Uipomux

Uipomux^listen (Kamakari meaning "strange rock") is a minor realm in the Kamakari Mandate noted for its inhospitability and the unusual life which lives upon its surface. It is the home world of the gneissfolk, a sapient species of rock, along with many other species which apparently lack elemental water.

Description

Uipomux is an enormous volcano, roughly 1000 km tall with the diameter at its widest point approximately 3000 km. It is shaped similar to an upside-down ice cream cone. The summit crater of the world is regularly erupting, sending lava floes streaming down its slopes. These take long, snaking pathways down the sides of the mountain, splitting into a number of individual rivers. These major rivers are joined by minor lava rivers which erupt from secondary vents down the realm's side, eventually spilling over the edge of the realm and cooling on its underside, continuously adding layers of to its bottom. The bottom is then recycled into the magma which is eventually drawn to the surface centuries later.
The minor realm is covered in a shallow air envelope, only about 1 km thick, which is perfectly breathable in most locations. However, the areas around the vents contain high concentrations of gas which is toxic to most species in the Sora. Additionally, unpredictable eruptions are possible across the surface of the realm; in addition to the lava, these eruptions can spew gas which will quickly overwhelm any who are present. Finally, frequent clouds of ash float through the sky, often raining down burning embers from above, lighting anything flammable on fire.
There is some controversy over whether Uipomux has a photopartum or not. The glow of the erupting lava from the peak provides light and warmth to the entire realm. However, some scholars argue that since the lava is part of the realm itself, it cannot be classified as a photopartum. Regardless, this distinction is mostly inconsequential, as even if the lava is accepted as a photopartum, Uipomux still does not qualify as a full realm.
The most notable physical feature of Uipomux is the complete lack of elemental water in the realm. The only water present is the trace amounts brought by visitors, though even this is transitory and eventually dissipates entirely. Any water brought onto the realm evaporates over the course of roughly an hour, no matter the quantity. Demielements also slowly transform, leaving behind a collection of the non-water components, though this takes place over the course of roughly a week. Compounds such as blood, which contain water or water-based demielements, are even more stable, but do break down slowly over time, taking just over a standard year to vanish. Thus visitors can safely stay on the realm for a few weeks without many ill effects, but longer periods can be dangerous.

Native Life

Confounding scholars, Uipomux is home to several forms of life, many of them sentient, including the sapient gneissfolk. It was long thought impossible for living creatures to exist that lack one of the fundamental elements, but the discovery of Uipomux has challenged that assertion. Much like the rest of the realm, no native life has any water or water-based demielements within it. According to prevailing wisdom, this should mean none are able to maintain a soul, yet they apparently have them. How this is possible remains a matter of intense debate with no answers likely to be forthcoming.
The life on Uipomux is thus largely composed of earth, air, fire, and combinations thereof. The majority have bodies composed of earth-based materials, appearing to be made of rocks, crystals, metals, and soil. This appearance caused early explorers to confuse them for some form of elemental. The forms they take are largely unlike other life as well. While organizing such strange creatures under the terms plant and animal is invariably a misnomer, scholars do so nonetheless for lack of better terms.

Plants

Creatures called plants are largely those which do not appear to need to eat other living things in order to live, grow, and reproduce. Instead, like ordinary plants, they are able to subsist off other, nonliving sources. They feed on fire rather than water as ordinary plants do, however. They primarily gain this fire by extracting it from the lava rivers or underground pockets of magma which their "roots" reach down to.
The creatures which most closely resemble a common plant are the trees. They are large and roughly cylindrical with a central trunk and numerous branches which support superficially leaf-like structures. Like the trees on other realms, they are composed of wood, though it is necessarily much denser and does not burn when touching fire. The differences to actual trees are stark, however. Instead of bark, these trees are covered in a flaky, rocky material which is similar in many ways to mica. Rather than the branches being lifted from the ground and not connected to one another, the branches of these trees are snaking structures which intersect and cross with one another. They also appear to serve a similar function to roots, as they burrow into the ground, while the central trunk is held lifted from the ground. The leaves are broad and thin discs of flexible metal foil. They serve to catch falling embers and attract lightning strikes, which provide them with additional nourishment.
Other common plant forms include small spikes which jut from the ground and are capped with metal tips which attract lightning strikes, feathery crystalline plants that resemble hoarfrost, round boulders with tendrils that reach out and grab falling embers, and worm-like vines that anchor themselves in temporary next to magma pools and can are able to slowly across the ground when those pools harden. Within these broad categories exist tremendous variation, much like ordinary plants.

Animals

As opposed to the plants, creatures which are categorized as animals are those which eat other creatures, be they plants or other animals. Most are capable of some form of movement, but a few are sessile just like ordinary animals. They too require fire to live, consuming magma and excreting the earth. Unlike the plants, very few of the animals resemble ordinary animals in the slightest. Most feed through a long proboscis that can puncture food and suck out the insides, though some have an orifice filled with tooth-like pistons which can pulverize food. Some are able to inject a rust-based toxin to paralyze or digest prey, analogous to the venom of spiders and snakes. A few can create blasts of thunder that can stun prey, while others can release corrosive gases as a defense mechanism. Most reproduce through budding, growing a small lump on their bodies which then falls off and develops into an adult form. The animals are divided into several major categories, based on their overall body plans and habitats.
Pyrotes fill the niche occupied by fish, primarily living in the lava lakes and rivers on Uipomux. They superficially resemble snakes, with long, cylindrical bodies and small, wedge-shaped heads. However, rather than slithering or swimming, pyrotes move using scoop-like ribs that can travel freely up and down their bodies. These ribs start right below the heads and can project outward, digging into the surrounding lava. The creature's body then pushes itself forward against the ribs, burrowing through the lava, then retract the ribs and slide them back to their original position. Some pyrotes have ribs that encircle their entire bodies, while others have only a pair on each side of the body. The creatures have no eyes, but instead appear to be able to sense vibrations through the magma through small spines at the tips of their ribs.
Somorbs are mostly land-dwelling creatures with roughly spherical bodies, though some have elongated or polyhedral shapes. They have a number of small, nozzle-like protuberances covering them. They are able to expel pressurized air out of these nozzles, propelling them forward, serving as their primary means of locomotion. They can freely control and point the nozzles, allowing them a great deal of control over the direction and speed of their movement.
Scelrachs are relatively flat creatures which possess a number of long spines, typically with small hooked points at the end. These spines move in a rhythmical circular pattern, functioning like legs. Aside from these traits, scelrachs have a wide variety of body plans and types. Some are armored, covered in thick rock or crystal, while others are small and nimble, quickly scurrying along the ground. In some, a pair or more of the spines are modified into forward-facing fangs that can be used to capture prey. Others have flattened spines which serve as digging implements, allowing them to burrow through the ground.
Pteraplans occupy the sky, possessing wedge-shaped bodies with two or more flat, triangular metal wings protruding from their sides. One or more thin tubes are attached to the undersides of these creatures which can release a steady stream of pressurized gas, providing them momentum to generate lift and fly through the air. A few species are able to emit flame in addition to the gas, usually for short bursts, giving them a sudden boost of speed. They are able to maneuver through shifting the positions of one or more of their wings, much like a soaring bird banks. They possess flexible tentacles sprouting from their backs which they use to hang from outcroppings or rock or the branches of trees.
These four major types are not inclusive, but are the most commonly seen animal types on the realm. Nor are creatures in each type limited to the features discussed. Much like life on other realms, the variety on Uipomux is nearly infinite.

Gneissfolk

The most amazing life on Uipomux are the gneissfolk, sapient somorbs with complex societies and cultures. Gneissfolk are so named for their resemblance to gneiss boulders when they are at rest. They have spherical bodies that are roughly a meter in diameter and have two dozen nozzles across their bodies, though the positioning differs between different groups of gneissfolk. Their body is sectioned by three dark rings in a ✱ shape. Floating in these rings are six spots of color, two per ring, which can be independently moved. These are the gneissfolk's eyes, allowing them to maintain sight as they roll across the ground.
On their undersides, gneissfolk have an opening covered by a set of overlapping plates that create a spiral pattern. These plates can retract to reveal a mouth full of crystal teeth that pulverize food. They generally keep this opening facing the ground when at rest, but rotate it to face skyward when eating. A limb which resembles a cat of nine tails whip sits just below the mouth. It starts as a thick, segmented trunk which splits into three smaller branches, each of which ends in three small digits. They use this to grasp and manipulate objects. It is extremely dexterous, capable of fine control.
Gneissfolk communicate through a rumbling, grinding speech created through rubbing their teeth together. They possess a number of different languages and dialects, though many sound alike to outsiders. While they cannot be spoken by non-gneissfolk, it is possible to understand their languages and gneissfolk are perfectly capable of understanding other languages as well.
In many ways, gneissfolk society is extremely similar to those of other species. They congregate in social groups between thirty to a hundred individuals, typically living in small villages or towns. They use mounds of earth and hardened magma to build large structures, akin to the homes, shops, and buildings of other sapient species. They engage in agriculture and animal husbandry, using them to create food and resources. They make tools, art, music, and other objects for both personal pleasure and the use of others.
However, they do differ in some significant ways. Cities and other larger settlements are virtually unknown. They are largely communal, with the concepts of personal property mostly alien to them. Instead, useful goods are shared equally within a community, with even things for entertainment or whimsy freely passed from person to person. They are open and friendly to outsiders, even those from off realm, and tend to react to non-native species with wonder and awe.
Despite knowing about the Sora and understanding the wide variety of life outside their realm, gneissfolk are largely uninterested in leaving their homes. The desire to expand and explore seems to be relatively absent in them and most express confusion when such ideas are presented to them. While they do travel between their villages to socialize and learn, gneissfolk feel you should only permanently leave your birthplace if you need to find more food or space to live. Since Uipomux still has plenty of space on it left to settle on, there has been nothing driving them to leave. Even so, a few gneissfolk have been convinced to travel off realm. They seem perfectly capable of surviving in the Sora and on other realms, though none have wished to stay away from their homes for long.

Type

Asteroid