Xerexes II

**Xerexes II** is a largely unsettled terrestrial jungle world, it is the adopted home planet of both the Peras and Psens. Once located in Psdonian space and is covered in dense humid jungles, swamps and grasslands.

## History

Originally a small, uninhibited planet, overlooked by most. The United Voltz Federation's consul, Xera founded the Perux Colony for the sole reason as to provide a safe home for Peras away from all those who would want to harm them. Later, she would open it for the Psens who she adopted as her own children.

## Notable Regions and Landmarks of Xerexes II

### Lake Plenisanma

The largest lake, the size of a small inland sea. It is fed by a series of underground freshwater springs and boasts a wide variety of life in its waters.

### Ruins of Old Perux

The first city ever built on Xerexes II. Originally founded by Consul Xera Sicarius as a sanctuary for the Peras and later joined by the Psens. In her absence it was seized by the Council of Eight and placed under their authoritarian control. The city fell into ruins after a chain of unfortunate events culminated with the devolution of its citizens into feral savages and it being deserted.

### Perux Colony II

A massive, walled city and the only one of its kind on the planet Xerexes II. A new version of the old Perux Colony built in Psdonian style after the empire's annexation of the planet and later regaining its independence.

### Thornhedge

A seemly-innocent looking hedge maze, long overgrowth and unkempt going deeper into the maze's corridors reveals the horrific truth, the grounds covered with a carpet of bones. What ever befell here is unknown, rumors persist of the maze being cultivated by a famous alchemist to protect his personal garden by breeding flesh-eating plants, others say it was the country retreat of a noble family but the entire household descended into acts of barbarism, leaving none alive to tend the grounds.

### The Temple of Grandfather

Hidden deep beneath the earth, lies a dread temple devoted to the worship of the God-King. Once a habitat for those early Pera settlers, though they were ultimately abandoned for life on the surface.

There were those who remained and over time they devolved into abhorrent creatures, horrible monsters with misshapen limbs, extra appendages, pale skin with red veins and massive milky orbs for eyes. Believed to be the result of something within in the rock that caused their transformation, which led to mutation, cannibalism and Warp worship.

The mutated denizens of this place over the years built an enormous temple and devoted themselves to the worship of the Warp in the aspect of the God-King also known to them simply as Grandfather.

### The Cubic Mounds

Scattered across the landscape of Xerexes II, lies piles of cube like structures discarded about. These mounds are what remains of the world's cities that were gradually converted into housing blocks by the former regime. With the Council's fall, they were deserted for newer accommodations in the newly constructed capital city.

### The Wet Bowl

A remote area known for its great natural beauty, dominated by beautiful lakes and waterfalls, surrounded by hills and valleys.

### The Savage Lands

Untamed and savage, covered in dense jungle and inhabited by the most fierce creatures on all of Xerexes II. Dangerous to all, this deadly land is the home of an remnant population of devolved Peras. The descendants of those who stayed feral even after the creation of the second Divine Tree, their meager settlements coexisting with their environment. They are too few and far enough between, scattered and disruptive to the delicate balance of nature.

## Flora and Fauna

Most of the animals and plants on Xerexes II are deadly predators who have been drastically altered by prolong use of Xerex Alchemy, developing potent biological attack and defense mechanisms against other lifeforms. Many Xerexes II plant species are somewhat toxic, making foraging for native food difficult.

The native animals are as deadly to other lifeforms as the plant life. Originally Xerexes II boasted a diverse ecosystem of wildlife, but over-exploration by Perux alchemists and their need of a constant supply of fresh test subjects and specimens wiped out most of the native wildlife populations, leaving only the strongest and deadliest to survive.

### Xerexes II Flora

* **Flyeater Orchid**: A delicate and rather unassuming plant, it was once a common, ordinary piece of flora. Experimentation on it has since evolved a carnivorous appetite, enabling the plant to trap and digest small insects in its nectar.
* **Blisterfern**: A evergreen like fern, its leaves drip with a powerful toxin that on contact with flesh leaves behind painful blisters.
* **Blood Vine**: A vine made up of thick, deep green tendrils covered in bright red hooking thorns. The whole vine courses with a light defensive hallucinogen that tips the thorns protruding from its body.
* **Stranglerplant**: A carnivorous plant that prefers shady spots to grow in. When it detects disturbance caused by a passing animal, its long, highly adhesive stamen uncoils, wrapping itself around the prey and dragging them back to have the life strangled out of them.
* **Spicebloom**: A slightly poisonous flower with a spicy aroma.
* **Xerexesti Peratrap**: A deadly plant that resembles a Venus flytrap for which it is named, but is far larger, and has developed a taste for Pera flesh.
* **Gas Mouth**: A variety of carnivorous plant which can be found in swamps. The blossom part of the plant resembles a fanged mouth which splits into three "petals" when it opens, which contains a poisonous gas which is released when the plant senses nearby prey or a threat.
* **Sernecet**: A small, sour fruit, the Sernecet is one of the few nontoxic plant species on Xerexes II and is believed to be a originally a sapling of the Divine Tree that somehow ended up in the wilderness, becoming a wild, uncultivated plant.
* **Bitterleaf**: A plant that usually appears in thickets, it is a safe and nourishing food when it is boiled but is highly toxic if eaten raw by most lifeforms.
* **Xerexesti Rose**: A brightly red tinted flowering plant that is highly prized for its rich color, though it is actually a potent narcotic.
* **Acidwort**: A poisonous plant that releases a toxin which causes acidic burning effect when threatened.
* **Duggosse**: A low growing bush that sports luscious-looking, yet quite poisonous, purple berries.
* **Abetflower**: An aromatic flower that grows in isolated river valleys, it exudes an airborne chemical that induces a calming feeling.
* **Xerexesti Sundrop**: A flowering plant that is named for the radiant golden shade of its flowers.
* **Ephroot**: An unassuming plant common to the grasslands and plains of Xerexes II. It's roots while bitter are edible and quite nutritious.
* **Kewasse**: A false tree, that is actually a relative of the dandelion which is largely restricted to the open plains and produces delicious nut-like seeds.
* **Corpse Melon**: The origins of this large edible sweet-tasting plant are unknown, it is named for the distinct stench of rotting corpses that it excludes and is a favorite treat for the local wildlife.

### Xerexes II Fauna

* **Xerexesti Bushtail**: A fluffy squirrel-like creature with thin membranes between their fore-limbs and rear-limbs. living for their own generation as harmless soft-furred critters. Then it turned out that by some, in one of the next generations change into dangerous bloodthirsty carnivores.
* **Pshyrrinx Worm**: A parasite that resemble a long purple-colored carrot that slowly move around which can infest humanoid bodies using them as hosts. This creature may actually be a genetic offshoot of the Perasites, a species with similar abilities.
* **Barking Geckos**: Small gecko like reptiles that are named for the signature noise it makes, akin to a barking sound.
* **Gurath**: A large thick-skinned, horned, rhino-esque quadruped. Possessing a remarkably resistance to much of the toxins found in the plants, herbivores by nature but however are extremely ornery and virtually impossible to keep under control.
* **Gloom Haunter**: A terrifying predator from the deepest swamps of Xerexes II that resembles a hybrid of a withered elderly humanoid and massive four-limbed arachnid.
* **Tree-Stalkers**: Six-limbed mantis the size of an adult Psen, they have massive slicing claws on the end of each appendage. They dwell in the high canopy, leaping from tree to tree, ceaselessly hunting and stalking their victims.
* **Dranash Lizard**: Six-legged predatory reptiles from the grasslands of Xerexes II.
* **Carguam**: Ferocious mammalian carnivore with a form and temperament resembling a bizarre blending of a wolverine with a crocodile. The apex predator of Xerexes II's grasslands and plains.
* **Bloodherne**: Large tick-like vermin usually found nesting in decaying corpses, their bite contains a potent paralyzing toxin.
* **Nuu**: Large catfish that graze on the aquatic grasses on the bottoms of Xerexes II's freshwater lakes, the Nuu is lethally poisonous and it must be carefully prepared to remove toxic parts and to avoid contaminating the meat.
* **Rawadu**: Large, flightless herbivore that exhibited both reptilian and avian characteristics, at home both on land and in the water: they were excellent runners and strong swimmers, as their lung capacity allowed them to remain underwater for up to several hours.
* **Uotta**: A small, mammalian predator native to swamps. They are curious, intelligent, and playful. They had a flexible spine for limber movement in and out of water and always being in motion.
* **Xekobi**: Smaller cousin of the Rawadu. Though outwardly defenseless, feeding on a specific berry with an extremely hot flesh. They can regurgitate it, with surprising accuracy and projection, to discourage threats.
* **Piranha Wasps**: Colorful carnivorous insects that gather in swarms to eat their prey alive, stripping them to the bone.
* **Vanar**: Herbivorous amphibians native to the swamps of Xerexes II, they obtained food by easily knocking over trees to get at leaves and berries. They also foraged for underwater plants, breathing underwater and swimming with ease.
* **Xer Bear**: A natural omnivore with its long claws, sharp teeth, shaggy purple fur and a powerful sense of smell which it uses to forage for food. They are extremely dangerous and territorial. It has been known to viciously attack any who disturb it.
* **Borom**: Tunneling rodents similar to prairie dogs that build sprawling underground colonies in the grassy plains.
* **Jekio**: A species of small, hopping rodent native to the grasslands that feeds on seeds and the occasional small invertebrate.
* **Xerexesti Bush Rattler**: A venomous snake similar to a rattlesnake native to open grasslands of the planet.
* **Giant Xerexesti Lake Slug**: A herbivorous freshwater slug species commonly found in lakes that can grow to outweigh a full grown man.
* **Leeag**: A fish native to rivers, it has black-and-yellow scales and a set of poisonous spines that protruded from its center-line.
* **Yuck Puffer**: A species of fish that possesses special glands that could exude a cloud of foul chemicals and waste strong enough to deter hungry attackers if they try and take a bite out of the fish.
* **Tanag**: A fish that was once quite harmless, however forced experimentation has since caused it to become a vicious carnivore.
* **Xerexesti Shrimp**: Carnivorous crustaceans native to the shallow waters of Xerexes II.
* **Mole Fish**: A primitive fish species that has developed the unusual method of using its complex pectoral fins to dig through the soft mud to forage for food and evade threats.
* **Xerexesti Bull Worm**: A species of earthworm that can reach rather impressive lengths and eats a wide variety of organic matter.
* **Spikedshell Meat Gobbler**: A carnivorous snail with a spiked shell that commonly preys on smaller creatures.
* **Xerexesti Fireskin:** Small toxic salamanders which its skin's bright coloration deters most predators.
* **Lime Fish**: A light green colored fish that’s flesh is sour like a lime.