The World of

Monster Hunter

Bioenergy

A hard to categorize energetic compound, ethereal, closer to radiation than a solid material, the energy from this radiation is captured by microbacteria which are able to convert it into a number of useful compounds, crystallizing eventually if not used to create various energetic phenomenon such as electricity, cold or fire (various monsters have different relations to these bacteria, with elder dragons often having incorporated them into their cells, while other monsters instead have them as a seperate phenomenon within specific organs)

Fossil Bone

Biological compound which can become somewhat more rigid when bioenergy circulates through it, as crystalline growth occurs within the material, eventually this crystalline growth can overgrow and cause pain and irritation to a monster, driving older monsters to be somewhat more aggressive, fossilization will often result in the calcified sections of the bones being replaced with stone while the crystalline growths remain, resulting in much more structurally sound rocks than normal

Fuel

Long term coal deposits tend to be rare/unavailable, as microbacteria and in particular large burrowing monsters will commonly eat these materials, currently generating fuel deposits are present throughout some of the larger, wetter forests

Tar

Somewhat common as a result of volcanic flows burying vegetation, oftentimes repeated burying will eventually result in seeps of tar emerging from the ground, being somewhat quickly processed by bacteria when in higher bioenergy conditions (although oftentimes this is mitigated by firestones absorbing enough bioenergy to create lava chambers)

Firestone

A stone which actively converts some amount of bioenergy into heat, seeming to be constantly on fire without any input, large collections of this material can create huge, stable volcanic provinces, reactions with oxygen degrade it, increasing its heat output but consuming it

Ice Crystal

A stone which actively converts some amount of bioenergy into cold (more specifically Ice Element), more rare than firestone due to its complicated chemistry, can result in cold provinces regardless of latitude/longitude, exposure to oxygen will cause the material to degrade while increasing the efficiency of its cold generation

Primary Ore

Mechanically strong ore often consumed by large monsters, exists on a rough continuum based on refinement (similar to lignite to anthracite in coal), iron is this kind of metal

Secondary Ore

Metals which are not directly on the Primary Ore continuum, often have specific mechanical/chemical properties which make them neccesary dietary parts for certain monsters, or are similarly used by monsters, Gold is this kind of metal

Melding Ore

An ore which infiltrates microscopic pores when melted very well, difficult to extract, but massively aids joint strength in large monsters, occasionally collectable in manageable amounts from old apex predators, titanium is this kind of metala

Bio Ore

Bone compressed first by water, then by geologic force, somewhat elastic and comparatively quite light, but much more difficult to work with while retaining its properties, somewhat commonly used as a high strength bowstring when high quality deposits are found

Annealing Crystal

A crystalline mineral which melts under heat, can be rubbed off in a manner similar to graphite before it is melted into a hard crystalline surface, different qualities create different strengths, affinity is a result of being able to strike at this material along its breaking point, increasing the damage and weakening the armor it creates, tenderizing is a similar phenomenon

Abrasive Crystal

Specifically created from compressed shelled microbes which form limestone, the crystals which grow in the material are incredibly hard, being useful as an abrasive

Generic Crystal

A lightly dense crystalline growth which grows in high bioenergy environments such as the elders recess, technically this is the stuff which grows in bones, it is often strong with pronounced weakness planes, being much stronger when grown at random angles within bones

Gemstone

A crystal which grows within the body of monsters which utilize large amounts of bioenergy, the bioenergy remaining within these gems do not interact with other creatures well, however fossilized gems can become much more stable

Bioenergy

Bioenergy is converted from an energetic form similar to radiation into a physical form similar to sugar through a form of bacteria which can process it, these deposits of energy create crystals which are difficult to impossible to process, however many types of plants are capable of processing it into its material form in a way that animals can eat, eventually cascading up the food chain

However a fairly common adaptation among larger monsters is the ability to metabolize the energetic form of bioenergy directly, with established nesting sites of these monsters often having higher than average bioenergy output, bioenergy processing is more common the larger the monster is

Elder Dragon

Elder Dragons are notable for being creatures which primarily metabolized Bioenergy rather than hunting, being attracted to the best nesting sites in the area and being incredibly territorial, with most of their outlandish adaptations being for fights between them and other elder dragons

Many Elder Dragons reproduce through a form of dispersal similar to spawning by fish, where large amounts of small aerial plankton like juvenile elder dragons are released into upper atmosphere currents (these provide the food source for the various upper atmosphere dragons like Amatsu and Narwa)

Regeneration

The physical bioenergy stored in the monsters body can either be used to massively increase metabolism or to create the various compounds used by monsters for their elemental attacks, universally it results in creatures which are able to regenerate from grievous bodily harm repeatedly

Necromancy

Bioenergy which has crystallized within a monster can be used to somewhat repair and run its body while it is in contact with its flesh, even after the monster has died, and thus a weapon can be created that, for example, has a flame sac connected to a gem, which results in a continuous output of the monsters flame effect

Ancient Civilization

The ancient civilization seen primarily in the Tower megastructure was one which had the following attributes:

1 - Highly organized and capable of large scale projects

2 - Capable of advanced engineering within many remnant arenas, where dragonators and ballista and the like are present

3 - Extremely mysterious (for my purposes, I'll be treating the Equal Dragon Weapon as a potential thing that they could do)

Tower

The tower is a complex non-mechanical structure created for the collection of physical bioenergy within the extremely high Bioenergy highlands area in the eastern continent of Fonron

A complex series of slow-flowing aqueducts are filled with colonies of Bioenergy metabolizing bacteria and the nutrients required for their growth, and then sent through the system to eventually collect in the base of the tower, at which point it is used for various forms of regenerative science utilizing Bioenergy

Ancient Civilization Collapse

The collapse of the ancient civilization was the result of a series of exceptionally powerful Elder Dragons appearing from the aerial reserve which continuously attacked the Tower due to the incredibly amount of Bioenergy which was stored there, somewhat analagous to an Algal Bloom but you know with Fatalis and stuff

Guild

The guild appears sometime in the aftermath of the ancient civilizations destruction as a result of four distinct threads

1 - Hunting large Elder Dragons appearing out of the Tower region

2 - Studying monsters to learn why they suddenly attacked

3 - Surveying where humans can be placed to prevent conflict with monsters

4 - Preserving and replicating engineering and scientific advancements by the ancient civilization for use at smaller scales than that which is involved with the towers

Hunters, Scholars, Ecologists, and Engineers essentially

Cities

Most major cities in the monster hunter world were established at minimum 100 years after the ancient civilization collapse as a result of surveys of much of the land, these cities are placed in areas where the amount of energetic Bioenergy is at its lowest, and thus where Elder Dragons and other large monsters would want to nest the least

Mezzeporta

A large port city on the Eastern coast of Fonron, the city of Mezzeporta is placed within a dip in the Bioenergy of the continent, however this still results in much higher available bioenergy as the continent is more energetically active than the Old World

Kamura

A small village originating from a remnant of the larger Kamura City (Coral Palace and Infernal Springs) which was destroyed by a nesting pair of the serpents and raised above the water level by them, the current village is placed within a valley where a low point of bioenergy results in much fewer monsters for the most part, except for when nesting pairs of the serpents return to the area

Magala's

The Magalas are a strange set of Elder Dragons which have been studied intensely due to their strange life cycle and their ability to disrupt ecosystems, appearing at set intervals according to global weather patterns (think a long phase oscillation in wind patterns caused by the El Nino/La Nina ocean oscillation in the real world)

World Caves

Many especially large Elder Dragons are found tunneling through the rocks underground, creating large scale tunnels which are eventually refilled with magmas before being reexcavated for their high metal content, these caves contain stocks of prehistoric environements and in particular can contain Older specimen of elder dragons, where they can hibernate for long periods in areas with high energetic Bioenergy

Kingdoms

There are several "kingdoms" specified within monster hunter, IE: Sunbreaks kingdom, Schrade kingdom, Aya country kingdom, these are all in reference to politys/societys which were less effected by the Ancient Civilizations collapse, although in Schrade's case it was effected due to a Fatalis emerging from the event

New World

The new world is a landmass within the north pole which is high in Bioenergy due to the influence of multiple exceptionally powerful Elder Dragon species, in particular the digging Shara Ishvalda and the Safiji'iva species, which is notable for having the abilty to output energetic bioenergy, allowing it to lure Elder Dragons to it, eventually having killed enough to form ecosystems resulting from the high bioenergy conditions (the Rotten Vale, the Coral Highlands and the Elder's Recess)

Khinessi, Lighthouse Village

A small coastal town in the northeastern edge of the continent, serves mostly as a guild checkpoint for research in the nearby regions along with maintaining the lighthouse for ships departing for the stormy eastern passage to the New World

Bunker Island - Arena

The remnants of an ancient civilization Tower structure off the coast of the Floodplain region, the Guild uses the structure as an arena and a hunting ground, as the site attracts many monsters dangerous to travellers

Floodplain

The floodplain of a large seasonal river forms the hunting ground to the due south of Khinessi, accumulations of peat form excellent breeding grounds for rare mushroom species which are feasted on by many species, the area experiences intense winters, during which many monsters migrate south

Floodplain

Glacial Cliffs - Biome

Large mountains near the coast to the north of Khinessi covered in snow and ice year round, avalanches caused by the Noios in the region are common, often covering some of the entrances to the caves in the region

Glacial Cliffs - Biome

Prehistoric Caverns - Biome

An enormous cave system located to the west of Khinessi where plentiful groundwater creates enormous bodies of water interspersed with volcanic islands created from lavaflows originating from the ceiling of the caverns, the heat and humidity create a tropical environment

Prehistoric Caverns - Biome

Blasted Highlands - Biome

An environment unique to the region where incredibly plentiful Dragon energy spouts from the ground, creating areas of lowered gravity where adapted life "swim" through the air, the guild has been attempting to research the area for a long period, but its remoteness makes it difficult to maintainin facilities nearby

Blasted Highlands - Biome

Research Sky-Station - Town

A small research outpost in the mountains inland of the Glacial Cliffs region looking in to patterns in Elder Dragon vocalization, the site is rarely resupplied by airship, instead having a hunter onsite to gather food and recieving resupplys from hunters travelling from Khinessi

Pit of Fallen Stars - Site

A cavern beneath the Blasted Highlands where a clutch of Gore Magala have been simmering and feasting on Dragon Energy and each other for a long period, resulting in a semi-living chimera like morph of the Magala line infused which has been lying dormant, the discovery of the monster has resulted in a swift Guild Response

Cloud Mantled Mountain - Site

A large mountain at the southern edge of the Glacial Cliffs where a Shantien has begun nesting, its proximity to the population center of Orroed has resulted in a large scale call for it to be hunted or repelled, which is being fulfilled by a very high Master Rank team of hunters from the Old World

Damned Arena - Arena

A large colosseum shaped arena managed by the royal family of Orroed at the old site of a major city, now covered in dunes and sand, nearby is a large isolated plateau which is often inhabited by powerful monsters to claim the territory

Orroed, Red and Blue Port - Town

A large port city to the south of Khinessi on the border of the Red Sand Sea in a cove carved between two large rocks with port facilities facing into both the ocean and the desert, defense facilities in the city have been advancing recently due to engineers from the Old World, who have established Dragonators in several arenas in the area

Temple Rock - Site

An ancient building-like structure present in the depths of the Red Sand Sea, having been formed by an Elder Dragon over a long period, compasses in the region universally point towards the structure, making the site extremely important for navigation when nearby

Red Sand Oasis - Biome

An oasis to the south of Orroed on the edge of the Red Sand Sea and the plateaus which are near it, the area contains several unique subspecies of common riverine monsters due to the isolation of the lake and its river systems

Red Sand Oasis - Biome

Tower Remnant - Site

The remnant of an ancient civilization Tower structure present in the eastern extent of the Blasted Highlands, the majority of the structure has been destroyed over the years, leaving behind a stubby spire surrounded by foggy plains and elevated platforms

Tower Remnant - Site

Heavenly Path - Biome

An enormous, isolated volcanic mountain in the western extent of the Red Sand Sea, various sides and heights of the mountain have different environments, with volcanic caves and tropical forests in the lower caves, forests, plains and deserts at the mountains base, glacial regions along the slopes, and a small region of the Dragon energy environment of the Blasted Highlands at the very peak