Table of Contents
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Archives of Acantha is set to be a speculative fiction/ science-fantasy short story series documenting the stories of inhabitants and major events throughout Acantha's history.
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ⓘ This project is in development. Timelines, stories, and designs are subject to change. ⓘ
Sounds of the Ages - Acantha Timeline Playlist
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Mammals - population of small to medium-sized burrowing creatures and grazers (serve as a primary food source across Acantha)
Fish - vast array of salt and fresh water species (serve as a primary food source across Acantha)
Reptiles - small to large hunters of the rocky deserts (serve as both prey and predator across Acantha)
Amphibians - primarily large creatures found in many wetland areas (serve as both prey and predator across Acantha)
Since the mark of the Triozoic epoch, loqanth (common speak/“the voice of Acantha”) has been steadily built into what it is today. Early wars and trade routes sparked the first developments of this shared language, though palpish and hisskin were some of the first widely spread languages through the arthropod colonies.
RNS (root network sharing) was another common language in the Triozoic, though only recently documented through cooperation with ambulatory dendrans.
Avians communicated through clatter call since the early Triozoic, though its sure evolution has not been tracked. Evidence of clatter call being combined with palpish during the war times has been found, and traces of code mixing are expected to still be present in modern equivalents.
Arthropod cultures
Eurypterans - strategic innovators, archivers, and water dreamers.
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Heavily emphasize honing skills early in life and finding individual purpose, as well as mastering water dancing for courtship rituals often involving music. Painting one’s carapace is a common practice centered around beauty standards and self-expression. Each instar calls for a trip to a secluded cave where they must dreamdrive to search for their true calling while they undergo their change.
Heavily involved in trading with aranean groups and highly value ornamentation—often worn on head crests as symbols of status.
Physical traits: Eurypterans possess both female and male sex organs, and have no sexual dimorphism. Physical variations are possible in all individuals.
Maturity is reached at around 15 years (~early 20’s), with each instar lasting around 2.5 years.
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Blattoans - skilled climbers with a love for storytelling and competitive sparring.
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The originators of the hisskin language, they were one of the only groups to abstain from most war practices in the early Triozoic. Some hold a feeling of guilt for their lack of involvement while others believe it holds them higher than other arthropod groups. Though they arrived late to the trading scene due to lingering tensions, they made a name for themselves as performers, guards, and culinary artists.
Physical traits: Blattoans have clear sexual dimorphism. Males sport large horns and a head shield covering most of their face, while females have smaller horns and lack a head shield. Both females and males possess small vestigial wings below their pronotum.
Maturity is reached at around 18 years (~early 20’s), with the first 3 instars lasting around 1-2 years, and the following 3 lasting 3-5 years
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Isopterans - valued architects and farmers that lend their services across the land.
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Incredibly proud of their building abilities and will often host exhibits of unique artwork and architecture. Loyalty to the queen and promoting her image are top priorities in most colonies. Tensions have remained present throughout their history with the formicans as they try to outperform one another in various sections of work. Woodcarving and mandible displays are other popular pastimes often brought to trading hotspots.
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Vespans - passionate caretakers with a history of practiced battle abilities.
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Highly protective of their young and place a high emphasis on nurturing each generation. Certain hives still hold memorabilia from the Wrath’s Gate war, including skulls, feathers, and crafted ornamentation. Some solitary vespans disapprove of hive culture and believe it to be overly exacting of “unfavorable” behaviors. Flight competitions and hunting are popular pastimes.
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Formicans - reliable hosts, architects, farmers, and accomplished cartographers.
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Enthusiastic about bringing colonies together and exploration. After the initial connections made with the araneans, the formicans were quick to begin mapping the land, first for war preparations, and then for planning settlement expansions and trading routes. Each colony member is taught to readily give their lives for the benefit of the colony and the communities it upholds. No formican is greater than another, as each serves their own unique role, and the queen is the only one true superior, who should always rule with humble ambition, lest she be terminated.
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Salticans - curious **lore spinners and travellers of the world.
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Similar to eurypterans, they hold beliefs in dream walking, focusing on deep dreaming each night in order to find the string that connects them to the secrets of the old world.
A history of serving as spies during the time of the Wrath’s Gate war led them to hold a great deal of theories and legends about the old world, though secrecy is enforced within inner circles. Many salticans set off in search of artifacts and forgotten relics at a young age in hopes of securing a spot in the Palatial Webs History Museum and further uncovering the past’s mysteries. Being quick on your claws and calculated is necessary for every saltican traveller, and many expect that most of their lives will be spent away from home. Education takes place at an early age until they reach at least their sixth instar and embark on their first journey.
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Theraphosans - secluded figures of wisdom and keepers of old world knowledge.
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Dwindling in number since the start of the Triozoic, the theraphosans often stay hidden deep within the Labyrinth of Webs mountain range and Silk Peninsula. Some take up roles as keepers of the lower levels in the Palatial Webs History Museum. Many claim to be direct descendants of a Wrath’s Gate war leader from the early ages, but lineages are unclear and few have been confirmed. The teachings of said war leader have been passed through generations, helping spark the construction of the museum and continued efforts to uncover the secrets of the old world.
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Dendran cultures
Stationary - Whispering observers and protectors of the land.
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Communicate through vast root networks that make up the home forests of Acantha. They were one of the first lifeforms to develop true cognitive awareness and hold the last fragments of old-world memories. Their root systems are deeply intertwined with endophyte mycellan networks, with both benefitting through greater energy absorption and higher processing power. Stationary dendrans can spread news to other forest networks near instantaneously, and will often share seemingly inconsequential details about the happenings of the world. Stationary dendrans (and the mycellan networks they bond with) are responsible for all biotechnian life.
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Ambulatory - Peaceful wanderers of the valleys and forests.
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Formed from select severed roots and seeds by collective forest systems (stationary dendrans) to experience the world. Feeling a deep connection to the life of Acantha, they travel to experience cultures and lifestyles their parent forests cannot. It is expected (though in no way enforced) that at some point during their life, a stationary dendran will return to their parent forest so they can plant themselves and rejoin the collective root system to share their stories.
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Mycellan culture:
Endophyte - Inquisitive and caring facilitators.
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Avian cultures
Phalacrocorans - Secluded fishers of the windswept coasts.
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Corvidans - Ludic flight enthusiasts and culinary specialists.
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Strigidans - Wise chroniclers and humble herbalists.
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Biotechne culture
Peculiar beings of the deepwood.
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Telotechnian culture
An extinct race of technological beings from the previous period.
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Molluscan culture
Unknown/ nonexistent.