This is an old revision of the document!

Creatures

This is the master bestiary for the world of Miranda. In here you will find many familiar creatures from various fantasy worlds, legends, and oral histories. In addition there are many that are new creations by us and others that are a completely different take on a long used creature.

Genus vs. Species vs. Race

Many of the entries will have listings for species and/or race. In the context of these listings a species will either list or link to different species within the same genus. The tell-tale sign of creatures within the same genus, but different species is that they are incapable of interbreeding and producing viable off-spring.

Genus is the highest taxonomic rank that will be discussed for all creatures. It will only be used to discuss various creatures that share a common ancestor, but cannot successfully interbreed (i.e. able to produce fertile offspring).

Species is the most common breakdown used for all creatures. A species is the largest collection of individuals able to interbreed and produce viable offspring. Unless otherwise stated in an individual entry, all individual pages will be discussing a single species.

Sub-Species is the term I will use to designate creatures that due to geographic isolation or selective breeding differ morphologically from other sub-species of the same species. Sub-species will be used in all places instead of Breed or Race.

All elves on Miranda came from the same ancestor. As of the Age of Heroes there are three distinct species of elves, True Elves, Common Elves (typically just called elves), and Lost Elves. All elves were once True Elves, but after the Firstborn War a new species (Common Elves) was born among the True Elves. There are distinct sub-species among Common Elves - the Great Elves, Dark Elves, Half-Elves, Forsaken Elves, and Tainted Elf. A third species of elf appeared during the Dark Ages called the Lost Elves.

Ethnicity

Ethnicity is not used in this section of the wiki. Ethnicity deals more heavily with cultures and shared identities and while this may heavily cross into race and species. Ethnicity will be discussed in the list_of_ethnic_groups.

Intelligence

Sentience

Animal intelligence is designated for creatures that act instinct with no understandable sense of self - they have cognition, but only the most basic ability to question the whys. Their specific intelligence is highly variable by species, but although capable of memory, training, and learning - they will often revert to instinctive responses.

Any creature with some semblance of intelligence can be considered sentient - it is self-aware.

Sapience

The highest order of sentience is a creature that is sapient as well. This is defined as a creature that is able to act upon its own judgement with the wisdom of their own intelligence. To contain a spark, however small, of the Shadow Realms.

The gods, devils, titans, and even Krynan itself are not sapient. This is because they are only capable of acting according to their nature - they are bound by what they are for all time. Sapience did not exist in the cosmos until the creation of the Shadow Realms.

Biomes

The world is divided into different Biomes using the approach like that of Heinrich Walter as opposed to the more complicated system used by the World Wide Fund for Nature.

  • Any
    • Sentient
      • Highly adaptible to many different environments
  • Terrestrial
    • Tropical Rain Forest
      • Always moist and lacking temperature seasonality
      • Evergreen tropical rain forest
    • Tropical Forest
      • Summer rainy season and cooler “winter” dry season
      • Seasonal forest, scrub, or savanna
    • Subtropical
      • Highly seasonal, arid climate
      • Desert vegetation with considerable exposed surface
    • Woodland
      • Winter rainy season and summer drought
      • Sclerophyllous (drought-adapted), frost-sensitive shrublands and woodlands
    • Temperate Rain Forest
      • Occasional frost, often with summer rainfall maximum
      • Temperate evergreen forest, somewhat frost-sensitive
    • Temperate Forest
      • Moderate climate with winter freezing
      • Frost-resistant, deciduous, temperate forest
    • Temperate Grasslands
      • Arid, with warm or hot summers and cold winters
      • Grasslands and temperate deserts
    • Boreal Forest
      • Cold temperate with cool summers and long winters
      • Evergreen, frost-hardy, needle-leaved forest (taiga)
    • Polar
      • Very short, cool summers and long, very cold winters
      • Low, evergreen vegetation, without trees, growing over permanently frozen soils
  • Aquatic
    • Freshwater
      • Water with less than 1% dissolved salt
    • Marine
      • Water with more than 1% dissolved salt
  • Outsiders

See Also