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The Manta
The Manta are a race of larger, carnivorous mantid-folk renowned for their gentle ways in times of peace, and their ferocity in times of trouble. Standing tall on four hindlegs, they tend to tower over most other races by one or two heads: an already intimidating sight, and only more so when one considers the two natural blades at the ends of their arms. However, unless one is looking for trouble, they will find none from one of these gentle giants. The Manta’s culture is one of peace and kindness, living as solemn monks high up in their monasteries, scattered throughout some of the more remote places in the land.
Unlike some of the other nations across the land, the Manta do not have a Queen who mothers all the nation’s hatchlings. Instead, any member of the race may have children with any other of the opposite sex. This is usually only done out of obligation for the preservation of their people, but there are some occasions where a mating couple do so out of strong attachment towards each other. This is not frowned upon in the culture, and is something to rather be celebrated, as many Manta find it difficult to stay in one place and with a partner for long periods of time, let alone stay together to raise their offspring. Brood hatchlings, when not parented by their born parents, are trained by the monks of whichever Monastery they were conceived at.
These Monasteries tend to be in high-up places, as part of the function of the structure is to observe the stars in their observatories where the monks chart the skies, and interpret prophecy in the movements of the heavens. Below this observatory, there are often several chambers for meditation, followed below by combat chambers, and below that being living quarters. The temple chambers will usually be placed outside of the main structural area of the monastery. While some other nations may be easy to find by the bustling noise of civilization alone, one may find it difficult to do so when seeking out a Manta Monastery, as a common mantra of these people is; “It is better to know when to be silent than to not know when to speak.”
The life of the average Manta is quite simple, and often tied to introspection, philosophy, and traveling from Monastery to Monastery to learn wisdom from each of the Monastery Masters. These pilgrimages are a common occurrence, and no individual usually remains at a single Monastery for more than a year or two. While staying at a Monastery, the Manta practice a martial art they invented to defend themselves against would-be assailants, and practice it often. With every individual proficient in hand-to-hand combat, one will rarely find a Manta wielding anything but their fists, although there are some of these monks that carry long walking staffs with them in their travels.
While the Manta may not be a particularly industrious people, they do provide two services to the neighboring nations. The first of these services is the weaving of plant fiber cloth, and when the material is available, silk cloth. These linens are made specifically for the priesthood for each nation. They send out this export without expectation for reciprocity, as this part of their culture is a supplemental extension of the religion, and see gain from this service as vanity. The other service they provide is to act as bodyguards for dignitaries traveling between cities. They do this without thought of gain, but will usually accept meals and shelter during the trip as payment enough for the service.
The only true export to exit out of a Manta Monastery would be Phi wine. As legend tells, the Manta are the originators of the method for the making of Phi wine, which they passed onto the Tof people when all nations resided in the shade of the Mother Tree. While the Fora have kept the tradition of making this delicacy, even after the schism in their lineage, their method changed in some ways, producing a vintage of the wine which many consider inferior to that of the Manta.
However, their most compelling contribution toward Sektan society at large would undoubtedly be their calendar, as their observations and charting of the cosmos led them to understanding the cyclical nature of the heavens and their relationship to the cycle of the seasons.
While the culture of the Manta is one of peace and compassion, the Manta themselves are still carnivorous, and must trade for or hunt lesser species for their food. There are, however, no ceremonial ties to the hunt, as it is purely for survival, and the Manta see the relishing of a kill to be vanity, and an unnecessary celebration for the necessity of a death. The Manta also rarely store up food, as one only eats that which they need for sustenance, and no more. A common mantra among them in regards to this attitude is; “I store my excess in the belly of another.”
Monastery Master
The Master is the chief spiritual advisor and spokesperson for a Monastery. This role and position is appointed to an individual among the five Elders who demonstrate their personal variation of traditional combat skills to be the most efficient and effective, and only among those Elders who the Monastery’s Monks believe to be the most wise. However, to be a Master is not to be above another. In fact, it is the opposite. To be a Master is to serve, support, and teach all others, who the Master sees as above his or herself.
Elders
Serving in the religious role as given in the doctrine of the Mother Tree, the five Elders act as advisors, confidants, and assistants to the Master, in similitude to the function of a Queen’s council. The Elders tend to cycle in their duties and presidings over different parts of the Monastery so as to keep themselves well-rounded and in touch with all aspects of their culture and their Monks and Students. Each Elder develops a personal and unique form or variation of the Manta’s martial arts, and teaches these to their students to evolve and develop it further into the next generations. One Elder is set apart from the others to act as the Monastery’s Record Keeper, who will often keep an assistant Monk with him for this endeavor. This assistant will also often become a new Elder when a vacancy has need to be filled.
Monks
Filling the same role as the Priests in the orthodox doctrine, Monks tend to the sick and dying, officiate in brood blessings and sacrifices, and all other priestly duties. These Manta are set apart by their talent in combat mastery and for their thoughtfulness towards others. Additionally, they are often sent out to hunt for food for the rest of the Monastery. This is considered by many to be the highest honor one can have; to care for another in need. For the most part, Monks do not leave their Monastery after having been set apart until the Elder or Master who set them apart has passed away, after which they may choose to leave for another Monastery or stay and continue in their normal duties.
Students
To hold a role as a student has little to no responsibility except to observe and practice what they are taught, and to help with menial chores throughout the Monastery. The student is not bound, however, to any particular Monastery, and may travel freely to where they believe they can learn to overcome that which prevents them from achieving personal wholeness.
Artwork by Matt Griffith
Unlike some of the other nations across the land, the Manta do not have a Queen who mothers all the nation’s hatchlings. Instead, any member of the race may have children with any other of the opposite sex. This is usually only done out of obligation for the preservation of their people, but there are some occasions where a mating couple do so out of strong attachment towards each other. This is not frowned upon in the culture, and is something to rather be celebrated, as many Manta find it difficult to stay in one place and with a partner for long periods of time, let alone stay together to raise their offspring. Brood hatchlings, when not parented by their born parents, are trained by the monks of whichever Monastery they were conceived at.
These Monasteries tend to be in high-up places, as part of the function of the structure is to observe the stars in their observatories where the monks chart the skies, and interpret prophecy in the movements of the heavens. Below this observatory, there are often several chambers for meditation, followed below by combat chambers, and below that being living quarters. The temple chambers will usually be placed outside of the main structural area of the monastery. While some other nations may be easy to find by the bustling noise of civilization alone, one may find it difficult to do so when seeking out a Manta Monastery, as a common mantra of these people is; “It is better to know when to be silent than to not know when to speak.”
The life of the average Manta is quite simple, and often tied to introspection, philosophy, and traveling from Monastery to Monastery to learn wisdom from each of the Monastery Masters. These pilgrimages are a common occurrence, and no individual usually remains at a single Monastery for more than a year or two. While staying at a Monastery, the Manta practice a martial art they invented to defend themselves against would-be assailants, and practice it often. With every individual proficient in hand-to-hand combat, one will rarely find a Manta wielding anything but their fists, although there are some of these monks that carry long walking staffs with them in their travels.
While the Manta may not be a particularly industrious people, they do provide two services to the neighboring nations. The first of these services is the weaving of plant fiber cloth, and when the material is available, silk cloth. These linens are made specifically for the priesthood for each nation. They send out this export without expectation for reciprocity, as this part of their culture is a supplemental extension of the religion, and see gain from this service as vanity. The other service they provide is to act as bodyguards for dignitaries traveling between cities. They do this without thought of gain, but will usually accept meals and shelter during the trip as payment enough for the service.
The only true export to exit out of a Manta Monastery would be Phi wine. As legend tells, the Manta are the originators of the method for the making of Phi wine, which they passed onto the Tof people when all nations resided in the shade of the Mother Tree. While the Fora have kept the tradition of making this delicacy, even after the schism in their lineage, their method changed in some ways, producing a vintage of the wine which many consider inferior to that of the Manta.
However, their most compelling contribution toward Sektan society at large would undoubtedly be their calendar, as their observations and charting of the cosmos led them to understanding the cyclical nature of the heavens and their relationship to the cycle of the seasons.
While the culture of the Manta is one of peace and compassion, the Manta themselves are still carnivorous, and must trade for or hunt lesser species for their food. There are, however, no ceremonial ties to the hunt, as it is purely for survival, and the Manta see the relishing of a kill to be vanity, and an unnecessary celebration for the necessity of a death. The Manta also rarely store up food, as one only eats that which they need for sustenance, and no more. A common mantra among them in regards to this attitude is; “I store my excess in the belly of another.”
Monastery Master
The Master is the chief spiritual advisor and spokesperson for a Monastery. This role and position is appointed to an individual among the five Elders who demonstrate their personal variation of traditional combat skills to be the most efficient and effective, and only among those Elders who the Monastery’s Monks believe to be the most wise. However, to be a Master is not to be above another. In fact, it is the opposite. To be a Master is to serve, support, and teach all others, who the Master sees as above his or herself.
Elders
Serving in the religious role as given in the doctrine of the Mother Tree, the five Elders act as advisors, confidants, and assistants to the Master, in similitude to the function of a Queen’s council. The Elders tend to cycle in their duties and presidings over different parts of the Monastery so as to keep themselves well-rounded and in touch with all aspects of their culture and their Monks and Students. Each Elder develops a personal and unique form or variation of the Manta’s martial arts, and teaches these to their students to evolve and develop it further into the next generations. One Elder is set apart from the others to act as the Monastery’s Record Keeper, who will often keep an assistant Monk with him for this endeavor. This assistant will also often become a new Elder when a vacancy has need to be filled.
Monks
Filling the same role as the Priests in the orthodox doctrine, Monks tend to the sick and dying, officiate in brood blessings and sacrifices, and all other priestly duties. These Manta are set apart by their talent in combat mastery and for their thoughtfulness towards others. Additionally, they are often sent out to hunt for food for the rest of the Monastery. This is considered by many to be the highest honor one can have; to care for another in need. For the most part, Monks do not leave their Monastery after having been set apart until the Elder or Master who set them apart has passed away, after which they may choose to leave for another Monastery or stay and continue in their normal duties.
Students
To hold a role as a student has little to no responsibility except to observe and practice what they are taught, and to help with menial chores throughout the Monastery. The student is not bound, however, to any particular Monastery, and may travel freely to where they believe they can learn to overcome that which prevents them from achieving personal wholeness.
Artwork by Matt Griffith
The Osim Apoi
The Osim do not adhere to traditional Apoi values, and in some ways, followed in their Hime cousin’s footsteps. After many generations of war, their ancient ancestors took to partaking of the same flowers that caused the Hime to produce only kings and queens. This socially shifted them away from creating hierarchical hives, and instead turned their focus towards creating stronger family units amongst themselves, resulting in an end to their people’s conquests for power and expansion.
To separate themselves even further from their ancient Apoi origins, they no longer produce honey of any sort, and instead spend their time tending to fields of wild berries and fruiting trees, feasting upon their nectars and fruits. Over many generations, this has led to their people creating small communes in the lands surrounding such fields and orchards.
A particular favorite of their produce, when they’re able to tend to it, is that of the blueberry, which they often use in cultural practices. It is said that, in their people’s early days, the mothers would paint themselves with the blueberry’s juices, turning their chitin blue, and their fur black. The fathers, on the other hand, used the fluid in the plant’s leaves to dye their chitin a shimmering bluish-green, being careful to leave their white fur untouched, and clean. These practices were used in similitude of the blueberry bush itself, displaying the equality of the sexes. The blueberry holds the seeds that create the new generation of plants, while the leaves absorb Es’ light, providing nutrients for the berries to flourish. Neither can live without the other, and so too do the Osim see this in each other; understanding their relationship and their need for each other. This is in stark contrast to almost every other clan of Apoi, where the Queen is the dominant ruler, and all others, male or female, are below her. Nowadays, their chitin does not need to be dyed, as after countless generations of the practice, they now hatch and grow naturally into these colors. In spite of that, they still perform the dyeing practice as a means to connect themselves with their ancestors.
However, their use of the blueberry is not only in ritual alone. They, themselves, also partake of it as a food source, and are willing to trade it to other nations, although they do not trade it for any kinds of goods out of necessity, as they grow and build everything they require. Instead, they trade for ornate things to decorate themselves, their homes, and their fields with. These kinds of ornate goods could be from any culture and be made from any material that they fancy in the trade. As such, many nations have found it very easy to keep good trade relations with the Osim, and respect their wishes for being as left alone as is possible.
Of course, this choice to leave them to their own devices would already be made easy given their natural proficiency for war and combat. Being about the same size as their Bombika cousins, and significantly larger than the Melif, in addition to their dark and painted appearances, they have not only the sight of intimidation, but the power and prowess to back it up. Indeed, these isolated peoples are the prime example of why it is better to be a warrior in a garden, and not a gardener in a war.
Artwork by Matt Griffith
To separate themselves even further from their ancient Apoi origins, they no longer produce honey of any sort, and instead spend their time tending to fields of wild berries and fruiting trees, feasting upon their nectars and fruits. Over many generations, this has led to their people creating small communes in the lands surrounding such fields and orchards.
A particular favorite of their produce, when they’re able to tend to it, is that of the blueberry, which they often use in cultural practices. It is said that, in their people’s early days, the mothers would paint themselves with the blueberry’s juices, turning their chitin blue, and their fur black. The fathers, on the other hand, used the fluid in the plant’s leaves to dye their chitin a shimmering bluish-green, being careful to leave their white fur untouched, and clean. These practices were used in similitude of the blueberry bush itself, displaying the equality of the sexes. The blueberry holds the seeds that create the new generation of plants, while the leaves absorb Es’ light, providing nutrients for the berries to flourish. Neither can live without the other, and so too do the Osim see this in each other; understanding their relationship and their need for each other. This is in stark contrast to almost every other clan of Apoi, where the Queen is the dominant ruler, and all others, male or female, are below her. Nowadays, their chitin does not need to be dyed, as after countless generations of the practice, they now hatch and grow naturally into these colors. In spite of that, they still perform the dyeing practice as a means to connect themselves with their ancestors.
However, their use of the blueberry is not only in ritual alone. They, themselves, also partake of it as a food source, and are willing to trade it to other nations, although they do not trade it for any kinds of goods out of necessity, as they grow and build everything they require. Instead, they trade for ornate things to decorate themselves, their homes, and their fields with. These kinds of ornate goods could be from any culture and be made from any material that they fancy in the trade. As such, many nations have found it very easy to keep good trade relations with the Osim, and respect their wishes for being as left alone as is possible.
Of course, this choice to leave them to their own devices would already be made easy given their natural proficiency for war and combat. Being about the same size as their Bombika cousins, and significantly larger than the Melif, in addition to their dark and painted appearances, they have not only the sight of intimidation, but the power and prowess to back it up. Indeed, these isolated peoples are the prime example of why it is better to be a warrior in a garden, and not a gardener in a war.
Artwork by Matt Griffith
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