Post by Zen on Jan 15, 2018 19:43:24 GMT -5
Seaspitters are very likely similar to the creature that firelizards originally evolved from, lacking feet and having flipper like fins in their place, each with three spiky claws. Like dragons, their eyes are faceted and change color with mood. Like firelizards, they can only communicate telepathically with pictures and feelings rather than actual words and seem to have some sort of group consciousness, traveling in groups referred to as ‘pods’. The range of sounds they make is similar to that of dragons. They can go between like dragons, either in the air or under water. They come in the same basic colors as dragons, whers, and firelizards; that is to say Gold, Bronze, Brown, Blue and Green. Their tail is forked, with a thin membrane between the forks, and holds both excretory and reproductive organs, and they have three pairs of limbs. They Impress in the same manner as firelizards as well, bonding to whoever feeds them first.
They have wings and are capable of flight, but their wings are much shorter than their cousins' and they do not have much endurance in the air. Instead, these water dwellers tend to use their wings under water, and can very accurately be described as 'flying' through the water when they swim. They are incredibly quick and agile in water and somewhat awkward on land, though they can survive well enough on land if they are well oiled every day and have access to water to lounge in. They have a second stomach, however they are incapable of flaming. Instead, this stomach holds a special acid, very similar to that used in Agenothree Sprayers. Their slim, elongated snouts enable them to spit this acid great distances with incredibly accuracy. It is inky black in color and is generally used defensively by Seaspitters in order to distract predators and escape. The acid is a mild irritant to human skin, capable of causing an itchy, burning rash with prolonged contact, but is more dangerous to eyes and may cause blindness if not treated immediately. They do not begin producing this acid until nearly a month after hatching and are therefore highly dependent on their pod for survival during the first month of life.
Their mating 'flights' obviously take place in water. The female leads a chase, slowly diving deeper and deeper until she's caught. The deeper the dive, the more time for mating to occur as the pair slowly floats back to the surface. Unique from firelizards, Seaspitters imprint upon the place of their hatching and remember it the rest of their lives, with females returning to the spot to lay their eggs nearby. Greens leave their eggs after laying them and return to their pods, with the more sensible ones at least burying them first, but most greens do not even do that, leaving their eggs exposed and vulnerable. Golds bury their eggs and then remain nearby with her pod until hatching, ready to take her children into the pod where they'll be protected and cared for until they are old enough to take care of themselves. Green clutches do not have the backing of a pod after hatching, so even if they do survive that long, they generally don't last their first month at sea.
The size difference between the colors isn’t quite as vast as that of dragons (and actually overlaps with the next lower and higher colors) and unlike dragons, Green Seaspitters are able to clutch and Golds can be caught even by Blues. The time it takes for the eggs to be laid after mating and for them to hatch after being laid is less than what it is for dragons, but slightly more than what firelizards require; two months from mating to laying and three weeks until hatching. In the wild their diet consists only of fish, but they will eat just about anything if introduced to a variety while still young.
Gold/Queen
Size Range: 33-40 inches
Rises: For the first time at 12 months/1 Turn and once every 2 Turns after that. Can be caught by any male.
Clutches
Gold x Bronze – up to 15 eggs, max of 1 Gold (rare), 3 Bronzes (rare, 1 or 2 more commonly), 4 Browns (2 or 3 more commonly), and the rest Blues and Greens.
Gold x Brown – up to 12 eggs, max of 2 Bronzes (rare, 1 more commonly), 2 or 3 Browns, and the rest Blues and Greens.
Gold x Blue – up to 10 eggs, max of 1 Brown (2 rarely), the rest Blues and Greens.
Bronze
Size Range: 28-35 inches
Chases: For the first time at 11 months, can catch any female.
Brown
Size Range: 23-30 inches
Chases: For the first time at 9 months, can catch any female.
Blue
Size Range: 18-25 inches
Chases: For the first time at 7 months, can catch any female.
Green
Size Range: 13-20 inches.
Rises: For the first time at 6 months and once a Turn after that. Can be caught by any male. Greens lay dud eggs at a rather high ratio, and sometimes entire clutches never hatch even with proper care.
Clutches
Green x Bronze – up to 9 eggs, max of 1 Bronze (rare), 2 Browns, the rest Blues and Greens. The Dud ratio is lowest with bronze/green matings, but there are still usually one or two.
Green x Brown – up to 7 eggs, max of 1 Brown, the rest Blues and Greens. The Dud ratio with brown/green matings usually leaves about half the clutch unhatched.
Green x Blue – up to 5 eggs, only Blues and Greens. The Dud ratio is highest with blue/green matings, often leaving entire clutches unhatched.
