Mooan: Difference between revisions
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|nicknames = Wagglenecks, Moaning Bird | |nicknames = Wagglenecks, Moaning Bird | ||
|classification = [[Bird]] | |classification = [[Bird]] | ||
|habitat = [[ | |habitat = [[Westwynd]] and [[Altaleï]] | ||
|domesticated = Yes | |domesticated = Yes | ||
|status = Common | |status = Common | ||
|}} | |}} | ||
Mooan are large, wingless birds found roaming the | Mooan are large, wingless birds found roaming the many grasslands of [[Westwynd]] and [[Altaleï]]. They eat a diet of insects and seeds, which is just about as simple as their brain. Known for their distinctive “Mooan” cry that gives them their name and their tactic of falling over as a distraction, the animal has been known to be domesticated in the modern day, but is also notable for having survived countless harrowing events. It is unlikely that the animal will vanish from the many grasslands they call home anytime soon. | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
The Mooan, despite their silly appearance and actions, have endured for untold generations in [[Aloria]]. The [[Seraph]] seem to have | The Mooan, despite their silly appearance and actions, have endured for untold generations in [[Aloria]]. The [[Seraph]] seem to have had some sort of relationship with the bird, as they appear in some Seraph murals from ages long past. When the [[Allorn Empire]] later emerged, they discovered the bird in great numbers in several regions of their territory, but most populous in a region later known as the Ullaren Plains. Over the subsequent centuries, Mooan were bred into captivity and their wild counterparts were occasionally hunted by [[Elves]] princes and those seeking target practice for their magical arts. By the time of the [[Cataclysm]] and [[Wildering]] however, the animal's population has plunged to a low point, as many were used as animal scarifies in a range of rituals. Those great disasters, however, were the Mooan's saving grace, and the strange, simple bird was able to thrive in the century and a half that followed the disastrous end of the Allorn Empire. The Maquixtl in the regions where the bird thrived took to domesticating them, while elsewhere, the animal was restored to the status of target practice or as a simple bird to be hunted. The Mooan continues to have large numbers today, greatest in the Ullaren Plains, but also able to be found in [[Ithania]] and in smaller pockets elsewhere in its proximity. | ||
==Physical Appearance== | ==Physical Appearance== | ||
The Mooan is a fairly large bird despite its inability to fly, standing at five and a half feet while weighing anywhere between 125 to 150 pounds. Their heads are disproportionately small when compared to their larger bodies, with a small dull yellow beak and a pair of large green eyes. Their head is attached to their plump body by a long neck while a pair of equally long legs support them upright on large, three-toed clawed feet (though the claws are often dull). The Mooan possess no | The Mooan is a fairly large bird despite its inability to fly, standing at five and a half feet while weighing anywhere between 125 to 150 pounds. Their heads are disproportionately small when compared to their larger bodies, with a small dull yellow beak and a pair of large green eyes but also a singular, notably long head feather. Their head is attached to their plump body by a long neck while a pair of equally long legs support them upright on large, three-toed clawed feet (though the claws are often dull). The Mooan possess no tail fan and their wings are almost inconsequential, each barely reaching a foot long though they are rarely if ever extended outside of stressful situations. Their bodies are covered in distinctive feathers known for their blend of strange colors, with a main coat color of deep blue and purple mixing with patches of brown and yellow with various patches of deep blue, purple, brown and yellow along their bodies and across the two genders. | ||
===Diversity=== | ===Diversity=== | ||
The Mooan has an equal number of males and females in their population, though individual flocks can skew male or female. Their species has one of the greatest levels of diversity in the animal kingdom. The | The Mooan has an equal number of males and females in their population, though individual flocks can skew male or female. Their species has one of the greatest levels of diversity in the animal kingdom due to the startling and exotic colors along their bodies. The patterns of multicolored dots are somewhat random, and can be highly artistic or refined, or like a child painted them. As for further diversity, those who live on the plains possess fluffed feathers along their neck and legs while those who live in captivity or domestication possess thinner, smaller feathers in these areas. This does not affect their single head plume. | ||
===Life Span and Development=== | ===Life Span and Development=== | ||
The Mooan is born from a small beige egg with blue speckles laid in clutches of anywhere between ten to twenty. When they emerge from their shells they are tiny, blind, and featherless. Their mother will do her best to help them and for those Mooan who are domesticated, | The Mooan is born from a small beige egg with blue speckles laid in clutches of anywhere between ten to twenty. When they emerge from their shells they are tiny, blind, and featherless. Their mother will do her best to help them and for those Mooan who are domesticated, animal tenders often help as well. Over the course of two years, the chicks will grow from their small original size to their full adult one. At this point, they are considered mature though many animal professionals note the curious lack of intellect demonstrated by the Mooan at all levels of development. Some believe that the creature has been permanently scarred from generations of hunting and death by the Seraph and all their successors, resulting in irreversible mental damage. Despite their lacking intellect, Mooan are able to reproduce at the age of two and have the ability to live anywhere between ten and fifteen years, though many die earlier in the wild given their limited intellect. | ||
==Mental Overview== | ==Mental Overview== | ||
The Mooan is a dull bird with only basic survival and parental skills intact inside their small heads. They do however possess one interesting mental trait: If a flock is in danger of encirclement or attack, anywhere between two and five of their number will faint, making their trademark “Moo-aaaan” sound to distract and draw the attention of the threat. This either allows the flock to get away, and those Mooan that fell | The Mooan is a dull bird with only basic survival and parental skills intact inside their small heads. They do however possess one interesting mental trait: If a flock is in danger of encirclement or attack, anywhere between two and five of their number will faint, making their trademark “Moo-aaaan” sound to distract and draw the attention of the threat. This either allows the flock to get away, and those Mooan that fell will follow them soon after, or those that fainted will be eaten or attacked as the rest of the flock gets away. To make up for this, pairs of Mooan reproduce every mating season in order to ensure their flock has a stable population. As parents, Mooan are lacking in many areas. While they do show their children how to eat and methods of walking, they frequently intermix their offspring to the point that over the course of a day, a chick can wander through the family of six different pairings. This does have a purpose as by the time they grow up, families will be so mixed that children are incredibly unlikely to mate with their siblings as they often very near to suitable mates. These traits are also present for those Mooan in captivity, though the animal's keepers help ensure the animal’s safety and that they mate with proper partners. It is important to note however, that Mooan stampedes are a dangerous threat. While rare in the grand scheme, the bird's mindless migration activity and ability to be chased from one threat into another can cause them to simply trample obstacles in their way, or crash into them rather than seeking to avoid them. This is the case with predators as much as it is for Aloria's [[Races]], but that sometimes helps hunters in bagging the kills they desire. | ||
===Territory and Groupings=== | ===Territory and Groupings=== | ||
Mooan inhabit | Mooan inhabit many grassy plains dotting Westwynd and Altaleï, while also being nomadic creatures. Their flocks often number more than 100 and they move randomly across the grasslands as they consume their diet of insects and seeds. The speed of their running is greatly varied and chicks are sometimes left behind or fall behind the flock, though if they are not swallowed up by some creature of the night, they will have rejoined their flock the next day. | ||
==Trivia== | ==Trivia== | ||
* | *Mooan meat is gamey and unappetizing to most sentient Races, so when they are hunted, it is for their feathers and their bones. | ||
*Mooan | *Maquixtl examination of Mooan Genos has revealed another possible reason the bird is so intensely unintelligent: genetic blockers in their lifethreads. Why someone would create a purposefully stupid species, or perhaps, alter an existing one into such a permanent state, is completely unknown, nor have the Maquixtl learned how to undo these blocks, despite decades of trying. | ||
*Mooan get along surprisingly well with [[Ollivear]], the hulking ogre-birds somehow brought from [[Westafar]] by the [[Eronidas]]. Why the Ollivear doesn't attack and kill the Mooan is not clear, but it can result in some nasty situations when a Mooan flock scatters, only for a dormant Ollivear to rise up and attack whoever or whatever thought it smart to go after those particular Mooan. | |||
*There is an amusing series of children's stories in Ullaren Maquixtl society, about a Mooan so stupid, he is able to avoid the many clever traps and tricks of a cunning [[Silat Wolf]]. The moral of the tale often comes down to not underestimating anyone, but also, to never overprepare to the point of hindering your own efforts. | |||
{{fauna}} | {{fauna}} | ||
{{Accreditation | {{Accreditation | ||
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|Processors = SupremeCripple | |Processors = SupremeCripple | ||
}} | }} | ||
[[category:Fauna]] [[category:Birds]] | [[category:Fauna]] [[category:Birds]] [[category:Westwynd Fauna]] [[category:Altaleï Fauna]] | ||
Latest revision as of 23:48, 1 September 2023
| Mooan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fauna | |
| Official Name | Mooan |
| Common Nicknames | Wagglenecks, Moaning Bird |
| Classification | Bird |
| Habitat | Westwynd and Altaleï |
| Domesticated | Yes |
| Current Status | Common |
Mooan are large, wingless birds found roaming the many grasslands of Westwynd and Altaleï. They eat a diet of insects and seeds, which is just about as simple as their brain. Known for their distinctive “Mooan” cry that gives them their name and their tactic of falling over as a distraction, the animal has been known to be domesticated in the modern day, but is also notable for having survived countless harrowing events. It is unlikely that the animal will vanish from the many grasslands they call home anytime soon.
History
The Mooan, despite their silly appearance and actions, have endured for untold generations in Aloria. The Seraph seem to have had some sort of relationship with the bird, as they appear in some Seraph murals from ages long past. When the Allorn Empire later emerged, they discovered the bird in great numbers in several regions of their territory, but most populous in a region later known as the Ullaren Plains. Over the subsequent centuries, Mooan were bred into captivity and their wild counterparts were occasionally hunted by Elves princes and those seeking target practice for their magical arts. By the time of the Cataclysm and Wildering however, the animal's population has plunged to a low point, as many were used as animal scarifies in a range of rituals. Those great disasters, however, were the Mooan's saving grace, and the strange, simple bird was able to thrive in the century and a half that followed the disastrous end of the Allorn Empire. The Maquixtl in the regions where the bird thrived took to domesticating them, while elsewhere, the animal was restored to the status of target practice or as a simple bird to be hunted. The Mooan continues to have large numbers today, greatest in the Ullaren Plains, but also able to be found in Ithania and in smaller pockets elsewhere in its proximity.
Physical Appearance
The Mooan is a fairly large bird despite its inability to fly, standing at five and a half feet while weighing anywhere between 125 to 150 pounds. Their heads are disproportionately small when compared to their larger bodies, with a small dull yellow beak and a pair of large green eyes but also a singular, notably long head feather. Their head is attached to their plump body by a long neck while a pair of equally long legs support them upright on large, three-toed clawed feet (though the claws are often dull). The Mooan possess no tail fan and their wings are almost inconsequential, each barely reaching a foot long though they are rarely if ever extended outside of stressful situations. Their bodies are covered in distinctive feathers known for their blend of strange colors, with a main coat color of deep blue and purple mixing with patches of brown and yellow with various patches of deep blue, purple, brown and yellow along their bodies and across the two genders.
Diversity
The Mooan has an equal number of males and females in their population, though individual flocks can skew male or female. Their species has one of the greatest levels of diversity in the animal kingdom due to the startling and exotic colors along their bodies. The patterns of multicolored dots are somewhat random, and can be highly artistic or refined, or like a child painted them. As for further diversity, those who live on the plains possess fluffed feathers along their neck and legs while those who live in captivity or domestication possess thinner, smaller feathers in these areas. This does not affect their single head plume.
Life Span and Development
The Mooan is born from a small beige egg with blue speckles laid in clutches of anywhere between ten to twenty. When they emerge from their shells they are tiny, blind, and featherless. Their mother will do her best to help them and for those Mooan who are domesticated, animal tenders often help as well. Over the course of two years, the chicks will grow from their small original size to their full adult one. At this point, they are considered mature though many animal professionals note the curious lack of intellect demonstrated by the Mooan at all levels of development. Some believe that the creature has been permanently scarred from generations of hunting and death by the Seraph and all their successors, resulting in irreversible mental damage. Despite their lacking intellect, Mooan are able to reproduce at the age of two and have the ability to live anywhere between ten and fifteen years, though many die earlier in the wild given their limited intellect.
Mental Overview
The Mooan is a dull bird with only basic survival and parental skills intact inside their small heads. They do however possess one interesting mental trait: If a flock is in danger of encirclement or attack, anywhere between two and five of their number will faint, making their trademark “Moo-aaaan” sound to distract and draw the attention of the threat. This either allows the flock to get away, and those Mooan that fell will follow them soon after, or those that fainted will be eaten or attacked as the rest of the flock gets away. To make up for this, pairs of Mooan reproduce every mating season in order to ensure their flock has a stable population. As parents, Mooan are lacking in many areas. While they do show their children how to eat and methods of walking, they frequently intermix their offspring to the point that over the course of a day, a chick can wander through the family of six different pairings. This does have a purpose as by the time they grow up, families will be so mixed that children are incredibly unlikely to mate with their siblings as they often very near to suitable mates. These traits are also present for those Mooan in captivity, though the animal's keepers help ensure the animal’s safety and that they mate with proper partners. It is important to note however, that Mooan stampedes are a dangerous threat. While rare in the grand scheme, the bird's mindless migration activity and ability to be chased from one threat into another can cause them to simply trample obstacles in their way, or crash into them rather than seeking to avoid them. This is the case with predators as much as it is for Aloria's Races, but that sometimes helps hunters in bagging the kills they desire.
Territory and Groupings
Mooan inhabit many grassy plains dotting Westwynd and Altaleï, while also being nomadic creatures. Their flocks often number more than 100 and they move randomly across the grasslands as they consume their diet of insects and seeds. The speed of their running is greatly varied and chicks are sometimes left behind or fall behind the flock, though if they are not swallowed up by some creature of the night, they will have rejoined their flock the next day.
Trivia
- Mooan meat is gamey and unappetizing to most sentient Races, so when they are hunted, it is for their feathers and their bones.
- Maquixtl examination of Mooan Genos has revealed another possible reason the bird is so intensely unintelligent: genetic blockers in their lifethreads. Why someone would create a purposefully stupid species, or perhaps, alter an existing one into such a permanent state, is completely unknown, nor have the Maquixtl learned how to undo these blocks, despite decades of trying.
- Mooan get along surprisingly well with Ollivear, the hulking ogre-birds somehow brought from Westafar by the Eronidas. Why the Ollivear doesn't attack and kill the Mooan is not clear, but it can result in some nasty situations when a Mooan flock scatters, only for a dormant Ollivear to rise up and attack whoever or whatever thought it smart to go after those particular Mooan.
- There is an amusing series of children's stories in Ullaren Maquixtl society, about a Mooan so stupid, he is able to avoid the many clever traps and tricks of a cunning Silat Wolf. The moral of the tale often comes down to not underestimating anyone, but also, to never overprepare to the point of hindering your own efforts.
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