I've been working on this story and its characters since 8/7/2017, as far as I can tell. That's when its main document was created on my computer, anyway.
I've been wanting to share it with someone else for a long time; my sister already knows everything about it, and we're even trying to start a roleplay between us and a few other friends on Skype. But..she's really unreliable for things like this. It's been over seven months since she's posted anything, but I have been talking to her about it in person.
So, yeah. I just wanted to make this stuff public so other people can leave their thoughts on it.
This will take me a while...
HUMANS WEREN'T ALWAYS ALONE ON EARTH.
Centuries ago, they lived together with another race, one that would eventually leave Earth and find a world of their own. This race was known as paxunians. There were also many other creatures that none of us remember now; fossils of such creatures have been discovered by today's race and deemed fake by those who didn't know what else to say. The paxunians were naturally stronger than the humans, and some of them were even able to take in magic from the air. Determined to prove they were superior, humans tried multiple experiments on the coros, attempting to get magic of their own. As much as the paxunians tried to stop them, the humans simply ignored their warnings. Eventually, these experiments caused the coros to go extinct. The paxunians were so furious and horrified that they joined up to find a different planet for themselves, where they vowed no creature would be driven to extinction. Twenty-three of their strongest sorcerers joined together to create a wormhole to a different part of the universe. All the paxunians followed them, along with some of the more unusual creatures. They named their planet Paxunium.
Paxunium is divided up into five continents and eight kingdoms, most of which have a paxunian leader. Most species can communicate with each other through a combination of spoken language, sign language, body language, and telepathy.
But now, creatures are disappearing left and right in large numbers. The baswi are on the brink of extinction, and the paltingus aren't doing much better. It seems like only a human would be cruel enough to cause this, but it's been years since any human was seen in Paxunium...
SPECIES IN PAXUNIUM
Note: I can safely say that I've spent more time developing the species of this world than anything else. I came up with these designs and names on my own, so if it's similar to something else you've seen, that's entirely a coincidence. I apologize in advance if anything here is similar to one of your characters or stories. I really don't want to change anything here, so maybe we can work something out if our stories are too similar.
Slitfe
Pronunciation: Slit-fee
Leader: Blodmyst (pronounced sort of like blodd-mist)
(massive, male, gray-and-white, yellow eyes, king cobra tail)

--Slitfes are built like huge tigers. They have snakes for tails; the slitfe can control the snake as easily as it can control its own paw. When a slitfe is born, its tail is also a baby snake. The snake grows as the slitfe does, although strangely enough, it doesn't need food.
-From the size of a horse to the size of a bus, tail not included--their tails can be 3-7 feet.
-Ranking and social status are based on size. Larger slitfes are looked up to (pun intended) and are typically the ideal choice for leaders, while smaller ones are generally given terrible jobs and treated like an entirely different species.
-Despite being built like a tiger, they can always have the coloring of a domestic cat; this includes things like tortoiseshell, calico, and point markings.
-The snake can be any breed known to humans, and they still have their venom.
-Some believe that a slitfe with a baswi for a tail is possible, but it's never happened.
Cadynek
Pronunciation: Cuh-die-nick
Leader: Veldai (pronounced vell-day)
(male, pictured below)

--Cadyneks are basically lizards with feathered wings, and feathers everywhere but their feet and head. They have a larger feather, usually darker in color, at the end of their tails.
-From the size of your hand to the size of a cat
-ANY color. The feathers are always in the same spectrum as scales (if the scales are green, the feathers will be some shade of green), and their eyes are black.
-They have venom in their teeth--it eats away at the skin, much like the venom of a brown recluse. The cure isn't easy to come by, and depending on where the scratch is, it can kill you as soon as a week from the attack.
-They will only attack you if they feel threatened, but they're easy to miss and you might accidentally step on one. You have to watch your step, as cadyneks can live anywhere.
Baswi
Pronunciation: Boss-wee for singular, boss-why for plural. Same spelling.
Leader: Menari (men-are-ee)
(10ft, female, dark red, white horn)

-Basically? Snakes with bat-like wings. Some can have mostly transparent wings, but it's very rare. These baswi are commonly known as 'glasswing baswi'.
-3-22 feet in length. Average wingspan is about five feet, but longer baswi = bigger wingspan.
-Their color usually blends in with their surroundings, so usually brown or earthy tones. Nothing too unrealistic has been seen, maybe white or dull purple could work. But you're not going to find a hot pink or neon blue baswi.
-Most live in heavily forested areas, but some live in volcanic regions. Not many live on Pekada.
-All baswi are treated equally, regardless of length, wing size, gender, etc. Leaders are chosen based on personality, not physical attributes. Also, no baswi have any kind of venom.
-Females have a horn on their noses.
Reija
Pronunciation: Ray-jah (same singular and plural...loVE ME)
Leader: Jehad (jay-hod)
(male, pictured below)

-They have the build of cats, but...dragon wings...ugh, so original.
-They can be anywhere from the size of a brick to a medium-sized dog, but smaller ones usually don't live that long.
-Again, their colors usually blend in with their surroundings; sand-colored, gray, black, brown, and orange are common.
-Reija live only on Pekada. They have a natural immunity to fire and other forms of heat due to their habitat; you could kill a reija by throwing it into Mount Rorag, of course, but touching hot volcanic rock and scorching sand just doesn't bother them.
-Their skin is very tough; it's difficult to draw blood unless you have the claws of a reija.
-Reija, while intimidating and fiery in appearance, are surprisingly good with plants. In the past, some reija had huge gardens of cacti and other desert plants. They were the caretakers and guardians of the gerenna trees. (view 'Scraps' document)
-Before Jehad was born, poachers started to invade Pekada. They hunted the reija for their tough, heat-resistant skin and their powerful claws, and destroyed the gerenna trees by taking all of their leaves. Although it was highly illegal and went against everything Paxunium stood for, the poachers eventually drove the reija to the brink of extinction. Now Jehad is the last known reija.
-Reija can live for a long time, much longer than normal cats.
Fizar
Pronunciation: Feez-are
Leader: Spyre (just like the word "spire")
(female, pure white, pale blue pupils and emerald green irises)

-Fizars are like foxes, but ICE. They have a mane of icicles that runs halfway down their back, and ice spikes on the tip of their tails.
-The tail spikes can be used as weapons, and their breath feels like you just opened a freezer. The spike on the end of their tail looks like it would be heavy, but it weighs almost nothing. It still hurts if you get whacked in the face, of course.
-Fizar colors are usually white, mint green, ice blue, and the occasional lavender. Fizars with dark fur are very rare, and usually avoided because they're easy to spot in the snow, making it difficult to hunt. Their eyes can be any color between green and purple, and their pupils are any shade of blue rather than black.
-Their scratches feel like you're being cut with an icicle. The area around the wound will drop rapidly in temperature, and the cold will eventually spread to the rest of the body, freezing you to death within 24 hours. The cure for this is in the roots of the onnjyla flower, you have to grind them up to a powder and sprinkle it on the wound. It stings, but it will stop the cold immediately, and the cut will heal like a normal one.
-Fizars are very peaceful, and only fight if you attack first. Most will even let strangers come up and pet them. If you anger a fizar, you will see its icy mane spike up, and it might try to bash you with its tail before using its claws. That's usually a sign that you should leave before you get seriously hurt.
-They can't live in climates that are over forty degrees Fahrenheit.
Tevsin
Pronunciation: Tehv-seen
Leader: Ipur (like "Piper" without the first P; "eye-purr".)
(male, pictured below)

-Tevsins are rabbits the size of horses, and they're often used as mounts or for transportation the same way horses are. They have two long tails with tufts at the ends.
-Can be any natural color, some have unique and unusual markings. This includes their tails.
-There aren't many wild tevsins, most are owned by paxunians. This might be because they don't have many natural forms of defense, so it's not very difficult to kill one. They're often seen as easy prey by slitfes.
-They typically live in plains areas, as deserts are too hot for their liking and forests make jumping difficult.
-They can jump really high, and angle their bodies so they fall faster--if one lands on you, it would break a few bones if you were lucky. You'd most likely die.
-Their eye color can change throughout their life. There doesn't seem to be any reason for this; the change usually happens over a period of one month, so it's difficult to notice at first. No one knows if there's a limit to how many times their eye color can change.
Leafine
Pronunciation: I would guess it's obvious...just LEE-FINE
Leader: Ivy (if you don't know how to pronounce "Ivy" I can't help you :'))
(female, dark gray-brown, matching leaf ears)

-Imagine a cross between a tree and a wolf--that's a leafine. Their fur has the color and texture of wood, so they blend in very well with their surroundings. (you can get "splinters", but only if you pet them the wrong way. I'm not sure why you'd be petting a leafine anyway.) They also have leaves at random places on their bodies. If you have leaves on both ears, you're more likely to be chosen as a leader.
-Their eyes can only be green. Just...just shades of green.
-As you can imagine, they live in forested areas. The color of their fur depends on what kind of trees they live near, and no two leafines look exactly the same. It's easiest to tell two leafines apart by the placement of the leaves on their bodies.
Aquine
Pronunciation: Basically "equine" but with an "ah" sound instead of "e"
Leaders: Orca (male, blue-gray, reddish eyes)
Piranha (female, pictured below)
Tidepool (male, white with faint blue swirls, green eyes)

-As you can imagine, aquines are similar to leafines, just water-based rather than tree-based. They look less like wolves, though. They have gills and their tails are better for swimming.
-They don't have fur or scales, and their skin can be any color that is close to their surroundings. Gray-blue to match the rocks, pink to match the coral, black to match the..I don't know. Black to match the darkness of the ocean? To put it simply, their skin color is based on the surroundings when they're born.
-You can tell individual aquines apart by their markings. Again, no two look exactly the same. Some have faint swirls, some have freckles, some have teardrop markings like a cheetah.
-They will eat anything that comes into their reach, anything but their own species. They rarely make friends that aren't aquines. They have razor-sharp teeth and claws, and hunt alone.
-Unlike leafines, they live in packs. (hahah--packs...pax--STOP IT) Their packs have three leaders, all of which lead the group with equal authority. All three leaders have to agree on something before it can happen. The leaders are chosen through voting.
-The aquines chose the 'three leaders' thing because of a cruel paxunian leader who nearly started a world war when he ruled Turuz. If there was only one leader, that leader could be evil. So, to prevent something like that from happening, the aquines decided to have three leaders for each pack, and three leaders for the species as a whole.
-Leafines and aquines are mortal enemies. Some legends say that they used to all be land-dwelling; a traitor was chased into the sea and presumed dead, but he instead survived and was the first of the aquines. Some legends say the opposite. There isn't really any concrete evidence to support either of these stories.
Myn
Pronunciation: Min...like mint but without the T. Win with an M. You get the picture.
Leader: Alis (ah-leess...sort of like "a lease"?)
(female, pictured below)

-Myns have the build of a leopard with the markings of a tiger. They also have hooves and antlers.
-Their eyes can be anything from dark red to pale blue. This includes shades of purple and pink. The tips of their antlers fade into their eye color.
-Their fur can be neutral colors like black, gray, grayish-brown, and white. The antlers can be any shade of gray or grayish-brown (except for the tips, as I mentioned above)
-They eat plants and meat. Their teeth are terrible for hunting and fighting (most prefer stuff like berries), but but even the weakest ones have a kick powerful enough to easily break bones.
-It would be possible for a myn to be raised eating meat, and be strictly carnivorous/have powerful teeth and jaws, but their parents would have to be pretty dedicated to that, and realize the consequences if their child started a carnivorous family. (it's kind of looked down upon to do anything like that--they're already dangerous and territorial enough without actively hunting other animals and having strong, sharp teeth.)
-They live in the snowy forests of north and east Inir, where they blend in a lot better, but some can live in arctic plains like Donmaki. Most are very territorial and aggressive; if you see one, don't let it see you. You might run into an especially docile or friendly one, but the chances are very slim, so it's a better idea to avoid them at all costs.
Paltingu
Pronunciation: Paul-teen-goo
Leader: Yapalir (yah-paul-err?)
(male, pictured below; bronze anklet with diamond)

-Paltingus are massive and powerful birds. Most could probably take on a slitfe without breaking a sweat...I mean..if they could sweat, that is. Most are also large enough to comfortably carry an average-sized domestic cat.
-The most common colors are pale/pastel shades like Yapalir and Kyri have. It's not too uncommon to see a deep green or even black paltingu, but the darker the color, the more unique the paltingu. Most have wings and tail feathers that gradually fade into a darker color, but very rarely you might find one whose wings and tail feathers fade into a lighter color.
-They can live anywhere, but most prefer neutral or cold climates. Desert and volcanic paltingus are pretty rare. A lot of paltingus' colors match their environment, so volcanic ones (which are usually black/orange/dark red) are much more rare than desert ones (which are usually white/yellow/orange). In fact, there are only a handful of known volcanic paltingus.
-All are given anklets at a young age, usually made from gold, silver, or bronze. If this anklet is removed in any way, they will become significantly weaker. They won't be able to fly or fight as well, and can easily get killed by a hostile animal. If the anklet is destroyed, that's it--the paltingu will stay like that forever. If it's not destroyed, it's possible for the bird to retrieve it and put it back on, regaining his or her strength. Or they could simply have a new one made, but that's not an easy thing to do, as the gems are difficult to come by and enchanting them requires quite a bit of power.
-Most paltingu parents teach their fledglings to fly before getting an anklet made for them; this is so they will probably still be able to fly if they ever lose their anklet, and so they know how much effort and strength it would take without the anklet.
-If a paltingu has a neglectful parent or is orphaned at a young age, he or she probably won't end up getting an anklet unless someone else takes them in.
-A paltingu's anklet has to be made by another paltingu. You couldn't make one for yourself; if you didn't have one, the strength required to make it would be more than you'd have. The material is usually chosen based on the paltingu's personality and social status. It's quite common for the eldest child to receive a gold anklet. An especially famous or rich paltingu might request an anklet made entirely out of diamond, although that would cost a fortune.
-A few are used as messengers by paxunians, but those are looked down on and seen as weak or inferior, as paltingus are a very proud species. If you desire a paltingu's aid, you'll probably have to do a fair amount of bargaining and bribing, especially if you want them to carry someone. Offering raw, unenchanted gems or materials like gold, silver, and bronze will probably give you the best chance of getting them to do what you want.
-Paltingus who lose their anklets tend to stay in a cave somewhere, or go to someone for protection or help finding their anklet.
-It's the gem in a paltingu's anklet that holds their power. If someone were to take the gem out without removing the anklet, the paltingu would still lose his or her power. The material the anklet is made of doesn't seem to affect the paltingu's strength. I mean, you could just tie the gem around their talon with a piece of string and it would function the same, but..that wouldn't be very effective, as it would probably break really easily. Some think that the stronger the material, the stronger the anklet's power, but that theory hasn't been confirmed.
Azodvyr
Pronunciation: uh-zodd-veer
Leader: Eko (ee-koh)
(female, pictured below)

-Azodvyrs live primarily in forests and jungles, especially the jungles of Inir. Their long tails help them to balance.
-They are covered in thin fur, except for their tails which are exceptionally fluffy.
-They are nocturnal, and their pupils are usually dilated to let in as much light as possible. During the day, they sleep in their nests, which are usually high above the ground in their favorite trees. Some live in caves or burrows.
-They make weird, high-pitched screaming noises, much like a fennec fox. They can also chirp, which is often used to imitate a bird and lure in prey.
-Their claws help them to grip onto the trees, hunt, and attack when necessary.
-Their eyes seem to noticeably glow in the dark, and are always a bright color.
-Azodvyrs are quite territorial, but if you're intruding on their territory, they'll usually just scream at you until you leave--if you don't leave, then they'll attack you.
-Most are about the size of a large dog. Their sizes don't vary that much--in very rare cases, you'll find one that's unusually small or large. Newborns are about the size of a kitten, and they grow very quickly. Smaller azodvyrs usually have less markings, and might even be solid-colored.
-Their legs are powerful, helping them to leap long distances; their arms are quite weak in comparison. They tend to stand on their legs, as shown above. It's pretty uncommon to see an azodvyr on all fours unless one of its legs is wounded.
-An azodvyr's vertical leap can be up to five times its height.
-As for coloring, their fur is similar to a myn's--mostly neutral colors like black, gray, white, and brown. Some can have a greenish or darker brown tint, which helps them to blend in better. Splashes like Eko's are common, but some can have more organized markings like stripes or rings.
Hallat
Pronunciation: hal-ett
Leader: Similarly to aquines, hallats don't have just one leader for the whole species. Unlike aquines, they have four leaders; one on each of their survivable continents. So there's one in Oman, Turuz, Inir, and Pekada.
From left to right, top to bottom, they are Atayan, Mohkata, Mezone, and Urrcu.
(uh-tie-an, moh-kot-uh, meh-zone-ay, and err-soo)




-Hallats usually live underground, whether that means an earthy tunnel or a stone cave. The entrances to their homes are usually just big enough for the average rat to squeeze through. They don't like extreme temperatures, so most live in Oman, Turuz, or Inir. There are some that live in Pekada, too, but none would ever choose to live in Donmaki.
-Their claws are strong and sharp, good for digging and the occasional fight. They will dig their own burrows if they can't find anywhere to live, but they prefer not to.
-They can see relatively well in the dark, but they rely more on their good hearing and long whiskers to navigate through their tunnels. Their eyes are fairly sensitive to bright light, so if they must venture outside, it will likely be at night or in a shaded area.
-They typically live in large groups consisting mostly of family and friends; they're not often friendly to unfamiliar hallats. They're very territorial and overprotective, but will hesitate to fight intruders. If worse comes to worst, they will attack as a group, swarming their opponent. This is usually the only way they can be effective in a fight anyway, since they're so small.
-They'll eat most food that comes their way, which means their diet consists largely of bugs. This leaves their teeth fairly weak, so they use their claws and horns to fight. In especially dire situations, they might choose kill and eat a larger animal like a , but they'd have to really be starving to abandon their non confrontational nature and risk their lives.
-They tend to all sleep in a big pile together, especially in the colder months.
-Sometimes a group will live in a paxunian's house, hidden away in the basement. This is quite uncommon, though, due to their usual unwillingness to communicate with most species besides their own. It's more of a last resort, if their caves happen to be flooded or something.
-As for coloring, it's just the usual: Blacks, grays, browns, all that. Some can be dark or largely desaturated shades of colors like blue, green, and red. Basically, nothing too vibrant. Markings can be whatever--stripes, spots..anything that looks natural is probably a safe bet. Just look at the leaders for reference. Although both of these colors are natural for them, you're not going to find a black-and-white striped hallat. Two or three similar shades of their base color are probably the max amount you'll see.
-Horns vary from hallat to hallat. Some have shorter but sharper horns; some have longer but duller horns. Some have more than others. Some don't even have any. None have ever been seen with more than five. Only one detail about their horns has been consistent: They're always somewhere on the top of the head.
PAXUNIUM'S LAND
This is currently under some huge development because I'm working on making some big changes to the map, to make it more realistic and less boring. So for right now, I'm not going to include any of the description for each continent, only the leaders and how the land is divided.
OMAN
oh-mahn
Oman is divided into two kingdoms, East and West Oman. East Oman is ruled by Saevgin, and West Oman is ruled by Korel.
INIR
in-ear
Inir is divided into three kingdoms: East, West, and North Inir. The rulers of those kingdoms are Niyea, Azuruk, and Qisi respectively.
PEKADA
pay-kod-uh
Pekada is only one kingdom. There has never been a paxunian ruler; it has always been a reija. So the current leader of Pekada is Jehad.
DONMAKI
doen-mok-ee
Donmaki's only leader is Wex.
TURUZ
tuh-rooz
Turuz is ruled by Disari.
And I also decided to recolor the paltingu sprite to make three paltingus other than Kyri and Yapalir.

Asilena and Solema are sisters, and they're the two paltingus that guarded Ledania while Jehad was out searching for Hellis. Vordun is kind of a free character, just an idea of what a volcanic paltingu would look like.
I thought that was fun, so I recolored them again to make Kyri's siblings. I will not be naming them unless it's absolutely necessary, because I already have well over 50 named characters here ;-;

More information in the next post!