Deep Sea

Beyond the reach of sunlight.

If open oceans represent the largest biome on this planet, the deep sea is the second largest. Farther down in the water column, all light from the sun has been absorbed, creating a massive volume of cold black space. However this realm is far from lifeless. Marine snow—particles of organic debris from the water above—slowly sink downwards, along with the larger carcasses of deceased organisms. This creates the basis of a rich food web, and the inhabitants here have evolved numerous ways to take advantage of it.

A Community Thriving in the Mud

Some habitats are very consistent from planet to planet across the universe. The bottoms of deep oceans generally experience similar conditions—extremely high water pressure, zero sunlight, and a constant supply of marine snow. Thus, organisms on the deep sea floor of Veteris developed common traits in parallel to their counterparts on Earth. The darkness eliminates the need for pigments, so most creatures are rather drab. In order to grab bits of food from the water column, many utilize grasping appendages covered in sticky setae. For every scrap of nourishment that can be found here, there is a creature that has evolved to exploit it. Far from being a desolate wasteland, this seemingly inhospitable environment is full of bizarre, perfectly-adapted inhabitants.

Creatures of the Deep

Despite a lack of sunlight and nutrients, the ocean depths have produced an amazing diversity of lifeforms who take advantage of the limited energy available in this ecosystem. Some have familiar features combined in novel arrangements, and some are utterly bizarre.

Life at the bottom of the world

Down on the deep ocean floor, what should be a barren wasteland is in fact bustling with life. The waters above are so rich that the steady downward flow of organics grows a marvelous community of lifeforms. Some slowly move along the bottom sifting through the muck, while others swim above in search of hunting opportunities. Scavengers follow the larger hunters waiting for a chance to steal a morsel.

An ancient predator

One of the most ubiquitous and successful hunters down here is the Luminous Oppugno. A rather primitive creature, its body plan has remained virtually unchanged for hundreds of millions of years. Environmental change is a main driver of evolution, and the deep sea is not subject to deviations in climate due to major catastrophic events such as volcanic eruptions and asteroid strikes in the same way surface biomes are. Without drastic changes in their surroundings, lifeforms which are best suited to their specific niche tend to experience evolutionary stasis.

The Seafloor in Bloom

The ongoing geologic activity deep within Veteris ensures that its outer crust remains in a state of constant change. Fissures release superheated chemical mixtures up through the seabed, resulting in hydrothermal vents that pop up sporadically across the planet’s oceans. Life has adapted to take advantage of this chemical and thermal imbalance, producing verdant oases across the wide expanse of marine desert. Giant spires constructed by microorganisms serve as shelter for a multitude of exotic lifeforms who filter, catch, or hunt their prey. These vent communities are built upon conditions that arise spontaneously but are ultimately temporary, with most only lasting a few thousand years before the constantly shifting chemical rivers far below change course yet again. When this happens, the members of the ecosystem will either die off or migrate to the next deep sea vent system and begin building a new inflorescence of life in the darkness.