Ranage Tree
| Ranage Tree | |
|---|---|
| Base Information | |
| Classification | Autotroph & Reducer |
| Terrain | Forest (jungle) |
| Locomotion | Static (sessile) |
| Size | 55+ meters |
| Speed | 0.0kph (sessile) |
| Strength | Unknown |
| Social Structure | Large group (grove) |
| Weapons | Poison (Toxin) |
| Armor | Bark |
| Source | |
| Homeworld | Ivendo/Lanth (Spinward Marches 2319) |
| Multi-world | No |
| Canon | No |
| Extinct | Extant |
| Reference | The Spinward Marches Campaign |
The Ranage Tree is a plantoid lifeform.
- It is a type of flora native to Ivendo, in the Spinward Marches.
Physiology & Ecology
Ivendo, in the Lanth Subsector of the Spinward Marches, has a normal climate and a thin oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere. It supports a great variety of plant life, the most notable of which is perhaps the Ranage Tree, a vast growth whose wide canopy provides homes for many varieties of wildlife.
- Ranage wood is particularly prized for its beauty, and the unworked wood as well as furniture carved from it are staple exports of Ivendo.
Unfortunately, the tree's pollen, which is released in the spring, is toxic to many humans, inducing symptoms that range from nausea up to and including respiratory failure.
Non-canon: The Ranage tree is an essential part of the local ecology, and is abundant in the world's forests. Unfortunately, its pollen contains an alkaloidal toxin that is deadly to humans, and when the trees are pollinating during the spring, filter masks are required for the duration of the "bitchin' ragweed" season. The Ranage is cut down by the locals for the manufacture of exquisite furniture and cabinetry that is a major export of the world.
Life Cycle & Reproduction
The Ranage Tree is a huge organism typically covering many tens of square meters, with an interconnected root system and individual trunks, each spaced a few meters apart, supporting the leafy canopy. Particularly large examples can be mistaken for an area of woodland, especially given the number of other types of flora and fauna that live on and in the tree. An individual downed trunk – either knocked over by the environment or deliberately felled – does not kill the plant, and another trunk rapidly grows from the root system to replace it. Individual plants can be thousands of years old.
Diet & Trophics
The tree prefers nutrient-rich damp or swampy conditions but different species have adapted to a wide variety of environments and climates.
History & Background (Dossier)
Ranage wood is particularly prized for its beauty, and the unworked wood as well as furniture carved from it are staple exports of Ivendo.
Travellers' Aid Society Advisory
The Travellers' Aid Society (TAS) classifies ranage trees as dangerous to most sophonts and advises great caution when in the presence of this organism.
References & Contributors (Sources)
- Classic Traveller The Spinward Marches Campaign
- GURPS Traveller: Behind the Claw
- Software: Megatraveller 2: Quest for the Ancients
- External Link: Peter Gray
- Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science