Mantis
History:
Like all of the insectoid tribes of the étomo swamps, the mantises originate as well out of non-sapient arcane insects inhabiting this misanthropic piece of land somewhere in the wetlands of Etherium. 1000 years ago Notitia, the goddess of Science closed down the swamps by hiding it through illusions from the face of the world. She had two goals: A personal urge to be a creationist like her father mixed with the bidding of her sister Justitia to investigate if you can render an arcane beast to be unable to spread their magic powers once and for all. Over the next century, Notitia ran many experiments with those insects achieving everything but the desired outcome.
After everything failed, she tried in the last attempt to steal the mantises of the swamp their magic of degradation by giving them what they all urge towards; A body and a solid connection to the world. Notitia began jumpstarting the evolution of those mantises via controlled leaps in their advancement by heftily altering certain generations and waiting and nurturing their descendants until the changes were permanent. Over the following centuries, those mantises evolved from tiny insects towards intelligent humanoid variants of themselves. She made them go rapidly through various evolution steps until they reached a modern yet tribal-like society. While achieving that Notitia genetically altered various groupings to create the following subspecies each specialized in specific areas:
Subspecies:
Assassin
Assassins are tall, wingless bipedal exponents of their species. They got bred to possess superior jumping and stealth abilities supported by their sleek and reduced design. Assassins have, unlike the other subspecies’, only two pair of limbs: Humanoid legs and sleek and slim shears.
They are humanlike in statue and stance but have remained their ancestors' carnivorous cannibalistic behaviour. This assures that they are always out for blood elevating their efficiency sky high. Known for being wise and tactful when sated but unforgiving and cruel when in a frenzy.
All assassins possess shears, but a few have willingly given up on them after seeing what their fellow assassin, Pencari Kencantikan, is able to do with her gifted artificial hands she got from their maker after a lab accident. The possibility to use their limbs for finer tasks than fighting inspired a large group to volunteer getting the exact same treatment as Pencari:
A syringe of her failed serum, “goliath elixir”, to hinder the shears from ever regenerating again through moulting.
They are humanlike in statue and stance but have remained their ancestors' carnivorous cannibalistic behaviour. This assures that they are always out for blood elevating their efficiency sky high. Known for being wise and tactful when sated but unforgiving and cruel when in a frenzy.
All assassins possess shears, but a few have willingly given up on them after seeing what their fellow assassin, Pencari Kencantikan, is able to do with her gifted artificial hands she got from their maker after a lab accident. The possibility to use their limbs for finer tasks than fighting inspired a large group to volunteer getting the exact same treatment as Pencari:
A syringe of her failed serum, “goliath elixir”, to hinder the shears from ever regenerating again through moulting.
Pencari Kencantikan, leveid shadow by Soulwing98
(4:1 female to male ratio, 1:10 birthrate)
Ambassador
„This species needs some representatives able to communicate barrier-free with the rest of the world; filling the link between the mantis‘ and the humanoids of Prius.“
This thought rendered Notitia to genetically alter a small part of mantis society to tackle this issue. Mixing their DNA with those of elves to slowly develop mouths instead of the usual eating tools in the coming generations.
Ambassadors are not needed for fighting or anything remotely similar, which allowed this subspecies to remain many of their prestigious assets throughout their evolution. They kept their grass-like wings and rendered them more and more decorated with generations passing.
The minor and weak grabbing limbs developed into stronger variants while their shears grew more decorative, reduced in size, and got more usable as a tool rather than a weapon.
Ambassadors have a very straight stance and a nearly human-like way of walking essentially mimicking those, who they are bred to communicate with.
Appearance and etiquette are conceived to appease and comfort their conversation partners.
The mouth of an Ambassador is able to converse in every known language including their own by keeping tiny eating tools behind their chitinous lips throughout evolution.
Ambassadors are not needed for fighting or anything remotely similar, which allowed this subspecies to remain many of their prestigious assets throughout their evolution. They kept their grass-like wings and rendered them more and more decorated with generations passing.
The minor and weak grabbing limbs developed into stronger variants while their shears grew more decorative, reduced in size, and got more usable as a tool rather than a weapon.
Ambassadors have a very straight stance and a nearly human-like way of walking essentially mimicking those, who they are bred to communicate with.
Appearance and etiquette are conceived to appease and comfort their conversation partners.
The mouth of an Ambassador is able to converse in every known language including their own by keeping tiny eating tools behind their chitinous lips throughout evolution.
Ambassador WIP by Soulwing
Ambassadors are considered higher society within their species due to their unique abilities and by being usually consultants or reporter in favour of their maker.
(10:1 female to male ratio, 1:100 birthrate)
Guardian
This subspecies, nearly exclusive to the male representatives of mantiskind, is considered to be the kind who keeps everything going as it should. Being with an average height of over 240 cm and an average weight of 180 kg the most massive and imposing mantises they essentially took over everything security related, to keep their precious kin safe and sound.
Defining traits of guardians are their camaraderie and their protective caring nature for each and everybody, fellow males included.
This safeguarding attitude renders a guardians mortality rate however nearly trice as hight as all those of all other subspecies. If a guardian has successfully found a mating partner, they allow them and only them to use their wide back as a mount combining their strength with the craftiness of their partner.
The majestic, fragmented shears of a guardian are their pride; if they are smooth and possess a visually pleasing fragmentation, they are the asset that separates an average guardian from an exquisite mating partner.
Defining traits of guardians are their camaraderie and their protective caring nature for each and everybody, fellow males included.
This safeguarding attitude renders a guardians mortality rate however nearly trice as hight as all those of all other subspecies. If a guardian has successfully found a mating partner, they allow them and only them to use their wide back as a mount combining their strength with the craftiness of their partner.
The majestic, fragmented shears of a guardian are their pride; if they are smooth and possess a visually pleasing fragmentation, they are the asset that separates an average guardian from an exquisite mating partner.
Guardian WIP by Soulwing
(1:30 female to male ratio)
Orchid
"Make way commoners, the chosen have arrived.
The blooming counsel will now take place."Cahaya Matahari, Magnolia
The Orchid, “the Original”; this subspecies savours its seat on the top end of the mantis food-chain for many generations.
As their evolution has concluded many centuries ago, they were able to save themselves early the place leading the tribes in lady Notitia’s absence. Wise, elegant, and highly decorated;
those flowery mantises see themselves as the perfect Middleway between the reduced functional design of the assassins and the close to the roots design of the guardians.
They pride themselves with their colourful chitin and patterned functional wings as being something better than their subjects.
Orchids are the only subspecies that are strictly carnivorous, no lesser nutrients than tasty proteins shall taint their digestive tract.
Understanding, that they are the closest species to their furthest roots, keeping nearly all of their defining features Orchids think that they were the perfect species, made to be leaders.
As their evolution has concluded many centuries ago, they were able to save themselves early the place leading the tribes in lady Notitia’s absence. Wise, elegant, and highly decorated;
those flowery mantises see themselves as the perfect Middleway between the reduced functional design of the assassins and the close to the roots design of the guardians.
They pride themselves with their colourful chitin and patterned functional wings as being something better than their subjects.
Orchids are the only subspecies that are strictly carnivorous, no lesser nutrients than tasty proteins shall taint their digestive tract.
Understanding, that they are the closest species to their furthest roots, keeping nearly all of their defining features Orchids think that they were the perfect species, made to be leaders.
Orchid by Soulwing98
Knowing their makers' delusion of optimisation and seeing how their subjects change generations for generations and then looking at themselves and seeing them not changing at all the Orchids developed an unhealthy superiority complex that is validated until Notitia proves them otherwise. Then the true reason for their stagnation is pretty simple:
She couldn’t figure out how to change them into something useful without ruining their perfect beauty.
She couldn’t figure out how to change them into something useful without ruining their perfect beauty.
(2:1 female to male ratio, 1:1000 birthrate)
Stick
The common Stick is the most common mantis species of all of them; indistinguishable by their colouring that is always in a shade of brown.
But besides their colouring the Stick is the most adaptable subspecies of all of them, not following any predetermined path but having multiple variations of themselves. Their size varies as much as their combination of limbs, reaching from quadrupedal with shears over replacing their shears with grabbing limbs trading mass for flimsiness to bipedal variants with equally defined shears and grabbing limbs. But all variants share one defining feature; their extremely flimsy, stick-like upper body giving their species their name.
Sticks can be found everywhere from gardening over trading, bartending; simply everywhere and that in every possible standing.
Notitia will never admit this fact, but she has bred with them a perfect allrounder for nearly every situation. What they don’t have in strength, the elegance or prestigious colouring they have in their craftiness and intelligence rendering the common Stick to the foundation the whole mantis society is built upon.
But besides their colouring the Stick is the most adaptable subspecies of all of them, not following any predetermined path but having multiple variations of themselves. Their size varies as much as their combination of limbs, reaching from quadrupedal with shears over replacing their shears with grabbing limbs trading mass for flimsiness to bipedal variants with equally defined shears and grabbing limbs. But all variants share one defining feature; their extremely flimsy, stick-like upper body giving their species their name.
Sticks can be found everywhere from gardening over trading, bartending; simply everywhere and that in every possible standing.
Notitia will never admit this fact, but she has bred with them a perfect allrounder for nearly every situation. What they don’t have in strength, the elegance or prestigious colouring they have in their craftiness and intelligence rendering the common Stick to the foundation the whole mantis society is built upon.
Sticks by Soulwing98
(2:1 female to male ratio)
Mudcaller
“Those closest to the arcane essence nurturing this world understand their true purpose easier than those,who wander through their life blind on both eyes.“Father Sembuh, mudlord
The slim and spindly cousin of the guardian, this is the result of putting everything in mental prowess rather than physical power. The mudcaller is considered an outsider to society, the antisocial jerk, who only gets called when he is desperately needed. They are what remained from the mantis’ roots as arcane bound insects.
The magic flows strong in them, their vision is true. With the magic of their ancestors, the magic of Degradation Mudcallers can manipulate their turf to their liking. They can harness everything out of the étomo swamps, essentially surviving on their own as their magic provides them with food wherever there is plant life.
The shears of a mudcaller got through evolution such attuned with their arcane essence that they are always active on full power giving the Mudcallers their signature orange-black glow.
The magic flows strong in them, their vision is true. With the magic of their ancestors, the magic of Degradation Mudcallers can manipulate their turf to their liking. They can harness everything out of the étomo swamps, essentially surviving on their own as their magic provides them with food wherever there is plant life.
The shears of a mudcaller got through evolution such attuned with their arcane essence that they are always active on full power giving the Mudcallers their signature orange-black glow.
Mudcaller WIP by Soulwing
To use their shears for something other besides destruction Mudcallers get their shears usually reinforced by aluminium plates. Few have managed to use their gift for good as well like withering away specific fluids while leaving the rest of the structure intact.
This technique gets used in medicine to extinct harmful, damaging parts of the body while keeping the patient alive. The pointy shears get carefully plunged into the body and through concentration, on solely the tip a mudcaller can intensify his magic for a short time only on exactly that spot. Those Mudcallers able to do such miracles are called mudlords for their true mastery over the healing and damaging abilities of their ancestors.
(1:3 female to male ratio, 1:100 birthrate)
Shadowstalker
“Tiny, annoying buggers, but hella useful!”Father Sembuh, mudlord
If you happen to ever lose your way, wanderer, and land in the étomo swamps, then keep a keen eye on the trees, look out for small, leaf-like creatures watching your every step.
From the moment a stranger happens to get lost in the hunting grounds of a Shadowstalker they will get watched and studies until they leave again or do something dangerously for mantiskind. If that should happen the calvary will get alarmed instantly.
Shadowstalkers are much smaller than all their brothers and sisters due to a genome implanted by Notitia to hinder them from ever-growing beyond a total size of 1 meter. Besides their tiny, near cute, body structure, they can be identified by their leaf-like chitin covering the entire body.
From the moment a stranger happens to get lost in the hunting grounds of a Shadowstalker they will get watched and studies until they leave again or do something dangerously for mantiskind. If that should happen the calvary will get alarmed instantly.
Shadowstalkers are much smaller than all their brothers and sisters due to a genome implanted by Notitia to hinder them from ever-growing beyond a total size of 1 meter. Besides their tiny, near cute, body structure, they can be identified by their leaf-like chitin covering the entire body.
Duri Mawar by Soulwing98
They are the stealthiest subspecies of them all, able to essentially vanish in any forest-like area. Shadowstalkers are the surveillance system and couriers of their masters.
They, however, break out of every beauty ideal of mantiskind rendering them to kin that is wanted to be heard, yet not seen. Possessing oversized shears, who are each bigger than their entire torso, Shadowstalkers tend to use them as a second pair of legs supporting their weaker pair. The third pair in the middle consists out of small but crafty grabbing-limbs skilfully enough for interacting with complicated machinery needed for spying, like cameras. With their big, leaf-like wings they are able to fly quickly able to retreat instantly when they get ever spotted.
(1:1 female to male ratio)
Aberration
“Come, little friend, just lay down on this bench.
Mommy had a bad day and needs to let go a bit of steam.
You will please your maker with this my child and isn’t that what you all want?
Well done, my child, let’s begin...”
Even if Notitia sees herself as a benevolent and perfect maker even she messed up on several occasions over the centuries resulting in undesired outcomes reaching from genetic modifications weakening the tribe physically or mentally to accidentally creating unhealable plagues, by mixing their DNA with other races, withering away many insectoids in result. Many of those mishaps get purged afterwards instantly but there are a few batches, who managed to leave their tribe to protect the living from now on by living alone on their own.
One of those is a small tribe currently living somewhere in the swamp, who got successfully recombined with magic unlike their former one, called burrowing. They can use their enormous shears to dig themselves through many materials and that if desired without harming it. But offspring and mating partners of the “Phasematters” with other mantises ceased instantly due to an unnatural fight between the contractionary magic origins of their parents.
And then there are those other aberrations, each of them is unique in form and colour, who fell under the scalpel of their goddess. Eight limbs? Two or more heads? Mutated with essences and/or body parts of different species?
Or simply changed to the point where they cant bond with their kin anymore, Notitia has done it all. Be it out of boredom, anger, or frustration, she uses one of her playthings to feel better by letting out everything while operating on the poor victim, sometimes even without narcotics. These divine discharges result usually in monsters, often mentally broken due to the experiences.
But a few of them managed to accustom and live on with their new bodies. One popular example is the three-headed high judge Rasa Keadilan, who is successfully running the judicative since his divine intervention. Each of his three heads sees things differently: objectively, subjectively, and out of the culprits perspective. They are known for their overly fair trials and even managed to peak Justitias interest.
Or simply changed to the point where they cant bond with their kin anymore, Notitia has done it all. Be it out of boredom, anger, or frustration, she uses one of her playthings to feel better by letting out everything while operating on the poor victim, sometimes even without narcotics. These divine discharges result usually in monsters, often mentally broken due to the experiences.
But a few of them managed to accustom and live on with their new bodies. One popular example is the three-headed high judge Rasa Keadilan, who is successfully running the judicative since his divine intervention. Each of his three heads sees things differently: objectively, subjectively, and out of the culprits perspective. They are known for their overly fair trials and even managed to peak Justitias interest.
Rasa Keadilan WIP by Soulwing
“…You can’t realize how hard it is for me to hold my ground against my siblings, sometimes I think…
hey, can you please cut the constant screaming, I am trying to do art here!
What?
No, it can’t hurt that much getting rewired by me to support two more heads on your body…oh!
That’s why!
I forgot the narcotics, clumsy me.
Let me just…much better!
With a gagged mouth you can’t scream so nerve-rackingly anymore.
So, where was I? Right…”
Lady Notitia, creation of Rasa Keadilan
- undefined
Basic Information
Genetics and Reproduction
Being the playfield of the eternal Notitia the genetics of Mantises are getting constantly screwed with. This boils down to certain infertility rendering this species to officially provide good support to every kin that is willing to produce offspring.
The additional care rendered the primal instinct of a mantis female to eat her partner while or after mating extinct as they have no need any more for the nutrients provided through this cannibalistic act.
A female lays between 40 and 100 eggs in a froth that hardens upon contact with air to a hard-protective shell.
Usually between 30% and 50% of those eggs are fertilized leaving the remaining ones as food for the younglings.
After 2-3 months the eggs start hatching and the freshly born nymphs are then living trapped inside the froth until their second moulting two weeks later. That's because until then their shears are simply not strong enough to penetrate the barrier.
Based on how much food they are provided with inside the cocoon the nymphs might engage in that time in siblicide to survive through their first weeks.
When the cocoon is then broken usually only 5 – 10 nymphs are still alive ready to join up with their mother until reaching physical adulthood after their 12th shedding 7 years later.
They are then considered the young kin assisting their kind and learning until having reached mental adulthood and fertility with 15 years.
The additional care rendered the primal instinct of a mantis female to eat her partner while or after mating extinct as they have no need any more for the nutrients provided through this cannibalistic act.
A female lays between 40 and 100 eggs in a froth that hardens upon contact with air to a hard-protective shell.
Usually between 30% and 50% of those eggs are fertilized leaving the remaining ones as food for the younglings.
After 2-3 months the eggs start hatching and the freshly born nymphs are then living trapped inside the froth until their second moulting two weeks later. That's because until then their shears are simply not strong enough to penetrate the barrier.
Based on how much food they are provided with inside the cocoon the nymphs might engage in that time in siblicide to survive through their first weeks.
When the cocoon is then broken usually only 5 – 10 nymphs are still alive ready to join up with their mother until reaching physical adulthood after their 12th shedding 7 years later.
They are then considered the young kin assisting their kind and learning until having reached mental adulthood and fertility with 15 years.
Origin/Ancestry
Artificial Evolution out of wild arcane matises
Lifespan
40 years (male), 80 years (female)
Average Height
Ambassador: 1.6 - 2.1 m
Assassin: 1.5 - 1.9 m
Guardian: 2 - 3 m
Shadowstalker: 0.8 - 1.0 m
Mudcaller: 1.2 - 1.5 m
Orchid: 1.4 - 1.6 m
Stick: 1.7 - 2.2 m
Aberration: Undefined
Average Weight
Ambassador: 30 - 50 kg
Assassin: 25 - 40 kg
Guardian: 140 - 220 kg
Shadowstalker: 5 - 20 kg
Mudcaller: 40 - 60 kg
Orchid: 30 - 40 kg
Stick: 20 - 70 kg
Aberration: Undefined
Geographic Distribution
Discovered by
Diety needs & habits:
Each subspecies, excluding the Orchids, are omnivores eating everything to survive and ensure their tribes living on.
Nobody will get left behind, the hungry will get the first bite, the hunter the next and so forth.
Perception & sensory capabilities:
The forward faced multifaceted eyes of a mantis allow them to see the world like a human would do, with a well developed sense for 3D vision.
The design of their eyes, however, allows to essentially have a 350° vision, while the only blind spot is directly behind them.
The additional radius is however reduced in sharpness and only available in black and white to not overfeed their brain with information.
The design of their eyes, however, allows to essentially have a 350° vision, while the only blind spot is directly behind them.
The additional radius is however reduced in sharpness and only available in black and white to not overfeed their brain with information.
Gender ideals:
The untrained eye would say that this species is clearly a matriarchate as the mostly female subspecies are all in a position of power but that is not entirely true.
Due to their infertility, they cant allow themself anymore to downgrade the male kin to lesser beings. Gender equality got achieved by rendering the male way more important in keeping their line alive.
This, however, emerged only in the past two centuries after Notitia's experiments caused this incident that got stuck from now on irreplaceable in their genetical code.
Due to their infertility, they cant allow themself anymore to downgrade the male kin to lesser beings. Gender equality got achieved by rendering the male way more important in keeping their line alive.
This, however, emerged only in the past two centuries after Notitia's experiments caused this incident that got stuck from now on irreplaceable in their genetical code.
Languages:
Over the courses of their evolution, the average mantis mouth got changed to that degree that they are able to speak languages other than Mantis, their own way of communication, which consists mainly out of click sounds and scraping their tools against each other. They are understandable if you have the time and patience for a tongueless variant of your language. Every mantis is, however, trained in sign language to converse barrier-free.
All subspecies are able to understand at least the most common language of Etherium due to being raised in both languages, as their maker, lady Notitia, refuses to speak to them in their own one.
Distribution:
Being an artificially grown species the mantis is exclusive to the étomo swamps, however, a few are living within the citizens of Etherium being the flagships of Notitia's efforts of integrating them eventually fully within her main subjects.
I cannot smash the like button enough! I can has one of each, plz. The Orchids are the pretty. \o/