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Description

Alongside giant skywhales’ ancestors were seeded nyctosaurs. It was not the first such seeding of an extinct group of organisms – actually, whales themselves were extinct – but it was very novel one, as animal group completely died out much before true primates themselves emerged. With a few adaptations for lack of hard surface made by genetic engineering they had flown on their new world, hunting down smallest filter-feeding cetaceans. It couldn’t be like this forever, however, as evolution never ends.

Eventually both mammals and reptiles would give rise to new forms, sometimes more intelligent than their ancestors. While in former it resulted in the skywhales, in latter appeared the cloud-strikers. Like skywhales, they are quite basal species: they have sexual dimorphism, are live-bearing and hunt mostly medium-sized prey. While some of their relatives became literally whales in upper layers of atmosphere, and some become tiny parasites or ‘krill’, they instead became social hunters. Eventually it resulted in spread of higher intelligence level.

However, they are very different from most sophonts, having not just sexual dimorphism, but also different morphs of each sex, with males having three and females having two.

In higher atmospheric levels there are different morphs, the most noticeable is mild change from darker, crestless and less aggressive male morph (shade) to a bit lighter, crested and aggressive morph (shah). Former is usually monogamous, but may take several partners of all non-shah morphs. Latter form tribes with lion pride-like structure with many small and plain females (strikers), but there also may be a third male morph, which is called sneak in language of shah tribes and small in language of deep-villages. It is striker female-like morph, the only difference from them is number of toes (all females have four, and all males have just two). The second female morph is called traveler, being the most nomadic of all. Travelers may live on any atmospheric levels, but prefer deeper ones because of them being much like shade male morph.

In cloud-striker society may be observed a complete change of cultural level. Deep-villages are the most culturally-developed, being formation of several unrelated families. As deep-villages are located on sky-islands, biological formations of true trees, individuals there may take a rest from eternal flight. The upper tribes are far less culturally developed, being nomadic, but stuck to one place formations. While deep-villages lack organized religion, tribes have much, and sometimes conflict because of this.

Pictured a scene in higher atmospheric level. A shah male and one of his numerous partners meet a newcomer. Though that’s a sneak by their language, another male didn’t recognize him yet. In the clouds there is a skywhale, meaning that it is medium atmospheric level and small male may have accidentally left his village.

Description

Alongside giant skywhales’ ancestors were seeded nyctosaurs. It was not the first such seeding of an extinct group of organisms – actually, whales themselves were extinct – but it was very novel one, as animal group completely died out much before true primates themselves emerged. With a few adaptations for lack of hard surface made by genetic engineering they had flown on their new world, hunting down smallest filter-feeding cetaceans. It couldn’t be like this forever, however, as evolution never ends.

Eventually both mammals and reptiles would give rise to new forms, sometimes more intelligent than their ancestors. While in former it resulted in the skywhales, in latter appeared the cloud-strikers. Like skywhales, they are quite basal species: they have sexual dimorphism, are live-bearing and hunt mostly medium-sized prey. While some of their relatives became literally whales in upper layers of atmosphere, and some become tiny parasites or ‘krill’, they instead became social hunters. Eventually it resulted in spread of higher intelligence level.

However, they are very different from most sophonts, having not just sexual dimorphism, but also different morphs of each sex, with males having three and females having two.

In higher atmospheric levels there are different morphs, the most noticeable is mild change from darker, crestless and less aggressive male morph (shade) to a bit lighter, crested and aggressive morph (shah). Former is usually monogamous, but may take several partners of all non-shah morphs. Latter form tribes with lion pride-like structure with many small and plain females (strikers), but there also may be a third male morph, which is called sneak in language of shah tribes and small in language of deep-villages. It is striker female-like morph, the only difference from them is number of toes (all females have four, and all males have just two). The second female morph is called traveler, being the most nomadic of all. Travelers may live on any atmospheric levels, but prefer deeper ones because of them being much like shade male morph.

In cloud-striker society may be observed a complete change of cultural level. Deep-villages are the most culturally-developed, being formation of several unrelated families. As deep-villages are located on sky-islands, biological formations of true trees, individuals there may take a rest from eternal flight. The upper tribes are far less culturally developed, being nomadic, but stuck to one place formations. While deep-villages lack organized religion, tribes have much, and sometimes conflict because of this.

Pictured a scene in higher atmospheric level. A shah male and one of his numerous partners meet a newcomer. Though that’s a sneak by their language, another male didn’t recognize him yet. In the clouds there is a skywhale, meaning that it is medium atmospheric level and small male may have accidentally left his village.