as Florans until very recently lived as a hunter-gatherer society, so they still value a "kill or be killed" form of semi-cooperative brutality above all and survival through reproduction and expansion over environmentalism or any perceived bond to Mother Nature, because that's considered what's necessary to survive. It has obviously worked out pretty well for them, so it's not like they feel a need to change that, and seem to value themselves as individuals rather than as groups, leading them to have no problem with casually murdering other species, and little problem with turning on their own kind if it suits them.
The Florans also seem to worship no particular gods, but make reference to a Light Lord, a being who came from the stars that enlightened them, and they also appear to revere the sun also... Which isn't that much of a surprise considering they are plants.
On ancient cave art in some caverns depicting what appears to be a giant holding an eye/sun with 4 tendrils sticking out of it, the Floran say something along the lines of "Floran made the wrong allies once..." and also cave art of a "Sun" that looks unnervingly familiar...
These titans are also shown in a mysterious location known as the Ark, the massive tentacle beast believed to have destroyed earth and is also thought to be some kind of destruction god, and the massive giant that is thought to be a creation god/protector, who sealed the tentacle beast away... Yet the Floran depict that they possibly worshiped both of these once... This could explain both their destructive tendencies as well as their creativity. Some also think that the giant was part of the same ancient species that uplifted the Avians, as a few avian codexs and refer to the 'sunborn' which is what the Avians call their winged gods. Considering how the giant appears to be associated with the sun, I do not feel that this theory is a huge stretch... Especially since this has also been noted by K'arn Hollowbeak, an Avian scholar.
Time is measured in "day cycles"
Cycle of Dawn
The Cycle of Dawn refers to between midnight and 6 a.m.
Cycle of Noon
The Cycle of Noon refers to between 6 a.m. and noon.
Cycle of Dusk
The Cycle of Dusk refers to between noon and 6 p.m.
Cycle of Night
The Cycle of Night refers to between 6 p.m. and midnight.
Although most Florans are rather savage and simple-minded, there are exceptions. A notable exception, from the Starbound lore, is Greenfinger, one of the most, if not the most intelligent beings from the Starbound lore. Greenfinger is, supposedly, an apathetic over-watcher of the Floran race. He allows the Floran to govern themselves as readily as they might, and when things begin to go awry, he rarely makes any moves to step in and interfere, we do know for a fact that he is indeed a Floran from the texts and statues we discovered.
Floran are very adept at learning, languages, puzzle solving and their skills with reverse-engineering seem to come naturally to them, though Floran tend to struggle with punctuation and understanding some phrases, and when they talk, most have a lisp and use very short sentences, speaking in the third person and sometimes repeat phrases.
This adaptability and quick learning has allowed them the tech to colonize the stars, and despite the cultural ban and thus disability to read they still seem to have the mysterious knack for technology, machinery and computers/programming and there is a certain affinity between the Floran and the Glitch. Glitch often arrive in Floran villages with the intention of educating the Floran, with things such as how to read and write for example. The Glitch are in a good position to do this, as their metal exteriors largely protect them from the Floran blades, and the fact they aren't edible aids in this.
Floran technology has mostly been reverse-engineered, such as discovering FTL space travel through an Avian spacecraft which crash-landed on their planet, and introducing space travel to the primitive Florans had the undesired effect of Floran colonies spanning across star systems, each with their own customs and levels of aggression.
Some Florans have a high level of technology, wielding biotech. This is evidenced by the Floran Needler guns, which are practically plants modified to throw their seeds or thorns when a similar stimulus is applied to the "trigger" and the Bamboo they use are extremely strong, the material is said to be as strong as steel.
The idea of Biotech is modifying the genes of a living organism to create a new organism whose evolutionary traits, chosen by the creator, are also useful in technological situations; for example, modifying a plant so that it produces light or has intense body heat with chambers for cooking, or modifying the nervous system of an animal so that it responds with stimulus to a pad on the neck or so, essentially giving the creator control of their "vehicle". To Floran, this is described as "Growing machinesss."
Ancient Floran code says:
All kills are good kills
Hunting is good, establishes superiority and is integral to Florans
There is no "cheating", only a lack of failure
Everything can be treated as a weapon, Florans have own inherent strength
Floran tribes tend to form where there is a body of fresh water near by, whether that be a river, lake, or freshwater ocean, and the Floran tribes could reach numbers well over 50. Each tribe is guided by a shaman, who holds the spiritual values of the Floran at heart. Researchers have discerned that these “values†do not progress much beyond stabbing things until they stop moving due to the fact the central point in their culture is the hunt, being the predator and not the prey and making it clear to others. Most of their interaction with anything that was something else than Floran up to this point have been stabbing which would probably explain why most jump to this as the first solution to any new meeting, but more civil interactions have been observed by the usually blood-thirsty and stab-oriented race.
The Floran also decorate large bones with hunting tales. And when the Floran dies in a hunt, the other Floran "Presssent dead Floran'ss mother with bone of prey. On bone Floran tell tale of hunt." And that Floran mark the dead with the growth of a flower.
Floran are usually very social, intelligent, curious, honest, direct and focused, taking most things at face value and so often state out loud things that would normally be politely avoided by other races. Most prefer actions over words, to experience things firsthand and to attack problems head-on, in both figurative and literal senses. Many tend to be shocked by the amount innocence, playfulness and curiosity, like-that of a child that many Floran show when off the hunt, though older Florans often still act childish, they are still mature enough to give life advice, and like to give life advice to younger Floran but still ask and say and ask the most random and irrelevant things.
It also isn't rare to see two old Floran wrestling with one-another like young Floran tend to, these little scuffles occasionly getting rather violent, though as soon as they are spotted they often jump up and pretend nothing happened and quickly going back to work... And then back to wrestling when not watched when they get competitive again.
When given large bales of hay, Floran enjoy making "big cassstle from big hay building blocksss!" which is adorable, and some enjoy studies and puzzles. Floran are also rather fond of Poptops, finding them adorable and cute, despite them being seen as unnerving by many other races.
They have a love of music, often having bongos fashioned out of leather and wood in their homes and carry xylophones they make out of the bones of their prey to play music, and they also enjoy making wind chimes out of bones and listening to them... Though they don't exactly chime and the sound these bones make is similar to that of clicking insects.
Most Floran also enjoy art, though... Them learning how to paint apparently ended in Floran villages looking as if a rainbow puked on them due to their typical Floran over-enthusiasm, and writing being written all over the place. They also claim that "Floran besst drummerss in entire universse!"
Floran rarely, if ever travel alone due to their social nature, and that "Sssafety in numbersss" is hardwired in their minds, and that it is a useful hunting tactic to always have back-up. Floran have a form of telepathy with their coon-kin and form very close and deep bonds know each other at an exceptionally deep level, and hunting groups are known to work with each-other for their entire lives. Floran are mentally very fragile, and Floran that spend prolonged amounts of time away from their coon-kin with their connections severed tend to develop behavioural and mental disorders, ranging from mild to severe such as having depression, panic attacks, delusion, compulsive behaviours. Lone Floran often quickly become unstable and eventually go insane from the isolation and mental silence, which is often described as deafening to them. Lone Floran will often seek out other Florans or even other races to befriend, or at least follow around and pester.
They also have an instinctive fear of fire, because of it's heat and tendency to burn down forests and plants. Though it is believed that Florans are able to overcome their fear of fire, as they even use lava in their prisons and weird fire or heat generating plants. This fear of fire also makes them prefer lighting alternatives to torches, and in-fact, making fire is a sapling trial... In which many young Floran sadly burn. Next to fire, being alone and losing their coon-kin are some of the biggest fears Floran have.
Floran hunters seem to form groups, and Floran armour is usually built to be light, allowing the Floran to easily track their prey many miles, protect them from the elements and being tough enough to protect their vitals. They make traps and settlements being designed to catch their prey, some even forming traps using a thick, green poisonous substance. Cannibalism during funeral rituals and wars with rival factions are also a commonplace, and many Floran believe believe that devouring a fallen Wiseman's brain allows them to gain their wisdom, though it remains unclear whether this is out of conservation or simple Floran tradition.
"Floran superiority asserted through stabbing and to a lesser extent, singing around campfires. Hunting is in our sap, it is who we are. Do not fight the hunt, or the hunt will fight you. With stabbing."
However disgraced Floran are often thrown unarmored into an arena with a hungry Floran cannibal, the cannibal's mask containing razor sharp Rubium teeth built to tear through Floran flesh with ease and it is said that the sun itself could not stand between a Floran cannibal and it's meal. Despite this, some individual Floran are known to split apart from their society to lead their own lives in isolation or in the solace of other races, at the cost of being cut off from the collective and considered enemies of all flora for good, considered disgraced and even risking being cannibal prey. Those who leave Florus often long to see the jungle sky again of the Great Flora.
They tend to be distrustful of most other races, seeing them as either nothing more than prey, or inedible, and thus not even useful for that, however despite their fear/disdain of other races, some want to become a part of galactic society. Perhaps to find allies to hunt with, Florans will at least be friendly to other species, as long as they're not Hylotl, and will certainly regard them with excitement and curiosity. But that does not mean that they will not attack or eat someone who's trying to teach them something, because they still put value on themselves more than others, it is also worth noting that it is exceptionally easy to offend a Floran. Examples include: refusing to eat raw meat, damaging the plant life and being a Hylotl.
"A Floran's Goal
Ssstab. Ssstab, sssmash, hunt. Find glory, make good Floran. Ssstab. Get best kill. Win all of Florans. Sssow ssseeds of discord. Punch all of the prey.
Making friends would be nice too."
Then there is their utter hatred of the Hylotl, we actually don't know the full story of the two races' war(s). there could be hidden past between Floran and Hylotl, where the Hylotl were first to judge their savage and bestial ways and deem them foul taint on the universe. boom, war starts. Hylotl, being nice and peace-loving, could have switched the story up since the Floran have such a lessened vocabulary... However in a way, Florans and Hylotl are very alike, they both tend to look down on other species as being lesser than their own, they just have wildly different cultures.
The major result of their reproductive ways is that the Floran society do not have a regular family structure as such. There is usually no emotional attachment between a Floran and it's progenitors or partners other than the obvious 'coon-kin' relationship, which is often late to form with saplings. Traditionally, sprout Florans fight each-other and go through various vicious trials to weed out the weak to ensure strong genetics.
An emotional attachment between Floran partners/and or offspring/progenitors happens most often in the case of Outcast/Lost Floran reproducing, and in such situations where the race is re-populating from a major disaster for example, to give them an edge. As mentioned above, the Rose type have breasts which may hold a nectar/sap mixture to nurture saplings, which also gives them an evolutionary edge, however this trait is often unknown to the Floran and rarely, if ever, used.
Names are thought to be acquired during their actions in the trials, examples of typical Floran tribe names:
Floranpunch, Firenerfer, Bloodblade, Saphunter, Tree-Slicer, Cutewatch, Slicedancer, Killfearer, Petaldancer, Firecutter, Biteblade, Huntblade, Ghosthunter, Death-Spike, Fire-Eater, Spaceblade, Stabwatch, Land-Singer, Ghostburner, Bloodhunter, Tree-Singer, Stabpunch, Firebiter, Fernpunch, Greenblade and Kissfearer.
Modern Floran often have more longer, nature-themed names. Eltra Witherbane being an example of a more modern Floran name.
As far as Floran housing goes, many tend to live in dwellings made of bamboo, with roofing made of thatch or similar. Besides the bamboo dwellings, Floran also may make their homes out of sandstone, dirt, mud, and other non-living compounds. The craftsmanship is much as you'd expect from the Florans - crude to say the least - but there's a certain undeniable charm. "Floran make anything from wood and bone. Floran massster of living wood."
The village houses are often cold, so the Floran use large pelts of their prey as insulation, hanging up the furs with bones and blocking the gaps in the walls. Fur of rare patterns and colours are valuable to Floran as trophies, and some of these pelts have been dated to be over 200 years old! They also use meat to cover sun when sun is too hot, to block off the sun to prevent sun-drunkenness and also to cook the meat and Floran hang leather as a type of air-conditioner, as to them the leather creates a pleasant scent. Floran also make beds out of bones and pelts of their prey, much like the other Floran architecture.
The Floran also decorate with large feathers, also taking them as trophies and greatly enjoy the softness and how colourful they look. Floran also have large leather screens, some think they may be used for modesty in dressing, however in-fact the Floran actually use this to prepare food in secret to surprise other Floran with the food. "Bigger sssurprise mean more friendsss!"
If there are trees nearby, these also make suitable spots to set up a home, since the Florans can command plants, it makes perfect sense that they would shape their homes from the very trees that protected them. As such, it became customary for the Floran Tribesmaster to fashion a clan's first house in the tallest tree on-site, as though there is an unspoken rule that the strongest and wisest Floran, the often shaman will get the highest tree to look over the tribe as a protective watcher, or in some cases the tallest tree belongs to the chief, to show how strong they are, and in case any other Floran wants to take over, they can throw him/her out and know the fall will be fatal.
An example of a Floran Village.
There are also what look like shrines, with large and small statues holding spears. Many speculate that the depicted Floran was hugely important as a hunter... However when one asks a Floran about them, the Floran says: "Just sssome guy. Florans buy own ssstatues."
However in some cases there are huge statues depicting Floran in the Hunter attire holding a staff with fire on top, so imposing and majestic. These of which are proven to be heroic warriors and hunters immortalized in stone: "Sssuccessful Floran hunters get big statuesss!"
The other trophies are also large boness from only creatures killed by the Floran, some of these being gigantic and Glitch claim that judging by the size of the bone: "Extrapolate. Based on the size of this bone, the creature it came from is likely bigger than an entire Glitch castle." They also display weapons that were used to kill big prey.
Biology:
Physically, Floran are strong and silent hunters. Though their appearance may seem tall and rather lean at times (a Floran can be up to 11 feet tall, and yet only weigh about 180lbs in cases), they outmatch Apex in brute strength, and use this to their advantage when in their element, their bodies are made up of a rather dense yet pliable plant fibre that allows even the burliest of Floran rather disturbing amounts of flexibility. Within these plant fibres are the equivalent of capillaries and veins that carry moisture from their core to their extremities; Keeping the Floran moist, mobile, and healthy so long as they’re not exposed to prolonged bouts of dry or heat. The ability to generate bonus energy when in sunlight, allowing them to run and fight for longer, and tougher cells, both of which help survival, gives them a useful physical advantage over most fleshy races.
Animal cells and plant cells have two key differences; plant cells have many sacs of chlorophyll called "chloroplasts", which provides the ability to photosynthesize and a greenish hue. The other difference being the outer lining of their cells. Plant cells have thicker cell "walls" around their "cell membranes", while in animals there are only the thin cell membranes. This means that a plant's individual cells are much tougher. Perhaps Florans have tougher skin due to this. The differing colours available are most likely due to pigments developed in their cells, possibly semi-harmless genetic mutations and adaptations to different planets.
Florans may be humanoid, but we must not forget that they are, first and foremost, plants. This means that I'll be referring to the classification of other plant body parts names for Florans as well. Though some of them can be referred to their animal counterparts in informal circumstances.
Epidermis: Head
The Head and neck with flower and foliage. The head is more rigid than layered leaves can achieve, due to the importance of the root system. Instead, it is protected by a hard wood-keratin mixture, which is strengthened and formed from nutrients taken from the mammal races. They have a mass of electrically charged and insulated roots that work similarly to a mammalian brain. These roots have the capability to process and store data that the individual Floran has experienced in their life.
They have eyes in a teardrop shape, as opposed to the almond shape of a Human’s or the round, circular shape of a Hylotl’s. This unique shape gives them the most surface area on their retina to absorb light from their surroundings, and allows them clear sight in otherwise near-perfect darkness. Their eyes are extremely sensitive to bright flourescent lights, but have no problem in the bright light of day, they have ears or some other way to perceive sounds and a mouth with no lips, a long snake like tongue and sharp teeth that can tare through most flesh and some have corrosive spit to help digest meat and other nutrition. They also have an organ to smell, similar to the nose in animals, as Florans have a heightened sense of smell to help with the hunt.
Though Floran are primarily built to be hunting machines, sometimes, the most brutish of species have a delicate side. Many, but not all, species of Floran may possess flowers that spawn on their heads or on their bodies. Much like earthbound plants, many Floran have an arrangement of Flora on their head much akin to a Flower. Regardless of gender they appear to be decorative possibly to entice the eye of a potential mate or even perhaps to attract prey with the pretty flowers on their head.
The flowers do not always have a scent and are usually scentless, though in some Floran the flowers have a spicy aroma that have various beneficial effects on nearby people who inhale it, having a combination of energizing, stimulating, and healing effects. Due to the sheer vast majority of differing Floran types, these are just a small example.
Shoot: Torso
Upper body with nodes (joints; elbow) and twigs (arms). The fingers/claws are a product of curved leaves; thorns are essentially curved leaves that are wrapped into a thorn to make them hard and sharp, to either be used as weapons or to be able to climb easier. Comparable to the spine in animals, Florans have a spine-like stem on the back to provide structural stability for the body. Connected to this 'central nervous system' are vine like roots that travel the length of the body. These roots serve the dual function of muscles and bones, keeping structure and facilitating at least the beginnings of movement. Whether the “breasts†are nectar/sap holding buds depends on the individual.
Root: Lower body
Floran have ambulatory root structures, and comparable with the Shoot, the roots diverge from the stem, creating two legs similar to animal humanoids, which end in stable, thorned feet, to be able to climb easily or to be used as weapons. The legs are essentially two lateral roots. It is possible that they could sense moisture in the atmosphere with these.
Gender and Reproduction
For starters: Floran are plants, they do not have genders as all the other races do; every Floran has both 'male' and 'female' reproductive organs. As such any two Florans can produce offspring. Also reproduction is not sexual. The two Florans would pollinate each other, in a manner which doesn't even require removing clothes, to produce some seeds, of which only a few will grow into a new Floran.
This means there’s no gender distinction. But unlike animal species, where having the genitals located in the crotch is rather common, Floran genitals are located in their Flower, on what others would refer to as the head.
Florans can either choose to self-pollinate, which results in either a clone of the parent or a unique, but genetically very similar, as if it were a sibling, to the parent or they choose a mate they deem worthy, thus probably possessing valuable traits, in order to create a new, stronger Floran. This is basic evolution theory. I would like to stress the fact that Floran genitals are completely different from animal-based humanoids. They are unable to breed the same way an animal couldn't breed with a flower.
In Florans there are two "subspecies". Often referred to as Orchids and Roses. The Orchids seem to have what the animal species would refer to as a "Male" body type and the Roses seem to have a female one. So far there seems to be no correlation between strength and the different "subspecies" a Floran is from, unlike the gender dismorphism found in many animal species, whether a Floran has a stereotypical male or female body structure is actually partially up to the individual while they are still growing, as well as the genetics, and have the potential to change multiple times before they reach adult size.
Florans don't have wombs either, when the Flower is pollinated, seeds are formed, and these are planted in good soil, which provides enough minerals and is humid enough to provide water to the pod that grows from the seed, thus the seedling Florans are often planted in a Nursery. Thick stems will begin sprouting out of the ground, carrying the nutrients through the capillaries of the plant. These stalk-like plants will grow to about 7 feet tall when they are fully matured, and some may even begin flowering near the end of their usefulness period.
At about 4 months, the vine will sprout a pod filled with sugar and nutrient rich sap, as well as the first signs of a young Floran. The pod will grow to a staggering 4.5 foot tall, and 3 feet wide, to contain all the fluids and nutrients to feed the growing infant. From here, the body develops quickly; head, legs, arms, and other vital body parts and organs develop in a short two months. In the end stages the pod looks a lot like a plant cocoon, thus the name "Cocoon-Kin" and "Coon-Kin".
With everything in place, the Floran is ready to be born. A special ‘tooth’ located above the 'lip', aids in scratching away at the walls of the pod, which can often be several inches thick. Once an initial hole has been made, the liquid will begin to leak out of the pod, and may split the pod with the release in pressure. This is why many Floran pods are found split and curling. The pods will release a grown sapling-Floran, and the age or physical maturity of the Floran is assumed physically near maturity, however mentally... Not so much.
The reason as to why the 'Rose' subspecies seems to have something similar to breasts in mammals, which are used to feed their young, is something of a mystery. Although they do produce sap, much like any other part of the Floran body, it's rather weird to think that they'd fulfill a similar role considering the negligence most Florans have towards their offspring. It might be some kind of ruse, to lure some foolish prey into thinking the Floran is weak or vulnerable, like many other organisms that have gender dismorphism.
Immortality as plants
As plants: Floran have Type VI Immortality: Age Without Youth. As a tree will age and never die (Disease, Infestation, and Acts of Man/God notwithstanding) but continue to live, Floran have the potential to live unending, forever aging until they are really old. And big. Mostly old. Or at least the potential to live for thousands of years. However Floran can move, which leads to them walking into danger, more often than out of it. Especially with them usually living in a community. This fact combines with their unrestricted reproduction does mean that Floran have the potential to outgrow every living being in the Universe. Thankfully they're too violent a species to live long enough to do so.
A rather renowned trait that most plants, including the Floran seem to share, is that given enough time, food and water, they will regenerate to the point of regenerating wounds or amputated body parts. Regeneration can be defined as: the ability to replace lost or damaged body parts. Similarly, a Floran can actually continue to live with dead limbs/ body parts still attached; given enough time and care they could potentially re-grow organs and body parts as if they were detached limbs.
As stated before, plants can regenerate all body parts from precursor cells. Many trees, for example, can be cut off at the ground and, in due course, sprouts appear at the margins of the stump. These go on to develop new stems, leaves, and flowers.
If a Floran's wounds are treated well and it is given time to recover, a Floran will recover from most wounds, even rather harsh ones, though this recovery might take a long while and is halted if the head or brain are destroyed, since the regeneration is instructed by signals in the brain.
Florans also have "Dragon Blood" sap, as in the thick sap is a deep, blood-red colour. This thick sap acts as a liquid bandage to seal wounds, as it dries quickly to form a protective skin-like barrier and also contains a number of chemicals to protect against infections, however in harsh wounds if they aren't treated, the Floran can bleed out and won't be able to regenerate in time and die before regeneration has kicked in or finished.
Photosynthesis, air and food.
Again, as plants, Floran have chlorophyll, and Photosynthesize. As long as they have access to water and light, they in theory could require little to no food (depending on how much they move and how vast the supply of water and light) as Photosynthesis turns H2O and CO2 into glucose (sugar) and O2 (as a waste product). This also means that as long as a Floran has an abundance of water and light, he/she can potentially survive indefinitely without fresh air as they can absorb the carbon dioxide created by animals to supply themselves with energy.
Florans thrive due to a combination of photosynthesis and digestion of biomass. While animals consume oxygen and expel carbon dioxide, for plants it is the other way around.
The chemical equation for photosynthesis is:
6 CO2 + 6 H2O + Light energy → C6H12O6 + 6 O2
In plain English:
Carbon dioxide + Water + Light energy → Glucose + Oxygen
There is the fact however, that Floran are meant to live above ground to an extent; so being underwater may cause them to 'drown' even if a lack of fresh air does not. There is a possibility that if a Floran stays in the same position for long enough with bare feet to ground, they may take root.
Very few Floran ever do this, as rooting requires a Floran to not move for years at a minimum for this to begin, let alone reach a point where movement became impossible, and for photosynthesis to be used as sustenance, it would require a Floran to stand in a stream, doing absolutely nothing for a Floran to need no food.
Florans are highly dependent on water and cannot stand dry climates very well, prolonged exposure to desert climate can leave Florans in a mummified, barely living state, before they eventually succumb to the elements, crumbling to dust... Too much sunlight could also potentially dry them out. A side effect of using the sunlight to regain energy was what experts coin “Sun-drunkâ€, in which the Floran is overloaded with the photosynthesizing process and cannot process the sugar and energy fast enough. This causes the Floran to stumble about. hallucinate, and even seek to harm members of their own tribe. This is still a very real possibility, but it is most common in Florans early in their years, as older Florans seem to know better.
Floran are largely dependant on an abundance of fresh water nearby. Water helps combat many diseases, such as the Sun-drunkenness stated above, as well as keeping the Floran hydrated, and able to process energy at a more efficient rate.
Since Florans extremely rarely root into the ground to gain nutrients, this is where digestion comes in to play. By consuming meat and taking the nutrients they need from it, they do not need to be rooted in place. This also probably accounts partially for their high levels of aggression.
Floran have organs similar to the lungs and a heart, by the scientific definition, is is exactly like a mammal's heart. However the fact that a plant evolved a similar organ has been a matter of some controversy. The common theory is that it evolved from the standard plant vasculatory system, in order to provide enough of a push that the rest of the system can pull their sap along, however the rest of their innards are dedicated to the breaking down of proteins and amino acids for the sake of sustenance.
In-fact their entire digestive system is a marvel to behold, as while most plants found on Terra/Earth do not require the consumption of another living organism to sustain the sugar and protein needs of their flora, a Floran needs a certain constant input of nutrients to remain healthy. The stomach, much of their torso is composed of this organ, which is similar to a pitcher plant in shape and general function. The enzymes within are generally much stronger than what is seen in said plants, so as to allow quick digestion of vital food prey.
Regardless of the sugars and proteins that it consumes it’s digestive system has been honed to break down compounds from red meat to berries and to break them down. Red meat allows a Floran the ability to grow and most successful Floran hunters will indeed be leviathans compared to those Floran who prefer to synthesize their protein through the consumption of less meaty substances. The Foran body uses most if not all material consumed. That which cannot be processed is later regurgitated, as they have no traditional bowel system.
Floran culture is aggressive and based around survival, and Florans as a race are prone to cannibalistic urges, cannibalism is often practiced in rituals. Cannibalism is only if they consume their own kind. Eating Humans, Apex, Hylotl and Avians is just survival, they are however not solely carnivorous, as they are able to east fruits and vegetables, but they mostly prefer meat, either cooked or raw.
In-fact the size and strength of a Floran is shown to correlate with their nutritional needs and also the conditions of their developing years. It is shown that Floran who consume meagre amounts of meat, and relied more on the sugars and synthesis of fruits, nectars and honey would grow up to be much smaller specimens. On the other hand, Floran bred into a hunting culture and consume more protein and fatty diets would grow to be larger to accommodate the systems required to digest their diets, and as such they would don a burlier, bulkier frame in comparison to other less “Fed†Floran.
Drysap:
If ingested or injected by a Floran it quickly reproduces within Floran veins, replacing their sap and heightens their resistance to heat and dry climates. They can also survive without water for longer periods of time, and causes the cells to begin to dry and close, making the Floran skin hard and nearly impenetrable. It also increases their strength, vision, hearing, and sense of smell greatly. As good as it might sound, turning an already aggressive fighting machine into a plant-based berserker, it has extraordinary drawbacks as well, a single dose of Drysap will begin to close the cells, however, it will take more than one dose to fully experience the effect of the substance. That is not to say one shot of the liquid is harmless, however; many Floran experience a rapid drying of the skin, and flakes begin to peel away. It is a temporary effect, if not for the addictive nature of Drysap as well, making the Floran feel highly dependent on it.
The more that the Floran ingests of the stuff, the more frenzied and aggressive they become. It becomes a means, a gateway to being a better hunter, but with serious and terrible drawbacks as Drysap makes the Floran more aggressive and violent overall, it messes with their minds. The more intelligent the Floran the more likely it is that the Drysap will cause side-effects to occur. Water becomes like acid, as it may try to force it’s way into the cells of the Floran’s skin, and, should they stop taking the Drysap, or resources become scarce, or it is withheld from them for the purposes of interrogation or torture, the entire cell structure of the Floran begins to fall apart, and they become dust in a matter of hours.
I recently uncovered a journal of a Greenguard also, which reads:
"So here I am, finally assigned to The Dust. My mother is a state, of course. 'The Greenguard is no place for a literate Floran!' she cried. But she was wrong. Oh, was she wrong. For moons I longed for the solitude, the darkness of The Dust, and when my transfer request was approved, I celebrated. Down here, in the darkness, amongst the universe's most unfortunate souls, I finally feel like I'm not alone any more.
I'm sorry, Mother, but the Drysap pulses through my veins now. I am home.
Deep in the bowels of this place, I met a most curious Avian, who has rejected the teachings of her species and defied her gods. We spoke of freedom, and free will, and choice, and the soul. She gave me much to ponder over. Then one of my Greenguard peers threw a bucket of swill in her face. Perhaps there is meaning in this. I shall muse on it as I sleep tonight.
I lie awake at night in my cool, dark quarters, the sound of wailing echoing through the prison corridors, and I begin to question. Why do we hunt? Why do we kill? What drives us to be the species that we are? We are the trees, uprooted. The bushes, animated.
The flowers and plants given sentience. Nature is gentle but cruel. Are we the cruel face of Nature itself? Or are we something more? From the seeds we plant, a universe will sprout. We are the oaken soldiers.
Upon re-reading my previous journal entry, I became alarmed and then afraid. Memories are growing hazy, as if there's a cold, hard knot of wood in my brain, tugging at my thoughts. I had my third Drysap treatment today. The doctor had to force the needle in.
Afterwards she looked at me and hissed, as if she no longer recognised me as one of her own. In the mess hall, I avoid my kin and choose to eat alone. The meat tastes rank and soiled. I hope I'm transferred soon.
I dream of oaken soldiers once more. Who is this army that sprawls before me? I feel a stiffening in my limbs as I wake. I think The Dust is getting to me. I require Drysap treatment once a week now, and even then it does little to ease my discomfort.
Today I killed a prisoner. I pushed him down the stairs on the way to dinner. The other guards cheered and hooted, but I felt no such pleasure. The thrill of the hunt is gone from me. I should set a torch to them and see how well they hunt then.
Soon they will come for me, but who shall reach me first? My kin, with their spears and knives, baying for blood? Or the oaken soldiers, marching to reclaim me, to bring me back into their fold. My superiors demand recompense. Recompense for what I've done. That terrible, unspeakable thing which breaks every Floran code, that which even in my distant state, I cannot bring myself to mention. Who will find me first?"
I read it over and over... But it is still chilling to think of what happened.
The Agaran:
Agarans, they are called. Named by Greenfinger, of course. What creature isn't these days? The Agarans are a type of sentient, parasitic fungus that has been cropping up more and more around the galaxy; spreading, spore-like, although nobody has ever seen them engage in space travel. But the Agarans have been seemingly peaceful until now, making villages in mushroom biomes, tilling the earth and farming sugarcane or found in groups standing around towering monoliths made of plant matter, chanting, singing and dancing.
There has been a disturbing discovery that the Agaran infect Floran, often ones with weakened immune systems such as the ones that take Drysap... At least that is one theory, there are others claiming that Drysap is the cause of the Agaran popping up, evidenced by a scrawled, handwritten note.
"Greenguard send replacement. More Greenguard go mad, try to kill. Have to stab. Body strange, had to burn. Drysap at work. More trouble than worth. Lose two thirds of Greenguard every month. Ho hum. Send more."
Greenguard take Drysap to ensure they are strong enough to fight off the prisoners, and as a part of an experiment.
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I will add more info over time as I uncover more information.
