The Scientists @ IRAIL
The Scientists at IRAIL, the Institute for Researching Aurally Intelligent Lifeforms, are a small human contingent exploring alternative worlds for possible settlement. Having discovered the powerful possibilities of the mutating Zyks, scientists use the creatures to help them explore a hostile environment that would be otherwise inaccessible.
The Zyks
Zyks in the wild are often a pale white, small creatures about the size of cats but with no discernable features outside of their broad, expressive ears and two curious black eyes. The naturally inquisitve nature of the Zyks attracted them to the humans at IRAIL. Due to a mysterious incident that involved an iPod and an amplifier, Zyks began to be used as guinea pigs for experiments taking advantage of their strange ability to mutate in response to music. Shy and quiet by nature, the mutations allowed the Zyks to explore parts of their world never seen before, and over the course of IRAIL's experiments the creatures have grown quite attached.
Upaloks
These creatures are rather awkward and ungainly. They have no arms at all, only tubular bodies ending in sturdy, often motionless legs. The majority of their lives are spent gazing up at the sky in hopes that a stray bird might fly over their head and they can then use their aggressively large mouth to swallow the invader whole. Unfortunately, Upaloks are also very aggressive when startled — and they're startled rather easily. It's best to avoid these creatures at all cost, unless one manages to be sneaky enough that they can weasel their way past.
To indicate that the player is sneaky enough, the upalok is back a bit more from the screen. If the player is not sneaky enough, it moves forward when the player gets close enough. If the player is sneaky enough, the upalok stays back so that the player can pass by him.
Iyabols
Iyabols are herding animals. Unfortunately, the largest part of their body is a hungry, rounded mouth filled with teeth. Shaped sort of like bowling balls with eye stalks, these aren't the particularly smart creatures, but they're hyperaware and when you aggravate a herd of them they become absolutely ferocious. Though they can be attacked, the best way to deal with an Iyabol is simply to scare it away. Due to the herd mentality, with enough intimidation you can send the whole flock of Iyabols running the other way.
Slohtas
This enormous slothy creature can't do much of anything…. except that is block paths and on occassion snap a few bites in the general direction of anything that comes close to it. The best way to deal with these guys is brute force, and depending on how large they are, sometimes that doesn't even work. They're far too lazy to be intimidated, and far too large to sneak past.
Nurran
This creature has a spiked fin that runs the length of its body. Its favorite past time is coiling into a ball and rolling after its prey at high speeds, grinding back and forth over their bodies until they’re destroyed. The best way to handle these creatures is to run. Fast. Very fast . There are different sized Nurrans, the smallest being the fastest.
Sulger
A Sulger has an enormous flat head that it loves to ram into everything it sees. If you’re tough enough to withstand the initial bash, the Sulger normally manages to knock itself out in the process of trying to smash you in two.
Kinsin
Kinsin are flat, gelatinous monsters. If you’re heavy enough, you can just squish them into the ground and watch them dissipate. If you’re not, walking over these guys is a very, very unpleasant experience as they tend to bubble up and burn away corrosively at flesh.
