Formicant

as Pangols' paws are clawed and unsuitable for fine manipulation - and furthermore, that a deadly and xenophobic fear of infusion by foreign essences interferes with their ability to work with many essences directly, especially in a magical capacity.
to get around these twin issues, the common profession of formicant arose - individual Pangols who developed the ability to control swarms of ants or termites by means of thought, sound, and gesture. This is achieved by closely pairing a Pangol and an colony/hive, and the nature of the relationship of the insects with the Pangol is somewhere between pet, tool, working animal, and extension of the self.
The insects can be safely infused with other essences to enable them to carry out specialist tasks- though of course, as with most deliberate essence-infusion, this is an imprecise and unreliable process.
formicants are often hybrid professions - for instance, formicant-smith or formicant-scribe.
common specific infusions:

• various animals to increase size - ox are common
• fire & associated essences - both to ignite/heat things, and to resist high temperatures
• various metals - used to increase strength and toughness.
• ceramics - used to imbue chemical inertness where required.

Alternative Names

Myrmaturgy

Type

Artisan

Related Locations

• Pangol Empire