By Jardet Forsill

A Deeper Study into the Understanding of the Processes of Yliakum’s Soil Vol 1

Introduction:

During the course of my studies at the altars of nature, I have witnessed fractions of silt and mud washed away in downpours, carried by streams to the rivers and hence to the levels of Yliakum below. Extrapolating from this observation, it can be foreseen that without a source of new soil to counter these losses, all of Yliakum’s soil will one day migrate to the bottom of the Great Lake of Yliakum. Forests and flowers would fail, farmers’ fields and flocks would be finished.

I have also studied how the molds and fungi perform in the processes of decay and dissolution, and been intrigued by the part that consumers might play in these realms. Under the right conditions, dead tissues breed molds and fungi, which in turn decay into something rather undifferentiated from organic soil matter. The waste products of consumers is very similar, and their process of conversion is much more rapid. After assembling a research team (myself, some assistants, and three sturdy Ynnwn warriors,) I proceeded to collect more information about these creatures. In the end, our research discovered that the two topics of soil loss and consumer ecology were (as often seems to be the case in nature’s ways) intimately interconnected.

Consumer Anatomy:

Our initial investigation of several deceased specimens revealed the following.

A mature consumer has four pairs of legs used for movement and digging. They are armed with an adapted fifth pair of legs as pincers, and these are used along with a pair of armored ’antennae’ for food-gathering, hunting, and defense.

The tops of their bodies are armored with thick, overlapping bony plates and the bottoms with thinner and smoother ones. The skins of the creatures are comprised of a tough, elastic material that rapidly dries and decays after death. A large adult typically has about six groups of small scaly plates along the left and right side, the function of which is unknown, though two lighter patches near the front of the creature possibly act as sensory organs. Whorls of sharp, jagged teeth spiral down the edges of the gut and act on consumed matter to begin the process of dissolution.

Their bony armored plates are comprised of layers, accumulating as the creatures age. It is possible that one may be able to correlate the number of layers with a numerical age for a given specimen, given a large enough sampling of individuals. Pabes Riolant, in his abbreviated volume on Consumers, states that they attain an age of fifty years, but he has neglected to document his methods of determining this. Riolant also mentions the use of magic by these creatures, and the ability to absorb knowledge from their prey. I have yet to see evidence that Riolant is not merely spinning tales from the comfort of his chair, but it is wise to use caution in the presence of consumers. I send my deepest regrets to the family and friends of Ynnwn warrior Morden Valn, who perished in the course of our studies.