Sparkling
- Substenance Source: Low power lines
- Localization: Antumbra & Penumbra
- Length: 60 centimeters
- Weight: 5 kilos
Few creatures are as common in the lands of the skyless world as the sparkling. These schools of cat-sized, bright-eyed animals are a common sight across Nibiru and represent one of the most successful species ever to inhabit the station. During the current flicker, sparklings have experienced one of the largest demographic explosions ever witnessed, reaching almost every corner of the station.
In the Core Sectors, the Arku have embraced their docile demeanor, making it customary to breed and adopt sparkling litters. In Penumbra, however, where power is a fluctuating resource, these creatures are seen more as a nuisance—a pest that should be eradicated to avoid deadly power shortages caused by the roaming schools of sparklings.
Although they do not possess mouths or ears, sparklings have an extremely potent sense of touch. Like all members of the Lawû family, they have two nervous terminations at the beginning and the end of their biocircuits, located at the end of their long, beaver-like tail. Each termination ends in a sharp talon, which is used to cut through and plug into power lines, closing their organic circuits and entering a state of semi-conscious slumber, the time when they are most vulnerable.
When plugging themselves, sparklings can choose to close the circuit to charge or to conduct the power through their highly resistive skin—a stance used to enable higher current lines to be consumed by the rest of the school. Adults can stay active for ten hours without the need to recharge and can shed part of their reserves via a quick discharge to scare off enemies. This discharge is not harmful unless performed by a large group of sparklings simultaneously.
Tale-Sparks
- A merchant asks, in return for provided goods, that you assist them in returning their lost sparkling pet, last seen in the technician’s district.
- An energy overload threatens to destroy a town’s infrastructure—a large school of sparklings might be used to regulate the spikes. But how to get a hold of one?