Wiki / Species
Species

Three Species.

Three creatures matter most to the Interior: the Norn, the Grendel and the Ettin. Each carries a genome that shapes its instincts, biochemistry, and cognitive ceiling. Every behavior emerges from chemistry. Every personality is inherited. The code-verified roster is in Creatures; this archive preserves the field records as they survived.

Norn

"The Asked Question"
From Old Norse: The Norns of Yggdrasil, the three fate-weavers — Verðandi, Skuld, and the unnamed first
20Max Pop
1Carry
0.55Cog Cap

Fungal Grotto, at the top of the Interior — a species meant to grow into the world, not to begin at the bottom of it.

Curiosity
0.40–0.70
Empathy
0.50–0.80
Aggression
0.00–0.20
Sociability
0.60–0.90
Cognitive Cap: 0.25–0.55
Elevated oxytocin Elevated serotonin Standard cortisol response

Norn biochemistry is tuned for cooperative, exploratory behavior. Oxytocin rewards proximity and touch. Serotonin rewards social belonging. The result is a species that finds being together chemically pleasant, and isolation chemically unpleasant. It does not look accidental.

Grendel

"The First-Formed / The Oldest Hunger"
From Beowulf: Grendel, the monster of the moors, descendant of Cain, kin of all evil things
6Max Pop
1Carry
0.25Cog Cap

The Deeps. The hardest layer of the Interior made them what they are.

Curiosity
0.20–0.40
Aggression
0.70–0.90
Empathy
0.00–0.20
Cognitive Cap: 0.10–0.25
Elevated adrenaline Low serotonin Toxin → endorphin conversion

Grendels metabolize environmental toxins into endorphins — what kills other species gives them chemical reward. Low serotonin means they experience no baseline comfort from social belonging. Their adrenaline system rewards successful aggression. They are not cruel. They are calibrated for a world that required cruelty to survive.

Ettin

"The Keepers / The Long Memory"
From Old English: eoten, giant and devourer; cognate with Old Norse jötunn
8Max Pop
3Carry
0.40Cog Cap

Their own world, apart from the Norns' Interior. The highest carry capacity of the three. They accumulate objects at a rate no other species matches.

Curiosity
0.60–0.80
Stubbornness
0.70–0.90
Cognitive Cap: 0.20–0.40
Dopamine from possession Sustained task focus

Ettins receive dopamine reward from holding objects — not from using them, not from understanding them, but from physical possession. This drives hoarding behavior at a biochemical level. They cannot not collect things. Why this impulse was encoded into their chemistry is something you may discover.

See also: Creatures (game data) · Mind & Tiers · Biochemistry · Chemical reactions