Nerble

Nerble

Throughout the history of Ludwag the alien society that is Imps reigned over a small portion of the great forest. From there their influence trickled albeit slowly into the world around them. They would come to worship certain animals and begin to shift the world to their needs. One such occurrence were the Nerbles. The imps at the time sought a plant capable of growing at a constant and moving to the most ideal of sun spots without their assistance. Thus through means of magic and the sap of the great ents the Nerbles came into being. At first the Nerbles were an entirely domesticated species, artificially procured as a means of food for the then growing imp tree. Their nature made them easy to rear and thus made them a popular choice in cattle. After the abrupt collapse of the Pyrosi Empire following the firing of the Arcus, the imps of old were tossed into a state of turmoil. In this time the Nerbles would come to escape their impish captors and integrate themselves into the continent's wider-ecosystem. Today they are loosely farmed by many smaller races with wild populations sprouting across all corners of the continent.

#### Physiology and Anatomy

By comparison to an Imp they are akin to that of a cow or horse, sporting a similar two-toed build. That said they are not mammals, nor are they even animals. Instead much like ents or dryads the Nerble are mobile plant-based organisms. They have similar plant-based muscles to that of dryads to help them move their limbs which are supported by what was once their roots. This allows them to move like that of an animal. Their roots form the ‘toes’ mentioned previously to grip into the landscape, though they haven’t lost their ability to siphon water and nutrients from the land below. While the Nerble aren’t very good at climbing like their impish creators, they are capable of winding their legs like a spring to send them rocketing several feet into the air and several yards forward. Nerbles are very mobile creatures. Due to their plant-based nature they almost never tire from asphyxiation, though eventually their plant muscles will snap under too much strain akin to that of a sprinter. Regardless, the Nerble can match speeds of that of deer or pronghorns, making them one of the fastest creatures upon ludwag.

Nerbles lack any discernible nostrils or ears as a result of their plant heritage. To compensate for their deafness they possess an antenna-like stalk known as a Nerbulb which is covered in small hair-like filament to detect changes in vibration in the air. Nerbles use these Nerbulbs to detect predators or assailants before they come too close, accurately pinpointing the exact location of a sound roughly ten meters out from their position. Like dryads and ents the Nerble possesses a rudimentary eye on either side of its head, acting akin to their own. How this eye functions is not entirely understood but seems to be correlated to that of compound eyes found in insects. The Nerbles feeling of touch is employed across small hair filaments across its entire body, responding to damage by releasing a chemical signal to alert other plant-based organisms to an assault. Nerbles also lack a mouth of any sort, incapable of taste, instead feeding on the sunlight which enters their body via the chlorophyll in their skin.

During the spring of each year an event known as the “Nerbling'' begins. Adult Nerbles will congregate in vast numbers in open environments across the continent. While without any particular sexual dimorphic traits two Nerbles are required to begin the Nerbling process. When two Nerbles meet they will first display their fitness by pointing their snouts up to the sky and circling each other in an organized display often called the “Nerblance”. This Nerblance may go on for several hours until the pair can determine if the other is fit enough to raise offspring together. If the Nerblance is successful the two adult Nerbles will bind Nerbulbs and combine the seed packets at the ends of their stalks. This then scatters the seeds for which will grow over the course of a month. Infant Nerbles, Nerblets, begin their lives as bipedal stalks with very little sense of locomotion. Eventually the Nerblets will metamorphosize into Nerbles over the course of a week or so after sprouting from the earth.

Nerble ‘meat’ is the Nerbles plant muscles, highly packed with protein. In Fact it is so close to animal meat that some predatory animals have begun to hunt them in response. Even Helivians are capable of digesting Nerble meat, making it one of the few plant-based options accessible to such a race. Typically a fully grown Nerble may feed a family to the likeness that a roast chicken would, making it quite popular on the east side of the continent.

#### Psychology

Nerbles are a timid species, scared by the hustle and bustle of sentient-life society. Many still instinctively fear imps for what they have done and many more are uncertain of their presence when about them. Truly a skittish creature. To survive the perils of the world around them Nerbles will form herds or ``Nerbussles' ' of several adult specimens. These Nerbussles will alert each other when predators have been detected, using their mutual protection to avoid being eaten. Constant peril has made the Nerble quite the adaptable creature, letting them find ways out of almost any situation on the fly. Despite this the Nerble is still a very social creature. They spend much of their day playing or grooming their Nerbmates of parasites and debris, building bonds that may last for life. In some cases a Nerble may only partake in the Nerbling with a single individual for their entire life, forgoing the event if their partner is killed. Widowed/Widowered Nerbles can often be found sat atop rocks or high places in areas that would otherwise be inherently suicidal for their kind. A process often considered an offering by the Nerble to join their partner in the beyond.