Government
The Aq'id empress is a force to be feared throughout the underdark. From her, the nearly endless hosts of the mantis are spawned. The empress sings to the swarmborn, giving them purpose, her words filling their minds. Her desires are their desires, and they do not hesitate to obey.
The Aq'id empress can telepathically give orders and directions to any mantis of the empire from a distance, speaking directly into their minds.
Though mantis empresses are long-lived, they are not immortal. A council of mantis elders, known as the Klaxxi, see to the organized transfer of power from one empress to the next. Traditionally, mantis rulers are displaced in their old age by a carefully chosen successor. Remains of the previous empress are fed to her successor.
Though few in number, the Klaxxi evidently play a pivotal role in shaping and protecting Aq'id culture.
Culture
Mantis society is organized by caste.
Mantis are born with little on their mind, called swarmborn they share a hive mind with the empress. It is only when maturing that they can develop from a swarmborn into individual citizen.
Young mantis "swarmborn" are extremely dependent on the voice of the empress. Without her constant communication, they are left in a fugue, milling aimlessly around, and will not even act to defend themselves or their empress. Indeed, the swarmborn are unable even to recognize the empress without her voice speaking from within their minds.
Amber tree
Amber is the cornerstone of Aq'id society. Harvested from great roots that reach deep enough to be in the Underdark, the Mantis refer to as amber trees, they use this material in their architecture, their art, and their technology.
Amber is fashioned by ambersmiths into sharpened blades and weapons.
Weaponry
Aq'id weaponry is characterized by large, curving blades of honed amber. Ideal for slicing, these weapons are lightweight and no less durable than those forged from metal. The sword techniques of Aq'id are a carefully-guarded secret.
Names
Mantis speak their own language, Thri-kreen, which is a combination of snaps and clicks. There is no distinction between male and female names, with all names forming what other races would identify as one word.
Mantis do not name their child, instead, the child is left to decide its own name when it ends its childhood.
Names. Chit, Drik'ka, Gul'ka, Hakka, Ka'cha, Klak'cho, Pok'tet, Pik'ik'tik, Sa'kwe, Sal'ok, T'chai, Tik'nik
History
Gods and titans
During the conflict between the giants of Voninmerike and the trolls of
Trolerike, the Hedroforn faced off against
Grolantor,
Memnor, and
Surtur. This battle concluded with the titan's imprisonment deep in the Underdark beneath the
Frosted heights in 4508 BD.
Left by the gods as a captive in this subterranean prison, the Hedroforn posed a threat to Aq'id, whose inhabitants resided in these caves. The Hedroforn offered unspeakable power to the mantis in exchange for his freedom, yet despite the offers of power, the mantis refused to release it, recognizing the peril to their people.
Titanic Coruption
Over the course of two centuries, the titan's influence gradually infiltrated the highest echelons of Mantis society. In 4326 BD, the voice of the titan managed to infiltrate the thoughts of Grand Empress Shek'zeer, driving her to madness. Despite her descent into insanity, she adamantly refused to release the titan, redirecting her fury toward the surface-dwellers who had left the creature imprisoned in the depths.
Shek'zeer marshaled her forces, intent on exacting vengeance upon those responsible for confining the titan underground. As the Mantis armies breached the surface, they encountered fierce resistance from the dwarves, with House Cascogne at the forefront of the defense.
Although the Mantis forces dealt a devastating blow to House Cascogne, leaving it severely weakened, the dwarven house managed to rally their strength before facing destruction. United, the bulk of the
Ice-peak Concord armies successfully repelled the Aq'id soldiers.
With the army repelled and the empress increasingly influenced by the voices in her head, the Klaxxi began considering the possibility of replacing her before her natural term ended. However, the ongoing war with the dwarves prevented them from acting hastily.
Ultimately, neither the Dwarves of the Ice-Pak Concord nor the Mantis of Aq'id emerged as victors. The Mantis society splintered into two factions: those who sought to explore the surface world and those who retreated deeper into the Underdark.
Fall of Shek'zeer
With numerous forces lost to the battle or scattered to the surface, and the war concluded, the Klaxxi had greater freedom to maneuver. Grand Empress Shek'zeer was deemed unfit for leadership, and while the candidate to succeed her was young and not yet mature, the Klaxxi deemed a youthful leader preferable to a mad empress.
Shek'zeer, now fully consumed by insanity, resisted her inevitable downfall and turned against her own people. This internal conflict exacerbated the division among the mantis of Aq'id, particularly those who remained on the surface after the war, as they lost their telepathic connection to the empress.
Meanwhile, in the Underdark, those who remained loyal to Aq'id engaged in battle with their deranged empress, eventually overpowering her to install the newblood in her place.
The first decree of the new empress was to maintain vigilance over the chained titan, making it the duty of Aq'id to watch over it.
Titan's freedom
A duo of adventurers,
Rose Fancy and
Lalia Herbier, were kidnapped by Mantis during an expedition in the Underdark after trespassing into their territory. Thrown into the Mantis' jail within the City of Blades, they met
Aelsthim, another prisoner.
Lalia noticed that the city is carved into enormous roots and tried to communicate with the plants. She learned that the city was built entirely within these roots, and the Mantis lived symbiotically with the tree. She also sensed the presence of a powerful entity that the plant couldn't fully identify, but its presence disturbed all natural life around the shaft where it was contained.
Lalia focused on this link and managed to reach into the mind of the entity, finding that it had a connection to plants, allowing communication. The entity, known as Hedroforn, begged Lalia for help. Learning of this exchange, Rose proposed a deal: if the entity freed them, they would free it. Hedroforn agreed and lashed out, drawing the attention of all guards and soldiers as its screams echoed through the city.
With the guards distracted, the group escaped. Rose suggested fleeing, but Lalia, feeling compelled by her promise, led the group further into the city to free Hedroforn. They witnessed the colossal shaft where the gargantuan Hedroforn was imprisoned. Its shape shifted based on what it consumed, and the guards complained about the
Death of another Mantis due to Hedroforn’s attacks.
Witnessing this, Aelsthim and Rose wanted to leave, but Lalia, still hearing Hedroforn's voice, refused. She pushed the group to help the titan. Sneaking into the chasm, they managed to break one of its bonds before getting caught. Hedroforn lashed out again, creating chaos that allowed the group to flee across the
Dark lake on a boat made of mushrooms. The flames rising within the city lit their way as the titan fought the Mantis, leaving the city in ruins.
Final Confrontation
THe tian, ragin within the city, cause chaos and destruction, but is soon slowed down by the power of an
Archdevil,
Elise.
However, many mantis are still forced to flee their homes, as the titan's rampage is only slowed, not stopped. THe heroes choosen by Elise, the very adventurers who freed the titan, Rose and Lalia return to the city of blades. As they approach the city, Elise's pressure on the titan, which had slowed and weakened its movements, ceases.
Elise grants them the knowledge of a curse she concocted specifically for the titan. This curse, if used properly, will stop the titan. With this curse in their possession, the ritual to curse the creature will be challenging to perform amidst the chaos of a fight. Lalia decides to prepare the ritual while Rose fight.
Rose faces the monster and sustains serious injuries but manages to keep it in check. However, in his rage, Hedroforn breaks the last bond chaining him and unleashes his full fury against the characters. Now free, Hedroforn rushes to Lalia and absorbs the druid, consuming her whole.
From within, Lalia manages to activate the curse. The curse spreads from her, turning Hedroforn's body to stone. He shouts in pain as his body stiffens but is ultimately frozen in place, turned to stone.
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