(click/space for next) Ptikaera is a wonderous planet from far off, harboring life and miraculous new forms of it. Ptikaera is comprised of a lot of oxygen, at about 30% oxygen, similar to Earth’s Carboniferous period. Ptikaera, in its current state, is also quite a warm planet. Not very hot, but temperature averages about ~4% warmer than Earth. Additionally, the planet is slightly smaller than Earth, with Ptikaera being 6,855 miles in diameter. The planet, in turn, has lower gravity. A single day on Ptikaera is approximately 30 hours with 15 hour days and 15 hour nights on average. A full rotation around the sun, also known as a year, would take around 258 Ptikaeran days. There are three moons that orbit Ptikaera. Diafotisi (enlightenment), Ourmati (sky eye), and Mikros (tiny). These moons cause violent and volatile tidal waves. At one point in time where there were only two moons. However, due to some event, Diafotisi broke off into Mikros. We know this because of them sharing the same mineral and geological composition. Additionally, Ourmati has traces from Diafotisi, especially near and in its crater. Thus, the conclusion was made that in the early days, Old Diafotisi and Old Ourmati collided into each other, raining debris down to Ptikaera and Mikros breaking off of Old Diafotisi. This event is known as the Day of Hellfire. The system that Ptikaera is in is called the Ligofos (Little Light) system, named after its star. Ligofos is a K-type Orange Dwarf. The planets in this system are Dyops (Two Sides), Techismos (Art Wind), Ptikaera (Air/Fly), Thaloteron (Sea Titan), Thirio (Beast), and Rozala (Pink) Dyops is a very hot tidally locked planet. It is one of the oldest in the system. The hottest part of the planet is the side being baked by the sun, while the dark side is much cooler. Techismos is a planet comprised of a lot of hot sand, which had gotten so hot that some of it turned to glass. The planet also has strong winds, causing “glass storms”, and this glass is incredibly colorful on occasion, making storms beautiful but dangerous. Ptikaera was already described. However, more depth can be added. It is heavily volcanic under the waves, and thus has spawned a large landmass dubbed Vrachopedes. The landmass constantly shifts size due to the ever changing tides. Thaloteron is interesting, as it is comprised of almost entirely water, with no landmasses at all, and very little volcanic or tectonic activity. It has a thick atmosphere that preserves the water within. Though it could harbor life, it has none. Thirio is a very large and very old Gas Giant with very dense atmospheric conditions causing its dark color. Thirio also has rings due to its age and amount of debris caught within its orbit. On the contrast, Rozala is a relatively new Gas Giant with a hot pink color that reflects its relatively young age. It is visually interesting, but there is not much else to this planet.
Living things on Ptikaera, at least important ones, fall under three categories. Aftdynae (Self Energizing) Laipladae (Gluttonous Beasts) Sarkasania (Flesh Stalks) CONSUMERS: Komuths- A moving mouth. It’s as simple as that. Designated as one of the earliest Laiplads. With vents on either side of its body, those act as both breathing and waste disposal. The organism has two sensory tendrils on either side of its mouth, and a singular “foot” muscle very similar to slugs. It crawls along the sea floor, feeding on anything organic it can get in its mouth. It is a generalist omnivore and is incredibly common. Whirlers- Whirlers are comprised of two shells and an internal system of jets. The water that they filter in from feeding through the holes on their shell, are siphoned to angled jets that push water out and make it whirl like a frisbee. It is herbivorous and filter feeds on plant matter. Rynthys- Rynthys are segmented creatures with soft and fleshy underbodies and shelled, segmented backs. It is a carnivore that eats anything that it can impale on its proboscis, dissolving the skewered creature into a nutrient soup it can drink. It has eyes to detect its prey and it swims by moving similarly to a whale. PRODUCERS: Flat Sun Eaters- These "algae" are flat photosynthetic organisms part of the Aftdyna kingdom. Basic oxygenators that float near the surface for as much sunlight as possible. Heatplants- Heatplants, despite their name, are not plants. They are members of Aftdyna as well. They use the metal in the water to their advantage. The metal is part of their bodies and acts to conduct heat. They latch near thermal vents and even at the surface of the tides, causing them to beach often. Strangely, they transfer heat into energy through conducting it. Tendriled Flowers- Similar to Flat Sun Eaters, these Aftdyna are photosynthetic and have flat, long growths to soak up sunlight. They have basic tendrils to attach to surfaces if needed. Souptubes- Souptubes turn chemicals into energy. They live everywhere, surface to trench, absorbing chemicals. They are of course members of Aftdynae and use their tube-like bodies to sap in chemicals. Coincidentally, they appear similar to straws, giving them their name. DECOMPOSERS: Fumers- Members of Sarkasania, these fleshy semi-sessile stalks live by attaching to dead or decomposing matter, using holes on their lower half to digest the dead matter, taking what it needs before fuming out nutrients from its top. Rot Angels- Rot Angels are much more insidious Sarkasani. These Sarkasani also live semi-sessile, but their lower halves can move and allow it to move on living things, sticking with the creature it attached to until it dies, usually quickened due to the “parasite” attached to them. If these Sarkasani can’t find a living host, they will attach to rotting material like its relatives.
