Dimension 8473AV or as more commonly known, Primordial Earth was a world far different from Primal Earth. Though the continents and structure appear to be roughly the same most of the world lies in a state of ruin, overgrown with flora that would have been more common on Primal Earth some several hundred million years ago. This is largely due to the composition of the air which has much more in common with that present during the Carboniferous period and as a result not only allowed for more aggressive and vigorous plantlife but also for far larger invertebrate species.
This same composition of air however is also highly dangerous to human life as the significantly increased levels of oxygen brought about by such abundant flora activity causes a number of deadly reactions from the human body and kills off cells at an alarming rate. As such the species that lived on Primordial Earth were significantly more resilient and hardy than those on Primordial Earth and history has shown that at least one member of the Flea species, Jake Love is significantly more resilient than other heroes on Primal Earth, particularly in toxic environs.
Just as the flora on Dimension 8473AV seemed to be chronologically displaced (due to the environmental conditions of this dimension) so too were the fauna. The events that formed Primordial Earth were devastating to the existing organisms and resulted in the near extinction of vertebrate branches of animalia across the world. This left significant gaps in the myriad ecosystems of the world and an evolutionary arms race followed with insects and arachnids evolving at frightening speed to eventually claim dominance over the planet.
There were a number of cultural myths regarding the creation of Primordial Earth yet all share similar features; reference to a black stone, a rift in the sky and people of two 'worlds' going to war as 'nightmares' woke. Though none of the species that existed on Primordial Earth at the last point of contact could claim to have been present when these events took place it would appear that there was some sort of racial memory of the events that happened which was passed down subsequent evolutions and generations from the original creatures which witnessed these events.
The first point of these myths,
The Black Stone was encountered on the mission prior to losing contact with this dimension. It was located in the northern hemisphere of the planet roughly in the same location that Stonehenge is in upon Primal Earth. There are a number of theories about the mystical significance of two different worlds sharing a similar point of religious importance but these are a matter for another time. At the point where contact was lost a fallen Rikti warship had been reconstructed about the stone, utilising its abilities for their own purposes.
The Stone itself held a spiritual significance for almost all races, from the barbaric Flea clans to the more refined Mantii and was often a point of pilgrimage for these different cultures. Each of these cultures utilised the stone for different purposes, however. The Fleas broke fragments off and carved weapons from the stone whereas the Mantii formed whetstones from fragments in order to sharpen their own blades upon it. The Arachne seemed to utilise the stone as spell components for their magic and alchemy and the Scorpos would grind fragments to dust and burn it for the purposes of their vision quests. This spiritual connection with the stone also appears to be the source of the 'curse' which afflicted the Flea species and possibly also the source of Jake Love's 'Wraith' symbiote prior to its as of yet unexplained disappearance.
At this point it is worth noting that the Flea weapons formed from the stone or with fragments of the stone appear to be highly dangerous to organic tissue and also at a spiritual level, earning them the name Souleaters on Primal Earth. As of this current moment the only individuals known to possess a Souleater weapon are Danielle Love (in the form of her katana), Despair Unbound (in the form of the Talons that have grown over his hands) and Flea Mark Zero (in the form of the inbuilt Soulspear in the cybernetic limb).
The second point of these myths, The Rift appears to be similar to decriptions of interdimensional portal activity, most recently displayed by the forces of Praetorian Earth in their recent incursions to Primal Earth as well other recent interdimensional phenomenon (such as Rularuu). The concept of one or more of the forces involved in these events being technologically advanced is not too far out to be considered viable, for it has been shown that different dimensions have progressed at different levels with regards to technology. The real question with regards to technological advancement relates to the people that lived on Primordial Earth before these events took place.
The ruins that remained on Primordial Earth prior to the loss of contact suggested that the previous civilisation had been at an equivalent technological level as our own, though carbon dating on materials brought back from drone recon expeditions tell us that the calamity which took place did so approximately 5,000 years in the past. Going by this we can theorise that the rift in the sky was caused by this other civilisation and that they were likely more advanced that the civilisation they would eventually go to war with.
This conveniently leads on to the next branch of the shared cultural mythos, The People Of Two Worlds. As has already been mentioned the ruins found by the recon drones sent through prior to the Jake Love expedition suggest that the society present upon Primordial Earth some five thousand years past was equal to our own in terms of technology and architecture. As it has been observed that some dimensions are chronologically out of sync with our own, leading to different levels of capabilities (i.e. the Rikti and ourselves).
Furthermore, as has already been stated it is likely that the second civilisation was more technologically advanced and caused the Rift that formed in the sky. The reasons for this are unclear, as is the purpose. The Rift could possibly have been deployed as a weapon, as an accidental dimension meeting or even as a deliberate attempt of one civilisation to break the dimensional barrier. Whatever the purpose was, the two cultures went to war, brute force meeting advanced technology as it often comes down to.
At some point during this war an event happened which caused 'Nightmares' to Walk. The nature of these 'Nightmares' is uncertain but it is likely that they are similar to the 'Wraith' symbiotes associated with Jake Love, Despair Unbound and Flea Mark Zero, or that these symbiotes are possible fragments or descendants of the 'Nightmares' of that time. The very fact that they are referred to in the shared mythos as Nightmares suggests that their capabilities were considered supernatural or spiritual, possibly overcoming the technological defenses of both civilisations at that time. It could also suggest a somewhat ethereal nature, which again seems to suggest some sort of connection to the Wraith symbiotes of present day.
The exact outcome of this war, the interactions of the 'Nightmares' with the civilisations and the actions which took place will likely remain a mystery. The cultures of Primordial Earth only had their myths to go off of, as well as the ruins that adorned the planet and had been present since the events which took place. What is known is that the events which took place wiped out not one but two civilisations, caused a dimension to collapse onto another and left the lowest lifeforms to evolve and claim dominance over what remained of the world. The result was Primordial Earth as we encountered it and the cultures that were present until its final days.
It is not known if the cultures of Primordial Earth intentionally mirrored their Primal Earth locational counterparts or if this was coincidental. The most common theory is that the races which evolved following the cataclysm which wiped out the prior civilisations learned from the ruins which remained in their stead. As such the areas these new races were most prevalent within determined their cultural outlooks. Indeed, they seem to have taken on the appropriate Western, Eastern or African viewpoints and behaviours, despite the absence of anything more than ruins from previous cultures.
Another theory is that all races and cultures which evolve, regardless of dimension will ultimately parallel our own or that we will project these images onto those cultures. The evidence for this theory is relatively slim and certainly does not explain the behaviours of other dimensional cultures encountered and as such is widely debunked as little more than fancy.
What is confirmed is that up to the point of the ill-fated Vanguard expedition (or the events prior involving the Rikti) is that there were a number of dominant powers scattered across the globe, each with a respectable military force (regardless of how poorly organised), a respectable amount of territory held and their own unique cultural traits, beliefs and traditions. Furthermore the individual species that these 'powers' comprised of all had significant biological adaptions which suited their particular areas of dominance.
Before examing the individual species a point must be stressed. Many of the species age significantly faster than humans, reaching maturity at 2 or 3 years of age and often dying far earlier than expected as a result. The only true exceptions to this appear to be the Mantii and the Arachne.
The Fleas
Logically, the first species to look at is the one that Primal Earth is the most familiar with. Primal Earth is familiar with the Flea species largely due to the actions and interactions of Jake Love and as such we have a greater understanding of their physical traits and capabilities as well as some of their cultural viewpoints.
Biologically speaking the Flea species is the least 'evolved' of those of Primordial Earth. The only thing they seem to share with 'humanity' is their general stance and structure and even that is at best a surface glimpse. Their bodies lack a solid, internal skeletal structure (though their spines seem to fill some of the roles of a skeletal structure when withdrawn), are covered in a thick chitinous exoskeleton and are capable of absorbing blunt impacts far more efficiently than Primal vertebrate species.
Their hands and feet are similar to primates in that both possess ten fingers and toes however differ in the these fingers end with hooked talons which seem to be adapted for climbing, be it scaling rock surfaces, climbing tree trunks or scaling a building. These hooked talons also function as secondary natural weapons, meaning that the Fleas are dangerous when cornered regardless of whether armed or not. These talons are more than capable of ripping through flesh and fabric and are capable of going through lower grade military and police issue flak armour with ease.
