Kreature

Foddox, a common species of Kreature.

Dimentiara is home to a wide range of fantastic monsters known locally as Kreatures.

Traits

Kreatures are an evolutionary grade of ultra powerful mutant life forms. Each Kreature has a Nucleus that emits a Nucleo-Aura which they can use to attack or defend themselves. They blur the lines between taxonomic boundaries, showing genetic and phenotypic traits of animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, etc, but Kreatures are none of these things, making them Monsters in the truest sense of the term. Indeed, the Aura could be thought of as actually being the Kreature itself, with the host body simply functioning as biological scaffolding for the aura to weave itself into.

Kreatures are nigh-indestructible, as the only thing capable of breaching a Kreature's aura is another aura of equal or greater potency. They are also capable of using surplus aura to regenerate their bodies from any injury so long as their nucleus remains intact. Kreatures can possess many different special powers, such as fire breath, eyebeams, telekinesis, etc. These powers are best understood as expressions of their auras, which can warp reality within their own boundaries.

Some Kreatures are capable of metamorphosis, through which they can grow from a Null-Form into successive Meta-Forms. Kreatures without this ability are referred to as Ametabolic Kreatures.

Despite their amazing abilities, Kreatures are still mortal beings that need to eat, breathe, sleep and so on. Kreatures may also succumb to prolonged exposure to incompatable environments (eg: an aquatic Kreature could suffocate if it's trapped on land.) If a Kreature's nucleus is destroyed, its aura will collapse and fade away.

The people in Dimentiara have built a high tech civilization that exists in symbiosis with the Kreatures that they've created through bioengineering. Individuals who are licensed to keep Kreatures are known as Kreature Tamers, which they utilize for Kreature Combat and other activities.

Etymology

The word "Kreature" is derived from the Old-Terran word "creature", which was used as a synonym for a "animal" or "living being." Following the arrival of humans in Dimentiara, the word gradually evolved into its present form, which is more narrowly defined as pertaining specifically to organisms possessing a Nucleus that contains Aura.

Origins

Horizontal gene transfer refers to the movement of genetic material between unrelated life forms through means outside of reproduction. DNA from one life form can be introduced into the cells of another by absorption through cell membranes, direct transfer by viruses, or by cell-to-cell contact. There's something about aura binding itself to an organism's cells that kicks horizontal gene transfer into overdrive, and this process was instrumental to how Kreatures originally evolved.

When Dimentiara was first seeded with aura, individual particles would bioaccumulate in great density within the tissues of compatible life forms. These "Proto-Kreatures" were brimming with parasitic aura fragments that hung out benignly in their host bodies' cells, but they did not yet have specialized nuclei to produce them. As Dimentiara's prehistoric life became larger and more complex, new strains of aura evolved alongside them, becoming true endosymbiotes. They began integrating foreign DNA into their hosts to modify them further into more suitable vessels and developed proper Nuclei capable of emitting Nucleo-auras, evolving into the first true Kreatures.

Such a union is not unprecedented in nature. The cells of all eukaryotic organisms contain organelles called mitochondria which evolved from endosymbiotic bacteria. Mitochondria supply cellular energy, moderate the cell's growth, and perform other essential tasks which keep the cell alive. One can't function without the other: just like the Kreature and its Nucleo-aura.

Types

• Wild Kreatures: Kreatures which evolved and exist naturally in the wild.
  • Mystery Kreatures: a sub-type of Wild Kreatures whose existence is disputed or unsubstantiated
• Bioengineered Kreatures: Kreatures which have been created by science to perform various functions.
  • Battle Kreatures: designed for fighting, be it for armed conflict or recreational Kreature Combat
  • Domestic Kreatures: designed for companionship as pets
  • Utility Kreatures: designed for practical usage such as eating, riding, construction, etc
  • Cyborg Kreatures: designed with biometallic exoskeletons and built-in artificial parts
• Micro Kreatures: miniature Kreatures that lack a proper aura which may or may not be symbiotic with typical Kreatures