Acrid

The acrid biome, unique to Xi’ialoa, is characterized by tropical, humid conditions and dominated by the prehistoric Morta, so-called skeleton plants due to their bone-like tendrils, which date back 90 million years. These plants rapidly, clonally proliferate, blanketing everything in proximity. As acrid “groves” (made of multiple smaller clones of the parent plant) expand, they are kept in check by endemic herbivorous megafauna, themselves heavily parasitized by leech-convergent species that proliferate in the moisture. Balance is found as pelican-like scraws (Oculocygnus and related genera) and other flying organisms moderate parasite populations. 

One salient endemic is the varkolek, an arboreal predator equipped with a unique projectile hunting system, with venomous darts fired from ventricular organs present near the epidermis. Darts emerge as small, hollow bones which fill with hemotoxic venom as they develop and are kept in internal quivers of around 50. These keen-eyed hunters acquire targets visually, accurately firing darts with circulatory system hydraulic pressure at ranges documented up to 35 feet. Re-ingested recovered projectiles from successful kills or misses are broken down for raw materials. These talented, opportunistic hunters litter acrid regions with the remains of their prey, nourishing expanding colonies of skeleton plants. 

Due to their interdependent nature, acrids are relatively rare and vulnerable to shifting dynamics between the species that define them. Acrids are present on Arere, Pratoria, and Tarnen. 

Notable ecosystems: Molotor

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