Characteristics
Mental traits
Grand Empress Shek'zeer was a wise ruler of the mantis, but her mind was gradually corrupted by the
Hedroforn voice, driving her insane with a never ending bloodlust.
Abilities
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.
History
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 Shek'zeer in exchange for his freedom, yet despite the offers of power, Shek'zeer refused to release it, recognizing the peril to her people.
Over the course of two centuries, the titan's influence gradually infiltrated 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.
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.
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