Mantids - cphilliplierz/PF1 GitHub Wiki

Mantid refers to both an actual alien species of insect- or mantis-like humanoids, as well as the human inheritors of their culture on Novianus.

Little is known about the original Mantids except that they have been at war with humans from before Planetfall. All anatomical Mantids on Novianus are believed to have died off over one hundred years before the main storyline. However, the human slaves that the Mantids captured have since adopted much of their culture and remain hostile to other human populations. These Mantids live on a large island in the east, often called the Shadowlands, where they have a single massive settlement known as Ultraprax.

Caste Culture Mantids progress through a series of castes as they age until they reach their final or adult caste.

Larvae, newborn to four years, are cared for by the Queens.

Pupae, five to nine years, begin instruction in Prax with the Drones.

Nymphs, nine to fourteen, begin breeding as soon as they reach sexual maturity.

Drones, fifteen and up, are males chosen for their virility. They are expected to impregnate as many Nymphs and Queens as they can for the good of society. They are also expected to master Prax and teach it to the Pupae.

Queens, fifteen and up, are females chosen for their high fertility. They are expected to continually reproduce for the good of society. They also care for the larvae.

Soldiers, fifteen to nineteen, are castrated after the Nymph stage. They begin instruction in War Prax with the Warriors and are used as expendable pawns in battle.

Warriors, twenty and up, were Soldiers chosen to be elite warriors and officers in the Mantid war machine. They are expected to master War Prax and teach it to the Soldiers.

Workers, twenty and up, are the majority of Mantid society. As former Soldiers, they have been drilled to be highly regimented and sociable. They often form work units of about two hundred individuals that they will live with for the rest of their lives.

Control, twenty and up, is believed to form a shadow government that covertly controls Mantid society. Though it is unknown if this caste even exists, the highly organized nature of Mantid society coupled with their near complete lack of political institutions suggests that someone must be pulling the strings.

Prax and War Prax

Prax is a form of spiritual worship taught to all Mantids. It involves ritualized movements, postures, stretching, meditation and breathing. War Prax is a modified version that adds combat maneuvers like strikes, locks, throws and grappling. Though similar to human martial arts or yoga, Prax is actually more like a language and those trained in it will intuitively act as a cohesive unit.

Recent Events

A Mantid invasion of the eastern Great Wetlands has largely come to a stalemate with neither the human defenders nor the Mantid invaders gaining new ground for many years. And many consider the Mantid threat contained.