Anthropia: Beast Folk Biology
#1 of Anthropia Adventures
The biological functions and designs of the beast folk of Anthropia.
The beast folk have become anthropomorphic in design since the spirits rebelled against humanity and changed the world for the worst. They now share features that are similar to both human and beast alike. This section will explain how the beast folk of Anthropia, differ from their feral rivals.
NOTE: Insects, Arachnids, and other bug-like species have a somewhat different bodily augmentations to the standard beast folk.
Size and Structure: The beast folk have undergone a physical transformation, causing them to walk upright and alter their size. Their forelegs have been evolved into a set of arms, complete with working hands, though they are still referred to as paws. Their feet are still digitigrade, but are proportioned by be suitable as humanoid limbs, rather than the thin, short legs of their ancestors.
Flying species, such as bird and bats, now have wings which grow from their backside, instead developing a set of arms, complete with a secondary pair of talons for hands where their original wings used to be. Despite the fact that humans were not properly designed to fly if they had wings, the beast folk do not share such a weakness. Bats and Birds have fully retained their flying capabilities, flapping their wings or gliding upon air currents to take to the skies. This grants them a huge advantage in mobility, over the inferior grounded species. Because of their capability to fly, it is common among slave masters to clip a flying species' wings upon capture, or in some of the more horrifying tales, completely chop them off. Losing their ability to fly, severely reducing their chance of escape, and also psychologically traumatizing the slave. Clipped wings can heal within a year, and still allow the slave to retain gliding capabilities, though true flight is inert until their wings heal. Complete amputation leaves them grounded for life, unless they turn to magic to restore their bodies.
Flightless Bird species are born without the wings growing from their backs. They could not fly anyways, so their magical evolution merely got rid of their useless appendages, adding arms and talons instead. Thus, chickens, roosters, ostrages, and so on do not have a set of feeble, or useless wings growing from their backs.
Fish and other aquatic species who before were forced to survive underwater have now become amphibious, and can safely breathe water and air equally well. However, as they are still an aquatic race, they dehydrate within one hour, and suffer a risk of heat stroke. Because of this, fish species like sharks, guppies, trout, and so on are almost always located near some body of water in which they can quickly soak themselves in if the need arises. If they do not live near the ocean, or a lake of some kind, they usually keep their homes stocked with a swimming pool, or a very large bath tub able to accomodate guests, should they have any other aquatic species over to visit. This dehydration only occurs to species that were exclusively restricted to water.
Amphibious species that could move freely on land, such as otters, frogs, beavers, platapi still require air to survive, but they are able to hold their breath for great lengths of time. usually between 40 minutes, to a full hour. While they are not capable of fully surviving underwater, they have greater mobility than land based species which could only hold their breath for perhaps a few minutes at the most.
Nocturnal species still retain their light sensitive eyes, allowing them to see clearly in the dark either by enhancing what little light source remains, or by seeing into the infrared spectrum to track body heat signatures. In addition, the beast folk do retain heightened senses of sound and smell. They can pick up and clearly identify most scents if they have previous experience with the smell, and their sensitive ears allow them to better sense danger or prey within the area.
Cold blooded species, such as reptiles retain their cold blooded nature. As a result, they find it incredibly dangerous to live in cold environment, where it is difficult for their bodies to warm themselves. Most reptiles prefer to live out in the deserts, or in tropical climates, and as a result, they are often considered to be an exotic species from far off lands. Entering cold climates such as the frozen tundra is likely to kill a cold blooded species within a matter of hours, so they choose to avoid such territories quite violently if they find someone trying to force them to visit. There are horror stories among cold blooded species that speak of some slave masters who have created incubation chambers specifically designed to preserve their people in otherwise frozen environments, keeping them prisoner as any escape attempt would be doomed to fail.
Insectoids, recognized as insects or arachnids have the use of additional limbs due to their design. These additional limbs can take the place of extra sets of arms, allowing them to multi-task and perform a variety of functions or carry many weapons at once, or they can come in the form of a centaur body structure, having multiple legs. Most insectoids have the ability to climb up walls and other difficult or impossible surfaces, giving them greater mobility than the other species. Also, depending upon species, some insectoids also have the power of flight, as well as built in defenses, such as natural body armor, spikes, venom, stingers, web spinners, and so on. Out of all the body structures, Insectoids are probably the most versitile, with swimming being their only real weakness in terms of environment.
When it comes to size, it can be summoned up as follows:
Medium sized beasts = Roughly human size. Examples include wolves, large dogs, giant cats, and ponies. Medium sized species were roughly on par with the average human size in ancient times, showing only a 50% larger, or 25% smaller comparison.
Giant sized beasts = between 7 to 12 feet tall, weighing anywhere from 250 to 400 lbs. Examples include elephants, horses, bears, whales, buffolo. Giant sized species were about 2 times or more the size of the average human in ancient times..
Small sized beasts = 4 to 5 feet tall, weighing under 120 lbs. Examples include rabbits, domestic cats, mice, small dogs, Squirrels and birds. Small sized species were roughly 50% or less the size of average humans in ancient times.
As you can see by the list, not every predator is a towering brute, just as not every prey is a tiny weakling. It depends upon species, not eating habbits. This is likely the reason behind why some prey species have been able to dominate predators. A small predator, such as a domestic cat, although it is a carnivore, is highly unlikely to attack or dominate a herbivore like an 8 foot tall, 300 lbs buffolo.
Reproductive Systems: Beast folk, similar to humans, are all compatible with each other, although cross breeding among different species results in hybrids known as Chimera, which are considered mongrels and treated with less respect than usual. Females periodically undergo a heat cycle, which is the only time they can be impregnated, otherwise, they can safely have unprotected sex without risk of conception.
A heat cycle lasts for a full two months, and can only be satisfied once the female is impregnated. Masturbation can alleviate the physical stress, but it will return within a few hours unless the proper mating is done. Females who do not wish to produce offspring are put through physical and mental torture as they desperately try to fight off their cravings for a male.
A heat cycle occurs randomly, it depends on the birth date of the female in question, but thankfully, it only strikes once a year, and the first heat doesn't occur until after they reach puberty.
During a heat cycle, the female will experience random spikes in body temperature, and an almost constant sexual arousal, the scent of which easilly alerting nearby males to the situation, which is even more stressful for any female who is trying to avoid being knocked up when her own body is gving out free invitations against her will.
Species that reproduce externally, such as frogs and most species of fish, the females don't get a choice in the matter. Once they start to go into heat, their womb swells with eggs during the first month, which are laid during the second month. A male then comes along and gives the eggs a nice cum bath to fertilize them. Some couples who wish to simulate real mating, may have the male hug himself around the female's back and begin fertilizing the eggs as she lays them, instead of just splooging all over the clutch when she's done. This means that species which reproduce externally in such a way, males have the ability to cum at will, and generally have large supplies stored up.
Male genitals are roughly feral in design. Canines, for example, have a knot at the base, and a pointed head on their cock. Felines have a set of barbs to help them lock with a female and improve conception chances, and so on. Giant species tend to be incredibly well endowed, with penises reaching betwee 12, to 24 inches long, and between 2, to 4 inches in thickness. Medium size species have average sized penises, while small species appear more childish, or below average, due to their kind not requiring as big equipment. Of course, some small species, such as mice and rats do have feral endowments like large testicles, being the size of their fist.
For species that feed milk to their young, most females seem to possess 2 breasts, although there are cases where some have more feral endowments. A milk producing female beast folk can possess anywhere from 2, 4, or 6 breasts in total, depending on the individual. For those with multiple sets of breasts, the top pair is always the largest, and they decrease by 1 cup size the lower the set is. For example, if a female has 6 breasts, and the top pair is a C cup, the middle pair would then be a B cup, and the bottom pair would be an A cup. Having multiple breasts is a sign of fertility, and the more breasts a female beast folk has, the better their chance of producing many children.
The top breasts are always in the pectoral region as normal. The middle set of breasts are located lower down along the abdomen, and the bottom set of breasts are located along the pelvic region, so they're not all mashed together on the female's chest. Species which do not produce milk, such as reptiles and birds, are as flat chested as males, though their body is more effiminate in proportion.
When a female is impregnated, they can produce as little as 2 children, or as many as 8 children, depending on their fertility. That, is, of course, for most species. Insects and arachnids are another story, capable of producing hundreds, if not thousands of offspring from a single pregnancy. A female will spend weeks laying eggs before she is finally ready to become mobile again. This is why most insects and arachnids are sold for meat, to help control the population. Otherwise, they might overrun the planet within a decade.
Not every female insectoid has the ability to reproduce, of course. Most of them are born sterrile, while only the queen has the power to conceive children. When a new queen is is found among the hive and goes into her first heat, she is faces with two choices. She may either select a male of her choice and leave to start her own hive colony, or she can challenge the current ruling queen to the death, assuming control of the hive if she wins. Only a single queen is born to the colony every 10 years, so such an issue is very rare.
Pregnancies are shorter than those of a human. For species that produce live birth, the children are ready within 3 to 4 months before they are born. For species that lay eggs, it takes only 6 weeks of gestation before they are ready to be laid, and then for the rest of the time, they must be tended to until they are ready to hatch.
While the ability to produce young only comes around for 2 months out of the year, that is not the only reason beast folk mate with each other, at least not since they developed sentience and discovered the joys of indulgence. They frequently mate with each other for the thrill of sexual pleasure, as well, one reason for the owning of pleasure slaves.
Life Spans: For most beast folk, the average life span is between 40 to 60 chronological years for a healthy adult. For insects and arachnids, however, it is extremely short, ranging only 10 to 20 years for a lesser Insectoid, and 30 years for a queen. This means that a queen insectoid can only produce between 1 and 3 heirs to the throne, before she passes on, and most insectoids die within 2 decades.
Mages, of course, greatly amplify their life spans through magical power, but for the rest of the world, its not that simple. Beast folk undergo puberty at as little as 6.5 chronological years, and they can reach physical adulthood within only 16 years. Most beast folk age by 2 years for every 1 that goes by, except for insectoids, which age by 4 years.
Thus, when regarding a beast folk's biological age, multiply it by 2 to get the amount of years they are, or for insectoids, multiply it by 4 for the same effect. An 8 year old beast folk is 16 biologically, while an 8 year old insectoid is 32. A 16 year old beast folk is 32, while an insectoid is 64.
This means that by the time they are chronologically 40 to 60 years old, most beast folk are actually 80 to 120 years, while insectoids that are chronologically 10 to 30 years are biologically 40 to 120.
In the story's first few chapters, Moon is regarded as being 11 years old, this is actually his biological age. Chronologically, he is 5.5 years of age. Likewise, Jakra is identified as being 13 biologically, yet she is actually 6 years old.
After the 6 year time skip in the series, in which Moon completes his training, he emerges from the academy chronologically 11.5 years old, yet because of his increased power in that time, his aging has slowed, and he emerges as a 17 year old.
Unfortunately for Jakra, who is not a mage, her own aging has not been slowed, and after the 6 year time skip, she developes into a 25 year old female, even though she is chronologically 12.
The full life span of a mage, both common and Savant is described in the Mage's section, however, the chart below is a general estimate for how slowly mages age in comparison to normal beast folk.
Note, because Savants have 15 times more potential than the common mage, their reduced aging is multiplied by 15 times in comparison to a mage.
Apprentices = Age 1 year for every year that goes by, having the same life span as humans now. Savants age 1 year for every 15 that goes by, having 15 times the normal life span of most beast folk.
Journeymen = Ages 1 year for every 2 that goes by, having double the life span of most beast folk. Savants age 1 year for every 30 that goes by, having 30 times the normal life span of most beast folk.
Magus = Ages 1 year for every 5 that goes by, having 5 times the normal life span of most beast folk. Savants age 1 year for every 75 that goes by, having 75 times the normal life span of most beast folk.
Council Member = Ages 1 year for every 10 that goes by, having 10 times the normal life span of most beast folk. Savants age 1 year for every 150 that goes by, having 150 times the normal life span of most beast folk.
Arch Magus = Ages 1 year for every 20 that goes by, having 20 times the normal life span for most beast folk. Savants age 1 year for every 300 that goes by, having 300 times the normal life span of common beast folk.
Sadly, this means by the time Moon has reached full adulthood, Jakra will either be in her senior years, or possibly even on her death bed. The life of a mage is lonely when all the other beast folk around you wither and die in such a relatively short time span.
Physical Might: In a society where worth is based on power and strength, one's might is essential. Yet not everyone is made equal in this society. When guaging's a species in strength, it is generally accepted to refer to the following.
Giant species: anywhere from 10X to 20X normal human strength, depending upon size and build. In comparison to humans, these giant species can seem like demi gods out of ancient fables. Often, they have the ability to wield normally two handed weapons with one arm, increasing its destructive power to extreme levels when they use both arms, and even allowing them to wield two of such weapons at the same time. They are the slowest and less agile of the species, due to their enormous girth.
Medium species: Anywhere from 5X to 10X normal human strength, depending upon size and build.They are certainly terrifying to engage on the battlefield, though not as dangerous as the giants. Still, they have more than enough strength to tear a small species appart, if they are in a foul mood. They have an easy time with two handed weaponry, but due to their shorter stature, they tend to struggle with trying to wield two of such enormous weapons, throwing off their balance, so they usually restrict themselves to one at a time. They have a decent mixture of speed and strength.
Small species: anywhere from 0.5X, to 1X normal human strength, depending upon size and build. This means that small species can actually be weaker than humans, achieving only half their strength! Because of their weaker bodies, small species can't properly wield two handed weaponry, being restricted to one handed, yet they are the fastest and most agile of the body structures, due to their petite frames.
Eating Habits: This section will detail the dietary eating habits of Carnivore, Omnivore, Herbivore, as well as those which are reguarded as "special" eating habits, such as parasites and snakes.
Carnivore: Physically incapable of eating plants, it makes them ill if they attempt to do so. This means they are forced to consume other beast folk in order to maintain their health. They are not murderers or savages, it is simply the way of things, and they're not willing to just lay down and die so the others can live a happy life. If they must kill to survive, so be it, the prey's outrage falls upon deaf ears. Most Carnivores are designed for chewing meat, their teeth are sharp enough to easilly puncture skin and separate muscle from bone. Thankfully, they are no longer so primitive as to just tear a victim apart, unless they have been starved for long periods, or don't have much experience with civility.
Omnivore: In order to keep up their health, the Omnivore needs a steady diet of both meat and plants, they can not fully comit themselves to one or the other, as it tends to have negative effects on their health, causing them to weaken. Their teeth are a mixture of sharp and blunt for the safe chewing of both sources of food. Compassionate Omnivores may try to feed on meat less often when in the company of prey, though they can't stave it off indeffinitely.
Herbivore: Physically incapable of eating meat, as it causes severe health issues, such as disrupting their brain chemistry, vomiting, fevers, and the shakes. Herbivores must feed on plants to maintain their health, and their teeth are blunted, not designed for the tearing of meat or flesh. There is no need to kill when they feed, and as a result, they are generally pacifistic and some are even foolish enough to protest against the eating of flesh. Being too stupid, as most prey generally are, to understand that eating meat is not a matter of choice for their predator overseers.
Special Diets: Some species of beast folk do not feed on meat or plants in the traditional sense of others. While most carnivores are happy to prepare decent meals from their victims, not all of them can do so. These are examples of Special Dietes.
Vampirism - Usually found among parasitic species, such as arachnids, vampire bats, leeches, and so on. Vampirism is a diet in which the beast folk survives completely on liquid, consuming the bodily fluids of others, most commonly that of blood among predators, or nectar / juice for prey. Those who survive through vampirism have long, sharp utensiles, such as extended fangs, or a feeding tube that they use to puncture their food and suck the fluid out of. Among predators, this tends to leave their victims feeling weak and light headed, if they weren't already drained to a withered husk. Vampirism is special in that a prey actually has a chance to survive being fed upon, as long as the predator doesn't drain them too much, and gives them enough time to replenish their siphoned fluid. Unless the prey is already in bad health, they can usually endure at least 3 days of repeated feeding before their body gives out. So as long as their predators give them some time to replenish their lost blood, they have a steady and self replenishing food source!
Swallower - A dietary habit found among predators that do not have proper chewing capabilities, most commonly found among snakes. Swallowers, as their name suggests, swallow their food whole, and in many cases, alive. Those who possess this eating habit have commented that it feels quite enjoyable to have a squirming prey worming around in their bellies, struggling for its life. Swallowers usually have elastic bodies, their stomachs and jaws able to expand to remarkable size in order to contain or devour their food. Unlike most predators, Swallowers do not have a high body count. It can take several weeks or even a full month to fully digest their last meal. As a result, they usually only need to eat one victim to sustain them for great lengths of time, an idea which is seen as merciful among the prey community.
Feral - Not so much a dietary trait, as it is a life style. Most beast folk chose to refine themselves and appear sophisticated. Not all of them took to the idea, however. Ferals prefer to eat their food raw, and often alive. Predators pounce upon screaming prey, tearing into them with their teeth and ripping them appart in bloody, gorey fashion. Prey tend to pull crops right out of the ground and start munching on them, without preparing them in a stew, or some other vegetable / fruit based recipe. Ferals rarely live in large civilizations, they are usually found living in solitude as deranged madmen, or in barbaric clans roaming the wilderness.
Cross Breeding and Chimera: The hybrid creatures known as Chimera are a cross between two or more completely different species. Such as rodents and canines, or felines and ursine. Animals within the same species category, such as a dog and a wolf, or a lion and a tiger are merely referred as Mixed Breeds, not true chimera.
Chimera tend to share most of their body structure from their mother, but they do have some characteristics from their father. For example, a cross breeding between a horse and a mouse with the horse being the male, it might result in a mouse growing up to be abnormally large, or have powerful muscles not typically seen among the smaller species. Of course, not every Chimera's features are subtle, some are quite obvious such as if you combined maybe a crocodile with a squirrel and resulted in a body shape of a squirrel with carnivorous teeth, and thick scales, as opposed to soft fur.
Most Chimera are seen as freaks, outcasts, and abomination, but there do exist the occasional individuals who consider them to be exotic and entertaining, valuing their company either as guests or as slaves.
Perhaps as a way to stop Chimera from cross breeding too much and resulting in mutated abominations, nature seems to have laid a biological curse upon these hybrids. Chimera are born infertile, unable to produce children of their own, no matter how much they breed.
Because of this, high born families are loathe to declare a Chimera descendant as their family heir, for their inability to reproduce ensures their bloodline would end, thus the family's status along with it. It is much more common that Chimera born to a noble family are cast out as bastard children. Leaving a great deal of would be nobles as scorned byproducts of a lord or lady who got a little too playful with a slave or a servant and resulted in an accidental pregnancy.