MYRMEX
Classification: Dragon, bonding-type
Homeworld: Attarmyx Size: Varies Clutch Style: Oviparous Diet: Omnivorous |
Myrmex sexes are caste-dependent, they don't have traditional male/female genders.
Myrmex are omnivorous and can, and will, eat anything.
Myrmex communicate telepathically and through chemical signals. They can't speak verbally but can produce various clicking and screeching noises.
Drones and warriors cannot bond to one another or within the same caste.
Unlike many other species, the death of a bondmate doesn't mean the death or madness of the bond. Indeed, drones and warriors are shorter-lived and while their passing can be emotionally devastating (in the same way losing a family member is), it causes no deliberate mental harm on the bond.
Myrmex are so likely to multi-bond that losing a bondmate often means they still have others around. If a myrmex is completely bondless, it will search desperately for a new bond. If none can be found, they usually succumb to death.
Queen's hides are mostly soft to the touch, lacking the tough chitinous layer of the other castes. They have no horns and their wings are primarily vestigial. They can help regulate temperature, but are incapable of lifting the queen for flight.
Queens can bond to warriors and drones.
Size: 15'-20' at shoulder
They are fiercely protective of their social circle and will attack anything that appears to be a threat - regardless of size! Their ferocity is only tempered by their natural, inborn genetic altruism. Warriors will always strive to help their bonds, family, and friends to the best of their ability, and would rather accept death then lash out at them.
Warriors are the only caste capable of teleportation.
Size: 8'-10' at shoulder
Drones are sensitive to mood swings and desires, and always try their hardest to keep those around them content. Drones are happiest when they're busy and dislike remaining idle for long periods. Their pursuits may be physical, social, or intellectual, as long as they are doing something.
Size: 2' to 5' at shoulder
Queens produce exceptionally large clutches, sometimes numbering in the hundreds, but many of these eggs are duds or will be eaten during the incubation process.
Baby Myrmex are called grubblings and are born casteless. They are fat, squishy, creatures with a hide made of soft skin and delicate half-formed chitin. Their secondary arms and small and nearly vestigial, and grubblings have no wings to speak of. Grubblings establish their bonds immediately after hatching. If no suitable bondmate is found, they will bond to their queen mother.
Grubblings are good at one thing: Eating! Constantly hungry due to their rapid growth, grubblings spend most of their time searching for food, and dragging hapless bonds along with them. In a typical colony, adult drones would bring a nest of grubblings all the food they desire, but on the Refugium and elsewhere, it's a bondmate's job to do the gathering. Grubblings will eat anything put in front of them and often have to be taught that some things aren't food, such as the neighborhood cat or pet flitter. Particularly voracious grubblings have been known to cannibalize myrmex eggs and other, smaller grubblings.
When a grubbling has reached its maximum size it will create a cocoon of mucus-silk around itself, where it will begin the process of metamorphosis. This change can take several months to complete, but the myrmex will remain in constant telepathic communication with its bond. If a bond ventures outside the range of telepathy, a myrmex may hatch prematurely out of fright and desperation.
Once a myrmex hatches, its adult caste will be revealed. All young adults are nearly the same size and grow quite rapidly. Warriors and drones reach their full size in a matter of months, while queens can take years to become sexually mature.
When surnames are required, Myrmex use the name of their queen mother. Eg. a full name would be Highclick of QueenHungry.
Myrmex are born with their variety, but no abilities. Caste determines the power and number of abilities an individual develops. Abilities are gained innately during metamorphosis.
TREE SPEAK: This ability allows the user to communicate with trees. They can obtain memories and use this network to keep a vigilant eye on wooded areas surrounding their hive. Through this, an individual can also assess the needs of plants nearby; if soil requires more nutrients, if the tree needs more or less water, etc. (W, Q)
ANIMATE & CONTROL PLANTS: This ability allows the user to control the movement of plants with their minds, which can be used to wrap vines or crash branches on an enemy. (W,Q)
SUMMON QUAKE: The user is able to simulate an earthquake, causing fierce shaking and splitting of the ground. (W, Q)
SOIL SUSTENANCE: The user is able to derive nutrients directly from the soil, no need to eat! (D, W, Q)
SPORE BREATH: The user coughs a cloud of fungal spores, which can be used to seed soil or as an attack against an enemy, infecting them with harmful fungi. (D, W, Q)
POISON SKIN: The user secretes a poisonous fluid from between their chitin plates. This substance causes hallucinations, nausea, and partial paralysis when ingested. (W, Q)
SUMMON POLLEN: The user summons a thick cloud of pollen. While this is often used by drones to help fertilize gardens, it can also serve as a means to blind or choke enemies. (D, W, Q)
FLOWER BLOOM: A latent ability that causes flowers to reach maturity rapidly and bloom wherever the myrmex steps. Even the tiniest seed underfoot will reach fruition. (Q)
WITHERING TOUCH: The user can cause any organic thing they touch to rot. Powerful users (typically queens) can use this ability to kill quickly via necrosis of living tissues. (W, Q)
PUTREFY: One touch of this caustic ability causes any deceased organic material to immediately liquefy. (D, W)
The species was systematically targeted and nearly wiped to extinction in a joint military effort. The myrmex homeplanet was destroyed.
A contingent of warriors teleported their queen to a nearby habitable zone. A terrifying action that could have cost them all their lives, as queens were not built to teleport. Warriors were sent in all directions to find a proper New Home, and in doing so, one bumped into a searcher from the Refugium.
The Refugium now hosts who is possibly the very last Myrmex queen.