Zigerot
Human: "For the last time, the trees are not going to kill yo-
*Chomp!*
*Munching sounds*
Dwarf: "I TOLD YOU! The trees will kill us-"
-The last words of Kirick Treespliter
Full Description
The Zigerot is a Tree like life form, When sleeping it takes on the exact appearance of a dead tree. When awake it takes on the exact appearance of a dead tree with a toothy mouth. It's apatite is almost all meat(As being a herbivore would be just plain silly but there are some cases where they have eaten another plant). It eats any creature it can get Sink its teeth into.
It's main habitat is Swamps and other wet and slimy places, it is said that the zigerot love the water so much, that they can live under water... this has yet to be busted by the Legend Busters.
The Zigerot is usually around 10-16 feet fully grown. It tends to be stationary but it can move, its roots are so strong it can actually pick its self up and move to a better location.
It's roots are also sensitive so can feel the slightest vibrations in the ground. It knows where and what is with in a half a mile radius of its self.
It's only means of defense(apart from it being made of wood) is its teeth and its roots.
Gender seems to be a bit of a mystery with the zigerot. It's known that two are needed to mate, and the one usually eats the other in the process. But other then that nothing else is known.
Additional Information
This Creature fuels the Dwarven believe that Trees are of the evil alignment, and the Legend busters wont even touch that one.
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? Responses (9)
not a bad idea, i think it shows a lot of promise, keep at it and maybe it will turn into a grand piece, heres a few questions that i thought of to help you maybe put sum more into it.
why do they eat people(race history)?
does it have any other likenesses?
who r the legend busters, maybe u shud write a seperate submisssion on them, the name sounds ... intrigueing..., n i wouldnt mind seeing a sub about them sum time, you mind if i try, n then we could put in a joint submission?
keep at it man
Okay, there might be a grain of a good idea here(I do have a thing for giant plant monsters, having submitted a few), but the presentation of this sub is very below par. Your first sub was much better written and spellchecked then this one.
This needs to be put back in work and corrected. Since you have already submitted a better sub then this one already, it shows you can. Please do, and I'll vote.
Chilled: even in comments we would prefer non-chat speach. The main site code of conduct says it best - pleaas don't use L33t!
I have to agree with Valadaar, this one should be put in the "In Work" section.
Updated: Ok. I updated it with a bit better grammer. tell me if it needs any thing else
A great deal?
I recommend looking at some of the other lifeform submissions to get an idea of what you're missing.
Questions to consider: why does it exist? Is it the progeny of some evil god, a freak result of some magic-tainted swamp that has survived, the work of some mad druid? Are they an ancient race from days of legend, seeking to quell the 'quick' races? Why do they love water so much? Do they ever approach drier lands, or are they swamp-dwelling exclusively? Are there any beneficial properties to them, such as fragments an alchemist or mage might want, or an instinct to 'tend' the lands around them? What plot hooks can you think of to be associated with them?
As you have it written right now, this is more of a stub than anything else. Also, the submission section has a button you can click to check the spelling; if you do it on every submission, you'll come across as a fair bit more articulate.
You mention 'legend busters' without providing anything of use; it seems more like a random 'hey cool name' than anything actually involved in the submission itself.
Legend Busters = Mythbusters, clever.
Other than that this feels like looking at a Spooky Halloween Tree.
Even *with* the Myth Busters line it feels like looking at a cartoon 'spooky' tree.
I hope I don't cause offence at taking a crack at a re-write, and adding my ideas in the process.
The common zigerot (Zigerotis cerris) is a large, carnivorous, land-dwelling cousin to the hydrazoa. In its adult form it typically ranges from ten to sixteen feet in length at full tentacle extension. A visual mimic, this animal's exoskeleton (theca) resembles bark and a leafless oak tree. As an ambush predator, it lies in wait with its distinctive grinding mouthparts attached to the soil (which also helps anchor it in high wind) with its sensitive branch-like tentacles raised rigidly in the air, alert for any vibrations or chemical scent of prey in the air. When food is detected, the body bends back, bending the trunk so that the 'branches' touch the ground. Raising its mouth from the ground, the multi-toothed maw is brought upward & forward to engulf the prey. The short 'roots', actually feeding tentacles, try to whip and sting. The zigerot's stinging cnidocytes is not further developed from their smaller kin; though it contains a potent paralysing neurotoxin when employed against microscopic targets, it is merely a painful stinging used against large animals, similar to that of some jellyfish. When attacking, a distant observer will see what appears to be a tree turn upside down & try to smash someone with the base of its root cluster. The unfortunate victim sees only the great Sarlaccian mouth. When moving to a new hunting ground--which is an uncommon occurrence--the 'upper' tentacles, the branches, act as the means of locomotion.
The freshwater zigerot (Zigerotis lobatae) is identical to its more common cousin, save for its environment & long, spindly, drooping tentacles. These lack the fully-developed theca that helps protect Z. cerris from dehydration, and this causes gravity to pull them downward, resembling a dead willow more than a dead oak.
False coral (Zigerotis protobalanus) and rare Blanchard's Coral (Z. mesobalanus) are the less common members of genus Zigerotis. In habitat, form, structure, and lifestyle, these are more similar to the coral they mimic than their terrestrial cousins. The so-called Blancard's Coral, which is actually a type of zigerot and not coral at all, is a communal organism. Unique among the other zigerots, this species features the neotenous traits of having a hard theca and reproductive ability without the normal metamorphosis of budding & splitting. Like proper coral, Z. mesobalanus makes their homes upon the corpses of their parents and ancestors. False coral (Z. protobalanus) on the other hand, feeds in much the same way as the common terrestrial Z. cerris. The primary distinction--as with Z. lobate--is in appearance and habitat. False coral, as its name implies, has a stony pale reddish theca. It retains the cracked appearance from age, but grows in spurts while more rapidly filling in the gaps in the carapace. This causes a more spiny or thorny appearance as broader layers from new growth push the older & sharper sections outward. The greater weight of protobalanus's theca is alleviated by buoyancy, but they are no more mobile than either the common or freshwater zigerots. Z. protoblanus and mesobalanus are fully marine.
All zigerots are completely blind, lacking even the minimal vision of their tiny marine ancestors. They are as long-lived however, and have been known to haunt an area for many decades, perhaps centuries. They also retain the impressive regenerative capabilities, but due to their much greater size the apparent effect of healing seems slow.
All forms of zigerots reproduce by budding--again, common to other hydrazoa--but in a destructive manner. On the rare occasions that two meet--any two of the same species, as they are monoecious as well as semelparous--they intertwine their 'upper' tentacles with the dangerous mouths kept far apart, all while Barry White plays in the background. After mutual fertilisation the pair separates, and new buds grow on each parent. These lack the protective theca shell, and emerge from the parent mouth-first. These buds quickly grow, and take nutrients from the parent's body at a lethal rate. Within two weeks the buds have drained the progenitor dry, leaving only a lifeless husk. The parent's shell then breaks apart under the weight of its children--killing some in the fall as they lack a protective coating at this point. Some juveniles may form colonies in the location, but most species separate after birth. The protective theca forms after the first week or two following separation/birth, but does not resemble tree bark for much of the first year. As the zigerots do not molt, the shell cracks as the body expands, and it is the process of breaking down over time that gives the naturally light bluish skin the darker shade of wood. Most juvenile zigerots do not survive this crucial first year.
I just couldn't wrap my brain around 'Dwarves think trees are of evil alignment' to add in the Legend Busters. Most of that is the 'evil alignment' part that I haven't had to deal with in a roleplaying game in many many moons. Deal with evil, certainly, but not alignments..