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Kalthaniell -> Creature contest: The Crystallus (10/2/2011 10:46:14 PM)
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THE CRYSTALLUS
What's a crystallus?
Crystallus is an animated electromagnetic energy moving through space rather than a living organic creature. It’s intelligence is comparable to amoeba’s. Crystallus behavior is based solely on instinctive drive to consume and multiply. The smallest and most basic of the specimens are little more than a tiny bundle of electromagnetic energy, metals and crystals the size of a chestnut. Crystallus spends it’s life in the vacuum of space by absorbing solar energy from nearby stars and minerals from asteroids and space dust. Each creature grows as it absorbs more matter and, due to it’s inorganic nature, crystallus can grow for thousands of years. This means that, given enough time, the creature can become just as big as space caltors or other similar space monsters. New crystallus is born when a tiny portion of a larger specimen breaks off. If enough electromagnetic energy is preserved in the crystal it starts to absorb solar energy and begins to live on it’s own.
How does it move around?:/
The crystallus movement speed depends on it’s electromagnetic energy field strength. It takes ages for smaller crystalluses to move from one side of a solar system to another (they are in no hurry though ;). The huge ones however can travel just as fast as any spaceship and the biggest and most ancient specimens are even capable of travelling between the solar systems in search of new mineral deposits.
What does it do?
Although Crystallus is not a predator, it still is very territorial and dangerous. When two specimens meet near a mineral source they will try to fight for it. The electromagnetic nature of the crystallus enables it to project energy bursts and energy-deflecting shields in order to deter it’s opponent from trying to take over it’s feeding territory. Although those are harmless for other crystalluses and serve only for showing off each specimen’s strength and potential, the energy bursts can be quite deadly for spaceships. Due to the similar size and electromagnetic field all spaceships project, the creature mistakes them for other crystalluses trying to challenge them for their territory and attacks as soon as they come too close.
When can it be found?
Crystallus can be often found protecting the most abundant and precious mineral asteroids of a solar system. Sometimes one can be found feeding on a debris field or even chewing on an abandoned space station. As crystalluses require solar energy to live long and prosper ;P they can be encountered only in solar systems. The more suns a system has the bigger the chance some crystalluses will be there. Although this species is quite common in more mineral abundant parts of the universe, there are still some galaxies to which the crystallus had not yet migrated. How it travels between galaxies is unclear. It is speculated that when one specimen reaches a certain size it can actually absorb an entire sun and use the newly acquired energy to travel faster and further than ordinary crystalluses. This theory has not been confirmed however.
[image]http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x423/Kalthaniell/CRYSTALLUS.png[/image]
That's how I imagine a creature that could live in space. I made this image pretty much the way I imagined it in my head. A living asteroid travelling through space absorbing any minerals or metals it encounters. The shards on the sides of the creatures could be huge chunks of magnet pulled close by the electromagnetic field. What do you folks think?
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