Shooter art by raptorslut
Writing by missmab
Background art by raptorslut
ARCTIC
Few would consider the shooter race ideal for living in the colder regions of Jo’Arca, as the typical shooter with their short fur would need to spend the entirety of their stay bundled under so many layers of clothing it would make hunting difficult. However, one subspecies of starshooter make their home nestled in the rocky cliffsides of ice and snow. With thick furry coats and larger paws to assist in walking across the icy landscape, the arctic starshooters are just as lethal as their short-furred cousins. It isn’t uncommon for the arctic shooter’s ears to develop small tufted tips of fur at the end, some even fold over entirely, whether this adaptation aids in some way or simply an aesthetic quirk is up to speculation. Arctic shooters in particular are often prized as navigators since their vision tends to be some of the best; they have adapted to be able to see long distances and even see greater lengths in the darkness due to the extended period of night for part of the season.
Originally founded as a series of outposts along the southern continent Algu, multiple generations of shooters have settled the frozen coastline without much in the way of further expansion, lacking the wanderlust that their standard cousins possess. Their vessels in particular are well adapted for navigating the frozen waters and cutting through the ice. Unlike the other outposts, the Arctic outpost share space with the local arctic crafters and a semblance of a cease-fire between the two races exist; The shooters make use of the crafters expertise in building structures whereas the crafters benefit from the shooters trading vessels that allow them access to goods from other continents.
There is a joking rumor that the Arctic Outpost is staffed by those unfortunate enough to displease the Overlord or their families as the primary outpost is also the location of the shooter’s largest prison. However the reality is that the primary occupants are multi-generational natives to the continent who greatly enjoy teasing new recruits. While the average starshooter will develop a thicker winter coat should they be in the area long enough, it is often nowhere near to the level that an arctic shooter boasts.
Like their standard cousins, Arctic shooters are fairly militaristic. Every shooter raised in the Arctic Outpost is taught the basics of surviving in the harsh icy wilderness. Arctic shooters that eventually travel out and away from Algu often complain about the stuffy humid temperatures of the rest of the world...never able to fully shed their fur in much the same way their shorter haired cousins can never grow theirs quite as thick.
Some tribes may choose to be nocturnal, choosing to travel by the stars in the cold night air than face the oppressive heat of the mid day sun.
Background by Sassmassacre
Shooters by Raptorslut
Lore by Raptorslut and Cloneclone
SABER
StarShooters have done a great deal of work to cement themselves as the apex predators of Jo’Arca, however no other hunters are so high on the food chain as the Sabertooth Shooters. Unlike the others of their race, Saber Shooters are hardier, content weathering the elements of harsher environments and living among more dangerous prey. They shirk the use of their cousins’ magic-based technology in favor of pure warrior survivalist ingenuity, using what resources are readily available to them for both weaponry and in home-making. They boast mastery over all predators, including the terrifying riding raptors they capture, keep, breed and train as pets and mounts. They are proud and territorial, primitive in the eyes of their brethren but the Sabers in turn consider the city-slickers rather ‘soft’ and ‘hoity toity’ comparatively. Cultural differences aside, Sabers still share the StarShooter ideologies of conquest and power; claiming territories and hunting those who trespass, as well as hunting large fauna and even other StarDragons purely for the sport of it (big cats do like to play with their food). This predatory sport extends even to other StarShooters, as very few are exempt from “we will kill everyone who invades our homeland and eat them and feed them to their dinos”. This isn’t to say they won’t scavenge, especially if out of necessity, but Sabers deeply value the glory in the hunt.
The pack carries out days long hunting trips stalking silently through the rainforest underbrush or riding running raptors across savanna grasslands in pursuit of large herding animals. They can travel for several hundred miles and make as many kills as they can carry in a single trip. Large trophy hunts target Jo’Arca’s fiercest and most dangerous game, and can go for several weeks depending on the stubbornness of those trying. The size of the pack will vary by hunt and size of the clan they hail from, but hunting together is important familial and courtship bonding for wild StarShooter clans. Hierarchies and their importance vary between family packs, some subscribe to more democratic faiths while others hold competition for a position as alpha. Do with that information what you will.
Hunting makes up so much of their culture that it’s not uncommon they find more interesting prey than the animals on their land, kidnapping wayward stragglers be they other StarDragons, and even other Shooters, and releasing them deep into their territory with a ten second head start, and stalking them down to challenge themselves. The game of Cat and Mouse is one they’ve made into a For-Fun-Sport. A favorite pastime is hunting StarDashers as their matched hunting prowess and considerable speed make for worthy intense challenge.
Anything that steps foot into their territory is considered a resource they’re more than willing to sink their teeth into. They live largely in the basin valley in southern Vesper separating Southern Oakmoor woods and the Casain rainforest. The basin provides habitat for many large herding animals and their predators, and is the largest concentration of dinosaur type fauna in the world. The basin spans thick jungles in the west thinning to rolling savanna grasslands in the east toward the Great Expanse desert. Sabers stick to smaller family packs with very few large congregations or towns. Given Shooters of any subtype have difficulties producing children, their families are small and often all live together within one tree home.
With the more hands on nature of their society, Saber Shooters take great pride in making their own homes and will decorate and expand as a sign of power. In areas where great thick savanna trees grow - where it would take several Shooters touching fingertip to fingertip to hug the trunk of the tree - the Sabers hollow out the trunks high up to make tree houses, connecting neighboring trunks with rope bridges and constructing platforms. Thick rainforest jungle Sabers take a more traditional tree house approach, even repossessing grand StarSweeper stone temples. Desert grasslands Sabers will venture underground to build their homes exploiting mountain caves and rocky deposits. But all of them make a habit of adorning their abodes with trophies of kills, rare and interesting bones, luxurious furs, StarDragon lifegems, and anything interesting found in hunting and gathering.
Saber Shooters stand taller than the city dwellers of their species and wider as well with enough muscle to assist taking down anything in their way. They are very big. Hunting and gathering helps keep them fit. The most noticeable difference of the Saber Shooters is their large protruding saber teeth which are as much for use as they are for show. They stand on much thicker hind paws, similar to those of large predatory cats, and their thick meaty claws tend to be larger and sharper, sometimes with accompanying beans on the pads of their fingers. Their features mirror aspects of their dinosaur pets and neighbors, growing spiny elbow spikes and tail plates that look more like stegosaurus ridge plates. All StarShooters have at least four tail plates (joined plate traits notwithstanding) but Sabers have been known to grow a fifth or even sixth plate down the length of their strong tails, tipped with fluff and sporting a ring of gem shards reminiscent of curved claws or sharp teeth. Hilariously, for all of their size and imposing stature, Sabertooth shooters have the smallest ears of all of their brethren. So tiny. So so teeny tiny.
DESERT
[No information was provided]
(Artist was not credited on original upload)
(StarDragons are an Open Species, created by DeleteTheStars, RaptorSlut and CloneClone. bellumi was given moderation of the community by the creators.)