Oliped

Written by Pookas Kreations

Olipeds are a cross between a many-legged insect and an elephant. They are the favorite caravan animal of Travelers. The Travelers often build whole villages on these animals' backs. It is too large for many predators to harm, although because of its size and appetite, it can't stay anywhere for long.

Platforms are routinely built on the back of these Olipeds to hold Vardo-like houses, areas for storage and leisure. The Travelers that live the caravan life grow up around the Olipeds and learn to climb up and down them with ease. Rarely does a child or adult fall to their death from these gargantuan creatures.

Of course, they are so large that they can't enter a town or city unless the streets are extremely wide, and then food would need to be brought to them because there would be nothing to graze.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Olipeds have the head of a tusked elephant, 40-100 elephant-like legs, is covered in a combination of chitin and long hair.

Biological Traits

Those born in warmer climes have less hair and more chitin. Some have mandibles instead of a trunk. There is a standard color variation depending on where they live.

Growth Rate & Stages

Olipeds grow slowly, they start off as small creatures and grow to colossal size. Every few years they molt, lose most of their hair and chitin which gradually grows back.

Ecology and Habitats

Any, but prefer dense forests and jungles when young; mostly grasslands when adult.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Mostly vegetarian, but some have more insect blood in their veins so crave meat occasionally. These Olipeds have mandibles instead of a trunk.

Biological Cycle

No one but a Traveler knows the life cycle of the Olipeds, it is kept a closely guarded secret by them. Olipeds can carry their young internally for long periods until they find the perfect location to secret them away from predators. Some hide their eggs in deep canyon crevices, others in pits where they are buried, or in piles of rocks, and a rare few lay them in swamps.

Olipeds start live as a helpless larva, which often turns cannibal, eating each other before other prey is found. They are opportunist hunters, eating whatever comes to hand. If it sits still long enough, it becomes the next meal.

They don't grow a tougher hide until they become large, at which time they grow chitin plates and start to grow shaggy hair. This takes years to occur, but this time can occur more swiftly the more calcium they intake. When they eat their prey, they eat bones and all which helps them grow quicker.

Olipeds that are born in sandy areas often dig burrows at the bottom of a pit and trap food like an antlion or travel through the soft soil to eat burrowing insects and worms.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Olipeds have a herd mentality. Their is usually a Matriarch that keeps the others in line. The Traveler headman and family often ride this leader.

Domestication

In the winter or spring, Travelers visit known nesting grounds for Olipeds and capture a few dozen larvae each to train them to join their caravans. It takes years to domesticate the larvae and more time for them to grow large enough to carry much cargo. They are kept out of sight until they are at least huge.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Everything from a dead Oliped is used upon its death. The chitin can be made into armor and blade weapons. The hair is woven into textiles for their use or to be sold. Tusks are coveted for Travelers to excel at the art of scrimshaw. Even the meat is eaten and preserved for the lean times.

Facial characteristics

Olipeds have a broad face, medium-size ears, a trunk, and tusks; some also have an elephant-like tail.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Mostly on Atlantia, but during the Chaos Wars, many eggs were washed to other continents or taken by their Traveler companions.

Average Intelligence

Olipeds have average human intelligence but are unable to speak, but they do understand. Some can mimic speech, and a rare few have telepathy.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

They have low-light vision and scent.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

One herd of Olipeds, have discovered that their newly born larva can hide within their hair and hang on to travel with the herd. They have become nocturnal hunters, eating while the herd sleeps or eating the creatures living in their parent's hair. This is becoming more popular as mothers and offspring have started to enjoy each other's company.

The Travelers, like this as well as they can begin domesticating the young that much sooner instead of having to capture the young. Although outsiders thing that they are parasites.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Oliped names are a combination of trills, whistles, and clicks as well as scent at least between each other. Of course, the Travelers give them common short names that have to do with their looks and temperament.

Beauty Ideals

Scent is more important to them than sight.

Gender Ideals

Female olipeds are very important to the herd as they carry the new generation.

Average Technological Level

Olipeds haven't created a civilization of their own, but are constantly journeying with the Travelers and learning from them. They do not need buildings, but from observation of others, they are learning many skills to develop their own culture and technology.

They would be considered to be a Primitive culture in the Stone Age. Tool use is a new concept for them and they are teaching themselves to write by watching their traveling companions through the eyes of their larvae.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

They can understand the few languages in their immediate area, but only a few have discovered the knack of verbal speech. They are telepathic between each other and a rare few can speak to other humanoids.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Olipeds have a lengthy "oral" tradition and they have long memories. They can even remember back to when they were just elephants. They have a deep racial memory that they all share, these memories are shared while sleeping. What one oliped has seen they all can soon access this memory. Memories can also be spread by direct touch, touching a trunk to another's temple quickly spreads a memory around.

Their shamans can travel this memory pool to help keep important facts alive and remembered in the current generation, she can implant specific memories in chosen young to help spread skills around.

History

Olipeds where once a herd of large elephants but the Chaos Wars changed all that. They happened to be sheltering in a canyon from a prairie fire near a centipede nest. The turned out to be followed by a wild magic wind storm. This caused a merging of the two creatures, elephant and centipede.

A Traveler that was passing through, discovered a hatching group of larvae and decided to study them. He camped their and watched them for years, even catching a few to domesticate. He was thinking of raising them for food, but as they grew larger and morphed into their adult form all that changed. He started using them for labor around the farm he created. Still, they grew, he eventually had to leave his farm, because he couldn't feed them anymore, so they began traveling and joined a caravan that was passing through. He eventually, built a house on the largest of the young adult ollipeds and this became his new home. Other Travelers soon began clamoring for an Oliped of their own, so began his journey to become the wealthiest Traveler of his time.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Olipeds are friends and companions to Travelers. The Travelers may not know it but the Oliped chose them not the other way around.

This shaggy, multi-legged creature has the head and legs of an elephant and a seemingly endless segmented body follows behind it. On its back are built vardo-like howdahs, balconies, walkways, and patios as well as storage areas like those on a barge.

Scientific Name

Multipus laniger barrus immensus (many-footed hairy giant elephant)

Lifespan

200 years

Average Height

30 ft

Average Weight

100+ tons. Because of their size, this is almost immeasurable.

Average Length

200+ ft, depending on their age.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Most Ollipeds are grey or brown, variations are possible, but are mostly in earth tones. Those that live in forests or jungles can also be in shades of green or yellow.