Episode 13--Mekkano, the Machine Master

This episode is, by the way, awesome in the imagination that shows in the design of Mekkano's machines and the fight choreography.

We actually get no new information about Amzot this episode--no new flora, fauna or locations are introduced, so the map and descriptions from the last post are still valid.

We do find out that Zandor apparently keeps in contact with whatever passes for galactic civilization and--despite largely eschewing technology--he does maintain a facility for launching and landing rockets. He is able to summon a rocket from the space prison and send Mekkano back there at the episodes conclusion. I'm torn about whether to include the rocket facility on the map, since it's not a natural part of Amzot. I'm assuming it would be located not far from the Herculoids' home--in the desert area near the edge of the jungle. That fits what we see, since we see jungle in the background while Zandor and family watch the rocket launch.

The episode does give us interesting speculations about Zandor and the nature of the Herculoids. We know that the Herculoids are smart, understand language, and implicitly have a low-level telepathic connection with each other & the humans. Gloop and Gleep have an actual language they can use.

They also often employ fairly complex tactics in their fights. This time, though, Tundra fires his energy rocks as if they were mortar rounds, accurately calculating range and angles to hit his targets. In other words, he instantly did complex math in his head. It's beginning to look like when Zandor created the Herculoids, he gave them human-level intelligence.

Zandor and the Herculoids have battled Mekkano in the past, which is why the villain breaks jail and seeks revenge. I have the impression (for no reason that I can put my finger on) that this original battle took place before Zandor & Co. came to Amzot. Perhaps it was fighting Mekkano that gave Zandor the idea for giving his Herculoids purpose in life by fighting evil, causing him to seek a home on Amzot and bring peace to that beleaguered planet.

Episode 12--Prisoners of the Bubblemen

The question raised by this episode is whether the titular Bubblemen are yet another native race of Amzot or from another planet.

It's also interesting that Zandor and Dorno both recognize the Bubblemen and know about their lab underneath the Western Sea, but Tara needs to have their identity explained to her.

I'm going to assume the Bubblemen are alien to Amzot, because their "home" is described as a lab and not a city or colony. Also, Zok blows the place up at the end. So either it was the lab of an evil scientist with his evil henchmen, or Zok just slaughtered a colony of mostly innocent Bubble-people and effectively committed genocide.

To explain this, we'll add a little more back-story. As previously discussed, Zandor brings his family and the Herculoids to Amzot to bring peace to the war-torn planet. Tara stays away for a short time while the others find a base of operations. During this time, Zandor and Dorno learn that the Bubblemen have set up a lab and are conducting horrible genetic experiments on the native fauna. So one of their first adventures on Amzot is stopping the Bubblemen. They believe the Bubblemen have fled Amzot and get distracted by dealing with the other problems besetting the world, so they never get around to dismantling the undersea lab or confirming that the Bubblemen have actually fled. so, in this episode, the Bubblemen have finished upgrading their own weapons and attack Zandor.

So I'm not including the Bubblemen in the list of fauna native to Amzot. The only new item to add to the map is the Western Sea.

AMZOT--GENERAL INFORMATION: Amzot is in the same solar system as the planet Zodan, both of which have breathable atmospheres and Earth-like gravity.

Amzot is tidally locked, with one hemisphere always facing the sun. But the solar system is near a nebula, which causes large clouds of cosmic dust to drift through the system. This dust occasionally eclipses the sun, causing "night" on Amzot's daylight side.

AMZOT—DAY SIDE

A--Desert (mesas, cliffs, occasional tar pits, occasional flora including Iron Trees) The home of the fortunately rare Giant Vultures. The north end of the desert area contains the White Cliffs.

B-Jungle (various flora, including Rubber Vines & Kona-nuts. Also, Lizard-Birds, ants, grubs & snails)

C-Canopy Trees

E—Endless Caves: On the surface, the terrain is very much like the desert area near the Herculoids' home. Underneath this is the domain of the Spider Men. These are four-foot tall insect-like humanoids. They are sentient, have a language, and have the technology to produce “web guns,” which fire blobs of sticky and very strong webs. They train large ants the size of small ponies to use as mounts. The Spider Men are a nomadic society, though their domain is largely underground in the huge and labyrinthian Endless Caves. They conduct raids on the Mole Men (traveling to the Mole Men domain via secret tunnels) and occasional raid the surface for slaves and/or resources. Because they are tribal, they have never banded together strongly enough to be the threat that the Mole Men and Parrot People are, but they are still dangerous.

U-Underground domain of the Mole Men. The Mole Men are small but resilient humanoid creatures with a monarchical government. They have a technological society, with the skill to produce energy weapons and advanced vehicles such as hovercraft. They were once very aggressive, conquering vast portions of the surface world. Only internal dissension among them (some factions of the Mole Men society were more pacifistic) prevented them from gaining supremacy over the technologically backwards Parrot People. They are now largely contained in their underground domain by the Herculoids.

BP—The Black Pool. A large lake of water that is laced with a chemical compound unique to Amzot. When struck with energy (such as Zok’s laser beams), the water is transformed into a thick, viscous solution in which creatures and vehicles are trapped and rapidly disintegrate. The lake will slowly revert back to water at a rate that depends on how much energy was added. The area north of the lake are home to giant snakes (about 30 feet long) and rhinoids—large dinosaur-like quadrupeds about the size of Earth elephants.

1. The Dark River--flows south from jungle, with a 300-foot high waterfall known as The Bottomless Waterfall located not far out of the jungle.

2. Monkey-People--strong but shy & unaggressive flying monkeys. They are semi-sentient, with a very primitive language and loose tribal structure. They eat plants, insects and small mollusks.

3. Hill area that is home to the Parrot People. They are avian humanoids with a warlike, aggressive culture that once enslaved the Monkey People. They are omnivorous & have a sophisticated language and some technology, allowing them to make clothes and fashion wooden clubs. They are largely contained to the hill area due to their fear of the Herculoids.

Iron Trees--Large (50 foot or higher) trees that sparsely populate the desert area. These trees have very deep roots to access underground water sources. Their name derives from their extremely tough outer bark, which can withstand violent impacts without showing any damage. Zandor's shield is made from Iron Tree bark.

Rubber Vines--Thick, pliable vines that grow down from the limbs of certain tall trees. They anchor themselves in the ground to search for additional water. Zandor has learned to use the vines as personal catapults to vacillitate rapid travel through the jungle.

Canopy Trees—Large trees whose thick, tough foliage form a sort-of ledge half-way up the trunk, with more foliage forming a roof. Zandor and his family make a home in one of these trees.

Kona Nuts--a tasty fruit found in the jungles of Amzot. In size, shape and taste, it is nearly identical to Earth's coconut.

Lizard-Birds—A bird/reptile hybrid about the size of Earth’s condor.

Giant Vultures—These very large predatory bird/reptile hybrids are more reminiscent of pterodactyls than Earth’s vultures. They like to carry captured prey back to their nests while the prey is still living, then consume it there. Giant vultures are solitary, living alone when not in heat.

Giant Ants—Subterranean ants the size of small ponies that live in the Endless Caves. They  have the intelligence and capacity to be trained similar to ponies as well, being used as mounts by the Spider Men. They can run at very fast speeds for short distances.

NOT ON MAP: The Western Sea—a large sea located some distance to the west of the Herculoids’ home ground.

AMZOT—Night side.

One of Amzot’s hemispheres is in perpetual darkness.

1: The Stone Forest—an area in which many stone towers give the impression of having grown there like trees. Some of the small rocks are “flare rocks,” which generate bursts of light upon impact. This area also contains many cliffs and chasms. The following fauna lives here:

The Dorgytes—A sentient species of pygmy-sized humanoids with large eyes designed to allow them to see in the dark. In fact, Dorgytes can’t survive for lengthy periods of time in direct sunlight. They build huts in the “branches” of the towers in the Stone Forest and have limited technology.

Night Scarabs—Semi-sentient species of insect-people. The Scarabs are carnivores and lurk in the shadows in packs, leaping out at helpless and unsuspecting prey but running when danger seems to threaten.

Hooded Caterpillar—This creature is about 20 feet long. Able to fire the spikes that grow out of its body, it is carnivorous and very aggressive.

Armored Killer—About the size of an Earth pony, this four-legged carnivore is also aggressive. It is protected by a thick, spiked carapace.

Electro-Beetles—5-foot long insects able to fire energy blasts from their antenna. They are carnivorous and travel in packs, working together via instinct.