The Balance of Life and Death in Creatures
There was quite an influx of youngsters in Creatures Docking Station, thanks to the alpha couple! Keersho and Ginda’s four eggs soon began to crackle and rustle, and the little Norns who emerged were just what I had been hoping for. Movshi and Ossena were forced to be immediately exported, though they still got to explore the nest area for a few minutes. The real triumph was in Lyphon and Newbeau: They actually had a different tail! This gave me some hope that the next alpha male might have a slightly unique appearance. The young brothers quickly joined their older brethren, and the four seemed to get along very well.
Keersho was in a sort of hibernation and stupor for a little while, yet he quickly perked up after a refreshing feast of apples and seeds! Pelix was the next to hit his radar, though she was cursed with just a single egg. As I expected, the egg hatched into a very attractive male named Pedlon. The Fallow Norn body still had not been passed along to this generation, and the last hope was Onlaga… Otherwise known as the most angry and violent Norn of them all. Poor Keersho would have to put up with a beating if she were to become pregnant! That seemed like a long shot.
Don’t panic: Quadra is meant to look completely new and unique! With a very small number of females for the next generation and a general lack of diverse appearances, I decided to introduce another first generation Norn. Quadra is a Deep Norn, a breed created by the wonderful Ghosthande who just celebrated a birthday this week! The choice seemed rather fitting. Depending on how the next generation progresses, there may be two new females rather than the standard one. Quadra enjoyed her new home immensely, though she certainly stood out! Time would tell how well she would blend in… If ever!
As with most things in life, this vast amount of happiness had to be tempered with some sadness. I had long known that Varel would pass away at a young age. Her genetic mutation meant that there was no way for her to feel less tired when asleep. I expected her life to be pretty miserable, but she actually traveled and interacted with many of the females. Her death actually caught me off guard: I thought she had overcome her handicap and would survive. I took solace in the smile on her face. Varel died peacefully in her sleep, and will be missed. She was Ginda’s cousin, so she will still live on in an indirect way. Sadly, that mutation ended up taking her life. Farewell, Varel.
As if the sadness could be sensed, Keersho got to work trying to bring more happiness to the world! Ginda laid a beautiful set of two eggs just before the unthinkable happened: Onlaga became pregnant! She was the last hope for the Fallow Norn body to be passed along, though I worried that her highly violent tendencies might be passed down. Hopefully this meant that I would have a few more Norns to keep in the world!
Wow, if Quadra passes on her genetics, you certainly will have a new look to her offspring! Imagine if she becomes alpha…
And thanks to you, I just started raising the second generation of norns in this same way. I also had a very unexpected death: An adorable little female took a single step, then closed her eyes and died standing. That must have been some serious mutation, not something I expected on a second generation norn! I was kind of sad. She was so cute, and when I say she never got to do more than take a single step, I am being literal.
Oh, and can you clarify the alpha couple rules a bit? From what I have gathered, the alpha female can only give birth to males and other females can only give birth to females, or the baby is exported. Non-alpha females that breed are exported. However, what do you do about babies not descended from the alpha male? Are there not any rules for that?
Glad to hear you’re using this concept with a second generation! The unexpected death sounds like it was very sad, though. Hopefully you won’t run into many of those! In regards to the babies, I only keep the males from the alpha female and the females from all others. Any first generation Norns added to the population follow the inferior (non-alpha) female rules: They have a chance at breeding once, are exported, and then only their daughters remain in the world. Hopefully that makes things a little easier! I’m definitely going to be putting a guide together soon.
Quadra strikes me as an odd choice – aren’t Deep Norns immortal? Good luck to her all the same.
A very valid point, Malkin! Immortality is not something that really comes into play in this scenario, since each generation is exported at a certain point. There’s also a pretty good chance that any immortality wouldn’t affect the entire population… Barring Quadra becoming the alpha female! I suppose a lot of it is up to chance on the genetics side, and which Deep Norn genes are passed along. I completely understand your concern, though, since this doesn’t quite fit in with the very natural model I have going on. If things go awry, I’ll have no one but myself to blame. Let’s just hope Quadra doesn’t mess up the gene pool!