Episode 29: Return of Sta-Lak

You know, the previous episode (The Crytalites) revealed that Amzot has two moons--something I actually forgot to add when I posted. I suppose they could be other planets in orbits close to Amzot, but we'll go with Occam's Razor and assume they are moons.

In addition to that, this episode shows us the Black Caverns, a mountain range with some semi-active volcanoes. Apparently, the interior of those volcanoes are spacious and well-ventilated enough to be inhabitable despite the presence of lava pools. Once again, based purely on the direction Sta-Lak and his robots were travelling when we first see them, I've placed the Black Caverns to the northeast of the jungle near the Herculoids' home.

Zandor shows enormous strength when stretching out the bars of the cage that Tara and Dorno imprisoned in. Based on this and Zandor's agility, I've added a line to his history that he used a little genetic manipulation on himself back during his scientist days, enhancing his strength and agility.

Really fun episode, by the way. I enjoyed the robot Herculoids enormously. It's interesting that the writers of the show choose Sta-Lak to be a return villain, but he does have an interesting visual design, so that might have been a deciding factor.

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 has two moons.

Amzot is rich in Energy Rocks, which are the basis for much of the technology of the galactic civilization and Magnetitron, a mineral that can absorb and dissipate radiation. Rich gold deposits are located near the Northern Sea. All this makes Amzot the target for raids or outright invasions by various alien criminals.

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.

MAP REFERENCES (Day side)

.   A. Desert –area of mesas, cliffs with occasional caves, occasional tar pits and sparse flora. The north edge of the desert area contains a particularly high ridge known as the White Cliffs. The east edge is the location of lava pits that contain "biological lava," which can be used to create Swamp Quadratts.

                                                              i.      Notable flora—Iron Trees; Canopy trees (the canopy trees are located along the west edge of desert—includes the home of the Herculoids. This is marked with the lower case z on the map.) 

                                                            ii.      Notable fauna—Giant Vultures, Lash-Tails, Swamp Quadratt

       B. Jungle—Located to the west and the south of the desert area. There are several small ponds and waterholes found throughout the jungle area.

                                                              i.      Common flora—trees and ferns

                                                            ii.      Notable flora—Rubber Vines, Kona-nuts, Corona Berries

                                                          iii.      Common fauna—ants, grubs, snails

                                                         iv.      Notable fauna—Lizard-Birds (large subspecies), Giant Scorpions, Venom Spiders

                                                            v.  Sentient species—Monkey People (living in the southern jungle)

      C. The Dark River, flowing south out of the jungle. A 300-foot waterfall known as the Bottomless Waterfall is located not far out of the jungle. (Objects or living beings that sink at the base of the waterfall never come up again, giving it that name.

    V. The Black Caverns—a small mountain range with several semi-active volcanoes. The volcano interiors are caverns large and well-ventilated enough to be inhabitable despite containing pools of lava.

        D. Hills

                                                              i.      Sentient species—Parrot People

        E. Endless Caves—The surface area is very similar to the desert area (A). Huge caverns are located below the ground. Secret tunnels known only to the Spider People connect this area with the underground domain of the Mole Men.

                                                              i.      Notable fauna—Giant Ants

                                                            ii.      Sentient Species—Spider Men

B                      P. 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.

               i.        Notable fauna—Giant Snakes, Rhinoids

U. Underground domain of the Mole Men—The surface is very similar to the desert area (A). Beneath the surface are huge caverns. At least one cave above the Mole Men domain contains a huge clutch of Destroyer Ant eggs.

Also on the ground above the Mole Men are the Bottomless Cliffs, which descend deep down into the core of Amzot.

            i. Common fauna—colorful birds

            ii. Notable flora—Destroyer Ants

iii. Sentient Species—Mole Men

L. Mountainous region that is the home of the Laser Lancers, who carve their fortresses and cities into the mountains.

        i. Notable fauna—Giant Bees

        ii. Sentient Species—Laser Lancers

M. A small mountain range. The Kyanite gladiatorial arena is located atop one of these mountains, though the Kyanites themselves live on another planet and only occasionally visit Amzot.

N. The Northern Sea—A large sea surrounded by woods and enormous caves. The caves include some gold deposits and volcanic fissures.

            i. Sentient Species—humans (at the north end of the lake); Raider Apes (at the south end of the lake)

S. Misty Swamps—fed by a river that runs east out of the Northern Sea. The swamp is surrounded by jungle and caves. The caves contain the mineral Magnetitron, which is able to absorb and dissipate radiation.

            i. Common flora—trees and ferns

  ii. Common fauna—monkeys

  iii. Notable fauna—The Swamp Monster; Lizard-Birds (smaller subspecies)

            iv. Sentient Species—Human tribe known as the Tree People.

T. The Temple of Trax. This is a jungle area surrounded by mountains. The Traxians built a city here thousands of years ago, with a clock-work idol they worshiped as a god being the centerpiece of the city. The city is built atop fast, underground caverns, many of which contain rivers or lakes.

            i. Notable fauna—Gater-oids

            ii. Sentient Species—Traxians; One surviving human

W. The Western Sea

NOTABLE FLORA:

Canopy Trees (A)-- 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.

Corona Berries (B)--A tasty fruit found in the jungles of Amzot. In size, shape and taste, it is nearly identical to Earth's coconut. A similar fruit called the Kona-nuts (which differs slightly in taste) also grow in the area.

Iron Trees (A)-- 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.

Kona-nuts (B)-- A tasty fruit found in the jungles of Amzot. In size, shape and taste, it is nearly identical to Earth's coconut. A similar fruit called the Corona Berries (which differs slightly in taste) also grow in the area.

Rubber Vines (B) --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.

NOTABLE FAUNA:

Destroyer Ants (U)— Elephant-sized sub-species of the Giant Ants, bred for size and extreme destructiveness by Mole Men scientists as  living Weapons of War.

Gateroids (T)-- Amphibious carnivores about the size of an Earth horse that inhabit underground rivers and lakes. They are vicious four-legged creatures with an armored carapace and a vaguely shark-like head. They are able to rend and digest nearly anything organic, no matter how tough (including Igoo!)

Giant Ants (E)— 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.

Giant Bees (L)—Flying insects the size of a large Earth horse, domesticated and bred by the Laser Lancers to use as mounts. Giant Scorpions (B)--About 20 feet long, these creatures are similar (though not identical) to Earth scorpions. They feed on the trees of Amzot's jungles.

Giant Snakes (BP)—Exactly what the name says—30-foot long snakes.

Giant Vultures (A)-- 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.

Lizard-Birds (B, S)-- A bird/reptile hybrid about the size of Earth’s condor. The larger subspecies lives in the jungles near the central desert area. A smaller subspecies lives in the jungles around the Misty Swamps.

Rhinoids (BP)-- Large dinosaur-like quadrupeds about the size of Earth elephants.

Swamp Monster (S)-- A giant humanoid creature lives in the swamp. It is non-aggressive and only occasionally seen. This Swamp Monster is the last of a species that is going extinct.

Swamp Quadratt (A)--A creature created when energy of a certain frequency is beamed into the biological lava of the lave pits located at the east end of the desert area near the Herculoids home. The Quadratt is a 20-foot tall humanoid that can throw balls of lava and is highly suggestible--each individual Quadratt can generally be controlled by its creator. 

Venom Spiders (B)--Large spiders (about the size of a grown human) that construct huge webs in the jungle foliage to trap prey. Their venom is particularly deadly, though the Spider Men have an antidote.  

SENTIENT SPECIES:

Humans (N, S, T)—Displaced Earth humans—ancestors of people who escaped from alien slavers but never made it back to Earth. Some humans became priests to the Traxians, though now only one (kept alive by an immortality serum).

Humans live in villages at the north end of the Northern Sea. They have a medieval-level civilization, using gold mined from the caves as a medium of exchange. They are occasionally raided by the Raider Apes. Several generations ago, a number of humans broke away from this group after a leadership dispute, moving to the jungles around the Misty Swamp and building houses in the trees. This tribe became known as the Tree People.

Laser Lancers (L)—Bipedal human-sized insect race that lives in a mountainous area, carving cities and fortresses out of the mountains. They have technology to produce their “Laser Lances”—weapons shaped like the lances used by medieval knights on Earth, but which emit a powerful laser. They also carry move conventional laser pistols. The king and warrior-drones are all males. A huge queen produces hundreds of eggs at irregular intervals. Whenever a new army of drones are hatched, the Lancers often give in to their aggressive instincts and attempt to conquer other areas of Amzot. They have bred and domesticated a species of giant bees to use as mounts.

Lash-Tails (A)--Bipedal dinosaur-like creatures that stand about 20 feet tall, these creatures have spiked tails that are capable of smashing rocks.

Mole Men (U)— 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 Laser Lancers and the technologically backwards Parrot People. They are now largely contained in their underground domain by the Herculoids.

Monkey People (B—southern jungle)-- 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.

Parrot People (D)-- 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.

Raider Apes (N)—The Raider Apes, who usually hunt and farm, have villages near the southern end of the sea and occasionally launch raids on the humans to steal gold. The Raider Apes are reminiscent of Earth's Vikings, with similar armor and using long-ships propelled by oars. Their primary weapon is a powerful crossbow. Since the arrival of the Herculoids, their raids on the human villages have been severely curtailed.

Spider Men (E)-- These are four-foot tall insect-like humanoids. They are sentient, have a language, and have technology to produce “web guns,” which fire blobs of sticky and very strong webs. These are used in their slave raids, which allows them to take captives more easily. They do use energy weapons in open warfare and in defense of their territory. 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 do maintain a few permanent bases to produce their weaponry. A favorite defense mechanism used at these bases is a device that generates a wall of flame. 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.

Traxians (T)-- The Traxians built a city thousands of years ago, with a clock-work idol they worshiped as a god being the centerpiece of the city. The city is built atop fast, underground caverns, many of which contain rivers or lakes infested with Gateroids.

With human high priests (displaced from Earth), the Traxians used to capture and sacrifice other sentient creatures to appease their god. They once had a fairly sophisticated civilization, producing an immortality serum as well as clock-work mechanisms. But they went into decline until the few remaining Traxians placed themselves into hibernation, watched over by the remaining human priest.

The Traxian males are about 8 feet tall, very strong, with tough armor-like skin and a single horn protruding from their forehead. Females are about six-feet tall and green-skinned, with a more human body structure (though slightly insectoid in its appearance). Skorra is an exiled Traxian queen whose mad desire for power upset even the cruel Traxian culture. ("Queen Skorra")

DARK SIDE

Little is known about Amzot’s Dark Side. The Stone Forest is located near the terminator line that separates the light side from the dark side. Since this is the only feature we know about, no map is provided.

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 fauna seems to contain more predators than prey—this means the predator species feed on each other, which encourages very aggressive behavior.

NOTABLE FAUNA:

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.

SENTIENT SPECIES:

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.

THE HISTORY OF THE HERCULOIDS

Zandor was the galaxy’s foremost geneticist. A descendant of Reed Richards (founder of the 20^th Century superhero team the Fantastic Four), he was also trained in several other areas of science, including temporal physics and anthropology. His wife Tara was also a skilled scientist.

Zandor enchanced his own strength and agility with genetic manipulation. But Zandor’s greatest achievement as a scientist was the creation of the Herculoids. These creatures are all sentient, able to work together closely and use improvised & sophisticated tactics in combat. Gloop and Gleep have an actual language, which Zandor, Tara and Dorno all understand. The other creatures understand both that language and human speech. All the humans and the Herculoids share a short-ranged telepathic link, which allows Tundro, Zok and Igoo to impart information despite their lack of intelligible speech.

Noteworthy abilities:

Gleep and Gloop—shape changing; the ability to divide into multiple units but still maintain sentient control over all those units. The two creatures are actually able to individually control every cell in their bodies, even when these cells are separated from one another. Their bodies are also highly damage resistant and Gloop, at least, rivals Igoo in pure strength.

Igoo—Hulk-level super-strength and invulnerability

Zok—The ability to fire lasers out of his eyes and tail; capable of surviving in space and obtaining near-light speed, while generating a life-support bubble around any passenger he is carrying. He can also fire "nega-beams" out of his eyes, which will cancel out any other energy source they strike.

Tundro—Extendable legs. The ability to ingest Energy Rocks and later fire them as weapons through his horn. His armor is nearly invulnerable.

After creating the Herculoids, Zandor realized he must give them some purpose in life. He knew that Amzot was rich in valuable resources, especially Energy Rocks, but was cursed with chaotic violence. After scouting the planet alone, he then returned with Dorno and the Herculoids. Tara remained behind for a time to make arrangements with the galactic government, which included establishing an automated rocket base near the Herculoids’ Canopy Tree home so that criminals caught on Amzot could be sent off for trial and incarceration.

The galactic government was happy to cede responsibility for Amzot to the Herculoids, as their law enforcement organizations and the superhero Space Ghost were all busy handling constant threats elsewhere in the galaxy. The Herculoids were now responsible for keeping the resources of Amzot out of the hands of warmongers and criminals.

Zandor has adapted his personal fighting style to Amzot, using a shield made of Iron Tree bark and a sling shot that fires Energy Rocks. He has learned to use the Rubber Vines in the jungle to facilitate fast travel.

HISTORY OF AMZOT:

When the Herculoids first came to Amzot, the planet was a chaotic mess. Though the Traxians were in decline and few in number, other factions on the planet were locked in cycles of violence. The Raider Apes were oppressing the humans. The Parrot People were enslaving the Monkey People. The Mole Men and the Spider Men fought each other below the surface and warred for supremacy with the Parrot People and the Laser Lancers on the surface.

Alien threats included regular visits by the Kyanites, a humanoid race with a warlike culture. The Kyanites set up gladiatorial arenas on various planets, including Amzot. When a clan visits one of these arenes, they capture native races and fauna, forcing them to fight against the best Kyanite warriors. Clans with the best win/lose records gain political ascendancy on their home planet. The Herculoids learned to be on guard for these occasional visits. (“The Gladiators of Kyanite”)

The Bubblemen were unethical scientists who set up an underwater base at the Western Sea and conducted hideous experiments on native life. The Herculoids chased them off the planet, though the Bubblemen did eventually return and repair their base. (“Prisoners of the Bubblemen”)

The Herculoids managed to largely contain the Mole Men, Spider People, Laser Lancers, Parrot People and Raider Apes to their own territories, but must be constantly on guard, since each of these races will occasionally try to regain their former power.

Perhaps the most deadly threat involving the more violent native races was the Destroyer Ants, which were created by Mole Men scientists by genetically tampering with the Giant Ants. They intended to make a living weapon of war, but the Destroyer Ants threatened to get out of control and destroy all surface life. After a long, hard battle, the Destroyer Ants were stopped, though Zandor was initially unaware that a clutch of eggs were still hidden in a large cave. (“Destroyer Ants”)