Subcrytures

  The wild countryside is teeming with sedentary life. Besides the usual fruits and vegetables, your characters might also find large fungi that sprout edible blooms, as well as things known as lithids, and calcids - unusual growths of stone or bone that bloom with salty or sugary "candy." There are also Carnids - lumpy, slug-like animals with no more intellect than a jellyfish. These odd "plants" are often farmed by humans, just like any other crop, and are important for filling out the human diet in a world where sentient animals dissolve into inedible magic goo when they die. Collectively, these examples of non-sentient life are called Subcrytures.   With the addition of cryture essences, mutated varieties of these subcrytures can also spring to life. When wild crytures fight each other, they often leave behind essences of their prey, which stains the soil with magical properties. Not only does this supercharge the growth of anything that grows there, it also causes them to mutate in much the same way that crytures have. These mutant subcrytures can produce valuable components with wondrous effects, as well as dangerous hazards to mankind.   Tree-sized subcrytures may also undergo such mutations, giving them unusual properties that make them useful as building materials. Some may even transform into deadly carnivores monstrosities, or enthralling blooms that may be more dangerous than the crytures themselves.  

Herbids

Subcrytures that fall under the normal type of plants are known as Herbids. They absorb energy through photosynthesis, and get nutrients through root systems. Some produce flowers with nectar for pollinators, or might bear fruit to carry their seeds. Trees, shrubs, flowers, fruits, vegetables, and vines are counted among herbids, to name a few. They are especially favored as food by crytures such as Arbo and Nimbaah.

Fungids

Lifeforms such as mushrooms, molds, and other fungi are classified as Fungids. They typically gain nutrients from the remains of dead herbids and carnids, or as parasites on living organisms. They usually spread by releasing spores into the air, which take root on anything that can provide enough nutrients and moisture to sustain them. Crytures like Florb and Glarva are fond of fungids as a food source.  

Carnids

The closest thing to mundane animals in the Crytures world are called Carnids. They may bear a resemblance to familiar animals, but have lost most of their senses, along with any semblance of intellect. They may take the form of lumps or mounds, which creep around while grazing on grass, or as small bodies that latch onto trees, sucking the sap from them to grow lengthy chains of meat, which fill a similar role to fruit. Some are entirely sedentary, and may spawn small "nuggets" that creep around, collecting food to bring back to the main organism. Psykit and Kitmer are examples of crytures who favor carnids as food  

Lithids

Lithids are stone-like organisms that often resemble plants in their structure. Some are composed of rocky stems that grow "flowers" with rubbery petals. Many of them grow crystals, which absorb sunlight for photosynthesis, while others absorb nutrients from unliving stone, or parasitize other subcrytures for sustenance. Most of them produce a kind of sweet or salty "candy" that serves the same purpose that fruit would in plants. These candies are a favored snack for crytures such as Flyl, Snudolf, and Horpit.  

Calcids

Some subcrytures, known as Calcids, appear to be made of bone, horns, or other hard organic structures. They may absorb nutrients through roots or filter feeding, while some of them generate energy with more unusual methods, such as capturing vibration from the wind. They sometimes have fleshy bits that are edible for humans and crytures. Ossites, corals, barnacles, and clams are examples of such organisms.  

Sectids

Subcrytures that have a chitinous outer shell are known as sectids. Most of them are very small, mobile, hive-based organisms, such as bees or ants. These sectids often survive by grazing on local herbids and fungids. Others are larger and live solitary lives predating on smaller subcrytures. The largest ones are usually sedentary, and may be carnivorous.