Ancient Zoidians

Zoidians, the Heresy of Planet Zi

- Zoids and Zoidians

    The roots of the humanoid-type Zoidians are not clearly understood.

    They originated after the climatic upheaval on Planet Zi due to the fall of the planetesimals, during the period when it stabilised into an Earth-type atmosphere. The most prominent theory at present is that they evolved from small animals that lived an arboreal lifestyle. However, they do not possess a Zoid Core, so taxonomically they are considered a separate race to Zoids.

    These small, powerless arboreal animals had no sharp fangs or hard shells and thus lived in trees to protect themselves. Unable to do anything but flee from the giant shelled organisms, they developed their cerebral centres as thinking organs in order to survive.

    Since they lived in trees, there was a limit on their body weight, and therefore their metal shells were extremely thin compared to the other organisms on Zi. But on the other hand, their limbs had a high degree of freedom and they were able to use tools.

    Some of them had the capability to harden their shells for a certain period of time when danger approached (a "plating ability"), but in general they abandoned their hard, heavy shells, used more freely-moving hands, and developed their tool-making skills.

    By using fire and cladding their bodies in cloth, they overcame several ice ages.

- Special Abilities of the Ancient Zoidians

At present it can only be inferred from fossils excavated from within the earth, but ancient Zoidians also had thin metal shells, though not to the extent of Zi's other organisms.

This was because, like the other organisms, they possessed an organ that could store the metallic elements contained in the water and plants they consumed inside their bodies and recompose them on their skin, and it is conjectured that some extinct species of ancient Zoidians had shells shaped like full body armour.

- Fading Characteristics

    The greatest characteristic of the creatures of Planet Zi, the organs that absorb metals into their bodies and use them as components for their shells, exist in Zoidians as well. But as a result of evolution (or degeneration) over roughly 100,000 years, they have been minimised, and now only barely remain as a part of the digestive organs.

    Though the metallic element content in their blood and skin may be high, Zoidians with hard shells like the ancient Zoidians are not seen among extant varieties.

    There are, however, examples of Zoidians even now who have a metallic outer shell appear on part of their body like a birthmark, but this has no substantial function such as protecting them from external enemies or providing sex appeal to acquire an excellent mate during reproductive activities. This phenomenon is no more than the exposure of excess metallic elements absorbed into their bodies on a part of their skin, and should be understood as a function to maintain body stability.

    This is similar to the degeneration of body hair in Earth humans, and one could say that both of these are bodily characteristics that were lost in roughly inverse proportion to the progress of civilisation.

    Among modern Zoidians, whose appearances are now little different from Earth humans, there are some who treat the metallic outer shells as fashion or family symbols and replicate them by deliberately etching tattoos in conspicuous places such as the face.

- Mating with Earthlings

Earthlings and Zoidians are almost identical in appearance, but if you shift your focus to the elements forming the 60 trillion cells composing their bodies, the difference is remarkable, and you can tell that they are completely separate kinds of organism. Genetically speaking, crossbreeding was impossible. However, hybrids called "Seconds" or "Azzes" have been born between Earthlings and Zoidians as a third race.

With the establishment of crossbreeding, which should have been absolutely inconceivable according to the life sciences, some scholars are attempting to find some sort of common denominator with Earthlings in the mystery-shrouded origins of the Zoidians, but unravelling these mysteries is impossible even with modern science.

100,000 Years Ago

Relationship with Wild Zoids

- Usage of Zoids

    The Zoidians of roughly 10,000 years ago, who created stone tools and used fire, captured and preyed on Wild Zoids that lived in close proximity to their spheres of life.

    The metal shells of Wild Zoids were hard and unsuitable for food, but portions of their muscles and organs were a valuable source of protein.

    However, they could not penetrate the metal shells of the Wild Zoids with stone tools. From experience, they mastered a method of restricting the movements of Zoids by using natural magnetic rocks, and this later progressed to magnets.

    Wild Zoids also contain large quantities of metallic elements in their internal organs, particularly their hearts, and powerful magnetism could sometimes stop the Wild Zoids' cardiac functions.

    The metal shells of Zoids captured for eating would later be processed into high-quality iron tools by way of the invention of high-temperature furnaces.

    There were a wide variety of other Wild Zoid capturing methods, but these all occurred before the invention of writing, and actual proof of them would have to wait until the deciphering of Babahot's Iron Plate.

- Domestic Zoids

    As Wild Zoid capturing technology advanced and people started to live in groups more commonly, Zoids began to assume a role as domestic animals.

    Hunters brought small predatory animals with excellent senses of smell along with them on hunts, shared the spoils with them in return, and selected and tamed the individuals that were more obedient to humans after dozens of generational changes.

    In addition, nomads utilised large birds as a means of transportation, domesticating them over countless generations.

    If we trace back even further to the Megalithic Age, there exist records of large Zoids being used to transport megaliths, indicating that there has been a long history of symbiosis between Zoidians and Zoids.

    Through this history of domestication, only the healthier and more obedient individuals were selected, so a great number of domestic species currently exist whose characteristics clearly differ from the wild species.

    This artificial selection would eventually develop into the cyborgisation of Zoids, using the Zoid remodelling technology of the Age of Intertribal Conflict.

10,000 Years Ago

The Beginning of the Zoid Calendar

- Ruins and Babahot's Iron Plate

- The Birthplace of Zoidian Civilisation

    After the fall of the planetesimals, the climate stabilised. However, Planet Zi repeatedly experienced large-scale orogenic activity in cycles of 10,000 to 30,000 years.

    This was because the high-temperature, high-pressure mantle was still active deep below ground, and the countless active volcanoes all over the continent periodically underwent major eruptions, spewing out viscous lava and volcanic ash.

    The history of the Megalithic Age was hence buried under this volcanic ash, and for a long time the origins of civilisation on Planet Zi were considered a mystery.

    However, in ZAC 1693, the geologist Babahot happened to discover traces of an ancient civilisation in the ground while investigating a large earthquake that had occurred on the eastern tip of the continent. A metal plate he unearthed was engraved with ancient hieroglyphics. Judging from its purity, this metal plate itself is believed to have been manufactured by using a blast furnace to melt the metal shell of a "Zoid" obtained through hunting. As a result of analysing this metal plate with "carbon-14 dating", it was established to be almost 1700 years old. This date was considered the starting point of civilisation on Zi - namely, "ZAC 1" - and defined as the beginning of the era of civilisation.

    It seems that the ancient civilisations, which processed iron and used writing, possessed more advanced living technology than we thought.

    Until "Babahot's Iron Plate" was unearthed, there was no unified theory as to the origin of civilisation on Zi, but thanks to this iron plate, the fact that civilisations had lived together with Wild Zoids since ancient times was made clear. In particular, "Taj Bee", an archaeologist who was assigned to analyse the plate, determined that people had been experimenting with domesticating Zoids since before recorded history.

    At the same time, he discovered that there was a description on the plate indicating the location of a huge temple, thought to be the largest of its time.

    It took thirty years from the unearthing of the plate, but he finally located traces of this phantom temple on a cape on the southern tip of the Central Continent, and succeeded in excavating it completely.

Many precious items were unearthed from this temple, starting with valuable ancient ornaments, but a carbonised Zoid Core enshrined in the temple was the greatest discovery of them all. A theory was published stating that this was proof that the people of the time were performing tests in which they extracted Zoid Cores from dead Zoids, submerged them in blast furnaces, generated new individuals and grew them into adults prematurely, and that the Zoid Core was carbonised because it had died due to a mistake in regulating the temperature within the blast furnace.

This fact is proof that people had been living together with Zoids and using fire and iron since before "Babahot's Iron Plate" was created. Because of this, the assertion that we should trace back the origin of civilisation on Zi several centuries beyond the discovery date of this iron plate is repeated even now.

The first year of ZAC, ZAC 1~

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Differences in the Monthly Zoids Graphics

There were quite a few differences between the Zoids Bible, printed and released through the Zoid Core Box, and the Monthly Zoids Graphics, which included pages from the Bible. We'll go through and list those below. The differences are in a bold, italic font.

- Differences

Original Text:

Special Abilities of the Ancient Zoidians

Special Abilities of the Zoidians

Original Text:

There are, however, examples of Zoidians even now who have a metallic outer shell appear on part of their body like a birthmark, but this has no substantial function such as protecting them from external enemies or providing sex appeal to acquire an excellent mate during reproductive activities.

Original Text:

Earthlings and Zoidians are both humanoid in appearance, but genetically speaking, crossbreeding was impossible. The difference between the elements forming the 60 trillion cells composing their bodies is remarkable, and that distance was a difficult one to cross. However, the life science-based "Interface Cell" technology brought by Earth civilisation gave birth to hybrids of Earthlings and Zoidians called "Azzes" as a third race between the two. Natural interbreeding between the two species is only possible between fellow "Azzes".

Original Text:

From experience, they mastered a method of restricting the movements of Zoids by using natural magnetic rocks, and this later progressed to magnets.

But from experience, they mastered a method of restricting the movements of Zoids by using natural magnetic rocks, and this later progressed to magnets.

Original Text:

There were a wide variety of other Wild Zoid capturing methods, but these all occurred before the invention of writing, and actual proof of them would have to wait until the deciphering of Babahot's Iron Plate.

Original Text:

If we trace back even further to the Megalithic Age, there exist records of large Zoids being used to transport megaliths, indicating that there has been a long history of symbiosis between Zoidians and Zoids.

If we trace back even further to the Megalithic Age, there exist records of large Zoids being used to transport megaliths, so there has been a long history of symbiosis between Zoidians and Zoids.

Original Text:

In particular, "Taj Bee", an archaeologist who was assigned to analyse the plate, determined that people had been experimenting with domesticating Zoids since before recorded history.

In particular, "Taj Bee", an archaeologist who was assigned to analyse the plate, analysed it with the latest technology, starting with "carbon-14 dating". He determined that people had been experimenting with domesticating Zoids since before recorded history.

Original Text:

It took thirty years from the unearthing of the plate, but he finally located traces of this phantom temple on a cape on the southern tip of the Central Continent, and succeeded in excavating it completely.

It took thirty years from the unearthing of the plate, but he finally discovered traces of this phantom temple on a cape on the southern tip of the Central Continent! And he succeeded in excavating it completely!

Original Text:

Many precious items were unearthed from this temple, starting with valuable ancient ornaments, but a carbonised Zoid Core enshrined in the temple was the greatest discovery of them all.

Many precious items were unearthed from this temple, starting with valuable ancient ornaments, but a carbonised Zoid Core enshrined in the temple was the most precious discovery of them all.