✦ PaleoGhosts ✦
"All that remained of most life was skeletons, slowly either eroding or fossilizing, to join the multitude entombed in the ground long before them."
HELLO & WELCOME TO PALEOGHOSTS!PaleoGhosts are an open species inspired by the themes of fossils & paleontology, nature, extinction, death & decay, ghosts & spirits, ethics and conservation, and connection with the past!They are the ghostly souls of long dead prehistoric creatures, that are awakened from a fossil that their spirit is still tethered to by unfinished business. The defining features being an exposed skull head as well as a natural / elemental theme.
Check out the FAQ page for more info, and the species traits for a guide on how to make your own PaleoGhost. Have fun and thanks for checking them out!
✦ LINKS ✦
✦
SPECTRE
The first spirit to gain awareness, Spectre was the catalyst. They serve as both a guide to lost souls leaving the realm of the living, and awakens dormant spirits from their fossil tethers.
SKULLY
The second spirit, he was the first awakened by Spectre. He often acts as a guide for living creatures, shepherding them to resources when they are dying of thirst or starvation.
APOLLIA
The third spirit awakened, she was doomed to become a vengeful ghoul from the moment she was awakened. Her fierce hatred burns as bright as the souls she chases and consumes.
THE COSMOS
The cosmos are the galactic highway that the oldest PaleoGhost spirits spend most of their time traversing, occasionally meeting.
CREDITS
text pagedoll by fishie - bouncing pagedoll by ratter_dreams - art by prehistoricpigeon & albluu
✦ SPECIES TRAITS ✦
REQUIRED TRAITS
Must be a feral dinosaur or other prehistoric creature! Can be from any era of prehistoric life from the Cambrian to the Pleistocene, just as long as a fossil of the animal exists! (also preferably a vertebrate species so that it actually has a skull)
Must have an exposed skull as the head! They may have some other element in place of the eye, such as a star, gemstone, mushroom, etc, or nothing! May also have other skeletal pieces showing!
Must have a nature/elemental theme (called an “essence”) minimum of 1 theme, max 4! They can be as subtle or as literal as you feel like.
Must be a ghost/spirit with unfinished business, meaning they have an emotional tether to the earthly plane caused by something. This can be grief, rage, vengeance, love, longing, fear, any emotion as long as it’s strong enough to keep their spirit from peace!
DESIGN RULES
Must have realistic dino anatomy! Stylization & speculation doesn’t matter, it just means no jurassic park velociraptors or that kind of thing!
No fictional species or hybrids! A rare exception is if two souls are bound together from dying together, creating an amalgamation
No fantasy features (extra wings, horns, limbs)
Can be any colors or patterns as long as they fit their essence’s theme!
May have a “living” form, a separate design for when they were alive during their time! No rules or restrictions on those designs
Existing characters may be made into PaleoGhosts or given a version that is, as long as they are altered to fit the reqs!
There are no restrictions in place on the rarity of the essence you choose at the moment! Just keep in mind the older the spirit, the rarer the essence.
ESSENCE RARITIES
common
⁃ plants (trees, flowers, grass, moss, bark, vines, etc)
⁃ animals (living or extinct, also includes things like bones and shells!)
⁃ fungi (mushrooms, mildew, mold, lichen, etc)uncommon
⁃ geological (rocks and minerals, gems, crystals, strata, lava, fossils, etc)
⁃ elements (water, fire, wind, clouds, river, light, etc )rare
⁃ celestial & cosmic (sun, moon, stars, nebula, etc.)
HOW A SPIRIT GETS THEIR ESSENCE
how they died (geological structures, extinction events, elements, prehistoric flora and fauna)
how they fossilized (geological)
where they lived (prehistoric flora and fauna, elements)
what they connect with after death (modern flora and fauna, cosmic)
OTHER NOTES
Essences can be combined to create an overall theme or landscape! for instance, if you’re wanting to create a seashore themed character, you could chose water (element), shells (animal) sand (geological)!
Rules and definitions on these are somewhat loose, but the number of design elements you can incorporate really depends on how specific you are. I generally prefer you be more specific to avoid too much! For instance choose “emerald tree boa” instead of just “snake”, “stellars jay” instead of just “bird”, or “sapphire” instead of just “gemstone”! But if you choose “rocks” or “fossils” as a theme you can include multiple types of those, it kinda is up to you.
example of essence
in a design:
optional character
template!
Name
Belongs to:
Designed by:
Species:
Gender:
Cause of Death:
Nature Essence:
✦ SPECIES LORE ✦
LORE
Nearly 65 Million Years ago, the Earth was a very different place. It was populated by ancient & strange animals, varying incredibly in their appearance. They lived, ate, breathed, birthed, and died. And died. And died. Until all were nearly gone, except a lucky few that changed and evolved over the years, until they were smaller, and changed almost entirely. But 65 Million Years Ago, the Earth was a different place.This story of spirits begins with a single wandering spirit, witness to the suffering of thousands. When the Meteor struck, they were already dead, but not long that way. They watched as thousands more died, than millions. The spirit became a guide for others, the souls of dying creatures were so many that some became lost in the stars and required a shepherd to lead their way to eternal sleep. The ones that escaped the initial disaster did not truly live, but survived, and barely. Many more faded out over the next ten, than hundred, than thousand years, until all that remained of most life was skeletons, slowly either eroding or fossilizing, to join the multitude of fossils entombed in the ground long before them.Still the single spirit remained unable to pass on, wandering, alone in a sea of death and grief. They roamed the lonely cosmos for a millennia, then longer. Always wandering, but forever tethered to their final resting place on the Earth. Occasionally they returned there, to observe the state of the recovering planet.
Then, one year, all changed. They came across a fossil that, like them, had a spirit tethered to it still. One that had lived and died long before their time, and still had not departed. They were not awake, and yet not at rest, unable to pass into peaceful darkness until their soul had found the relief it longed for. She woke them, a second spirit, and they became a wanderer as well. Sometimes together, mostly apart, they kept roaming. Another few thousand years passed.Then the first spirit made a mistake, and woke something they should not have. They abandoned it to roam alone, fearful of its hatred, and the thing became a vengeful ghoul, capable of devouring others. But it remained deep in the far cosmos, only venturing towards the Earth every few million years, and then the first spirit and the vengeful spirit fight, a vicious, savage struggle that lasts days before usually ending in a stalemate, both exhausted, the vengeful one retreating back to where it came from.
The first and second spirits continue to wander, spending more time near the recovering Earth, both occasionally awakening more fossilized spirits to join in their wanderings, from all different times, until their souls are at peace and can pass on.
LORE TERMS
Spirit: PaleoGhosts, the spirits of dead prehistoric creatures that can not move on from life and so remain in a disembodied state, tethered to a fossilized physical body.
Soul: The spirits of dead creatures that do not have a tether and can move on, they travel through the cosmos into eternal darkness.
Ghoul: A spirit so filled with hatred that they become a malicious and dangerous being. They can devour both souls and spirits, trapping them with them forever until they are at peace themselves, which is a near impossible task. There is only currently one ghoul in existence.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Currently only Spirit PaleoGhosts are an open species, Souls and Ghouls may become open later!
I do not have rules about how “sapient” PaleoGhosts are, I generally regard them as just animals that become more intelligent from becoming a spiritual being and from years of wandering and mentally evolving! So generally no talking, mostly just animal communication and understanding. BUT I will leave it up to you whether you want yours to be like that or not!
In lore, Paleoghosts gather their essence over time! It takes millions of years for their appearance to finalize, as they either fossilize or connect to things after death. But this is just in lore and no one needs to draw their character this way!
✦ SPECIES MASCOTS ✦
˙✦ SPECTRE ✦˙
Belongs to: PrehistoricPigeon
Designed by: PrehistoricPigeon
Species: alioramus altai
Gender: female (she/they)
Cause of Death: falling star fragment struck her in the head, causing fatal blunt force trauma
Nature Essence: opalized fossils, amethyst, meteor, constellations
Story:
Spectre was a young alioramus that was struck directly in the head by a falling meteor fragment, near the beginning of the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. They died slowly and painfully, and over the next three days while her spirit hovered near the earth still, they witnessed the horrific death and destruction of the Chicxulub impact. They felt great pain and grief watching the devastation, and instead of their spirit passing on into peaceful silence she remained tethered to the earth, becoming a guide for the souls of dying creatures and a guardian of their earthly remains immortalized in the sediment.
Occasionally she will come across a fossil that has a creature’s spirit still tethered to it with some unfinished business, and will awaken them to join her in her wandering, until their soul is at peace and can pass on.Their own skeleton was covered in silica-rich water and the bones opalized, an amethyst geode eventually forming around them as they fossilized. As she wanders both the cosmos and the earthly plane they are forever bound to it, buried deep in the ground.
As a result her bones shimmer with iridescent tones, and their hide displays all the shades of amethyst. The falling star fragment that killed her shines in place of an eye, and the constellations she guides souls through twinkle around her.Nowadays they observe paleontologists and other humans as they discover and preserve the remains of all the prehistoric creatures they have so closely guarded over the years.
She feels great peace when the bones are treated carefully and preserved well, and kept safely in a museum or studied to better understand the creatures she knows so well, and celebrates their display so that all can know them better. She will even sometimes follow a paleontologist and guide them subtlety so that they are more successful in doing so.
However, they are greatly angered and anguished by the mistreatment and misappropriation of fossils, and will relentlessly haunt those that acquire or handle them unethically, sometimes to death. Other spirits she has awakened that have yet to move on may do the same.
✦ SKULLY ✦
Belongs to: albluu
Designed by: albluu
Species: dilophosaurus wetherilli
Gender: male (he/him)
Cause of Death: starvation and dehydration during a drought
Nature Essence: sandstone, volcanism, constellations
Story:
Skully was a large dilophosaurus in the prime of his life, that was alive during the Early Jurassic. He was a very adequate hunter, perfectly evolved to survive in his environment. However, nature is not fair, and when a long and brutal drought struck the entire area he lived in, not even of eons of adaptation could save him. All local plant life withered, and then the prey died, and then the last of the water sources dried up shortly after. Nature seemed to purposefully scorn the dilophosaurus’s desperate attempts to survive at every turn. Once when he was about to plunge into a fresh Sarahsaurus carcass, a wall of dry and crumbling rocky soil fell directly above it, covering the carcass completely and barely missing Skully as he jumped out of the way. Another time, he had found an entire pool of water, only for it to be a hot and bitter sulfur spring that he could not choke down.Skully spent months just barely enduring on the barest of resources, suffering constantly from the pain and fatigue of hunger, plagued by dizziness and hallucinations. At last when there was not even carcasses left to scavenge, his hunger overtook him and he fell into a depression in the ground where a last muddy puddle of water waited to be drank. And once that was gone, he suffered for three more days, his tongue swelling and eyes sinking, until his organs failed and he expired. His contracting and shriveled muscles pulled his body into an eternal arched pose of agony.
Not even a day had passed when the rain finally returned, a deluge that quickly filled all the dried lakes and riverbeds and revived the plants, and later, the larger life. As if to spite him one last time, Skully’s body was immediately covered by water and there his skeleton began to fossilize, covered by layers and layers of sand and sediment that eventually became sandstone.This final blow of cruelty from nature was too much, and his spirit did not depart from his body, bound to it with a sense of injustice even stronger than death. And there his spirit stayed, dormant and unaware, until a lonely wandering spirit came across it by chance, 136 million years later, and woke him.
He began his new long existence of wandering the cosmos, and eventually found purpose in guiding living creatures that are dying from thirst or hunger to sources of water and food, so that they never suffer as he did. One day perhaps he will have saved enough souls from an untimely death to put his own at rest.Millions upon millions of years after he awoke, long after the Kayenta Formation was deposited, volcanic activity erupted through the existing Jurassic layers of sandstone. Though his fossil remained largely undisturbed, Skully’s spirit form became darkened with the formation’s violent change, as a layer of basalt was added to the sediment.
✦ SPECIES ANTAGONISTS ✦
✦˙ APOLLIA ˙✦
Belongs to: K1WI
Designed by: PrehistoricPigeon
Species: spinosaurus aegyptiacus
Gender: female (she/her)
Cause of Death: unknown
Nature Essence: swallowtail butterfly, black hole, pied reticulated python, constellations
Story:
A ghoul accidentally created by Spectre, Apollia is a vengeful spirit set on causing chaos. She is the second spirit Spectre awakened, and was already filled with hate and vengeance from her method of death. Still new to waking spirits, dealing with her own heavy emotions, and frightened by the hostility, Spectre left Apollia on her own after waking her, and she became even more vengeful.Unable to accept being reincarnated, she hates Spectre with every fiber in her being. She can't move on and is forever trapped to wander. With her self hate and loathing of her creator, she has started to consume other Paleoghosts resurrected by Spectre, in her head freeing them of the turmoil she struggles with. Instead they become trapped with her in the form of pale butterfly spirits floating around her. She will also devour lost souls that are unfortunate enough to cross her path.
Her and Spectre have been seen to engage in vicious combat with each other for days when they cross paths, their fights often ending in stalemates most, or on rare occasions Apollia loses.
✦ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ✦
FAQ
What are PaleoGhosts? PaleoGhosts are a prehistoric themed open species based on my OC Spectre, for anyone to enjoy! The defining features being an exposed skull head and a nature/elemental theme. This is a very open and loose species and is just for fun!
How do I make one? PaleoGhosts are open and anyone is free to make personal characters! You can make your own, buy an adoptable, or commission a custom design from an artist that is okay with designing one!
How strict are the rules? Honestly I won’t be policing them super closely! A lot of it is up to design interpretation as well. If you want to join the Toyhouse world then they will need to follow the rules to a degree but otherwise go wild!
I have or want to make a similar character but they aren’t a part of the species, is that a problem? Nope! This is a very basic species concept, since it’s basically just a skull dino. I won’t be going after anyone who just has/makes a character with these same themes claiming they stole my idea because anyone could think of it and characters like this already exist! It’s mostly the lore that that makes them unique.
Do PaleoGhosts have a masterlist? Not at the moment!
Who runs the species? Just me, PrehistoricPigeon, the creator of the species!
Are you looking for moderators or official artists? Not unless the species actually gets popular!
Do I have to join the Toyhouse world to own a PaleoGhost? No, you don't have to if you don’t want to! The Toyhouse is just available for anyone who wants to join to submit their character to be showcased, or to get notifications of any species updates.
Do I have to own a PaleoGhost to join the Toyhouse world? Nope! You can request to join just to admire the existing characters, because you're interested in the concept, or because you want to make one in the future!
Can I make PaleoGhost adoptables? Yes! Please get them approved by me before you sell them though!
I have a question regarding PaleoGhosts, how do I ask it? Feel free to comment or dm me, on my Toyhouse, insta, or on discord @ prehistoric.pigeon!
Want to make a PaleoGhost but don’t know where to start? Check out this pinterest board I made for the species! (more will be added soon)
✦ TERMS OF SERVICE ✦
TOS / RULES
Paleoghosts are an open species created by PrehistoricPigeon. This TOS lists rules for the species and community. By joining and participating in the community, you agree to adhere to the Terms of Service as well as the rules and guidelines. If you do not agree to any of the terms, please refrain from making, purchasing or obtaining Paleoghosts or interacting with the species in general. Users who are caught breaking any of these rules will be warned or possibly blacklisted!
If you have any questions, feel free to comment on the species Toyhouse world, or contact PrehistoricPigeon! Please check the FAQ to see if your question has been answered there as well.
This is a Toyhouse centered species for now! You do not have to have a Toyhouse account or join the world to make a Paleoghost, but to be officially approved and join events you must!
Characters that are officially part of the PaleoGhost species must be somewhat public on Toyhouse! Feel free to keep them hidden to logged out users but not hidden under authorization please!
This species is feral and open for anyone of any age to join. So please keep public content PG-13. Refrain from distributing NSFW content, that includes art, imagery, sexual talk, etc. in any of the spaces.
No art theft of any kind. This includes but is not limited to, heavily referencing without credit, directly copying, tracing, or using any kind of generative AI images or text.
Do not bother or harass anyone for creating characters with traits similar to Paleoghosts! These are an open species and anyone is allowed to take inspiration from them. Some people also have pre-existing characters that are similar. If you have a concern with someone in the community copying your Paleoghost character directly, please notify me privately first before engaging with them!
Be kind to other users! Bullying, hostility, victimisation, and passive-aggressive behaviour is not allowed. Hate speech, homophobia, hateful behaviour, racism, bigotry, slurs etc. will result in an instant blacklist. If you have an issue with another user, contact me. Be respectful to each other at all times, conduct yourself politely, kindly, and in good faith please!
