All right, my next project is soon to be started, but first I wanted to show you guys this thing.

You see, I've been developing a character for many years now. What started out as a talking Mr. Mime (yes, you readed it well) ended up growing into a whole race of impossible creatures, with many different species and genus. But despite all of this, I never, EVER, drawed the fellas or told people about them...It was all in my head.

Until I decided it was time to show these guys to the world....and here you go, people, in exclusive to MFGG, the world premiere of THE KOBALIDS!




It is unknown where the creatures known as Kobalids originated from. Perhaps a special breed that emerged along the first vertebrates to ever walk the Earth. Or an spontaneous mutation. Who knows. But what it's true is that the ancestors of these beings managed to thrive. They survived the cataclysm that exterminated the dinosaurs, and continued evolving into a wide variety of extraordinary creatures, with mankind completely ignoring their existance...until two years ago.

The time where humans discovered the most powerful life forms in the planet.

BIOLOGY

The best way to describe a Kobalid is like a dragon gene-spliced with a gorilla. Not too far away from the truth, because Kobalids have a very reptilian appearance and walk on their knuckles, much like apes. But Kobalids are not reptiles, mammals, or any other known taxa in the world. They're just "one of a kind"



-Average form of the two types of Kobalids, a Wyvern (top) and a Drac (bottom)-

The skin of a Kobalid is covered in a rather unique organic structure, an hybrid between scale and hair that acts the same way. Their skulls are big and boxy, powered by massive musculature. To support such a huge head, the neck is short and extremely well-muscled. Those of the Kobalis genus have also evolved wings, strong enough to fly. This way, they can reach incredible heights, even nearly surpass stratosphere. Their heart is two times bigger than those of humans, and to protect it their ribcages have turned into surprisingly thick armors of bone. All species have horns, but their shape and amount differs in each one

What gave Kobalids their fame is their impressive properties. Kobalids posses an incredible level of superhuman strength which increases indefinitely, proportional to their anger or level of emotional distress. Each species have a "base" strength level at which they can still lift many tons. When enraged, a Common Wyvern has been depicted lifting far in excess of 100 tons.

Due to the tremendous development of their leg muscles, Kobalids are capable of covering great distances by simply leaping, ordinarily a few miles in a single bound. However, as their strength increases, so does the distance they can jump. But Kobalids prefer flying to leaping, only using it when flight is not an option.

A Kobalid has a high resistance to physical damage, capable of withstand the impact of high-caliber artillery shells, falls from great heights, and powerful energy blasts without sustaining injury and resisting extreme temperatures, poisons, and diseases with no ill effect. In addition, the body of a Kobalid can regenerate damaged or destroyed areas of tissue at an amazing rate, almost instantly. Similar to strength, durability increases during times of great emotional stress.

As an extra, Kobalids have also a small gland in their bodies that makes an "oxygenated perfluorocarbon emulsion", giving them the capacity to hold their breath underwater for an extremely long period of time, as well as move quickly between varying depths without harm.

DIET

Kobalids are omnivorous, and there's practically nothing organic they can't digest. They will eat carrion, meat, fish, birds, insects, fruits, nuts, fungi, plants, bone and even rock. A Kobalid's gastric juices are the most corrosive substance known by science, dissolving anything that falls in the stomach in mere minutes. Kobalids can even eat things that would kill most creatures, such as sea snake poison.

Kobalids tend towards predatory, however, hunting and feeding on all kinds of animals, even those many times bigger. Given their monstrous strengh, their meal rarely escapes and is catched very easily, jaws and fists shattering bone like dried wood.

Also, a Kobalid's skull posses two pairs of projectable fangs in each jaw, designed to trap and slice big chunks of meat. The tongue is similar to a snake's, but it's tri-forked. Each edge is razor-sharp, perhaps to help grinding food.

REPRODUCTION

As strange as it may sound, Kobalids have no genitalia or reproductive organs. There aren't any female Kobalids to start with. How do they breed, then? The answer is quite interesting.

All Kobalids have in their cells a symbiotic kind of fungus. During certain parts of the year, their skins become spongy and mossy, as they release hundreds of tiny spores to the air. Kobalids themselves stop eating during those days and become easily-irritated, like snakes when they shed their skins

Most of these spores never get to develop, but those that do find fertile grounds grow into a small, unedible mushroom. After 5 months, the mushroom has grown to be several feet tall, and after 10, the cells inside start multiplying like cancer forming a larval Kobalid, or "squig" that quickly bursts from the dying fungus



- Kobalshroom and Squig-

The newborn, no bigger than a newt, already can dig through metal and spends it's time blindly devouring everything on it's path, locating food through an acute sense of smell (as it is blind and deaf) Approximately one day after their birth the squig undergoes a massive growth spurt and turns into a near-fully developed juvenile Kobalid.

Kobalid spores often mix between species, creating all sorts of hybrid specimens.

RELATIONSHIP WITH HUMANS

Kobalids are smarter than monkeys and have near human intelligence, able to learn any language. Still, they are unable to write or read, and do not even have a language of their own.

Because of their strengh and numbers, Kobalids are, obviously, feared and hated by most humans. If they wanted to, Kobalids could easily exterminate the human race and take their place as the dominant species, and that's why some groups have started a "war" against them, decided to kill them all before they do the same with us.

But the truth is, Kobalids avoid contact with mankind as long as they can, and do not directly attack them unless they menace their lives or domain. The only species that does attack and kill humans for food is the african Gnoll, and these are despised by most of the other Kobalids.

Nevertheless, friendship between human and Kobalid can be quite strong

TYPES OF KOBALIDS

Kobalids can be divided into two subfamilies: the generalised, more known Wyverns and the small, ground-based Dracs

Wyverns are the flying ones, the most feared and the kind people conjures a mental image of when mentioned the word "Kobalid"

-Common Wyvern: Kobalis kobalis
-Orc: Kobalis orcus
-Kobold/Cornish Wyvern: Kobalis sinensis
-Gnoll: Kobalis horridus ---The infamous man-eater
-Troll: Kobalis borealis
-Ogre: Kobalis brontus ---The most social
-Giant: Kobalis imperator ---BIGGEST KOBALID/CREATURE ON EARTH
-Uruk Hai/Black Orc: (Orc/Wyvern hybrid)
- Orog Hai/Black Beast (Orc/Ogre hybrid)
- Yheti (Ogre/Kobold hybrid)
- Gargant (Ogre/Giant hybrid)

Dracs are smaller (not much bigger than a large dog) and frailer-looking than Wyverns. Unable to fly, they are also weaker than their big cousins, their strengh being similar than a non-enraged Wyvern. Still, a Drak is a really dangerous opponent, as it is able to throw a tank around like a rag doll. They're more social than Wyverns, usually moving around in packs

-Common Drac: Errokobalis erronis
-Bandersnatch: Errokobalis belligerans
-Goblin: Errokobalis scrofa
-Gnoblar/Hill Drac: Errokobalis pauli
-Troglagob: Errokobalis arahorni
-Boggart: Errokobalis ferrox
-Gremlin: Errokobalis anniae --SMALLEST KOBALID
-Bloodcap: Errokobalis mongoliensis
-Tusk Drac: Errokobalis pictus
-Jabberwock: Errokobalis aggresimus ---BIGGEST DRAC
-Ogryn: (Gnoblar/Ogre hybrid)
-Boglar: (Gnoblar/Troglagob hybrid)
-Snotling: (Goblin/Gremlin hybrid)
-Hobgoblin: (Goblin/Drac hybrid)


.....So?

This post has been edited by Demonic Jello on Jan 1 2007, 07:46 PM

Lot of words.

The artwork is quite nice, and the writing of the information on this fictional species is, well, grand is the word I keep wanting to say. The only thing is, they would be hard to fit into a kind of story with humans I would think, with most seemingly being all but immortal. I also found it odd how you described it as such a frightening monsterous species, then quickly mentioned how it's intelect is so high, which makes sense in a way due to it being so strong in other areas, but the ability to learn any language? Would this mean they could talk with humans, at least at a basic level? Perhaps it's just the realism of the rest, but I keep finding it odd to see a creature capable of throwing around a tank like a rag doll and fly around and leap and eat metal able to talk with people.... Perhaps that's an ode to how well you described the rest?

Also, wonder what would happen if another tried to attack a Kobalshroom, or is it unedable in the sense of "you can't eat it if you tried, stop it"?

This post has been edited by Someguy on Jul 14 2006, 07:45 PM

The Drac looks like it is expelling feces. It is the eye.



IMO these would look good with some color, but that's not saying they're not good now.

AWESOME characters

you come up with the BEST Monster characters ever
GREAT details on them.

However i agree with Someguy to O_<

This post has been edited by NO Body on Jul 15 2006, 03:19 AM

I demand to see a cross between an Ogre Wyvern and a Goblin Drac.

Preferrably known as a Hobgoblin. :x




On a side note: Ever read The Relic? These remind me of what I imagined the monster Mbwun to look like, except + wings + awesome semi-projectile fangs + different, more unique take on mobile heterotroph/sessile autotroph(... even though fungi are generally heterotrophs too...) symbiosis + making me want one/want a game/rp involving them.

Recap: Awesome, awesome, sdgsdf, and

EDIT: just realized post-narial gap for fangs is making me remember abelisaurids, so + 10 win points for making me remember random theropod families.

This post has been edited by zasshou on Jul 15 2006, 03:19 AM

The animals look awsome and their descriptions are very in depth. Very good job.

Awesome...



Just... Awesome. it's so in depth i could swear i was reading an encyclopedia.

sdgsdf Hobgoblins <3

Knew you guys would like this

All right, here are the answers for Someguy and NO Body

-Kobalids can learn any language indeed, but only at a very basic level. Think on The Hulk. More complicated words just do not enter in their skulls

Still, they only use it when humans are around. As soon as they are alone they revert to the usual grunts and growls

-Kobalids are by no means inmortal. They do age, but since their cells are constantly being replaced this is kind of hard to tell. And their amazing regenerative abilities have a weakness: Fire and acid considerably slow down the process.

For example, if you manage to cut a Wyvern's arn off, it will regenerate in seconds. But if you burn the remaining stump, it will take a whole day for the arm to grow back.

-The Kobalshroom is actually the most vulnerable state of a Kobalid in its whole life. You can easily destroy one, but don't try to eat it, the taste is awful

Hehe, in some way, my Race Flamions are somewhat similar...









ROOOOTTTTTSSSSS ^_^

I realized that too....If I didn't create them before joining MFGG one might say they're a rip off.

I also used to (and still do) imagine mini-stories starring Kobalids. The most persistent one is about a jerky, short tempered Kobold that lives alone in a jungle-like forest near a city, with the human cast of Digimon Frontier being its only friends

Most of these stories involved margination, with the Wyvern Hunters constantly trying to slay him and the rest of the urban people fearing him

I tend to do that at school run episodes of TV shows that my brain has recoreded

I should write one for Flamions :l

So when'll we see more of these?

Later I'll post a drawing showing all Kobalid species, and tell a bit about each one.

Just to show you guys how much I've put on these guys

Sweet ^_^ im working on the flamion's as of now :P

You better! >:)

Now I think on it, a crossover would kick arse

Hell yes >: D