Welcome to Gaia! ::

2/15

Labs

Having already destroyed almost everything on Earth, the remaining humans developed a fatalistic belief that things really couldn't get worse. Perhaps they were right.

At any rate, the results of this widespread belief were the kimera. Many labs opened up, the leaders in the technology being Next Gen Enterprise and SynTech. Countless smaller labs operated in their shadow, and after just a couple decades most lifeforms in the New York area were kimera or at least had genetically-modified ancestors.

6/15
Current

Few people, human or kimera, dare leave the safety of the city for the wasteland outside it. Before fuel was nearly impossible to come by planes would occationally set out to spread mutant plant seeds that would grow despite the radiation, but very few can still spare what could be used for heating for such endeavors. Some parts of the city have degenerated to little better then a medieval culture, others live in apartments with electricity and very strict rules about using it. The closer to the center you go, the better off the people in general. The edges are owned by those that couldn't get anyplace better and many kimera. Humans rarely live longer then 15-20 years in the radiation-heavy city edges. The center of the city has it's own problems, however, such as increased crime, fire risk, not enough clean water, and disease. Many guilds are in the center, and they rule the city far more effectively then the paid-off bobblehead of a 'king'(always human, mankind isn't ready to admit they have any equals yet).

Raptors tend to dislike the delicate work of getting and keeping electricity and don't have the attention span to farm, so they're often viewed as being primitive animals by humans (nevermind that most of the human population also lives in the same technological niche. rolleyes )

Outside of the 'true' city are the ruins. These are buildings in various states of disrepair. Even the ocean has skyscrapers poking out due to the mass failure of the floating islands that had once provided temporary relief to the overpopulation problem. Although people were given some warning to flee the islands before they sank(a couple days after the first nuclear bomb was dropped), there weren't enough boats to handle all the emergencies along the coast and many drowned before they could be rescued. There're a ton of ghost stories centering on these ruins, not helped by the screams often heard from them(it's not uncommon for flying creatures to make the taller ruins their nests, nor is it rare for them to find that their large aquatic neighbors aren't always strictly aquatic).

Kimera

Although there were only 2 main labs and 3 large mass-produced species, the actual number of kimera species is estimated at over a thousand, not including altered plants. The actual number will probably never be know, for even though nearly all of the labs kept detailed records of their experiments, many have been(and continue to be) destroyed by Syn.

Kimera tend to have lots of possible mutations inherently. Different colors and patterns from all the old animals they're made from have a small chance of appearing, though there are usually a few dominant colors and patterns.
However, if there aren't any mutations in the gene pool, like with lab mice and, until fairly recently, cheetahs, then mutations almost never appear and it takes thousands of years for new patterns to appear. Rare kimera sometimes suffer from this, particularly if only one or one identical 'batch' was created.
Size Chart (incomplete)



Serpopard
Serpopards were first of the mass produced kimera, though there were several species before them. They're considered the tamest of the 3, though this varies between individuals of course. NGE created the first batch, and rival labs quickly worked towards copying them, resulting in several mutations that still show up today, particularly the cobra mutation and a pair of short horns on some males. The average intelligence of a serpopard is about equal to that of a very clever dog, but many are smarter... This resulted in a whole new market for kimera-proof appliances.
They reach maturity after 2 years and can live to be about 30.

Raptors
By far the most intelligent kimera species ever created(with exception to such individuals as Syn and Sarlost). They were the reason the creation of kimera was legally banned throughout Neo York(it still goes on underground, but we aren't supposed to know that. wink ). They live in packs, sometimes for companionship, sometimes simply a working relationship. Temperments vary widely, and the newfound people are trying to create a history and culture of their own. Some want that history to begin with the destruction of mankind, others couldn't care less about 'culture' so long as they have food in their belly, even if that means working with humans. They're deeply hated in the inner city, where several guilds use them as assasins and thugs(leaders as well). Raptors can easily learn English, or any other language, but due to the shape of their mouths it's impossible for them to speak it well.
They reach maturity in 7 years and can live to be about 45.

Griffins
The 2nd mass-produced species, griffins are huge bird/cat/scorpion hybrids.

Arnulf
The last of the mass-produced kimera. They were an attempt to save the appearance of a dog, since it was thought at the time that dogs were going to go extinct. Their long, prehensile tails allow them the same level of flexibility as a humans' opposable thumbs and can manipulate tools the size of pencils or fully support their weight.

Hebisune
Hebisune are typically solitary snake/fox/bird crosses. They have a long forked tongue that functions like a snakes', and they can feel vibrations through their belly. They have a poor sense of smell, however, and their sight and hearing are no better then a humans'. Elegant, their purpose was to be a top predator and they fulfill this fairly well, sometimes too well for unfortunate humans who venture into their territory. Behavior is mostly fox-based.

Kangadile
These unusual creatures may have been created with no greater purpose then being marketed as 'dragons'. However, they're highly adaptable and survive well in the wilds of the ruins. So well, in fact, that it's a mystery as to why they are so uncommon.

Lobshark
Another creature with no origins, lobsharks are somewhat more common then most of the rare kimera. It's not known if they were lab-produced or a natural kimera, and there's probably no way to ever be sure.

Isunagi

Tyena
A pig/hyena/thylacine cross that was commonly used as a status symbol pet for the rich, much like Dobermans once were.

Caprilape
A lab-produced demon, a failure as the aim was a non-demon with the demonic ability of complete radiation immunity. There's little data on this kimera, besides that it was a side project, and it's original purpose is still unclear. What little data was salvaged from the lab it originated from suggests there was originally a good number of these kimera and they excaped their cages extremely often, thus they were suspected of high intelligence even though they rarely cooperated with standard tests used to determine such things. The caprilape side-project was terminated a short while before the lab was destroyed. Reasons are unknown...

Cockatrice
Another genetic 'joke'. Whatever lab created these birds bit off more then they could chew though, cockatrices can paralyze those who meet their gazes with telepathy that erases all thoughts.

Gazetah
A rare kimera valued for it's beauty and relative tameness compared to most large cat-type kimera. Many uses were proposed for them, some wanted to use them to help hunt other kimera, others valued their thick fur, but they ended up less useful then expected due to the difficulty of providing them with a healthy diet. Without any more demonic traits then that of any typical kimera, their diet remains an impossible problem for mere genetics to solve.

Dragora
Not a true kimera, these bizarre lifeforms are really a type of demon plant. As plants, their entire psychology is set up differently from an animals', not just their biology. They can function as a normal plant, but doing so shuts down their brain and defense mechanisms, leaving them highly vulnerable. In order to support their nervous system they have to hunt actively, usually small things they can swallow whole. If something is too large to swallow in a gulp, then it might be buried and then slowly absorbed through the roots, most dragoras keep such backup cache's scattered throughout their territory. Besides biting, dragoras can also defend themselves by spitting a sticky green spit wad. They aren't very fast since their brain is separated into two halves, the motor brain in the head is in charge of biting, but sometimes the roots have a delayed reaction to commands due to interference from the cognitive brain in the root base.

Lutrapine

-Unknown-
Not all kimera work out right, rejects and strange mutations are to be expected with such complex technology. Most are disposed of or die on their own, but some manage to escape and survive despite their deformities...

10/15

12/15

14/15