On Netches (Part 1)

ON NETCHES (Part 1) By Warlock Scarmonious Ridgewood First Published: 3e315 (As part of the Imperial Catalogue Expeditionary Initiative #3 - Vvardenfell)

There’s been a great deal of confusion surrounding these gentle giants.

Some see only mindless creatures with no other qualities than fresh game to hunt. Others, as slow moving cattle to be harvested as easily as comberries. Perhaps I can dissuade you from this belief. Indeed it’s with a great shock that I’ve discovered people as close as Skyrim and Argonia who have never heard of these magnificent beasts, let alone seen one in the flesh. Few believe the stories of such an unusual creature and its bizarre physiology, but I assure you all this is neither embellished nor untrue.

So if you happen to be of the academic persuasion, or perhaps you’re simply a curious citizen who’s taken a passing interest on such matters let me be your guide to the ways of the netch.

WHAT DO NETCHES LOOK LIKE?

Netches are some of the largest sky beasts of Tamriel. Matched in size only by the dragons of antiquity, for hundreds of years they’ve been the sole giants of the air. They float effortlessly along the breeze without wing or levitation spells, and rely solely on magical vapors and an incredible biology which at first glance seemingly defies explanation.

Netches hold three prominent features and their bodies can be easily trifurcated into those regions. The main fleshsack acts as both a resonance chamber and buoyancy vapor system. (Note: Although similarly placed, this is not to be confused with the lungs, which fully extended can take up over 70% of its total mass.) It houses most of the bodily functions as well as gives the creature it’s characteristic dome shape. The hard exoskeleton on the outside is quite bug-like in appearance, and is often harvested for it’s lightweight properties, as well as its durability and resilience.

This is matched by a thin, skin like underside which can range from partially translucent to fully transparent. The ventral side of a netch is the most vulnerable, and the easiest way to receive injury.

The second of these features is a series of long tentacles (six for males, four for females) which reach from the flesh-body down around 8 standard imperial measures (hereafter denoted as “m”). A calfs tendrils will reach full width after the first 11 months, after which point it will continually grow lengthwise, but not increase in overall girth. This gives the appearance of a ‘stubby’ dwarf like proportion for its offspring.

The rate of tendril growth follows a halflife, contingent upon the creatures overall age. (See expanded works for full detail.) By measuring its length, one can accurately determine said creatures age within a margin of +/-3 years. This is accurate enough for most academic study, and gives a quick and easy baseline to measure both individual and population health. Indeed harsh conditions do not seem to effect the rate of growth, but rather the density of which the internal support structure is grown. Therefore one can determine conditions centuries back by tracing along the length of each tentacle, and measuring the amount of corresponding tissue density. While these new findings are preliminary, its potential to see back into unrecorded history remain enormous and could revolutionize the system of biological dating currently in use should similar mechanisms be at play in other species. (Full disclosure: This discovery is currently undergoing review at the Imperial Mages Guild.)

Netches do not have bones. They have a porous light-weight cartridge based endostructure which is loosely held together by a series of ribbed tendons that act to provide musculature support. These are only found inside the tendrils themselves, and do not extend far into the main body.

The hardshell crest and the de-emphasis on weight towards the bottom is likely a natural adaptation to flying predators such as the native cliff racers who have been known to swarm the beasts in times of drought. Typically the two species don’t interact, but there have been sightings of packs of cliff racers chasing the beasts fully across an open horizon. Though cliff racers themselves rarely eat netchmeat, which leads this researcher to believe that this action is most often due to an unknown encroachment on held territories.

The third and final region of the animal is its tail. Unique to this creature are its two largely disconnected brains housed at the apex of the tail, where fleshbody meets appendage. All accompying higher level cognition appears to be protected thus with the increased thickness of the cavity wall acting as additional protection. Each brain is largely independent, with loose neural connections adjoining their disparate halves. Although relatively close in proximity, their brains function much more independently than nearly all other creatures in Vvardenfell.

The usage of specialized detect energy spells has confirmed that by exciting certain tentacles through outside stimulus, the resulting tracing of electrical impulses leads to the opposing brain. In essence the weak bonds of the corpus callosum act more like a series of distant relays, than a direct channel of communication. Netches may very well be two minds working at once—a small community of one—which could explain the emphasis on strong social bonds endemic to the species.

Netches are sexually dimorphic, the males can reach as long as 9.8m, or roughly 32 feet; and have a maximum height of 15m, that is slightly over 49 feet. Females are typically much smaller at about a 4th the size, and lack the characteristic domes of their male counterparts, although during times of great stress it’s been known for the males of the species to spontaneously generate primary sexual organs in order for herd population to remain consistent. This is not typical, and only occurs under times of incredible turmoil. These females also keep their shell like appearance and have litters far smaller than those of the female-hatched variety. It is assumed that the reduced quantity of offspring is related to nutrients being put into hide generation and organ reconstruction, although the method is still not fully understood.

Netch color depends on a variety of factors mostly related to age and diet. Typically newly hatched offspring will be almost transparent in color. This can make them nearly impossible to see, even among Vvardenfell natives. Possibly designed as an adaptation to hide from predators while their exoskeleton hardens. After the first week the skin and chitin takes on a healthy pink-like appearance that slowly browns over the next few decades.

Under times of great stress or poor diet netches can turn a darker tone. This change appears to be a permanent reaction to a hormonal change, and once begun cannot be stopped even with an improved food supply.

However, the most striking color comes from its vapor-sack. (The means by which netches float in midair.) This takes on a blue, even violet like hue that glows and pulses with the magical vapors that are housed inside. It’s believed that netches can perform a limited—nearly instinctual—type of magic that’s traditionally reserved for men and mer. This makes them very unique among most creatures, and Vvardenfell especially. The vapors themselves are actually filled with a type of microbial life. Its vaporsacks act as miniaturized self-contained micro-biomes, each with a unique composition of fungi and other sack-flora. When a mere illumination spell is cast along the lower interior chamberwall, this excites the sack-flora into expanding outward. The resultant change in pressure pushes air from the adjoining lungs and creates lift in the creature. Also the additional heat generated from such a reaction provides a marginal amount of float. This is what gives off its characteristic glow.

Each fleshbody shell-crest is unique to that male, and more intricate designs are thought to be used to attract females as some sort of mating display. Netch mating rituals have only twice been recorded, and only from a distance. The act itself is believed to take place high above the clouds, which serves a dual purpose. The greater heights the bull netch can achieve, the more social standing among the pod. And it literally is beyond the reach of most other predators during a vulnerable position.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WILD AND DOMESTICATED NETCH?

A popular and enduring misconception—that remains to this day—is that domesticated and wild netches are in fact identical. While it is true they look rather similar to the unaware, nothing could be further from the truth in terms of temperament, behavior, and yes even culture.

First, domestic netches like the kind you find on farms, or as the occasional ashlander pet, tend to be far smaller than their counterparts. This lack of apparent size and volume has never been successfully explained, although many theories abound, from close proximity to human magic users unknowingly seeping energies from their surroundings; to dietary requirements that aren’t fully accessible in a captive environment. While the underpinning mechanism of its biology isn’t greatly understood, the end result is about a 20-25% reduction in overall mass. A significant amount of dwarfism for any species, particularly one that requires a large surface area to create vast pockets of vapors, so essential for its continual survival.

Secondly, wild netches have a markedly longer lifespan. While the maximum recorded age of a netch extends to 331 years, that seems to be an outlier, where most fall prey to infirmity, or predators far sooner. The typical lifespan generally ranges from 190-230 years. However, it should be noted that old stories by local Vvardenfell tribesmen abound of the creatures in past ages living far longer and having regular contact with peoples. Perhaps extending into the eras. Although this should probably be dismissed as idle superstition, more investigation is needed before any concrete determinations can be made.

Those bred in captivity tend to have an easier time acclimating themselves to their conditions, as opposed to those who are captured and tamed from the wilderness. There seems to be a correlation, a breaking point of adaptability around the two and a half year mark (30 months standard). Any older and the calf will have already formed the communal bonds which it needs in order to maintain a healthy and productive lifestyle. While it’s difficult to gauge exactly how old a netch might live under such conditions—due to the common rate of harvesting their hides—this researcher has found no evidence of a creature who lived past 60.

(Taken from the upcoming mod - Dramatic Vicec v4)