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The planet looks like an ideal spot for colonization from a distance. Covered with a range of biomes, from lush forest to long coastlines to roaring rivers. However, when the Amentans arrive they quickly notice anomalies on their scans.
A population of humanoids lives on the planet, scattered - sometimes individuals are spotted alone and other times they appear in groups of up to a few thousand. They appear similar to child Amentans, except for a general lack of bright hair colors. Civilization appears primitive - in some cases so primitive that it's confusing how they survive at all, with small groups managing to survive in environments as harsh arctic tundra huddled around campfires, in sandy villages in a desert with a single well. A small number of cities exist, most without obvious sources of sufficient food to support them.
As the Amentans investigate further they notice more anomalies of a far less consistent nature. There's an aurora in the northern hemisphere that shines continuously, day and night. One of the cities appear to change subtly in composition and position constantly, with no obvious construction visible. A group of the humanoids appear to live underwater, alongside a gigantic manta ray, hundreds of feet in breadth. A giant skeleton statue of green crystal seems to be moving. A blur of feathers and wings zooms across the planet like a missile at one point. Except for the humanoid species, none of the anomalies repeat.
These are just the anomalies they notice easily from orbit, more may be found on closer inspection.
They don't usually go where people are living Meelia thinks. Unless something is wrong and they need to be there like someone stole a toy they like or a friend is napping there or they got pushed out by another monster.
One of the other amaliens excitedly adds that Meelia is really good at helping those monsters and the people in the new place they are trying to move.
They are pleased to make Meelia's acquaintance!
They would like to know more about amaliens, too. They look sort of like young Amentans, but they haven't seen any who look more like adult Amentans, so perhaps they are adults and just look like that? They haven't seen any baby ones either though, is it the wrong time of year?
A baby is a new person who just started existing, and an adult is someone who hasn't been a baby for a while - how long a while depends on species. Do they have animals that are born, or hatch out of eggs, and then get bigger?
Oh yeah they have those! It's sad and sorta happy and a few of the amaliens have obvious emotions about this.
They're not sure?? They don't keep count and they can't remember every detail and can't tell exactly when things they remembered happened.
Fika has an unusually good memory and is pretty sure one of the earliest things she can remember is a time she gathered up a lot of friends for a fun party month* together during a month where the moon blocked out the sun from view at the start and the other moon blocked the sun at the end.
She's not sure whether it was the first time the moons did that.
*month is the closest translation of the amount of time.
Judging by the orbits of the moons, two total solar eclipses last happened that close together a bit over 35 thousand years ago. The one before that would have been closer to 285 thousand years ago.
They take some time to kick that question to the astronomers and get an estimate back.
well if they're immortal it's very good they don't also have babies???? they guess???????
The amaliens are confused about that, not that they want to have babies but. They arn't sure why the being immortal bit matters.
Well, if you're immortal, AND you have babies, and you also don't know how to go to other planets, then eventually there are too many of you for you and all the things you eat and all the stuff you need to fit on the one planet.
Oh. They guess that could happen but mostly they think a bunch of them would nap most of the time if that started being an issue.
They arn't sure that's true. Some of the amaliens with singed hair and ash on their faces say that if you fall into lava where there isn't any air you can nap till other amaliens find you and you get better or until lava pushes you out of the ground again later, though that can take a really really long time.
(also it can hurt a bunch and isn't fun)
And monsters. Like this soft fluffy dog monster. Doesn't even have horns, weird.
About how many amaliens are there?