Quartan3
By Metallic Dragon
Fields of Quartan3By Metallic DragonWhat sort of noises can the Zvers make? I'd assume they vocalize themselves through growls, similar to a canine, but what's their limit for high and lower pitches?? Do they communicate in this manner between themselves very much, or do they use body language more?
-Zvers communicate through a series of higher pitched yips, barks, and snarls. Basically mix the vocalizations of a coyote with those of a cougar and you'll get their sounds(a zver scream of anger is probably one of the most terrifying noises you'll ever hear haha). However, those who have studied them in their family groups suspect a deeper form of communication, likely telepathic, that they use not only for hunting, but for private conversations as well.
Body language factors in of course, as with all creatures, but it isn't a significant form of communication in the way their telepathy and vocalizations are.
The telepathic communication is interesting though- it definitely proves their intelligence and explains their lack of a spoken language, as a high level of communication is probably needed for an intelligent spices to thrive, but begs the question- could they potentially learn to communicate with humans telepathically? You've said that they can 'discern for themselves what someone’s intentions', could they also learn to communicate their own thoughts or intentions to humans? Maybe? maybe not? I'll still curious about their level of telepathic communication- how much can they convey? Specific thoughts? Or more general emotions? What's the range? How close do they have to be?
-Potentially, not a lot is known yet about how much zvers can communicate telepathically as scientists are only beginning to recognize that they can communicate with each other that way. So far they appear to have a clear sense of language(so I'd say they can communicate specific thoughts) with one another and can communicate individually with one another or over a group(usually only seen while hunting together, the lead hunter in the hunting party directs individuals where they need to move and how to execute the plan of attack). The range appears to be no more than a half mile at most, and even then it only works if those they are communicating with are focused and listening for orders(hence why group communication is only used when hunting). Otherwise they can communicate fairly easily at a close range and, as far as we've learned, can send their thoughts to only one zver within a 50 foot radius(made clear by an alpha calling one individual forward to speak with them, others in the pride looked up only after the one called stood and made their way to the alpha). Keep in mind that much of this is only theorizing as we can only observe since much of this communication only takes place between pride members and zvers that separate from their pride to follow a human have not yet shown any indication of speaking with that human, instead appearing to rely on body language and vocal sounds.
More research is being done, but human/zver prides are difficult to find as many do not trust others(especially not government officials or scientists) with their zver companions.
Edit: Yes, zvers can speak with humans in a form of one-way telepathy. Humans cannot respond telepathically to the zvers though
I guess there isn't much we know yet on them being able to speak telepathically, but I am wondering if there has been indication of them being able to speak telepathically with non-humans (or, the Zver speaking telepathically and the other responding audibly). And on that same line, I wanted to ask if it is acceptable to have our Zver living with/bonding to non-humans (mainly, other CS species, assuming they live on Earth)
-They wouldn't bond as closely with other species, but they can as long as those species exist on earth. As for whether or not they can speak telepathically with non humans, this would be far more likely as they are certainly closer to zvers than humans are. That's not to say it's not possible that zvers cannot speak telepathically with humans, there have just been no known cases thus far.
Of course, as zvers are known to learn and understand human languages very easily, they would very likely be able to learn and understand the languages of non humans as well. If those non human species speak in a similar way(via barks, snarls, etc) zvers could potentially learn how to communicate audibly with them in their own tongue since their vocal chords would likely respond better to similar animalistic sounds(but they'd probably have one heck of an accent haha)
Do different Zvers have differences in terms of strength of telepathic abilities, and would it be possible to have Zvers that had no telepathic abilities? Is this an ability they have to learn to use, or is it an innate ability that they would gradually develop over time?
Alphas would have the strongest ability, only because they generally use it over greater distances to communicate with their full pride much more often than regular pride members would need to. Quartan3 born zvers always have strong telepathic abilities due to being born into the pride social structure. It would be possible that zvers born on earth might have very weak abilities if they are not immediately acclimated into a pride environment. Orphaned zvers or those that are born and taken away from their family wouldn't be able to use their telepathy very well if at all as they wouldn't be properly socialized.
Would it be safe to say that if a Zver, with weakened telepathy skills were to try communication with a human would it simply be a montage of images going by too quickly for a human brain to comprehend or could it be like indistinctive muttering that grows louder in volume? Or could it perhaps be different for everyone depending on your Zver?
-It is my scientific opinion that if a zver could communicate with a human and that zver's telepathy were weakened by improper socialization with their own kind, the zver would speak in a very broken way, whatever that way is, similar to a radio cutting out when it has a bad signal. This would be due to their weakened signal ability, so even though they could see their own communications they're trying to send, those they're trying to communicate with would miss chunks of information.
My own Zver, is an earth born Zver so to what extent would their own prowess of telepathically communicating be as opposed to Quartan3 born Zvers? Would they communicate far more elaborately than an earthborn? And if so is there a way to teach earthborn's of their 'mother tongue?'
-An earthborn zver, if properly socialized with others of its own kind, would speak just as clearly and in their mother tongue as zvers from their home world.
Though i suppose a zver that has lived only with humans or lived alone would develop a sort of Quanglish(or whatever human language they've learned mixed with quartanese). Zvers that have had limited interaction with their own kind can learn proper quartanese if they spend time with a properly socialized or otherwise Quartan3 born zver. This would occur much like learning and understanding human languages, though it would take much longer to strengthen their telepathy, even if they learned to speak perfect quartanese.
Until they learned their mother tongue though, yes, they would likely speak in a very strange sort of slang x3
Can Zvers communicate telepathically in ways that aren't through language, instead sending images, or emotions? Could a Zver 'send' a general feeling of anger or happiness to another Zver, without explicitly saying 'I'm happy/ect', which might sort of be like how humans can guess how others a feeling by their facial expression and body language, which, a Zver might not be able to see if it was not in sight. Or would that kind of thing be gained from how they 'spoke' telepathically, because you could pick up emotions from the tone.
-Yes. Though body language is used to convey most emotions if two zvers are speaking at close range
what is the average lifespan of a Zver?
In the wild they live about the same length of time as a captive cougar, so anywhere from 20-30 years. That can be almost doubled if they are living with a human, extending their life to 40-60 years if well cared for.
Before the blue aliens' invasion, was there any higher command structure than the heads and queens of particular groups, like a government or high council?
Not really, zvers all live within their own prides and with their families. It was just kind of an unspoken law not to invade other pride lands, though fights did occasionally break out between different prides over borders.
Are there any other sentient or near-sentient creatures on their homeworld?
Zvers tend to keep to themselves on their homeworld. Much like predators on Earth, they prefer not to get to know their prey on a personal basis as it would only make things uncomfortable when they need to eat. Family dynamics exist in most of the other indigenous Quartan3 species, so it's very likely that they are sentient as well, though perhaps not as intelligent to the point of being able to learn and understand other species.
Are there any seadwelling predators on their homeworld?
Yup, but zvers don't spend much time in the water, so they don't know much about them except when dead ones wash ashore
are there any cool plants on Quartan3?
Quartan3 has a lot of plant life, though it is hardy and tough. There's nothing like Earth grass that's soft to lay on and what not. Even the grasses are tough and spiky due to the harsh weather changes and lengths of days and nights throughout the year.
"What do zvers eat, if they live in a colder climate?
Is there still vegetation?"
The same as other zvers, Relkirin are our primary source of prey and they live all over the planet just like we do. The vegetation in the colder climates is dry and brittle, but it survives all the same
"Was the climate on your home planet different to the weather patterns here?"
Yes, the planet has a much larger and closer star and no moon to speak of. The weather patterns fluctuate violently, because with no moon the planet wobbles much more violently on its axis. This makes the length of days and nights vary, and the weather to jump all over the place throughout the years.
Do Zvers ever use tools, or do they just use teeth and paws?"
Nope, Zvers rely on their natural tools. They're intelligent, but not technologically inclined. They prefer a more feral approach to things rather than making changes and trying to advance their knowledge and lives by building things.
Did zvers have any pets or anything similar to pets back home
Nope, Zvers didn't care for most of the other species on Quartan3. If it wasn't a zver, it was food(except those poisonous beasties, they steer clear of those)
So, can you communicate telepathically with creatures other than Zvers and humans? Is there a language barrier or confusion over more complicated ideas?
I thought humans were complicated creatures in their language. So many different variations, body language, and then apparently ya'll can't communicate via telepathy so I don't know how you speak to one another privately like ever. But your animals. We can understand their verbal language in the same way we can understand yours, but like humans, they cannot use telepathy so we can only press ideas at them and wait for a verbal response. And apparently most of them don't understand that we could have come from another place. They have so many languages as well, even just between different packs within a species, it's very confusing to try and understand them all.
Do Zvers have any long-term plan or goals now? For example, do you plan to stay on Earth for the foreseeable future, or to try and find another habitable planet (without humans on)?
Well, we're not highly advanced to the point of being able to build or even control ships to leave the Earth. If we did, I certainly would try to return home. We know more about how the Noch act now and what to expect, so if I could go back I'd get my family together and we'd take on those invaders.
What kind of wildlife do you have on your planet?
Not anything you've got here! We had the Relkirin of course, they look pretty similar to your elk. Smaller rodent-like creatures, we didn't pay much attention to them since they were neither a good prey source nor a threat. Basically we had a wide range of creatures just like on Earth. But nothing like you humans, at least not until the noch showed up and ruined everything
what do the dogs ,cats, and other creatures of earth think of zvers?
Oh yeah, they certainly don't care much for us. The dogs can't chase us though, we're so much bigger than most of them, and much more dangerous.
Were there ever any healers? If so what could you tell me about them?
Well, not really. At least not an official one. We were all taught from a young age hour to tend injuries and treat our most common illnesses. Of course, all of that is pretty useless here, since the plants aren't the same and we're more likely to end up with a bullet wound than a relkirin stab wound
What is a Relkirin?
The primary recognized food source of zvers living on Quartan3 are the Relkirin. Similar in appearance and build to elk on Earth, they are well known for their enormous antlers and thick, wooly fur. Male relkirin have a third horn in the center of their forehead used for jousting. This horn is much longer than their antlers and is a formidable weapon when used to fight off an attacking zver pride.
Female relkirin also have antlers, though they are smaller and used only as a means of defense rather than attack like the male’s horn. The females also have exceptionally long ears reminiscent of a lop-eared rabbit while males ears are shorter and stand upright.
When hunting relkirin, zvers often wait until the early hours of the morning to make their attack as relkirin cannot see well at dusk and dawn due to the shape of their pupils and the slight tint to their vision that works much like sunglasses during the bright daylight hours and nightvision during the dark hours of the night. Unfortunately for them, the inbetween time leaves them highly vulnerable to attack.
Can you tell us anything about these cruel blue alien creatures?
We've heard them called Noch. They're nasty human-like aliens that many of our young call the bringers of death. They don't have recognizable sexes and reproduce in a group ceremony, joining hands to combine their auras. It's actually pretty creepy. They just go still for a full day and night. After that they start growing all big and weird for three weeks and eventually divide every cell to become two adult Noch. Creepy stuff if you ask me, they split their memories and knowledge too, so they don't lose any knowledge over time.
They're crazy intelligent because of this, so it didn't take them long to start destroying zver prides and cut down the relkirin.
Do you Zvers feel affection for each other as we humans do, or is it different for you?
We certainly can! We have very complex emotions just like humans
Are there areas with different climates or environments on your home planet like there are on Earth?
It depends on the year. Our climate and seasons change drastically since we have no moon to help ground the planet's axis. That's part of the reason we're so tough and why we could just jump right into life on Earth, with such a drastically changing climate back home, unless we preferred a warm climate, we just made do with what we were given. I like Earth in that way though, it's so much more predictable here.
how big were the packs on Quartan3 generally
prides can grow to be anywhere from a single group of a set of parents and their cubs all the way up to about 20 members. That many is usually pretty uncomfortable so it's uncommon to see that many, a typical pride contains about 10 or so members
how often do you find Zvers that are without a pack?
It's pretty common, a lot of the males like to go out looking for split females to start their own pride and vice versa. That's how my pride began actually!
Is there any unified Zver religion or belief system?
My pride believed in a whole lot of something. What that was, we don't know. But there's got to be some sort of higher power that created us, right? I don't believe it was a unified religion though, just the belief system of my pride. I think such a thing would vary from zver to zver based on how they were raised and their personal feelings on the matter.
Your home planet was pretty all-over purple and pink, so do the varied pigmentations of Zvers have any evolutionary advantage other than camouflage? Or are they just a weird vestige or something?
They're basically just camouflage. We were the apex predator back home, and our prey was basically blind in the early dawn and twilight hours due to their pupil shape and vision tint so our range of colors didn't cause problems when we were stalking them. Plus most of the indigenous species on the planet were color blind so as long as we didn't move from a primarily light environment to a dark one or the other way around, we could blend pretty well. I would say, in general, our varied pigmentations are just an evolutionary quirk. With the main color of the planet being shades of purple and pink, you would expect that we'd be similar shades, but since our colors have never affected our ability to capture our prey, and since we haven't had any need to hide from a higher predator until the Noch came, we've continued to bear a wide range of colors. I expect that over the next millennia, if we live that long on Earth, Zvers will slowly gain more natural color ranges to hide on this planet since humans hunt us down and kill those they can find easily. And the zvers left at home will begin to change as well, since the ones who blend with the colors of Quartan3 will be less likely to be shipped off-planet as well.
