desert — Life Blog — Beyond the Spozak

History

Vorgons evolved on New Albuquerque, (the original vorgon name for the planet has been lost to time) the lone native life-form that we would consider to be properly intelligent. Early in their prehistory, however, a large cosmic impact left their home-world largely arid, and the species which had evolved to live in a tropical, rain-forest-like habitat had to adapt to deserts and scrubland. Life was hard for the early vorgons, and as a consequence, their strength and stature diminished considerably.

New Albuquerque is a rare planet in that it exists as a habitable world in the midst of a stellar graveyard. Many of the planet’s neighbors are white dwarfs, black holes, or neutron stars. As a result, the region is constantly subject to cosmic storms, and is the site of a remarkably large number of shipwrecks. As a result, the vorgons learned, early in their history, to be scavengers and engineers, using the available cast-off materials to maximum advantage.

About 50,000 years ago, during the height of the 1,000 Years war, a fierce battle was fought on and around New Albuquerque by the Empire of 1,000,000 Suns, and the forces of Troniac. The battle of the three moons left many additional scars on the planet, and saw many vorgons conscripted into the imperial army, or subjected to various genetic engineering experiments. Most of the vorgons who live beyond the confines of New Albuquerque are the descendants of the diaspora from this period. After the war, the Empire made New Albuquerque into a scrap and salvage -yard.

Later, the lost colony ship Garcia’s Hope from the newly-formed Planetary League crash-landed on New Albuquerque, giving it the name that it bears to this day. In the meantime, the descendants of the vorgon exodus were gradually spreading tenuously throughout the galaxy, often serving as engineers aboard the vessels of the Nomad Armies and Breakaway States that cut loose from the Empire of 1,000,000 Suns around the time of the 1,000 Years War.

Biology

Vorgons are carbon- and water- based life-forms, like most in this galaxy. Omnivorous in diet, they still prefer a carnivorous cuisine. In desert environs, though, they will eat basically whatever presents itself. They have two biological sexes, of which, only females posses hair (usually black in color). Vorgons tend to be nocturnal in habit.

Names

Download: Vorgon Name Generator for Windows

“Oh, goody! I jus’ finded this beautiful golden ring jus’ rattlin’ aroun’ out here in the junkyard. Finders keepers!”

Habitat

The Vase-tree is native to the deserts of New Albuquerque. It survives the arid environment by collecting rainwater (and any animals hapless enough to fall in) in the base of its massive trunk. Found primarily in the arid regions of the planet's northern hemisphere, some species are found near the southern rain band as well, (whether these are the result of convergent evolution has been the subject of serious debate, but no conclusion has yet been reached).

Anatomy

The vase-tree is dominated by its trunk, which resembles a large vase (from which it gets its name). The vase is hollow, and is ringed with rows of downward-pointing internal spines (which help it trap and digest any animals that fall in). The vase typically forms around a single large knot in the wood of the trunk (known as the "navel" of the tree), which is often drilled out by those knowledgeable in desert survival as the fastest way to the tree's water supply. The upper end of the trunk centers around a large opening that supplies water and nutrients to the tree.

Vase trees only have a few large leaves that sprout from large stalks coming out of the trunk. The underside of these leaves is covered (in most species) with a thick growth of vines. The ends of these vines sprout flowers that then give way to small fruits. When these fruits are ripe, the vines detach from the leaves. Many of these fruits are edible to humans, and the various nomads and wildlife of the planet often consume them.

Most vase-trees are between 5 and 10 meters high, although specimens as large as 250 meters are known to have existed when humans first arrived on New Albuquerque. Most of the largest vase-trees were harvested for wood in the early years after the crash of Garcia's Hope.

Economic value

The wood of the vase-tree is porous, and not suitable for most construction applications, although larger trees have more solid wood, which is. The wood of even small vase-trees is still valuable for paper-making or fuel. The fruits (in most species) are edible. The fruits are typically semi-sour in flavor, yet nourishing, and have become the basis of several dishes in the cuisine of New Albuquerque. The main economic value of the vase-tree lies in its ability to store water in the desert wastes.

Another use of the vase-tree is the downward-pointing spines that grow in the interior of the trunk. These are often harvested and used as spears by Vorgon nomads.

The Tale of the Vase-tree

The tale of the vase-tree was a common creation myth among the Vorgon tribes of New Albuquerque. The Vorgons are also known as "goblinoids", though this name is considered to be somewhat derogatory, because of their resemblance to goblins from human folklore.

The gist of the tale is that when the gods created the world, they inhabited it solely with plants, the greatest of which was the vase-tree. Little did the gods realize that the vase-trees would bring forth the Vorgon race (who are claimed to be the parents of all the other animals through a series of degenerate events). The first Vorgons are said to have climbed out of the trunks of the vase-trees, bending inward the long spikes that vase-trees grow on their interiors, which had previously pointed upward. This so upset the gods that they sent a great calamity to dry up most of the world's water to punish the vase-trees.